New Beginnings for Snow
Chapter 3. Departure into the Unknown
You're the only one
If it wasn't for you, don't know what I'd do
Unpredictable like the sun and the rainfall
Things must change
We must rearrange them
The night passed, and darkness gave way to the first rays of morning sun as Coriolanus and Lucy Gray continued their journey. The air was filled with a sense of excitement as they walked through the dense greenery of the forest. Their paths took them through various landscapes, from lush forests to open meadows.
The world around them seemed to open up, as if Lucy Gray was breathing in harmony with nature. She occasionally sang some songs of the Covey, and Coriolanus almost forgot, in the midst of her singing, that they were on the run. The nocturnal visit of Maude Ivory's friends and their warning faded into the background.
Coriolanus remembered the previous evening, the moment he had shared with Lucy Gray. He had never understood why there was such a fuss about it. The experiences he had in the Capitol were nothing special. All the talk about nothing.
He had despised his peers for making such a big deal out of it. Until last night, he had never felt anything like that. He had never been so close to a person, felt so comfortable and vulnerable at the same time. So, this was what everyone had been talking about. Is this how it felt? What exactly was he feeling? It was difficult for him to allow and understand what was going on inside him.
As they ventured further into the wilderness, and nature became more unpredictable, they talked about their childhood. Despite their different worlds they grown up in, they had many similarities and mutual understanding. Both knew the constant fear that accompanied them, had accepted the gnawing hunger as part of their lives, and had to cope early with the loss of their parents.
"I didn't know that children in District 12 also worked in the mines," remarked Coriolanus. "They only take on light tasks, but it's still very dangerous. Many accidents happen. Some have to earn something extra to help their families. There's hardly any other option here. But no child should have to grow up like that," explained Lucy Gray.
Coriolanus thought back to what his life had looked like at the age of 11. He could hardly imagine spending his time in a dark mine instead of the Capitol school. "And what about Maude Ivory's friends?" asked Coriolanus.
"They still go to school. Devin has a little sister and knows Maude Ivory because of her. But they and their brother are orphans. Mavis only has his mother left, but she is very ill." Lucy Gray fell silent for a moment. "She used to be very beautiful, an actress. He doesn't want her to have to use that to take care of the two of them." Coriolanus felt nauseated at the thought of whether Lucy Gray had ever taken that option to secure her survival, and he quickly brushed the thought aside.
"I want to leave this place behind forever. I hope the Covey will follow us one day," concluded Lucy Gray. He nodded in agreement. Follow, but where?
As the first day drew to a close, they had already come a long way. The weather remained good, and there was no sign of rain, so they decided to sleep under the trees and take turns with the night watch. There was no trace of other people.
The mayor would never send Peacekeepers this far just to find a simple girl for his personal vendetta. He knew that Dr. Gaul had a personal interest in him, and he wondered if he was important enough to the Capitol for them to search for him.
Probably not. In the end, he remained a fallen academy student with a shining future until he cheated in the Games. They would surely deduce that he had eventually joined the rebels, after being friends with Sejanus, the traitor. A disgrace to the Capitol and his family.
Coriolanus had been staring into the darkness for hours; it remained silent except for the rustling of some animals and Lucy Gray's regular breathing beside him. Coriolanus looked over the forest floor when he suddenly saw something glinting in the moonlight. He stood up, searching the dewy forest floor, his fingers feeling for something solid. Then he felt something cool and metallic under his fingertips.
As he pulled it out of the earth, it gleamed in the faint light of his flashlight. It was a metal badge for a soldier's uniform. Not just any soldier's. His heart skipped a beat as he recognized the familiar crest. It belonged to his family, the Snows. The golden, swirling letters CSX - Crassus Snow. The badge unmistakably belonged to his father.
The emblem symbolizing allegiance to the Capitol was intricately engraved in the metal. He ran his fingers over the golden emblem. Coriolanus felt a pang and a wave of sorrow as he recalled Grandma'ams words about his father's death: "Your father is dead Coriolanus. It was a rebel, they say. A trap out in the Forest, in 12." The memory of that day settled in Coriolanus' thoughts like a shadow.
He wondered if fate was mocking him. Just moments ago, he had decided not to become like his father. The compass, and now his father's golden badge, symbols of his heritage and loyalty to the Capitol. Coriolanus felt that this discovery would change something and painfully reminded him of his situation.
He was here in the woods of District 12, and he had deserted. Finally, he slid the badge into the inner pocket of his jacket and went back to wake Lucy Gray for the shift change. He needed some sleep now to sort out the chaos in his mind.
The next morning, as they reached another forest, the outside world seemed very calm. But Coriolanus felt the unrest that was spreading between them. With each step, the forest grew denser, the trees seemed to lean over them, and the sounds of birds fell silent. They spoke little, but the silence between them was filled with meaning.
"We should find a place where we are safe and can clarify our next steps," he finally spoke out what both had been thinking in the past few hours.
Lucy Gray stopped and looked thoughtfully into the distance. "What do you know about District 13?" she asked.
"I don't think it exists anymore. The Capitol wiped it out completely," he replied.
"There are more than rumors, Coriolanus. People in the districts don't give in so easily. We are survivors," Lucy Gray asserted emphatically. Should they search for a place now, only to find that there was nothing there but rubble and ashes?
