9 The Weight

Standing off in a corner in the banquet room, the young senator watched from across the dance floor the collection of admirers swarming around the teenage victor.

Using his connection with Ashur Magnus, Snow had asked and had received an invitation to the victor's mid winter banquet held at the president's mansion near the end of the winter Victory Tour. Normally uninterested in political social events, Coriolanus felt drawn to meet the latest victor of last summer's Hunger Games.

From a distance, he watched various fans greet Beetee, never giving him a peaceful moment. Studying the crowds, the young senator started to feel disgusted with his associates. He assumed that none of them took a personal interest in the lad as he had and did not want to be like them, shamelessly congratulating the kid for not dying in a brutal contest to the death.

As Ashur mingled with various guests, he eventually came upon Snow and patted him on the back, startling the young senator. "What are you doing here in the corner, Senator? Beetee is over there."

"Hello, Mr. Magnus. Um...he's been busy all night. I don't want to disturb him."

"I thought you were a big fan?"

"I am. It was nice to see a bright kid win this year."

Ashur took hold of Snow's elbow. "Come. I'll introduce you."

Politely pulling his arm free, Coriolanus smiled. "Thank you. I prefer to leave him be. It appears that he has met enough people. I'm just going to grab a bite to eat and go."

"Okay." Ashur eyed the senator. "Enjoy the banquet, Senator."

Once Ashur faded back into the crowd, Coriolanus stepped up to a corner table to fix a plate of food. Finding the noise of the large banquet room annoying, the young senator snuck off into an empty side room where extra tables had been set up to eat.

"There he is." Ashur's voice echoed from the doorway.

Snow turned in his chair to find Ashur escorting the young Beetee in his direction. Wiping his mouth with a napkin, Snow stood up as the pair approached.

"Please sit, Senator Snow." Ashur pulled out a chair for Beetee, who had his hands full with a plate of food. "Our victor friend needs to eat, and he could use a break from all the well wishers. I told him that he has a special fan who would like to meet him. I promised that you'd provide relaxing company."

Beetee set down his plate and held out his hand. "Pleased to meet you, Senator Snow."

Coriolanus shook his hand. "And I you. It was certainly nice to see brains defeating brawn in this year's games. Um...I'll leave so that you can enjoy your dinner. I don't want to disturb you."

Beetee held up a hand. "Stay. As long as you don't start gushing, I'd enjoy some intelligent company."

Ashur clasped his hands behind his back and smiled. "Good. I'll close the door behind me and post a man so you two can eat and relax."

As Mr. Magnus departed, Snow and Beetee took their seats at the table.

Reaching for his utensils, Snow glanced at the teenage victor. "I'll try not to gush, but I was following you from reaping day. I always root for the…."

"Nerds?" Beetee smiled as he began eating.

"Brains was what I was thinking. It's unfortunate that the arenas leave sparse materials for the more intelligent tributes to use. Did you plan on using that cable in your electric trap from the beginning?"

Shaking his head, Beetee swallowed his bite of food. "No. I did do a survey of the arena at the beginning and took a mental note of things that could be used: cables, poles, even the nuts and bolts on certain things. I eventually took notice of all the natural organic forms growing in the forest. But to be honest, I didn't think of using the wire or electricity until one of the career girls stepped on the Tesla flower and got shocked."

"Would you call your trap a giant capacitor? That's what I told my wife."

"More or less." Beetee reached for an empty glass from the center of the table and filled it with water from a pitcher. "I wasn't sure it would work, but it was my best and only shot."

"Congratulations nonetheless." Coriolanus watched Beetee feign a shrug. "I'm sorry. I should know better than to congratulate you for something so…serious."

"That's fine. I think condolences would be equally out of order. It is what it is."

Coriolanus poured himself some water. "Did the government give you any grief for using science as a weapon in the arena?"

"Not really. They did say that they would remove the hauling cable from the large metal cornucopia in future games. I assume they will also strip the cornucopia of anything else possibly removable."

"Winning a house and a monthly stipend must leave you with abundant free time, what do you plan to do?"

Spreading butter on a roll, Beetee appeared to struggle with the question. "Um...read mostly, about science. I also volunteer in my former school's science lab, tutoring students."

"Why don't you go to university? You have the time and money."

Chewing slowly on a bite from his roll, Beetee eyed Snow, debating what he could share. "I feel more comfortable hanging around teenagers. They remind me of myself...before the games."

"Oh." Coriolanus began playing with the food on his plate. "Do they haunt you, the dead?"

"Sometimes, in my dreams." Beetee finished his bread roll in silence. Taking a sip from his water glass, he continued. "You know, we tributes didn't hate each other. Some of the Career Tributes may have been ultra competitive, but there was no pure hate. We were the ones who had to pay for the sins of our fathers; therefore, we had no choice but to fight to the death. I just didn't expect that winning would feel like this. Sometimes, I feel as if they are standing behind me in ethereal form; if I could hear them, they'd all wish me well."

