Chapter 3: The Death of a Crane

"You and I'll be safe and sound.."

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Emme made her way to the cafeteria for lunch tho she didn't get anything except for apple slices and made her way over to her usual table. As she made her way over to said table she got interrupted.

"Hey, Em why don't you come over here with us?" A very obnoxious boy asked, that sat with Clemensia and the rest of the snobs. "Or she can ditch with me." Another boy asked.

"Beat it. Sleezes." Marcus said, grabbing her and pulling her to the usual table.

"Why Jealous Plinth? That she'd want an actual man." One of them snarled. Emme cringed and Marcus ignored the remark.

Emme sat down next to Coriolanus and Marcus sat across from her. The twins started bickering about something. Emme could only guess it was about Sejanus's speech.

"Are you alright?" Coriolanus whispered, down into your ear. Emme sighed and nodded.

"Nothing that hasn't happened before.." Emme whispered back, before sliding the bag of apple slices away not really having an appetite after what had occurred.

Though she didn't miss the way Coriolanus's jaw clench and glare daggers at the guys that had messed with you.

"You trying to fatten that poor girl up so you can finally start taking bets?" Marcus asked.

"You think they'll give those kids a scrap if we don't give them a reason to do it?" Coriolanus asked Marcus.

"How do you think your tribute will have a chance if he can't eat?" Coriolanus then asked Sejanus.

"He was our classmate...Back in 2." Sejanus said, lowly. Marcus placed a hand on his brother's back.

"I'm sorry Sej.." Emme shared her sympathy with the boy bring hand to hold his comfortingly. Coriolanus cleared his throat. Which made Em retract her hand.

"It's not your fault it's him." Coriolanus muttered. Taking Emme's hand back in his. Emme gave him a slightly playful glare.

"See, I know. I'm so blameless, I'm choking on it.My father bought him for me, you know?" Sejanus said. Marcus rolled his eyes.

"Father wouldn't do that Sejanus." Marcus said annoyed.

"Oh yes he did, at the Reaping, just so he could show me that I could never go back to 2." Sejanus bit back.

"But being Capitol is gonna kill me."

"So do something about it." Coriolanus said. Emme smiled, Marcus was shocked, and Sejanus smirked.

"Quite the rebel." Sejanus said.

"Oh, yeah... I'm bad news." Coriolanus replied.

"Well. Welcome to the dark side." Marcus said, which made Em giggle and roll her eyes slightly. Which lead to a smirking Coriolanus.

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Emme, Coriolanus, and Sejanus all made their way to the 'zoo' with food and water that Sejanus's mother had packed to hand out to the tributes.

"Marcus. Hey. It's me." Sejanus said.

"Marcus, look. Here, I got some food for you. Here. Come on. Marcus?" Sejanus said holding out food before dropping his arm in defeat. Emme smiled slightly.

"Would you like me to try?" Emme offered.

  Sejanus sighed but nodded handing Emme the food. Coriolanus watched carefully from afar angered that Sejanus would let you get that close.

"Hello, Marcus." The boy turned around slightly looking at her. "I know we don't know each other but all we want to do is help. So can you please take a sandwich? I know you probably had a long trip here." Emme said sympatheticly.

  The boy slowly moved towards her and took the food and water from her. Not really knowing why. Maybe, it was because they didn't know each other or maybe it was because she was a girl and considering the circumstances... or maybe it was how she was with Dill and Wovey the blonde wasn't quite sure. But She gave the poor boy who might not be here much longer do to the awful future that was ahead of the 24 tributes a small smile.

  Sejanus mouthed a thank you which Emme nodded too. Before, going over to Dill and Reaper. Coriolanus couldn't help but feel jealous and angered by your careless actions but before he could dwell his thoughts were interrupted-

"Is that for us?" Lucy gray asked, looking at the food and water. Coriolanus nodded.

"Jessup." Lucy Gray called her friend and the male tribute that came with her.

"I'm not hungry." He replied back. Lucy gray rolled her eyes.

"You think I can't hear your stomach growling, Jessup Diggs? Come on." Lucy gray teased, the boy grumbled before excepting it.

"What happened to his neck?" Coriolanus asked.

"A bat bite. The first night on the train, he didn't sleep a wink the whole journey 'cause he was keeping the bats off me, so I would get some rest." Lucy gray replied.

  While, not that far away Arachne was teasing her tribute brandy.

"Can you take it? Come on, try harder than that." She said Mockingly. Handing her tribute food before yanking it way before she could get it.

"What is she doing?" Dill asked, as Emme kept looking over at Arcane.

"I-I'm not sure.." Emme said, looking between Arachne and her tribute.

"Well Dill, I was wondering if you had any special skills or talents." The girl looked at you curiously before coughing.

"Why would you want to know? You may act like you care but don't." Reaper said in his normal defensive self.

"Well, I might have a chance to help her. To make some suggestions to the Gamemakers. My friend and I might even be able to get the audience to send you gifts in the arena. Food and water to keep you going." Emme said.

"What's the point?" Dill asked. "I'm not going to make it back home.." she said sadly. Emme frowned.

"Dill don't say that!" Reaper said angrily but more hurt than angry.

