Lumas Taffeta, 25, District 8 Mentor POV
"Is it time yet?" Gloss asks.
He's been like this all day, desperate to take Ramona away from me. I'm hoping it's just out of a need to rescue his sister as soon as possible but I can't forget about his grudge against Ramona.
"Yes," Ramona says. It's the word I've been dreading. "I think it's time."
"Great! Let's move, lovebirds."
Ramona stands up, says a quick goodbye to Binah and begins to walk towards the elevator. I follow, slipping my hand into hers. I'm not afraid of people seeing us together anymore. The damage is already done. I've spent the last couple of days holding Ramona close to me, hoping that she wouldn't be gone for long.
I try my hardest to savour my last few moments with Ramona in the elevator. She's pressed against me, her head resting on my shoulder. I don't know if she's trying to comfort herself or me. I just wrap my arms around her.
Gloss watches us with cold, hard eyes.
"Get a room," he mutters.
"We could," I say.
"We can't," Ramona says.
We travel the rest of the way to the ground floor in silence. When we step out of the elevator, Ramona takes my face in her hands and kisses me. I close my eyes and pretend it isn't because she's saying goodbye. It isn't because she's being taken to the most dangerous place in Panem with a Career's knife at her throat. It's just because she loves me and I love her and everything's going to work out.
Gloss gives an impatient huff and Ramona pulls away. Then the Career hands me a rope. Ramona holds her wrists out in front of her. I know what I have to do. I'm the best with knots out of the three of us. I can tie a knot that looks strong but will come apart at the slightest tug.
"I don't want to do this," I whisper, beginning to wrap the rope around Ramona's wrists. I notice the wedding ring on her finger and that fills me with relief. I used to hate seeing Ramona's wedding ring. It was a reminder that she belonged to another man. There was more to it than jealousy. Ramona was a prisoner in that marriage. I'd known it from the start. It was a way for Snow to exert his control over her by forcing her to marry into his family. Even when Alexander Snow was dead, Ramona still wore the ring in public.
Now I see it's part of her disguise. That ring is her weapon. President Snow will see it and think he's won, that he still controls her.
"We have to," Ramona says. She sounds so distant, so empty.
This is what she's like when she's scared.
"Lumas, if I don't come back-"
"You will," I say. It sounds like a sob. "You'll come back to me."
"If I don't," Ramona says, placing both hands over my heart. "I'll always be here. Don't lose sight of everything else you love."
I lean down and give her one last kiss before Gloss grabs her by the shoulders and steers her away.
"That counts as goodbye," He calls over his shoulder.
Then he's gone. I'm left alone with the ghost of Ramona's kiss on my lips.
Gloss Goré, 29, District 1 Mentor POV
I have Ramona Hirose in my arms. I have my knife at her throat. I have her at my mercy.
And I feel nothing.
Over the last few days, I've been doing some thinking. If Taffeta approves of Hirose's plan, even though it puts her in danger, it must help the rebellion. That's the only thing he cares enough about to risk her life for. In going along with the plan, I'm helping the rebellion. It feels surprisingly good.
Maybe that's the secret to why I've felt so powerless for years. It has nothing to do with the one girl who escaped my games. It's because the Capitol have made me their slave. I could kill Ramona Hirose and nothing would change. I'll come back to the Capitol next year feeling exactly the same way, being used in exactly the same way.
We slip into our roles the moment we pass through the front doors of the Control Centre. I play the cruel, sadistic kidnapper and she plays the weak, terrified victim. I drag her towards a waiting car and she cries out as I force her into the backseat.
"Make another sound and I'll cut your tongue out," I hiss. We both know I'll be doing no such thing but I want to make Hirose doubt her knowledge. It'll be my little revenge for her trick with the mint. Maybe, in the future, she'll confess that I scared her and I can laugh at her.
We spend most of the journey in silence. The only time I speak is when I get my communicuff out and call Snow to tell him that I've succeeded. I rest my knife against Hirose's throat. She stays very still and very quiet, trying to protect herself. Her eyes are wide, dark and full of fear.
Finally, we pull to a stop in Snow's driveway. I grab Hirose and push her out, shoving her towards the door of Snow's mansion. A peacekeeper greets me at the door and leads me through corridors to Snow's study.
Snow is sitting at his desk, his expression dangerously calm. Behind him stand two peacekeepers, one of whom is holding Cashmere by the shoulders.
"Excellent work, Mr Goré," the president says. "You've done your country proud."
"Thank you, sir," I say. "Can you let my sister go, please?"
"Of course," Snow signals to the peacekeeper, who unlocks Cashmere's handcuffs and shoves her towards me.
"Thanks," she mutters.
The peacekeeper who released Cashmere steps forwards and grabs Hirose. I wonder if this is part of her plan.
"You may both leave," Snow says. "Unless either of you wish to stay for the torture."
"Torture?" Hirose asks, trembling slightly. She could be terrified out of her mind. She could just be pretending.
"All in good time, Ms Hirose," Snow says.
"Thank you for your delightful offer, Mr President," I say. "I think I'll take Cashmere home, though."
I take Cashmere's hand and lead her out of the room. The moment the doors close behind us, she glares at me.
"Don't you dare do that," she says.
"Do what?"
"Treat me like I'm helpless just because I got kidnapped. I've been kidnapped before, Gloss."
