"Come on, Juliet. Sit up straight, chew with your mouth closed, take small bites, keep your chin up…"
You struggled against the ropes binding you to the chair. Lazy sat straight across from you on the opposite end of the oak table. He bit down on a slice of bread and slurped his soup with an amused twinkle in his good eye. You gave him the stink eye.
"Why do I have to do this, Lazy? It's not like I'm going to be using this anytime soon…," you mumbled, feeling your stomach rumble listlessly. Lazy smiled and quietly set down his fork.
"Because Juliet you're a lady and believe it or not…this is what NORMAL ladies do," he answered smartly. You rolled your eyes and picked up the spoon with the tips of your fingers, keeping your back as straight as a board. You were wearing a dress, and you weren't happy about it. Lazy had also made you put on heels and do your hair…something you absolutely hated. Slurping the soup, you drained the bowl in half an hour and set the spoon down. Lazy gazed at you with analytical eyes and then walked over and untied you from the chair. You jumped up as if something had bitten you, and then glared at him. He smiled and put an arm around your shoulder.
"Alright…we'll go do some hunting…"
The limo stopped suddenly, jerking you out of a slight daydream. Rubbing your eyes, you took a big sigh and looked over at Gale. You were slightly taken aback by his steady gaze. Sitting upright, you looked out the window again and saw that the scenery had changed from a forest green to a pavement grey. The limo had stopped at the biggest house in District 2, a carpet lined the pavement and people filed inside a pumping house. Taking a deep breath, you followed Gale's lead out onto the runway. Your imagination told you that Peacekeepers were already pointing their guns at you, however, your disguise must have worked because they were silently standing on the sidelines. You gave them a big smile and then gently gripped Gale's arm. He looked down at you for a second, but didn't question it. He knew it was for the mission.
Gale lead you into the house where couples were gathered around the LARGE parlor. A glittering chandelier hung overhead and a band played steady music in the back. A large table was pushed to side and held every type of food in the world. More and more couples were filing in, however, a good number were already there dancing a sort of two-step. Looking around, you couldn't discern who was who…everyone was wearing masks. Giving Gale a big, fake smile, you gripped his arm.
"Wanna dance?" you asked happily. He raised an eyebrow and shook his head. Pulling him closer, you looked beyond his mask.
"C'mon…it'll help us scope out who's all here," you whispered. Gale gazed at you for a split second before nodding his head and leading you out to the dance floor. He took a hold of your right hand and then put another on your waist. He then began to slowly and steadily move you across the room in a pretty decent two-step. You raised an eyebrow in a surprised expression. You didn't expect a guy from District 12 to know how to dance.
"Didn't think I could dance?" he asked knowingly. You smiled and shrugged your shoulders.
"No…but if it means anything I'm sorry for judging to early," you said with a genuine smile. He smiled back at you and nodded his head. When Gale turned you around once more you noticed a back hallway to the left…a very vacant back hallway that lead upstairs. Before Gale could step around again, you gently tapped him on the arm and jerked your head to the left. He looked and nodded his head in understanding. Trying to be as discreet as possible he gently gripped your arm and led you down the hallway.
It was very dark with a few rooms lining the walls. The band music slowly dimmed as you continued further into the mansion. A room lay way in the back with a weird security lock on it. Nodding towards the door, you and Gale began making your way through. However, a sound of several footsteps coming down the back staircase. Peacekeepers. You pulled Gale to the side, bumping up against the wall. Grimacing, you looked over and then gave Gale a pleading look.
"Okay…any ideas?" you asked, remembering how you didn't have a gun hidden on your anywhere. Gale gazed at you with his dark eyes. You raised your eyes expectantly.
"Well?" you asked, pushing him to hurry up his idea. The Peacekeepers were getting closer. For some weird reason he took a step closer to you.