"Reaper you know it's true!" She retorted in between coughs. Emme looked at the girl sadly and Reaper glared before asking- "Don't the guards say you get money if you get more people to watch and you say you wanna help me."

"I want to help. I could care less about any money or the prize that comes with winning." Emme said, Reaper looked into her eyes and softened.

  There was something in them that proved she indeed wanted to actually help to the best of her ability. Emme glanced over at Arachne.

"One more time." Arachne teased.

"I'm not playing this game." Brandy said getting more and more angrier.

"Come on."

"You shut up."

"Uh... No, thank you. I saw you staring. Please." Arachne kept poking, before rolling her eyes. "Give me something. I've been sitting here for 15 minutes!"

  Emme knew something awful was going to happen if she wouldn't stop. It was like poking a wild animal when it hasn't eaten in days. But before Emme could turn back to Dill she saw the tribute grab the bottle and before she could think.

Without thinking Emme was already on her feet moving towards the girl.

"That little one, she's so sweet, so young. Something about her reminds me of my cousin Maude Ivory..." Lucy Gray said looking at Wolvey.

"I can't stand to think of them without me like this.."

"I'm sorry." Coriolanus said with a bit of sympathy.

"You seem like a good man, Coriolanus snow.."

"Sure would've been nice to meet you under different circumstances." Lucy Gray said.

"One of your shows, maybe."

"Yeah.."

"We could have had a drink. A dance or.. two.."

"Like we had all the time in the world." Lucy Gray said, while she looked into his eyes and leaning in.

Until, they heard screams and some yell "No!"

Coriolanus pulled away looking over his eyes widening as he saw the scene before them and Emme running towards it. Coriolanus wasted no time and ran towards her.

As Emme approached the scene she tried to use a rock to pull the girl away but before she could do anything it was already too late. Arachne tribute smashed the bottle cutting Emme's shoulder and cutting Arachne throat. Ignoring her own pain Emme grabbed on to Arachne.

"E-em I don't want to die." Arachne cried.

"N-no you're not going to die." Emme said, crying while holding her throat to try to stop the bleeding.

"Help somebody help!!" She yelled. Coriolanus and Sejanus looked at each other helplessly.

"N-no!" Emme cried, as Arachne took her last breath. Emme froze staring down at her now dead classmate her hands covered in her blood.

Before anything was done Brandy shot her armout and tried to yank Emme back. Coriolanus's eyes widened and dove down to get Emme away but not a second later gunshots went off killing Brandy Coriolanus grabbed Emme and pulled her into him sheltering her from the bullets. Peacekeepers came up and pulled them away.

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  Emme was frozen, shaking and looking at her hands covered in Arachne blood. Still ignoring the pain in her arm.

"There was nothing you could do Em." Coriolanus grabbed her arm. Then looked down to see blood. His eyebrows furrowed before turning her slightly to see blood slowly spewing through her shirt.

"C-can I-"of course." Coriolanus said before Emme could finish. Before taking her into his arms and walking them to his place.

  Once, they made it to his home. Tigris gave a sad smile. As she saw Em. Coriolanus took her to his room. And got her out clothes.

"You can take a shower or just wash up it's just might be co-" "thank you coryo." Emme said interrupting.

  It was the sign that she had given him every time he would start to feel embarrassed. He pulled her into him giving her a hug and a kiss on the forehead before letting her get situated.

"It's starting again..." Coriolanus heard Grandma'am say.

"This is how it begins... The war."

"It was my fault. I suggested we get closer to the tributes.." Coriolanus said, as he sat down next to Tigris as his eyes shifted to his room feeling guilty for Emme.

"You're just lucky that your songbird didn't peck out your eyes too." Grandma'am said coldly.

"She's not a rebel, Grandma'am... She's just a girl." Tigris said. Grandma'am Laughed at her statement.

"Trust me, that one hasn't been a girl in a long time... Outside this Capitol, they're savages,one and all." Both of the Snow Cousins looked at their Grandmother.

"However, they may smile, she will use you.. You must use her or you'll end up dead in the trees like your father." Her words struck a chord in Coriolanus that put him on edge.

He bid his cousin and Grandma'am goodnight before going back to his room to see Emme sitting on the edge of his bed in his shirt looking down at her hands tears streaming down her face.

"She just died... and I couldn't do anything about it.. I-i " Coriolanus took her hands in his wiping away her tears with his sleeve.

"The matter is that you did try to stop it.. if it wasn't Arachne it would have been you.." Coriolanus said with a slight harsh tone. But Emme knew that tone it was the one he used when he was scared or worried about something or someone. She wrapped her arms around him.

"I-I'm sorry for not thinking more clearly and putting myself in danger..." she whispered, he put his arms around her getting a whiff of her scent which made smell like roses and a hint of vanilla. He smiled slightly at the mix.

They stayed like that for awhile before, writing out the proposal.

"I think these ideas will work great." Emme whispered, smiling slightly at Corio. Coriolanus smiled and nodded before getting up from the desk discarding his shirt.

  Smirking when he saw Emme get flushed. Before, bringing her to his bed she laid down and he got in beside her putting his arm around her as they both dosed off to sleep in each others arms.