Chapter Text
Alistar knows the power of his silence.
It took him a while to know it.
When he was growing up, he thought that Avoxes were stupid. He didn't even think they were human.
Then he became one.
And the Avoxes are more human than anyone in the Capitol.
And since everyone thought that he was stupid, they didn't care what he heard.
And so Alistar heard everything.
They talked openly about new policies, new laws, dirt that they had on others. They spoke of things that they would never say in front of him if they thought he could repeat it.
But he could repeat it.
He relayed it through signing whenever he could to Pyro or any other adult that he trusted, of which there were not many.
He used to trust his mom.
That was a big mistake.
He remembers the day that he was taken. Her silence still rings in his ears.
It was louder than anything he's ever heard.
"MOMMY, MOMMY, MOMMY, MOM-" He was too terrified to say anything else.
And that's saying something, considering how he was at that point in his life when you're 11 and you think you're too cool to call your mother 'mommy' even in private but before your mother sits you down and asks you why you don't call her 'mommy' anymore and you feel really shitty about yourself.
His mom sits stone-faced on the couch but he can detect the slightest tremor in the hand that holds a wine glass.
He screams harder.
"MOMMYMOMMYMOMMY-"
She doesn't utter a fucking word as he is dragged out of her home.
His last words are a call for his mom, steadfast in the opinion that his mom will come and save him, just give her a minute, pleaSE PLEASE PLEASE MOMMY.
Then silence.
He sees her as soon as he's deemed capable enough to handle public events (aka when he's docile enough to serve).
It should be some kind of coincidence but his years in the Capitol, both as a citizen and as an Avox, taught him that there is always some sort of game going on, no matter the time of year.
His mother sits in the middle of a group. He thinks it's the campaign that she works for. Some dude who is trying to run for some position at some department.
He sees her when he enters the room.
His mother doesn't spare a glance at the Avoxes, used to ignoring their existence.
He isn't sure what to do. He wants to hug her and he wants to scream at her.
He can't do either of those things.
As he walks up, holding a tray of food, he follows his training.
Look dead in the eyes, don't give any impression that you are human or intelligent.
He looks at his mother and doesn't let recognition lit in his eyes.
She looks at him and disgust fills her face. He feels ashamed but he leaves his face blank.
Her hands curl around the edge of her dress. Then she looks at his face and he sees sadness in her eyes.
She isn't disgusted with him. She's disgusted with herself.
Fuck her. She doesn't get to pretend to care about this when she didn't try to save him.
He starts to back out of the way, but the politician grabs his arm. He goes still and looks at the man who is smiling at him with malice.
"Wasn't this your kid, Jocelyn?" The man does wait for an answer. "Aren't you a good Avox now, boy?"
Alistar nods.
That's all he'll ever be, at least to the Capitol.
His mother never gets used to it.
But he does.
And there is a sick satisfaction in seeing his mother's reaction every time he is in the same room and he looks dead.
Dolan knows the power of his silence.
He's known it, ever since he was a kid and he was too shy to talk to the adults in the room and ran around with a goose mask on.
He knew too much from such a young age.
When he was a kid and he couldn't sleep, he would sneak out of his room and hide behind a corner in the living room. He would sit in the same room as his parents, hiding and watching the lights on the TV move.
This is how he caught his first glimpses of the Games.
He thinks his parents knew about it. They caught him countless times. But they must've known that this habit helped him fall asleep or they would have said something.
And that's how it all started.
A childhood habit turned into something much bigger.
His childhood habit became a way to know more than he needed, to find a way in and out of conversations with ease.
Now Dolan can enter rooms undetected and show up at parties hours after he walked in.
Dolan knows the power of his silence and he will not let anyone take it.
Silence dies when people are not given justice.