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MY LITTLE DOVE.

(chapter seven, the world is on fire)

capitol arena / capitol hospital / the academy / pluribus bell's club, 2248

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DURING THE WAR, THE Capitol had assigned every citizen a shelter near their residence. The Snows' magnificent building had a basement level so sturdy and big that it held all its residents and half the block. But there was always times where the power would falter, the grid flickering on and off, the sirens unreliable, that they would be caught unaware with no time to retreat to the basement considering the Capitol's surveillance system depended heavily on electricity and there was a large rebel interference in District Five. And when this happened, Dorothy, Coriolanus, Tigris, and the Grandma'am would hide under the dining table which was carved from a single block of marble. And the immense fear that young Dorothy felt then was a replica of what she felt now. 

The impact threw her off her feet, tossing her further into the arena as she instinctively covered her head. But of course, her head bashed onto the floor, making Dorothy feel like she was about to puke. 

The first explosion, which seemed to have come from the main gate, initiated a chain of eruptions around the arena. Dorothy couldn't run without getting exploded and even if she wanted to, she couldn't. Her head was spinning despite laying flat on the floor. If she stood and tried to run, she would collapse.

As Dorothy vaguely lifted her eyes, she realised that the bombs must have been planted since there was no hovercraft. Dorothy couldn't tell since there was a thick, black haze combined with the dirt that blurred her vision. But the explosions had stopped. They had stopped. 

But what a fool Dorothy was for thinking it had stopped, for when she lifted her head, the final explosion, which was bigger and louder, echoed around just to her right, destroying what was a snack stand. Lollies, debris, and pillars went everywhere as Dorothy shielded her head one last time, but she groaned in pain when something pinned her to the ground. 

Stunned and on the verge of throwing up, Dorothy looked over her shoulder to see a mound of debris had trapped her to the ground, pain searing through her body as she vaguely registered that everything was on fire. The stadium was on fire, people were on fire, the debris atop Dorothy was on fire, singing her hair. And due to the fear of burning alive, Dorothy tried to pull herself out, but her body was becoming numb. The flames were starting to lick at her skin. But where was Sabyn?

Sabyn had to at least be somewhere on Dorothy's left considering that was where she was standing before the explosions went off. But somehow, Dorothy ended up on the left, lying on the field with a pile of debris trapping her. Dorothy, who was being burnt alive, tried to lift her head to find Sabyn. There was some figures standing up whilst some were crumpled on the ground, crying for help. Dorothy would have yelled for help, but the smoke was so thick where she laid. 

"Miss Snow, are you okay?" A man with a gruff voice grunted. A medic.

"O-Obviously not... you... m-moron."

Dorothy vaguely registered a team of medics running onto the field as some of them began to chuck the debris off her body. And when the load got lighter, they pulled her out and settled her onto a stretcher. Where was Sabyn? Coriolanus?

She was sure she had a concussion, for she felt sluggish and her feeling of about to puke was right, for she had rolled over on her side and vomited on whatever medic was closest. But despite her concussion, she was aware of the ambulance ride, the banging through the doors to the same waiting area where she and Coriolanus had gone to just after seeing Dr Gaul, being moved onto a table whilst a team of doctors looked over. She tried to furrow her eyebrows when she saw one of them point to her cheek, but she was put to sleep before she could even do that action. 

And Dorothy woke on the Sunday morning, blinking when she saw both Tigris and the Grandma'am leaning over with worried looks. At this, Dorothy smiled, but just ended up coughing.

"Hey, Dottie," Tigris cooed as she stroked her shoulder. "It's just us."

"Hi," Dorothy breathed. "You'll never guess what happened on the tour... a bomb went off."

"Yes, we know." Tigris shook her head with a smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I'm floating."

"That might be the morphling talking."

