CHAPTER 10 : HER HONESTY

"Anything new about this place you're investigating ?"

"I'm still working on it," replied Coriolanus serenely.

"The General is getting impatient," shared the commander in a low voice. He's even more demanding after the failure at the church. He wants names."

Commander Hoff approached Coriolanus who pretended to be studying. Taking off his beret, he sat down on a table opposite him. As usual, he was the last to leave the class. Raising his head, the blond almost observed a worried look on his superior's face.

"Do you know the girl you released ?"

Coriolanus clutched his book, seized by a sudden inner panic. What was the right answer to give ? Could he really lie to his superior ? Suddenly, he regained his composure and stared at his commander.

"I've seen her a few times."

"When she said her name," the commander continued, "I remembered her family. Her parents were rebels. Her father played a big role during the First Rebellion. He and his wife were ultimately betrayed and executed."

Coriolanus frowned and remained thoughtful for a moment. He was not really surprised but at the same time he was disappointed. He wished he had known this truth sooner.

"You mean she's already under surveillance ?"

"We never found anything about her," explained the commander, shaking his head. "During all these years she just had an ordinary life. Can we continually blame children for their parents' crimes ?"

The commander returned to his desk, sighing. Coriolanus was silent. He did not expect such words from a man so loyal to the Capitol.

Later, Coriolanus got up from his bed to get ready. For the first time, when he walked past the bathroom mirror, he stopped longer than usual. He observed his face, his hair, his clothes. He wanted to pay attention to his appearance.

Coriolanus and Sejanus took the same route to go to the Hob. The heavy atmosphere was palpable. The blond still had not digested the boy's incompetence. Worse, he was beginning to believe that Sejanus could at any moment put him in danger and screw up his plan. So, instead of clarifying things as he might have done in the past, he decided not to speak to him. Although his teammate's saddened expression almost managed to manipulate his emotions, Coriolanus did not change his mind.

In front of the building, Sejanus used the excuse of a meeting with some friends to slip away. Narrowing his eyes, Coriolanus watched him walk away behind the Hob. Something was wrong and he did not like the feeling of not knowing what. He could have followed him in secret, as he had done many times before. But, tonight, there was a completely different person he wanted to see.

Inside the Hob, Coriolanus found again the warm atmosphere he had been thinking about in recent days. Everyone was laughing, dancing and drinking. Among all these people, he was unable to find her. Then, while focusing on a group of dancers, he recognized her silhouette and especially the enormous bandage on her cheek. He crossed his arms, trying to hide the growing smile he had when he watched her move. With the rhythm of several instruments, she jumped, waltzed and swayed her hips. He liked that she was not shy and had simply decided to enjoy the moment.

When the song ended, Erin stopped dancing as well. Out of breath, she thanked the musicians while inhaling and exhaling deeply. She turned her head and let her gaze slide over the crowd. Her eyes stopped on Coriolanus and her face suddenly lit up. She waved her hand in his direction with a wide smile. Shy, but rather proud of the sudden attention, he moved his hand too in return.

Far from prying eyes, Erin had invited Coriolanus to move away from the Hob. For several minutes now, they had been walking side by side. The peacekeeper had not really thought it through and saw this moment as an escapade. They laughed a lot and Coriolanus was reassured to see that Erin was still so happy to spend time with him. He asked her again if her cheek hurt and Erin blushed slightly.

"It's healing," Erin replied simply.

"I did my best to help you," Coriolanus said a little sadly.

"I know," Erin agreed, smiling, "I'm very grateful."

Without realizing it, Coriolanus arrived in front of a field. The wheat stalks were tall, they obscured Coriolanus' entire vision. With the darkness of the night, he took a hesitant step back. He was far from the Hob, far from the crowd and far from the light. If he disappeared, who could find him ? Staring at his feet, he wondered what the best decision was. Erin noticed it and observed his worried face. To comfort him, she showed a warm smile and moved closer to him. She wrapped both hands around his wrists and then slowly pulled him towards the wheat field. He showed resistance at first but finally gave in.

Inside the field he noticed that the wheat was practically Erin's size, which made him laugh slightly. She was still holding his wrist to guide him at this moment. Looking at her back, he remembered his conversation with the commander. If he was telling the truth then Erin knew more about the rebels than she let on. However he wanted to believe that she was not part of it, she had promised him.

"Tell me about yourself," he asked suddenly.

Erin stopped, letting go of his wrist at the same time. She briefly looked over her shoulder before continuing to walk alone.

"What do you want to know ?"

"Everything," replied Coriolanus directly. "I want to get to know you. Do your parents live nearby ? Do you live with them ?"

"My parents are dead," Erin revealed in a sad voice. "They were killed when I was very young. They were rebels."

Coriolanus raised his eyebrows slightly. He did not expect such honesty from her and was happy to hear her tell the truth.

"What about you ?" she questioned him, stopping and turning towards him.

He remained silent. He had never mentioned his family to anyone. At least, that was what he wished he could say. During one night with Lucy Gray, while she was imprisoned in her cage before the Games, he had revealed a large part of his life to her.

"It's always like that with you," Erin sneered. "I answer your questions but you don't answer mine. It's fine, take your time."

Erin continued her walk between the stalks and did not insist. Coriolanus felt that he appreciated her and her patience more and more. Then, suddenly in a teasing mood, he pulled out a stalk to annoy Erin with. With her mouth wide open, she turned around in surprise and grabbed one stalk too. They began to chase each other throughout the field and shared another moment together.

Back at the Hob, Coriolanus told Erin that he should leave soon. The blond inwardly hoped to see her again soon. When Erin went back inside, she dropped her scarf on the ground. He tried to call her back but she did not hear him. So he decided to pick up the scarf and followed her steps.

Inside, Coriolanus was unable to spot her in the crowd. Then his eyes found this man, the one who had challenged him and who knew Erin. He was talking with her, in the middle of everyone. Coriolanus frowned, not understanding what he was observing. Not being able to hear what they were saying irritated him even more. She had said that she no longer loved him and that everything was over between them. So why was she smiling at him ? Feeling anger take over his entire face, he dropped the scarf and left the area.

When he returned to the military base, Coriolanus rushed to the commander's office. Without knocking on the door, he burst into the room. Half asleep, Commander Hoff stood up quickly and placed his beret back on his head. He was surprised to see his student at such a late hour.

"Commander," he called determinedly, "I have a name."