NOW PLAYING.....

                                                              "august - taylor swift"  

                                                            1:35 ───ㅇ───── 3:47

                                                                         ↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺

"but do you remember? remember when i pulled up and said get in the car"

"wanting was enough, for me it was enough"

"but i can see us lost in the memory, august slipped away into a moment in time"

"salt air & the rust on your door, i never needed anything more"

i'm next to the train tracks, mindlessly fiddling with the rings on my fingers. beside me, coriolanus stands tall, a white rose in his hand. i see this and scoff, unable to hide my convoluted emotions.

"something the matter?" snow huffed, his voice full of annoyance.

"i remember how you used to make white roses for me out of paper when we were younger, now you're all about real flowers. fancy, huh," i remark, the memories flashing in my head.

"that was a long time ago, things have changed now." he says bluntly.

"things have changed? it's more like you've changed," i mutter. i feel myself getting agitated and my stomach tying into knots. i wish i could say that it was only because of lucy gray's impending entrance.

snow smirks, twirling the white rose between his fingers. "well, it's survival of the fittest in this world, you know that better than anyone, don't you astrid." this hits me right in my heart, reminding me of the reason why he and i don't talk anymore.

"look, coriolanus, about t-" i start to say, however, i get interrupted by the sudden sound of a train. the tributes are here.

the train's whistle pierces through the uneasy atmosphere, drowning my attempt to address the unresolved issues between coriolanus and me. i sigh, my attempt at cheeriness falling flat.

lucy gray steps out of the train hesitantly, her smile fading when she sees her fellow tributes being manhandled by the peacekeepers. i quickly walk up to her, knowing we don't have much time to talk. "lucy gray, is it?, i'm astrid starling and this is-"

"snow. coriolanus snow, we are your mentors for this years' games," he finishes.

i try to muster up a smile as i say, "i'm sorry this happened to you." she seems like she doesn't believe me and i don't blame her.

"two mentors? well ain't i the luckiest girl around," she jokes, but the tension is still in the air.

"here, i got this for you," snow states, while offering her the flower. she raises an eyebrow, not expecting this.

"when i was little, my mother used to make me milk with roses," she says while plucking a petal out of the rose. she then places it in her mouth and exclaims, "tastes like bedtime."

i shake as i extend the bracelet toward her. "this bracelet has been my lucky charm since i was a kid. it's seen me through thick and thin. i thought it might bring you some luck in the games."

lucy gray takes the bracelet with a nod, staring at the charms. "thank you."

"our job is to protect you," snow intones, his eyes never leaving mine.

lucy gray attempts a smile, but it falters as she glances back and forth between us, "good luck with that gorgeous."

as the peacekeepers pull her away, the air becomes thicker with the unsaid. snow's white rose and my childhood bracelet now adorn lucy gray, serving as tokens of mentorship in this twisted game. the tributes are now called to be brought to the capitol zoo.

i turn to snow, determined to address the lingering issues. "coriolanus, we need to talk about—"

but he cuts me off with a cold look. "save it for another time, astrid. the games are about to begin, and there's no time for this."

as i watch the tributes disappear into the distance, i can't shake the feeling that this will all come crashing down.

all my love, forever,

rory.