A/N- Um.. I've just noticed how much shorter this chapter is compared with the first two... Oh well, not to worry, it's as long as it needs to be. Anyways, the first two chapters needed more content.

So, here is chapter 3 then! Enjoy x

Disclaimer: Last time I checked, I don't own The Hunger Games, but I do own Zinny x

I prize my eyelids open, using what little strength left in my aching body. A fluttering, blurring image starts to reveal itself and by the time my eyes are fully open, I can see that I'm in some sort of meeting room.

A long, narrow wooden table stretches out in front of me, lined with chairs similar to the one I'm sitting on now. Well, more like tied to.

A thick rough strap pulls across my waist, holding my limp body in place, digging into my bottom ribs. Around my wrists are cold, metal handcuffs that are strapped behind my back. My legs are no use either, as my ankles are held together by a rope like the one around my waist. I'm well and truly stuck. Ouch.

A soft groan echoes through my throat and out of my mouth. Someone else must hear it, because the door at the end of the room creaks open. A tall, rather thin figure enters the room, carrying a strange smell with it. I cough and crane my neck to see who awaits me.

To my horror, it's President Snow that stands a metre to my left.

"Ah, I see our little trouble maker has awoke at last" He whispers into my ear, but it's not the words that worry me, it's the smell of his breath.

It's not a normal smell at all. In fact it seems like a mixture of roses and... blood. Sweet, but deadly at the same time.

I stay silent, racking my brains to find an answer as to why I'm here. Why I'm strapped to a chair in President Snow's mansion. What happened before? How long have I been out of consciousness? Hours, days, weeks?

My thoughts don't last long, as Snow becomes impatient and prods my shoulder sharply.

"Now, don't play the quiet card with me, girl. You've already been out of it for a day, so you'd better speak up. I have important questions for you..." He hisses down my ear.

I reluctantly give a small nod, keeping my eyes away from his.

"Good. Now, let's begin with your name" He starts, pacing around the chair.

"It's Zinny" I mumble, with as much attitude as I can manage.

"Ah... Zinny. Short for Zinnia, I presume?" He questions me, with piercing eyes staring a hole into mine.

I give another small nod.

"Ah, such a delicate flower, a zinnia is. With beauty such as yourself" He pauses and pulls a chair close to me, before sitting himself down. "So, Zinnia... you have a surname?"

"Mellark" I whisper, not appreciating being in this situation one bit.

"Mellark? As in Peeta Mellark?" His voice turns from questioning to intrigued.

"Yeah, he's my brother" The moment after I say it, I instantly regret it. What if he does something to Peeta to punish me? Have I messed up once more?

I don't know what I'm expecting the president to do next, maybe phone someone to get Peeta? Or maybe take me down to prison? Well, he doesn't do any of these. But what he does do, suprises me. A lot.

He rises from his seat and begins to applaud, a huge grin present on his face. The confusion I feel inside must show on my face, because Snow starts to laugh a deep, scratchy chuckle. My face isn't that funny...? Have I missed something here?

"Wow, you Mellarks really know how to make an impression, don't you?" He says.

"I'm sorry, what?" I ask. What has been going on? What possibly could have happened in the time I was unconscious? What has Peeta done? Or was it even Peeta?

"Well, first Peeta leaves me shocked with his confession, then you go and get yourself arrested!" He continues laughing, while he explains. "It's like an early birthday!"

What?

"What confession?" I ask.

"Ah, yes, you must have missed it. Not to worry, you'll be seeing it some time soon, I expect" He strokes his hairless chin while smiling creepily at me.

Wow, this guy has some serious problems...

Snow returns to his chair, pulling it even closer towards mine. His bony fingers reach up to my face and cup under my chin, his nails scratching against my skin. He holds my face still, so I won't miss a word he says. And I'm sure I won't.

"Normally, miss Zinnia, I would have you a lovely job as an Avox... but seeing that you're a Mellark, that won't be necessary" His breath clouds over my face with every word he says, making me cough a little.

An Avox? Won't be necessary? How does me being a Mellark change my arrest? Is he saying I'm not worth just being a little servant? Or has he got some awful treatment in mind for me? The possibilities are endless. I guess I'll just have to wait and see...

When he at last releases his grip on my chin, he pulls out a small silver bell. His wrist twitches and a soft ringing vibrates from the bell.

Not long after, a gentle knocking sounds from the door.

"You may enter" Snow calls out to the door, before standing up and walking across the room.

The door opens and inside steps a young girl of about my age. She stands awkwardly, with her fingers fiddling with the strap of her apron. She's a fair bit shorter than me, thinner and her long blonde hair is whisped back into a swinging ponytail. Throughout the time it takes for Snow to run through some instructions, her lips remain clamped together tightly.

There's something about her mouth that seems, almost strange. Not normal, as if they've been altered or something. Then it hits me. She's an Avox. What I would have been if I wasn't Peeta's sister. But, thinking, would I even be in this position if I weren't? Would I still find myself clashing with Peacekeepers one time too many?

I think not. Maybe.

Once he's finished talking to the girl, he turns to look back at me. "Follow Clara, she'll take you to your... chambers" He says, hanging on the last word slightly.

I nod and he leaves the room, leaving behind a faint smell of roses that makes me want to be sick.

"Um, hi" I say to the Clara, who's now loosening the ropes and unlocking the handcuffs.

