Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize from the books/movie. I'm not making money off of this.

Chapter Thirty-Three: Pressure

I looked down and nervously adjusted my clothing as President Snow smiled at me from the end of my dining room table. I swallowed hard before returning the smile and standing at the end of the table, as if waiting for permission to take a seat. I found this to be a little ridiculous seeing as he was the guest in my home.

"Miss Stone, how great to see you. I was just watching your walk through the plaza with Mr. Crane," He said cooly, motioning to the television screen that was turned on, showing the replays of the footage shot just moments ago.

I felt color rushing to my cheeks as I stood awkwardly at the end of my table and looked at the screen, watching the embarrassing scene. Quickly, I looked away to bite my nails nervously.

"Impressive, really how that all works," He commented before motioning to a chair for me to take a seat in. "Do, sit. Let's talk about that."

I slowly took a seat and looked back to him," We really don't have to…"

"Oh no, we most certainly do. That's breaking news and actually has a large impact upon you," He insisted, leaning forward in his chair as he laced his fingers together.

The way he said this was a little irking and I felt very uncomfortable. President Snow was intimidating enough whenever he wasn't speaking directly to me, but when he was…it was an incredibly pounding situation.

"What if I suggested the fact that I'm not entirely attracted to Seneca just yet. What if I said that I wasn't as in love as I appeared?" I rashly spoke without entirely thinking over my words.

He chuckled as he leaned back," But you see, I told you that I rather liked the Crane boy. I thought he would be a good match for you."

At the time, I hadn't necessarily interpreted his comment as this, but as I sat there, listening to him say it once more, it made much more sense. Not only did President Snow wish to control my career, he wished to control all aspects of my life.

"I guess it isn't entirely fair for me to say much yet…I don't completely know him," I said, defending the case slightly.

President Snow folded his arms over his chest," From your words, it sounds as though you truly are not sold on this yet. Interesting, seeing as the younger people are…the more likely they are to be rash, especially in the department of romance. From your actions, I would be led to believe that you are irrevocably in love with his boy. Because of the complexity of your persona, Miss Stone, I do not know whether to trust the old phrase of 'actions speak louder than words' or to think that you are putting on some sort of a performance."

I stared at him for several moments, unblinking before he continued," Now, clearly, I do not know this for certain. However, I do know that the Crane family has a fatal flaw…perhaps it has rubbed off on you."

Again, I held his gaze as he tapped his fingers on the dining room table," They're showmen, really. The Crane family loves to grovel in the attention, the glory. They love to create grand stories every year for the people of the Capitol to watch and enjoy. Sometimes…this grandeur lifestyle seeps into other areas."

"Other areas?" I asked, raising a brow.

The older gentleman nodded," Yes, perhaps, it is inappropriate, but Seneca's father's grand ideas got him killed."

I chewed on the inside of my cheek as I propped my head upon my hand. I certainly didn't trust President Snow, but I found that he had every reason in the world to lie to me. If he could get inside of my head, then I would be his pawn. I also found that it hardly mattered if I knew he were playing me or if I was unaware because if I valued my life…then I would have to be his pawn.

"How so?" I finally asked, very slowly.

"Oh, I wouldn't go back into the details, however, he, like Seneca, became a little too attached to a couple of the tributes. So much so that he broke a couple of very important rules. He made some of the other Gamemakers unhappy to the point that they wished to take matters into their own hands. I was not one to tolerate a rule-breaker," He explained to me, though I felt as though major details were being left out. "Crane senior was the one to slit his own throat. Not to mention that I found out about other plans of his to drastically change how we do things here in Panem. Again, I will not delve into details, but…keep in mind that his blood runs in Seneca's veins."

A single question popped into my head.

"Then why are you encouraging me to stay with him?" I asked boldly before I could contain the question.

President Snow chuckled once more," I want you to be sure he doesn't do anything tragic because I really do like the boy. In doing this, you not only help your own public image…but you might just save Seneca's life, as well."

"That seems a little…"

"Drastic? I know, but I don't want another Crane to grow old thinking that he can do more than what he actually can. I want him to remember that his job is to make sure the power of the Capitol is still the imminent power of the land through making enthralling arenas every year for the Hunger Games. Nothing more…nothing less," He drawled, cutting his eyes at me as he adjusted the white rose on his jacket.

