"Oh God…you."

Sam took an involuntary step back, tripping into Cal and nearly tumbling over. She hadn't seen the enigmatic man, Nihlus, since the Games - when he'd tracked her down deep in the Capitol – and so far, every time he'd made an appearance, he'd wanted something. His first appearance had harkened the spotlight of Capitol politics upon her, occurring just before the Victory Tour. He had next confronted her the prior spring – a meeting that had led to Clara's Reaping by his hand. What was he after now? Why did he come before Clara's grave?

"Yes…me," Nihlus nodded, standing up from his crouch and rearing back to full height. "Me…me, me, me. Although Nihlus will suffice, Miss Parker. I may only seem like God to you."

He looked down at Clara's grave as if studying a historical artifact in depth – stroking his chin with a finger, Nihlus ran his other hand over the top of the tombstone. "You know, I had a thought when I saw you here, Miss Parker. There are no creatures in the animal kingdom that celebrate their dead…that create monuments to them, that enshrine them for history's posterity. Humans are the only outlying exception; thus, I am not sure humans are animals at all. I thought about what else in the world of the living builds cathedrals of the dead…and I found only one answer. It is cancer."

"I believe humans need a reclassification," he mused absentmindedly. "Only a cancer could so destroy the world around them and litter it with their dead."

"In the Capitol…" Sam felt confident enough to confront the man, shielding Cal's astonished look with her body. "Trajan said you're…you're some sort of project. What do you want?"

"What do I want?" Nihlus looked amused, shining toothlessly towards Sam. "Why, I thought I explained that. I want order Miss Parker…the order that is only achieved through destruction. But I find it interesting you bring the Commander's accusations before me. Did he tell you just how useful he found me?"

"No."

"I thought not. You see...I am a valuable tool to him. In his eyes I may be a utensil, maybe even a man; but I am so much more, Miss Parker. Would you like to know a secret?"

Cal stepped in, muscling his way past Sam and shouldering forward. "I'm sorry, but who are you supposed to be?"

"Simply someone much more informed than you, my boy," Nihlus nodded towards him. "Perhaps you should learn the secret too. Does it pain you to see your love for Miss Parker here go so unrequited? Oh, denial in your eyes…you and I both know, don't we? You want that which you cannot have…what a tragedy, is it not?"

"I…" Cal stammered, taken aback by Nihlus's verbal attack and flashing his eyes between him and a stunned-looking Sam. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"See, but I've unsettled your prize here," Nihlus looked pleased, turning his attention back to Sam. "Surprised to learn that, Miss Parker? How unobservant your race is…and how little you know the one you really want. Has young Clayton asked you about your feelings towards the Capitol you so freely embrace?"

Sam felt her heart skipping beats as he progressed. Nihlus was far more informed than she knew – and even after she had understood him to be a great deal more intellectually powerful than any other person she'd known. Cal's stumbling rejection betrayed the truth in Nihlus's words – and Sam already felt an awkward pallor hanging between her and Clara's cousin. Furthermore, the mention of Clay's name brought an entirely new feeling of fear crawling along her skin.

"No, you leave him alone!" Sam pointed a finger at Nihlus, feeling both confused and hurt. "He hasn't done anything to you – and I've done nothing more! You already took Clara from me!"

"On the contrary, he has proven most interesting," Nihlus cocked his head to the side. "And it was not I who took your dead friend, Miss Parker. That was you. You, you, you…your failure, your inaction, your all-so-human empathy to the broken Odair family doomed your friend. You see…when we take all points into consideration, it is you who are her killer. It is you who are slowly breaking down every bridge you have. Should we add our esteemed Bowie friend here to the list in light of our revealed interest?"

"That's too far," Cal interrupted again, entirely out of the loop and misunderstanding the war of words between Sam and the strange tall man before them. "Sam did all she could for Clara. I don't know who you are or how you know her, but –"

"Did she? It is interesting that you think that," Nihlus appraised him neutrally. "Did you know she had the power to save Clara's life…and did not do so? Did you know she had enough sponsorship money to treat her injuries and get her moving again – and instead handed victory to one Firth Odair, courtesy of contributing the remaining amount needed to supply him with weaponry? Did she tell you that?"

Cal closed his mouth hurriedly, looking a cross between confused and disgusted, unsure of whether to lambast Nihlus over the accusation or ask Sam about its veracity.

"Now you see how misguided love is, don't you?" Nihlus pushed on, luring Cal forth with attack after attack on Sam. "After all...how can someone like you - well-meaning and pure of heart - love someone like her, who shed no tears over killing his dear, dear cousin Clara…particularly when she shows no inkling of giving him back the passion he wants?"

"That's not true!" Sam defended herself loudly, refusing to meet Cal's unsettled stare. "I…you know why I did it! You know Firth and Clara wouldn't have made it past the Careers! You know everything!"

"Thank you. It has taken you quite a long time to admit that fact, Miss Parker," Nihlus raised his eyebrows in mock surprise. "But what happened to sweet, sensitive you? How angry you get when confronted with the truth! You are a standard-bearer of your race, Miss Parker…destructive only when confronted with the nature of your cannibalistic emotions. I, however, will let you find out for yourself how powerful those can be. If you hurry, you can reach your…friend…Clayton before his shift on the Hereford ranch. Maybe you'll experience a little heartbreak yourself."

"Oh," he added as he turned away towards the plains, just kissed with the first color of a rising sun. "Make sure to ask him about Abilene, would you? I think you will be interested."

Cal had his eyes settled on Clara's grave as Nihlus disappeared into the brightening dawn, his gaze flitting across the stone-cut letters on her tombstone. He raised his head slightly; just enough to catch Sam's wandering eyes.

