Gamble of Wits

by FireFlower17

'Flower of Panem' or 'The Angel of Mercy', a jewel & pride of Panem. One of their most treasured victors in the history of the Hunger Games & a favorite of President Snow. While she smiles, comforts & plays her part every time the games start again, in her mind, her own game never ended. She keeps her enemies close & plays the part of the perfect victor while waiting for her time.

2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Hollow Crown

---

The loud anthem of Panem boomed loudly as Caesar Flickerman walked on stage. This time he was alone. He still had his bright neon pink hair but his suit was different. It was still neon pink but now it had stripes of silver to honor the new victor. With a confident smile, he waved at the crowd of Capitol Citizens around him as they cheered. He waited a few seconds for the crowd to quieten down. But they didn't. That year, the crowd seemed wilder and more excited. Augustus Braun was a close second but his solemn nature had quickly quietened the crowds. All they could do was admire his honour and reputation. He grinned widely, from ear to ear at the thought of the victor of the 68th Hunger Games. He always enjoyed these interviews, it was his time to shine. The games themselves were too brutal and barbaric for him but the interviews and the fashion was the only thing he looked up to every year.

Caesar walked to the center and gestured to his ears then pointed downwards, indicating to the crowd to quiet down. The crowd hushed as Caesar took a seat. "What an exciting game this year gave us? Am I right?" The crowd nodded and cheered. "We had not one but five standout tributes! But as we all know. Only one—" He held up his index finger to the crowd. "—And one only one can be the victor! Ladies and Gentlemen, joining me in just a few moments, this year's victor—Seraphine Reza!" The crowd burst out into a round of applause and cheers at the sound of the victor. Caesar carried on, discussing the games while the camera crew and directors signalled Sera to get ready to come on stage.

Behind all the cameras and lights, Sera remembered nervously paced around. Her hands and palms were sweaty and she was shaking in anxiety. It was obvious that she wasn't used to this much attention. Her stylists buzzed around her like bees trying to do last minute fixes. A woman with dark skin and light gold hair walked over to Sera. She had icy blue lips and the same shade coated her eyelids. She also had large silver earrings and her hands were decorated with jewels. The head stylist of District 5 stylist team was an eye-catching woman, Eos demanded attention with her simplistic look. She had her arms full of fabric flowers in dull pastel colors. She gestured for an avox to come close and dropped the flowers into their arms while she scanned Sera's dress.

Sera's dress was made of a flowy light silvery material that seemed to reflect the light as she moved. It had a long train in the back while in the front it was short, giving the illusion of taller legs despite her short height. She was coated in a light golden glitter that appeared to make her glow as if she was under the sun, a work of Rietta. Eos then walked over to Sera and carefully started pinning the flowers to the train, bodice and skirt. She scattered them around artfully like how Sera's aunt would make her bouquets and arrangements. The head stylist and designer did so carefully, being careful to not make her dress appear heavy but still appear light.

"Twenty minutes!" Ovid shouted out. His long azure hair fluttered behind him as the assistant head stylist and designer of the District 5 stylist team ran into the room, carrying a box of accessories. "Harp. Here." He handed the accessories to the bird-like woman. Harp's jewel colored eyes scanned the victor's appearance and like a bird dove into her task. She started by combing Sera's hair into short curls while moaning about Sera's choice to cut her hair before the games began. Although she understood the practicality of shorter hair, she still bemoaned the beauty of longer hair. But Harp's job was not to complain but to turn what she was given into gold. The hair stylist quietly worked with a few pins in her beak-like mouth and lightly hummed a tune known only to lower-class Capitol citizens.

Next to Harp, Ovid and Rietta worked quietly. Now and then Ovid would glare at Harp for daring to hum such a song. His middle-class roots made him dislike the hair stylist, a fact Sera had picked up during her time with her team and she didn't like it all. Unlike Rietta and Eos, Ovid was much rougher and ruder. In his haste to get things done faster, he spilt blue dye on Rietta's pure white hair. Not even apologizing, he carried on. Eos glared at her assistant but chose to hold her tongue. Ovid went behind Sera and undid the laces holding her dress together, then redoing it again but this time it was much tighter. He intertwined the light gold ribbons with a piece of pale pink metallic ribbon before grabbing smaller flowers and pinning them to her back. The pins stabbed Sera lightly as she held back the hisses of pain. She had endured worse in the arena. Now was not the time to complain. One last interview and the show would be over.

The door of the styling room opened and the whole room froze. A man with sun-kissed dark skin walked in with a solemn look but his eyes were warm. Unlike the others in the building, he had no outrageous dyed hair or skin. His short coiled hair was cut close to his ears and he wore a simple black knitted coat with black dress pants and shoes. "Done?" He questioned, keeping his question short and to the point. Huxley Foret was a man of few words unlike his younger sister, the victor of the 61st Games wasn't always like that but the game had taken its toll on him. Sera knew he didn't care much about anything apart from his sister and Talissa, Sera's older sister. It was an open secret to District 5 tributes that being assigned to either male victors of the district was equal to a death sentence. One had lost their sanity to alcohol and Huxley didn't care. Porter was the only one who was somewhat decent. Despite that, Huxley broke his own habits and went out of his way this year just to keep Sera alive and Sera knew at all too well.

She smiled brightly at her family friend and mentor who gave her a look of sympathy. He had a rare grin on his face today after seeing Sera. He quietly gestured to the wristwatch on his hands as the stylists scrambled even faster. He almost let out a laugh seeing them struggle but stopped himself, he promised himself that he would never let the Captiolites witness the softer side of him or any side of him, a long time ago. Sera glanced at her mentor with a look that screamed for help but he shrugged it off with a playful grin that went unnoticed. It was a rare moment for him to be happy outside his home district, let alone the Capitol but Sera's survival had changed that. He felt proud of the first winner under his mentorship but more accurately, he was more proud of getting Sera enough sponsors to stay alive. For that reason alone, he was happier this year.