She doesn't reply, just gives a friendly look back at me. It doesn't come as much of a shock to me. Well, she's an Avox, so what would I expect?

The ropes are loose enough for me to escape their grip and the handcuffs are now off and placed on the table. I stand up and start to stretch my limbs a bit.

I have to give up after a few movements, as the aches and pains return again. My eyes scrunch together as the uncomfortableness gets worse.

Clara stands in the doorway and beckons for me to follow her, so I ignore the soreness in my legs and walk behind her.

She leads me down the corridor that the meeting room marked the end of, then we come to a flight of stairs. With great difficulty, I drag myself up, step by step until we reach the top.

Clara then takes me down a few more corridors that all look exactly the same until we come to a locked door.

She pulls out a bunch of keys from her pocket and begins to root through them to find the right one. As she's doing this, I take it as a chance to look closer at our surroundings.

Each corridor is painted a pale cream colour and decorated with gold patterns... exactly like the Justice Building.

Sure enough, we're standing on the same red carpet and even the doors look similar. The Justice Building is like a smaller copy of this place. It's worrying, knowing that a creation from the Capitol sits in the centre of each district. Like a symbol of their power. And the reminders that we could never beat them. Only, I think we could, if we tried. All the districts working together would surely take down the likes of Snow and his empire. Could we?

The clinking sound of the key turning in the lock brings me back to reality. Clara pushes open the door and stands to the side of the doorway, nodding for me to come through. I smile at her and step through the doorway and enter my... 'chambers'.

Stunning is one word to describe this room. When I imagined what it would look like, I was expecting a plain, discoloured room with a bed and maybe a small bathroom. Nothing prepared me for this.

A vast open space, filled with luxurious furniture and exquisite designs is what I've walked into.

Positioned in the centre of the far wall, sits a massive bed, overlayed with silk duvets and plump, velvet cushions. Draped over the top, is a thin sheet of fabric, acting like a curtain. Just looking at it makes me feel tired.

Adjacent to the bed stands a large, oak wardrobe. The doorknobs look like they cost a fortune, nevermind the rest of the wardrobe!

Also in the room, there's a desk with a matching chair, a fancy sofa, a full length mirror with a gold frame and a door.

Curiousity forces me across the room to the door. My fingers take hold of the handle, twist it and I push open the door. There must be a sensor in the room, as the room is enveloped in a soft light as the door opens.

The room behind the door is a bathroom. It's beautifully equipped with a pristine white toilet, a large sink with golden taps, a bath big enough to swim in and a shower that seems more like a waterfall! Hanging along the walls are soft and fluffy towels of all sizes imaginable. It's a hygiene paradise, like nothing I've ever seen or experienced. Until now.

The spotless bathroom makes me notice how filthy I am. My body is decorated in bruises, gashes and cuts. My hair is a tangled mess and my dress is... I'm not wearing my dress.

My beautiful dress; a reminder of home, has been replaced by a thin, black vest top and black leggings that are torn at the knees. I look more like myself, but now, it's not what I want. All I want is to be wearing that green dress again, surrounded by familiar faces, places... home.

Blinking back the tears, I undress myself and step into the shower. The press of a button labelled 'Gentle Wash' releases a warm trickle of water over my body. The drops run down my skin, collect in my hair and relaxation eases my tense muscles. The feeling off cleansing my body also cleanses my mind. The stress pours off me and is washed away down the drain. I instantly breathe a sigh of relief, then switch off the shower and step out.

I grab a towel and wrap it around my body, soaking up any drips of water that still run down my back. With another towel, I tie my hair up and walk back into the main bedroom.

Something on the bed catches my attention and I move over to inspect further.

There, lying across the bed, is a dress. Sadly, not my dress, but an attractive one all the same. It's a plain, white dress with sleeves that run down to my elbows and that finishes just below my knees. Simple, but beautiful.

I twirl infront of the mirror, admiring myself in the dress. It's a perfect fit and suits me so much. Like it was made for me... Maybe it was made for me. I sigh, knowing that this must be a creation of the Capitol that was supposed to act as a bribe of some sort and sit back on the bed, dropping my shoulders as I do.

I look up at the ceiling and fall back onto the matress. As my back hits the bed, the sound of crumpled paper comes from beneath me. I jolt back up and find that I've fallen onto a small piece of creased paper. A note.

My fingers tremble as I rip it open. What is it? What could it say? My eyes scan across the paper that's been ripped from my impatience and curiousity. Hand-written in rounded, inked letters, is a note:

Miss Zinnia,

We would be honoured to have you join us this evening. Please arrive at the Meeting Room at precisely 7pm.

Kind Regards,

Snow.

Oh, and you are required to wear the dress we have so kindly left for you.

Right, I knew there would be a catch. Why else would there be a fancy dress left on my bed? Of course Snow was behind this, trying to bribe my way into siding with him. I couldn't expect anything less of his, I suppose.

But one thing is still remains unclear to me. Who does he mean by 'we'? And why am I meeting 'them'?

I guess the only way to find out, is to meet him at seven.

A/N- ahh creepy Snow... I still don't get the whole rose and blood breath thingy, but it's one of his main features so I had to inlcude it. Oh well, he's a weirdo and that's all we need to know right now.

So yup, it's time for me to ask you all to review! Please do and I will feel good and write more. yay.

Thanks, FireflyLlama XD