Welcome back to another installment of 'Unlikeliest of Victors'. I'm grateful that the last chapter was positively received. Thank you to all of you who took a minute to review.

Please sit back and enjoy this chapter.

11

"So how did it go?" My father asks me when I finally emerge from the Mayor's office.

"Fine." I lie.

In truth I was not fine. I was drowning in an ocean of possibility while the currents made it impossible for me to stay buoyant long enough to know what to think, much less how to feel. I just had a face to face meeting with the man in charge of one of the most morally and ethically deprived countries that had ever existed; a man who had allowed my sister and hundreds of others to die as reparation and entertainment for the Capitol, for the poor in our District to be exploited, and for the Capitol to live in decadence while many people barely scrapped by. He had just thanked me for supporting this twisted system I lived in. He had just offered me my dreams on a plate.

I was totally fine.

"The President just congratulated me in private." I said when his expression showed that he was looking for more. How was I supposed to tell him if I didn't know how I felt? "Where are we off to now?" I asked changing the topic.

"Well our house is not reachable at the moment." He nodded towards the still packed streets.

"I'm not interested in the dam." I said flatly.

"We could just stay here and help with preparations?" My mother suggests.

"Good idea. Or we could stick Katherine and the kids inside the Justice Hall until they're ready for us."

They both turned to me.

"Fine." I said before they could ask the question. "I'll watch them." My siblings were largely self-sufficient and it would give me a chance to sort out everything that Snow had told me.

My parents left and I brought my siblings into a large conference room where I turned on the TV and told them to not kill each other. Persephone was fine exploring the velvet lined chairs and other textures around the room. She knew this one well enough by memory to maneuver herself fine.

I took a seat in the back corner and sat back to think.

Snow. He may have appeared benevolent and kind today but I saw a whole different side of him in that conversation, there was no denying that. If I was sure of anything from today, it was that he would not be forgetting me anytime soon. His name was appropriate. Snow was indeed cold and icy under that façade he wore on Television. I thought about the smell of roses mingled with blood. Something tells me I didn't want to know but it added an ironic twist to his name. Bloody Snow.

I reined in my spiraling thoughts and took a breath. Perhaps I was being paranoid. He could indeed be offering me a gift… but why?

Persephone stumbled for a second but caught herself.

"I could even extend that invitation to your sister and brothers and cure your sister of her blindness." Snow's voice whispers in my ear again. "You could restore her sight and live safe in the knowledge that they would not have to live in fear of being reaped."

I felt an invisible blade twist in my heart for a moment. I looked at Hugo and Thomas who were watching another special program on the Hunger Games. Maybe it was an aftereffect of seeing Snow, but they seemed unaware of how much their life hung in the balance of every approaching Reaping. They both seemed tiny and helpless and wonderfully innocent. I didn't want them any of them to die like Julia did.

This is the most attractive sounding item to me. My life has been spent largely in secret trying to prepare to survive an arena should my name ever be choice.

Then there was that part of how I could study further. Just how much information did the Capitol have that wasn't contained in the libraries of District 5? There had to be an enormous amount collectively stored there. I could move away and spend the rest of my life secluded away if I wanted continually learning. The President made a good point when he said that my peers didn't appreciate me as well. Quite honestly? I was tired of being name-called at school by the girls who seemed more focused about flaunting their beauty to their boyfriends than making a difference in the world, no matter how small or large that was.

I could do it. I realized.

All President Snow wanted me to do was continue to support the delicate balance of Capitol and District... but what did that mean? That statement was so open to interpretation that Snow could very well frame that to mean whatever he wanted it to.

The thought sickened me and suddenly I want nothing to do with the Capitol. I scowled and looked at the medal before taking it off. The green ribbon shimmered as it reverted back to silver and I put it down. Engraved in the medal was the symbol of the Capitol surrounded by the symbols of all the Districts. There were words as well but I put the medal aside not wanting to have its weight on me as well.

I thought about Snow telling me that I had surprised him. How had Cinna surprised him? Was he implying that Cinna had been offered a choice like me? He certainly lacked all the Capitol attributes I expected out of him, most notably the accent. He had to have come from outside the Capitol.

If anyone could help me make this decision, Cinna would be the most likely to shed light on this. The only problem is that I won't see him until tonight. I'll have to ask him then.