Sera debated whether or not to strike up a conversation here with Huxley, wondering if it would be the right thing. She had no problem talking to him back home but here was a different matter. They both knew things were different. Here, you wear masks to survive. Just as Sera was about to speak, the door swung open again. A tall woman dressed in light gold and purple strutted in. There was a strong scent of orange blossom mixed with jasmine following the trail of the woman. "Come on people! We have five minutes left on the clock!" The escort for District 5, Emilia yelled out in a soft yet stern voice. There was an obvious light Capitol accent to her speech that made her stand out from the rest of the team apart from Ovid. Emilia had her gloved hands on her hips as she stood over the team, nearly towering over them. "Come on! Hurry up." She yelled again, patting her pastel coral wig that was pulled back and braided elaborately with real gold strings. She narrowed her eyes at Ovid and glared at him. She didn't like the way the man was stabbing pins at the delicate victor.

Without thinking, Emilia strutted over to Ovid and snatched the pins and flowers from him. "Emilia." Ovid hissed. "Now is not the time for petty arguments." He pushed strands of azure hair behind his ears. He glared at the tall woman who towered over him by a few inches but Emilia paid him no attention. She handed the pins and flowers to an avox nearby and then took out a compact mirror and quickly checked her makeup. Not even looking at Ovid, she patted the lids on her half-moon shaped eyes as she puckered her full lips which were painted gold in a heart shape. Sera couldn't deny that Emilia was beautiful but her stern personality often scared Sera to fully confide in her escort.

"Hmm. Were you saying something, Ovid darling." She asked with a look of nonchalance. Ovid clenched his fists and jaw, ready to throw a tantrum but one look from Eos stopped him dead in his tracks. He snarled instead at the escort. "Sorry darling but those satin flowers were gaudy and too much for dear Sera. It clashes with the tulle. Eos, at least knows when to stop." Emilia gestured to the head designer who was now working with Rietta to put on last touches to the face. "Oh—" She turned to Sera and asked her with a genuine smile. "—I can call you Sera now, right?"

Sera took a sip of water to wet her parched throat, turning to the tall woman. "Sure. You can call me Sera." Hearing her words, Emilia beamed like the sun had come out after long days of rain and thunder. "Uh. Am I done yet?" Sera asked all her stylist and designer team. They all quickly gathered around her and scanned her for anything missing. Harp snapped her fingers together, like she had remembered something. She ran to the metal box of accessories, digging through them.

"Three minutes left! Places!" One of Caesar's assistant's came and shouted just as Harp pulled out a headband made of a silvery-gold metal that was decorated with topaz stones that dangled from the band. "Two minutes!" Carefully, Harp placed it on Sera's head and moved to secure it in a hurry. "One minute!" Harp squeaked as she let go just as Caesar's assistants and the camera crew came to escort Sera to the stage.

Sucking in a deep breath, the frail victor took hesitant steps towards the stage. Emilia clutched her arms in support while Huxley gave Her hand a short squeeze. The two reluctantly let go as Sera had to climb to the stage. Instantly, the bright lights turned its attention on her. It felt hotter than the bright sun of District 5. The cameras followed her closely as she moved on the stage, making her way to her seat opposite Caesar. The train of her dress fluttered in the air behind her as she moved as graceful as she could, remembering Emilia's words and teaching. One step at a time, hold your head high and gently suck in a breath and remember to smile. That was what Emilia had told her but it was hard to move in such high heels.

Nervously, she approached her seat, not hiding her anxiety this time. Huxley told her it was best for her if they saw her as weak as she was, instead of pretending to be strong. The people of the Capitol wanted to break the strong but protect or give the illusion of protecting the weak. That was what Huxley had told her when she returned. It was the most he had talked to her since he had won his own game. "The Flower of Panem, ladies and gentlemen!" Caesar stood up and held her left hand. Gently, he led Sera to her seat and helped her sit down like she was an actual flower who might wilt with too much pressure. "Seraphine Reza, the victor of the 68th Hunger Games!" The crowds around Sera went wild as she tried to focus on the cameras in front of her or on Caesar. She felt like a deer caught on headlights as she blinked rapidly trying to somewhat calm herself down. She could feel and hear her own blood rush to her head as the crowd's loud cheers were deafening. Caesar noticed Sera's condition immediately gestured the crowd to a hush like a puppeteer. "Welcome back, Seraphine and can I just say you look really good tonight. A true flower in the sun. And congratulations on your win!" He clapped calmer than usual and the crowd mimicked him.

Sera blinked twice before she smiled gently at Caesar. "You flatter me but thank you, Caesar. It means a lot." She was careful not to fidget too much and ruin Eos and the team's hard work so instead she clasped her hands together, in front of her. "And...I believe I owe you an apology." She said in a soft and shy voice.

"You're welcome." He laughed then his face switched to a confused look. "An apology?! For what? For being adorable." The crowd awed and cooed at Caesar's words while Sera's stomach churned with disgust. She didn't let it show on her face at all how much she loathed people like them, people who found satisfaction from the pain of the less fortunate. "Well, you don't need to apologize for anything. At all."

Sera giggled nervously at Caesar's words as she fidgeted with her hands to calm her nerves. "No, I do. I do need to apologize for last time." She began lacing her fingers together and pursing her lips. "I must have bored you with all that talk of flowers—so I made a promise to myself in the arena that I'd apologize for boring you all." She turned to cameras and the audience and gave them a look of apology with a smile that appeared sincere. The audience shook their heads and yelled at her kind words, disapproving a need to apologize at all. Sera didn't really care. This was all an act after all. She was told to talk about her interests and skills in the tribute interviews and she did. The only reason she seemed apologetic was to try and shift focus from her games. She didn't want to relive her only kills or any of her failed alliances.

