Coriolanus Snow approached his shift commander half an hour before his shift ended.
He was cautious as he did so, glancing around to make sure no other peacekeepers were present to see them speaking.
Coriolanus asked the officer, "Do you still need someone to spray down the empty cells tonight?"
The officer, who was busy with paperwork, barely paid attention. He just muttered, "Yes. Are you volunteering?"
Coriolanus glanced around again, making sure they spoke in complete privacy, before saying, "Perhaps you should assign it to Sejanus Plinth."
The officer paused, now looking at him to ask, "Plinth? Why?"
Coriolanus stuck his hand in his pocket, pulling out a few spare Capitol dollars that Sejanus had left on his dresser. The rich boy had so much cash he wouldn't even notice it missing.
He placed it on the officer's clipboard. "Sejanus Plinth would like to be assigned any extra work you have tonight."
The officer wasn't of a high enough rank to be too big to take a bribe, and Coriolanus knew this. The older man pocketed the money. "That's very kind of Mr. Plinth," he agreed.
Coriolanus left before Sejanus got back from his final perimeter sweep.
He had to do it, Coriolanus told himself. Sejanus would never have to know. The guilt for throwing Sejanus into more work, despite the boy working longer hours everyday anyway, was nothing compared to the panic he had at the idea of not having enough time alone with Liville when he got back.
He needed to speak to her alone, without any worry of Sejanus showing up.
He'd been haunted all day by their conversation that morning, and he couldn't stand another moment of not being able to see her. The whole shift he felt like he could hardly breath, hardly think, hardly do anything besides replay it all, again and again.
"You're not accusing me of lying because you don't trust me. You're doing it because you're a coward, Coriolanus. Because you don't want to admit to yourself that you fell for it. That you betrayed me by believing it. You are a fool, Coryo. And I hope this destroys you."
He'd never hurried through the district as fast as he did that day. His legs burned due to how quick he forced them to move on the three mile long walk home.
When he arrived at the house, Coriolanus forced himself to take a moment to collect himself, to try to push away any of the disruptive, extreme emotions that had controlled him that morning.
His eyes fixated on the bare porch, and he realized what was still missing. He stepped off of the porch and went around the side of the house and to find where Liville had tossed the green doormat.
Grabbing it, he carefully placed it back where it belonged, going as far as using his bare hands to clean off the dirt and thorns caught on it.
Standing, he took off his helmet, and ran a hand over his shaven head. He used the back of his sleeve to take off any sweat from his face. Taking a deep breath, he stepped inside.
"Liville?" He called out her name like he was stranded in a forest and awaiting her rescue.
She was not in the kitchen. Her bedroom door was open. He poked his head in but she wasn't there either. He spotted her through the back window. She was in the backyard, the spacious backyard he hadn't even bothered going out to yet.
For a moment, Coriolanus let himself just look at her. He noticed the way the setting sun hit her hair, the way her skin looked in district sunlight, the way her body looked so relaxed when she was alone.
