skull on fire: A skulduggery pleasant/ hunger games crossover fanfic

Chapter Four: The President

Our dear President is to the left...>>>>>>>>

Chapter Four: The President

I look up to see a tall Capitol assistent. I ask him what he wants. He stares at me silently and I realise my mistake, he must be an Avox. I wonder what sort of crime he must have comitted to get his tounge cut out like that. I cut off my wondering in time to see him hand me a piece of paper, folded neatly and sealed with a dried rose stuck in the sealing wax. It still smells fresh and sickening. I rip the rose out and unfold the crisp paper. It is a note from the President.

Dear miss Cain, Please grace me with your precence in cabin Four One Nine One as I have some importaint information to share with you.
Yours Sincerly,

Presedent Titus. Ps; I hope you like the rose.

I look up at the end of the note.

"What if I don't agree to come?" I ask, disrespectfully.

The assistant takes the note from my hand and writes on the back in blue marker.
"You don't even want to know."

"Oh..." I follow him down the train. It seems like there is nothing else I can do anyway.

The train is on very rough ground and I am thrown against the wall several times before we reach the cabin. I wonder if Skulduggery has been woken by the movement, I hope not, he needs all the rest he can get.

The tall assistant opens the door to the cabin and steps back respectfully. "Enter." calles a voice from inside the room. I do just that. I am greeted by a horrible cold and that ghastly reek of roses. I see a large leather swivel chair in the left corner and expect to see President Titus in it. Instead I see one of the most horrible things I have ever set eyes on.

A small child is sat in the chair with her head lolled back, blood seeping from her mouth and her own toungue on the surgical table beside her. I scream and run to her. It is only then I notice Titus standing next to the desk, a manic grin on his face as he observes my horrer and the little girls pain.

"Why do you do this?", I scream,"What did she ever do to you!?"

"Ah, the golden question. I do this because it gives me power and this young lady attempted to run away from the Capitol." The President replies calmly.

"But why are you showing me this?" I ask, in tears.

"Because, miss Cain, you have to learn that there is nothing you can do to stop the capitol. Katniss and Peeta mellark tried that and, while my grandfather let them live, I am now sending their own son into the arena. We'll just have to see if you can kill him. because you will have to, if you want to come out of this alive."

"But I dont understand, why aren't you telling this to Skulduggery as well?"

"Because he has already learnt his lesson."

"What do you mean?" I ask, trying to keep my eyes off the girl who is begining to wake up and spit blood.

"I mean." He begins, then motions for the tall assistant to wheel the girl out of the room, "Did you really think your friend was reaped by accident? That out of the millions of papers in the sphere, his came out just by chance? No. He was given a chance to join with me. To be head Gamemaker. And god would he have been good at it with his macic abilities. But he turned me down. Do you know why he did? It was because of you. He didn't want to risk losing you. To maybe design a trap that could kill you. He could'nt have that on his hands. So he was sent home, and now, just two weeks later, he is on his way back to the Capitol to die. Oh, I think he's learnt his lesson about not defying the Capitol alright."

I knew all this already, but the full realisation of what is going on hits me now. Skulduggery would be safe if it wasn't for me, he would never be going into the games like this. He is in danger because of his feelings for me and I know I cant have any fake beliefs that because he is a skeleton, Skulduggery will be safe. The gamemakers know some way of killing him, or they would never have put him in the games. It's not like he is invulnerable. If his skull was cracked in half he would be put in a drained state and be unable to fight. He is also vunurable to fire or magical weapons. It is possible, likely even, that he will die because of me. My resolve to save him strengthens and I stand up to leave the room. I have nothing more to say to this monster.

"Wait." I hear Titus' voice as I rise to leave. I wont listen to him. He is pure evil. Then he says something that slows my stride. "I know about the kiss."

"What kiss? why.." My voice peters out. He knows about Fletcher. He must. But how? His next sentance answers my unvoiced question. "We have cameras everywhere on the train exept the Tributes living spaces." So that is why he doesn't know about Skulduggery and I as well. I am so gratefull for that.

I turn to leave again. This time he wont stop me. As soon as I am out of his sight, I break into a run. I stumble into a vase of roses in the hallway and it breaks, cutting my hand. My face streaked with tears, I somehow manage to stumble, blindly, back to the living room. I see Skulduggery still sleeping peacefully on the couch. His kisses seem years ago as I crawl back under the covers. I sob quietly under the covers, thinking of what I have just seen.

At some point my sobbing grows louder and Skulduggery wakes. He askes me what is wrong as he bandages my bloody hands with a first aid kit he found in a box in the bathroom. I tell him everything (exept the part about Fletcher) and he askes me if there is anything he can do to comfort me. In return, I pull him in for a soft kiss. And although I cant sleep after what I have seen, I feel comforted in his arms.

A/N: Soooo.. Waddaya think? Tell me in comments below and please leave a vote if you think it deserves it:)

<3