2: President Snow
Gale POV
I don't have much of a choice here. It may be my house, but President Snow calls all the shots. "Of course," I say, bowing my head slightly and opening the door. We lead him into the living room and sit down. Snow is exactly as I remembered him from the Capitol: around eighty years old, calculating eyes, large, blood red lips and the smells of enhanced roses and blood on his breath.
President Snow enters the house with small, slow steps. "Thank you Mr Hawthorne. I was wondering if I could borrow a moment of yours and Miss Everdeen's time," he requests.
"Of course," Katniss says through gritted teeth. When it comes to Snow, she's not very good at hiding her hate. If she had a bow and arrow right now, I could guarantee that he would be dead with an arrow through his eye. We lead him into the living room and sit down. He leans over the table.
"Miss Everdeen, Mr Hawthorne, have you perhaps thought upon your actions in the Games?" he asks slowly.
"We have," I respond.
"And did you come to the conclusion that you are in a.." he pauses for a second, "delicate," he says finally relishing the word, "position?"
"We noticed," Katniss says drily.
"Yes, your act of love could have easily been seen as an act of rebellion," he agrees with her. "And that is bad for all of us, isn't it? You would be putting yourself in danger and throwing the whole of Panem into civil war." I notice how he doesn't add that it would cause the corrupt Capitol to fall.
"Yes, but it was for love," I assure him.
"Let's say I believe you here," Snow says smiling. "But they don't. The majority of Panem would see this as an opportunity. If a boy and girl from District 12 of all places can defy the Capitol, then they can. So I need you to convince them. Convince them that your actions were motivated by love, not rebellion. Show them that you support the Capitol."
"That would be easier if you were more human," Katniss snaps at him. "How can we show that we support you if at the end of this year you're going to create some sick, twisted Hunger Games to prey on people's fear?" I touch Katniss's shoulder lightly, to remind her that Snow holds the power here. "Sorry," she adds, not sounding sorry at all.
"By avoiding outbursts like that for a start," Snow says. "And impressing the Capitolites. As I said: convince them that your actions were of love. Even better, convince me. Now how are you going to do this?" he questions us.
"I was going to propose," I suggest.
Snow steeples his fingers. "Excellent," he says. "I will have your stylist design appropriate clothes for the occasion. Cinna, wasn't it?"
"Yes," Katniss mutters.
"Well thank you for your time," Snow says, getting up to leave. "This conversation has been most interesting. And remember, it's essential that you do as I say. I would hate to have to kill anyone." But he can't kill us. For once, we have the upper hand. Us and our families are safe and sound. Snow exits the room and a few second later we hear a door shutting behind him.
Katniss and I look at each other for a second, making sure that he is gone before releasing our anger. "That piece of filth," I shout. "Threatening others if we don't do as he says!"
"At least he can't get to us or our families," Katniss points out.
"He can get to others in 12 though," I rage. "What about people like Delly or Madge or Melanie?" I ask her. "They could be killed easily if we don't do as he says."
"He was right," Katniss says quietly. "A rebellion would start- but the Capitol are too strong to defeat without help. We would need to plan a rebellion over years, secretly stealing technology and saving up money and buying weapons. If we stir up the Districts then what will happen is afterwards we will have a worse Hunger Games."
"That's what happened seventy five years ago," I admit, though I don't want to admit that Snow was right. "Things were bad and a rebellion was planned hastily and the Districts were defeated and District 13 was wiped out," I summarise the first rebellion. "And we would need help to plan a rebellion properly."
"For now we need to play along though," Katniss says. "Propose on the Victory Tour. Pretend that we love the Capitol for letting us live rather than hating them for putting us in the Games to begin with." I nod slightly and hug Katniss comfortingly. A display of proper love before we have to do the fake over-the-top Capitol displays.
Katniss ends the hug. "I need to warn my family," she says. She rushes back to her house and I am left to warn mum, Rory and Posy about what President Snow was saying.
"Mum! Rory! Posy!" I shout loudly to call them into the living room.
They come into the living room quickly, probably alerted by my voice that something is wrong. They all sit down. "What's wrong Gale?" Posy asks. "Why are you pacing?"
"President Snow was just here," I reply. "He was warning me.. Warning me that a rebellion would start and unless Katniss and I put on exactly the right act for the Capitol then he will kill people!" I vent to them angrily. They all look worried, even Posy who is generally one of the most innocent seven year olds around.
I feel slightly guilty, wondering if I should have told my family. I prefer straight honesty to people hiding things so I don't worry, but I know not everybody is like that. And Posy shouldn't have to worry about things like that at age seven, she should be thinking about having a good time, not about supporting my act.
