Defied Him

She sat in the basin of the shower, just letting the water hit her back and swirl around her into the drain. She didn't move. She hadn't moved in over an hour, not since she'd lost control of her legs and splashed down next to the drain after furiously cleaning herself of any residual touch that remained on her skin.

"I can do this." She said quietly to herself. "It wasn't that bad." She lied to herself. She reached up to the shelf above her and felt around until she successfully pressed the button of the dispenser that would dole her out another helping of thick, herb smelling soap. She brought it down and worked up a thick lather in her hands before she scrubbed her face down once more. She started to furiously rub at her mouth, not caring that some of the foul tasting stuff leaked between the seal of her lips. He'd insisted on kissing her. Everything else she'd been able to handle but his lips…

Cecil Mills. An older, distinguished looking man had been her first client. He'd been kind, if a little condescending. They'd eaten a meal and he'd asked her all about her life. True to his word, Finnick had been right about clients wanting to discuss her time in the arena. They began with how she became so proficient with a bow, then Prim being drawn first for the reaping, her subsequent volunteering and then all through training. She hadn't been sure if she could discuss that. It was supposed to be secret but he'd informed her after the first few vague answers she'd supplied him that he'd once been a game maker in his younger days and she could tell him anything without fear. He was apparently above the rules. But then again, why wouldn't he be, he was here after all, to consort with a married victor while the rest of the country, including most Capitol citizens remained oblivious to the reality of her situation.

After dinner, he'd offered her a drink from a carafe on the table. He apparently didn't share Haymitch's worry for her age and alcohol. Though it wasn't the clear liquor that her mentor usually drank, it tasted just as foul, almost like burned wood. It made her stomach feel hot and not long after, the warmth spread to her face. He'd insisted that she drink two. Luckily that counted as only about an inch of the burning, horrible tasting liquid in the bottom of each crystal glass. He'd taken his time after that, asking a few more questions and listening intently to her less articulate answers. Once the conversation ceased, no more words were said. She was actually thankful for that. She didn't know if she could have handled hushed endearments, lustful exclamations or cruel taunts. When it was over, he'd dressed and given her a light nod. He placed a small box on the table before leaving.

It had taken her a long time to muster the strength to get up and when she finally did, she'd bypassed the table and its unknown gift and headed to where she now found herself.

Finally, she couldn't take the terrible taste in her mouth any longer. She stood and opened her mouth to the warm cascade, rinsing several times before finally deciding that she couldn't hide from her troubles in the shower any longer. She'd heard commotion in the room outside and didn't doubt that when she returned, the avoxes would have cleared the room of all things that didn't belong. She laughed to herself. She didn't belong, why didn't they come for her. She wrapped a towel around her hair, opting for the old fashioned way of drying her hair as opposed to the loud Capitol apparatus attached to the wall. She pulled on her robe and tied it as she stepped from the room. Keeping her eyes to the ground, she avoided looking at herself in the mirror-covered wall of the bathroom as she left. She was still looking at the sash when a voice made her head snap up.

"You've done well." It was the last face she wanted to see and she didn't want to see any at the moment. Katniss just stared at the woman that sat casually on the freshly made bed. "He called you sweet. The first client is always the hardest, or at least that's what I've been told." She stood, holding something in her hand.

"He wasn't my first client." Katniss spat out. She didn't know where that came from and saying it had the effect of making her feel worse and of making Snow laugh.

"That is only partly true but any truth is better than none." Miss Snow walked toward her casually. "Did he harm you in any way?"

"Worried about me?"

"They have to pay extra for that, a great deal extra." She was now only a foot from her. "I'm aware that you aren't pleased to see me." It made Katniss laugh derisively, which in turn made Snow smile. "Originally, I planned to have Finnick here to console you after this." She reached out touched the thin material of the white silk robe. "He actually would have made you feel better whereas I simply exacerbate your feelings of self pity." Katniss smacked the woman's hand away and took a step away from her. The self pity she'd been feeling before was suddenly and completely replaced by anger, directed entirely at the cruel woman in front of her.

