9/2/17

Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games

Hi again! Hope you enjoy the chapter!

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The Manipulation Games 3: Rebellion

Chapter Four: Ava

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Solitary confinement isn't so bad. Or at least, it isn't at first. I'm used to spending most of my days in District 7 alone as it is, and for the first few days I was perfectly content for things to be at least somewhat normal like this. However, after a while my circumstances revealed to me the reason why I was able to be so independent at home. You see, when I was at home I may have lived alone, but there were always people around me. Whenever I began to feel lonely (which wasn't often, though it did happen), all I had to do was walk down the sidewalk to my father's house, or perhaps call Finnick if he wasn't home. But Blight isn't even alive anymore, and I can't talk to Finnick either. It's funny how I used to want to be alone all the time. Now that I don't have a choice, I regret it.

It's on my fourth day of this fresh level of torture when a note is slipped under my door in the middle of the night. At first, I assume that Annie was able to convince a Peacekeeper to sneak a note to me, but when I see the drawing of an Oleander shrub on the front of the envelope my hope immediately shatters. I pick up the envelope and tear it up without so much as looking at the letter's contents. Wadding up the shreds into a ball, I shove it into the trash bin.

"Coward," I huff.

That's when I hear it. Giggling. I narrow my eyes and start looking around the room, when I hear a loud crash coming from the bathroom. All sense leaves my mind as I run into the bathroom, fully ready to deal with whoever was spying on me. I slam the door open and turn on the light, only to find myself unprepared for the sight in front of me. A terrified pre-teen girl who I recognize immediately is laying in the shower, with her flaxen hair sticking up in every direction. The curtain has somehow been knocked down, and a glance at the broken airvent on the ceiling tells me exactly how she got here.

"Ava, what the-"

She frantically sits up and interrupts me mid-sentence. "Johanna, I can explain!"

I shush her and close the door. I pull the shower curtain back onto the rod and help her stand up. "You're not hurt, are you?" I whisper, looking her over. With the fall she had, it's a miracle she can stand at all.

Ava shakes her head, wiping tears from her cheeks.

"Good. Now why don't you tell me what the actual heck you were trying to do?" I whisper-snap, which is really quite an impressive combination of voice tone.

"I- I was just trying to-"

I notice her trembling and try to sound more sympathetic, in hopes of making it easier for her to trust me. Given that she's Nero's daughter, it's easy to guess what kind of life she has at home. If we both survive to the end of the rebellion, I seriously need to get her away from him.

"Hey, it's okay. You can talk to me."

Ava nods her head and takes a deep breath. "I was trying to spy on the guards. I just, you know, got lost in there."

I frown, running my fingers through my hair. "And what were you planning on doing?"

"I don't know. It's just… you don't know how much the rebellion means to us."

My confusion must show, so she elaborates.

"Most of the kids at school feel the way I do. We've grown up differently than the adults did. When they were kids, the victors didn't speak as freely as they do now," Ava begins.

"You knew the truth before you could lose your hearts," I say, starting to understand.

Ava nods, sitting down on the edge of the bathtub. "I just wanted to help. I thought that maybe if I could get some information to the rebels, I could make a difference. But… I don't know what I'm doing."

I glance at the open airvent. "Clearly. Is there not a better way to do this?"

Ava sighs. "President Snow just passed a law prohibiting symbols of the rebellion, so we're all going to wear gold for Team Mockingjay at school tomorrow. His granddaughter even organized it. But it's not enough! It's just wearing a costume, not making a difference."

I think back to my own teenage years. When I wanted to do everything I could to promote the rebellion, and it got my family killed. And now, looking at little Ava, who has so much of her life left to live with people who love her, and I realize that I can't possible let her make the same sacrifices I did.

"You know what Aves?" I say, taking a seat next to her. She lays her head on my shoulder, and I try to brush it off. "I think you are making a difference."

Ava looks up at me, confused. "I am?"

I give up on trying to move her. "You don't have to do something stupid to help. I learned that the hard way, and I don't want you to make the same mistake I did. Capisce?"

Ava nods her head. "So I've gotta work smarter, not harder?"

"Exactly," I say with a smile. At least she's getting it better than I did…

Ava smiles, brighter than I ever could, and wraps her arms around me. "Thanks Johanna. I understand now."

I sigh, removing her arms from around me. "Okay, enough hugging. You need to go home now, okay?"

She's hesitant, but nods her head anyways. "Alright. I'll go."

I help her back into the vent, and I can't help but wonder if she's really going to listen.

….

So I'm hoping to update again by the 16th but I can't make any promises. Until then, quote of the day!

"I'm Joey. I'm disgusting and I take my underwear off in other people's homes." -Joey Tribbiani, Friends

(Yeah, kind of obvious what I'm watching right now…)

May the odds be ever in your favor,

Spectrobes Princess