The crowd kept on shaking their heads and screaming their devotion and well wishes to Sera, treating her almost like an idol. It was different from all the tributes. Sera noticed that. While Enoboria was greeted with fear and admiration, Cashmere with her love-calls and sometimes flirty remarks that made Sera's stomach turn, she was being treated differently. She wasn't sure as yet if it was a good thing. She turned her attention back on Caesar and watched as he quietened the crowd with a motion of his hands. He gave her a look and gestured to the crowd of audiences all dressed as exotic animals who gawked at her with wide eyes. "Well, you heard the people. You don't ever need to apologize for anything." He said with a wide grin.

"No, that's not fair. I'm more than capable of making mistakes. I'm human after all despite what you all might think." She replied with a nervous laugh. The crowd laughed at her half-hearted attempt at making a joke. She wanted to get off the stage and go back to her room. But she couldn't, there were too many eyes on her.

Caesar laughed along and then turned his face towards the victor. Gone was the jovial look on his face, it was replaced by a sombre look. Seeing this, Sera quickly picked up on the upcoming shift in topic and changed her expression accordingly. "Now. I think we all know why we're here. Don't you?" Sera nodded shyly at Caesar who gave her hand a small squeeze in comfort. She didn't mind but it was different from Huxley's which felt more familiar and more like family, this felt cold and foreign yet she played along. Caesar let go and sighed. "Again congrats on winning but—" He paused for dramatic effect, letting the crowd hang on the edge in suspense. "—we're all wondering; how did you do it? How did a small girl from District 5 become the victor."

Sera's eyes scanned the crowd who all looked hooked onto the stage. She breathed in and out, trying to calm her nerves as the faces of her allies, her district partner and Gaius all flashed in front of her eyes. She blinked away the thoughts and turned to look at Caesar. "I know everyone thinks I had some big strategy but the truth is; The odds were in my favor." Her answer was too ambiguous but it was the model answer that the Capitol wanted. That phrase was the motto of the Hunger Games since Sera could remember and it didn't just mean someone got lucky. After all, the odds were never really in their favor. She smiled sadly at the crowd as the crowd almost burst out into tears at the heartbroken and teary-eyed look of the victor. "I know there were many and I mean many tributes who were far more skilled than I was." The audience shook their heads and tried to comfort Sera.

"No. No. That's not true. You were skilled too. I remember seeing you keeping your allies alive with food for days. Your knife-throwing skills were a hot topic in the Capitol Press, if I say so myself." Caesar quickly jumped in to defend and comfort the young victor before she burst into tears. "The odds were in your favor because you worked hard for it. Don't think otherwise." Sera wanted to laugh. Working hard meant nothing. The odds didn't swing due to hard work but they swung due to power and influence.

The audience nodded and again tried to comfort Sera but all she heard was a monstrous symphony of blind devotion and sympathy. They all looked and sounded mind-less and ready to die for Sera. That almost made Sera smile visibly, she could use this if she wanted to her advantage. No, she shouldn't. Huxley had warned her the consequences of being too charming. She didn't know the exact consequences but she remembered how her mentor and friend spoke with urgency last night. She would have to tone it down. "I agree, Caesar." Her face became sullen and her voice solemn. "And thank you. It...It means a lot. I just think that someone with limited time should not have won but the odds have proven me otherwise and my hard work paid off."

Caesar grabbed Sera's hands and patted it comfortingly. "It did. And I hope you'll live a long and prosperous life." Sera nodded with a sad smile as Caesar let go. Behind the cameras, the timer for the interview flashed. Her victor's interview was short but not as short as her tribute's interview. Unlike other victor's there wasn't much to dissect or interrogate. Sera, to the people Panem was an open book. Her kills were only two and both were mercy kills. Not to mention, her heart's condition was clearly holding Caesar back from asking her about the deeper things like Gene's suicide, Jenny passing away and Rye's lover. The man in the neon pink suit was walking on eggshells around her and she didn't mind. In fact, she liked it. "Well, Seraphine. It was good to see you again. Last time I saw you, it was your birthday. What a present? Am I right?" He looked to the audience and Sera but didn't even bother to wait for an answer then continuing. "Oh! Congratulations once again. You deserved it and I hope to see you again." He engulfed her into a hug that Sera reluctantly returned before drawing back.

"Thank you Caesar and thank you everyone who believed in me." With that Sera took a bow as the audience tried to stop from what they believed to be over-exerting herself. She stopped and stood straight as Emilia and Huxley shuffled onto stage, helping her down the stage. A hush fell on the crowd when Huxley appeared. He wasn't feared nor admired by the Capitol, he just was. A mediocre victor, they used to call him but he was anything but. Only a few truly knew how intelligent and strong her mentor was.

Caesar stood up again and waved at the audience then signalling the stage hands. The lights dimmed slightly, turning off completely plunging the audience into darkness. Sera could barely make out the audience. In the slight darkness, she felt hands on her arms and wrist. She was gently removed from her seat and led backstage by the shadows holding her. She didn't protest as they dragged her along the darkened stage to the brightly lit backstage. It took her a while to realize that it was Emilia and Huxley who had dragged her off stage. The light from the hallways took a while for Sera's eyes to adjust to. "It's over." Huxley muttered under his breath, only for Sera to hear. She nodded at her mentor's words and sighed in relief. Compared to past interviews, hers was the shortest. There wasn't much to say about the newest victor and Sera didn't feel like sharing. She wasn't the most interesting one, if she had to admit and she was fine by this.

