A/N: I am sorry this took so long to post, but I should be able to post very quickly throughout the week- it's Spring Break! So, anyway, this chapter took me forever to write partially because the Damian section was just- hard for me. Anyway, please enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Hunger Games. It belongs to Suzanne Collins.
EDIT: I have gone back and revised this story, so this is the updated version, which is slightly different then the original.
When I wake up in the morning, it takes me a moment to register where I am. I glance around for a few moments before realizing I must have fallen asleep in Calliope's room last night. Looking around, I find her room vacant aside from myself. I slide out of bed and head down the hall to my quarters. I glance at the clock as I walk in and realize it's not even five in the morning yet. I get in the shower where a thick layer of marbled pink and yellow bubbles assault me. I need to use a combination of a sponge and lavender scented water to scrape them off.
I slip into a pair of dark blue pants and a white t-shirt, sticking my pin into the two holes my shirt. I brush my teeth, effectively killing another three minutes, but it's still only 5:30. I sigh, and move over to the menu in the corner, which is now filled with breakfast foods. I order a thick potato pancake with ketchup and something they call dragon fruit. It comes with a frothy apple juice that's similar to the apple cider my mother makes in the fall.
I eat my meal slowly, savoring every bite. But still, eating breakfast only wastes thirty more minutes. Sighing, I head down to the dining room, knowing that it will still be another hour before anyone shows up to serve breakfast. Surprisingly, when I walk in, I find Damian sitting at the table. He has nothing in his hands but a small velvety container, about the size of a ring box. Curious, I move closer. I peer inside the box and see a light silver necklace. Hanging from the chain is two small circles that cross over each other. I squint and I can see the word Love etched on them. It looks almost pure silver, and for a person from the Seam, it would be virtually impossible to buy. It must have taken Damian all his savings to buy the necklace.
Damian watches me as I stare at it. "Who's it for?" I finally ask.
"My fiance," he says.
I turn to him in surprise. I hadn't known he was going to be married. I swallow hard and manage to say, " What is it for?"
He holds it up to my face so I can see it better. Suddenly, I realize that it's not a pendant hanging from the chain, it's a set of two rings. Two wedding rings.
"Oh, Damian," I whisper. "Who- who is she?"
He sighs, looking at his hands. I continue to stare at him. Finally, he says, "Her name is Anthea."
I swallow hard in a vain attempt to clear the lump I can feel forming in my throat. I try to speak, but I find myself unable to. Finally I manage to talk. How long- how long have you- you known-" I can't finish, but he understands what I was trying to say.
"Since I was a child," he says. "We've been engaged for a month."
"I'm sorry," I say.
"She was pregnant," he says quickly, as though if he doesn't say it right now he never will.
I gape at him, eyes wide. "What?" I splutter, but that's all I manage to say before Effie walks in.
I am about to ignore her and keep questioning him when I see his wide, anxious eyes. No, No, he mouths frantically. He desperate, so I keep my mouth shut.
Slowly, everyone else trickles in. As though he is avoiding me, Damian doesn't leave. But right as the meal ends, Effie says, "Tomorrow is a mentoring day. The Capitol has added extra time for the mentors and tributes to plan together. So we'll start the day with Katniss talking to Damian and Calliope with Haymitch, and then swap. After lunch you'll all work together."
Effie smiles and exits the room. I look at the expression on Damian's face and almost feel sorry for him. But I need to find out what's going on.
A Capitol attendant ushers us into two separate rooms. I sit in one of the two armchairs, but Damian stands by the window staring outside. I wait for him to talk, and finally he does.
"Two months ago, we found out," he says. "We got engaged soon after. But then- a few weeks before my reaping- she lost the baby."
My eyes widen and I put my hand over my mouth. It isn't uncommon, but it is still a tragedy.
"We didn't tell anyone," he continues, "But it was still devastating."
It takes me a moment to speak. "Is that- is that why you are so determined to keep Calliope alive?"
He nods. "If I couldn't keep my own child alive, at least I can help her."
He turns and as he exits the room I can see the lone tear traveled on an crooked path down his cheek.
I sit in the completely dark interior of the small parlor the Capitol provided and think about what Damian had said. Two hours must have passed much quicker then I thought because in what seemed like two minutes there was a knock on the door.
"Come in," I say in a hoarse voice.
Calliope opens the door, and the sudden shock of light momentarily blinds me. I blink, and use the light as an excuse to rub the few remaining tears from my eyes. I can't figure out why the loss of Damian's baby would hurt me so much, but finally push the issue to the back of my mind, reminding myself to think about Calliope now.
Calliope shuts the door quietly and flicks on the yellow floor lamp standing on the ground next to me. Sitting in the armchair across from me, she studies my face intently. "You've been crying," she says finally.
"I haven't," I lie, but she just shakes her head.
"So," she says after a minute of silence. "What's my plan in the arena?"
"Haven't you already talked to Haymitch about this?" I ask, desperate for a way out.
"He passed out after ten minutes of drinking. He woke up at the end and seemed sober but by the time he was fully awake it was time to switch and he was already talking to Damian."
