[Authors Note]

Everyone go follow @quinnmaverickdistrictfour on Tumblr! A fan blog dedicated to the story and characters-- it would be a great place for all of us to talk about it!

and I hope you guys enjoy this chapter ;)

Stay classy! Follow, comment, and recommend away loves!

_________________

The next day went by, and it was practically the same. The only difference was the fact that command didn't need her at all. So as soon as she was done with her schedule, she went to her compartment to just rest and have some peace and quiet-- time to herself.  However once people began to finish their free time, and began their march to their next task-- the talking and footsteps flooded through the door to her compartment. She wanted to just sit in silence though, just like she had been.

Quinn hadn't left the compound much the last time she was there. But the few times she had, it hadn't been extremely difficult to get out. At least it hadn't been when she was with Dylan and Quinten-- but they had been leaving for a while.

But Quinn decided to take her chances. Besides, if she was caught-- what would they even do? Coin still hoped Quinn would help them in some way, the punishment probably wouldn't be all that severe. So Quinn flipped out the lights in her compartment and then slipped out into hall. She joined a group of people stepping into the elevator and then she simply stayed on it until she was at the first floor of the compound. It was mainly just used as a check in point for new arrivals where they would give their finger prints, a bit of blood, and their picture. Or if a couple got married they go there to sign the papers and then get assigned their own compartment. From there Quinn slipped through the main room, where an older woman-- a lady who had let Dylan and Quinten out to hunt in return for wild raspberries when they were in season. It was two flights of stairs that Quinn had to take from there-- then she would be completely on her own. At least that was what she thought, until she heard a familiar voice thank the woman for not saying anything and unlocking the door to the stairs. Quinn began skipping steps, using the rail to pull herself up to make her go faster.

But it wasn't fast enough.

"Quinn,"

"Leave me alone." she retorted as she turned the corner to go to the second and last flight of stairs. "I just want to be left alone."

He didn't say anything for a moment while he hurried to catch up with her. "With the way you were sneaking around, I would have thought you were going to do something stupid." he replied, "You can't go out there with nothing to defend yourself-"

"Watch me."

"Quinn," he sighed, "If you're still angry because of what I said in the hospital-"

"I'm not mad at just you." she retorted sharply, "So you don't have to worry about me being mad at you."

He sighed heavily, "Then tell me-"

"I'm not telling you anything, Otto." she snapped quickly as she got to the top of the stairs. "There's nothing to tell."

"Then why did you storm out of command?" he asked, "They wanted you to go to District Twelve."

Quinn stared at him, "They left Ciruss for dead in the Capitol. I don't want to work with anyone who leaves people behind." she explained plainly, "And why do they want me to go there-"

"Katniss Everdeen went there to see the ruins." he said simply, "I told Coin...that maybe," he paused, he almost looked ashamed to admit that he suggested it. "That maybe if you were reminded what the Capitol was capable of...that you'd decide to work with Katniss-"

"I already know what they can do," she stated, "And I barely know Katniss-"

"Because you haven't even looked at her since you got here." he said sharply, "Quinn, if you didn't believe in this rebellion, you wouldn't have been looking for Katniss in the arena. You wouldn't have agreed to make sure she lived-"

Quinn knew that he had a point.

"I had other people to look for." she retorted.

He stared at her for a moment, and then leaned against the railing and looking over it for a moment.

"I'm trying really hard to understand your logic behind this." he sighed, "You suddenly decided to give up, that doesn't make sense. It's not the same Quinn who was willing to go back to the Capitol to keep her family, and the rest of Thirteen safe."

Quinn didn't say anything in return.

"That's the Quinn that the rebellion needs," he stated, "Not the one that has just given up."

Quinn scowled, but she didn't say anything. She knew that Otto had a valid point, she knew that the old Quinn could do something. But Quinn said nothing and just turned to walk down the short hallway before the door to the outside. She heard Otto let out a long sigh and then she paused, and then heard his feet descending down the stairs again. Leaving Quinn to wander off on her own for a bit.

Quinn stepped out into the fresh air. Instantly, Quinn felt a bit better. The fresh air felt foreign to her lungs, and the natural sunlight felt warm on her skin. It wasn't like the humidity from the arena, it was like the sun in District Four in the late morning. Quinn pushed the door shut behind her, and then she made her way up the path that was sheltered by the thick trees that had been able to grow, not bothered by anything for years.

From there, she made her way through the thick tree's. She climbed over a few fallen trees, and she climbed up a few ditches until she finally got to the rushing water that Quinten had showed her to a few days after she had first arrived to Thirteen. Quinn found her way to a dry spot, and seated herself down onto the ground. Quinn sat there, letting the serene silence surround her. The sound of the water rushing by, and the sound of the ripping blades of grass as she ripped grass from the ground to keep her hands busy. It was all so soothing, it could have put her to sleep.

It wasn't for maybe fifteen, maybe even thirty minutes that she heard someone. It wasn't much, but it was loud enough that she tried to sink away into the grass. At least at first she wanted to, but then she saw who it was. Orion climbed up onto the river bank. He looked up and down the bank, and didn't take long for his eyes to find her.

Orion made his way towards her.

"If Coin sent you to bring me to Command, save your breath." she stated as he got closer to her.

