A Game Of Justice ✭ Cato Hadley

Fifteen - Here's The Truth Of It

There's a bundle of pillows and blankets neatly folded in the corner of the room when Clio wakes up, but there's no Luna. The one good thing about the strict sleeping schedule in District Thirteen is that Clio finds herself waking up at six-thirty every day without fail and without the need for an alarm, given that she's always asleep by half past ten after the news broadcast. She's up and attached to her guards in the cafeteria by seven o'clock, sitting for breakfast, which is usually just bowls of slightly soggy porridge and oats. Breakfast is particularly uneventful that morning, because Reef is later than normal, having eaten with her mother at the table with the other rescued citizens of District Four before she joins Clio and her guards.

At twenty past eight, Reef stands up from the table after finishing her ration of fruit juice. "I've got to go."

Clio shakes her head and she tries to reach her hands out towards the teenager in a grabbing motion as she whines. "Please don't leave me!"

Reef mirrors Clio's motions, shaking her head as she giggles. "Clio, that's not going to work on me anymore because unlike you, I've actually got to follow the shitty schedules they have in place. I'm sorry, I'll see you at lunch."

The teenager has turned around and left the food hall before Clio has a chance to reply and she gets lost in thought about how boring District Thirteen must be for its citizens. There's a limited space, no fresh air or natural light and only two hours of free time to themselves; not to mention the tiny fitness area and one singular common area filled with books to occupy their time. At least they let her use the fitness area when it's empty and not heaving with everyone after work, though it's probably more for their benefit than hers. She's so lost in thought that she flinches when Luna grabs her shoulders and shouts, "You're not alone!"

The redhead smirks triumphantly as she sits across from Clio, who now understands that she's never going to be able to live down the fact that Luna successfully scared her. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine." Clio replies, though she quickly elaborates and tries to remind Luna of last night's interruption. "Fucking exhausted though, thanks to you."

"Look, I said I'm sorry."

"I know." The brunette pauses briefly, realising that with Luna still not speaking to Finnick, and her laughter, that no one has informed her of what her ex-boyfriend admitted on live television a short while ago. Her expression turns serious. "There's something we need to talk about..."

Luna furrows her brows, leaning forward onto her elbows atop the table, just as her guard places a plate of porridge oats in the space between them. "Okay, your tone is very concerning."

"Yeah, well, it's not exactly going to be an easy conversation. I need you to listen to everything I say before you react. Okay?"

"Okay..."

"I mean it." Clio's tone is stern. "No comments, no questions, especially no jokes. Not until I finish explaining it all."

"Okay." Luna nods her head. "I promise."

"Good. The day that Johanna and Peeta were saved, Coin put Finnick live on Panem television as a distraction to help the rescue operation. During the propaganda spot, Finnick explained that, because he was seen as a desirable victor, Snow exploited him. From the age of sixteen, President Snow has been selling Finnick, as well as many other victors, to the citizens of the Capitol. I don't think he was cheating on you, Luna. I think he was being sold and just hadn't told you yet."

Luna's face is blank and Clio wonders if she should've worked out a gentler method of informing the girl opposite her. She knows that she wouldn't take kindly to the information either; whether that be that her boyfriend was being sold, or that he was lying to her about it, so she doesn't know how she expected Luna to take it. But there's no tears, and that's a good sign. At least to Clio anyway, she still hasn't mastered emotions yet despite the amount of crying she's done since being here. Her guards and Luna's guard are all watching the two of them carefully, waiting for one of them to snap.