" in spite of yesterday's....tragic events, our president has decided that the games must go on " Highbottom said as he stood in front of the tributes and their mentors " Show everyone that the Capitol is unafraid of such acts of terror, to which end Dr. Gaul wishes you to preview, the arena this afternoon with your tributes.....later this evening, there will be a special televised presentation of each tribute to our audience....to get to know them, you'll have an hour to discuss strategies " no one moved as the short man drowned a vial of morphling " You may begin ".

Coriolanus walked over to Aletta, who was chained to the table, he looked at her hands.

" I'm so sorry about your classmate " Aletta said with a sympathetic tone.

" Thank you " Coriolanus sighed as he fiddled with his pen " Are you okay? ".

" Wearing my sisters dress is the only thing keeping me together here " Aletta replied.

" sister? " Coriolanus looked at her.

" Not biological.....but shes my sister all the same " Aletta told him.

" My mother smelled like roses....she died in child birth, I was going to have a little sister " Coriolanus siad to Aletta, he didn't know why, he told her but he felt like he could trust her.

" Are both your parents gone? " the girl asked and the boy looked down in response " so your an orphan.....like me......my mother and father abandoned me when I was born, I don't know why but I don't mind so much now....because I have my sister and the covey ".

Coriolanus looked at her before speaking " Look....I need you to sing in these interviews " he told her " It's the night before the games.....it's your last chance to win people over, I can't send you gifts in the arena without their money ".

" Maybe......a guitar could persuade me......maybe" Aletta sighed as she glared softy" You really want to take care of me in that arena, Coriolanus? Start by thinking I can actually win ".

Coriolanus's face softened as he looked at her before being called away.

⎯

Coriolanus hurried over to Aletta, who was waiting with the other tributes and mentors to see the arena.

" Aright, lets go " a peacekeeper said as they began to walk.

" Enjoy the show "

A voice said as Aletta passed through the gates and the dark, it started to sink in that tomorrow, she might die, she let out a shaky breath and grabbed Coriolanus's hand, who looked down at her and gripped her small palm tighter.

There was a camera crew their and they focused on Aletta, who let go of her mentors hand as a academy student went up to the camera crew and got them to focus on Carol.

Everyone turned behind them, when they heard a bang and saw the doors shut behind them as the skylight of the arena began to slowly open.

" Welcome to the arena of the 10th annual hunger games, tributes, mentors, you have 15 minutes to survey the space and discuss strategy ".

Aletta stood by Coriolanus looking around the area as the other tributes began to form alliances.

" Please...." Aletta tuned to Coriolanus pleadingly " Coriolanus, please...don't let me die in that arena tomorrow ".

Suddenly a loud bang was heard as the tributes and mentors went flying as bombs went off in the arena, Coriolanus quickly helped Aletta up before they quickly ran as the room began to cave in.

" Aletta " Jessup yelled as he ran over and grabbed her arm And tried to get her to come with him but she quickly yanked her arm out of his grip, when she saw Coriolanus trapped under some rubble and ran towards him.

Aletta lifted the metal off of him with a large struggle aand eventually got it off and Coriolanus reached out to her but was pulled away by a peacekeeper as she cried trying to get back to the boy.

⎯

Coriolanus eyes fluttered open and he saw Sejanus and Tigris at his bed side.

" Coryo " Tigris smiled relived.

" Aletta? Is she? " Coriolanus asked worried.

" She's alive " Tigris reassured.

" What happened? " the boy asked his cousin.

" It was a rebel bombing " Sejanus replied " They must of been playing it for months......four tributes were killed ".

" Everyone's terrified, Coryo " Tigris sighed as she held her cousins hand " People are locking themselves in their houses, it feels like it's raining cause it's so quite out ".

" The rebels released a message, they said they wanted to tear down the symbol of the hunger games on live TV " Sejanus added " Marcus got out, he's the only one, peacekeepers are surrounding him in the streets, but......at least, he has a better chance out there than he would tomorrow ".

" Tomorrow?.....their still not going ahead with the games? " Coriolanus asked and his stomach sunk " Oh, no.....Aletta.....Aletta could of run....but she saved me ".

