Chapter 11 – Could Rebellion Spark Again?
The interviews were by far the most tedious thing in Jay's opinion. He and Beata had worked together on all the things having to do with their interview. Jay had already mentored a few tributes on it and was a bit of a pro by that point, but Beata had never done an interview in her life. Jay had put a bit of a damper in his parents plans when he'd broken down over Abigail, something he hadn't done in a really long time. He hadn't broken down about her since the year after her death, when Jett had rushed into the games and gotten himself killed. That was the night that Jay had vowed never to cry about her since she would be happily reunited with Jett, but that hadn't been in the plans apparently.
His mom had held him for a while before his dad came in and gave him a couple bottles of some strong alcohol. His mom hadn't protested as he drained the bottle and threw a fit. He yelled and threw the one bottle against the wall and opened another one up right after it. He cried out for Abigail in his drunken state and eventually passed out on the bed, his parents cleaning up the mess and getting him into bed. They had acted like nothing had happened, everyone's eyes stayed down and he didn't mind, he felt ashamed of himself for freaking out.
His stylist had even been kind enough to instruct her crew not to say anything about his tantrum while they'd worked on gussying him up for his interview with Caesar Flickerman. He was dressed up in a pinstripe suit, class black shows that shined and he looked classical almost. They had spiked his hair up on the top of his head into one giant glob it seemed, but it looked actually pretty good on him. He didn't smile though, that was his thing for the evening, he wasn't to smile or crack a joke once. Despite how nicely dressed he was, he was dressed up in black and white stripes, he looked like he was going to a funeral rather than a party. Tonight he wasn't the flirtatious Jay who tried to forget he had ever fallen in a love and just wanted to drown his misery. No, tonight he was Jay Mellark, the unfortunate child of Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, child of a rebellion, Hunger Games champion and a boy who had lost the love of his life when he was only twelve years old. There was nothing happy about him.
His stylist Belladonna had been very disappointed in the fact that she hadn't been able to really make him look glamorous and sexy like she had at the opening ceremonies or even when she'd dressed him up the last time he'd been in games. She had agreed though that it was necessary for him to seem somber and mournful and had done a fabulous job of it. She had sniffled a bit when she'd helped get him into it an excused her assistants to do the final touches herself.
" Abigail was a beautiful girl and she had a lot of promise." Belladonna whispered after a few minutes of fixing a couple of last second things.
Jay was silent for a moment, his eyes staring blankly at the wall. " Yeah, she was an angel. I used to say that she was Gods favorite angel, sent here to earth so he could have something to smile upon since we messed his world up too badly." He told her, trying to keep his tone light and even.
" She would have laughed and told you she was no such thing. She only spoke highly of you, no one else seemed to matter and that included herself. I sat and talked with her a lot during her short time here, she had an eye for fashion. She was the one who designed your interview and victor outfits, not me." She told him with a small laugh, unable to look him in the eyes.
Jay was a bit surprised and had to fight to keep a lump from forming in his throat. He couldn't help but wonder if she had known from the beginning that she wasn't going to make it out alive. " Sounds like something she'd do. Make sure that everyone else was seen to before she took care of herself." He choked out.
" She did think of herself a tiny bit during her time here, that might surprise you a bit. She designed matching outfits for herself in hopes that the two of you could make it out alive together and make a beautiful pair. She had the same idea as my father did, she was as much a dreamer as he'd been." She sighed as she stood back to examine Jay's outfit. There was a longing look in her eyes, like there was something he was missing that she wanted badly.
" And what was that if you don't mind me asking?" Jay asked, standing as straight and tall as he could so she could get the full look of him. He had never really talked so personally with Belladonna and was finding she wasn't as dense as he'd assumed she'd been.
" My father had this saying. ' It doesn't take a mob of angry citizens to start a rebellion, it just takes the right outfit to spark an emotion.' She said my father was a wise man and knew exactly what he was talking about." She told him, sounding as if she were forcing herself to sound bored as she slowly walked around him, satisfied with the way the outfit looked on him.
It sounded about right to Jay. His parents may have accidentally started a rebellion when they fell in love during the games, but it had taken his mother's ' girl on fire' dresses, mockingjay wedding dress and even her mockingjay rebellion costumes to really move people. It was amazing what a piece of cloth could stir in someone. He had never asked about her family or anything about her personal life despite all the time that they spent together. " Your father sounds like he knew the trust even when the rest of us have been blind." He commented as he fidgeted a bit with the cuffs on his jacket.
" Yes he did know exactly what he was doing. Nothing surprised him it seemed." She told him as she turned from him and grabbed a little black bag from his bed where she had set up all her supplies. She held it out for him to take.