Dorothy, even in her drug state, demanded that Tigris tell her what happened. And so, as Tigris told her what happened with a few quips coming from the Grandma'am, Dorothy realised how peculiar the bombing was. They knew it must have been rebels who placed the bombs, but where and when? It could've been any of the twelve districts, or some who had escaped Thirteen, or some, hopefully not, cell in the Capitol itself. And the arena had been empty and ignored like it was every year so the bombs really could have been placed anytime. But the one thing that made Dorothy shudder was the losses the Capitol had endured because of it. The pair from District Six were killed by shrapnel, but no-one cared about that. What they cared about was that the Ring twins had been killed in the same explosion. Four mentors were hospitalised — Dorothy, Coriolanus, Androcles Anderson, and Gaius Breen. Gaius lost both of his legs and was in critical condition.

"How's Coryo?" Dorothy managed to choke out. The Ring twins were dead. That could've been the Snow twins. 

"He's okay." Tigris nodded. "He's still asleep. He's in the room next to you."

Dorothy nodded faintly as she tried to accept their situation. Apollo and Diana Ring were dead and whilst Dorothy never really was close with them, she genuinely liked the pair. And then somewhere close, Androcles, who wanted to be a reporter at Capitol News, and Gaius, the boy who had an endless supply of some funny, some terrible jokes, were on their death beds. 

"What about Sabyn?" Dorothy looked at Tigris and the Grandma'am. "Is Sabyn all right? Is she okay?"

"I don't know, Dottie." Tigris sighed. "They haven't shown the zoo just yet, but she's not on the list of the dead tributes."

There was more than just the pair from Six dead. Both from One had tried to make a run for it, leaping through a hole that was blown open near the entrance. They were shot dead. And then there was Marcus, who had ran and has disappeared completely. Some say he climbed to the Transfer, the network of tracks and roadways built under the Capitol, but no-one knew. What everyone knew was that a dangerous, powerful boy was on the loose. 

A doctor, the same one that Coriolanus spoke to after the snake attack, entered, Tigris and the Grandma'am leaving to see Coriolanus. He did a quick checkup, explaining that she had a  light concussion, a slice on the cheek from a piece of shrapnel that required some stitches, and a few mild burns which were healing nicely due to treatment. The doctor said that healing would take a while, but if Dorothy continued to improve, she would be released soon.

And so, Dorothy fell into a deep sleep. Coriolanus had woken up soon after her and everything was explained to him as well. Apparently, he too was sad about Apollo and Diana. But Dorothy did not get anymore news until she woke up Monday afternoon to a swarm of visitors. 

First, it was Lysistrata, who only had a few scratches. The two sat in silence before Lysistrata began to sob into her hands about the Ring twins. She informed Dorothy that they were all expected to show up next morning for the funeral despite classes being cancelled. And then Professor Demigloss came in, checking if his campaigned student was all right. When Dorothy asked him about Sabyn, all he did was shake his head, saying he hadn't heard what's happened to the tributes. And then even Satyria popped in with some cookies. And Sejanus came with Dorothy's book bag, a box of sandwiches that his mother had made, and a singular chocolate cookie that Dorothy appreciated very much. Other than that, it was mostly Tigris coming in and out of her room.

And it was that Monday night that Dorothy was in a sweet sleep, waking up when someone shook her. She suspected it was a nurse coming in, but she stifled a scream when she saw Clemensia's face right in-front of hers. But it didn't look like Clemensia. Her golden brown skin was peeling and the whites of her eyes were yellow, her tongue jutting out from her mouth repeatedly as if she was some snake. Well, she was bitten by them.

"Dottie!" Clemensia hissed. "You. Me. Get out of here."

"Uh... what?"

"You, me, and Coriolanus need to get out of here!" Clemensia cried. "Or she'll kill us! She'll kill every last one of us!"

"Who will?"

"Dr Gaul!" Clemensia clutched her hand. "You were there!"

"Clemmie, you're sick," Dorothy cooed as she tried to wriggle her hand out of the girl's grasp. "You need to go back to your room, it's just your snakebites. It'll be okay."

"Okay? Okay?" Clemensia screamed as two hospital staff came in, lifting her out of the room, but before they did, the girl ripped back the opening of her hospital gown, revealing a patch of skin that was over her chest. It was a neon blue, pink, and yellow and looked much like the scales of the snakes in the tank. "Explain this! Explain this!"

