Author's Note: Last chapter was kinda weird wasn't it? I mean Ari is willing to answer a phone but not her door? And what's with Coin?...you wonder...

If you're in power and won said power thru fear and threats you're probably insecure. Knocking out "competition" and sparing your men means you start to tip the balances in your favour...only one thing stands in your way, people that can see a few steps ahead of you...how do you get rid of them? Find their achilles heel and strike...at least thats what I think.

plus Coin is no soldier, she's a politician if anything in my view of things sure she may know how to shoot a gun, but Boggs is the soldier.

Plus you can ignore a door, people might think you stepped out...however (at least for me) the phone sometimes is hard to ignore...

Thanks to RR for the review ;)

Chapter 93

Ashes Aflame

Castiel and I bypass my men, Coin's men, Snow's men. I can't be concerned with Everdeen right now; she's not fully recovered despite her being insistent about seeing Snow.

I get to Hawthorne's quarters and barge in. He's on his bed resting. Resting!

"When was the last time you spent time with Ariana?" I bark.

It startles him, "last weekend, she told me to look after Katniss" he looks worried immediately after, "what happened?!"

"We don't know she hasn't been seen for a few days and she's been in the thick of it since the whole plan came down around us" I say, Castiel stands at the doorway.

"Call Makenzie" he says.

"I will do one better, we'll get Aurelius" Castiel says, "he's good at this stuff."

We meet Clint outside the mansion, I had barked at my men to keep Katniss away from Snow, who was all too happy to stay in that rose garden of his. They agree and close ranks even tighter than before.

I forgot that Ariana had taken such a small apartment, I mean it's basically a room with toilet. Prisoners have bigger cells than she gave herself. It was one of the small quarters avoxes get who work at shops for scraps. Why is she here? Why didn't she find her old apartment or her brother's?!

"Why wasn't I told she hadn't moved?" I look at Castiel accusingly

"Coin I told you! She has it in for her!" Castiel says, Gale has run ahead of us with Clint. He's banging on her door.

"Ariana!" He calls, "Ari! Open the door!" he calls angrily to her.

"Aside Gale" Castiel says and leaning back he kicks the lock, breaking the door at that spot and opening it.

Gale turns on the light, the room is clean if dusty and Ariana is laying in bed. My god has she eaten? Where is Mav?! He was supposed to be looking in on her for me!

Gale races to her side and tries to rouse her. But she's so out of it. I now realize why. There is a vial of something beside her table. She must have taken it just before her phone rung.

God Ariana I'm so sorry! But why didn't you say anything?!

Clint takes the vial and touches a finger to the residue. "Sleep syrup" he says, "she's out for a couple days."

Gale scoops her up, she must be ninety pounds soaking wet. "I'm taking her to the hospital" he tries to walk without his cane as winces. Castiel takes Ariana from Gale's arms.

"You'll fall over and break her" he teases, "lets get her looked at."

"I'll get the Letorches" I say, Clint and I share a look before he follows the boys with my young friend.

I find Maverick's apartment a block away, as soon as a larger one opened up his family had moved him in with them and Mason. Who knew the psycho with an axe has a soft spot for wheels.

"Mav?" I call as the door swings open, why do they leave doors unlatched and unlocked I don't know.

"Well well Paylor" Mason says drying her hair, I guess Mav had gotten her used to water after all, "what brings you to the less military side of life?"

"Crane" I say, "we found her dosed with sleep syrup, she hasn't been eating."

Mason stops drying her hair, "is she?"

"She's alive" I reassure, "we took her to the hospital, well Gale and Castiel have with Clint."

"Mav is shopping with his parents, well 'shopping' they have gone to find some shops that haven't been emptied. The soup kitchen is running low on stuff" she says

She gets changed and goes to find the O'dairs. I find Maverick and his parents coming in.

"We have to talk now" I look at Maverick who looks at his parents who take his box between them and head inside.

Mav sits beside her bed, waiting on her; she has fluids going into her, and anything else they can think of.

I watch from the window intently when Castiel and Gale come over.

"She'd been forced to have a meeting with Coin a few days ago, guess she didn't see much of a way out of things that's why she tried to do that to herself. I checked with the pharmacy here a vial was missing not long before she came home and took that drug, Plutarch filled us in as soon as we told him what we found" Castiel says handing a folder.

"They wanted her to be a spokes person for a re-envisioning of the games" Gale says angrily, "she told me how it had affected her, and they wanted her to say that Capitol children would be reaped instead of district kids, she wouldn't wish that on any living soul. Aparently when she refused Coin had 'gently' said if she didn't co-operate she'd be resposable for more of her loved ones wellbeing, meaning they were threatening to hurt us if she didn't go along," he sees Maverick and his jaw sets rigidly.

"Leave him be" I warn Gale, "when he found out he wouldn't even wait for my car to warm up."

"Well Plutarch says they are gonna try and get the other victors to vote on it, that's what the meeting is gonna be about now, before it was to give them the job of being escorts. Not now." Castiel explains, "How is she?"

"Well apart from being malnouorished and distraught enough to want to sleep herself away?" I say, "why didn't we see this coming?"

Maverick is in the doorway, "you wouldn't have known" he says, "it was as much of a shock to her when I tried to kill myself when she was seventeen."

A/N #2: Such drama! Oh my! ...well you should know me by now...btw next xhapter will be up a day early stay tuned!