Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games.
A/n: This is longer than I originally planned. Please, enjoy.
36) Portia – Weasel
As a District stylist, Portia has always been the leader of her small prep team, but nothing more. All she had to do was direct them as to what she wanted doing to Peeta. That was it – no real leadership involved. When they first arrived here, she assumed they would see through that. After all, Faustus is old enough to be her father. But since this began, Albina, Rufus and Faustus have looked to her. And Portia has never been one to shrink away from duty.
The truth is, though, that unlike in the Hunger Games, there hasn't been much that Portia could help them with here: she's in exactly the same position as they are. But she knows she has to do something, to stop them all from crumbling. She can't help them with hair styles or make-up but the one thing she knows they all need is courage. Courage to face the situation. Courage to stand up for themselves. Courage to simply exist. So she has spent all of this time trying to be courageous and trying to help them be the same.
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It started with a Peacekeeper. Peacekeeper Livius. Who has the rather unfortunate problem of looking like a weasel. Peacekeepers don't fashion their hair or their skin so he doesn't even have that excuse. It's something Portia took advantage of almost immediately.
Whenever he asked her questions, Portia would comment on how, with the right treatment (brush the hair back here, a bit of blusher there) he could look less like a weasel. It touched a raw nerve and she received double punishment. Yet she felt brave and she was hopeful that this would help her team keep hope.
It didn't seem to work. Albina, Faustus and Rufus were not that inclined to follow her example and seemed as miserable as before. But she kept on trying because, if nothing else, she needed something to help her stand up tall. As time went on, Portia began to ruminate on how changing his looks wouldn't help because he acted a bit weaselly anyway. It made Rufus laugh, at least. He was punished as well, for insubordination, and the look he gave her showed both outrage and defiance. From then on, he joined in with the weasel-baiting.
Weasel-baiting in a dangerous sport, requiring nerves of steel and patience. Portia had always had the second quality but the first one was harder to obtain. Every time she opened her mouth, part of her would scream for her just to stay quiet. But she had to rebel, for Cinna and Peeta and Katniss.
Faustus started to join in soon after seeing how much happier Portia and Rufus were even though they were physically in worse condition. And, finally, Albina joined in, albeit quietly and fearfully. Portia had helped them with courage. She'd been a true leader.
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But happiness doesn't always last long. Today, they have been escorted out of their cell. To say the four of them are surprised is an understatement. Weasel Livius (his new name. A compromise, according to Faustus) has been smiling nastily and making all sorts of comments. Even Portia's retorts have done little to annoy him.
When they are dumped on the stage in front of the cameras and Weasel Livius takes a gun, they know what is happening. To Portia's pleasure, her prep team do not cry or plead or moan as they would have done before the Quell. Instead, Albina comments that weasels are not normally given guns because they don't have the brainpower to use them. Rufus nicknames the other three Peacekeepers as Ferret, Stoat and Worm. Worm, to her credit, takes this quite stoically. Ferret and Stoat are not so pleased.
The cameras roll and the executions of Peeta's prep team are announced, as a warning to the rebels. Weasel grabs Portia and binds her, forcing her to watch as each Peacekeeper goes forward and holds a prep team member.
Weasel Livius walks to Faustus first. The Peacekeeper has wiped his face clean of emotion as he raises the gun to Faustus' head. A simple shot which echoes throughout the room and through Portia's heart. Faustus collapses. His face is expressionless. He probably didn't realise it was coming.
Albina is next. She clenches her fists, closes her eyes and falls forward as the bullet speeds through her skull. Portia can see blood knotting on the back. At least it doesn't touch the solitary tear that was falling down Albina's cheek.
Rufus grins at Portia. He's the youngest member of the team – just eighteen – and wants nothing more than to be happy. His grin is a mix of pain and reassurance. He's too young to die. Weasel pushes his head forward. By now he is smirking. But so is Rufus.
"Long live the mock-"
His words finish there. Portia wonders whether it was supposed to be support for Katniss or rebellion against the Capitol. She doesn't know. But part of her suspects that it was neither, because Rufus loved the Capitol and didn't know much about the rebellion. She thinks it was simply support for Portia. Who supports Katniss who supports the rebellion.
He died before his time. Portia squeezes her eyes shut and opens them. She refuses to cry. Not in front of the Capitol.
Weasel Livius finally reaches her. He leers at her. "Bet you're sorry now," he hisses.
"At least I'll die pretty," she hisses back with as much composure as she can muster. "Unlike a certain weasel. Long live the mockingjay."
Infuriated, he releases her bonds. She nearly topples forward but he grabs her roughly and forces her to the front of the stage. The gun is placed at the back of her head. It's surprisingly cool.
She keeps her hands loose by her side and fixes a smile on her face. Die with courage. Just as her prep team did. Just as she learnt to do. That's all she has to d-
Bang.