But Dorothy couldn't explain it and nor could she explain the sudden sadness she felt when it was the next day, the funeral being aired. And since Dorothy couldn't be there in person, they had managed to put her holographic self sitting beside Ravinstill once more, Coriolanus's projection singing the anthem as he opened the event. And Dorothy was happy that the Capitol did even more for the twins than what they did for Arachne. There was more Peacekeepers, more banners, more flowers. It was good to see the twins praised in such a way.

And then Dorothy was informed that the two from Nine died from their injuries and that the veterinarian's (something that Dorothy was enraged about) pleas about sending them to the hospital were silenced. And so, their scarred bodies along with what remained of the pair from Six were draped over the backs of horses and paraded down the street. The pair from One were dragged behind them. And then came a pair of the caged trucks Dorothy and Coriolanus had ridden in on their way to the zoo. One was for the boys, the other for the girls and Dorothy strained her eyes trying to find Sabyn, but the truck went down too fast for her to even get a good look.

As the twins' matching silver coffins came into view, Dorothy started to cry. She was not close to the twins, but all she could think about was the stupid game they had made up on the playground during the war called Ring-around-the-Rings. The rest of the kids would chase down Apollo and Diana, grabbing hands and forming a circle around them, trapping them. It always ended with the whole lot of them, the Rings included, as they always ended up falling onto the floor, laughing and laughing. Oh, how desperately Dorothy wanted to be seven again, to have so many friends and no dramas. But Arachne was dead. Diana and Apollo were dead. Clemensia was basically a snake. Livia hated Dorothy because of jealousy. And Festus would not stop crying. 

But then finally, both Dorothy and Coriolanus were discharged that morning with instructions that they were to rest. The two twins embraced each other for a long time before Tigris, hesitantly, tore them apart and took the trolley home with them before returning to work. And so, both the twins and the Grandma'am spent the afternoon napping and they all woke up to a casserole Sejanus's mother had sent over. Dorothy would have to say thank you next time she saw the boy. 

The only thing that brought Dorothy comfort was that Satyria had called saying that there was another mentor-tribute meeting scheduled with the idea of working toward the interviews, which would be completely voluntary.

But as Dorothy looked down from the balcony into Heavensbee Hall, she realised most chairs were empty. There was no tributes at all for One, Six, or Nine, and only one from Ten and Two. Most of the kids who were still alive were injured and looked deathly sick. And then there was six mentors either dead or hospitalised and those who had been partnered with the duo from One had no reason to show up. Livia had been very open about this, demanding that new tributes be brought in or that she should be given Reaper, Clemensia's tribute. But her wishes and dreams did not come true as the boy sat alone at his table.

When noticing Sabyn sitting in her chair, Dorothy felt a leap of relief. But when she sat down opposite of her, she let it sink in how injured she had been. Her skin was coated in soot, losing the paleness she had. Dirt and sand clung to her flesh as a bloody bandaged wrapped around her upper arm, the sleeve of her dress rolled up. Blood and soil caked her fingernails as there was small hints of the crimson liquid on her face. It was dried up a bit from a large cut that was on her cheek and her hair was matted and knotted, the blood from what happened at the station dried up.

"I know..." Sabyn said hoarsely. "I look like a mess... I need to clean myself with the water back in the cage."

"Don't worry about that." Dorothy shook her head quickly, reaching forward and holding her dusty hand. "I'm just glad you're all right."

"I'm about as good as I can get." Sabyn smiled at her. At least she kept her humour. "But hey, we're twinning." She gestured to the wound on her cheek and then to the stitched one on Dorothy's.

"It's good to see you've kept your humour, Sabyn." Dorothy smiled lightly at the girl. "But today we have to take it seriously. We need to think of a strategy."

"Well, I've only got fourteen competitors." Sabyn sighed. "And it doesn't matter if they find Marcus, he won't kill me."

