District Zero

This chapter is written by Violet Teardrop

Chapter 12: Can we trust them?

IRIS LAWSON POV

"The idea disturbs me," Cleon said to me for the nth time. He busied himself with staring at the wall, but he really can't keep still. So he was pacing.

"Doesn't it hurt you to keep doing that?" I pointed out. "Remember what the doctor said - "

"I'm fine," he said tersely. "It hurts, but I can take it."

"You shouldn't strain yourself, though," I said.

"Thanks, but I don't really need the concern," he smiled sarcastically.

I sighed. "It wouldn't hurt you to try and talk to them, you know," I said, crossing my arms and leaning against the wall.

The apartment was...okay, but it didn't really fit either of our tastes. Bright yellow door outside, with a white doorjamb. Big windows that you can open and close like a door. Candy pink ceiling that was shaped like a dome. The interior was simple; a kitchen the color of sky blue with a fridge and a stove and several wooden cabinets. Two rooms painted green, each with a bed, a dresser, and a closet.

It was too girly and bright for me. And, well...Cleon was Cleon.

It was strange to be living with him. I didn't really care what people would think about that, but this was ethics I was talking about. Mom never really liked a boy and a girl living together, and yet here I was, living with a boy that was- well, I don't know what we are, really.

He never really asked me. Yeah, I kissed him, but that was once, and he was dying. How was I to know that he'd be alive again? I thought I'd never, ever get the chance to do that again, so I grabbed the opportunity. I didn't know I'd see him again, here, on the face of the earth.

And I know he's stressed, what with all this new developments, and I know he was happy to see me, but it sure doesn't seem like it now. He's back to his old, sour self, though he still considerably wanted to have me around.

"Yes, but...just think about it, Iris," he said. "They're already friends. They have been since they entered the arena. And then here we are, two tributes who tried to kill them, and we're going to go get in the way of that?"

"Who said we were getting in the way of anything?" I said. "Don't you want to be free of the burden, Cleon? Don't you feel heavy inside because you're still holding some sort of grudge against them?" I dropped my voice. "I have more right to be angry at them because it was thanks to them that you died. But you don't see me holding a grudge."

"I don't like them," Cleon admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "They're so...carefree. Always having fun, not thinking about their lives - "

"You don't know that," I said. "Maybe they did. You can't really say they're not thinking about their problems since you're not Sebastian to read their minds."

"They sure don't seem like they do," he snapped at me.

"Maybe they're just trying to avoid the fact that they had to die," I shrugged. Somehow it seemed plausible, and so much easier.

Now that I was here, I realized just how lucky they were. They didn't have to worry about adjusting, because they already had each other; a solid, unified group.

And I envied them for it. They were hardly even intimidated by us, I think. Sebastian left us for them. And though in the arena I sometimes wondered why, I understood now that he wasn't like us.. And he was lucky not to be like us. He wasn't cold, cruel, and murderous. And it was so easy for them to accept him. Yeah, he died early in the Games, but at least he died happy. And maybe he was with the others too, still as happy as ever.

And then, that guy who blinded me before - Carson? - he was happy too. With that girl from District 10...Kristen mentioned her name before...Cora, I think. I heard they were together.

I looked at Cleon. He was still agitated.

Would we be able to be happy, too? Now that we were here, we didn't know what to do. Why couldn't he just accept the fact that it's time to move on from the Games and try and open up to the possibility of a new life here?

"Fine," Cleon said to me. "You go ahead and try and be friends with them. I won't stop you. But don't make me try. If they want to, they can try with me. But I'm not approaching them first."

"Fine," I snapped at him.

Both of us were silent for a while. Cleon sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm sorry if I seem so mean," he said. He smiled weakly. "You'd think I'd feel better after knowing we're both alive."

"Do you?" I asked, looking up at him.

He put his hands in his pockets. "I do," he said, and I could hear the nervousness in his voice. "I mean, I'm glad we're both alive, and that we've got this new chance at starting over."

"But?" I prompted, touching his arm.

Cleon shrugged my hand off gently. "I'm just stressed, that's all," he said, but I had the feeling he was hiding something from me. "I mean, thinking you died, waking up to find out you're not, discovering a new district, finding out your rivals are alive too...you can't really blame me."

"It's overwhelming, I know," I said soothingly. "But I don't think it'll hurt you to try."

I was going to try. Kristen said something about Cora and emotional damage. Maybe, if I could try, the girl could trust me. I wasn't sure if the others would, though, but I wasn't as stubborn as Cleon was. If I had to adapt, then I would.

"You're really going to try befriending them?" he asked me.

I shrugged. "As long as they don't try to kill me," I joked. "Then yes. I will."

Finally a very impatient knock came to the door. It was funny that we'd have a visitor since we really had no friends here.

"I'll go get it," Cleon sighed, heading for the door in a brisk fashion. When he opened it however, we didn't even have time to see who it was.

"Oh my God, I knew it! I knew you were here! I heard from Christopher that you were here; I just didn't expect it to be true - "

"Maria?" Cleon said with disbelief.

I internally groaned. Maria was the one reason why Cleon and I hated each other for four years. He blamed her death on me when we were thirteen because I was reaped that year, and Maria volunteered for me. I really don't know how she got in, because she was thirteen too, but she did and that was why Cleon hated me.

