This chapter features a character from Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Maude Ivory Baird. If you haven't read that, she knew President Snow for a brief amount of time while he was a peacekeeper in District 12 - she was only a child then. There are spoilers for the book in this chapter, so you might want to skip it if you want to avoid that. You can skip it and still follow this story perfectly fine - it just connects this with the new book a bit (which I like), it's not impactful for the plot.

Thank you, Ruby, for always reviewing! I'm glad you like how the story is progressing!

There will be no new chapter on Saturday this week! It's not doable with the schedule of my internship. Sorry!

I miss home... and my family

My visit to District 2 is still fresh in my mind, even though it has been over two weeks already. Peeta later told me that he was right about Nero and that he would participate in the rebellion. Apparently Nero wasn't even told what would happen after a victory. That makes it even worse.

I now stare at the black TV-screen. Everyone is already out working. The boys are at school. My step-father has behaved so far since they are living with us. And the house is big enough to avoid each other anyway.

Hesitantly I switch on the TV and search for 'Hunger Games'. Right away, the screen is filled with clips from the Games - titled in stupid ways such as '75th Hunger Games: Mutt Compilation'. I shake my head and sigh. There's another one titled 'Save All Your Kisses For Me'. Disgusted I quickly skip that too.

I start flipping through the gallery and avoid the clips from inside the arena. There are some interviews with families and Capitol citizens, and then there are clips of the mentors. Curiosity bubbles up inside me and I carefully select one of the clips.

It's one where they interview Peeta and Nero together, so this must clearly be sometime after Val and I have allied. The interviewer behind the camera asks Peeta if he thinks that I will be at an advantage now. Peeta asks him why he would think that.

The interviewer replies, "The gift you sent in was technically not helpful for Valeria - it was only helpful for Cypress."

I think about what that might have been and then I immediately think about the medicine - the one that Val had to climb up to even get to. Peeta shrugs and answers, "Yes... it's right, that it mostly benefits him, but why would I turn down the offering from Nero to find sponsors together?"

The interview now turns to question Nero and says, "Why did you offer to do that?"

He smiles and confidently replies, "Why would we not? There is nothing Valeria needs. She has food now and weapons, but she isn't leaving Cypress behind. If he can't do anything, then she won't either. And she needs to move and find Ayla and Rex."

Then he drops a question that makes both of them pause. "What will happen after that? It doesn't look like they want to end the alliance."

It's Peeta who responds after an uncomfortable silence, "Of course not... you are seeing it the wrong way. They might call it an alliance, but the reality is that they are in love. They care for each other deeply - and you don't just end that. We'll see when we get there."

Nero nods before the interviewer can ask again. "Yeah... he's right and you should really believe him, you know. If there is one man who knows about that topic, he's sitting right in front of you."

Peeta smiles and then stands up from the chair. "Excuse me... that's a great reminder for me to go and take over watching TV from my wife." And with that, he disappears. Nero quickly excuses himself too and the interview ends.

I sigh and look at my hands. Why am I even watching these? They just remind me of her... but then clearly, everything does, so it doesn't matter. I shake my head and switch off the TV. I need to do something else, go outside. Maybe I should talk to someone. But everyone is at work and the boys are at school.

No, wait... that's not right. Since I have returned from the Capitol, I haven't really visited Granny Maude a lot. She's not really my grandmother, but she helped my mother look after Mace and me when my father died, so she's as good as. I stand up from the couch slowly and look through the fridge to bring her something to eat. There's still some of the stew that Mace made yesterday... Yes, that's good.

I fill the viscous broth in a container and put the rest of the food back into the fridge. I don't need to heat it up, I think. It's not the peak of summer anymore, so the worst of the heat is over, but the days are still humid and unkind this time of year. I think Granny would not like to eat something hot.

With the container in hand, I leave the house and Victor's Village behind. I quickly pass the Merchant's Section and start walking through the Seam. It still feels strange to be back, the time I've spent here so distant. I pass the small houses left and right. Most are empty this time of day since everyone is at work and children are at school. Only a few elderly women are inside, peaking out of the windows. It's mostly the women that have a chance to become old in District 12. Too many of their men die in the mines or of the aftermath of working there.

In silence, I keep walking until I reach the edge of the Seam. I hesitate briefly, but then I knock on the door of Granny Maude. When I don't hear anything inside, I clear my voice and call out, "Granny? Are you home? It's Cyo..."

No answer... I'm about to turn away and leave again, when the lady next door calls over, "You looking for Maude Ivory?"

I turn my head to face her and nod, "Yes... have you seen her today?"

The plump little lady just nods before she starts dusting her window again, "Yeah... gone out to her meadow earlier today. Haven't seen her since."

