Chapter 21: The Mayor of 12

Justyn Silvanus

I frown at my computer, which is open on a tab about District 13. I've been trying to make contact with someone there since I became the mayor of 12. I just know that it's still out there. But there's no way I can prove it.

Especially since I haven't been able to contact anyone living there. Others say that my hopes are unfounded. But I can't give up. I know it exists.

It has to.

I jump at a sudden shout. I've been in the silence since I woke up. I whip around in my chair, trying to place the sudden sound.

It's coming from the television, which I should have expected. Even the Mayor has to have the Games on at all times.

Like we don't have better things to do with our lives.

Abandoning my computer, I move closer to watch the latest happenings of the Arena.

Two tributes are fighting, punching and kicking, while a large group looks on in mixtures of amusement, confusion, and terror.

I place the group as the Careers, because no other alliance could be that large. However, I can't place the two fighting tributes. They're yelling at each other while the others yell at them to quit fighting.

I don't see why. A death now means less competitors for them.

"I'm the leader," the girl shrieks. "I'm in charge!"

"You're not!" The boy yells at her, delivering a swift blow that almost makes her stumble. She growls right in his face and he laughs. "You think you're so great but you aren't, Shimmer."

My frown deepens. The Careers always find the strangest things to fight about. The stress of being in the Arena may actually affect them the most.

In all honestly, they have the most to lose.

Shimmer fakes a punch and when the boy is distracted, she knees him in the stomach. He doubles over and I see the manic grin on her face as she stands over his crumpled form. "Only one of us is coming out of here alive, Xavier. And it's going to be me."

Even after years of watching fights just like this, I can't help but shiver. How could anyone be raised to be so bloodthirsty and cruel?

But Xavier recovers quickly, rolling away and jumping to his feet. He whips around and grabs a sword from the ground. I draw in my breath and I'm sure hundreds of others have just done the same. Before, this was a petty fight. Now, with weapons, it'll be fatal.

But it turns out I shouldn't have worried. Shimmer and Xavier's previously frozen allies have jumped to action, pulling the two fighting tributes away from each other.

Shimmer struggles against the boy restraining her. "Let me go! He had it coming!"

Xavier is angry as well, fighting against the two girls who've grabbed his arms.

"Stop fighting, you two!" one of the girls yells. "It isn't worth it."

"We have more important things to do," the other says. "We could be hunting down the other tributes instead of watching you two bicker."

It takes a while before Shimmer and Xavier stop exchanging death glares. I'm sure the Capitol can breathe easy now that the fight has been adverted.

On the other hand, maybe they are disappointed that there won't be any bloodshed to entertain them today. Except for Ana's betrayal this morning, the Arena has been strangely subdued.

I've been keeping a close eye on 12's tributes this year. They are stronger than any tributes we've had in a long time. Maybe not William, not after that cut he got. I feel a pang when I realize that his family will have lost both their sons by the time these Games finish.

Maysilee Donner shows a lot of promise for a girl who seemed pretty average. She's smarter than I thought, making such a lethal weapon. She killed to defend her ally twice and has a lot of compassion.

Haymitch Abernathy is the one I'm paying the most attention to. He's cunning and determined. And very smart. He's been walking in the same direction for at least an hour now. Most people wouldn't have noticed this but I realize that he's trying to find the end of the arena.

I glance at my grandfather clock and sigh. I've been glued to my computer since the Games began. I'm usually stuck in my office anyway. I'm hellbent on getting a rebellion started but there just isn't enough people who think it'll work. Even the Victors I know are mostly wary.

I remember Daphne calling me this morning on the phone. She had finally told Kolton, her husband, that their daughter had died in the Games. He's distraught and angry and she begged me to come over. I had went to her little house in the Seam the second Leila had drawn her last breath. She was shaking and sobbing. But she tried so hard to be strong for her husband. Now that he knows, she doesn't have to be tough.

I'm opening my door to leave when my phone rings.

I freeze. No one in District 12—except Reynald of course—has a phone. Which means it's someone from the Capitol.

Even though it's silly and paranoid, every time I get a call, I immediately think that Snow has figured out about my half built rebellion and is coming to take me back to the Capitol. Or kill me right where I stand.

Probably the latter. I think of the visit I got from Snow twenty years ago. He had hated me even then.

Killing me would be the easiest way to get rid of me. My status as Mayor—something he gave me—is ironically the only thing keeping me alive.

The threat is enough that I'm on edge almost all of the time.

The phone continues to ring and I pick up with a sense of foreboding.

