Chapter 7: Homecoming

"You bring me back to the light..."

~~~~~

  Emme was currently waiting at train station to go back to district 12. She was worried of losing anybody else after days of mourning Sejanus and to top it all off she was just kicked out. She didn't want to bother Ashe since he had already taken in Marcus. Why not go back to her start even if it was the same place her best friend was hanged but to be with her Grandmother again, the covey, and.. Corio.

  Lost in deep thought she didn't even realize the train had already arrived and passengers were already getting off. Emme looked up to see someone who looked eerily familiar but had something around them.. that wasn't right..

  She looked closer to the figure in a peacekeeper uniform. Her eyes widened. 'No it can't be..' she thought but... it had to be.. Right?

"Corio?" Emme asked. Looking at him, he smiled a small but genuine smile something he hadn't done in days since that night at the hob. She dropped her bag not thinking and ran up to him he picked her up bringing her into a crushing deep kiss.

"You're safe.." he whispered, letting out a breath of relief.

"I've missed you.." she said with tears in her eyes. He pulled her into a deep passionate kiss.

"I've missed you too.." he said.

"I-I thought something happened to you after I heard about Sejanus. I-" "look at me I'm okay and you're okay." Coriolanus said holding you as he wiped the tears away. Bringing you into a strong embrace.

  Coriolanus vowed to never let Emme his girl go not after that traitor songbird  betrayed him and left and.. Sejanus's poor pitiful Sejanus. He tried to feel sympathy for her but he couldn't. Not when it got him back to her.. his girl.

"Mister Snow." A Peacekeeper with others by his side. Coriolanus pulled away Emme giving him a confused yet worried expression. "Come with us please."

"What's this about?" Coriolanus asked.

"Dr. Gaul would like a word with you." A peacekeeper said. Emme gave him a confused look.

  Coriolanus grabbed Emme's hand as they walked towards Dr.Gaul's lab. The place Emme never wanted to see again. Once they got their Coriolanus turned towards her.

"Stay here. I won't take long." Coriolanus whispered. Emme gazed at him uncertain but nodded as she sat her bag down. He smiled as he gave her a quick kiss on her knuckles before letting go of her hand and entering Dr. Gauls Lab.

~~~

"Congratulations, Mr. Snow." Dr. Gaul said as he walked up to her stopping in front of the pool of swimming creatures she made. "You've passed all my tests."

"I've asked President Ravinstill to grant you a full pardon, effective immediately. I also told him that you are too promising to waste in the military." Dr.Gaul analysed, Coriolanus looked at her with slight confusion. "So you'll be studying under me now at the Capitol University."

"I can't afford University." He said looking down slightly.

"A certain Mr. Strabo Plinth has offered to pay for everything you need while you're there." Dr. Gaul said with a devious smirk. Coriolanus eyes widened. "All for being such a good friend to his Sejanus."

"Of course he doesn't know quite how good a friend you were, of course." Dr.Gaul continued, Coriolanus looked at her eyes slightly widened.

"I never mentioned your little recording. Quite impressive, how you sent your only friend to the noose just to get my attention." Dr. Gaul said as her smirk widened as she through in a piece of meat into the pool.

"That's not what I did." Coriolanus defended.

"Are you sure?" Dr. Gaul asked giving him a quizzical look. "Because I think that won you the Plinth Prize, after all." Coriolanus eyes locked with a certain possessive.

"The President has agreed to another year of the Games. People watched. And I have you to thank for that." Dr. Gaul praised.

"But before I take you under my wing, after everything you've seen out there in the real world, let me ask you one final time." Dr. Gaul said as she put the tangs down. Looking directly at him. "What are the Hunger Games for?"

"I used to think that the Hunger Games were punishment for the districts." Coriolanus started as he pondered the question thinking about the events.

"Then I thought they served as a warning to us here in the Capitol about the threat the districts posed." Dr.Gaul sighed in displeasure with his answer.

"Now I know the whole world is an arena." Coriolanus locked eyes with her. "And we need the Hunger Games."

"Every year. To remind us all who we truly are." Coriolanus finished. Dr. Gaul smirked.

"And who are you, do you determine?" Dr. Gaul asked with a Chuckle.