"Well, that's good." Dorothy nodded. "But I'm going to be honest, you might just win by default." She looked around grimly at the sick, battered tributes. The only person who seemed all right in some cases was Lucy Gray. "Well, maybe you have to fight Lucy Gray..."

"Are you willing to go up against your brother?"

And that was a question Dorothy had not asked herself. Was she willing to go up against her brother? It was something that hadn't really entered her mind during this whole assignment. When they were younger, some things were competition between the two, but it was always playful. But with this, this was different. This was considering someone's life. 

"Whatever it takes to keep you alive." Dorothy sighed, looking at her brother. "And that brings me to the question, would you kill someone?"

Sabyn furrowed her brows, swallowing a lump in her throat before saying, "Yes, I would."

"Okay..." Dorothy hummed before handing Sabyn a water bottle from her book bag, the girl taking it with open hands. "I would also consider allies as well. I'm assuming Marcus was your ally?"

"Before he disappeared, yes."

"Well, I would suggest finding another one," Dorothy told her. "At this point, I doubt they'll find Marcus. And they're still doing the interviews, but it's voluntary. You still okay with doing the stand-up?"

"Of course." Sabyn smirked. "I would love to see you Capitol people laugh. You're all tight and tense."

"Welcome to the Capitol."

"The land of the dumb."

They only had about ten minutes of Sabyn explaining her act before the meeting ended, Professor Sickle ordering the mentors back to the high biology lab.

Peacekeepers escorted them and Dean Highbottom checked off their names as they filed to their places. Every single mentor that wasn't dead or hospitalised was there, even Livia and Sejanus, who already sat at the lab tables. Dr Gaul was in the corner, dropping carrots into the rabbit's cage. Dorothy clenched her hands at the sight of her.

"Hippity, hoppity, carrot or stick? Everyone's dying and you're..."

"Feeling sick." Sejanus sighed.

"It's the compassionate one." Dr Gaul laughed. "Where's your tribute, boy? Any clue?"

The Capitol News had less frequent updates about the manhunt for Marcus, but the offical statement was that he was trapped down in a remote level of the Transfer.

"Possibly on his way to freedom." Sejanus shrugged. "Possibly captured and under wraps. Possibly injured and hiding. Possibly dead. I've no idea. Do you? No, don't answer! He's either dead or about to be, when you catch him and drag him through the streets in chains."

"That's our right."

"No, it isn't! I don't care what you say. You've no right to starve people, to punish them for no reason. No right to take away their life and freedom. Those are things everyone is born with and they're not yours for the taking. Winning a war doesn't give you that right. Having more weapons doesn't give you that right. Being from the Capitol doesn't give you that right. Nothing does. Oh, I don't even know why I came here today." He jumped from his seat, going to the door, but when he tried the handle, it was locked. "Locking us in now? It's like our own little monkey house."

"You have not been dismissed," Dr Gaul said. "Sit down, boy."

"No."

Dorothy held her breath as she watched Sejanus. He had the guts definitely and whilst she admired him for his openness, she also realised that such a thing could get him seriously hurt. He could end up like Clemensia.

"It's locked from the outside," Dean Highbottom intervened after a moment of silence. "The Peacekeepers have orders to leave us undisturbed until notified. Sit down, please."

"Or should we have them chaperone you somewhere else?" Dr Gaul suggested. "I think your father's offices are nearby."

Sejanus just stood there, burning with rage as he continued to stare Dr Gaul. It was so uncomfortable, the tension, that Dorothy ended up saying, "There's a seat by me.... if that... matters."

The last part was mumbled, but the offer distracted Sejanus. He saw it was Dorothy and took a deep breath before walking back down the aisle, sliding onto the stool next to her, clenching the strap on his book bag and the other forming a fist on the table. And suddenly, Dorothy bit her tongue and regretted talking in the first place, for Dean Highbottom gave her a quizzical look.

"Your emotions are running high," Dr Gaul told them, eyeing every single mentor. "I understand. I do. But you must learn to harness and contain them. Wars are won with heads, not hearts."

