The Beasts of Us [A Hunger Games Fanfic]

LIGHTS VIII. Dannie.

"Right in front of the Careers?" The escort had been screaming into his watch for the last twenty minutes. "No, she didn't tell me. No, he didn't either. Feathers, you say? He doesn't look...I suppose there might be some missing from his tail. You know me, Tania, I can't remember them all. Yes. Yes. Obviously. What about my two? Good."

Dannie started to stand, but he waved for her to sit and she reckoned that she was in enough trouble as it was, even though she hadn't really done anything, so she sat again. Lyam rested his head in her lap and she stroked his beak, wincing at the memory of feathers being yanked away. It had hurt her too.

On the other side of the room, Tesla was working his way through a pile of food. He ate with his mouth full; her mother used to rap her knuckles with the wooden spoon if she caught Dannie or either of her sisters doing so, but either Tesla didn't have a mother to do that or she hadn't cared. The sound of him chewing was the only other noise in the room, apart from the escort's voice. The Capitol must have been busy as ever, but no hint of it seeped through the windows.

Grim-faced, the escort jabbed at his watch and glared down at Dannie.

"That," he said, "was Titania Empress." Dannie didn't recognise the name. He sighed. "She's the Games' camouflage tutor and a close personal friend of mine." How close? In her mind, Sal's voice roared with laughter. "I knew this brat from Eleven was involved today, but I didn't know that you were. Tell me she's mistaken."

Mistaken? Dannie looked down at her nails, chipped by the day's exertions but still bright green from the parade where she hadn't wanted to have it taken off, and at her reflection in the window. The stylists had shaved her head with proper razors and against the paleness of her scalp her habitual braid looked redder than ever. How could anybody think they'd seen somebody else?

"No, sir. It was me." No point explaining why. He wouldn't want to hear it.

She stayed fastened in the chair, listening dutifully while she was told how big a mistake she'd made, how if the Careers hadn't noticed her before they definitely had now, how she couldn't be surprised if they decided to chase after her at the bloodbath... Compared to Ma's interrogations it was nothing and Dannie endured it patiently, her fingers playing around Lyam's beak as the escort paced around the room, occasionally throwing his hands in the air as if appealing to the tributes and escorts in the rooms above.

"...nobody wants to be seen to be sponsoring misbehaviour, and if you think nobody will know then you'd better think again, the tutors love their gossip, we'll have a tough job trying to keep your involvement minimal..."

Over at the table, Tesla gave her a rueful look and his daemon ladled him another helping of soup. Dannie looked back at her nails. There was grime under them from the berry juices, even though she'd managed to clean all of it off her face. Lyam gave her fingertips an affectionate peck.

"...of course I have to try, it's just a shame Lucian is so bloody useless. Are you listening to me?"

"Yes, sir."

"You could have just doomed yourself, girl."

This was news to her. She thought she'd been doomed the moment he'd read her name out.

"Sorry, sir."

He threw his hands up, almost knocking one of the plastic birds out of his hair. "It's not me you should be apologising to! It's yourself and your people. Bread and circuses, it's not like anybody expects results from me, is it? We can't all get the Career districts or someone like Baster. I'm not going to have queues of sponsors after my blood if my tributes don't make it. Especially not after this mess." His watch must have been buzzing, because he gave her an especially angry glower and turned it to his face. "Hi. Leela. No, of course it isn't true. No, I can promise. Who on earth is that?"