The seams of the ornate chair were explored by the wrinkled fingers of the man in the chair. They absorbed every ounce of detail as they passed over the embedded buttons and stitch work.
"Play it again." The man said.
The footage reversed as the man who watched it tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair. The footage stopped and played normally again.
"No, I won't let you." The boy on the screen said.
"Trust me." The girl from 12 whispered as she poured some berries into the boy's hand. "On the count of three?"
The boy kisses her and agrees. "On the count of three."
The man's grip on the chair tightened with anger as he knew what the boy would say next.
"Hold them out, I want everyone to see."
They held the poisonous berries out for the cameras to see clearly and began counting down.
"Stop! Stop!" The frantic voice of Templesmith blurted out. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present the Victors of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark! I give you -- the tributes of District Twelve!"
The man slammed his fist on the chair.
"Get me that idiot Crane this instant!" He barked.
"Right away, President Snow." A servant said immediately.
"And get this out of my face!" Coriolanus stood up from his chair and began pacing his office.
The footage of the games cut off leaving the room in silence.
"If that fool had just-"
A fit of coughing caught Snow by surprise. When he was aggravated, his condition acted up more than usual, and right then, he was livid.
"You wanted to see me, President?" Seneca Crane entered his office.
Coriolanus put his handkerchief away and turned to see the head Gamemaker with a wide grin on his face. It caught him off guard. He would expect the Crane would've understood the weight of what he'd just done.
"What has gotten you this excited, Mr. Crane?" Snow asked.
"Ratings are through the roof! We haven't had a game this popular since the 65th! Just wait until you see the-"
Seneca became frozen once he saw the fire in Snow's eyes.
"Continue, Mr. Crane," Coriolanus said.
Seneca swallowed as he realized that he wasn't called in for congratulations. "The uh… the estimated profits from the games are uh…" He could hardly think anymore. "Very high."
"Is that so?" Coriolanus nodded. "You must be proud of yourself."
"I- I was." Seneca's lip quivered.
"Was? What changed that, Mr. Crane, pray tell?"
When the Gamemaker hesitated to answer, Snow pressed on. "What grave mistake did you make on a live broadcast to the entire nation?" He spat.
"I- I can fix this," Seneca said desperately. "I just need- I need-"
"What do you need?" Coriolanus started taking steps toward the shaking man. "I'm eager to hear your marvelous solution, Mr. Crane. I'll give you anything you need. So what is it? Time? Money? A handful of berries?"
"Mr, President, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen." Seneca pleaded.
"Get him out of my sight!" Coriolanus couldn't stand to see the pathetic excuse for a man groveling at his feet.
"No! Please!" Seneca yelled as two guards grabbed him. "MR. PRESIDENT, PLEASE! I CAN FIX IT! PLEASE!" He kicked and squirmed uselessly as the guards dragged him out the door.
The glow of the screens reflected on Coriolanus' face as the highlights of the games played before the final ceremonies, but his eyes were locked onto the two Victors below him.
The boy was just a harmless lovesick teen, not a single thought in his hollow skull could formulate a worthwhile threat to him. He vaguely reminded Coriolanus of his old friend, Sejanus Plinth, a heart of gold, and a brain of lead.
The boy… Peeta was it? He was of no consequence. He could be left to his own devices without worry of a symbol rising. Even better, he could be shaped and led like a dog. Become an icon for the very thing he hated.
But the girl. She was spreading flames everywhere she went.
Katniss Everdeen, The Girl on Fire.
She had already caused a major riot in 11, and after her stunt with the berries, reports of the Districts murmuring about treason had flooded his life. She needed to be taken out as soon as possible.
The slightest smile was brought to Snow's bearded face. Things hadn't quite gone his way, but he did love planning accidents for the people who wronged him. A few creative ideas passed through his head. A stray flu? A traffic accident? Tragically taking her own life? The ideas were endless.
Even by looking at her from afar, he could tell that she knew the trouble that she was in. It made it all the more better. Killing someone who didn't even know that they were wanted dead had no fun in it. But when he could look into the pleading scared eyes of a victim, it brought a level of enjoyment to it that he couldn't explain.
"Don't go." A small girl said.
Coriolanus took his eyes off Katniss to watch the highlight for a moment. If his memory served him correctly, this was the moment that started the riots in 11. He hadn't watched it directly, only heard about it from his advisors and Crane.
