Make Them Burn

Dead by Morning

CHAPTER 9: DEAD BY MORNING

Finnick goes hunting with Everdeen the next morning, so Fulvia calls me into set to shoot a few We Remember propos.

"The first one is about Seeder." She says. Her face is solemn, but she is still ready.

I glance over at Haymitch. He gives me a reassuring look. I turn to him worriedly. "I can't do this."

He puts his hands on my shoulders. "You'll do fine. Do it for Lilyanna."

"When we were on the hovercraft, you told me that me doing interviews would pressure the Capitol to put Lilyanna in interviews. But that's what Everdeen did, and now look at Peeta. I don't want to have that happen to my Lilyanna."

Haymitch sighs. "I'm trying to convince Coin to rescue them, and so is Boggs. But there's a chance they won't punish Lilyanna for this interview. She isn't even fourteen. I promise, Alex. I'll do everything I can."

I nod shakily.

Fulvia beckons me over and sits me down in a chair. She hands me some notecards. "I wrote everything down you need to say. Good luck."

I take a deep breath.

"Action." Cressida calls.

I look at the cards. "Seeder Hadley came from District 11. She won the 27th Hunger Games, and competed in the 75th."

I'm about to continue, but then I hear Chase's voice in my mind. Who was she really? Don't talk about the bad stuff.

The cards clatter to the floor. Fulvia gasps, but I don't care.

Cressida shushes her, and nods at me to continue.

"Seeder was the kind of person you could just hug. Anywhere and anytime. She was kind to everyone, from the mayor of 11, to the homeless man on the street, to the guy selling groceries." My voice is choked, but I push through it and keep going. "She wasn't just a motherly figure, she was also a sister, grandmother, and friend all in one."

The entire studio is silent.

"Seeder was also a wonderful woman. But she died because of these brutal Games. Help me remember her. Because if there's cease-fire, the Capitol won't remember her. But we will."

Once Cressida realizes I have no more to say, she calls for the end, and strides over to me. "That was great."

Plutarch approaches me. "Marvelous! Can you do another?"

I sigh. "On who?"

"Your choice. We have you doing at least Cashmere, Gloss, and Cato and Clove."

I raise my eyebrows. Cato and Clove. What am I supposed to talk about?

"How about Cato and Clove? Unless you'd like to do Gloss or Cashmere."

"What would I say for Cato and Clove?"

Plutarch leads me over to a screen and presses play.

It's from the 74th Games. Thresh has just slammed Clove into the Cornucopia. Him and Everdeen are leaving, and Clove sees Cato.

He runs over to her, holding her hand. "Clove, stay with me, Clove." He's pleading.

"Win, win for me Cato."

Her life is fleeting away and she's crying. All she does is look into his eyes. She's dying, she knows it. So she wants to savor how his eyes look.

"Their love." I say quietly.

I'd never looked at this scene like that. Cato and Clove, star crossed lovers of District 2.

My face hardens. "I'll do Cato and Clove."