The hours pass by and I go between napping, watching my siblings, and watching the television, all in a half-futile attempt to not think about the conversation we had. The doors open a couple hours later and my parents step in.

"Are we all ready?" my mother asks.

"Yeah." I yawned stretching out on my chair.

My mother pulls me aside and tells me that Cinna wants her to take care of a little prep work before I step out tonight. She brings with her a device that will make my hair wavy and in no time my usually straight hair falls to my shoulders with a little bit of wave. She gives me a large purple flower that I recognize as one from my greenhouse and fastens it to the side of my head.

Cinna has evidently done more work than I thought because he's given my mother a different one; a multilayered dark red dress reminds me of my messenger's uniform with black lace all around the edges and front that seems to be multilayered. It reminds me of a painting in one of the art history books in the library of a 'flamenco' dress.

Privately, I wonder if he explored the library for inspiration. The art history was one of the few sections that I had replaced on the shelves from its location behind the false shelf.

As a final touch, Cinna has given me a necklace with a single polished onyx stone surrounded by a silver frame. When I'm done I decide Cinna has opted to make me appear mysterious and intelligent, not the humble and gracious girl I had to be hours earlier.

While I was cooped up inside, hundreds of workers, including a full catering team from the Capitol, had transformed the square while a massive open air feast. There were rows of tables set out for hundreds of people with the streets all connecting to it joining in the celebration. I turned to see the Hovercraft still there but it was guarded by a shimmering barrier and many Peacekeepers.

I'm escorted by my father down to the door and I peer outside at the thousands of people within eyesight that are waiting to eat. Looking at the amount of food that has been prepared is slightly mind-boggling. I genuinely hope there will be leftovers for those without much. Something tells me my Grandfather will see to that.

"You ready to meet the District?"

"No." I answered timidly.

"I know you're nervous, but let me remind you that you just need to be present to meet and greet a few people. You can change your mind about when you want to stop if you need to." My father squeezes my hand reassuringly and the two Peacekeepers standing guard push the doors open.

Most of the people noticed me and began applauding gently as I stepped out. I guess that must have been the signal for them to start eating because after my Grandfather said a few words of welcome, the District immediately moved towards the food. I managed to wave to a few people before my father and the rest of my family sat down at a table with several other officials. President Snow had a seat at a table next to us, but he wasn't there at the moment.

I anticipated that I was going to do a lot of greeting that night so when a waiter came by, I made sure to order enough water to rehydrate and ate a lot in order to get through as many people as possible. I purposefully avoided the food from the Capitol tonight and instead went for some of the local foods prepared by the townsfolk. Bowls of chili, freshly made rolls, strips of corn roasted and dipped large bowls of salsas of every hue and intensity, a shredded pork dish, in no time I had filled myself and I was ready to go meet the crowd.

When I had told my parents I was ready, my Dad and Grandfather escorted me to a special booth where people were lining up already. The food had brightened my mood so it wasn't hard to smile and say thank you to dozens of people. I recognized a few people that I had saved directly, but most were people who had been in the other plants. Eventually though my face started twitching and I needed a break. I gave my apologies to everyone else and I retreated back to our table to recuperate.

As the night carried on some of the tables in the center were cleared and President Snow eventually reappeared to begin the fun portion of the night which included a fireworks display and a dance. The fireworks fascinated me. I've only seen them televised in the Capitol during their favorite sporting event, but a special order from District 3 brought many loud cheers from the citizens of District 5 as the rockets were launched from the rooftops exploding into multi-colored bursts of light and sound. Persephone wasn't a fan of the sudden explosions so my mother took her away inside the Justice Building.

The dance began afterwards with only a few people but quickly grew in size. I was pulled away from the table and I had the first dance with the President. The Capitol musicians nearby on an elevated platform struck up a stately waltz and I was initially pretty nerve-wracked because my dancing skills weren't the greatest and I wasn't really interested in bringing up our conversation from earlier. Thankfully Snow was easy enough to follow and when he spoke he sounded just as warm as when he had spoken earlier at the ceremony. Part of me immediately suspected this was a ploy to swing me in favor of his offer. We made no conversation about his offer, but rather made small talk over botany. He talked about his favorite flower, the rose, while I discussed the finer points of several of my favorite plants including lilies, lilacs, and marigolds.