" and now our final tribute " Flikerman's voice was heard from the television causing the three in the room to look at it " I first meet this young lady in the zoo.....please welcome....Aletta Everdeen....come out here, so we can applauded you, songbird ".

Coriolanus stood up as he watched Aletta walk onto the stage with the black guitar, he had gotten her before the bombing.

" Good evening....Capitol....districts " Aletta said as she stood in front of the microphone " This is a song, I wrote a about a boy in 12 ".

' Know that I loved you so bad.....I let you treat me like that, I was your willing accomplice, honey '.

Coriolanus looked at Aletta as she sang in awe with a pit in his stomach as she sang about a boy that wasn't him.

' and I watched as you fled the scene, doe eyed as you buried me.....one heart broke.....four our hands bloody, the things I did.....just so I could call you mine '.

Coriolanus didn't know why but he felt angry, nor at Aletta but the song but mostly the boy because he had hurt his Aletta as the donations began to add up.

' The things you did....well, I hope I was your favourite crime '.

' it's bittersweet to think about the damage that we do, cause I was going down but I was doing it with you, cuz I was going down but I was doing it with you, yeah, everything you broke all the trouble and all the trouble that you made, but I say that I hate you with a smile on my face '.

' oh, look at what we became '.

' oh, all the things I did just so I can call you mine '.

' all the things you did, but I hope I was your favourite crime '.

Aletta finished singing as the camera zoomed in on her teary eyed face, she wiped her face as lucky came up to her.

Coriolanus looked at her as his chest tightened and his stomach dropped, he knew she couldn't die in that arena and he would do anything to make sure of it.

⎯

" Aletta.....Aletta " Coriolanus whispered loudly and the girl looked up and rushed over, when she saw him there.

" Your alive " Aletta smiled in relief.

" Those bombs.....they have changed everything, they blew the walls out...so that means you can escape up in the stands " Coriolanus said to her frantically " There's a hole down in the floor, it leads down to some tunnels, I've tried it and you can disappear down there, so the moment you hear that bell ring, you ignore the weapons in the middle and you run as fast as you can for that hole....and you find a place to hide down below....alone ".

" Alone? No " Aletta shook her head " Jessup's, my friend ".

" The moment that bell rings, you can't trust anyone....not even Jessup " Coriolanus grabbed her hand and began to softly crease the top of it " Just lay l0w down there, until it's safe to come out ".

" Thank you....for taking care of me " Aletta smiled gratefully.

" I can't let you die " Coriolanus replied " You saved me......you saved me, Aletta ".

" I'm sorry " Aletta cried as tears rolled down her cheek " I know, I'm acting strong but deep down, I'm scared that I'm gonna die.....I don't want to die, Coriolanus ".

" It's okay " Coriolanus reassured as he wiped her tears with his father's handkerchief " I am going to get you out of here.....I promise.....back to your family, okay ".

Aletta leaned forward and kiss him causing the boy to kiss back for a minute before pulling away.

" Is this real? Just tell me, if I'm going to risk everything.....that song? " Coriolanus questioned.

" That song was paper....that's all, my old boyfriend Declan used hurt me and force himself on me before I broke it off for good " Aletta sighed and Coriolanus felt his blood boil, when he heard that.

" Here " The blonde reached into his jacket pocket and grabbed out a makeup container and placed in her hand " You take this ".

" No...No " Aletta replied as she tried to give it back.

" It is not a gift.....it's a loan " Coriolanus interrupted holding against her cold hand " What in here? Don't touch it.....don't even breathe it in because even small amounts can be deadly " he let go of her hands as she held the container and he cupped her face softly as he creased it softly " I have seen....what war dies to people, okay? I've seen it....and there will come a time, where you'll need this, when you need to act....we all do things we're not proud of to survive " he saw the hesitant look on her face and gripped her face tighter and pulled her as close as the bars would allow " Hey.....we're going to win this, Aletta Everdeen...we're going to win this together ".

Aletta nodded and Coriolanus kissed her softly before standing up and walking away with a final glance.

𝐀/𝐍:

𝐇𝐢𝐢,

𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲.

𝐐: 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐮𝐲𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞?

𝐀𝐧𝐲𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐱