Chapter 31 – Adrielle's POV
Snow was here…
My heart started racing once again. The scent of blood and roses was overwhelming for me. It took all of my strength for me to not faint. But I started hyperventilating, I couldn't get enough air. Snow, Snow, Snow, Snow…My mind chanted.
He walked up to us, I held my breath. I didn't want to inhale his scent.
"President Snow!" Hermia gasped. She walked up to him and bowed down.
Hah, it would take a million years for me to bow down to him like that.
"What – what are you doing here? Please join us for dinner!" Hermia stuttered.
"I am fine, Hermia." Hermia flinched at the sound of her name. "I am here just to talk to Adrielle and Vala. Just here to greet them," he said.
I shivered, there was nothing right about that.
"May everyone please be kind and exit the room?" He asked. It wasn't a request, it was an order.
Vala and I bolted for the door. Snow's laughed echoed around the room. It was raspy, like someone was scratching his throat. "Not you girls," he purred.
Vala and I froze, while everyone hurriedly exited the room. Finnick went to Vala's side and whispered something to her. I couldn't hear it, but Vala nodded and shot Finnick a panicked look. At that sight, Snow chuckled. Finnick exited the room quickly, after that.
Once everyone was out of the room, Snow cleared his throat. It was a mix of rasping and snake-like hissing.
"Adrielle," he purred fondly. At the sound of my name, I flinched slightly. He said it with pure admiration. That was definitely not good. "Vala," he greeted coldly.
"I have come here to talk to you girls. But first, I must ask you, are you enjoying your stay here at the Capitol?" He asked, with a smile on his face.
"Like you even care," Vala snapped. "Why do you even bother asking?"
"Ah, excellent question," Snow said arrogantly. "I care because I need to make sure my Avoxes are doing their jobs…correctly. If they're not, well…bad news for them," he chuckled.
"Great, just kill some more people." I suggested, my voice think with sarcasm.
"My plan exactly," Snow purred delightedly. He licked his lips like the idea made his mouth water.
A shiver ran down my spine in anger. My whole body was shaking. Snow started cackling, like this sight was appealing. Snow loved the idea of torturing people.
"Now, I have high hopes for you girls…I wish you luck in the Arena this year. It's going to be very tricky, very tricky indeed…" He said, a little smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "My best advice is to stay alive," he advised.
Somehow I found this funny. Hahahah, stay alive. That's his best advice? I laughed, I couldn't help it. Snow cast his eyes on me, curiosity filling it.
"What is so funny?" He asked me.
"Oh, uhm, nothing…" I laughed.
"Aha," Snow said with excitement. "I knew you were a special one. There's something so unusual about you…" He said hungrily.
It was like he knew something about me that I didn't. It was like he wanted to use that power. Maybe to use it against Vala or maybe to help him kill people, or both…
I grinned proudly, to taunt him. I had power that he wanted. Though I had no idea what it was, but I ignored that. This must be very valuable, seeing that it made him hungry.
"It's obvious by your choice of friends that you different," Snow continued.
"Hey," Vala warned. "Leave her alone." She said, all of it coming out into a snarl.
"But I was just getting started!" Snow said in fake bitterness. "You," he said pointing his pale white finger at Vala. "You're unusual alright, but for different reasons than your little friend here," he said, casting his eyes on me. "Stubborn, intelligent, athletic…all those traits could be put to good use, if you know how…."
I thought those words were for me, but then he looked at Vala.
I thought about what he said, a wave of jealousy fell over me. I was stubborn, and intelligent, and athletic. But I wasn't as intelligent as Vala. I was smart, but not intelligent. But I was more stubborn, Vala doesn't even know half of it. Even though she's known me for my whole life, she still doesn't know. Nobody knew who I really was… I was also more athletic than Vala. She doesn't know that I could use almost all the weapons that the Capitol had made. I was training for the Games, because I had a feeling that someday I was going to be in it. And I was right…
I cleared all of the complaining out of my head. Why was I complaining? I didn't want to be one of Snow's pawns in war. Like Vala. I hoped she wouldn't be, I'll try to prevent Snow from getting to her. But I'd rather have her as pawn than me…
Snow took a step towards us. I tried to take a step back, but in an instant, the Peacekeepers held our hands behind our backs and prevented us from stepping away from Snow. Snow took several tiny steps towards Vala. He leaned his face forward, almost touching Vala's. Which were only inches away from his.