A chill ran down Coriolanus's spine. "Do you think the dead can see us?"

"I honestly don't know."

What would Cynthia say to me if she was watching me? he thought. "Nothing positive and probably profanity laden."

"What?" Beetee stared at him.

Embarrassed, Snow straightened in his chair. "Sorry. I was thinking out loud."

Beetee continued staring at the young senator.

"My wife died recently, unexpectedly. She could release some colorful language when upset."

"Oh. Sorry for your loss." Slowly, Beetee returned to his food.

Coriolanus returned to his food. "Is there anything good from becoming victor?"

Scrapping his plate, Beetee shrugged. "I can take care of my family."

"You're free to study science." Coriolanus reached for his water glass. "Isn't science your passion?"

"Yes, but since I used science to kill, science has become tainted, it has become the weight that I will forever bear." Beetee chewed his next bite slowly before swallowing hard. "The funny thing is, a year before my reaping, my grandfather warned me that everyone eventually has their own weight to bear; that the burden is unavoidable. He told me the weight is a mix blessing to keep us grounded. 'You can't hide from it once it finds you,' he would say. I never imagined that my weight would turn out to be what I hold most dear." Out of the corner of his eye, Beetee stared at Snow. "I sense that you too have a weight bearing down on your soul."

Coriolanus sat motionless as the eerie chill returned to him. He swallowed his bite of food. "Of all things, my weight comes in the form of roses."

...

Gripping a jacket lapel in each hand, Julia pulled Coriolanus close for a passionate, welcoming kiss. When their lips finally parted, Julia smiled. "You appear well."

"I haven't felt better."

Julia began inspecting the white rose inserted in his jacket lapel. "This is new."

Pulling the flower from his lapel, he handed the rose to Julia. "It's from my dead wife's garden."

"Really?" Julia eyed the senator as she sniffed the flower. "I thought you hated her garden?"

"I did."

"Did?" Julia handed back the rose.

"I feel compelled to maintain it...for my daughter."

Gripping his tie, the companion pulled the young senator from the hotel room entryway towards the bed.

As they entered the bedroom, the young senator casually reached into his pocket and dropped a folded bundle of money upon the dresser.

"As your therapist, I'm compelled to ask: do you use that verbal manure to fertilize those roses?"

Gazing at Julia, Coriolanus gripped her hand, raised it to his mouth, and planted a dry kiss. "Dear lady, you never cease to impress me with your intelligence and insight."

"So...?" Julia's lips twisted into a smirk.

"Her roses are the weight that I will have to bear for the rest of my life. What makes it even more poetic, is that they are tremendously troublesome with their weekly rinsing and insecticides. Too bad my wife didn't pick knitting or baking as a hobby." Snow's eyes drifted down to the flower. "This was one of my wife's favorites. It's called The Devil's Rose." He pointed to the stem. "See how the thorns are symmetrical and curved as if they were protruding from the devil's head."

Julia crossed her arms as her eyes shifted between Coriolanus and the flower.

Snow licked his lips, sensing his companion's displeasure. "Don't get me wrong, I haven't been happier. Livia is more joyous, vibrant, and free. I…would never go back to those days, but I cannot act as if nothing happened. This is how I'm coping." He gnawed his lip. "What does my therapist think?"

Julia began untying the young man's tie. When he leaned in for a kiss, she turned her head away. When his hands reached for the top button on her blouse, she slapped them down.

Feeling her scorn, Coriolanus let his hands hang at his side and smiled as his companion continued to unbutton his shirt. When she began loosening his belt, he gripped her hands. "If I had to choose one thing in this world that I hold most dear, I would choose your kiss. I know how fortunate I am as your client to experience those lips and have never taken your kisses for granted. If I have to beg, I will fall to my knees pleading; I will forever be at your mercy." He took a deep breath. "May I kiss you?"

Biting her lip in an attempt to hide her smile, she kept her head down when Coriolanus bowed his face close to hers. As their noses touched lightly, she gradually raised her face until their lips melded together.

Minutes later, an exhausted Coriolanus collapsed onto the bed. When Julia returned from the bathroom with a moistened hand clothe, the senator took her hand and kissed it once again. "My dear, you are heaven on earth."

A sly grin stretched across her lips. "I'm glad you're pleased."

"I don't know what I'd do without your brilliant mind and voluptuous body." He let out a long-winded sigh.

Sensing a saddened tone in her guest, Julia eyed him. "You could start dating again?"

Subtlety, he shook his head. "I have no interest in dating; besides, I think being a widower will be useful."

From the room service cart, Julia poured water into a glass. "Useful for what?"