I thank her briefly, then turn away from the Seam and walk in the direction of the fence. Granny Maude has the strange habit of going there every now and then and just staring at the forest beyond the fence. I asked her once before, but she just told me it was important to her.

The high grass brushes against my legs as I make my way through the meadow. From afar I can see Granny sitting under one of the trees on a rock. Her back facing me, she hums a melody I've heard many times. It's a bedtime song.

She stops humming abruptly and turn around to see who's coming, as I get closer. Her features soften, however, when she recognizes me and she smiles at me warmly. "See who found his way to me again..."

I smile too and sit down next to her. "Hey... I thought I might as well visit."

She curiously looks down at the container in my hand. Oh, right... the stew. I hand it over immediately and say, "Mace cooked this yesterday. I thought you might like it."

I watch her open the container and smell the broth. Instantly her smile grows wider before she closes it again. "Thank you... that's really nice. Give your sister a kiss from me, will ya?"

I nod. "Of course!"

Then she falls silent again and turns to face the trees. I turn as well, but they make me shiver when I look at them. I'm still expecting Ayla to hide between them - ax in hand and a smart remark on her lips. But nothing like that is going to happen of course. But still - I turn back to face Granny again instead.

I wonder what it is that she is looking for between those trees. She once told us that she was born right after the rebellion changed the world forever - her family had told her about the time before that, about other districts and other people, but she had never seen it herself. And then sooner than she had ever thought, she had been the only one left.

The old people around town had told stories about Granny and her family - they had been singers and musicians back then. Had played at the Hob and danced the night away. But something had happened - and soon they had to stop completely.

I'm about to speak up about it when instead, Granny asks me a question, "Do you think about her a lot - your young love?"

I frown and look down. She's talking about Val... of course, she had been watching the Games too. It's mandatory after all. I hesitate for a moment longer but then nod. "Yes... But I'll make him pay for not allowing her to survive, too... I'll make them all pay."

Granny now turns to face me. Instead of asking me how I'd do that, she instead focuses on the first part of my statement. "Him?"

I slowly nod again and look up to face her too. "Yes - Snow. He's behind all of this. He had the power to allow sponsorship, to not let her do this. But he didn't do a thing. He even smiled at me, when he crowned me the victor. It was an evil smile, one of triumph. I'm sure he doesn't even know what love is."

A sigh escapes Granny; She looks shaken up by my statement. Instantly I'm worried for her and ask, "Granny... what's wrong? I'm sorry."

She shakes her head and calms down again a bit, staring at the trees as she talks, "No, don't be... I just think that you might be wrong with what you think about the president."

Now my worry bleeds into confusion. What does she mean by that? How would she know? In a low voice I say, "Why would you think that?"

She hesitates, looks at the trees as if seeking approval to tell the story, but then slowly starts. "I once knew Coriolanus Snow. He was a peacekeeper here in District 12 for a short time. He came here because he loved my cousin... and she loved him. She even wrote him a song once. I knew him as nothing other than gentle and nice."

Astonished I stare at Granny. President Snow? A peacekeeper in District 12? That can't be real... but why would she make it up? And why would he leave Granny's cousin here alone and return to the Capitol? I swallow and ask gently, "What happened?"

She shrugs and presses her thin lips together. "I never found out... One day he was just gone and so was she. In the following years, I learned that he had become a Gamemaker for the Hunger Games, that he had returned to the Capitol. But I've never seen my cousin again, she vanished into thin air."

We sit in silence for a few minutes. Maybe that's why Granny stares at the woods so often. Maybe she is still thinking about her cousin - if she's out there and what happened to her.

After a long while, Granny slowly turns to face me again. Her voice is calmer and softer than before, "Don't talk about it to anyone, a'right? It's just like singing the song of the Hanging Tree - you must not do it."

I nod slowly, I see why Snow wouldn't like anyone to know that he had lived in a place like District 12. It would make him look less competent maybe and certainly would make him look bad in the eyes of some Capitol citizens.

Granny nods with a smile and switches the topic of our conversation over to the weather - like nothing at all had taken place just moments ago. I play along politely and we talk about how it is already colder for the season than usual, then about my family and how everyone is doing.

About an hour later I accompany her back to her little hut and then start walking back to Victor's Village. I wonder about President Snow again. How did he become this man who controlled Panem with such brutality? Or was he brutal all along and Granny just didn't realize? She was most likely young back then... she maybe couldn't have known.

The more I think about it, the less sense it makes. But I, for one, only know him, as he is now - only remember the smile he had on his lips when he was sure he had hurt me with the video of the Games. And that man was an evil and horrible person - a person that needed to be taken down; with his whole regime and cabinet and everything that he stands for.

As I reach the gates of Victor's Village, I sigh softly. And if not for that, I need to do it for everyone who would be called to the reaping in under a year from now. The rebellion is the only choice.