"What do you need to do?" Rory asks quietly.
I calm down a bit. "I need to make it look like I had no intention of rebellion when I won the Games. Only for love and make people think that I like the Capitol for their mercy," I say sarcastically. "Katniss nailed it right on the head when she said that it would be easier if Snow was more human."
"Katniss snapped at President Snow?" my mum asks. "Is she alright?"
"Katniss is fine," I say tiredly. "He can't kill either of us because it would start a rebellion. President Snow didn't seem to mind all that much, he just brushed it off. I don't really think he sees being called inhuman as an insult."
"So what are you going to do?" mum asks me.
I sigh. "What he said. We can't afford a rebellion now, the Districts would lose. I'm going to propose to Katniss on the victory tour and gush on about how grateful I am to the Capitol citizens for sponsoring us and wanting to keep us alive. That's all I can do and he threatened to kill people if I do anything else."
"Are we in danger Gale?" Posy asks quietly, worry evident in her tone. "Does he want to kill us?"
Internally I laugh and kneel down in front of her. "Of course he wants to kill us," I reply. "But he can't. He can't kill me or any of my loved ones and that includes you." If he dares harm any of my family then I'm going to murder him when I next see him. An eighty or so old man from Capitol against a training eighteen year old victor? I could kill him before any of his bodyguards could stop me even if I would be killed afterwards.
"Really?" Posy asks hopefully. "You're not just lying to make me feel better are you? Who did he threaten to kill?"
"He didn't mention any names," I say. "But it would probably be people like Madge- friends but not close friends," I say honestly. I don't want to tell Posy this sort of thing, but she needs to know and I need her to trust me completely which can't happen if I lie to her. And she can probably tell when I lie to her anyway- she's not as stupid as the Capitolites.
"Do you think that you should warn the people that are in danger?" Rory asks me. "I know that they aren't supposed to know about this, but their lives are at stake here. If you make a single mistake.." Rory trails off, allowing the President Snow will kill or torture them to be unsaid.
"No," I say. "Their lives will be more in danger if I do tell them." I sink down into a chair hopelessly. Perhaps it would have been better if I had just died in the Games, then so many others wouldn't be in danger. No, I think firmly. I can't start thinking about dying. Then the would be no chance for a rebellion and the Hunger Games will go on forever. "I need to see Haymitch," I tell my family.
Haymitch's house is right next to mine and Katniss's. It looks pretty much the same as ours, Victors Village houses have very little that make them unique from the outside. Inside I know differently though. I knock on the door to Haymitch's house and there is a muffled sound inside as Haymitch gets up to open it.
The door opens. "What do you want?" Haymitch asks in way of greeting. I step inside the house, careful to avoid the bottles of white liquor on the floor and other pieces of clutter around. This is just his way of coping though: Katniss and I hunt, Haymitch drinks. I judge Haymitch less harshly now that I can relate to what he's been through.
"Advice," I tell him. "President Snow was just at my house, telling me about the rebellion. He knows it wasn't completely for love." I pause. " He told me that if I don't convince people that my actions were for love on the Victory Tour he will kill people. He didn't mention any names though."
Haymitch laughs humourlessly. "You think he didn't know?" he asks. "He's not stupid Gale. There's a lot at stake here for him, are you surprised that he would threaten a few people's lives to make you act right?" Haymitch sobers up a bit. "Gale, you have to do what he says. We can't afford to start the rebellion until we are completely prepared. Starting a rebellion to early will be disastrous."
"But how long will that be?" I burst out. "Months? Years? How long can we wait until the impression that Katniss and I made fizzles out? And how do we start a rebellion in secret? It would require people to know and be angry at the Capitol, it would require me telling people about this."
"Sooner that you think," Haymitch says. "People thought of rebellion before you and Katniss, we just need to prepare them. OK? Don't be impatient. Don't die. And just play his Games until we are ready to attack. You'll get your revenge on him and I will too. I've been waiting a long time for it."
"What happened?" I ask. "This sounds more personal than just the Hunger Games." Has Haymitch been through something similar to us? Maybe President Snow killed his family. But why would he want to unless Haymitch did something to rebel against the Capitol as well? I need to find out more about Haymitch so I know how trustworthy he is.
"I'll tell later," Haymitch says. "Go- tell Katniss to do what I told you." Damn. So close to having Haymitch give me some answers. Maybe Haymitch will tell me later, but I doubt it. I sigh and exit the house, going back to my own. I'm too tired to endure another conversation about the possibilities of the rebellion.