Chapter 9: Insight into the Brokenness

Cressida was spending a Saturday morning in her room doing photo edits of models wearing clothes her parents were designing. She heard her communication device buzz. As she was working on her computer, she pushed a button to sync her messages to her laptop. She opened a picture message from Pollux. It was written in secret code: Wire broken. Coming to your house. Five minutes. Cressida nodded. She pulled her bottom desk drawer open and got out what looked like small black pens. They were really transmitters that would scramble the surveillance cameras that monitored the apartment. She placed them in the places Tom had instructed her to and then went to the kitchen to begin getting some light snacks ready. She was puzzling over the first part of the message when she checked to see if the transmitters were still working. Thanks, Volts and Wires for inventing these – Wires – 'Wire broken' she gasped. Something had happened to Wiress, and she was coming to Cressida's house. Tears came to Cressida's eyes. Wiress was highly intelligent yet highly fragile. Cressida had always seen her and Beetee in close proximity. Had something happened to Volts? What's going on? She ran up to her room to grab her comm. device. She had no other messages. The doorbell rang. Cressida looked through the peephole a second before pulling the door open. Castor shut it behind himself and the other two he was accompanying.

"It's ok, you're safe. It's ok." Pollux said soothingly to Wiress. The twins were supporting Wiress by draping her arms over each of their shoulders. Wiress was wide-eyed, her eyes frantically scanning the environment. "You remember Cress? She's fixed us something in the kitchen."

"She can bring it to the living room if you want." Castor said. He looked at his brother before they helped Wiress sit down on the couch. Cressida brought the tray she had prepared out to the table. Wiress had her arms wrapped around herself. She was rocking back and forth shivering and crying.

"Beetee needs her to stay focused – on something - anything." Castor whispered to Cressida. Cressida gulped.

"Are you hungry?" Cressida asked kneeling down next to Wiress. She gestured to the tray. "Just let me know or point to what you want, and I'll fix you a plate."

"Gone – gone –" Wiress shook her head and cried harder.

"Yeah. All those reminders are gone." Pollux said gently. In spite of the situation, Cressida gave him a small smile. The gentleness Pollux was showing in talking to Wiress was similar to Beetee's loving protection they had witnessed quite regularly. He rubbed Wiress's back. "And now we brought you some food."

"Tesserae – he had to –" Wiress shook her head again still thinking about her district's tribute. "He would have – make – a good –"

"Engineer?" Cressida asked. Wiress nodded. The twins looked at her as if to say: Any ideas.

"Um – Castor – um – I – think I have something you'd all like to see." Cressida said stammering. Castor nodded leaving Pollux talking softly to Wiress. "What happened?" Cressida asked once they were climbing the stairs to her room.

"We were at a bigger electronics store – Volts, us, the parents. The owner was showing Dad Hunger Games merchandise. Well it was everywhere anyway, but he had a plastic model of Jadin that threw an ax that decapitated a matching plastic model of District 8." Cressida made a face. Castor sighed. "Then he has the nerve to show a new DVD that lets you search the Games by names of tributes, or watch specific kills, and they show Jadin killing District 3." Cressida paled. "Yeah. Wires nearly fainted. Volts and Dad had something to take care of at the store, so they couldn't get her out. So they told us to." Cressida didn't know what to say. "Cress – what's your idea?" Castor asked noticing Cressida was standing in her room staring at the floor. She blinked, but the tears wouldn't stop.

"I – I just – never – realized – the Games – would – wreck a person – like this –" Castor wrapped his arms around his friend. "I- I'm sorry –"

"That's ok." Castor whispered. "You've never seen Wires like this. Pollux and I've seen it once before. Though Volts was around, so he helped her out."

Cressida took some deep breaths and took an ancient camera off her bookshelf. The viewing screen had cracked because of it being dropped off the balcony during an altercation with Tom. The insides were probably destroyed as well.

"Hi guys." Cressida said. "Um – Wiress?" She asked. She put the camera on the table. "I know your district makes electronics. This was my first digital camera. I used it for three years before my brother threw it off the balcony. It took nice pictures. Your district does nice work." Wiress reached out slowly and picked up the camera. She turned it over in her hands. The look in her eyes of wild fear became one of curiosity and then of interest. She tapped the viewing screen. "Yeah. I yelled at Tom for days for breaking the screen."