He sighed as he crouched down to be at her level. "I'm not her lap dog-"

"Could have fooled me." she replied, "Even when we were hear before, you did everything she told you to." Quinn pointed out.

He frowned, "I don't do it because I want to make her happy," he replied. "I do it because it's what's right."

Quinn sighed heavily, and looked away from him. Instead she turned her attention back to the grass she was pulling out. "Yeah, yeah..." she muttered.

He sighed, "Otto told me you came out here."

"I also told him I wanted to be alone," she told him, "He tell you that?"

He nodded, "As a matter of fact, he did." he replied, "I just came out to look for you anyway."

"Then what were you planning on doing?" she replied as he plopped down to sit next to her.

He shrugged, "Not sure." he said in a long drawn out sigh, "Talk maybe? We haven't done much of that."

"About what?" she replied. There was only one thing they had been able to talk about, at least ninety percent of their conversations were about the rebellion. And now, the topic just made Quinn want to rip all of her hair out.

"What do you think Panem will be like after the rebellion?" he asked innocently. And it was a fair question. During breakfast, Quinn had over heard some of the younger kids-- kids who were around thirteen or fourteen brainstorming what they thought it would be like.

She shrugged, "Don't know."

"You have to have an idea," he replied.

She shrugged again, "I don't know, don't care-- I won't be around to see it."

Her statement caught him off guard. He sat there, and she could feel his eyes staring at her. She had barely even thought of the future that way, but it made sense.

"You can't mean that." Orion stated, his voice wasn't very confident.

Quinn puffed out her cheeks before pushing out the huff of air. "Orion," she started, "The Capitol nearly destroyed Thirteen, they could easily do the same to other districts that don't have bunkers." she stated, "The Capitol has twice as much as Thirteen."

Orion shrugged as if the Capitols military wasn't even relevant. "I over heard Coin talking to the rest of command, there are a few other districts who are rebelling-"

"And too many people are dying. Coin doesn't know what she's doing, Orion." she stated, "She's just acting like she does. She's good at talking, but she's impulsive."

Orion scoffed, "Sounds like somebody else I know." he sighed, "Well, knew."

Quinn rolled her eyes, but again stayed silent for a moment, "Don't compare me to her." she said simply, "I wouldn't have left people behind, I would have at least tried."

"You just need to accept it, Quinn." he sighed after a long moment of silence between the two of them. "You're just as stuck in this rebellion as the next person." he said simply.

Quinn knew that Orion was right. No matter how much Quinn disconnected herself from Command and the plans they had and wanted her to help them with, she would still be involved. If she was on the front lines, then she'd be in the troops following Katniss and the other leaders.

"I don't want to talk about it anymore." Quinn stated, it was amazing that she had even been able to talk about it that long with out getting paranoid or losing her ability to even think.

He nodded a bit, "Okay," he said, his voice practically a whisper. He sat there for a moment.

Quinn sighed, and after a moment she decided to bring up the arena. "I really thought you wouldn't make it out of the arena." she confessed, turning towards him. "At least not with all the other tributes being Victor's."

He sighed, "I'm flattered by your faith in me." he stated, his tone full of sarcasm. "I really thought you didn't make it." he stated.

"I shouldn't have."

"I'm glad you did." he replied simply.

Quinn scoffed, "Why? I've been miserable to be around."

He let out a long huff of air, almost as if he was irritated. "You know why already, Quinn. You don't need me to tell you why I'm glad you're not dead." he said simply.

"I'd rather you lose me than me losing you." Quinn confessed, "I'd go crazy if you...you know," she paused. Her voice almost trailing off into a whisper because she hadn't been expecting to say anything like that. "Died."

"I don't even want to think about losing you," he sighed, "So it's a pointless topic. Because it's not going to happen." he stated in a matter-of-fact tone that was stern.

"You can't promise that." she stated, "You shouldn't make promises you can't keep."

He shrugged, "I can promise that I'll try to keep my promise." he said smugly, and Quinn sighed heavily, she wasn't at all convinced that it was something valid to even try to promise.

Everyone she had even gotten relatively close to, she lost. Or they were somehow punished for something she had done. Orion snapped her out of her thoughts by tapping her as he stood up. He didn't say anything at first, but she wasn't at all convinced by anything that he had said and he could tell.

"Quinn," he sighed as if it was irritating him that she wouldn't just believe him. Then as she stood up, he said, "Just trust me."

"Okay." she stated blandly, as if it would be enough to get him to drop the subject.

He sighed again, "Quinn,"

She slowly looked up at him. Her alone time hadn't been exactly what she had wanted.

"What?"

"Trust me," he urged her. "Okay?" His hands grabbed her by the shoulders, as if to keep her from turning even just an inch away from him. His blue eyes stared into her own. And unlike her, they were sincere in every way possible, it was strange because before her games-- she would have assumed that he would have been as cold as President Snow...

Suddenly everything became slow-- as if it would make the moment stay in her memory longer and more vividly that it would have if it was in normal time. But it was everything she had been afraid of.

Orion's eyes stared at her, but in a moment they went from sincere and kind to blank and empty. His arms fell from her shoulders, and he fell limply to the ground-- red blood surrounding him.