"Oh that was short and sweet," Emilia chirped while letting go when they arrived at the elevator. "Nothing like Wells or Leora'." She continued, pressing a button to call the elevator. Her face twisted at the mention of Wells, the alcoholic victor of District 5. She did pity him but at the same time, she loathed spending time with the old victor. As for Leora, she was a little unhinged and Emilia still vividly remembered the long drawn-out interview. A part of her was relieved that Sera's was shorter. The old escort was glad deep down. After all, thinking back to the last two victors Emilia had managed, Sera was the most manageable. "I do hope that you don't turn out anything like them, Sera." The young victor nodded at the old escort's words and smiled. Emilia was lucky. Not many escorts outside of the career districts could have the privilege of managing not one but three victors. Out of the first two, one had lost their mind while Huxley had barely hung on to his sanity. His sister back in District 5 was the only thing keeping the 66th victor sane and now he had another reason to live for. The escort smiled seeing the two victors chat quietly together. It was rare for Huxley to engage in conversation.

The elevator made a loud chime indicating it was here. The trio took a step back and waited for the door to open. The door opened with a quiet whoosh and Emilia led the two District 5 victors in. Sera went in before Huxley who was busy looking around. Sera stood in the center of the elevator and waited for her mentor to come in. When the three were in, Huxley impatiently moved to press the number '5' button on the gilded panel on Sera's left. "Wait! Wait!" Just as the door closed, a hand shoved itself through the closing gap of the metal doors. In shock, the whole elevator shook once as the door reopened. When the door opened, Sera came face to face with a familiar face. There was a man on the other side of the elevator. He was tall, towering over Sera, athletic and chiselled. His bronze hair and light tan skin glowed in the fluorescent lights like he had bathed in glitter. His sea-green eyes bore into Sera's silver ones as the man flashed a smile. Sera vaguely knew of him, she just didn't remember from where. "Sorry. I held you all up."

"No worries. Finnick, dear." Emilia flashed a painted smile that looked a little uncomfortable. "Just don't do that again. It's very unsafe." She mumbled under her breath and turned to Huxley who again moved to the panel of buttons. This time, however, he didn't reach for the '5' on the panel instead his index finger hovered over the '4'. He waited for Finnick to say something but instead the man just grinned. It was clear to Sera that 'Finnick' wanted Huxley to be the one to speak first. Sera didn't like that. She knew Huxley hated it when people forced him to speak and it was clear she wasn't the only who noticed. "Fourth floor?" Emilia asked, cutting the growing tension before it had time to fester.

Finnick broke his staring contest with Sera's mentor and nodded. "Yeah. I'm going to sleep off the disappointment." Emilia smiled tightly as her eyes met Huxley's. The District 5 mentor's jaws clenched and he pressed the '4' button. Sera looked between Finnick and Huxley, choosing to observe and wait until the stranger was gone. She remembered him now. Finnick Odair, one of the youngest victors in the history of the game. He was known to be charming and a flirt. He had a reputation despite only being two years older than Sera. He was Ripley's mentor. Sera thought he must be disappointed that his tribute had died. "Oh." Finnick snapped his fingers, breaking Sera's train of her thought. He turned around just as the elevator reached the first floor. "You're Seraphine Reza, the new victor. Congrats." He clapped almost mockingly. "I mean it. The way you...um...took over the second half of the game with your knives. Impressive. You took down those mutts with ease." To an outsider or a capitolite, this would seem like a compliment but both Sera and Huxley knew better. Even Emilia had a vague inkling that this wasn't a compliment. "I wonder how things would've been if you were that impressive in the first half."

Something snapped inside Sera's mind. Something she had been holding back since the day she was reaped. "I do too. But we both know that not everyone trains for these games their entire life." She bit back. Deep down, she knew it was unfair that the career districts had more chances of survival but it wasn't something that non-career districts could do. They didn't have access to the time or resources to train for these games. But Sera was lucky that her brother had taught her how to throw knives at trees as a passing sport. Sera's tone surprised Emilia who placed a hand on her chest in Sera's sudden change of tone. Huxley held back laughter and didn't even attempt to hold the young victor back. But Sera wasn't done. She carried on, walking a little bit closer to Finnick. "Y'know. Some of us have to survive day by day in the arena to build up enough courage to even kill a bird or a deer for food." She added, folding her arms, remembering how much her hands were shaking when she hunted for the first time in the arena. It got easier with each animal kill but nevertheless it was hard at first. "But thank you." Her hands around her arms shook and she breathed in, trying to calm herself.

Sucking in a breath, Sera drew back and took steps backwards to stand behind her mentor. Huxley glared at the District 4 mentor and stood protectively in front of his victor. Finnick stared at Sera with wide eyes. He was taken aback. In his three years since he had won, he never expected any victor to snap at him like that. He knew his district along with other career districts were privileged but it was an unspoken privilege. "I'm sorry." He apologized with his head down. There wasn't any arrogance to his voice now. It was wiped clean with Sera's words. "I didn't mean to...off—" He caught himself before he made another mistake and tried to rack his head for a better word. "—Hurt you. I didn't mean it at all."

Sera stared at him from behind Huxley, searching his face for a sign of a lie. There weren't any. The seventeen year old meant what he said. That was rare from what Huxley had told her. "It's okay. Don't do it again. Not everyone is going to be as forgiving...as me." She quietly accepted his apology as she took off the headband. Mindlessly, she played around with the topaz stones as she gripped the band of metal tight in her hands. "I'm sorry about Ripley." The elevator made a loud chime as it reached the third floor. "And Jenny." Sera added it as an afterthought. "I really am."

"You really mean that. Don't you." Finnick walked a few steps closer to Sera. The District 4 victor nodded like it was the obvious thing to do. Of course she meant what she said. Why wouldn't she? The District 4 mentor tilted his head as his eyes scanned the younger victor. His sea-green eyes boring into her silver ones. "Thank you for your...sympathy." He smirked but his eyes were sad. He walked to the front of the door and waited. The elevator chimed again as it reached the fourth floor. "We'll meet again." He threw one last fleeting grin at Sera and waved at her goodbye as the door closed in front of his face.

The moment the door closed, Emilia loudly breathed out like she was under the water. "Glad that's over." Huxley and Sera stared at the old escort with curious looks. She was known for her polite and cheerful disposition but this was different. "Don't get me wrong, dears. I think Finnick is a sweetheart but something about him..."