The move didn't faze Snow at all. "He would have said some honeyed words, probably so skillfully that you would have collapsed into his arms and cried all of your frustrations and disgust away." Snow covered the distance between them again. "Then you would have woken the next day with renewed resolve and determination, ready to face your next obstacle." Katniss took a step back. She couldn't stand being so close to her. She could practically feel the glacial frost pouring from this woman's heart. Snow covered the distance as though it were the natural thing to do. They continued this desperate dance until Katniss was backed up against the curved wall of her room. Miss Snow was practically touching her when she spoke once more.

"But he had business of his own. His client is something of a regular and I could not pull him off of that task just to comfort you." She resumed feeling the fabric her hand had been smacked away from previously. "I could have sent in Mr. Abernathy but I know he would have been useless in the endeavor, most likely making you feel even worse about your current predicament, though…"

"What did you give him?" Katniss couldn't begin to describe the satisfaction she felt at the confusion she saw spread across Snow's face in addition to the fact that she'd cut off one of this woman's frustrating monologues. Snow certainly did enjoy the sound of her own voice Katniss deduced. She recovered quickly but it didn't matter, Katniss would hold onto that flustered look in her mind's eye for the rest of the evening.

"Gave who what?" She tried to ask with an air of confidence though it was obvious that she rarely didn't know exactly what was going on around her.

"Haymitch. What did you give him when he won?" Snow took a step back from Katniss. She looked agitated. Katniss took a step forward. "Was it your idea or was it your father's?" Snow held her ground this time, realizing her mistake. The shift in power was only momentary.

"A finger from the body of every person my father could find to which Mr. Abernathy had any meaningful connection. His recovery took weeks so my father had plenty of time to be thorough." Katniss didn't let her features show her surprised disgust, she'd imagined it had to be something of the sort but she hadn't had the heart to prod him further than she already had at that point. "Did you know that his father had been a butcher?"

Katniss shook her head but kept her head high.

"Something cut from a living creature will look very different from that same something cut from a deceased one. Mr. Abernathy would know the difference and he did."

"Was it your idea?"

"No. I was ten at the time. My father had not yet involved me in the actual planning yet. That came later, not much, but later."

"Why were you glad he won?"

"Just how much did Mr. Abernathy tell you?"

"Why were you glad he won?" Snow smiled and reached out to touch the younger girl's face. Katniss smacked it away again but it seemed that action was only allowed once. The young victor found herself spun around immediately, one arm bent almost painfully behind her back while Snow's bicep and forearm cradled her neck.

"How much did he tell you?" This had become a game it seemed; one Katniss was ill equipped to play. She considered not answering until Snow started to pull up on the arm trapped behind her back, pain lancing through her shoulder.

"That's all!" The pressure immediately released but Snow didn't let her go.

"That I gave him a box and told him I was glad he won?"

"He called you a cunt too." This earned a laugh but no more pain. Then Katniss felt cool lips next to her ear.

"Do not deny my touch again and I will let you go. Will I be disappointed?" The moment of silence earned Katniss another shot of pain.

"No!" And she was released but Snow did not try to touch her again. Instead, she walked away. She was walking to the door.

"Why were you glad he won?" She needed to know. The silver haired woman stopped, the entirely black skirt of her grey bodiced dress fluttered around her legs before settling down. She turned her head before responding coolly, keeping her back Katniss.

"He made my father angry, defied him." She resumed walking to the door. "I had never seen that before." She left without another word. Katniss took a deep breath trying to figure out the meaning behind the words Snow just told her when something on the floor caught her eye; the small box the man had left for her.

OoOoO

AN: Cunt is not a part of Microsoft Word's lexicon. Who knew? Oh, and one month fic anniversary! I'm going to take it out to dinner.

