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CHAPTER TWO
MEETING SOL
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ARACHNE WAS, OF course, muttering some nonsense. It was two days later and Aurora had risen with the birds, like usually, while her cousin had slept until it had been almost noon.

The Reaping Day had been an unusual occurrence for both of them, but now they seemed to be back to normality. The girls were glued to the television in the Cranes' living room. Arachne's father was off to work and her mother and brother were probably out in the city.

Aurora was munching on some fresh grapes, sighing every time her cousin would block her view of the television. The tributes were to arrive every moment.

"Arachne," Aurora scolded her younger cousin, now getting impatient at her restlessness.

The word almost echoed in the room, that could actually function as a small hall. The marble floor was laced with gold, Aurora's favorite color, and nothing about the furniture spoke about the brief time the Cranes had spent without a fortune.

Aurora still got the compensation for losing her father, a high ranking soldier, during the war, but that would end after her graduation. And her uncle had always been clever about how to cement his fortune, even after the travel industry had taken a hit.

"It's almost time," she replied, inches away from the screen. The impatience was practically jumping off her onto the marble ground and made its way over to the girl seated on the chaise lounge.

"I can't believe I got the girl from Ten," she scoffed, now tapping on the screen. The special broadcast hadn't started yet, there was just the casual news being presented by an elderly lady.

"You don't even know her yet. Maybe she'll surprise you," Aurora replied while eating another grape.

During the war they had survived on one stale loaf of bread. Six people, for two weeks, back when Aurora's mother Vesta had still been alive.

Maybe that had been the moment in which her taste for bread had died.

"You want one or...," she trailed off as she saw the broadcast being interrupted by live footage from the zoo.

Lucky Flickerman, the weather reporter, stood before the camera with the monkey house in the background. It wasn't quite possible, but Arachne crept even closer to the screen.

"Oh, come on, Arachne," Aurora let out again, but the other just waved her off. And in that moment, she jumped up herself and joined her cousin in front of the tv screen.

"What on earth is he doing there?" She looked at her younger cousin, confusion written on her face, not noticing the squashed grape between her fingers.

Coriolanus Snow, from right across the Corso, her oldest friend, was standing in the monkey house, right next to his tribute.

"Is this even allowed?" Arachne asked her, but she could only shrug her shoulders. They hadn't gotten any kind of instructions, she had thought they would follow once the tributes would arrive.

"Did your teachers tell you to be here, Coriolanus?" Lucky asked him in right this moment.

He put on a soft smile, obviously trying to charm the audience before he replied, "They didn't tell me not to."

Aurora had to admit — that had been a genius move from her friend. He had acted quicker than everybody else and was now on his way to present his tribute to the Capitol. Like she wasn't already the one everyone was talking about.

"I can't believe him," Arachne mumbled with a still surprisingly loud voice. Her cousin shook her head herself.

"He's smart, he's always been smart," she gave back. And he had always known how to act, Aurora remembered that. Just like her, he was a bit of a loner by choice, being friendly to the most, being friends to only a few, but always watching the people around him. Although analyzing would be a better word.

But she didn't think about that too hard, he was the only person she considered an actual friend at the moment.

"There she is." Her thought process was interrupted by a small figure in the background of the tv. Sol looked even more frightened in the zoo than she had during the reaping.

The girl stumbled and almost fell to her knees, but a boy, Aurora guessed it had to be the one from her district, grabbed her arm to steady her.
"I bet she hasn't eaten since before the reaping."

And with that came an idea into her mind.

Arachne hadn't wanted to join her, of course, but the way Sol had stumbled was stuck in her mind, every time she blinked she had an image of the short girl tumbling out of hunger and thirst.

The sun was already setting, dusk laying over the city and with the vanishing sun came a cooler breeze, that Aurora welcomed with a deep inhale.

Summer was just beginning, but the hot air that had filled the Capitol for the last couple days had seemed to come straight from a burning hot August. A few essential snacks packed in her schoolbag, she was on her way to the zoo.

The visiting hours had been extended to allow more people to visit and as she made her way towards the monkey house, she noticed a crowd keeping their safe distance from the bars.