"Unsettles you?" Sera asked as she rubbed her arm lightly. Emilia nodded while Huxley grinned before covering his mouth to hide his expression. The victor shook her head in disbelief. "Hmm. Well, I'll probably not see him again so there's that." She added, trying to calm or change the topic. She stopped speaking just as the door opened to the fifth floor. This was their stop. Emilia led the way into the District 5 floor while Huxley followed. On both sides of the hallway in front of the elevator, there were eight vases coloured silver. In it were white and yellow chrysanthemums. They were beautiful but the meaning of it, sorrow for yellow and white wishing one, condolences. These were flowers for a funeral. "Chrysanthemums?" Sera asked out-loud, stopping Emilia.

The escort stopped at the end of the corridor and turned to look at Sera whose eyes were fixed on the flowers. "Oh yes. Beautiful aren't they. I picked them myself." She beamed staring at the flowers.

"Ah." Huxley recognized the problem straight away. He gave his family friend an apologetic look, making it clear. He had spent enough time around the Fairburn-Reza household enough to know the meaning of these flowers. This wasn't his work. "That's not what she means." He stated, gesturing for the avoxes who were hidden behind the pillars to come forth. "Replace these with—" He turned to Sera for an input.

"What's wrong with the chrysanthemums?" Emilia asked, only to be ignored.

"Orchids. I like orchids. Preferably yellow ones—" She answered, looking at the blonde-haired avox who stood at the front. "Ah. Sorry. Um, there's no point in changing them. We'll be leaving soon." The avox bowed their head and signalled to their fellow avoxes to put the vases down. Sera felt bad for them. Everytime, she had to ask one of the avoxes for something she felt her insides burning. Before the game began, she would even avoid them out of guilt and pity. They shouldn't be here. Sera turned back to Emilia. "And chrysanthemums are funeral flowers especially white and yellow." She answered, remembering back to what her aunt Dahlia used to tell her.

"Sorry. I thought they looked pretty and reminded me of District 5 skies." Then Emilia clicked her fingers and asked for the attention of the avoxes. The escort, unlike the two District 5 victors, had no problem ordering the avoxes around. Sera knew a small part of Emilia felt bad for these people but she was far too used to the system to ever go against it. "Dinner in two hours. I'm starving and—" She kept clicking her fingers, trying to remember something. "—Prepare the honey mustard duck roast with roasted sweet potatoes and beetroot salad." The escort giggled with her hands on her plump lips. "We are about to celebrate." Clapping her hands together, she swayed into the living room. "District 5 has another victor!" She chirped as Sera and Huxley followed her into the living room.

The blonde avox disappeared with three other avoxes while two followed Sera closely behind. Sera didn't like that but she couldn't voice her complaints. She knew complaining would result in a more harsher punishment for these people and she couldn't subject them to that. Emilia went into her room to get changed and waved at the two to do the same. "Where's Leora?" Sera questioned, looking around for the second mentor and winner of 61st games.

Remembering his partner, Huxley looked for a sign of his partner. There weren't any. Her bags which were haphazardly piled on next to her room were gone. Sera walked over to her room and talked. There was no answer. She pushed the door, not expecting for it to open. However, the door opened at the gentle push. With a look to Huxley, she went in. The room was in complete darkness. "Leora?" She called out into the darkness. "It's me, Seraphine. I was worried about you..." Her words drifted off as Huxley flipped the light switches on. Light flooded the room as Sera blinked trying to adjust.

"She's gone." Huxley mumbled, stepping forward. He looked around for a sign of his co-mentor and grimaced when he couldn't find her. Leora probably didn't expect Gene to turn on Sera that quickly or lose his mind overnight. She probably blamed herself.

"Oh. Are you two looking for Leora?" Emilia questioned from behind the two. Her clothes were now changed while her wig was gone to reveal her blue-black natural tresses. Her clothes now were more muted salmon and less eye-catching. She stood with her hands clasped and looking over Huxley's head. Her eyes scanned the empty room. She pursed her lips and sighed. "She said she was taking the train back to District 5 a few nights ago. Although," The escort put her hands under her chin, trying to think back to the last conversation she had with the other mentor. "If I recall correctly, she had some things to attend to before she left. Maybe she left last night, I think."

"What things?" Sera hugged herself as she stepped forward. She was curious. It wasn't a secret that the other mentor would disappear now and then. She remembered it vividly how Leora just walked off after getting a letter in-between a conversation with her, Huxley and Gene. It was one of the reasons why Gene resented Sera. His own mentor didn't care or give enough time or advice for him to prepare. But she didn't pity Gene at all. After all, Sera could still feel his frost-bitten hands around her throat. "What did she have to attend to, that was more important than..." She trailed off, realizing she sounded spoiled. "I mean."

"Don't worry about it." Huxley quickly stepped in. He threw a glance at Emilia that Sera was quick to catch and gently patted Sera's head. "Leora's like that." He added. "Emilia." Sera's mentor turned to Emilia who had a complicated look on her face. "Is dinner ready?" He asked, trying to change the subject. Both Sera and Emilia could tell that Huxley wasn't comfortable talking this much.

Seeing this, Emilia's lips stretched out into a smile. "Hmm. Yes. Almost." She answered, a little distracted. "You two should freshen up," She moved to leave the room as Huxley all but ran out of the room. The moment Huxley was out of earshot, Emilia leaned down to Sera's height and flashed a sympathetic smile. "You'll understand Leora, one day." That was all she said before she went back to her room to change her makeup.