"Was that all true?" he asked her quietly, his words barely more than a whisper. "All that…that guy said? All that about Clara?"

Sam fretted, pulling on the end of her ponytail with her left hand. She kicked at a spot of dust on the ground, unable to look into the boy's hurt eyes. "Cal, it wasn't like that…I…you can't believe everything he says!"

"No, I shouldn't, should I?' Cal returned a pained look of one realizing his folly. "Except that the other stuff he said was true. So why shouldn't I believe him? God, Sam, what else are you hiding from me?"

"I loved Clara! You know that!"

"Just not enough to bring her home, huh? It's alright, Sam…I've learned how to move on. I can do it from her; I can do it from you if I have to."

She closed her lips, turning her head away. Sam didn't have the kind of reply she knew he'd want – that everything Nihlus said had been a lie; that he was nothing but a manipulative mastermind trying to break apart anything he could. Unfortunately, she knew that deep down he was right. She had thrown Clara to the wolves in order to bring home Finnick's son; it had been a question of benefits and losses, and trying to keep Clara alive with her broken leg would have been near impossible. But how could she get Cal to see that? He had only been here in District 10, watching the Games just as she had always done before being Reaped a year and a half ago. He would have no idea what the process was like.

Cal took her silence for agreement, taking the opportunity to turn away and start the walk back to his home.

"Cal, please, don't do this!" Sam shouted after him, her feet rooted to the spot.

"I need some space," he called back, not bothering to turn around. "Just…let me be, Sam."

She slumped her shoulders as he walked away, unable to keep him back. She wasn't entirely disappointed; Nihlus had been correct in her aims. She did love Clay. After what Storm Hawthorne had told her back in her Games in regards to finding another love, she truly believed she'd done so with her childhood friend. Clay was everything she wanted.

So why had Nihlus been so cryptic about him?

Sam tossed the question about her mind as she started walking towards the Hereford family ranch – the herd headquarters where Clay worked as a field hand. Nihlus had been more than happy to tear her apart in the past; the simplest answer would be that he'd merely attacked her at her most vulnerable point. Yet Occam's Razor rarely applied to Nihlus – the man had always been a harbinger of change, typically the bad sort.

Sunrise lit up District 10's prairie fields with a golden brush, painting the rural plains full of vivacity. Sam didn't share the same animation as the chirping sound of robins and jays in the morning air; instead, nervousness crept up from her gut like a snaking python. Something Nihlus had said at the end of his confrontation with her had struck her as particularly odd, and she hoped Clay could clarify.

What was Abilene?

The Hereford ranch stood slightly smaller than Sam's father's establishment, but the family who ran it managed a similar number of cattle and other livestock. They employed over two hundred ranch hands out of the red-brown barn that served as a de facto control center, spreading out the workers between animal husbandry, feed and maintenance oversight, and herd management with rotational periods to keep everyone fresh. Clay had just walked up to the barn to report for his shift when he caught sight of Sam coming.

"What're you doin' here?" he asked her as she walked up, flashing a quick smile. "Miss me while you slept?"

After the confrontation with Nihlus and subsequent fallout with Cal, Sam wanted to start a conversation at ease. She grabbed him in a hug, holding the embrace long enough to think of a good way to broach her questions. Clay stepped back in surprise, unsure of Sam's intent.

"Clayton, don't make love to the Parker girl when you're supposed to be working!" another hand called out as he returned the hug and waved a hand to dismiss the complaint.

"Are you okay, Sam?" he asked after a moment. "Little dramatic way of saying 'good morning.'"

"I'm fine," she tried to sound convincing, returning a shy smile in return. "I was…um, just visiting Clara."

Clay exhaled heavily. He had taken Clara's death harshly – and although he hadn't dreamed of blaming Sam for her death as Nihlus just had implied, the pain beneath his skin was evident every time her name was brought up. "This is kinda a bad time to talk about that kind of thing, Sam…"

"I, um…just, someone told me to ask you this," Sam stumbled across her words, attempting to seem as sincere as possible without bringing Nihlus anywhere near the conversation. That had already proven to be a bad course of action with Clara. "This is probably stupid. What's an Abilene?"

Clay showed no outward reaction to her question, but Sam did pick up one odd movement. His eyes dilated sharply as soon as the word was out, making his gaze appear to sharpen and widen at the name.

"I…you know, Sammy, I have absolutely no idea," he said quickly, giving an odd, high laugh at the end. "But hey, if you want to talk about whatever…after work today I can run by, alright?"

"Sure," she chirped. "I…uh, guess I'll see you then, huh?"

"Yeah, yeah," Clay motioned to get away in a hurry, wrapping up the conversation as fast as he could. "Talk to you then, Sam."

He left her behind, heading into the barn with a quick walk that soon abandoned her to her thoughts. Clay's odd way of reacting to "Abilene" haunted Sam as she made her way back to the Victor's Village. Clearly he knew something – but what? Better yet, how would she get him to tell her?

Was Nihlus on to something again?

Jake was preparing to leave for their father's ranch and work as she reached the Village, giving her a strange look as she came up.

"Did you really go out and about in just that nightgown?" he pointed at her purple robe, looking more than a little confused. "Sammy…usually we get dressed, first."

"What's the big deal?" she rebutted, her thoughts elsewhere. "Nobody's judging."

"I guess not. Anyway…something came for you."

Sam felt the nerves creeping back up. "Something?"

"An invitation," Jake fretted, searching for words. "Someone from the Capitol invited you to District 4 – later today."


A/N: Yeah, so that wasn't the most exciting chapter ever. Shout-out to the three reviews I already have; lemme know other readers what you think so far!