I think back to my strategy and realize it played on my strength- flight. I think about Calliope and realize I've been so caught up with Damian and his plan I don't really know anything about her.
"Well," I say, "what are your strengths?"
She looks at her hands, and when I inspect them, I realize she has bitten her cuticles down to almost nothing.
"What?" I ask.
"I can't do anything," she says.
"That's not true!" I argue, but then realize I have no evidence to back it up.
She sees my face and I realize she's crying. She smiles a watery smile. "See," she says quietly.
"You have to be able to do something," I say.
"I can't." She shakes her head. "Remember? I spent the whole time training with spears and swords."
"The entire time? What got you your score of eight then?" I ask, skeptical.
"Well, I tried with the gun for a few hours, and with the bow and arrow for an hour."
"And?" I prod her.
"And nothing. I could barely pull my bow back, and although the gun was nice, I doubt I'll ever be able to get a hold of one in the arena."
"Don't give up hope," I say, even though I already gave it up a long time ago. "So is that what you showed the judges?"
"Yeah," she says.
"You must be good to get such a high score," I say.
She snorts. "Please. You got three points higher then me."
"That's because I was really good," I say, and this time she's silent.
"When did you learn to shoot?" I ask.
"In the Training Center."
"So," I repeat. "How good are you?"
"I dunno," she mutters.
"From how far away could you shoot a dummy in the heart?" I ask.
She mumbles something unintelligible. "What?" I ask.
"45 yards," she says more loudly.
I raise my eyebrows at her. "And thats bad?" She won't meet my gaze, but I plow on. "How long have you been hiding this secret talent?"
I haven't been hiding it!" she bursts out. "If you wold have paid more attention to me before you would have realized it!" And abruptly the spoiled brat I saw only yesterday is making a reappearance in front of me.
It takes all my self control to keep myself from yelling at her. I slowly take a deep breath, doing my best to look unperturbed. "I asked you what you were doing during training," I say. "And you told me all you did was spears and swords."
"That's because I didn't want to get your hopes up!" she yells, having no intention of calming down.
I almost laugh out loud. Get my hopes up? No one has been able to do that since Gale- and Gale broke my heart.
It's so odd to hear myself think it, before I realize that's because I said it out loud. Calliope is staring at me, mouth wide open. "Gale?" she whispers, or maybe I just think she does, because I am so caught up in my own thoughts. "Isn't that Damian's nephew?"
Not looking at her, I nod. "You're in love with him?" she asks. Again, I nod, even after telling myself not too. Because if this information gets out to the press, there will be controversy that I was never in love with Peeta in the first place.
But instead of getting excited, her expression softens. "I know what you mean," she says quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.
"What?" I ask, wondering how many times we will have to have these talks before she trusts me completely.
"Iaveaoyreind," she mutters so quietly I cannot hear what she is saying.
"What?" I ask again.
"I have a boyfriend," she says more loudly. She flicks her eyes up to meet mine, waiting for my reaction.
Although I know I should feel stunned, all that comes is a faint feeling of surprise. The outpouring of emotions from her yesterday made me unconsciously expect scenes like that from her.
"Who?" I ask, and when I see her slightly surprised expression I realize I have not put enough shock into my words. Silently, I pray that she won't notice and then realize something- Calliope's crush might be someone I know.
I'm praying for two things now. I silently hope it won't be someone I know- or worse, someone like Gale.
She sighs and looks at her feet. "It doesn't matter," she says finally. "You aren't even interested."
I feel like hitting her, but again I take a deep breath and force myself to calm down.
"I want to know," I say and this time apparently I actually sound like I want to know, because Calliope sighs again, and looks at me.
"His name is Jacan."
The name is unfamiliar to me, which makes me feel slightly better. But he might be someone I only know by sight.
"How old is he?" I ask apprehensively. She doesn't answer for a minute and I sigh and put my head in my hands. My vision is flickering, and blurred spots of color have appeared on the edges of her vision. A slight ringing is sounding in my ears, but I do my best to ignore it as I say again, "How old is he?"
"He just turned ehgeaween," she mumbles the end of her sentence.
"What?" I say.
"He's eighteen," she says, only a fraction louder.
"EIGHTEEN!" I almost shout. I lower voice quickly. "Eighteen?" I say again, but this time it's more of a question. "He's four years older then you," I say weakly, but she continues on without paying any attention to me.
"I met him a while ago. It was in the fall, when I went into the woods to harvest apples. I came up to a really big tree with a ton of apples, and I started picking. And then, out of the blue, he dropped down from the branches and almost landed on me. And then he stopped and made sure I was alright and as soon as I said I was he said, 'So- you have any special plans for those apples? My dad makes a mean apple pie.' And it wasn't the offer that made me like him, it was the fact he offered. And we got together a couple weeks after that."
Her story wasn't unlike mine and Gale's except for one thing- she wasn't afraid to fall in love.
"What's his last name?" I ask, just to break the silence.
"Mellark," she says, and that's when he appears again.
A/N: Review or PM me with comments :)
EDIT: Currently under the revision process. One chapter will be posted a day!