"I thought the war was over," Livia said. She was angry, but not like Sejanus was. Dorothy, if she had no self-control, would have gone over there and slapped her. 

"Did you?" Dr Gaul asked. "Even after your experience in the arena?"

"I did." Lysistrata nodded. "And if the war is over, then technically the killing should be over, shouldn't it?"

"I'm beginning to think it will never be over," Festus said. "The districts will always hate us and we'll always hate them."

"I think you might be onto something there," Dr Gaul said. "Let's consider for a moment that the war is a constant. The conflict may ebb and flow, but it will never really cease. Then what should be our goal?"

"You're saying it can't be won?" Lysistrata blurted out. 

"Let's say it can't." Dr Gaul shrugged. "What's our strategy then?"

Control it. That was the answer. They could control it. If the war was too impossible to end, they should control it. But the answer was too obvious and Tigris was right about avoiding Dr Gaul. But as the class thought about the question, the old lady chuckled.

"How about the Snows'?" Dr Gaul suggested. "I'm sure you two have an answer. Mr Snow?"

"We control it," Coriolanus said quietly. "If the war's impossible to end, then we have to control it indefinitely."

"Miss Snow?" Dr Gaul smiled. "Would you like to expand on that?"

"Well, we control it just as we do now." Dorothy swallowed the lump in her throat. The old hag was to die soon anyway, it would be fine. "We add strict laws, we have the Peacekeepers in the districts maintaining order, we have reminders who's in charge, things like the Games. It doesn't matter what situation you're in, it is better to have the upper hand. To be the victor."

"The victor?" Dr Gaul raised an eyebrow.

"It's preferable to be the victor rather than the defeated," Dorothy clarified.

"Though, in our case, decidedly less moral," Sejanus muttered from beside her. She did hope he remembered what she told him. She didn't want him thinking that she was some monster.

"It's not immoral to defend ourselves," Livia snapped at the boy. "And who wouldn't rather be the victor than the defeated?" That was her selfish side coming out.

"I don't know that I have much interest in being either," Lysistrata said.

"But that wasn't an option," Coriolanus reminded Dorothy's friend, "given the question. Not if you think about it."

"Not if you think about it, eh, Casca?" Dr Gaul chuckled, eyeing the Snow twins. "A little thought can save a lot of lives... but take heart. Like most of life's circumstances, war has its ups and downs. And that's your next assignment. Write me an essay on everything attractive about war. Everything you love about it."

"Loved about it?" Lysistrata asked, scowling whilst others looked confused. But Dorothy wasn't. This woman had let snakes bite Clemensia for entertainment. It would make sense the woman would set such a task.

"That shouldn't take long," Festus mumbled.

"Is it a group project?" Livia asked.

"No, individual. The problem with group assignments is that one person never ends up doing the work." Dr Gaul smirked as she gave Dorothy and Coriolanus a wink. "But feel free to pick your families' brains. You might be surprised. Be as honest as you dare. Bring them to Sunday's mentor meeting."

When they were released, Dorothy let out a sigh as she walked down the hall, Sejanus stopping her. "Why did you do that?"

"I don't know." Dorothy shrugged. "You needed help, I helped you."

"Well, thank you." Sejanus nodded. "Really."

"Ah, it was no problem." Dorothy chuckled. "I just didn't want you to turn into some enhanced elephant. I would miss you."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, actually." Dorothy smirked. "Who else will I fly around with once I die and turn into a dove? Because I can tell you Coryo wouldn't."

"Well, it's nice to have someone miss me," Sejanus said. "I'll see you around, Dorothy."

"Wait!" Dorothy leaned forward, grabbing Sejanus's hand to pull him back. "Thank you, Sejanus."

"For what?"

"I don't know," Dorothy muttered. "I just felt like I should say thank you."

With that, Dorothy nodded her head and speed walked away from Sejanus, sighing. That was until Coriolanus's voice echoed around.

"Dottie!" He called out. "Dottie!"

