Chapter 15- A Deal With the President
OhmehGod. So sorry! Now before you blame me and say I've been cheating on you with my other fic Venom Tastes Sweet let me tell you I HAD WRITER'S BLOCK! It was horrifying! *sobs* But, *sniff, sniff* Then I re-read Mockingjay, found out PSH is going to play Plutarch H. and got all inspired! So I'm fine now YOUNG KUMQUATS! Once again, this chapter was hard to write.
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The stinging in my back is killing me. I hope Finnick sends me something soon or I'm going to faint from this pain.
"Just a little further, Gadget and I found this group of trees, they drag to the ground and we made a tent out of them. Then we can look at your back." Glamour says. We've been walking for the past six hours. My feet are just fine. My shoulder blades are on fire. So far this is what I've found out: Glamour and Gadget teamed up the night of the tribute parade. Glamour became the leader. She wanted Gadget, then she chose Collin because he seemed nice and he could throw a spear, on interveiw night I was added to the list. Gadget was going to build a fire bomb and kill one of the Careers, but not Glamour, Collin, or me. Then Gadget would be taken as a bomb slave. When Glamour and Gadget were alone they would set up a new camp and get me and Collin. Then, Gadget was going to kill the remaining two Careers with her time bomb. When Collin died, I was the last person left for them to team up with.
"Don't worry, we've only got a few more minuets." Gadget assures me. Easy for her to say. She's been piggybacking on Glamour for the past two hours. I would volunteer, but once again, MY BACK HUUUURTS!
"And here we are!" Glamour says pointing to a bunch of trees. She leads me under the branches to a very nice looking camp. She's really smart, it looks like Gadget and her have been digging since they got here. There's a pit hidden under a roof of pine branches that hang down low. I slowly slid into our ditch-camp. Gadget rolls out her sleeping bag and I just about collapse onto it. Glamour removes my jacket, unhooks my bra. There's a silence.
"Marshal is from District 2 alright." Gadget says. "He carved some very pretty wings into your back."
"Well we're going to clean them up." Glamour says. "So what do I do?"
"First clean the wound, then apply the aloe in my backpack." I tell her.
"Sponser gifts!" Gadget says. "I'll get them!" She comes back. "It's for you Angel. From Finnick."
"What?" Glamour asks.
"Well no duh it's from Finnick. Last time I checked he's my mentor." I say.
"You two must be pretty close if you talk about him in your sleep." Gadget says giggling.
"I do not!" I almost shout. Oh crap I talk about him in my sleep. I open up my parachutes. Bandages are in one, some kind of fancy Capitol ointment in the other. "Glamour, when you're done with the aloe, could you put this on my back? Then bandage me up."
"I've already put aloe on." She answers. "You must be pretty beat up if you can't feel it." In a few second she puts whatever Finnick sent me all over my back. The pain is instantly gone and she wraps up my shoulder blades in fresh white gauze. I put my jacket back on and read the note that came the the bandages. Keep unhooking you bra like that and you'll be getting the moon as your next sponser gift. It makes me blush instantly. Finnick. I wonder what he makes of my progress.
Finnick's POV
Well, at least she's alive. Angel and her small team.
"Beetee, Cashmere, how do you think they're holding up?" I ask. Cashmere bats her eyelashes at me. She's such a flirt.
"I think that they're just fine." She says. "My Glamour is holding up perfectly. When she told me she wanted to team up with District 4 I was thrilled."
"Ahem." Beetee clears his throat. "Gadget was quite happy too. Chip however, wanted to go solo."
"He seems to be doing well too." I comment as the cameras cut to the boy from District 3 sitting in a cave. "I think they're good on sponser gifts for now. We'll wait until something happens." A Peacekeeper enters the room.
"Mr. Odair, someone wishes to see you." He says.
"Who do you think it is?" Beetee whispers. I shrug.
"Probably a member of her family." I say. We're down to the final seven. The whole Caprice family was brought for interveiws during the final eight. I follow the Peacekeeper down the hall. I almost die when it's the President who wants to see me. I'm in trouble. I'm in big trouble if the President wants me.
"Hello Mr. Odair." He says. The snake eyes are positvely revolting. The roses in the room smell awful and blood drips from his words.