"Just go with it…," he mumbled. Before you could demand what he meant, he gripped your cheek and neck and then bent down. His lips met your with a forced enthusiasm. Your eyes went wide, and your instinct was to throw him off, however, you realized what he was doing. He was portraying the two of you as a mere straying couple. So, you let Gale push you up against the wall and push harder on your mouth. He moved one hand onto your waist and pulled your closer just as the Peacekeepers crossed your path. They immediately stopped and pulled the two of you apart. Smiling with ease, Gale kept a protective arm around your shoulders.
"Can we help you gentlemen?" he asked with a slight Capitol-ish accent. The Peacekeepers kept their guns holstered, so you took a deep breath of relief.
"Citizens aren't allowed to be back here," said the one on the right. You calculated him to be about 150 lbs, and about 5' 8''…you could take him if need be…However, that need never came up. Instead, Gale kept a tight grip on your arms, holding you to the spot.
"Sorry officers…we were just hoping to get to a quiet spot…if you uh…catch my drift…," he said with a slight wink. You nearly blushed at the statement, however, you kept a hard, straight face. The officer sighed and nodded his head then pushed his partner slightly out of the way.
"Alright, but stay in this area…do not go any further…," and with that said strongly, he and his partner departed. You sighed a sigh of relief and looked up at Gale with an appreciative smile.
"Good thinking," you whispered. Gale nodded his head in a business-like fashion and kept walking down the hallway. You were taken aback by his slightness of air. Sure, you knew it had been merely to give the illusion of affection…but you couldn't help but feel slighted when he showed no interest afterwards. So, ignoring the feelings welling in the pit of your stomach, you continued forward to the very back room. The door was locked with an old fashioned padlock. Gale sighed and pushed on the door listlessly.
"Now what do we do?" he asked, his voice deep. You gave him a knowing smile and plucked a pin from your hair and stuck it into the keyhole. Bending down, you carefully moved it around, hearing the clicks and squeaks of the lock. With a sudden jolt, the lock fell open. Giving Gale a cheeky wink, you turned the knob very carefully and stepped inside.
The room was very spacious. A desk sat at the very end ominously. You raised an eyebrow at Gale and narrowed your eyes. This was too easy. You looked around the walls and saw a few sensors stuck to the brick. Nodding at Gale, you analyzed them slowly, taking in ever digit. They seemed to be angled so that any move you made would be seen. Sighing, you glanced at Gale and gestured towards the sensors. He looked confused a moment before it dawned on him. "What should we do?" he asked, his voice a deep vibrato. You sighed again, already knowing the answer to the question but not willing to say it. So, without answering, you stood up straight took a deep breath and move forward. Gale was about to grab your arm in protest, however, he immediately pulled back when he saw what you were doing.
A drop of sweat fell from your forehead and straight onto the floor as you stayed as still as the grave in your back flip position. Lazy sat Indian-style ahead of you with a peaceful look on his face. He was busy trying to meditate while you stretched and bent in order to increase your flexibility. "Lazy…how much longer?" you asked rather desperately.
He smiled and tapped his fingers in thought. Finally, he nodded his head, and you crumpled to the ground in exhaustion. Standing up, you staggered a little before taking a few deep breaths. Lazy stood up too and gave you a big smile. "One day, child, you'll be thankful for all of this flexibility training," he said annoyingly. You rolled your eyes and folded your arms across your chest.
"Yeah, I'm sure…," you whispered in an impatient fashion. Lazy's good eye twinkled peevishly, and suddenly he backed up and pulled up a few training disks. You sighed and prepared yourself for an onslaught. But this time, Lazy didn't throw you any weapons.
"This time, Juliet, you have to avoid them only. Merely defense, no offense," he said impishly. Focusing, you got down in a defensive position. With a smile, Lazy began skillfully chucking the disks at you, making sure that you had no choice but to twist and turn your body into flexible shapes. Each disk zoomed past you without a care. You dodged each and every one, ending up on the floor panting from exhaustion. Lazy walked up to you and looked down with a determined expression on his face.
"That's why you need to work on your flexibility. So, shall we continue?" he asked. Sighing, you held up your hand and he pulled you back up for another round of exercises.
You twisted slightly, avoiding contact with the red sensor, and then jumped over another. Without thinking, you bent close to the ground and squeezed past two, while lifting your leg to avoid another. You ended up with your back straight, and your bed high in the air. With a sudden realization, you turned your head slightly to see Gale staring at your ass. "Are you looking at my ass?" you asked teasingly. Gale's eyes darted to yours, and you thought you saw a slight smirk form on his face.
"No," he answered simply, but you smiled knowingly and continued maneuvering your way over to the desk. With one last leap, you found yourself over the labrynth of red sensors. Taking a sigh of relief, you began digging your way through the contents of this highly fortified desk. Papers upon papers with bills and notes you merely brushed aside. You then pulled open the first drawer and found a file labeled CONFIDENTIAL in big black letters. Looking up, you flashed it towards Gale and then opened it. It showed pictures of District 12 in full detail. Every last inch had been covered. You could see crowds of people gathering in the square to watch the large monitor. Frowning, you realized that it must have been taken during the Reaping. Flipping through it you found similar pictures of District 10, 9, 8, and so forth. It dawned on you how this must be surveillance. The last picture caught you right in the gut. It was a picture of District 13, the desolate land quiet and unperturbed. Coin would want to know that her enemies were spying on her camp. But how did they get this close of a shot? You needed answers. Rummaging through the desk you found another interesting piece of paper. This one had a list of names and headshots. Looking through it you found Coin's picture, along with a few nameless Generals of District 13, a few agents, and…you. The color drained from your face as you came upon a picture of yourself from a long time ago when you had left your home. You frantically looked through it once more, noticing how some names were crossed off. Stuffing it in your dress, you rummaged through it some more, searching for some kind of explanation.
"Juliet!" hissed a distracted Gale. You looked up at him to see that he was frantically pointing at the door. You realized that he must have seen some people coming. So, you began rummaging through the papers at a breakneck pace and stuffing files and paper into a nearby purse. Throwing it over your shoulder, you recklessly did a few back-flips over the sensors, and crouched near Gale. Two people were right outside the door, their voices loud and clear.
"Should we check in the file room?" asked one, his voice deep. A stone fell into the pit of your stomach, hurtling it through your mind. Immediately your began going through all the different possibilities of how to take these guys down. However, the other one spoke up.
"Nah, there's enough sensors to see a mouse in there," he said. You felt a sigh of relief as their footsteps slowly faded down the hallway. Taking a reassuring breath, you nodded at Gale and slowly moved back down the hallway. When you got back into the crowd of people in the large ballroom, you acted normally with a big smile on your face and a vapid gait. Gale followed suit, even smiling at people occasionally. You slowly danced your way back across the room and then made your way out the door and into the street. Now you moved quickly, your pace becoming slightly frantic. The bag bumped against your hip reminding you the precious cargo you were carrying. You saw the limo sitting around the corner near a dark alley, and you pulled Gale over and got inside.
You pounded on the driver's door and he took off full speed down the road. Sighing with relief, you glanced at Gale, his face was white from fear. "Good work," you admitted to him, trying to ease some of his tension. He gave you a slight smile.
"It went off without a hitch," he stated in a surprised manner. You smiled and nodded your head in agreement.
"Yeah, usually I go back to District 13 with at least 7 new cuts and bruises," you joked. He gave you an appreciative laugh and then fell silent. You watched out the window, the green dashing before your eyes. Suddenly, Gale cleared his throat, looking over you realized his face was slightly red.
"Uh…listen…about what happened back there…," he said, rubbing the back of his head. You felt the heat rise in your neck and cheeks. You messed with your hair in a distracted manner.
"Uh yeah…look I know you did it to disguise our identities…it was just part of the job…it's fine…," you stammered. Gale nodded his head speechless. You returned your attention to the window of the limo, feeling the heat begin to slowly crawl away. There was no reason to be embarrassed. The kiss had been a part of your disguise, nothing else. Gale must have agreed with this sentiment because he watched the window as well. Silence reigned between the two of you as the limo made its way into the deserted District 13.
The limo slowed to a stop right outside the vehicle warehouse, and you got out along with Gale. You hitched up the bag on your shoulder and followed the limo driver, a trained operative, through the hatch to the underground District. You were lead down a flight of stairs and right to Coin's office door. Not even knocking, you walked in to find Coin busy with four people you've never seen before. The people were obviously a family. Two were adults, one mother and one father. The mother was clutching a hankerchief as if it would disappear before her eyes, and the father was muscular with a slight dark-eyed look in his face. The two kids were standing near them. One was a small blonde girl with big blue eyes and ponytails, she was clutching a rag bear with every muscle in her body. The next was a boy about your age. He was leaning against the wall in a nonchalant manner, however, you could see the tension practically radiate from him. He had dark hair and dark eyes, kind of like Gale except a little smaller and leaner. He was wearing a black jacket with dark jeans, and he had a slight cut on his left cheek. He turned and looked at you with wandering eyes. Ignoring him, you turned your attention to Coin.
She gave you a rather annoyed look. "Juliet, this is the Taylor family…they are from District 2 and are looking for sanctuary here at District 13," she said introducing you. You merely nodded at them and then lifted up the bag hanging on your shoulder.
"We need to talk," you stated grimly. Coin glanced at the bag and nodded her head. She turned her attention to the family and gave them an unusually welcoming smile.
"We would be glad to have you Mr. Taylor. Here's a key to your new room, it may not be as big as you would like, but we're obviously low on space here at District 13. There should be enough beds though, so please make yourself as home as possible. We will talk again later about your position here," she stated, almost sounding like a hotel person. The father didn't smile, but nodded his head and lead his family out the door. The last one to leave was the boy. He glanced at Coin and then rested his gaze at you for a moment before exiting. Coin waited until the door and securely shut before addressing you.
"What have you found?" she asked hurridly. You pushed the bag onto her desk and gave her a serious look.
"Nothing good," you stated. Coin pulled out the file and list and quickly ran through them. You had to give her credit, she let no emotion slip into her expression; it remained hard and calculating. Finally, she set the file down, sighed, and rubbed her forehead in a tired fashion. You waited for her to say something, however, she remained silent in her own thoughts. You would not let her have that reprieve.
"So? What does it mean?" you asked impatiently. Coin looked up at you, her wrinkles sticking out more than ever now. She gazed at you in quiet analysis before responding.
"It means that we need to up our surveillance around the area. We can't allow them to get any more recon, it'll destroy our reputation," she said simply. You nodded your head, accepting that answer. You then turned your questions towards the list on which you were on.
"And the list?" you asked quietly. Coin, pushed the piece of paper away from your eyes.
"It's nothing…," she said unconvincingly. You raised an eyebrow, and put a hand on the desk in a demanding fashion.
"Coin, I'm on there," you whispered harshly. Coin sighed and shook her head.
"I don't know, Juliet, I'm going to have to do some more analysis on it. But until then, you need to get some sleep and some food. I'll message you if I need you," she said, folding the paper and locking it in her own desk. You took that as a dismissal and began to retreat. Gale cleared his throat expectantly.
"And what about me?" he asked. Coin gazed at him silently examining him. Finally, she nodded back at you.
"Juliet will continue your training for now, I'll see if I can put you on a team to one of the emergency camp," she informed him. Nodding his head, Gale followed you out of the door and down the steps. You continued walking until reaching your own door number 63. You turned around to Gale and gave him a slight smile. The remnants of your awkward conversation in the limo still lingered.
"Uh, good job today Gale. You've shown that you can really operate on a covert mission," you said in a business-like tone. Gale gazed at you with those dark eyes and nodded his head in appreciation.
"Thanks," he stated. "So, we'll train tomorrow?"
You nodded your head and bid him a good-night. Closing the door behind you, you changed into your pajamas and washed your face in the small bathroom. You combed your hair and rid it of any residue hairspray, and then crawled into bed. It took you a mere few seconds before sleep had you in its clutches.