This conversation took us up all the way the way to the end where we both bowed, he shook hands, and thanked me. He must have replaced the rose in his pocket because he gave a different one to me at the end which I stuck in a pocket Cinna had built into my dress, not knowing what to do with it. (I know, an actual pocket. That man is a miracle worker). He disappeared into the crowd followed by Peacekeepers. Minutes later I heard the Hovercraft ignite its engines, and it climbed away into the night.

As soon as he was away I felt an enormous sense of relief wash over me.

"I wonder why you're so glad." I heard my father say from behind.

I bit my lip. "Is it that obvious?"

"No. Cheer up Katherine, you're likely not going to see him in person again."

"Well, actually— "I began hesitantly.

The music began again and people around us started moving.

"Actually?"

"Never mind." I said deciding this wasn't the time or place.

My grandfather found me soon after and I danced with him to one more waltz. To get my mind off Snow I engaged him in a conversation about the logistics of putting on an event like this. Once I got him talking all I had to do was nod my head, agree at the appropriate response, and generally pay attention. I internalized what he said but at the same time I was scanning the crowd for Cinna.

When the dance ended I made a beeline to a table full of different liquids, some alcoholic, some not. I opted for water again and I scanned the crowd. Behind me the Capitol's musicians were packing up and a local orchestra comprised of everyone from the lowliest worker to senior power plant officials was setting up on the platform. Not having anything else to do, I watched as the orchestra seated itself and started tuning.

"Hey hey!" Benjamin said appearing out of nowhere.

I gave a start and spilled half of my water glass on the ground. I gave Benjamin an angry look and he burst into laughter. I couldn't hold that faced for long and I gave in as well.

Benjamin was smartly dressed in a white button down shirt, black silk vest, and black bowtie. Moments later Cassandra and Henry emerged from the crowd to join him.

"Hey!" Cassandra greeted and this time I initiated the hug before giving one to both Ben and Henry.

"Where's your medal?" Henry asked.

"I left it inside."

"Aww. Sometime later you'll have to show. It really didn't showcase on television. Look at you though! I'd wear that dress any day." He joked.

"I don't know if I'm allowed to keep it." I said tugging at one of the folds.

"I hope you are." Benjamin said. "That's the prettiest dress I've seen in District 5. It'd be a shame to have it go away.

"Ayy you four!" someone from the stage called us. We turned to see one of the local musicians, the conductor from the looks of it, eyeing us. I surmised that he must be from the southern part of our District where the general complexions were darker.

"What kinda dance should we start with?" he asked.

"Do a danzatigua*!" Cassie shouted.

I opened my mouth wide-eyed. In school we were taught that the danzatigua was a dance form that had its roots in early traditional dances that dated back to before Panem. From the manor's library, I learned that the danzatigua or danza antigua (ancient dance) was a hybridization of several dances: the tango, the salsa, the cha cha chá and the danzón. It was a dance that literally could be made to fit any of the music from these forms. The basic step alternated between a pattern of two (sometimes four) and/or three depending on the music but there was a lot of footwork and hips involved dancing.

What concerned me was the fact that it was considered a more 'rebellious' dance because it hearkened back to Pre-Panem days. The Peacekeepers didn't really know or care though. To them, it was a dance. To the District, it was pushing the boundaries of what was acceptable.

A glint appeared in the man's eye.

"Ha ha! Si señorita! I like the way you think!"

"Come on!" Cassandra said pulling us into the crowd.

"But Cassie! I'm not very good!"

I heard the conductor grab the microphone and welcome the crowd to the 'real' party to a round of applause and cheering before introducing what they would be playing. The energy of the crowd picked up immediately. We don't have much to celebrate in District 5 because we're kept so busy but when the weekend lets out or a holiday comes around, the general populace knows how to party and have a good time.

We hear a woodwind instrument begin with a solo while someone else plays a syncopated rhythm with two wooden blocks, a third man begins an accompaniment with the grand piano they've wheeled out of the Justice Building while those who are armed with stringed instruments and guitars start plucking out a rhythm in time to the percussion. The low brass join in to add color to the music.

"Can I have this dance?" Ben asks me as he emerges through the crowd. "As payment for saving a life?"

"Sure." I say looking down at the ground for a second so he can't see me blush for a second. We take up positions with everybody else while the instrumentalists finish the introduction.

"I have to warn you, I'm not a great dancer." I forewarn him.

"Nah. You'll be fine."

An oboe trades off with the clarinet for the melody, we receive a series of five syncopated notes and then at once everybody moves as the strings take over filled in by a couple brass instruments.