Blinking against the sinking sun, she looked for her tribute as someone took their place next to her.

"Did you come to bring them food too?"

It was Sejanus Plinth with a big backpack and a pained expression on his face. Just like she was, he seemed to be looking for his tribute, the boy from Two.

"Yes. I saw her on television earlier and I just felt... well, she didn't look very nourished," she replied, finally finding her sitting on one of the stones in the back.

"Maybe we'll be more successful if we try together?" He asked her and then nodded at his backpack. "Ma made so much food it's enough for all of them."

Glad that she didn't have to approach the mass of people alone, she agreed. As they neared the monkey house, the families made room for them, allowing them to kneel in front of the bars.

"Sol!" Aurora waved at the girl, putting on a friendly smile. How should she act? What was she trying to do? Of course she didn't respond, all scared sitting on that stone, almost hiding behind the boy from her district.

She sighed, but opened her schoolbag to get the grapes and two sandwiches nonetheless.
"I brought you food!" She added with a small wave of the grapes.

Sol's eyes widened visibly and she exchanged a glance with the boy, he didn't seem to be much older than she was, and finally, she made her way over to Aurora.

The girl smiled at Sejanus before Sol sat down on the dirt on the opposite side of the bars.

She didn't even notice that Lucky Flickerman and his camera crew arrived again.

Aurora reached through the bars, her hand outstretched.
"I'm Aurora, I'll be your mentor," she introduced herself.

Sol stared at her hand for a second and then exchanged a glance with the boy, Aurora couldn't remember his name. For a split second, she got scared. Reaching into the cage probably hadn't been the best idea, but pulling away now would send the wrong message.

It felt like hours before Sol finally shook the girl's hand.
"I brought you some grapes and sandwiches, do you like grapes? Because I love them."

Sol nodded, her eyes fixated on the green grapes that her mentor handed through the bars.

Sejanus next to her was busy unpacking a sandwich while he eyed the tributes that all had their attention on the two.

"Marcus!" He called out at his tribute, probably.

"I didn't know what you'd like so I just put everything I could find in our kitchen on there," Aurora explained as she handed Sol one of the sandwiches.

The boy from her district practically drooled at the sight of it. Her stomach sank to her knees. These children were younger than her, trapped in a cage, and only one of them would see their family again.

"I'm sorry, I don't know your name, but do you want it?" She asked him, the second sandwich in her hand.

He looked at Sol, waiting for her approval before he nodded. Aurora smiled as she handed him the sandwich and turned around, now coming face to face with Lucky.

"Miss Crane, do you maybe want to introduce your tribute to the Capitol?" He asked her with the camera almost in her face. Sol was still chewing on her meal, although she was surprisingly fast, but who could blame her.

"This is Sol, she's from District Five and I'm sure there's a lot more to find out about her, so you all can come to the zoo and find out for yourself," she spoke directly into the camera that immediately focused on a chewing Sol.

She didn't like that, obviously, because she turned around so they couldn't see her face anymore.

"Hey, here's food for you!" Sejanus waved with one of his sandwiches, having seemingly given up on trying to get his tribute to come over. But the other ones didn't seem to be more trusting.

Even Sol and her district partner went back to the stones they had previously sat on, to Aurora's dismay.

"I guess being the two of us doesn't bring us any luck," she whispered to Sejanus after having gotten up from the ground again.

"I wouldn't trust us either if I were them," he replied with a sigh.

At least Sol had trusted her enough to accept her food offering, but just as they wanted to give up, Coriolanus Snow walked towards them.

"Trouble?" He asked and Sejanus presented him their problem.

"Sol only left because the camera was all up in her face," Aurora added quietly with a nod at the reporter.

A little girl walked over to them, pointing at a sign.
"It says please don't feed the animals," she read out loud.

"They're not animals, though," Sejanus replied kindly, "they're kids, like you and me."

Aurora nodded in support, but the little girl started protesting immediately.
"They're not like me! They're district! That's why they belong in a cage!"

So much hate for someone so young, Aurora realized. She was wondering how many people in this crowd shared her opinion.

"Once again, like me," Sejanus mumbled before glancing at the tributes again.