Our Love Could Be Lethal

Act II: Dent

A/N This chapter relies heavily on the sequencing of events/ specifics of the books instead of the movie. A breakdown will be in the notes at the end for those of you who have only seen the movies! It is also super long, so hopefully, this makes up for my absence during my uni finals!

Octavia POV

I wake up the day after the incident with Agustus with an overall gross feeling throughout my body. What happened to him the night before makes my skin crawl. Overall, I'd say that I'm feeling the least confident I have during the entire Games.

Of course, it's just my luck that they decide to announce that the feast is happening tomorrow morning. The one time I'm not feeling up to it, the whole Games decides to actually start moving again.

To try and reset my thoughts, I hop into the shower and set the temperature to as cold as it will go, making it as if I just stepped foot into the frozen tundra arena from a few years ago. I let the freezing tiny droplets pelt my skin, hoping that the cold of the water will penetrate my skin and cool and seep into my bones. That way,  I'll have a constant wake-up call and a reminder of what I need to do. It's a technique, and also a punishment, that they used at the academy. It's supposed to help clear your mind and help you concentrate, probably because the constant shivering makes it hard for your thoughts to wander.

I sit down in the middle of the shower's stream and begin to meditate. To compensate for my current mental weakness, I know that I need to pull some big moves. I need to get back at Haymitch for creating the rule, although I should be thankful for it because otherwise, Cato and Clove would be much less trusting of one another. No, I think to myself. He did it for selfish reasons. I can't let him win.

I still can't believe that Seneca Crane was foolish enough to approve this idea, foolish, or, incredibly desperate. Wait a minute...That's it!  Seneca Crane is a desperate man running out of time. That much was evident on his face when I cornered him a few days ago. In fact, I think I may have scared him a little bit. If I want to make a big move, my best shot is him. I need to find something that will help Cato and Clove in a big way, but also something that he would approve.

In a way, Seneca Crane owes me. He changed a rule that affected my tributes, the two front runners, and now he has to pay restitution to make up for it.  And then it hits me. I know exactly what I want.

~~~

I wait for Seneca just outside of his favourite restaurant in the Tribute Tower, leaning up against the wall and looking over my nails that one of the stylists had just freshened up. I hear Seneca's signature fake laugh and look up at the clock with a smile on my face. 12:02, right on time.

See, if Seneca were in the Hunger Games himself, he wouldn't last long. He's a creature of habit and routine to his own detriment. To be fair to him, he notices my presence right away because when I step off from the wall and start to walk beside him, he shows no signs of being startled and refuses to look over at me.

"Hello Octavia, what can I do for you today," he says, a tone in his voice that I can't quite place, but it seems to be a mix of amusement and annoyance.

I put a smile on my face, playing into the fact that my pestering is clearly amusing to him, "Well, actually, it's more of a question of what I can do for you."

That clearly wasn't the right thing for me to say because his voice sounds much more annoyed than last time, "I don't need any more speeches, thanks."

The conversation is sitting on the edge of the razor and I know I have to choose my next words carefully, "What if I told you there was an easy way to fix your mistake?"