He was hesitant as he took the bag, unsure of what surprises might await him within it. It was an innocent enough bag, soft and smaller than the palm of his hand. He shook out the bags contents and paled as a gold band landed in the palm of his hand. He knew the ring very well, it had the words ' Till the day I die' etched into it. The ring wasn't perfectly round and the lettering had obviously been done by an untrained hand, but it was beautifully done. The one who had made it had spent hours trying to perfect it but had learned at the end that perfection wasn't necessary because it made it one of a kind, just like the girl it was intended for.
" Jett gave this to Abigail. This was Abigail's engagement ring, he'd given it to her on his thirteenth birthday. He was older then Abigail and I, this was the first serious thing he'd ever made." Jay whispered as he turned the ring over in his fingers. He hadn't seen it since Abigail had died and it amazed him that Belladonna would have it. Jett had made it himself, his dad and older brother had had a jewelry shop once and Jett had wanted Abigail to have something original and unique so he'd made the ring all by himself.
" Yes, that's Abigail's ring. She had thrown it away during her games, the night she found you after you had been stung. She'd thrown it carelessly into the woods but Gamemakers had recovered it, but by the time they'd gotten it Abigail had already been sent to twelve and there was a fight over who should get it, her family or Jett. It had been given to Snow after much argument from myself and the Gamemaker's and Snow's now decided to give it to you. He's made special arrangements for you to be able to wear it into the games as well as carry her picture with you. He thinks it will help you and your grandfather is really rooting for you to win." She whispered as she took the ring and slipped in onto his left ring finger. " According to science or legend, I forget which, the ring finger on your left hand had a vein that's directly connected to the heart. This is the closest spot to your heart as far as I'm concerned and it helps with your interview tonight. The boy who mourns his lost lover."
Jay couldn't speak as he stared down at the ring on his finger. He hadn't known about the finger and heart connection, but he agreed with her. If it was directly connected to his heart, it was as close as he could get Abigail because she still was the only girl he had ever loved or ever would. He didn't understand why Snow would pull the necessary strings for him to take two tokens into the games, but he wasn't about to argue. However that brought another question to his mind.
" Did my grandfather have any other instructions for me as far as the ring was concerned?" He whispered, wondering if this was his way of contacting him for his answer.
She gave him a confused look for a second before nodding. " He says you're to wear it if you're agreeing, but he understands if it's too hard for you." She whispered hesitantly. " I told him I was sure you would wear it because you're strong and want more of Abigail there with you."
He felt a lump form in his throat, he'd been right. The only plus side was that Belladonna was obviously in the dark about the deal, but it didn't make it any easier that she'd been the messenger. She seemed to not be bothered by it though and it made him wonder what it was about her life that had made her so bold as to talk to him about rebellion and Snow's message. He couldn't help but think that it maybe stemmed from her father that had sparked their short talk of clothes and rebellion after all.
" I've never asked you this before, but who's your father? You've told me a bit about him in the past and you said you wanted to work with district twelve because he had done it as well, but you've never mentioned his name before." Jay pointed out as he swallowed the lump in his throat and looked up at her, having to force his attention away from the ring.
She smiled a bit, as if he'd just asked the funniest joke on the planet. " I've been waiting four years to tell you my little secret and this is when you decide to ask? The night before you go into those games? You are truly amazing Jay Mellark." She laughed as she shook her head and gave him an amused expression. It was obvious they had both seemed to move on from Snow's instructions and Abigail. " My father was Cinna, your mother's stylist, the one who flamed the rebellion because he saw a cause in your mothers eyes. He saw sparks of rebellion the second he saw Katniss, just as I see when I look at you."
Jay looked at her with wide eyes. He knew she couldn't have been implying what she was. " I'm not starting a rebellion Belladonna. I like you a lot and I enjoy our talks, but there is no way I'm following in my parents footsteps that much." He told her as he took a step back as if she had shocked him or her head had sprouted a dozen poisonous creatures.
She laughed more and gave him a wicked smile. " I'm not trying to start a rebellion Jay. You're just a baby bird, a mockingjay chick, I would never turn the nest over and dump you in the middle of a rebellion. Now come along little bird, your mentors are waiting for you as are the rest of Panem. This is your night to shine worry free, just remind them that you're a kid who has already faced the challenges within the games and lost the girl of your dreams. Show them you are strong and confident." She instructed him as she grabbed him by his shoulders, quickly ushering him out of the room and to the elevator where his mentors, Jaide, the Doctor and Beata were waiting.