The Third Everdeen

Chapter 15

He was in my house. In the same room as my sister. The moment I walked in she turned and her eyes showed only me that she was scared, but to anyone else it would look like she was indifferent.

"Ah, Miss. Everdeen. Come in," Snow instructed as if I was in his house and not the other way around, "I was just getting to know your lovely sister," he sent a sickening smile to Katniss and I tried so hard not to do something I might regret, "Katniss, may I please speak to your sister alone," it wasn't a question. Slowly, Katniss got up and walked toward the door.

"Stay with Mom and Prim," I whispered to her as she passed me and left.

Then there were two. Snow turned on the hologram TV that was on the desk. Looking more closely I could see it was me and Peeta, in the Games.

"Such bravery," he took a sip of what appeared to be tea which I'm sure my mother had served him, "Such spirit, such contempt."

"President Snow. It's an honor," I greeted and approached the desk.

"My dear, I think we can make this much simpler if we agree not to lie to each other. What do you think?"

"I think honesty is always the best policy," I told him, glancing at the screen every so often.

"Sit down please," he sat behind the desk; even in my home he seemed to hold so much power. He turned off the TV and looked at me directly, "I have a problem Miss. Everdeen. A problem that began the moment you revealed those poison berries in the arena. If that Head Game-maker, Seneca Crane, had any brains at all, he would have blown you to bits then and there. But here you are."

"And here you are," I thought.

"I expect you can guess where he is."

"Yes I think so sir," I replied.

"Well after that fiasco, there was nothing left to do but let you play out your little scenario. And you were very good. That whole love-crazed besotted schoolgirl routine. Impressive. Truly. You convinced the people in the Capitol. Unfortunately, not everyone in the districts fell for it," I was appalled, he didn't think I actually had feelings for Peeta. normally I wouldn't care if someone didn't believe me but when this particular person has a say in if the one I love and I should die, I start to care, "You can't know this, but in several of them, people viewed your little trick with the berries as an act of defiance. Not as an act of love. And if a girl from District 12 of all places can defy The Capitol and walk away unharmed, what is it to prevent them from doing the same? What is to prevent, say, an uprising?" Every bone in my body was screaming at me to yell right in his face, he didn't know what I felt for Peeta and how dare he suggest otherwise. But I help myself back, as hard as it was, and let him continue, "That can lead to a revolution. And then in a fraction of time, the whole system collapses."

I couldn't hold back any longer, but i kept myself grounded, "It must be a pretty fragile system then, if it can be brought down so easily by just a few berries."

"Yes, it is, indeed. But not in the way you imagine it."

"How should I imagine?" I asked quickly.

"You should imagine thousands upon thousands of your people dead. This town of yours reduced to ashed. Imagine it gone. Made radioactive. Buried under dirt as if it had never existed like District 13, You fought very hard in the Games, Miss, Everdeen. But they were games. Would you like to be in a real war?"

I shook my head immediately, "No." 

"Good. Neither would I," Snow looked down at his little plate and picked up a sugar cookie,"Did your mother make these?"