Sera was left alone in the other mentor's old room. She sighed and moved to flick the lights off before making her way to her own temporary room. Quietly, she shuffled into her room, pausing to stare at the empty room of her district partner. Gene's room was shut and probably locked. She was half-tempted to go in and say a few words but she held herself back. What Gene did was unforgivable to her. After all, the unspoken rules of the game were clear. One always protected or didn't target their own district partner unless necessary. But Gene had gone against it. Not only did he go against it, he tried to kill her in her sleep and destroy her sponsored medicine. A surge of anger rose in her chest as she thought back to how difficult it must've been for Huxley to get Sera any sponsors. And Gene tried to ruin all of Huxley's work. Sera considered herself forgiving but Gene was unredeemable and unforgivable.

He was a product of the Capitol.

A small voice whispered in Sera's mind as she turned to get inside her room. That voice was correct. It wasn't Gene's fault or hers that they were forced to fight. Her grip around the door handle tightened as the anger flared down and she was left with bottomless guilt. She swallowed it down and suppressed it just like Huxley had told her to. Pushing those thoughts away, she pushed the handle. The white door in front of her slid open, inviting her in. Tiredly, she dragged herself in and clicked her fingers. Unlike Leora's room, Sera's temporary room didn't have buttons; instead she was told to use gestures or the remote on the nightstand. Sera chose to choose gestures. The light was too bright so she clicked her fingers twice and the light dimmed a little.

In the center, the bed looked neat and tidy. The sheets were changed, Sera thought. Her feet pounded against the marble floor as she crashed into her bed. Underneath the white frame of the bed, there was a bright yellow glow that Sera had almost gotten used to. She still didn't know how to dim that light and she had long given up on it. Above the bed were white metal walls just like the whole room. However, the ones above the bed were different. It looked like it was peeled off, halfway through to reveal a rocky exterior which was illuminated with a dim sunshine yellow light.

First thing Sera remembered thinking when she walked into this floor was the abundance of white, gold and silver along with the lights. So many bright lights that were always turned on. They ranged in colors, from mustard to pale blue. Whoever designed this floor really wanted to bring attention to the power district. She laughed thinking of other district floors like District 10's. Were the walls decorated with animal hide or meat? She wondered out loud once, only to be chastised by Emilia. The escort was, however, kind enough to tell her that District 12 was occasionally decorated in all black to reference the coals they produced and District 7 had a lot of trees on their floors, the floors and walls were wooden too. Perhaps, the designers were trying to comfort the victors. The thought of the reasoning made Sera laugh. Comfort. She was sure that was the last thing, any sane tribute had on their mind. No, this was more like prepping lambs for slaughter and feeding them grass instead of garbage.

Sera jumped when she heard the knocks on her door. "I'm changing." She shouted out. It was a lie but she wanted to be left alone for a while. The knocks subsided and disappeared as Sera got up and moved to the floor length window. The darkened skies of the capitol filled with the dazzling lights of the buildings was a sharp contrast to the white and sunshine yellow interior of her temporary shelter. She shook off her thoughts and pressed a button on the remote that was kept on her nightstand. The curtains drew in quick, shielding her from the Capitol night. Sera walked off to the closet as she undid the pins holding her short hair in place. She picked out a simple rose-colored silk blouse and some soft black pants as she shed the tulle dress then walked into the shower.

The warm water pelted down at her skin and started washing away the glitter and whatever makeup that was left on her. Sera watched the clear water turn a shimmery gold as it swirled underneath her feet, disappearing down the drain. Before she could stop herself, she let out a sob. She tried to hold it back by cupping her hands in front of her face but she couldn't stop herself. The tears slid down faster than she could will herself to stop. In desperation to stop herself, she slapped herself. A loud sound of skin hitting skin echoed through the room as Sera let out a gasp of pain. This pain was nothing. Nothing. She slapped herself again and wailed louder. She survived but what was the point? She gasped and tried to swallow her sadness. Her lungs ached as they tried to draw in air. Sera's vision was blurred from the oncoming tears and the showers. Desperately, she tried to rub her eyes to erase the sadness but it wouldn't go away. Murderer. A voice in her mind hissed. "Stop it!" Sera screamed out. "Stop!" She banged against the glass doors and fell down to the floor. "Please...I did what I had to." Her sobbing grew harder and harder until tears wouldn't fall anymore.

Numb. That was all Sera felt by the time her tears had dried. She just needed to play her part and forgot about all of this. She can do that. Carefully, Sera dragged herself out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself. The mirror facing the shower reflected her half-alive face and she let out a bitter laugh. Her eyes were bright red in the aftermath of her little breakdown. Though her skin and face looked the best it had in a while but there was no point. Without thinking, Sera splashed some cold water onto her face and grabbed another smaller towel. She soaked the towel into warm water, pressing it to her eyes to dull the redness. Whether or not it would work, she didn't know. The vague memory of her sister came to her mind, she remembered it faintly. Talissa used to do something similar so maybe it would work. She just had to be patient. Emilia and Huxley would worry if they saw Sera like this and she didn't want that. Her mentor and the escort had done more than enough to ensure her survival. She didn't want them to regret that.

Removing the now-cold towel from her eyes, Sera peered over the mirror. The redness in her eyes had all but disappeared. It was now pink. That was somewhat manageable. She didn't want to waste anymore time and quickly got changed. Picking up a dry towel, she dried her hair and picked up one of the tubs of face cream, Emilia had left for her. She reluctantly slathered a small pebble-sized worth of cream onto her face. The cream felt cool on her skin and she could smell notes of lavender from the cream along with lilies. It felt comforting. Sera made a note in her mind to show her thanks to the kind escort later on as she got up and got changed just as she heard those knocks again.

Sera nearly jumped again when she heard those knocks. "Coming." She called out, slipping on some plain slippers and rushing out of the room. Outside her room, there was an avox. Her red-black hair was secured in a tight bun with a pale gold ribbon that matched her simple uniform. Like most avoxes her face was blank of expression. "Lead the way, please." Sera simply nodded at her to lead the way. She didn't bother to talk to them about anything else, not that they could talk back. It was useless. Talking to an avox, other than to give an order, was sentencing them to harsher punishment. Emilia constantly reminded her about it when she first arrived. She had yet to slip. Huxley never slipped because he rarely conversed in the Capitol. He was almost an avox.