A voice speaks before I can. "Hey, Justyn."

The voice is slurred but easily recognizable. It's Reynald. At first, I relax. It isn't Snow after all. But then I tense. Why is he calling me now? He should be mentoring. And he knows that all calls using Capitol phones are trackable. I mentally curse him. His voice is a dead giveaway that he's drunk. Reynald spills the most important things when he is intoxicated. I resist the urge to throw something at his carelessness.

"Reynald?"

There's a laugh. "I found a new member for your dream rebellion."

"What?"

I can almost hear Reyald's grin over the phone. "He'd be perfect for your rebellion. Hates the Capitol as much as you do."

My stomach sinks. "Reynald," I hiss. "Hang up the phone right now."

There's a pause. "Why?"

My heart starts to pound in my chest. "These calls are trackable, you imbecile." Please don't let the Capitol be listening to this.

"But Justyn," Reynald whines. "Your rebellion really needs some more members."

Someone else is talking in the background. "Reynald, give me the phone!" It's another voice I've heard enough that it's instantly recognizable. Reynald's best friend, Milo, one of District 9's Victors. He's one of the only ones who can exert any sort of control over District 12's troublesome Victor.

My heart is pounding. If someone form the Capitol is listening then all my hard work for twenty years would be pointless. Fatal even. I can't imagine the consequences of Snow finding out about the rebellion I've worked so hard to hide.

I make a quick decision. The one most likely to save us in case someone is listening. Feign ignorance.

"Reynald, what on earth are you talking about?"

"Your rebellion! Did you forget?"

Milo's voice is back. I can hear him hissing at Reynald and trying to tug the phone away. But Reynald isn't having any of it.

"It's Haymitch," he says, his voice slurred. "He would be perfect for your rebellion." A sad yet somehow crazed laugh sounds in my ear. "Well, only if I can keep him alive."

My mind is racing a hundred miles a minute. Haymitch. Who I've been watching so closely. Of course. He really would be the perfect fit for the rebellion. I've already noticed that he's smart and cunning and seems to hate the Capitol more than a normal kid does. He could really help me out.

That's if Reynald's careless words don't get him killed.

"Reynald, I have no idea what you're talking about. Why would I want a rebellion? That's crazy. You know I support the Capitol."

I can hear Reynald's breathing on the other end.

If someone is listening to this conversation, I have to make it as believable as possible.

"You must be drunk. You would never say such crazy things otherwise." I force my voice to take on a stern tone. "I know you don't support the Capitol but you can't go spreading such atrocious lies. A rebellion!" My laugh sounds forced even to me. "That's possibly the best thing you've ever some up with intoxicated."

Reynald makes an odd noise and I hear Milo's voice again. There's a series of scuffling noises followed by silence.

"Hello?"

It's Milo. "Milo," I say. "Did you hear Reynald? I imagine he must be very drunk to be thinking of such crazy things. You should get him back to his room."

Thankfully, Milo is smart and catches the edge in my voice. "Yes, he must have drank five bottles in the past three hours. The death of that little girl, Leila, really hit him hard." My breath catches and Milo's voice softens. "I'm so sorry. She was your niece, wasn't she?"

My voice cracks when I say yes.

Milo knows that someone could be listening to this and takes extra care to cover up Reynald's blunder. "I'll give Reynald over to Mags. He's so drunk he's hardly standing. She can take him to his room. I'm sorry he bothered you, you must be terribly busy."

I take a deep breath, steadying myself. "Yes, I am. You really shouldn't let him drink so much."

"He's not usually so bad." There's a slight thud from the other end and I hear two voices cry out in surprise. It's silent for a solid minute before Milo's voice returns. "He just passed out, I think I should go."

"Of course, I'll talk to him when he isn't as drunk."

Milo hangs up and I listen as the line buzzes for a few seconds before cutting.

I heave a sigh of relief. It's paranoid to be so worried but I've learned over the years that one can never be too careful when it comes to Snow and his plans.

As I leave my too-big house and walk down the road, I take the time to look around. It's evening, almost dinner time, so most people are indoors. There are a few exceptions of course. Orphaned kids from the Seam walking around and some people still selling at the Hob. Most people give me a smile or wave as I pass. I am the Mayor after all and I'm a much nicer sight than a Peacekeeper.

I wonder what they would say if they knew I was from the Capitol.

Sometimes I forget that I wasn't born here. It's easy since I've lived here since I was 5, after both my parents had been executed. I was young enough to be aware of what was going on but not old enough to really understand the true meaning of everything.