"Hello President Snow." I manage to say. You get good at being a crowd pleaser after a ring around the Hunger Games.
"Mr. Odair, you are seventeen, correct?" President Snow asks. I nod my head. "How old is Miss Caprice? Sixteen?" I nod my head again. What does he know and who told him? "Mr. Odair, it is no secret that among the victors of the Hunger Games you are very... Wanted. Plenty of people, plenty of women out there would pay a large amount of money for, say, a one night stand with you? I'm sure you're aware. There's Cashmere and Gloss, Brutus if he weren't so... Brutus. And your fellow mentor, Alicia. This is something I did a long time ago. I stopped doing it because of suspisions but I am going to begin it again because of you Mr. Odair."
"Me?" I croak out.
"It started from the moment you laid eyes on Angel Caprice. It all became quite clear afterwords that you are in love with her. Did you really think that I wouldn't find out? Or if I did that I would let it go? Because you're the famour Finnick Odair? The Games are never over Finnick. You might be out of the Reaping Ball, but you're still in the arena. You made sexual contact with a tribute, that will not be overseen. As if that weren't enough she has been singing The Hanging Tree."
"She's just a girl." I say.
"I don't care how old she is." The President snaps. "I'm going to make a deal with you Mr. Odair, in return for, giving... a good time to paying customers of the Capitol, I will give you immunity for either Angel or your family. If you cannot choose I will choose for you."
"What?" I ask. But then I let his words sink in. If I don't sell myself, my body, to the Capitol either Angel or my family will die. "Don't kill either of them, please. I'll do whatever you want. Just not my parents, and not Angel."
"Mr. Odair. The Capitol owes you no debts, you must choose. This is what happens when you disobey us. If you don't choose, I'll kill the girl. It's much eaiser on my account. And much more fun to watch." The President says. "And through the magic of television, you can enjoy it over and over. Don't worry, you won't be alone. Cashmere and Gloss, Alicia, Annie Cresta would be if she weren't..." The President makes circles on the side of his head. "There's that good looking boy who won ten years ago at age twelve. Plenty of good looking victors. This year someone might even join you. Glamour, Daniel, even Willow, Gadget, and Chip in a few years. Depending on who lives, Angel could be lying in bed with strangers for the rest of her life. I used to get such good prices for redheads." I want to lunge forward and rip out his heart. The way he's talking about us, like we're products not people. The way he lingers on Angel's name as if he'd be her first customer.
"Fine." I say clenching my hands into fists. I never cry, but I might now. "You can kill Angel." I'm only letting him take her away from me so she doesn't suffer the way I will. The President perks the corners of his puffed up mouth.
"Exellent. I should have a woman for you by tomorrow night." He says. "You may leave." I exit the room knowing that her fate is sealed. Angel is going to die because of me. I hate myself. I hate this life. Victors are even less free than someone poor in the districts. I walk back into the room glancing up at the screen. Angel, Glamour, and Gadget are are settling in for the night. I want to scream at her No! Don't do it. You could be killed any second now!
"Who was it?" Beetee asks.
"Nobody. How are they doing?"
"Fine." Cashmere says. "I think they'll be good for the rest of the night."
Angel's POV
"Get up." Glamour's voice wakes me. There is no more snow. The snow is gone. All of it melted.
"What's going on?" I ask. Glamour puts a finger to her lips and cups her ear. When I do the same I can hear it. Hissss. Hisssss.
"Snakes." She mouths. Mutts. I shake Gadget's shoulder.
"We have to leave. Now." I whisper. "There are snakes outside." Gadget immediately gets up. I sturggle to get my things together with the hissing reminding that any moment now I could die. A branch snaps and I turn my head in the direction. Glamour claps a hand over her mouth. A snake peeks its head through the pine needles. Hisses with its fangs, no doubt, filled with toxic venom.
"Run!" Glamour screams. we get ourselves out of the pit, I begin shooting arrows at snakes. They're on our heels. One tries to bite me but I jump away in time. I trip over another. It wraps itself around my ankle, slithers up my body and I come face to face with it. I get a faceful of venom when it hisses at me.
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Once again, I cannot be more sorry about the delay in updating this. I hope you liked this chapter. 16 soon.