Speaking of her mentor, he walked out of his room opposite hers. Like Sera knew he would, Huxley was dressed in all black. A simple short-sleeved black embroidered silk shirt with black pants. It made him look grim combined with his ever-present glare. But when he turned to look at Sera, his face softened. He smiled to greet and silently, the two walked through the halls to get to the dining room. Along the way, Emilia jumped out of her room. She chatted away about how happy she was while Huxley and Sera nodded along. Sera would now and then place her own input while Huxley just preferred to listen to the girls. He took the lead whilst trailing behind the avox. From the back, Sera could see a ghost of a smile appear on his face. However, it was gone as soon as he came closer to the dining room.

Abruptly, he stopped at the dining room's wide entrance. "Huxley?" Sera called out, trying to get past him. Her mentor didn't budge. She tried to get past him but he kept blocking her view with his tall frame. "Can you move?" She asked. Again, she was ignored.

Emilia let out an exasperated noise and stomped over to Huxley. She pushed the mentor to the side and walked past him. "Now what was that abou—" Her words were cut off as she turned around to see what was taking Huxley's attention. "White roses." Emilia squeaked out. Her already pale skin drained of any remaining color as she turned to glance at Huxley. She had a grim look on her face that mirrored Huxley's look. The two remained quiet and stared at each other in a silent conversation that Sera could not decipher. She walked up to the flowers and stopped in front of the bouquet. There was a strong scent of blood mixed in with the flowers. One that made her stomach turn and her vision hazy. "Sera, dear. Don't touch it." Emilia ran towards Sera and grabbed her arms. "You'll cut your hands." She said with a half-convincing smile. Sera could tell she didn't believe her own excuses but instead of commenting she nodded.

From the side, Huxley pointed at an avox and gestured for it to bring a vase. He couldn't throw it away even if he wanted to. The avox disappeared, he quietly walked up to the bouquet and picked up the card that came with it. Sera watched as he quietly scanned the small piece of paper with scrunched up brows. He looked conflicted and angry. His jaws clenched as he put the card down and took breaths, trying to calm himself down. "The President sends his regards to the 68th victor." Huxley quietly summarized. A chill went down Sera's spine as her hands felt cold in anxiety. Emilia forced a painted smile on her and motioned for the mentor to carry on. It was obvious that both her escort and mentor were not happy at all but she held her questions in. She didn't know what the old escort had seen or heard in her ten years of tenure as the sole escort for Sera and Huxley's district but it was clear that it may not have been all good. Most capitolites worshipped the President but Emilia didn't. She made it clear through her actions. "He invites you to a personal dinner with him." Huxley finished, staring at Emilia who looked scared instead of jovial.

"Well..." Emilia clapped her hands together while breathing in and out, trying to find what words use. "...It's an honor...to be invited by the President right after winning the games. Not many get that opportunity." She squeaked out, jumping back from the roses like they might infect her. Sera narrowed her eyes and watched the two in front of her carefully. "I suppose you will be staying at the Capitol for one more day." The escort chattered on with a faux jovial tone. Suddenly, she grabbed Sera's hands into hers. "Oh! What will you wear?" The victor shrugged, not knowing what to say. "I'll have to talk to Eos right away." She clicked her fingers almost causing Sera to jump.

Sera didn't say anything but just quietly listened to the escort chatter on. She shared a look with her mentor who still looked pained. The card was still in his hands. He gripped it tightly, almost scrunching it but stopped when he remembered that there were eyes in this room. "The victory tour will be delayed." Sera stated absentmindedly. "I guess, I'll be going home later than planned." She joked with a slight innocence and naivety.

Huxley didn't know she still had that in her. He snorted hearing the newly-crowned victor and covered his face with his hands to hide his face. "Tour is not a problem." He stated with a small smile. Without another word, he placed the card away. His mind was a mess.

"Then what's the problem?" Sera questioned. She was curious and half-afraid to know the truth. Emilia walked off, not wanting to be in the same room as those damned flowers. The escort quickly excused herself to send a message to Eos, saying she would be back in a moment for dinner but Sera didn't care. She was far too interested in what her mentor meant. Silence was all she heard as Huxley pondered into the distance. Her mentor didn't look at her. It appeared as if he didn't hear her either. "Huxley." She called out, grabbing his attention literally. "What—"

The mentor gave her a sharp look cutting her off. He put a fist up to his mouth as Sera's eyes widened. She forced a smile onto her face and nodded. "Emilia. Dinner first." He called the escort back who had only gone to the hallway. Calling only once, he sat down at the head of the table. Huxley motioned the new victor to sit next to him as Sera obediently followed his movements. She didn't question her mentor any more. After all, there were ears and eyes everywhere and it was clear the roses had something to do with it.

Sera heard the loud clicking of Emilia's heels as she sauntered back into the room. "Ah. Right dinner. How could I forget?" She clapped her hands together and sat down opposite me. With a flourish of her hands, the avoxes started to gracefully roll out carts of food. In that time, Emilia stared at Huxley, trying to get his attention but he didn't budge. Sera looked between the two, wanting to ask them what was going on but she held back. There was no point. All they would do was give her false reassurances but no real information. "...Shall we begin?" Emilia tried again to get Huxley's attention. The mentor simply nodded, absentmindedly as he stared down at his plate. He didn't care or notice when his plate was filled or when the avoxes moved away. He was far too engrossed in his thoughts to pay anyone any attention.