We all begin by doing a slow two-step shuffle around the pavement. I've heard the song before only once and I've never danced with Benjamin before but he does an excellent job at leading and I'm thrilled that I'm managing my feet well enough.

"So, how you doing?" he asks.

"Better. Much better." I smile

"That's awesome. Everybody's missed you at work."

"Really?"

"Yeah. The place has just felt dead. Even Electra wasn't herself."

"Was work busy?"

"Mmhmm. That stunt Scarlet Fist pulled totally created a mess we all had to clean up. I don't think I've run as far in my life before."

"I don't think I've ever made so much in my life!" Henry called out from next to us. He was dancing with Cassandra who gave a look at Benjamin and I before giving me a very smug look.

I rolled my eyes and tried to refrain from laughing. Benjamin, seeing I was doing well with what we were doing, began to incorporate more turns and twists like the others around me were doing.

"So Finch, what was the best part of your 'vacation'?" he asks.

"Hmm. Probably taking care of my greenhouse and getting to sit in the library."

"Any new plants or books?"

"Nope and nope."

"Hmm. Next time I should remember to give you a cactus to put in there."

"Ben, do you know how many cacti I have in there?"

"Not enough?" he tries.

"No you idiot. I got more than I'll ever need." I stick my tongue out at him. "I'm trying to remember, does this song get faster?" I ask.

"I think so."

As if on cue, the music suddenly increases in tempo and starts accelerating.

"Hang on." He grins before we begin moving faster in time with the beat. The sound of thousands of shoes moving in unison on the pavement keeps a percussive beat that's easy to sink into. The tempo changes again and we're moving faster again.

The music crescendos and Benjamin has a mischievous look on his face

"What are you—"

The music explodes into dramatic climax and my question is cut off as Benjamin begins a series of twirls and suddenly I leave the ground as his strong and steady arms sweeps me off my feet for a moment. I yelp in surprise and we both burst out into laughter and get right back into the dance. For all of my talk of not having good footwork I'm enjoying this. Our two step has been subdivided into eight (which is felt in two groups of three and a group of two) and the others around are making space as we twirl about, spin, and move. I hear some cheers from the crowd and they're making a circle for us.

I see a man motion to my pocket. It takes a moment to remember I still have the rose there. Determined to get back at Benjamin, I pull it out with one hand while still dancing with the other.

"Here." I say giving it to him.

"What am I suppose— "

I shove it in his mouth and clamp his jaw closed with one hand. The circle around us hoots with laughter.

Ben makes a sour face and I smirk.

He pulls it out and sticks it in his vest pocket.

"So how was meeting the President?" he asks

"Terrifying."

"Really?"

I nod emphatically but motion for him to speak quieter.

"When he speaks to you it's almost like he can see what you're thinking. I swear I must have been imagining it, but I smelled blood."

Benjamin's nose wrinkles and he looks down at the rose momentarily.

"Yeesh, creepy image there. I can understand that."

The music reels itself back and we're moving slower thankfully. The piano and a solo violin take up a solo and we switch back to our two step sway.

"Benjamin, I haven't told anybody this yet, but he's invited me to go to the Capitol to pursue my studies."

"Really?" he says almost falling out of step. "That's huge!"

"Yes and there's more. The President really wants me to go for whatever reason. He said he could cure Persephone and make the rest of our family including me exempt from the Hunger Games by making us all Capitol citizens."

I see a flash of something in his face, jealousy perhaps?

"Oh." Is all he says.

"It sounds cool." I agree, "but it seems like it's too good to be true." There has to be a catch in there somewhere.

"It's our great President. Of course there's a catch." Benjamin's voice suggests comedy but he looks completely serious. I realize then that Benjamin has suddenly showcased a side of himself that he doesn't show often and rarely alludes to.

"Snow said all he wanted me to do either way was help 'keep the balance of Capitol and District' but he phrased it so openly I'm not sure what that means.

"He probably left it that way on purpose. Benjamin said. "Let's a pick a different topic. It's not safe here."

The music swells and the whole orchestra joins in on the theme.

"You look nice tonight." I gesture with a thumb towards his outfit.

"I just raided my dad's closet." Benjamin shrugged. "What do you think about this music?" he changes topic suddenly.

