Ablaze [Gale Hawthorne]

Welcoming The Girl On Fire

"May the odds be ever in their favor."

This was the only thought Cassandra could come up with while gazing out of the airborne hovercraft. The atmosphere of the cabin was filled with the solemn discussion of the three beings behind her gathered around a table. Certain beeps would accompany them every now and then and they would go on and on and on about how the Girl on Fire was going to handle the situation, ignoring the beep. Honestly, Cassandra felt sorry for the small, little beep than for Katniss Everdeen. The beep was all alone, no one to give attention to it, acknowledge it, when the face of the Rebellion had the support of rebel forces, thousands of people to stand with her.

The murmurs behind here hadn't stopped yet, the tone of them getting severely grave with every passing minute that Cassandra had to tug her collar to cool down her sweat. Outside the dusty windows of the hovercraft that underwent series of scratches, dust and multiple layers of ashes from the burning arena, was what she could make out a long stretch of greenery. A piece of forest which would've never sustained if it was in the Capitol for all the products they use. Thousands of beauty products, horrendous surgeries, artificial colors. This destroys both, the actual characteristics of a person and the gaze of the one who sees that person. Just like what the people of the districts think of the Capitol crowd. Brainless maniacs with money to bet on kids who are about to die- the Tributes. She wondered how she, herself sustained with the Hunger Games always in front of her eyes. Teenagers about her age dying for no sensible reason, killing a stranger just to survive a game set up by stupid people. Sadly, the leader of those stupid people was her grandfather, President Coriolanus Snow. Oh, and how she regrets it.

"She's gonna loose it when she finds out about the boy." One of the three said, his tone a bit faltered. It was Haymitch Abernathy, whom Cassandra considered as a total drunkard until she found out that he was a part of the plan too. She actually started to adore him after that, he did not let any suspicion arouse about the Rebels even in his drunken state to Katniss and Peeta and the Capitol. It was for the first time ever she had commended the never sober Victor of District 12 apart from the incident in which he fell down the stage during the last year's Reaping. It had given her such a good laugh that her grandfather cringed at her and lecture her on lady-like mannerism for hours, which she clearly ignored like a chore. And if she ever had chores.

"She'll still cooperate, though?" Plutarch Heavensbee inquired with a tiny bit of hope. Now this was a million-dollar question. And Cassandra hated such kind of questions. Such as that in the exams. Except this was no exam and, frankly, the answer to it was quite easy, yet, she was slightly befuddled. Katniss and Peeta, this lovey-dovey couple was brought to action only to survive the Games. That, Cassandra knew of. The stunt Katniss attempted with the berries alongside Peeta wasn't going to succeed, anyways, the Hunger Games had to have a Victor or people will simply loose interest, the Districts will no longer fear the authority of the Capitol and result in something more gruesome and ugly than what was now. Plus, Seneca Crane was always low in Cassandra's expectations. The way he spoke and played didn't contemplate supremacy or what should be in a renowned Gamemaker. Changing the rules of the Games at the end moment was a pathetic strategy  Cassandra thought the moment it was done. Two Victors was new to Panem and it was such an cursory move that the Districts found hope and, as a by-product, began to rebel. As her grandfather said,

"Hope is the only thing stronger than fear. Little hope is effective, but, a lot of hope is dangerous." 

She couldn't agree any less with it. However, the Victors who left and persisted the arena were never Victors. They went home with minds injured, spirits all deteriorated and very broken to go against the Capitol from killing innocent lives. The Games fractured their gaze. Some even admit dying is a better option. Cassandra was confused because this was supposed to be an act the-star-crossed lovers from District 12, yet, she sensed whatever was actually going on between Katniss and Peeta. He was her solace if not her fellow partner. During the 74th Hunger Games,she could roll her eyes at their make out sessions and spit at them on their Victory Tour, but, then in the 75th Hunger Games, the 3rd Quarter Quell, her doubts were clarified- they loved each other to death.