I know that I was born in the Capitol to two rebellious Capitol citizens. My mom and dad. If I think hard enough, I can remember my mom singing me to sleep every night. She had an amazing voice. Daphne was my dad's little girl. He adored her.

But there are two huge things that come to mind when I think of what little I remember about my parents.

Their deaths and their hate for the Capitol.

Both of them were part of a secret rebellion force inside the Capitol. I'm in contact with the remaining members, although there aren't as many as there used to be.

My parents hated the Capitol and everything they stood for. They hated the Games as well.

I was born during the eleventh Hunger Games. I remember my parents telling a young me about a world without the Hunger Games. I remember who foreign the idea felt to my young mind. They were part of a small group of capitol citizens who were desperately trying to find a way out of the Games. They knew that it was horrifying and wrong. It was inhumane.

I remember them leaving me at home with my newborn sister to go to meetings. I remember that day they came home on my fifth birthday with guns pointed at their heads. Their friends in the rebel group were forced to watch as their two leaders were shot.

I remember my mom's blood leaking onto the front steps, my sister wailing. The rest of the capitol rebels pretended to be innocent and the Peacekeepers let them go with a strict warning.

Even though we were just kids, Snow decided we had to be punished for our parents' wrongdoings.

The men—who I later learned were working for the new President—threw us in the back of a car and drove us out to District 12. It was wretched and terrible-looking. I was chilled to my bones.

We were dropped of at the District's community home and the owners were threatened into asking no questions. They knew we were from the Capitol, our bright green eyes gave it away. But the owner of the home, Miss Slatia always treated us kindly. I remember being 12, having to go to my first Reaping. By then, I only briefly remembered a life outside the home. I knew that if my parents were alive, I'd be watching the Games instead of standing in the square. Miss Slatia held my hand as I sobbed. I begged her to take care of Daphne if I got Reaped. Daphne was a delicate thing and Miss Slatia was the only other person she had ever opened up to.

This made Miss Slatia sob, something that shocked me enough to stop panicking. She revealed to me that I reminded her of Reynald. I knew who he was, he had won the Games nine years ago and was, as far as I was concerned, a terrible mentor. All our tributes died in the Bloodbath, part of the reason why I was terrified to get picked.

Miss Slatia told me he used to live in the home as well and begged for her to take care of his sister after he was Reaped. I remember asking where his sister was. She told me that Snow had poisoned her but that she and Daphne would have made great friends.

I can still vividly remember going to that Reaping with my head held high, determined to make it out. I decided that when I was old enough to be taken seriously, I was going to talk to District 12's only Victor.

My sheer will not to be selected despite my tesserae worked because I made it out of my last Reaping safely. The girl tribute that year had been a girl in Daphne's class and the boy had been two years older.

I was finally old enough to live on my own so I bought the cheapest house I could and moved me and Daphne in right away.

Imagine my surprise when President Snow showed up at my doorstep the day after we had moved in.

I had been terrified as he talked to me, explaining that my parents were terrible people with twisted minds. As of I'd ever believe him over my own family. But Snow had been so insistent that I pretended to agree when he told me that I should never think the way that they did.

I asked why he had come to visit me. He said he wanted me to be the next Mayor of 12. I remember saying that we already had a Mayor. Snow had given a look of barely concealed annoyance and told me that I was to be the next Mayor of 12 or my sister would meet the same fate as my parents.

Mayor Collis was found dead the next day and I found myself somehow appointed the newest Mayor of 12.

Seeing Snow have murder arranged so easily was what prompted me to look more into the despised President. I threw myself full force into the rebellion my parents had started, working day and night to find answers.

As Mayor, I was able to contact my parents' old friends, all of whom were surprised and glad to hear from me.

I also got to fulfill my wish of talking to Reynald. However, I soon realized that his drunk nature meant that I couldn't fully trust him with my rebel plans. He only knew the basics. Other Victors, like Mags and Milo, knew a lot more.

I finally reach Daphne's little house in the Seam, on the opposite end of the District. I made her find a new house when she married Kolton. She knew it would be dangerous for her to be seen close to me.

Over the years I've wondered why Snow made me the Mayor, since that seems to have only worked in my favour. And the last thing Snow would want is to benefit me.

Maybe he thought it would be a punishment for me. To have to work in the poorest district.

I've stopped trying to see the way a snake's mind works.

He doesn't know that I've found a way to make my job as Mayor as impact as I can.

I hesitate before knocking on the door of Daphne and Kolton's rickety little house. I don't think I can bear my little sister's grief-filled eyes, knowing that her niece is dead in part because of me.

