The Hunger Games - Rebirth - Book 2

Chapter 24

I went to sleep early that night. My mind was a storm of nightmares, my mother and father were the main characters and each time their faces came up their mouths were sewn shut. I woke up when the sun began rising and decided it was best that I didn't return to sleep.

I dressed for the day in a floral dress and flats and pulled my hair back in a bun at the nape of my neck. After I made my bed I decided to go outside to the garden and watch the sun rise. The house was quiet as I slipped through the halls not even the avoxes were stirring. After making it through the front door I turned my walk into a run and crossed the grounds. As I came around the house I stopped when I saw him just sitting there and staring off into the distance. I took a deep breath before I covered the few yards that set between us.

"Hey you are up early." I said as I took a seat beside him.

Jackson held open his arm and pulled me to his side. This was an awkward motion for me and I assumed it was for Jackson as well but I think he was trying his best to get used to the idea of me being his fiance by force. Thank goodness there was no ring yet because it would make things alot more harder for me.

"Just watching the sun rise, we have one of the best views in the Capitol." He told me.

I turned my head to look at him and noticed how ridgid he seemed. I could tell he was uncomfortable with our closeness.

"You know you don't have to be affectionate or anything." I told him as I turned my whole body to face him.

He looked at me and then quickly looked back towards the sun rise. "We have an image to uphold if he isn't satisfied we might as well throw ourselves onto our swords." he replied in a toneless voice.

I knew he was speaking metaphorically because I know I didn't have a sword and I doubted he did either. But I understood the meaning. It's not just being married its more than that. If we didn't act like the standard husband and wife after our nuptuals then people would question whether or not the bonding is true and if it wasn't then the presidency would as well be false. That would mean death for all those involved which not only included his family but mine as well. I couldn't blow this.

"Won't the capitol know that I was a mail order bride?" I asked.

I mean if they knew then their would be no question that the bonding was fixed and bought.

Jackson shook his head, not once making eye contact. "The buying and selling of men and women is strictly under the table business. Only a fair few know and those that end up not buying have their minds wiped of the memories of that event. Those that were bidding for you no longer remember you or remember the black market auction."

I was speechless I mean the power the goverment had they used it to its fullest extent and totally abused it. None of this was right.

"Well still we don't have to pretend to be in love in our home its where we have privacy no one else is around and those that are won't say a thing because they'd be afraid of the death sentence from being involved anyways right?" I said hurridly. "What is the death sentence in the Capitol?" I asked.

Sure enough in each District the way they carried out executions was different. I heard in District 3 they electricuted their offenders. District 4 they drowned them, District 11 they hung them and District 10 they got shot. Worst yet I heard in District 1 they got whipped with a diamond studded whip.

His face went immediately pale. "They use drugs to parlyze your body so you can't move and then they give you more drugs that screw with your nerves so that any simple touch feels like hell and then they torture you for the length of 2 months and on the third they put you in a room and let you slowly be burned to death over a course of two weeks."

My eyes were widened with fear and shock. If I was unable to make people believe that I was with truth in my marrage then everyone involved with us would suffer this, my mother and father included.

In order to appear true to the marraige I'd have to do everything two married people did. We'd have to be in love every moment. Make love. Kiss. Have children. I would have to play the part 200%.

"Well atleast we can be our real selves at home right?" I asked him.

His eyes flickered to mine. "In the Capitol you have no privacy at all. Unlike living in Districts 5-12 we have less privacy. Camera's, sensors, paparazzi. In the richest neigborhoods that is where its the most heaviest."

I looked at him in astonishment. "Most heaviest?"

He nodded his head. "Money is power is the Capitol. If they feel like they are being threatened they will eliminate without questions. My brother of course will be doing his best to let us get it together but after the marriage people will be swarming all over us. There will be those that will think we only got married to keep in the Presidency and we will have to persuad them."

I gulped. That meant that people could be watching us at this very moment. I closed my eyes and felt my heart pounding and my head pulsating. I opened my eyes and looked at Jackson he was looking right at me and he had a frown on his face.

Slowly I leaned towards him and pressed my lips to his before I leaned away.

"What was that?" Jackson asked me.

I felt the corner of my mouth twitch. "I was just practicing for our future."