In This Together (The Hunger Games Fanfiction)

Chapter 17: The President is Here

President Dellya Snow POV:

I was here only weeks ago, and I know my little experiment, excuse me, New World, would be surprised to see me back. But I had no choice but to be unpredictable due to the extreme circumstances.

No one has ever escaped from the Games before. They were supposed to be the one thing that always stayed constant in Panem. The Hunger Games was the only thing keeping fear alive, and therefore keeping Panem under my control. I couldn't let Panem know that someone, especially an 11 year old, had bested the Capitol. So I had to take drastic measures.

As far as Panem knows, Tristan Billard and Celia Deen were crushed by the rocks hiding the waterfall, and Caleb was their 200th Hunger Games victor. It's much easier for them to understand things that way, although I must say everyone was horrified at the thought of the little girl dying. But it had to be done; in a world like this, control is everything. I won't say their families were happy about it either. Celia's mother almost passed out and Tristan's wife nearly had her baby on the spot. But it had to be done.

Forcing a smile on my face, I walked regally out to face the small, but roaring crowd in the small village of New World.

"Hello, hello." They quieted immediately, eager to hear what I had to say. "I must say, it is wonderful to be back to such a marvelous...place." The whole town held their breath, curious about why I had made a much earlier appearance than normal. "I just wish I was here under different circumstances." It didn't take the crowd long before they realized that something was wrong, and they grew uneasy. "New World has been invaded." The villagers gasped, and began to cry out.

"No!" "It can not be!" "We have always been safe here!"

"What I am telling you is true. New World has been invaded by two people from an unknown place. And if that were not enough, it gets worse," I hung my head, playing my part well. "Someone-someone of our very own- is working with these intruders. Someone, or some people, standing here with us right now, has betrayed us all, by siding with these ill-intentioned invaders!"

With my last words, the plaza went crazy. Neighbours accused neighbours, family accused family, and I simply watched the scene unfold in front of me, struggling to wipe the smirk off of my face.

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Amy's POV

She knew. She may not show it but she knew. The President knew that someone was hiding Celia and Tristan. I just had to hope she didn't know it was us.

I grabbed tightly onto Maia's arm so I wouldn't lose her in the chaos that followed Dellya's speech. My husband, Adam, led the way back to our humble home, He didn't know about what we were hiding; he slept through Tristan and Celia's whole entry and the rest of their stay. I thought things might be better that way.

"Amy, get the child in the house. I'll go out and see if I can help find the people who are betraying our sweet county!" Adam ordered, and wandered back out into the slowly emptying square. Not being able to think of any better ideas, I unlocked our door and led Maia inside.

"What was President Dellya talking about?" Maia blinked her big green eyes.

"She was talking about us," Celia answered as she climbed down the stairs, and by the fear in her eyes I could see she had heard the whole announcement through our thin walls.

"What are you thinking, coming downstairs like that," I snapped. "She could have been here with us, and locked you up faster than you can say 'Hungry Games' or whatever that TV show you told us about was called."

Celia ignored my comment and continued down the stairs, with Tristan in tow.

"What are we supposed to do now?" She asked, tears shone in her eyes. "It won't be long before they search everyone's home, and then we'll all be in trouble."

"We still don't know that she realizes you two are here for sure. She may just be attempting to scare people into giving information about your whereabouts," I struggled to calm her. As hard as it was to see her upset, I couldn't help wishing that Celia and Tristan had walked up to any other house in New World but ours.

"Trust us, we know President Snow. She spends 95% of her time with us, in the Capitol. The President knows we are here, and she won't rest until she finds us," Tristan insisted.

"Wait..." Celia interrupted the silence that followed Tristan's statement. "What about Tally and Grim?"

Maia looked at me, and I shrugged back. I had never heard those names before.

"Tally and Grim? What about them?" Tristan questioned.

"They were the ones who sent you that sponser gift, right?" Celia began, and Tristan nodded. "Well, they must know this place existed! They could come save us!" Celia was clearly excited, but Tristan looked doubtful.

"Unfortunately, we don't have any way of contacting them. And even if we did, there's no proof they knew exactly what lay behind the waterfall. It was probably a desperate attempt to get us out of the arena alive."

Celia's face fell again, and I realized how hard this must be for her and Tristan. They had no real idea where they were, and I had no real idea of how to get them home. Things must be looking bleak for them.

"Either way, we need to focus on protecting you right now," I interrupted. "Where can we hide you?"

"The cellar!" Maia suggested excitedly.

"No," Tristan shook his adamantly. "The President will certainly look there."

"Not if she doesn't know it exists," Maia corrected.

Celia groaned impatiently. "What do you mean? She built this town, she must know you have a cellar."

"Well..." I began, ashamed to admit that my family didn't always follow the rules. "When my parents moved with me here, they felt that a cellar was a necessary safety feature. So they sort of... built their own as an addition on the home. They never reported it, for fear of getting in trouble."

"It's all thanks to Grandpa you have the cellar to hide in!" Maia giggled and led the way into the living room.

"The trapdoor is right here," I explained, revealing the metal contraption hidden under a corner of the carpet.

Tristan shrugged, and helped me lift up the rusty old door that hadn't been opened for years.

"Wait... how long do we have to be under there?" Celia pointed down into the darkness.

"A little while, probably at least a day or two..." I stated, and Celia shivered, obviously concerned about what sort of creatures she would discover in the ancient cellar.

"Come on, we'll be fine," Tristan nudged her shoulder. "You will send us down food, right?"

"Of course," I promised. "But unless if we are talking to you, you'd be safest to stay quiet. Who knows what time Dellya will be poking around in here."

"I'll miss you!" Maia exclaimed, wrapping her arms around the two stowaways.

"It won't be too long before you see them again, my dear," I wrapped my arm around my daughter's shoulder.

We were just figuring out the final details of the cellar expedition when I heard the front door creak open. "Sh," I held a finger to my lips for silence.

"Amy?" Adam called out. He was back from visiting the square! Now didn't seem like the best time to reveal our secret to my husband. I didn't know if there would ever be a good time. I preferred to follow the rules, but Adam based his whole life around following rules. If he found out that the two invaders the town was looking for were in our own home, he would kick all of us out in two seconds flat.

"Quick, get in!" I shoved Tristan down the rotten wood steps into the cellar. Celia followed close behind him. " Adam doesn't know you are here. And he can't know!"

Once Tristan and Celia had faded into the darkness, Maia helped me replace the door and slide the carpet back over the rusted metal. We had just enough time to collapse on the living room furniture and attempt to look normal before my husband came crashing into the living room.