Coriolanus hesitated. "It sounds like a tale told to rebels, giving them hope. Leading us further into the unknown. Believe me, I want answers, but I can't believe in something that may not exist." Lucy Gray looked at him seriously. "Even if it's just a glimmer of hope, Coriolanus, it's worth trying. The world we live in has taken enough from us. We deserve a chance at our own lives." How could she be so stubborn?
"What if District 13 doesn't exist? What if we're risking our lives for an illusion?" Coriolanus exclaimed angrily, searching for answers in her face. She looked at him with determined eyes. "You're not alone in this uncertainty. District 13 may be just a myth, but we need a plan."
They continued walking, and he felt that anger and disagreement stood like a barrier between them. After some time, they realized that the weather abruptly changed. The clouds became darker, and the first heavy drops of rain began to fall. "We need to find shelter quickly. It's not safe in the forest during a storm," Lucy Gray instructed.
Through the thick canopy, barely any light penetrated as they struggled forward. The wind howled through the treetops, and the rain pelted down like a drumbeat. The loud rushing intensified as they hurried through the dense forest. The sky had turned into a dark gray, and the trees around them groaned in the raging wind.
Suddenly, a particularly large branch broke under the force of the storm and crashed to the ground as they tried to avoid it. A piercing scream cut through the storm's fury as Lucy Gray was struck by the falling branch. The pain in her voice got lost in the howling wind, and she slumped to the ground. He rushed to her, trying to catch her. "Lucy Gray!" he called, but his words were drowned out by a deafening clap of thunder.
The sight made his heart race as he desperately tried to assess her injuries. Her eyes were closed, her body lay motionless on the ground. In a faint flash of light, he could see blood flowing down Lucy Gray's face. Filled with horror, he grabbed her hand and checked for a pulse. She was alive.
He looked around, trying to spot a point between the whipping rain and wind, and lifted her. He had to find a safe place urgently to tend to her injuries. Rain whipped against his face, impairing his vision.
Suddenly, he spotted a dark opening in a niche of a rock formation. It was the entrance to a cave that could serve as their refuge. The darkness embraced them like a protective cloak. The air was stuffy, the smell of earth and decay hanging heavily. But here, they were shielded from the storm.
His thoughts swirled in his head as he searched for ways to help Lucy Gray. Slowly, he gently lowered her to the ground, and his hands felt for her face to assess the extent of her injuries. Her forehead was marked by a gaping wound, and the blood mixed with raindrops on her skin.
Coriolanus sat beside Lucy Gray, cradling her gently in his arms. He felt the coldness emanating from her rain-soaked body. His gaze pierced the semi-darkness as he hoped for a faint groan from Lucy Gray, a sign that she was regaining consciousness. His hands searched for potential bandaging materials they had in their luggage. Each grasp was accompanied by a flash of light that briefly illuminated the dark walls of the cave.
"I should have protected you better," he murmured, gently placing her head in his lap to access the wound better. The words tasted bitter in his mouth. The reality of his inability to protect her out here, especially without weapons, hit him painfully. This was not the Hunger Games.
The storm outside the cave subsided to a muffled rumble, as his fingers tried to secure the improvised bandage tightly around Lucy Gray's forehead. Time stretched out infinitely, and Coriolanus painfully waited, counting the seconds until the thunder, as he thought about Lucy Gray's words: „Maybe it's time for you to not only aim upwards but also look around." What if she was right?
The memory of his father's alleged death at the hands of rebels resurfaced. Down here, surrounded by the sounds of the storm, he suddenly felt closer to his past, closer to his family. He reached into the inner pocket of his jacket, held the badge tightly in his hand, and felt the cold metal against his skin.
The decision to seek District 13 suddenly seemed charged with a new meaning. He couldn't help but give in to the desire to answer the question about the truth of his father and the events in District 12. Had his father truly fallen here, or was there more to the story he had been told?
Suddenly, he felt Lucy Gray's hand weakly clasp around his, and the pressure of her fingers made him pause. "Lucy Gray, can you hear me?" he whispered, his voice filled with concern and relief. A faint groan escaped Lucy Gray's throat as she placed a hand on her forehead, where the branch had struck her.
"What happened?" she asked dazed. "Easy, you took quite a hit on the head," Coriolanus said worriedly. She tried to sit up.
"You gave me quite a scare. How are you feeling?" he inquired. Her eyes, marked by pain and exhaustion, sought his. In her gaze was a mix of pain and gratitude. The anger from their previous argument seemed to have blown away.
"I feel a bit dizzy, but I'll be fine; it's just a scratch," she replied with a fragile voice. "Probably going to have an ugly bump, though." "You're always beautiful to me, no matter the condition," Coriolanus remarked, gently stroking her cheek. A faint smile appeared on her lips.
He loved her. He had known for quite a while, but after the events of the last days, he became acutely aware of it. Finally, he made a decision: "I've had a lot of time to think in the past few hours, and I've decided that I'll go to District 13 with you. You're right; we need a goal."
In that moment, he was very sure and felt a strong urge to finally confess his feelings to her. Finally, he gathered all his courage. "I wanted to tell you this after your song," he took her hand and whispered, "I love you too, Lucy Gray." Her eyes lit up, seemingly sinking into his gaze, and the words echoed in the tight cave.
"I think I might have a concussion," she said, laughing softly. Then she kissed him, and he felt her gentle lips as she lay fragile in his arms. A feeling of happiness and security flowed through his body.