LavendarBrownFan: LOL, sorry, Kat and Haymitch aren't going to happen. *stares at you evilly* Making me wait? Unacceptable. It will be open till someone guesses the correct combination of characters to songs after the song choices are made available on Saturday. Effie will be in this story and you won't have to wait too much longer. Grats on getting the account back!
ElsterBird: Now you know… Snow is evil and by extension, so am I.
Amyfan2004: Kat and Haymitch, together, would feel pretty incestuous so I'm glad I didn't have a plot reason for putting them in the sac. Yeah, they got pretty close due to their shared torture back in 12 and her relief at seeing him made them both put their normal stand off attitudes aside. Well, she was 10 when he won and it's been almost 25 years, so she's right around 35. And you found out what was in the box… not entirely creative on my part but it fit well enough.
Savannah: Yeah, this guest thing is annoying… I just hope people keep signing their posts so that I'm not replying to several 'guests' each time. Am I trying to make Lachrimae seem more human? Maybe. Or is she just manipulating everyone around her? I'm glad you like seeing more of her because that's not going to stop anytime soon. If Gale, as Snow indicated, goes into the arena during the games, will he have a distinct advantage? Definitely. How would that affect the group dynamic? Hmmm. You'll get a lot more Haymitch than you've been getting, I promise. It's not even a beverage machine, it makes soup remember? So 'all things liquid' machine I guess.
crazie5801: Thank you! You dreamed about my fic! That is so cool! I'm happy I have a positive effect on your day… and your nights. . Oh, that fan is definitely spinning… we'll see what winds up hitting it.
Ambrosia: I'm glad he wasn't the client either. :) I'm excited to reveal why Haymitch is sober but it will be a while. And she'll see her boys again soon, at least one of them.
Carla: I missed their conversations too. I kept him away for too long as far as I'm concerned. I would say that Miss Snow has had many years to perfect her manipulation skills, with a healthy dose of innate ability (like Peeta). Like most things, too much is a bad thing, which includes "highly-sexed prose". Still love that term.
MaidenAlice: I wasn't originally going to make it a cliffhanger but then Brad Pitt's "what's it the box" kept running through my head and I thought, why not. Plus, it made the conversation with Snow in this chapter all that more interesting. I love that you wonder about her education. She has classical education (knows of Caesar and Shakespeare and Rome), worldly education (her father takes her to deliver severed fingers), and combat training (she has always trained like a career). Yeah, I'd say your picture of Snow is getting a little more focused all the time. Her motivations though? I wasn't too creative with the fingers… I probably could have put more thought into something different but they fit well enough. And the contest, you don't need to be into music at all really. I'll list a bunch of songs, you don't even have to listen to them, just look up the lyrics and see which ones better describe each character listed… Only if you want to though. :)
Big Bear J: (16) What am I going to do with you? She's a bitch… that's the truth. We'll see if you keep hating her as much as her father. (17) I think you're thinking of my sister's Inuyasha fic but yeah, same concept! lol (18) He's got a lot of experience in the field so he's going to have some pretty sound advice… and yes, yes I am a perv and I wave that flag proudly. (19) You just come out and say it don't you? lol She is a bit of a sadomasochist so leather wouldn't be too much of a stretch but it would have to be white and white leather is tacky… Snow would not approve. I don't even know what to say to the last bit… rofl.
Artist221: She desperately needed to see him. She might have fallen apart without it and Snow knew it. Hence his appearance. I'm a shameless cliffhanger user… I know it's mean but I just can't help myself… besides, I know you love it. It's very morbid… Old man Snow, he didn't have any boundaries. It was more than a threat… it was a statement but only to one man… and everyone wonders why Haymitch turned to the bottle. Awwww, thanks for the creativity vote and from a bona fide educator! Thank you, thank you.
Joh: You weren't far off. It says you might have seen the movie seven. I know I did and I kept thinking about it the entire chapter. I missed him too. You'll never have to wait long.
Bloodredfirefly: I'm happy you found it. Katniss-prostitute needs to be a new HG fanfic category. It's awesome that you are enjoying all of the characters and I'll try to continue to keep you on your toes! Thank you for your review; they really mean a lot.