Maria's death was horrible. She was one of the few remaining tributes, her and another Career from District 4, I think. It was one of those nights when you knew something bad was going to happen, and it did. That night, they let lose a bunch of enormous killer scorpion mutations. Maria and the other guy got caught up with the scorpions, so he ditched her and left her to fend for herself.

You already see how that goes. The moment her cannon sounded, I swear Cleon promised he'd never be my friend. Ever.

I should've remembered she'd be here. That there was slight possibility she was here.

"Oh my God, you still remember me!" Maria said enthusiastically. "I can't believe you're really here, Cleon! Although that would mean you died in the Games..."

"I - uh - what are you doing here, Maria?" Cleon asked, his eyes flickering toward me.

She strode in without consent, and Cleon closed the door behind her uneasily. "I already said I wanted to see for myself it was true you were here! It's been four years since I'd seen you, and I was beginning to think I'd never ever see you - Iris!"

She caught sight of me by that time. The smile on her face was huge, and she walked toward me, hugging me. "Oh my God, Iris! You're here too?" She pulled back, her brilliantly blue eyes looking me over. "Look at you! You're so pretty! And to think four years ago you were still that girl on the sidelines - "she stopped. I tried to take that opportunity to wrench myself out of her grasp, but she let go of me immediately.

"Wait a minute," she gasped. "Both of you are here - you were in the Games together?"

"That is so not obvious, Maria," I said dryly, crossing my arms.

Maria and I used to be good friends. Although, she was gregarious, popular and every step of the way a star, she always seemed to gravitate toward my side, and Cleon's.

But there was something about her now that completely ticked me off.

Was it her smile? Those perfectly straight, aligned teeth that only a person from the Capitol could have?

Or maybe it was her blonde hair. Luxuriously long and straight, a curtain of pristine beauty.

Or maybe it was those bright, blue doe eyes that were looking right at me.

I don't know. Maria used to be my best friend, and when I thought she died, I had no one.

But now that she's here...I can't shake the feeling that things will never be the same again. Especially not now.

"I can't believe this!" she squealed. "Both of my old best friends, here, with me! It'll be just like the old crew, I know it!"

Cleon scratched his head uneasily. "Now, hold up, Maria - "

"Okay, which one of you would like to spill everything that happened to me first?" Maria said.

"Well," Cleon said, "Iris did say she wanted to go out, didn't you, honey?"

"I didn't say anything like that, Cleon!" I snapped at him. "And again with the 'honey' thing? Didn't I say I didn't want you to call me that?"

"You said you wanted to go and befriend the other tributes," Cleon shrugged.

I glared at him, and Maria squealed again. "Perfect!" she said, taking my hand. "We can catch up as I give you a tour. I'm sure you haven't had girl talk in a while..."

She kept blabbing on and on, incessantly talking about this and that, and I was hardly paying attention. She dragged me down to the elevators, and then she punched in a floor, all the while talking about District Zero.

"You should really try the sweets shop. It's got loads of awesome stuff in it; and the shopkeeper really likes me and he gives me chocolate for free! I can get you some if you want...oh, and then one of these days I'm going to go take you shopping. You're eighteen rights - "

"Seventeen," I interrupted, since it wasn't my birthday yet, but I didn't think she even heard me since she kept talking.

"- so maybe it'll be easy for you to get a job. You know, like internship or something. It'll help you earn some money. And then I'll take you shopping; I swear there are a lot of pretty things to wear around here, but mostly they're just sundresses, since it's always so hot here..."

I pursed my lips in horror. Sundresses? I HATED skirts, much more a dress! I didn't feel comfortable walking around something I knew could fly up any moment. "Sundresses, right," I muttered. "Is there anything for ME to wear?"

Maria giggled. "Sorry. I forgot, you hated dresses. I guessed that since it's been four years you'd have changed, even a bit." Maria smiled. "But you haven't. Still that same Iris I used to know."

Finally, the elevator doors opened, and we picked up someone I really was anxious to in the same elevator as.

He looked at me with surprise, then he hesitantly stepped in. He was looking at me with accusing eyes, but the rest of his expression was calm. "Iris."

I brushed my hair back anxiously. "District 12."

It was only then I realized that I didn't even know his name. I'd encountered him a handful of times in the arena, mostly when we were fighting with the big pack. I knew he was with them, but the only thing I picked up was that he was from 12, nothing else.

"Hello," Maria said brightly. I suspected she was simply oblivious to the fact that we weren't really in the best of terms. "You two know each other?"

He smirked. "Of course we do. Don't we, Iris?"

I smiled weakly. "Yeah. We do. Except...it's funny how you know my name, but I don't know yours. And we were in the same Games."

"I'm not surprised," he sighed. "You are a Career. Guess I had to know who to watch out for."

The doors opened again, and he made to step out, when I caught him by the arm. "Wait!" I said, stopping him. "You still haven't told me your name."

He smiled. "Daniel." Then his smile faded from his face. "Oh, and one more thing, Iris." his voice was stern and low, almost like he was threatening me. "Don't even try to hurt my friends. Or Kristen. Because if you do...you can forget that this isn't the Games anymore."

I was shocked at that accusation. "I wasn't planning to," I told him, hoping he could hear my sincerity. I really wasn't planning on hurting any of them, after all. Didn't I want to try and get to know them?

"Maybe not you," he said to me, "But you boyfriend might. So get the message through his head, okay?"

Daniel gave a small nod of his head, before disappearing through the elevator doors.

Maria pursed her lips, and glared at me. "You have a lot of explaining to do."