Katniss held a small bleeding girl from District 11. Fear ran rampant in both their eyes.
"Course not. Staying right here." Katniss fought back tears.
The girl was only 12. Riots from younger tributes dying couldn't be called a rare occurrence. There was something about their innocence that constantly caused strife for the Districts.
It honestly was an incredible annoyance to Snow. People would find any excuse to revolt, so what was aired was of the utmost importance. This girl dying shouldn't have caused this much-
"Sing."
The girl was weak, so her word was barely audible.
After a pause, Katniss honored her request and began singing to the dying girl. Her soft voice dripped with emotion and comfort. It was a simple country song from 12 presumably.
Something stirred deep inside Coriolanus' chest that made him lose his breath. Was it the lyrics? The way she sang the tune? The rural accent that slurred her words?
Thoughts couldn't formulate in his head. It all felt like mush.
The girl passed away and Katniss along with the audience cried. She went to gather flowers, but the Gamemakers looped her singing over the footage.
A warm feeling drowned the cold man's heart. He hadn't felt this way since…
When Katniss finished with the flowers, she started walking away but stopped and turned back.
Coriolanus leaned forward in his seat. His heart-stopped. His jaw dropped. His body numb.
Looking directly into the camera --directly into Coriolanus' soul-- was Lucy Gray.
The camera changed and Katniss appeared again.
The next few hours passed in a blur. Snow couldn't remember any of it. The highlights, the interview, and even his being escorted to the crowning ceremony all escaped his memory.
His next memory after seeing a ghost was picking up the Victor's crown and coming directly in front of Katniss herself. Her eyes are what woke him up.
He expected fear, pleading, being on the brink of tears, anything that would put her beneath him. But what he saw was pure determination and hate. It was as if he was looking in a mirror.
She locked her gaze on him without a hint of intimidation. It was as if she was asking to challenge him directly.
As he placed the crown on her head, a flash of gold just above her breast caught his eye. He brushed her hair behind her shoulder and saw a golden pin attached to her blouse. It was a Mockingjay.
He recalled them singing along with her song.
Their warbles took him thousands of miles away. All the way back to District 12 when Lucy Gray first introduced him to them.
"What a lovely pin." His voice said without permission.
The Mockingjays flew over him. At the lake. He could almost feel Lucy Gray's hair as he stroked it. He could almost smell her distinct rebellious attitude. He could almost hear her voice singing to him. Almost…
Katniss didn't smile. "Thank you, it's from my District."
Coriolanus could've suffered whiplash from how fast he was transported back to the Capitol. It only took him a split second to adapt back to his surroundings, but it felt like days.
"They must be very proud of you." He said quickly to end the conversation.
The rest of the ceremony finished quickly and before he knew it Katniss was taken back to her home.
He found himself in his office again as he always did.
"We have Everdeen's routine down to a pattern, sir." Some important figure stated. "There are a variety of options to take her out and we have operatives ready to execute any of them within the next two days."
Coriolanus found himself wondering what Katniss was doing. For the last few weeks, she was all he thought about. Was she still being as rebellious as her eyes promised him she would be?
"What are your orders, sir?"
He could kill her. Right then and there. Nearly all of his problems solved. All he needed to do was say a few words and the people of Panem's newfound hope would be crushed.
The gun was in his hand. All he needed to do was to pull the trigger and the last thing would be taken care of. But there were trees and Mockingjays all around him. He couldn't tell where she was. He couldn't tell if it was what he wanted. He pulled the trigger and spun around in a circle until he fell.
All at once, the singing stopped.
He was back in his chair again. Sitting in front of generals, advisors, and Gamemakers.
He was the harmless lovesick boy, not a single thought in his hollow skull.
"We'll let her live for now," He said.
"Sir?" They seemed confused. "If we don't strike now, the people will have more time to connect with her. If we kill her now then they won't have had enough time to create an idol."
"I said that she lives for now," He said sternly. "Keep an eye on her, but this discussion is adjourned for now."
The men cleared the room.
Coriolanus wouldn't have faith that he could rise to the task if given a hundred years to explain why he spared Katniss. He questioned it every day.
The truth was, The Girl on Fire had lived up to her name and ever so slightly thawed Snow's frostbitten heart. A woman he would never be sure if he hated or admired more.
