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The Lesser of Two Evils
Chapter 1: Tomorrow
"Mother, please don't!" I beg, but I know she will never listen.
"What is it your business what I do?" my mother retorts. "You're not my mother. I do what I want."
"Have you seen District 6? They're hooked on Morphling, and they overdose way too often." I lay a caring hand on hers. "I just don't want that to happen to you."
"Athena, go to bed. Your mother and I need to talk," my grandfather says. "And listen to me, it could be about your present."
I roll my eyes, but I stand up and walk toward my room. "Fine," I grumble. I turn toward Mother with a warning finger. "And no Morphling. Goodnight."
When I walk into my room, I prepare for bed, angry that I am almost a teenager, but I can't stay up past 22:00. Tomorrow, I will be thirteen. That has to count for something.
As I climb in the bed, I think about my busy life, before I am even a teenager. Since the Second Rebellion failed a month ago, Grandfather has been killing Rebels left and right. See, my grandfather is a powerful man. My grandfather is the president of Panem.
In my family, there is just me, Mother, and Grandfather. Father had been killed while he was in District 9. My family is not very popular. Mother is addicted to Morphling, a painkilling drug. I couldn't bear to lose both of my parents. I beg her to stop often, but to no avail.
I open my locket that I wear everywhere. On one side, there is a picture of Mother, Father, Grandfather, and me, Athena Twillick. My mother married into the Twillick name, so I'm not Athena Snow. I'm fascinated by history. Long ago, even before the time of America, the ruins from which Panem was built, was a civilization, called Greece. They worshipped Athena, their goddess of wisdom. My parents had hoped I would be smart. I exceed their expectations. I love to learn about America, and even before that.
On the other side of the locket is my darkest secret. That's why I can never let anyone see it. It's a picture of Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Meelark, victors of the 74th Annual Hunger Games, a televised fight to the death between the districts' children. They were from the poorest district, District 12. They weren't expected to win. Katniss and Peeta were also the biggest symbols of the Rebellion of a month ago. I don't know where they are now. I hope Grandfather hasn't killed them. They are my heroes. They can't be dead, they just can't be. If Grandfather knew I like them, he would be furious. But Katniss is so brave. And Peeta is, quite frankly, my dream guy. He is so sweet, not to mention handsome. But he is meant for Katniss. They love each other. I have to accept that.
My grandfather may seem horrible, but he has a good heart. Honestly, he is the closest thing to a friend I have. He frets over me, so I'm not allowed to meet people and have friends. He doesn't want the same thing that happened to Father to happen to me. He is fat with thin white hair. He, like most people that live here in the Capitol, has had alterations done on their body. He has ridiculously puffed up lips. He smells of blood and roses, because he coughs up blood a lot and wears roses to cover the smell. He used to poison people when he was young, to get to presidency. He would put it in people's drinks, and he would also drink to avoid suspicion. Grandfather's morals are just off. He's smart, but everyone hates him, except for Mother and me.
My relationship with my mother is, to say the least, strained. She's addicted to that stupid drug. I beg her to stop, and we always get into arguments over that. We have never bonded, even before she discovered Morphling after Father died. She has also had Alterations. Her favorite color is purple, so she has purple eyes, skin, and hair. Her hair is in spikes. Her name is Venus.
My father had no Alterations. He had brown hair and brown eyes. He had been my best friend before he died. His name was Hephaestus. Both my and my father's names had been subject to Greek worship. Venus was from another civilization, Rome. He was diplomatic, like me. He was smart, like me. He was kind, like me. I miss him, more than anything.
Like I said, I'm diplomatic, smart, and kind. I hate violence. I'm like the polar opposite of Grandfather, but I know better not to voice my opinions. I hate for him to kill, and I hate the Hunger Games. I'm probably the only Capitol citizen with no Alterations. I have brown, medium length hair. My eye color varies from hazel to brown. Grandfather begs me to go into surgery, but I will never, as long as I live, have an Alteration.
I can hear my family's murmurs through the door. I can't make out what they're saying, but it's calming all the same. When the sounds have almost put me to sleep, I realize I don't know what I actually want for my birthday. I have everything, being the president's granddaughter and all. Then it hits me. For my birthday, I want to know that three people are all right: Mother, Katniss, and Peeta.