. SURVIVAL GAME . .៹♡
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
─── CRUEL REVELATION
Boggs greeted Velren at the entrance of the hovercraft, his arms folded in front of him with his black army uniform clinging loosely to his body. "You'll be watched from the sky, if something seems wrong, you head back to the landing point and will be recollected. No questions asked." Boggs explained as they reached the hovercraft and climbed up the sloping entrance.
Velren buckled himself into a seat before they were lifted into the air, the blue morning sky surpassing them the higher they got. Velren felt himself being hurled into the depths of memory, and a familiar vision appeared before him.
A blond-haired woman and a black-haired man, no older than 25, sat together in the living room and watched with a loving smile on their lips as their two sons and their one daughter played on the carpet with three toy soldiers while it rained stormily outside.
Until the gate creaked slightly as someone pushed it open, which caught Alexander's attention, and he slowly walked away from the family and approached the hall as in front of him the figure of the presidents,Carlisle and Coriolanus Snow, appeared.
Alexander's brown eyes, which appeared black in some lights, stared with terror into the blue eyes of Carlisle and Coriolanus Snow, who had a sadistic smile on their lips. But before he could warn his wife, one of the Snows plunged his knife through his chest, causing his now lifeless body to fall to the ground.
Carlisle and Coriolanus Snow stepped over lifeless body of the black-haired man and headed to the second floor of the house, where Cynthia was with the two boys and one girl in her arms. The door opened brutally, causing Cynthia dropped her sons and her daughter into the crib behind her and threw her arms wide, begging and pleading, as if this would help, as if in surrendering she was somehow saving herself.
"Please, don't do this!"
"We don't have a choice, Cynthia. " one of the Snows spat. "You have gone too far."
"No, no, please!" the woman pleaded, and whimpered helplessly.
But one of the Snows raised the slender, white hand, demanding silence. "You are nothing more than a threat to us. Now, you must learn what the consequences are."
"Please! Let me go!" the woman tried again. "Please... have mercy... have mercy! I'll do anything—"
One of the Snows laughed menacingly before she could even finish speaking. "Oh, silly girl, but haven't you done enough?"
" Please! Don't do this!"
"Goodbye, Cynthia ."
And with that, one of the Snows carefully walked up to the woman. The youngest boy began to cry when he heard a blade piercing clothing and flesh while the girl sobbed into her hand and the oldest boy let out a scream of horror that made his throat burn as hot tears rolled down over his cheeks. They had done it. They had killed the parents of Elias, Celestia and Velren.
And then, just as easily as the vision appeared before him, another familiar vision appeared before him.
It was two days since he had come back from the game. The smell of roses lingered in this one room of his house. Velren sat on the couch across from the presidents,Carlisle and Coriolanus Snow.
"You remind us a lot of your mother... " Coriolanus Snow said and the brown eyed young man couldn't help but let a single tear roll down his face. "You - you knew my mother?" he asked in disbelief.
Carlisle Snow gave him a mocking look while his lips formed a mysterious smile. "She was my daughter and therefore also the niece of my brother." he explained calmly, but the words made Velren's breath catch.
This made him the grandson of Carlisle Snow and the great-nephew of Coriolanus Snow. Overwhelmed with emotion, Velren clenched his hands into fists. The men he knew as the presidents and murderers of his parents were his grandfather and great-uncle.
"You're psychotic..." Velren whispered with a shaky voice.. "You killed my parents in front of me and my siblings..." — his voice broke slightly — "Your own blood!Why?"
Coriolanus Snow's jaw had clenched as he hissed, "Why? Your mother, Cynthia Snow, like your father, Alexander Black,was nothing more than a threat ... She was never planned ... unwanted ... .... she was nothing to us..."
"Nothing is more important to us than serving Panem." Carlisle Snow continued, and taunted the young man as if it were another game. "And I'm sure you know about your little...situation." Velren shook his head uncertainly. "No, why don't you tell me?" he asked in the same tone they used.
Coriolanus Snow leaned forward on the couch. "Do you know that the women of the Capitol are madly 'in love' with you,Mr.Black?" he asked his great-nephew coldly. "And we were thinking of prostituting you like we did with your twin sister after she won the 72nd Hunger Games..... You're going to do that as well, aren't you?" "Over my dead body." Velren growled and looked to them with a scowl.
Carlisle Snow sighed deeply. "Then your beloved parents won't be the only people you love that we will take away from you. Think about it, Mr.Black. " he said, to which the young man's eyes had widened. "Besides, we are men of our word - you prostitute yourself... and your dear brother will not be punished...., how about that?"
The young man didn't know what to say. He would easily give up his own life to give the Snows the justice they deserved... but when it came to the lives of his friends and family... that was another story entirely.
Velren's selfless nature would not allow him to put anyone's life in danger. The thought that his actions could lead to his grandfather and great-uncle harming his younger brother choked his throat and made his heart grow heavy.... so he nodded slowly. "I'll do it."
Coriolanus Snow smiled mischievously and patted the young man proudly on the shoulder. "Good..." Then the two presidents stood up again and straightened their suits. "See you next time." they both said at the same time and with that, they left the young man.
Someone shook Velren by the shoulder, and he slowly returned from his enraptured state to harsh reality. It was Boggs, kneeling before him, his dark brown eyes full of concern. The moisture on Velren's cheeks revealed that tears had been his companions while he had been lost in thought. Boggs regarded the young man with a frown, his elbows resting heavily on his knees. "Are you all right, Black?" he inquired.
Velren exhaled, then inhaled twice before he slowly nodded his head. "What's wrong?" Elias asked worriedly while he approached them, his brow furrowed at the fragile state of his older brother. "Velren?" he asked quietly.
Velren grumbled in response and nodded weakly. "I'm all right. I'm fine," he murmured, but his words hardly sounded convincing. A sigh escaped Boggs as he stood up, continuing to keep an eye on Velren as he detached himself from his seat.
They had landed in District Thirteen about ten minutes ago and were waiting for Velren to wake up from his stupor. But he seemed to be trapped in his thoughts, unable to perceive the reality around him. Boggs called his name several times until Velren finally blinked and slowly broke out of his stupor.
Velren wiped his cheeks and prepared himself inwardly for what he was about to see. His brother stepped up next to him. "Are you ready?" he asked quietly. Velren nodded mechanically, not really thinking about it. "I need to see what they've done." he added with an air of determination.
Elias took a step back while Boggs decided to open the back of the hovercraft. A bright light poured into the aircraft, but they all knew it was anything but light outside. It was the dark veil of tragedy that left room for darkness and the silent witnesses to the horror of District Thirteen.
━━ AUTHORS NOTE
So the truth about Velren's family is out and if any of you are confused about it, let me know because I probably didn't explain it very well in this chapter, so I'm sorry about tha.
Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter nonetheless! If you did, be sure to vote, comment and share!
Until next time, much love to you all!