** { ** &.** LINCOLN CONWAY: CONT. FROM ( X ) ! ** }
âIâm positive.â His gaze hardened with his affirmation. The viperous grip on his notes only increased, as Lincoln spoke on the topic more. âThis is your first-time leaving District Four, isnât it? Thereâs a big difference between seeing the other districts and the Capitol on television and actually being there in person.â Anger caused his stomach to bubble more than it had in months, perhaps even years. âIs that what you want? You want to see me cry when I could be giving you the advice you obviously need? Iâm not going to cry in front of you.â Lincoln bit back, ignoring the baseball-sized lump in his throat. His clouding eyes hardly helped either.
The pamphlet of notes continued to shrink in his large hand, as his vise-like grasp threatened to tear the papers into shreds. âNo, Kayla was important. She might not be here anymore, but sheâll be important until I die. I made sure of that.â Interviewers frequently inquired about the moments with his young ally during the 72nd Games. They questioned the emotions he must have felt, as he desperately plunged his spear into her chest. âThatâs where youâre wrong. You and I werenât tossed in there. We both chose this. I volunteered for the wrong reasons, and Iâm betting you did too. Kayla didnât choose this. She didnât want to be thrown into an arena with tributes twice her size. It took strength to kill her, but it wasnât the twisted type of strength youâre thinking about.âÂ
While his grip never relented, Marinaâs answer caused his brow to furrow. âCharlatan? Is that what you think they are?â A disbelieving chuckle escaped his lips before he could stop it. âTheyâre kids. I mean, shit, Marina, you act like you were never twelve. I doubt things were perfect growing up, but that beats knowing youâre probably going to die on television. Youâd really kill a kid without a second thought for what? A crown? Money? Fame?â He responded, also knowing he volunteered for the same reasons. Â
    âȘâ⏠ YEAH , SO WHAT ?  â her response to his question comes out more arrogant than sheâd intended for it to . leaving the districts was a privilege in itself , one that even marina reyes had come to appreciate . although sheâs not one to be muzzled , lincolnâs next remark has her speechless . it was true , he had the upper hand when it came to the intricacies that surrounded the capitol . no matter how highly she thought of herself , sheâd always be district filth to the capitol residents . and though sheâd never admit to it , marina could have sworn that she absent-mindedly muttered an apology under her breath .Â
    âȘââŹÂ the wrong reasons ?  â marina furrowed her brows . that was a rather bold statement for the other to make . a couple of hours in the train together and what ? suddenly , lincoln conway knew everything there was to know about her ? preposterous . he knew nothing of her motivations for volunteering .  âȘââŹÂ lincoln .  â her voice is soft but methodical now .  âȘââŹÂ we have trained our whole lives with the sole purpose of learning how to murder other human beings .  â marina continued .  âȘâ⏠ i donât have the luxury of moping around like a wounded puppy after every kill that i make in that arena , whether it be kids that are younger or of the same age .  â the brunette responds in a visibly frustrated manner , setting down the piece of fruit that sheâd been nibbling off of . Â
âȘââŹÂ crowns ? money ? fame ? none of that matters to me . iâd kill a KID without a second thought if it brings me one step closer to striking back at the bastards that threw minnow fry into that arena .  â marina scoffed . exactly how materialistic did lincoln think she was ? wealth wasnât something that she lacked back in the districts . sure , it wasnât the capitolâs definition of wealth , but it was wealth to her all the same .Â
âȘâ⏠ they need to pay for what they did to her .  â















