A Baird and the Snow

Lie

When Coriolanus woke up, the small analog clock sitting on the metal nightstand read 3 AM. He couldn't remember what time he and Lucy Gray had fallen asleep but he felt more rejuvenated than he had since... he didn't even know when.

Everything was silent, the sound of the bustling workers now gone. It felt eerily peaceful, so much so that Coriolanus felt tense, as though ready to jump into action if the need arose.

He tried to focus on the quiet sound of Lucy Gray breathing. She was still sound asleep. Coryo doubted that she'd gotten even a fraction amount of this sleep in months and he was glad to hold her and just let her be.

But he was itching to move around, so he gently slid his arm out from under her, making sure to keep the blanket close to her chin to keep her warm.

He moved slowly off the bed, being extra careful to avoid making a creaking sound. It didn't quite work and Coryo cringed at the sound that filled the room. He paused, looking at Lucy Gray and finding her to be just as out as she was before.

He let out a relieved breath and stood, straightening his clothes and instinctively running a hand through his hair, only to feel its prickly ends less than an inch long.

Suddenly he was back in 12, trying to get the damn communicator work, and when he finally had and Tigris answered, she exclaimed at the sight of his missing curls.

Then he thought more and more about Tigris and about his Grandma'am and his chest tightened. He had to get out of this room. He felt like its confinement was suffocating him.

He started to the door, worried for a moment that they had been locked in, but his paranoid thoughts proved to be wrong, the handle turning smoothly.

He peeked at Lucy Gray one last time before walking out the door, shutting it softly behind him.

A round of fresh air rushed into his lungs and almost immediately he felt relief. He looked around to find no one as he suspected there would be at this time of night.

There was only the dim glow that came from the few lights that had been left on, and even with them there, he could barely see five steps ahead of him.

He grew more curious as he scanned his surroundings. General Odair had brought him and Lucy Gray up a set of stairs that led to a railed ledge overlooking the spacious building lined with crates of weapons. There were rooms lined against the wall, one of them being where he and Lucy Gray were staying, and Coriolanus memorized each step they took to get here from President Coin's office.

So he traced those steps to the exact amount of times his foot hit the ground. If he was going to be up while no one else was, he was going to take advantage of it.

So he made his way back to Coin's office, and when he reached her door, he pressed his ear to it. He was sure no one would be up, but he listened for someone anyway. He could never be too careful.

After a minute of complete silence, he surmised that the room was empty. He tried to open the door, only to find it locked.

He cursed silently, jiggling the door knob to no avail. He looked around more, trying to think of another way in.

Suddenly he felt the impact of something hard against the back of his head and he cried out, catching himself before he hit the ground. They missed the spot that would have knocked him out instantly, so Coriolanus spun around to come face to face with General Odair.

•••

Lucy Gray had pretended to be asleep as she felt Coryo's presence move about the room and eventually leave.