"You have?" I ask. "You never told me."
"Because you're an idiot," Cashmere says. "I love you but… it's been hard to talk to you ever since the games. You changed, Gloss."
Guilt stabs though me. I did change after my games. I became what the Capitol wanted me to be because I was afraid of what they could do to me. It was the worst kind of fear. It meant I was too scared to tell anyone I was scared.
I was so scared, I let Cashmere believe I was happy being the Capitol's puppet.
"Come back to the Control Centre with me," I say. "We can work things out."
"Okay," Cashmere says. "That was… surprisingly easy. Let's go."
I smile to myself as we leave Snow's mansion together. If Lumas Taffeta is brave enough to rebel after everything he suffered and Ramona Hirose is brave enough to hand herself over to Snow, I can be brave enough to tell my sister the truth.
Ramona Hirose, 24, District 3 Mentor POV
President Snow stares at me with cruel, golden eyes.
"Ms Hirose," He says, cheerfully, as if I'm a guest at one of his family dinners and not a victor he's just had kidnapped to threaten a potential rebel. "What a pleasure it is to see you! You look beautiful."
"Let me go," I struggle in the peacekeeper's grip as he shoves me towards the desk. "Please, I didn't do anything wrong."
A tear rolls down my face, most likely carrying a streak of mascara with it. Perfect. The more pathetic I look, the more likely Snow is to take the bait.
"It's nothing you did," the president says, grimly. "This is about your boyfriend."
"What boyfriend?" I ask.
"Don't lie to me, my dear. You know exactly who I'm talking about. Now, tell me, how did a girl like you manage to fall for that disgusting, loud-mouthed addict, Lumas Taffeta. And when? Was it after your husband died or did you break your marriage vows?"
"He was sick," I sob. "I just wanted to make him better. I didn't think he'd ever…"
I trail off.
"I understand," Snow says, voice filled to the brim with false, poisonous kindness. "The forbidden can have a certain… allure. But I imagine Mr Taffeta doesn't view you the same way you view him."
"How does he view me?" I ask.
"A rose of the Capitol," Snow says. "Beautiful and loyal but so fragile. I imagine he's been watching you for years, studying you, searching for your weaknesses. He wants to corrupt you with his rebellious ways. We can't let that happen, can we, Ramona?"
He reaches a hand out to brush a tear away from my face. I react in an instant. I twist my ring and stab it into President Snow's arm. The ropes fall away from my wrists. I let the small, white sphere fall from my sleeve into my palm.
"You've already caused it to happen," I say. "If I am a rose of the Capitol then beware my thorns."
I raise my palm to my mouth but a peacekeeper grabs my wrist before it reaches my lips. The sphere is tossed to the floor and crushed into powder by a peacekeeper's boot.
"No!" I cry.
The peacekeeper squeezes the back of my neck and forces my head to Snow's desk. My hands are cuffed behind my back.
"Very clever, Ms Hirose," Snow says. "Let me guess, your plan was to poison me and then kill yourself before you could be tortured."
I nod.
"And that," Snow points to the white circle of powder on the floor. "Cyanide?"
I nod.
It's a lie. What I was about to swallow was a breath mint, not a poison pill. And I never intended to swallow it. It was all part of the act. I have to make Snow believe that I'm trapped, that I'm helpless, that I'd do anything to save myself.
Even save his life.
Everything's going to plan.
"And on your ring," Snow asks. "Snake venom?"
"Snowfall," I say.
"Snowfall?" Snow asks.
"Snowfall," I say. "I developed it myself. It's never been used before in the Capitol. I know you're immune to most poisons so I thought I'd try something completely new, something you've never found the antidote for."
I hold my breath. Everything depends on this. I took this risk to kill Snow but, for me to escape safely, the poison doesn't even need to work on him. He just has to believe that it will. He has to be scared that it'll kill him and willing to do anything to save himself.
"Snowfall…" Snow says. He's acting calm but there's a hint of fear in his voice. "Adorable. Do you know what the punishment for assassinating the president is, Ms Hirose?"
"No," I say. "Please don't tell me. I… I thought I'd die. I only did it because I thought I'd die. I can fix this."
"Do tell," Snow says. "How will you fix this?"
"I'm the only one who knows how to develop the antidote. If you want to still be alive tomorrow, you'll have to give me access to one of your labs and all the equipment I'll need. I can make the antidote for you but only if you let me go once you've recovered."
"I understand," Snow says. "Since my life depends on it, I will give you a chance, Ms Hirose. Should you fail… my last act as president will be to condemn you to a lifetime of torture."
"I know," I say. "It's best if I get working now. Get me to a lab!"
Snow stands up and addresses the peacekeeper holding me captive. "Take her to the gamemaker labs. Give her everything she needs. I want her chained to a work bench."
The peacekeeper starts to shove me towards the door. It's all I can do not to smile.
So far, my plan has worked perfectly. Now, all I need to do is look like I'm busy making an antidote and hope that Snow doesn't die before Plutarch breaks me out.
Ramona has succeeded in poisoning Snow! But will she escape? Will the poison kill Snow? If it does, who will succeed him as President? I also took this chapter as an opportunity to bring an end to Gloss' little arc. He finally has the bravery to open up to Cashmere. The twins have a long road ahead of them to repair their relationship but the rebellion will probably help them.