The door opens and Daphne throws herself on me. Her chest rises and falls quickly, as though she is holding in sobs and has to control herself.

"I'm so sorry, Daph," I whisper against her neck. I remember how broken she was a few days ago, clinging to me and sobbing. But now, her husband knows that his daughter is dead and it's sure to be so much worse now.

"He's so angry," she whispers, letting go of me. I see her green tear-filled eyes. "He hates the Capitol. And he hates me for not telling him."

My heart breaks for my poor sister. "He doesn't hate you."

"He didn't get to say goodbye to her. Because of me."

"No." I take her hand. "Don't blame yourself. He wouldn't have been allowed to see her anyway. It would have been too much of an inconvenience for the Capitol." My voice drops back into a whisper. "And you know that they wouldn't let him see her because of us."

She leads me inside. "It's so unfair. I miss her so much."

Kolton is facing the wall when I come in. I remember that Daphne and Leila share a room so Kolton can have one for himself. I can see the mangled mess of his upper thighs and suppress a shudder. Even after all these years, I'm horrified that the Capitol is so cruel.

I wonder if he's taken his morphling yet. My parents' friends give it to me every month so my brother-in-law doesn't have to be in pain all the time.

Maybe he wants to feel the pain today.

Anything to dull the ache of his loss.

"Kolton," I say, sitting on the bed beside him. "I'm so so sorry."

He turns to look at me slowly and I see the rage in his eyes. "Leila was my only daughter."

I take a deep breath so I don't lose control of my emotions. "I know."

He looks down and I'm reminded of the boy I went to school with. "I hate the Capitol."

What can I say to that? "I know."

"I'm going to make them pay."

Fear flickers in me. The only thing that'll do is get him killed. The pain of that would kill my sister. "You can't. You know you can't."

He looks back at me and I almost flinch at his gaze. "Because I'm like this?" he gestures to his legs. His voice rises. "I'm not useless."

"Of course, you're not. But Leila wouldn't want you to suffer for her."

"You don't know what she'd want," he hisses. He used to be the kindest kid I knew. When did he change so much? After the accident or after Leila's death? "Because she's dead."

Daphne tries to take his hand but he pulls away. My sister looks wounded and I can't help but remember the loving boy who threw my sister a party for her eighteenth birthday. The one who kissed her when she cried watching the Games.

"Kolton," she says softly. "I—"

"It's because of you two, isn't it?" he asks slowly as though realizing something terrible. "She's dead because you're Capitol." He spits the word like venom.

My breath whooshes out a ragged exhale. The accusation feels worse than a punch to the stomach. He's only half right though. It's not Daphne's fault at all.

If he has to blame one of us, he should only be blaming me.

Daphne starts to sob, her bright green eyes overflowing with tears, and rushes out of the room. I make to follow her but turn back at the door.

"Yelling at your wife won't help. You know Leila. She would hate what you're saying and you know it."

Leaving Kolton to his grief and rage, I find my sister in the kitchen.

"Daph, don't listen to him. It's not your fault. I promise it's not your fault."

My sister sniffs. "Everything is just so awful. I can't bear it."

I touch her cheek softly. I can't believe I've caused the person I love so much pain. "It'll get better." She knows I suffered after the loss of our parents while she was too young to remember it or grieve for them. "Kolton'll come back to you. He just needs time."

Daphne throws herself on me, sobbing the way you can only sob in front of your big brother. I rub her back, trying to keep my own tears at bay. I could never have a family of my own, not unless I wanted Snow to kill them, so in a way, Leila had been my daughter as well. I remember all the days I spent helping her with school and all the nights she spent at my house when her dad was having a hard day. I know she was Reaped because of me. Because she is from the Capitol. Because Snow hates her rebellious grandparents. Because Snow hates me.

And even though it isn't all my fault, I hate myself all the same.

Okay so a lot of things got revealed here, just like I promised. First, the Mayor is from the Capitol! And he is Leila's uncle. Which explains why they both have green eyes instead of the Seam grey or merchant blue.

I think the reason I had such a hard time with this chapter is because I'm really only used to writing Haymitch and Maysilee and I have such detailed characters for them that it was tough to write in an entirely new character. I know I've written in Hayden and Reynald's POVs but I think that they were much easier characters to get into because they were already in the story. Justyn is a character who wasn't really mentioned until now but I'm sure that you've realized that he's quite important.

Also, I apologize that this chapter has a lot of info dumping in it. It's all important stuff though! I'll see you next chapter. Thanks for still sticking around.