"The victor." Coriolanus answered with a smirk. Dr. Gauls face turned into a devilish smile.

"Welcome home, Mr. Snow."

~~~

A few months later, Coriolanus furnished and redid his family apartment and moved his family back into their home. As well as bringing Emme with him as well. Which thrilled Tigris and thrilled Grandma'am a bit. Though Emme was hesitant and tried to convince Coriolanus to let her find an apartment of her own so she wasn't crashing. Which he did not take too kindly.

Tigris welcomed Emme with opened arms. Happy to have somebody that could hopefully keep Coriolanus from going too far from himself.

"You look amazing Coryo.." Emme said as she looked at him with a smile. He flashed her a soft smile bringing her into a possessive kiss.

"I have some stuff I have to take care of.." He said before putting his lips next her ear. "But when I get back..." Coriolanus whispered seductively into her ear as his arm trailed down her side.

Emme gasped slapping his arm lightly he pulled away sending her a devious smirk as she opened her mouth about to say something but was consumed with a deep kiss. Before he pulled grabbing the tin box sending her one last smirk as she rolled her eyes.

Coriolanus walked out into the living room to find his cousin and Grandma'am.

"Oh!" Coriolanus Grandma'am shouted as she saw her grandson Coriolanus sent her a soft smile. "You look so handsome."

"What do you think?" Coriolanus asked moving his gaze at Tigris. She stared back at him with a blank expression.

"I think you look just like your father, Coriolanus.." Tigris said in low careful voice as she observed her cousin. Coriolanus face fell slightly in a knowing look as he stared at his cousin.

~~~

"Sejanus Plinth's personal effects from District 12." Coriolanus said as he dumped Sejanus's things onto Highbottoms desk. "I was going to return this to his parents tonight. As a gift. It would have been his 19th birthday." Highbottom stared at the boy now a man with his jaw clenched at the ignorance and pride just like his father.

"But I think... they would prefer just this." Coriolanus said as he held up the picture of himself, Sejanus, and Emme. "Best friends."

"You grew a heart in the districts." Highbottom spoke dripping with sarcasm and venom.

"No, not in the districts. In the Hunger Games." Coriolanus corrected him as he held his ground his eyes moving from the photograph towards and gestured towards Highbottom. "I should be thanking you."

"The credit for the Hunger Games goes to your father. Half of it, at least." Coriolanus narrowed his eyes at the Dean.

"I only dreamt them up as an assignment. A joke. I was drunk. Devise a punishment for our enemies so extreme, they will never forget how badly they've wronged us. When I sobered up, I wanted to destroy it." Highbottom stated his gaze wavering. Coriolanus listened intrigued.

"But your father, my best friend, he'd stolen it from me. Put both our names on it, taken it to Gaul to rise up himself." Highbottom continued his eyes staring off. 

"I tried morphling... the night that first child fell. I hoped the Games might die out. I tried to stop them however I could." Dean switched his spite filled gaze towards Coriolanus.

"But then you came along. Now the blood of so many more generations will be on my hands. Because you've shown us the price people are willing to pay for a good show."

"Tell me... was she sad when you left 12?" Highbottom asked. Coriolanus looked at him confused. "Your little songbird?"

"I expect it made us both sad." Coriolanus said playing along with the stupid question.

"My contacts inform me that she's disappeared. That the mayor might have killed her out there. But there's no proof." Highbottom said as he stared at Coriolanus with a weary look.

"It's a mystery. And mysteries have a way of driving people mad." Highbottom chuckled.

"Look at you." Highbottom gestured to Coriolanus. "Heir to the Plinth fortune, nothing in your way. You've even managed to corrupt Ms. Reinswood.."  Coriolanus's jaw locked at the mention of Emme.

"Snow lands on top." Coriolanus said as his 6ft tall frame stared down at his once Dean.

"Yeah." Highbottom let out and with that Coriolanus left without another word having had enough of the old Dean and once he heard the coughing and choking for air he knew he wasn't going to be a problem anymore.

~~~

Word Count: 1618

(A/n: You didn't think that was the end.. did you? Nope it is definitely not the end because heartbreak, betrayal, love, and a lot of other things are coming in the next act/part of this book but for now we close on Act 2..)