"Mmm." I close my eyes and listen to it. The orchestra is nowhere near as good as the Capitol's musicians but what they lack in skill they make up for in energy and passion. "I love when they play some of the older songs."

"Good thing the Peacekeepers don't know this hearkens back to before Panem." Benjamin grins.

"I think it's cool they're doing that from memory, no sheet music at all. I can only remember messages and even then I have to write them down just in case."

A moment of silence falls between us and dancing.

"You ready for the Reaping this year?" I finally ask.

"No. Never am. This year I got to worry about Elizabeth being reaped."

Elizabeth is in the same grade as Persephone and she's works at the various power stations as a line technician, an incredibly dangerous job if you're not careful that requires you to climb up the towers full of high voltage wires to do maintenance of climbing up to the power wires to do maintenance. I've only done the job a couple times when I was exploring my options and it's a terrifying feeling to be up there with little more than an advanced safety harness and protective gear.

"Me too. Persephone's in as well."

"It's not fair letting a blind girl be reaped. I mean, who thinks that's fun?"

"The Capitol." I grimace.

He sighs. "And here we are talking again about things that are dangerous."

"Forget about it. Everybody else is talking, we're talking quietly, and the music's loud. I don't think anywhere else is safe." I point out.

As if to prove my point the music suddenly picks up and the volume increases as it returns to one of the first themes.

"I wish there was a way to get rid of the Hunger Games without rebelling or thinking that blowing up the Dam will solve our problem." Benjamin confesses. "I'd honestly find a way to be content with everything else, but that? How does one even justify it?"

"I don't know. I'm not in charge."

"Perhaps you should be."

"Ha ha. We all know I'm not a leader. I prefer to hide rather than fight."

"Well I know who to root for then if by a miracle you're reaped."

"I think tragedy fits better than miracle."

"You're right…sorry."

"I just want to go home and figure out this whole thing about Snow and sleep. Then I can worry about the reaping" I yawn tiredly.

"Tell you what, we finish this dance and I'll let you do that. Did you enjoy the card and flowers we sent?" he asks with a mischievous grin

"Oh my gosh yes!" I beam. "Reading that card was the best part of my day. You guys are the best! I can't wait to come back and start running!"

"Do you have your uniform back?" Benjamin asked.

And suddenly I realize going back to work won't be a possibility because I have no uniform. Without the uniform I'll be denied access to the power plants and our headquarters. I won't be returning to running for a while.

"No." I mutter disheartened. "It was destroyed when Harry's bomb went off. It's shipping in from Eight in a fortnight.

"Oh."

I can tell from Benjamin he wasn't expecting that answer.

"It's not a big deal. I'll just be at home all week. It's not that far away from your house."

"We'll miss you then."

The music launched back into the frenzied theme again and our conversation ceased as we focused on moving together.

"Cheer up, it's only until I get a uniform back." I said not wanting him to feel glum the rest of the night after a minute.

He smiles, content with this answer and launches us back into the dance.

"Are you sure you're not a good dancer?" He shouted over the music

"It helps if I have a good partner." I grin and suddenly the awkward edge that was felt in our conversation dropped and we were just having fun laughing and cheering like the rest of the town. The Orchestra was restating the final theme and building up for a finish. All around us the movement got more and more and more frenetic as the tempo built up. The sound suddenly dropped away as they repeated a series of notes. Benjamin and the other men begin a series of twirls and the world blurred and suddenly refocused as I spotted, unsure of how long he would be spit. One final triumphant chord from the orchestra later and Benjamin dipped me back simultaneously with everyone else.

There was a moment of silence before the citizens of Edison exploded into thunderous applause and the Conductor and Orchestra took a bow to more cheering and applause. Benjamin helped me get back to my feet.

"That was fun!" I beamed at him breathless and exhilarated. I felt a small twinge of regret as his arms dropped from my sides.

"I totally agree. Thank you for dancing Katherine." Benjamin grinned back wiping the sweat of his forehead.

"I'm going to get some water more water and then I'll rejoin you guys."

"That's fine. Don't be gone too long though!" Benjamin said.

I turned and left him to grab some water. When the line had died down I seized another glass and filled it full before draining it.

"So which dress do you like better?"

The voice nearly makes me spill my water and I snap around to see Cinna standing off to the side observing the festivities.

"I don't know." I bit my lip. "They're both so beautiful."

"I had fun watching you and your District dance. I wish the Capitol had a little more taste in some of the dancing they did."

