Fall Away

The introduction ceremony was terrifying. I could barely remember any of it, as I spent the majority of it internally hyperventilating. All I could think about was the fact that I was as good as naked in front of the entire nation, and yet I was supposed to look powerful. The only thing that kept me from crumbling was the fact that Finnick stayed by my side, looking strong enough for the both of us. The women in the audience swooned over him, and I felt blessed that more eyes were on him than me. Even as the speeches were given, it felt like more people were watching Finnick than the speakers.

I breathed a sigh of relief as soon as we had been wheeled out of the stadium, but apparently I had let my guard down too soon.

"Miss Nova? President Snow would like to have a word with you in his office." I whirled around to see a man dressed in a perfectly pressed suit looking down at me with an expectant expression.

"Well then, we'd better not keep him waiting." Adri said, not missing a beat as he suddenly appeared by my side and took my hand in his.

"He wishes to see you alone," The man said to me, ignoring Adri and not even bothering to meet his gaze.

I tried not to look intimidated, knowing that all the tributes were watching me curiously. It was unusual for President Snow to speak to anyone in his own private office -- let alone one of the tributes. "Of course. Lead the way," I said with a nod, giving Adri's hand a quick squeeze before letting it go and following the man. I was lead through a series of hallways until he turned down a dead end hall. I expected him to turn around, but he just kept walking until he reached the wall at the end. He took out a small card from his pocket and swiped it in a thin groove, right where two marble tiles met, and suddenly the wall began to retract, revealing a small elevator.

"Whoa," I murmured before I could stop myself. I knew President Snow's office would be well-hidden, but I hadn't expected anything so intricate.

The man took a step to the side and gestured for me to step into the elevator. "There's only one button. Push it, and you will be taken to President Snow's office." He said curtly, not even bothering to make eye contact with me anymore.

I tried to look confident as I strode in, but as soon as the doors whooshed shut behind me, I could feel my knees start to shake. One lone button glowed up at me from the small panel in front of me, and with a trembling finger I hesitantly pushed it.

"Ouch!" I hissed as a small prick stuck out of the button and jabbed my finger. I withdrew my finger quickly and saw a plump bead of blood start to form at the edge of the puncture mark.

"Sample collected," A robotic female voice echoed through the elevator, but before I had time to wonder why they would need a blood sample from me, the elevator took off through the shaft. It moved smoothly but quickly, and I had to hold on to one of the polished steel rails lined along the wall to keep myself steady. It finally slowed to a gentle stop, and the second the doors whooshed open, I practically ran out of the elevator.

"Hello, Miss Nova." I nearly cringed upon hearing the sickeningly familiar voice. I looked up to see President Snow sitting expectantly behind a large black desk. A few folders were neatly arranged across his desk, and I couldn't help but see my name in bold letters on one of the folders. My mind raced as I wondered what kind of information was in that folder -- not to mention why he even needed a folder about me.

"Hello, Mr. President," I said, unsure how to greet him.

A small smile spread across his lips, though somehow it just made him look more menacing. "Please, sit." He gestured to a chair placed directly across from him on the other side of the desk, and I obediently took a seat.

"Might I ask why you needed to see me?" I said meekly. It was strange -- as much as I hated him and had longed for the opportunity to yell at him or throw something at him, now that I was actually sitting across from him, I was too intimidated to do anything but be courteous and polite.

"Would you like a biscuit?" He said, leaning forward and gesturing to a plate of cookies that I hadn't even noticed before. He gently pushed the plate closer to me.

"Um, no thank you." I said, feeling as if I'd vomit if I tried to eat anything in my nervous state.

His lips pressed into a line and his eyes grew disapproving. "I insist," He urged.

I leaned forward and took the first cookie I touched, though I found myself growing more nauseous as the blood from my finger stained the crust of the cookie. I placed the cookie in my lap, hoping he wouldn't notice if I didn't eat it.

He sighed and leaned back in his chair, his snake-like eyes scanning my face for a few moments. "Do you know why you're here, Miss Nova?"

"Well...that man told me you wanted to see me..." I stammered, and I wanted to kick myself for looking so weak in front of President Snow.

He shook his head. "I don't mean here in my office, I mean here in the Capitol."

"Because the third Quarter Quell slip said that this year's tributes would be reaped from the previous victors." I said blankly.

A small smirk played across his lips. "Do you honestly believe that? How naïve." He chuckled and I cringed angrily, though I remained too intimidated to voice my frustration. "You are here because you defied me, Miss Nova."

"You could have just saved Adri and left me to die." I offered, thinking he was referring to what happened in the 73rd Games.

He shook his head once again. "First of all, that would have been a little redundant. Adri was the one who tried to outsmart the Capitol, not you. You just got yourself stabbed. Besides, Panem would have rebelled. But I'm not talking about that. I asked for you to do me one last favor, Miss Nova. I asked for you to start a family. What Panem needed was a family to look up to. A proper couple, head over heels in love, raising their children for the world to see. Most of the previous victors find it difficult to form healthy relationships after the Games. That's why I needed you. But you never even had a child." He cocked his head and his lips twitched into a smile, but I could see the anger in his eyes.

"Mr. President, I thought you knew..." I felt a lump catch in my throat, and my eyes prickled, threatening to spill over with tears. I blinked them back quickly, knowing I'd hate myself if I broke down in front of him like this. "I can't have children."

The forced pleasant expression on his face fell away. "I don't care what you wanted, Miss Nova. I asked you to do only one thing, and you defied me. Now, you'll face the consequences, and so shall your husband."

My stomach flipped as I realized that he thought I simply didn't want to have kids. "No, Mr. President, I meant that I am unable to have children. When Ingrid stabbed me, she caused significant damage to my uterus." I cringed saying the word in front of him, but the words spilled out of my mouth so quickly that I had no time to filter them. "Even if, by some miracle, I was able to become pregnant, it would just end in a miscarriage."

President Snow faltered for a moment, pausing as he thought over this information. "What were the odds you were given?"

"Five percent chance of getting pregnant, and a ninety-seven percent chance of miscarriage." I said with a heavy sigh.

He nodded his head slightly. "I see. Well, that's unfortunate. However, if you couldn't create a family like I asked, you've still earned your spot in this arena."

The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. "What about last year's tributes from District 12?"

His expression grew cold. "They've already chosen their fate. Leave me now, Miss Nova. And, if I may, I'd like to suggest you spend as much time as possible with your husband. You will not have it so easy in this year's Games, I can promise you that."