"Do you have –"

"Another camera?" Cressida asked. Wiress shook her head and ran her finger along a line of screws holding the shell of the camera together. "Oh – a toolkit?"

"I know where one is." Castor said before disappearing to his apartment. He returned with a small toolkit specifically for working on electronic equipment. Wiress gave him a small smile before opening the camera shell using a screwdriver. She began humming as she worked on the camera. "Brilliant plan!" Castor whispered to Cressida.

"I knew she's an engineer." Cressida explained quietly. After retrieving her laptop from her room, she joined Wiress on the couch. The twins sat at the dining room table finishing the snacks Cressida had laid out.

The doorbell rang two hours later. Pollux answered the door. "Hi, parents and Volts!" He said grinning.

"Beetee –" Wiress put down the camera and hurried over to the doorway. Her husband wrapped her in a hug.

"Hi everyone." Cressida said smiling. "Um – we have some – CASTOR AND POLLUX, you didn't leave any snacks for your parents?" She yelped looking at the empty tray on the dining room table.

"Whoops." The twins said in unison.

"That's ok, dear. We're not starving in our apartment." Mrs. Smith said smiling. Mr. Smith beckoned his sons to him before they began walking back to their unit. Mrs. Smith gave Cressida a hug. "Is that your camera?" Mrs. Smith asked looking over at the camera Wiress had been working on and was now showing to Beetee. Cressida nodded.

"I don't need it though. I gave it to Wiress to get her mind off of what happened." Cressida explained quietly.

"Well, we know some people that could use it if you didn't mind giving it away. Now that it's fixed."

"That's fine." Cressida said. She felt someone tap her shoulder. "Yes?" Wiress beckoned her over to the couch again.

"I was able to fix most of the motherboard and the wires but the screen –" She stared at the screen that still had a crack.

"That's ok." Cressida said. "Someone can just upload the pictures to the computer to view them." She paused. "Um – Mrs. Smith was actually thinking someone else can use it now."

"Oh – I know who you're talking about." Beetee said. "Hon, why don't you go with the Smiths to get our stuff ready to go, ok?" He said to Wiress. She nodded before being wrapped in another hug.

"Beetee – I can ask Cressida more about her camera. I don't want to keep you two from your packing." Mrs. Smith suggested.

"Sure. One moment." Beetee came over to Cressida. "You're Cressida, right?" She nodded. "The boys talk a lot about you." She blushed. "I really appreciate how you helped Wiress today." He cleared his throat as he blinked back tears. "It – It means a lot to both of us."

"I'm glad I was able to help." Beetee nodded before giving her a quick hug. He went over to the couch and picked up the toolkit after making sure all the pieces were back. He and Wiress left the apartment walking hand in hand.

"I –" Cressida gulped before bursting into tears again. Mrs. Smith wrapped her in a hug. Cressida was glad that she finally had an adult to talk to about the situation. They sat down on the couch.

"Honey – we had to choose between keeping Wiress in the store and her having a complete meltdown or getting her to somewhere safe." Cressida nodded.

"I'm – I'm – not upset that she came here." Cressida explained through her tears. "I – it – she – was hurting so bad – and – it – it's – no one except us cares –"

"I know." Mrs. Smith said. "I don't know what she would have done without Beetee. He's never left her side since the day she left the arena. He knows the pain she experiences in a way none of us ever will."

"She – they – didn't have to suffer – I mean – they did – but – they –"

"No, honey. They shouldn't have to. You're right." Mrs. Smith said gently. She sat with Cressida for a few more minutes while Cressida's crying subsided. "If you want to spend the evening with us, you certainly may. In fact, Tom will be out until very late. You can tell him you're staying with us. I think he'll be less worried about you." Cressida smiled. "And of course, the twins will be thrilled."

"Thanks." Cressida hugged her. She smiled. Even though joining the rebellion meant seeing more brokenness caused by the Capital, it also gave her the opportunity she never thought she would have: the feeling of a warm and supportive family.