I remembered the reason why I was looking for Cinna and hesitated. Beating around the bush wasn't going to help me and I was on a deadline.

"So what was District 8 like?" I tentatively asked.

Cinna nearly choked on his drink but recovered. He regarded me for a few seconds.

"You're good." Was all he said. "How did you figure that out."

"Lack of a Capitol accent, your fashion choices, the speed at which you created everything for today, and President Snow might have alluded to it." I admit.

Cinna suddenly looked concerned.

"He mentioned me when you met with him?"

"Only that I had surprised him like you had."

He made up his mind after a second.

"I get the feeling you wanted to talk?"

I nod.

"Come with me." I follow him behind and we move to a secluded corner of the stage. He presses something on his bracelet.

"Camera and audio loop system." He explained. "I'm not a fan of being spied on all the time. Friend from District 3 made it for me. Now, what happened."

It occurs to me that what we're doing isn't exactly legal, but this is probably my only chance to unload about how I'm feeling. I quickly explain to Cinna everything that took place in my conversation with Snow and he listens intently.

"Can I assume you took the President up on a similar offer?" I ask when I finish explaining.

"Yes." He looks unhappy when he says it though. "Snow was touring Eight one year and he happened to see me at work during a tour. He was so taken with my work that he offered me a job back home so that I could study fashion and design. I've been gone from District 8 for what, 15 years now? To be honest, I don't remember a lot about it anymore. I didn't really have much of a family, and he exploited that fact."

"Just like he did with his offer to cure my sister and keep my family out of the games." I said nervously. As soon as I said those words aloud they rang with a piercing sincerity and I knew they were true.

"Finch, listen to me." He says suddenly serious. "The President anyway you spin him is a dangerous man because he knows how to manipulate others. However much he may seem like a villain to you, you can be assured that he does keeps his word and doesn't lie, just not in the way you would think sometimes. If he's offered you no fear of punishment for refusing this reward, take him up on it. You want my opinion? It's better to live here than in the Capitol." He grimaced.

"Even with the fear of being Reaped?"

"Especially with that. I found a way to make a Capitol life work for me but for a while I lost a lot of myself in all the glitz and glamor which was scarier than anything back in Eight.

His eyes flash intensely. "Believe me Finch when I tell you that once you go, you'll lose your identity and your sense of self. The Capitol has a way of distorting all the things that are good about a person so that after a matter of years they're not recognizable. There are genuinely good people in the Capitol, there are a lot more who simply don't know better, but there are more than a few people who are completely willing to exploit you if you give them the tiniest of chances."

I gulp nervously. Hearing this from Cinna is quickly putting a different spin on how Snow laid out things in our meeting.

"That being said there are others who are able to keep themselves free of that but I've never known anybody who's willing to return to District life after their time is up. You're cleverer than most Finch. Perhaps you could figure out a way to stay above it, but I'm not sure about the rest of your family."

I imagine how Hugo and Thomas would react to everything and suddenly the idea seems more horrifying than ever.

"What I'm most concerned about is the part where the President talked to you about doing your part in keeping the balance of the Capitol and Districts. Do you realize how open ended that statement was?"

I shakily nod.

"With the President as manipulative as he is, that could mean any number of things. In fact, I wouldn't take it as a compliment that he said you surprised him. Surprising him is never a good idea. Sometimes it is with the creative side of things like my job, but once that expectation is set, he'll expect you to keep surprising him."

"So you volunteered for District 12 to surprise him?"

"No. That was for different reasons. That was just an unintended consequence."

"The President relies on a keen understanding of everybody so that he can operate the way he operates. If you surprise him, you draw attention from him, and that's not always a good idea."

"So what do I do?"

He sighed. "I don't know. I would suggest you wait a little bit before calling back, make it seem like you're at least putting a little bit of thought into considering his offer.

"Okay." I bite my lip again.

"Come on. We've spent too long here."

He takes me by the hand and we move away. I watch him click his bracelet again and I undoes whatever he did to veil our conversation

"Finch. I'm sorry if I scared you, but you need to understand that the Capitol is not all roses and sunshine like they show themselves on TV."

"I know." I answer.

I know a lot more than you think. The thought dies on my lips.

"I'm going to rejoin Flavius and the others at the manor." Cinna quietly says. "They're almost done packing up."

"Do you need this?" I ask tugging at my necklace.