"What do you recommend I do starting now? Anything…particular?" I asked, eyeing him carefully.

"I just wanted to encourage you to continue doing whatever it is your doing with him. Just know that now the reason why you are doing it….is much more crucial now," He said to me as I swallowed the severity of this task.

"Are you telling me that should Seneca do something that is 'out of his reign of power' as his father did, then essentially the fault is on me?" I asked, making sure I had the facts straight.

"Should he follow in his father's footsteps…you should feel some sort of guilt seeing as I was kind enough to give you warning this many years in advance. All I'm simply saying is that should he confide in you about any peculiar ideas…then you should advise him against it. Depending upon how persuasive you are, that should be enough to keep him from following in his father's footsteps," He said dryly, folding his hands atop of the table.

"Say that Seneca and I…'break up'…then will these responsibilities be passed on to-"

"I think you are misunderstanding me, Miss Stone. When I said that you and Seneca were a good match, I truly meant it. You will be the only person to know of my plan and lack of patience for misbehaving," He said sternly, looking me straight in the eye.

I swallowed as I looked down at my hands, still grasping this idea.

"Just to clarify, should Seneca and I go our separate ways. Say that Seneca began dating another woman by the name of Jade. Say that Seneca tells Jade of some sort of plan to immolates whatever it was that his father did. Jade is not aware of the situation with you or the father, but simply follows her boyfriend's plan…I being a third party now, would not say anything to Seneca for I do not know of the plans until after they occur. He would then suffer the consequences for his actions regardless," I asked, making sure I ahd this right.

He nodded his head before I continued," So you are telling me that I am essentially responsible for Seneca's actions although I will not suffer the consequences."

"I don't like the think of it like that, Miss Stone. I like to think of it more as…you know what could happen if Seneca misbehaves, therefore, you are going to prevent that," President Snow said, putting it into his own words.

I could never live with the guilt should Seneca "misbehave" even if I wasn't irrevocably in love with him. I do not think that if I knew something severe as this about anyone that I could just keep mum and not try to protect them. I realized that this was President Snow's way of weaving himself into my head for he knew that I would not be able to simply know this and go about my every day life normally. He knew that I did have some feeling for Seneca thus far, but telling me this would only strengthen those feelings.

Seneca and I as a couple simply worked in a perfect world. Not only did it make me more appealing to the public, but it also gave the people something to talk about as they sat at their dinner tables. Those who already liked Seneca would want to know more of this tribute-Gamemaker romance. And of course, when the people were still hung up on anything relating to the Hunger Games, then President Snow was pleased.

"Therefore, unless I can live with the guilt of Seneca slitting his own throat, I am bound to Seneca for the rest of my life," I said simply, twirling a piece of my hair.

"Or you could do what you please and leave it to chance. You could break up with Seneca when you feel the relationship is complete and hope that he doesn't ever act upon the deeds of his father," He added, trying to make the situation less severe, though we both knew that it was.

"I'm not one to rely on the odds, President Snow," I added drying, looking him straight in the eye.

Keeping eye contact, he said seriously," Surprising seeing as they worked in your favor once already."

There was a silence as he stood up and clicked off the television. He pushed his chair in as I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to digest the severity of the situation. This was not something that I could simply swallow and move on. I enjoyed Seneca's presence, but I certainly never thought I would be with him…forever.

"You really could be stuck with worse, Savera," He said quietly. "Seneca is a good young man. If he weren't, I wouldn't be so persistent in watching out for him."

I said nothing, but simply stared at my dining room table as he bid me farewell and exited my apartment. Chills were running all through my body and it was at that moment that I wished my name had never been drawn from the Reaping or that I had been killed in the Hunger Games. Tears were streaming from my eyes as I pulled at my hair and realized that I was stuck in a much more mentally straining game now. This was a personal mental game that couldn't compare to that of the Hunger Games.

Really, it wasn't because I was stuck with Seneca Crane for essentially the rest of my life.

The thought that was more disturbing was that I was essentially the pawn of President Snow for the rest of my life whether Seneca lived or died.

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this :D It is a little shorter, but trust me…things are about to get interesting. Also, I meant for this chapter to be a little unclear so if you feel slightly confused still…don't be alarmed. Anyways, please review and tell me what you think!