"...she started going all insane, because of those mutts. Then, Finnick grabbed hold of her and calmed her down, and then, that girl from..." I can't believe Layna hasn't run out of breath yet. I shake my head.
"Layna," I say. She turns to me. I toss her the piece of paper. She opens it and reads it. Then her eyes widen.
"What?" she says. "How are we going to do that?"
"Do what?" asks Demetri, taking the paper from Layna's hands. He reads it, and his jaw drops. "Perfect. Just perfect."
"How are we going to do that?" Layna asks again. "We don't even know the setup around here."
I think for a moment. How are we going to get out? I ponder on this thought for a while longer, pressing my fingers into my temples. I run my fingers around my neck, and feel a chain resting on my chest. I pick it up, and I realize that it's the chain I wore in the arena with disc labeled "4". I feel around the edges. Perfect. At last, I think I have a solution.
I walk over to the door and tap on the glass. Just as I thought. The glass is thin. Thin, but still thick enough to keep us in. I run my disc along the glass, and just as I had hoped, it starts to make a barely visible line through it. I smile and turn to Demetri and Layna.
"We can make it through this glass," I tell them simply.
"How?" says Demetri. "That glass was meant to hold us in."
"I have this," I say, holding up my disc. "I wore this in the arena."
"Does it work on the glass?" asks Layna.
I show her. I make another cut through the glass. She grins and looks at Demetri, then back at me. "Okay," she says. "So, when are we going to do it."
I think for a moment. "Evre said she'll be outside Snow's office on the fifth night," I say. "We'll have to do it then. Maybe around ten, when it's dark."
Layna nods and looks to Demetri. He nods along, and I smile. We just might make it out of here. Layna and Demetri are strong. They were Evre's companions, after all. Yes, we'll make it out.
Nothing unusual happens for the next two days. Peacekeepers come into our room from time to time to give us small portions of food. I'm getting skinnier by the hour, and even Demetri, who's an incredibly muscular guy, is starting to thin out. It's good thing we don't have to wair a long time to escape. If we did, we probably wouldn't have the strength to.
On the third day, however, something unusual does happen. Two Peacekeepers enter the room, and tell me to come with them. I do, and they take me down a few long, narrow hallways, to a black door. They push it open and shove me inside, where a bright spotlight immediately shines on my face.
"Ah," I hear a voice say. It's President Snow, of course. "Auramarina."
"President Snow," I say back. "How are you?" I decide to be disturbingly nice to him. Maybe it'll scare him enough to convince him to let me out of here.
Snow grins at me. "I've been fine. And yourself?" he says icily.
"Fine, same as you." I want so badly to just slit his throat right now. "Any particular reason you called me down here?"
"I just thought I should tell you something," he says. I nod, urging him to go on. "I would like to reassure you that your Finnick is safe in District 4. And he has been for three months." So that's how long I've been here.
I know he's lying. And the thought of him lying to me about Finnick's safety vexes me. I narrow my eyes at him dangerously. "Liar," I hiss.
"A liar, you say?" says Snow, running his fingers along the arms of the chair he's in. "And how do you know if I'm lying or not?"
I swallow hard. Evre. That's how I know. But I can't tell him that, or Evre would be executed. So instead, I just shrug. "I've come to find that you're not a very trustworthy person."
Snow grins at me. "You're a smart girl," he tells me. "But, I assure you, your Finnick is perfectly safe."
I cross my arms and narrow my eyes at him again. "Oh, yeah?" I growl. "Then show me."
Snow eyes burn into mine. "Excuse me?" he says.
I shrug. "If Finnick really is safe, you won't have a problem showing me his current state." I stare back at Snow, letting my gaze burn into his. "So do it."
For a moment, I think I see what could be uncertainty and hesitation in his face. But he quickly wipes it away. "Very well," he says. He stands up slowly and encircles me. I feel the reek of his breath sting at my face. "You want to see Finnick? Fine."
He grabs my arm with a force that I didn't know he had. He drags me around what I think is the entire Capitol. And when he stops, we're standing just outside of a large white door, with "Odair" written across the top.
"Go ahead," Snow hisses. "Open it."
I do. I push the door open. And I see nothing. The room is completely dark. I turn around and glare at Snow. What kind of sick joke is this? He stares back, and flips a light switch on. Now, I see what he intended for me to see.
Well, there's Finnick. And a few Peacekeepers. And then, I see that Finnick is with another girl. Kissing her, running her hair through his fingers, sliding his hands up and down her back.
I feel tears well up in my eyes. And I can't help wondering why they bother coming. I know he doesn't mean any of those things he does or says to that girl. I know what circumstances he's under. But still they come. And I can't stop them from streaming down my cheeks.
President Snow clears his throat, letting Finnick and the Capitol girl know he and I are here. Finnick turns his head quickly. His eyes lock on mine, and they widen. The Capitol girl also looks at me. She shakes her head indifferently, and kisses Finnick again. But he pushes her away and rolls off the bed. He gets to his feet and starts toward me. I take a step back. I don't know what's wrong with me, but after seeing him all over that Capitol girl, I don't want him to touch me.
Peacekeepers grab Finnick and haul him back to the bed. He stares at me with his charming sea-green eyes. I blink at him, tears still dripping from my eyes. I shake my head and mouth, "I know". I know what kind of circumstances he's in. I know why he has to do that. It still hurts, though.
I feel President Snow's hand on my shoulder as he leads me out of the room. As soon as the door closes behind me, I lean up against the wall, bury my face in my hands, and slide my back down the wall. Snow kneels down in front of me.
"I know," he says. "It hurts."
I pick my head up and glare at him. "You bastard," I hiss softly.
He just grins at me. "Don't be so unkind," he tells me. "These might be the last friendly words you here from me for a while." Then he shoves me to my feet, and takes me back to the room I previously was in, with Layna and Demetri.