"I want to be president." Coriolanus watched Julia out of the corner of her eye, judging her response.

With an approving stare, she passed the senator the glass of water. "You'd make a great president." She returned to room service cart to pour a second glass of water.

Snow sipped from his glass. "Our current president will retire in five to ten years, and I want to be ready when he does. I'm going to need some rich powerful backers if I want to be successful. Finding the money is the hardest part."

Julia joined him on the bed, sitting against the headboard. She sipped from her glass before resting her head against the wall. "Why do you want to be president? You're a successful senator with a wonderful daughter. What more could you want?"

Thinking over the question, Coriolanus exhaled. "It's true that I have been blessed, but I want...to see a strong and vibrant Panem."

"Campaigning already are we?" Julia smiled. "You can save your B.S.; you already have my vote."

Coriolanus chuckled. "I'm speaking the truth, and to win the presidency is going to need a lot of money."

"Aren't you the monies expert? Can't you work your magic on the Capitol budget?"

"Not something this big; besides, I would never tamper with the budget."

Julia eyed him as she sipped her water.

"Honesty sometimes has its rewards. I like to catch those who do dip their fingers into the budget cookie jar and make note of it in case I need a favor in the future. Keeping my nose clean when the others don't gives me the advantage."

"Clever." Thinking to herself, Julia brushed her hair back as an idea came to her. "Why don't you just go to the top? Align yourself with the most powerful people in Panem."

Considering her suggestion, Coriolanus thought through the list of the most powerful political players. "The pharmaceutical companies?"

Curling her legs against her body, Julia turned towards her guest. "Yes. They are more powerful than the security and education lobbies combined."

"But they are already aligned with the president, and I'm sure they have picked the successor that theywant, someone close to the president."

Julia placed a hand upon Coriolanus's chest. "But you can convince them that you'd be a better friend to them. Do you know who your biggest competitor would be?"

Snow frowned. "Senator Orthos. He's a classless bastard if there ever was one. He has absolutely no tact. I and others think that the districts would become more unstable if he gets in."

Combing her fingers through Coriolanus's chest hair, she began to whisper into his ear. "Make sure to tell the pharmaceutical companies your concerns about him. Tell them what they want to here."

"Which is?"

"That you are pro science. I remember from my college internships that there was always talk about how to increase the number of yearly mandated vaccines. What is the current number, 32? Tell them that under your administration that you would make sure that number reaches 40. They have plenty of new vaccines that could fill the quota. That's a lot of money for them since every citizen must get vaccinated."

"People might complain about the extra shots."

Julia nibbled briefly on Snow's ear. "They already have found a way to cram 8 into each injection. I'm sure they could push it to 10, which would keep the number of actual injections the same. If needed, they could also manipulate the vaccine schedule, so I doubt the public would even notice."

Coriolanus's hand crept along Julia's thigh. "I've always wondered if too many vaccines were dangerous."

"That's why the number of vaccine deaths is kept a governmental secret. Only a half dozen of the tried and true vaccines are actually needed. Meet with the pharmaceutical companies. You are charming and intelligent. I'll bet anything that you'll win their support if your competitor is a war hawk and ignorant to the drug company's needs."

Coriolanus had more questions for his drug expert, but a long passionate kiss caused a sudden rise in blood pressure, braking his train of thought.

...

"Morning, Vera"

Coriolanus's secretary stood from behind her desk and headed for the coffee station. "Good morning, Senator. How's Livia?"

"Great. In just a couple months, she has become so much more vibrant and exuberant under the care of the nanny. It's as if that sparkle in her eye has doubled in size. She's now sleeping in her own bed."

Vera handed Coriolanus a fresh cup of coffee. "That reminds me. The antique bookstore called. They were able to find a physical copy of the book Coraline."

"Splendid. Livia wants me to read to her more and more." Coriolanus sniffed his coffee and smiled. "You don't have to pour my coffee for me every morning. You're spoiling me."

Returning her bosses smile, Vera sat at her desk. "That's my job."

Snow departed for his office but paused in the doorway. "Vera, I need your assistance with a new project."

"How may I help?"

"Can you set up meetings with the top pharmaceutical company representatives? Do you happen to know who to contact?"

Vera's smile grew. "I know their contacts. Do you want to meet them all at once or one at a time?"

"One at a time. I want to learn their concerns."

Clasping her hands atop her desk, Vera leant forward as she lowered her voice. "I smell a power play."

Grinning, Coriolanus shrugged. "It's well known that the president will retire in a few years. It doesn't hurt to start inquiring now to judge my chances, just in case I want to throw my hat in the ring. Vera, would you vote for me?"

"Yes. And I know many others would too."

"Well then." Snow lifted his chin. "It time we start looking into the future…and plan accordingly."

End of Part One

Thank you for reading.

Author's Note (16 October, 2013):

Part Two is now available.