"How's Pearl?" He asked quietly.
A heavy breath escaped Vala, like she had caught a punch in her stomach. She stared at him, and in shock she fell to her knees. Vala stared at the wall, her eyes completely blank.
I was confused, Pearl…Pearl…Pearl…
"What? You mean Vala's starfish?" I asked in confusion.
Snow laughed joyfully, like Santa had gotten him a present. "How naïve," he rasped. "Didn't you realize that best friends don't tell you everything?"
I thought about what he said, and then shock hit me like a bullet. Vala was keeping something from me, after she promised that she wouldn't. I can't believe Vala… She never breaks any promises, or makes any promises that she can't fulfill. Unlike me, I was the whole opposite of her. Still, it was so unlikely that Vala was going to do this to me. Rage and hurt filled me. Well, I was keeping something form her too…
I fixed my face, turning it into a composed mask. I moved to help Vala off of the floor, but Snow pushed me away. "Allow me," he said.
Vala sat up, and leaned away from Snow. She was pale and sweaty. She looked like she had ran a couple of miles. Snow swooped down on Vala, "Let me help you."
Vala shivered a bit, exhaustion showing in her eyes.
Snow grabbed her arms and lifted her up a foot off of the ground. He put her down and swiped her into a hug. "You didn't tell her?" He hissed, "My, my, are we in some trouble…"
He shoved Vala off of himself, towards me. All her weight fell on me, I caught her in surprise. I repositioned her and helped her supported her back.
Snow looked at me, "Take care of her…" He nudged his chin at Vala. "Good luck to both of you. May the odds be ever in our favour."
Snow left the room, entering the golden elevator. Once the elevator closed, I let out a big sigh, releasing the air I was holding in. I couldn't believe that I survived that consciously. I thought I was going to pass our earlier.
I turned Vala, to make her face me. She suddenly grabbed me and held me tightly. She started mumbling in my ear, I couldn't hear because I was too busy trying to pry her off of me. Finnick, Cassia, and everyone else found us like that. They hurriedly grabbed Vala and pulled her off.
Vala turned to Finnick and gave him a hug, tighter than she hugged me. Poor Finnick, I thought. Finnick stroked her hair and tried to make her feel better. She buried her face into his shirt and mumbled words into his chest and kept crying.
Annie was looking at them; she walked up to Vala and patted her arms. She then walked to a chair and sat down.
I turned my attention to myself. Vala had been hugging me so tightly; I hadn't realized how much air I needed. She had also been bruising my ribs. I feel like I'm about to fall apart. I let in big gulps of air, and tried to hold myself together. I made little gasping sounds as I tried to collect air.
"Water," I gasped to one of the Avoxes. About 5 of them all at once fled the room to fetch me a glass of water. They were back in a second, handing me water. I finished one quickly, then moved onto the rest of the other glasses. I emptied all of the water in the glasses they brought me. One was about to retrieve more, but then I waved my hand, signaling that I didn't need any more.
Finnick let go of Vala and poured some water down her throat. She choked on the water, and then swallowed it. She closed her eyes for about a second, then sat up and looked around the room. She came to look at me, I looked away. I looked away, I was still mad at her for not telling me about whoever Pearl was.
I looked around the room. Finnick and Annie were sharing one of the mini couches. Cassia was running after an Avox, asking for chocolate. Though for a reason I wasn't sure of. Maybe she'll give me some later. But I don't want chocolate, I wanted ice cream. I'm hungry all over again. It seems like all of my appetite and the food I inhaled disappeared when Snow appeared. Hermia was walking around the room, a little agitated about what happened.