"No. Keep everything."

"Are you sure?" I ask feeling guilty that I have nothing to return.

He shakes his head.

"You've already done more than enough for everybody. Odds are that this is the last time we're going to cross paths Finch. So, thank you."

"For what?"

"Well, for inspiring me for one. You made me re-realize that there are other people out there who are genuinely good at heart. That's a huge relief after being surrounded by the Capitol for years. There are other brave people out there like you that need someone to help them shine. I'm going to do my best to look for them and make sure that nobody underestimates them."

I want to reject Cinna's words, tell him again that there's a mistake, it can't be me. But I keep my mouth shut.

"Thank you Cinna." I say unable to say anything else.

"Thank you Katherine." Cinna says. He realizes his mistake and looks to backtrack.

"Don't." I hold up a hand. "You've earned that right."

He nods before giving me a hug.

"Remember Katherine, be wary of the Capitol and what it offers. Not everything is as it seems."

I nod and he disappears among the revelers and party-goers leaving me standing by myself for a few minutes not sure of what to do. My decision on what to do with Snow's offer has been made clearer by listening to Cinna's perspective but it still lies in reach tantalizing me. A promise of no death versus the slim possibility of an early one.

I shove the idea of my head. It's hubris to think that I could be immune to falling victim to the excess of the Capitol. Cinna's right, I wouldn't fit in the Capitol crowd where no one is genuine and vanity rules. Maybe I might find solace among the academics but what's not to say they could be under Snow's control turning me into something I don't want to be?

I'm still afraid of dying though.

To distract myself I reenter the crowd and find my friends swaying to another traditional dance. I rejoin and they greet me earnestly like I had been gone for ages.

Eventually the ratio of sober adults to non-sober flips and the party scene turns slightly too Dionysian. I know that the Peacekeepers who have let this go on for a few hours will start to crack down and end the party. I explain that I'm going to leave to the trio and they all express regrets that I won't join them for work that week and I thank them for the flowers and card.

I grab a couple more bites of food to eat and I find my dad with a drowsy Hugo and Ben. Persephone's eyes are flitting about the scene unseeing but knowing.

"Ready to go?" my Father asks.

"I am."

My grandpa appears holding my medal in his hands. He slips it around me again and this time it changes to a claret red to match my dress.

The car is waiting for us around the side of the Justice building and we pick our way through lightly crowded streets back towards home. I doze off twice on the drive home but I sense the car stop sometime later and wake up.

True to Cinna's word, he's already left without a trace of his presence with the Prep team. The only memento left is our clothing and a few handwritten instructions for cleaning them on the counter along with a final note thanking us for being so flexible and willing to work with them.

I go upstairs to Persephone's room and move my stuff over to my room again. The sweets are still remarkably fresh and I nibble on one before sitting down in my own room again. My head hits the pillow and I feel a lump on the other side.

I scratch my head wondering what it is until I retrieve my notebook out of it.

I frown. I don't recall stuffing it behind my pillow. I open it and see nothing changed or added to. It looks as if I've only just a couple days ago left it and forgot about it. Kudos to Cinna for not touching it. Did he ever read it? He would have had full access to the knowledge that I had been training in secret for years.

I take out a pen and scribble a few thoughts down about the preceding days. I do keep an unofficial journal towards the back which I fill in with the information of the past couple days. I make sure to include a few lines of how much I enjoyed dancing with Benjamin and wearing Cinna's dresses to throw any readers off of anything cryptic before flipping to a blank page. This one I will tear out and destroy when it has served its purpose.

To go, or not to go?

As I sketch out the possibilities, more possibilities, counter-possibilties, and potential outcomes, appear checker-boarding the paper with writing.

I stop and shove the notebook away when I hear my my mother walking down the hallway. She walks past moments later carrying a vase of flowers from Persephone's room. A single rose sticks out on top.

In an instant later the smell of the flowers, particularly the rose, wafts by. The smell seems to be challenging me, as if the President is sitting opposite of me looking over the checkerboard before smiling.

"Your move Katherine."

*To give you an idea of what I had going through my head when I imagined the 'danzatigua' I would invite you to look up an orchestral piece by Arturo Márquez titled Danzón No. 2.

Next chapter will contain the last of the prequel material to set up this story before we dive straight into the events of the books and movies. Thank you for bearing with me this far.

Yours in writing,
theotherpianist