Lacks Warmth

I almost didn't have the patience to wait for Gus to inform me of Dahlia's condition. After all, once he did, my mother would surely march us down to where she was detained and have me put a silver bullet through her skull. Dahlia Elrod's life wouldn't be the first I would've taken, but it didn't make it any more pleasant despite how horrible she was as a person.

It was the dead of the night when Gus finally appeared outside my bedroom door. I had been pacing back and forth ever since I was sent back to my room after our meal, having spent the rest of the time training my new weapon under my mother's watchful eye.

I was getting better― I could tell from the way she reacted to my every shot that she was more than eager to have me practice on live targets rather than the wooden dummies she placed around the training room.