"Oh, I just can't believe he was here! He was in this room!" She twirled—her arms wide open—gesturing at the whole room. She turned to Vala and I, "You girls are so lucky to have met him! It must've been such an honor!"
I felt like strangling Hermia. Yeah, 'such and honor,' I thought. I was so close to Snow, I could've hurt him. I was so angry, I started shaking.
"Hermia, are you oblivious to what he has done to them?" Finnick asked angrily, gesturing to us.
"Of course I am!" Hermia said, throwing her hands up. "Oblivious means excited right?" She asked, with a big smile on her face.
Everyone laughed at her comment, including Vala. I didn't think she was able to laugh after what just happened. I on the other hand, just had a blank expression on my face. I knew what oblivious meant, it's just that I didn't think it was very funny.
Vala got up and sat down next to me. She hugged me, forgetting about my ribs. She was hugging me tightly again. But not in apology this time. This time I knew it was desperation. I could tell be the way she held me. The last time she held me like this was when Kenn went into the Games. Her hug grew tighter by the second. I squeaked, and I put my hands on my ribs to protect them. She realized what she had done, then she let go.
"Sorry," she apologized.
"It's okay," I said. Her hug was so tight, I almost blacked out.
Cassia ran into the room with a large chocolate bar gripped tightly in her hands. "I brought chocolate!"
"What?!" I asked.
"Chocolate! You know," she said waving the chocolate treat in her hand. "The sweet candy that tastes all yummy and stuff?" She explained slowly.
"Duh!" I said. "We know what chocolate is!" I rolled my eyes at her. It felt wrong talking to Cassia this way, I thought I need to show more respect. Since she's my designer and all, but she was talking callow right now too.
"Yeah," Vala agreed. "What Adrielle meant to say was, why did you bring it," she explained for me.
"Oh! Of course!" Cassia flushed, "The doctors here in the Capitol have proved that chocolate is the best for when you're scared or nauseous."
I nodded, I got her. At home, whenever I'm upset—or whenever I felt like it—I ate chocolate. That thought reminded me of what I thought of earlier, about me wanting ice cream. The need is still there.
"How about both?" Vala muttered under her breath.
Cassia broke off large chunks of chocolate and handed them to Vala and me. I took the chocolate gratefully and placed it in my mouth. It gently melted on my tongue, like snow—I never had snow melt on my tongue, but I had heard that it tasted just like water. Fresh water, unlike the water in the ocean in District 4.
The chocolate was not for my taste. It was too bitter, like dark chocolate. I knew Vala loved it—by the looks on her face and because she loved dark chocolate. I swallowed it quickly because I didn't like the bitter taste forming on my tongue. I felt an uncomfortable burning in my throat—it was like when you swallow a warm cookie and when the chocolate in it melts in your throat—the feeling grew numb as it lasted.
The fast rhythm in my heart—that I hadn't noticed was there—slowed down to normal. I suddenly felt relaxed and a little woozy. I looked at Vala, she was done eating too. I noticed that she was swooning from left to right. I yawned, the languid feeling grew.
"Why I am so sleepy?" I asked between yawns.
"Was…sleep…sleeping drugs?" Vala muttered.
"Yes, my apologies. It is the best way for our tributes to fall asleep on their first night…it really does help with being scared and nausea though," Fiona said apologetically.
I silently groaned, I didn't' want to go to sleep. My mind was teeming with energy, but my body felt otherwise. I felt like I just had carried a vast amount of weight.
"Fine with me," I muttered before closing my eyes. I heard my heart thrum a steady beat. It made me feel slumberous.
I wanted some ice cream. I never got my ice cream. Perhaps later I'll ask some from the Avox. I thought, before drowning in sleep.
….
Chapter 31 is done! Yay, right?
Chapter 32 also up!
We're working on chapter 33 right now!
And I'm also working on my other story, Alice!
~Kat
….