"Coryo?" Dorothy turned around, eyebrows furrowing. "What's wrong?"

"Do you think we've have a guitar anywhere in the apartment?"

"Why the hell would we have a guitar?"

"Lucy Gray needs one for her interview." Coriolanus sighed. "But I can't find one. I've been looking everywhere."

"Does no-one have a guitar?" Dorothy asked.

"No."

"Well, have you thought about Pluribus Bell?" 

During the war, the twins and Tigris only really had the Grandma'am's foresight early. The rebels had been making slow but steady progress to the Capitol, although arrogance kept that reality from being acknowledged by them. And food shortages required even the grandest to seek out supplies on the black market. That was how they met Pluribus Bell, the owner of a once-trendy nightclub. Dorothy remembered holding the Grandma'am's gloved hand, Coriolanus on the other side, clutching to her as he held the handle of a small wagon. 

Pluribus Bell was an ageing man with lemon-tinted spectacles and a white powdered wig that fell to his waist. He and his partner, Cyrus, a musician, owned the shuttered club and made do by trafficking goods from its back alley. The Snows' had come for a case of canned milk, but Pluribus said he was sold out. What did come was a crate of dried lima beans. Dorothy always liked Pluribus, mostly because he owned a fluffy, white cat called Boa Bell that seemed to adore Dorothy. 

"Pluribus must have instruments lying around," Dorothy muttered as she knocked on the back door. When the door opened, Boa Bell wove between Dorothy and Coriolanus's legs, purring. Dorothy quickly scooped her up, being careful as the cat was now seventeen. When Coriolanus jokingly looked offended, Dorothy muttered, "She just likes me more."

"Ah, come in!" Pluribus said. When they entered, the man poured them both a glass of cold tea, filled a plate with cakes, and began to talk business. They spoke about the bombing and how it brought up bad memories of the war, but soon Coriolanus got on with talking about Lucy Gray.

"If I had a few like her, I might think of opening the club back up," Pluribus mused. "Oh, I'd still sell my pretties, but I could stage shows on the weekends. The truth is, we were all so busy killing each other that we forgot how to have fun. She knows, though. Your girl."

Coriolanus told him the plan for the interview, asking if there might be a guitar he could borrow. "I'd take good care of it, I promise. I'd keep it at home except when she's playing, and return it right after the show."

"You know, I packed everything away after the bombs got Cyrus. Silly, really. As if I could forget the love of my life so easily." 

He moved a stack of perfume crates, revealing an old closet door. Inside, a variety of musical instruments were arranged neatly on a shelf. Pluribus pulled out a dust-free, leather case and lifted the lid. The guitar was a shining gold, having curves that Dorothy wished she had. Coriolanus strummed it with his fingers and even though it was horrendously out of tune, it still had Dorothy beaming.

But Coriolanus shook his head as he said, "This one is too nice. I wouldn't want to risk damaging it."

"I trust you. And I trust your girl. Kind of like to hear what she does with it." Pluribus winked at Dorothy as he handed the case over to Coriolanus. "You take it and tell her I've got my fingers crossed for her. It's good to have a friend in the audience."

"Thank you, Pluribus." Coriolanus nodded. "I hope you do reopen. I'm sure we'll be steady customers."

"Just like your father." Pluribus chuckled. "When he was about your age, he used to close down this place every night with that rascal Casca Highbottom."

Dorothy nearly bursted out laughing at that description of her father, but then she noticed that Pluribus was being serious. She couldn't possibly imagine her father, the humourless and strict person he was, going wild at a nightclub. And with Dean Highbottom as well?

"Our father? With Dean Highbottom?"

"Yep. They were a pair of wild things," Pluribus said, but he was soon distracted by a customer. The two twins decided to go home, beaming smiles on their faces. 

⇢ ˗ˏˋ matz 🎧 !

— in the actual book, sabyn dies when she attempted to escape the arena during the bombing, but i changed it so this one doesn't because i think sabyn wouldn't try and leave dorothy and realising the consequences that brandy had, she wouldn't