Snowdrop ➳ A Hunger Games Story {Wattys 2019}

Chapter Fourteen ➳ A Way to Control Us

see these people, they lie
and i don't know who to believe anymore

"So, how did you get so good with that bow?" Ember asks, eyeing her suspiciously.

Cella weighs the weapon in her hands. "Leisure hunting. In District Ten, especially in winter, a lot of animals aren't healthy enough to send to the Capitol. So they give us a small selection of weapons and we're allowed to hunt the animals every weekend when we're not working. We can eat the animals afterwards, as long as they don't have some kind of disease."

"So you're basically a Career district then," my brother replies, raising his eyebrows. Even though I can usually tell if he's joking, I'm not so sure this time.

Cella shakes her head. "Oh, no. I mean, it's only the richest of us who can do it. We have to be able to pay to use the weapons for the day."

"So you're a rich girl from a not-quite-Career district. I'm a little surprised you're so keen about the Games." Now I know for sure that Ember isn't happy, even though he was laughing and joking around earlier. His features are drawn and he's tense beside me.

"Why do you say that?" Cella asks, cocking her head to the side. Her lips are pursed and her eyebrows knit together.

"Rich girl? Shouldn't you be dressing up in fancy clothes and pinning your hair back in curls, rather than smiling when you're picked to enter a death match?" Ember says.

"Ember, stop it," Bailey says, glaring at him.

Cella just looks slightly confused. "No... if anything I'd be wearing overalls and boots and my hair would be tied out of my face. Just because we're well off doesn't mean that we get a life of luxury. My family breeds pigs and it's not exactly easy. And, referring to my actions at the reaping, I saw my father gesture for me to keep my head high and look at if being reaped didn't bother me at all," she explains.

"Oh, of course. Not having to worry about whether you'll get your next meal and being able to prepare for the Games because the Capitol decides it's a good idea to give you weaponry must be so difficult," Ember says, rolling his eyes. His grip tightens around his spear.

What has happened to him? I get that he's not too happy about being dragged into an alliance with a girl who seems awfully skilled with ranged weaponry, but he doesn't have to be so rude.

"You know, for someone who's usually so kind, you're not too brilliant at trying to keep allies, are you?" Cella says.

"Just forget it," he snaps.

"There's no need to take your name quite so literally. Don't want things to get too heated out here, I like the cold." She's baiting him now, and my fingers curl into fists as I try to refrain from snapping at her, too. "Oh, wait, my bad. Your name refers to your looks, doesn't it?"

"Hold on, how long have you been following us?" Bailey says, spinning around to look at her.

She shrugs. "Long enough. Learning how to hunt has its advantages; I managed to stay quiet long enough to follow you since Ember came up with that song."

"You followed us and you didn't think to tell us?" Ember snaps. "You thought it would be a good idea to stalk us and then act as if it was okay – as if we would just let you into the alliance?"

"Ember, stop it," Bailey says, her arms raised defensively. She steps between he and Cella, trying desperately to diffuse the situation. "I don't fancy blood splatters on my coat because you two have come to blows. Cella, honestly, I'm not going to dissolve the alliance, but if you want us to trust you, you know, don't go following us like that."