"Hux, your spoon's empty." Sera called out, snapping Huxley out of his daze. Embarrassed, he put down his spoon. "You didn't even notice the dessert." The new victor joked lightly as she took a sip of the sweet milk-like drink that was served with the coffee flavored cake. She rubbed her throat in shock as the sickly sweet drink went down her throat. The flavor was quite different from the cake which was slightly bitter. Emilia stared at her with concern but Sera waved it off. Sera forced herself to finish the drink and wash down the bitter cake with it. It wasn't that bad with the cake. "Huxley?" She called out again to her mentor who simply stared at his dessert in silence.

He had spent the dinner in a daze, quietly feasting on his meal while Sera and Emilia chatted quietly off to the side. Now, Sera was getting worried. What was so important about flowers from the president? Huxley never cared for such things but what was he acting so different. Leora disappeared without a goodbye, too. Sera was getting suspicious. There was something going on. However, again. She couldn't ask him out in the open. She wasn't completely naive.

"Your eyes' are red." Her mentor drawled out quietly as he finally snapped out his daze. Sera jumped back in surprise. She didn't think it would be her stoic mentor that would notice her eyes. Even Emilia had no comment about it throughout the whole meal. Against her better judgements, she acted like she hadn't heard him. Instead, she quietly nibbled on some coffee frosting. Huxley mirrored with the cake but he removed the frosting and put it to the side. "Well?" He asked again.

"Hmm." Sera looked up. "Oh I'm just tired." She lied with a bright smile. Huxley looked unconvinced. However, he chose not to comment.

Emilia looked between the two and jumped into the conversation. "Seraphine has had a long day, Huxley. You of all people should remember how tiring these things truly are." She looked at Huxley with wide eyes that screamed at him to behave and not poke at things he shouldn't. At first, Huxley had a scowl on his face but the longer Emilia stared at him, the scowl dropped and he forced himself to nod. "See. You remember."

Huxley groaned. He was clearly annoyed at Emilia. "Go to bed, early." Was all he said, before he got up and gestured to an avox nearby to clear up. Huxley disappeared into the hallway, leaving Emilia and Sera behind.

Sera made a move to quickly finish up as she wanted to have a serious talk with her mentor from prying eyes before bed. An avox moved swiftly to clear the table with a subtle grace when she and Emilia were done. She must've been a Capitolite, Sera thought. There was a certain Capitol look to her. Despite being reduced to an avox, she was quite outstandingly beautiful with jewel-green eyes and pale gold hair. Even beauty couldn't protect you in this harsh world, Sera thought while stealing a glance at the avox.

Not saying anything else, she quietly bid Emilia a goodnight as she got up. The escort cheerfully wished her sweet dreams, her eyes said otherwise. Concern flashed in her eyes as she quickly masked it with a slight tipsy act as Sera left through the same halls she came here from. Sera's footsteps echoed across the cream marble floors as she walked through the halls of the District 5 apartment. Above her was a pale gold mirror ceiling with orbs of metal crafted to look like sunbursts or symbols of wind were hanging from the ceiling. She was still in awe of the craftsmanship that it must've taken to get that level detail. Every time, she'd pass these halls, she would take a long glance at the breath-taking work of art that was the ceiling.

Cough. Cough.

Sera nearly jumped hearing the soft coughs. Thinking she was alone for a while, she shamelessly spent too much time gawking at the ceiling. In surprise at the sound of coughing, Sera turned around to face the source of the sound. It was none other than her own mentor. Huxley nodded in greeting when faced with her attention. He didn't say anything but instead made a simple motion to be quiet with his fingers. His fingers sliced through the air in a straight motion with his back turned away from the cameras. Sera knew that motion well, it was nostalgic after all. She smiled and started chatting to her mentor about mindless things that she knew he didn't care about. Huxley acted like he was listening while he led her to the living room. Emilia would be gone to bed soon.

He led the way and ushered in the new victor whilst looking around for a sign of any soul. It was useless. Avoxes couldn't talk and Emilia was on his side but he couldn't take any chances. He didn't even trust his fellow victors apart from Wiress and Beetee. In the recent past, he had made small attempts to get along with the sole living victor of District 12, Haymitch but like he had told Sera, the drunkard was too much for him at first. It might take him a while to trust Haymitch. His fellow victors from his district were also not one to trust especially his former mentor Porter. It was no secret, Porter preferred neutrality above everything even if it meant turning a blind eye to the suffering of her fellow victors and tributes.

"Now..." Huxley sat down on the L-shaped sofas.

The mentor motioned Sera to sit down. Without a word of protest, Sera took a seat opposite him next to the fireplace. "Why'd you react like that?" She asked without missing a beat. There was a change in her pitch as she reverted back to her normal self. She felt strange and almost alien-like talking like her usual self but brushed it off.

"React like what?" Huxley acted. He flashed a small but sad grin at the young victor and pulled a coat around him that he had brought along. Sera gave him a look and raised her eyebrows. "The flowers? You're the flower expert you should know. I'm sure Dahlia taught you enough."

"White roses don't naturally smell like blood, Hux." She snapped. "What's going on? Is this one of the Capitol's games or..." She drifted off, clasping her hands together.

"Well why don't you start by telling me, why your eyes were red or...pink?" He retorted. Sera bit her lips and averted her gaze looking at the unlit fireplace trying to pretend that she never heard Huxley. "Look I'm trying to help you here." Her mentor added, getting up to start the fire in the fireplace. The flames roared to life as he pressed a button.

Sera watched the flames rise in a daze. The fire danced around as it shifted from a light yellowish-orange to a faint blue tinge before settling on a typical yellow-orange hue. "...I heard them." She confessed, clasping her hands together. Despite the fire roaring next to her, her hands felt ice cold. She could hear the sharp icy winds in the distance mixed in with screams of her fellow tributes. "I heard them. The dead tributes."

There was no answer from her mentor for a while. Only sound Sera could hear that was really audible was the sound of fire. A deep sigh was heard as Sera turned to see her mentor clasp his hands together and then cover his face. There was a slight nervousness in his movements that Sera could easily see. "I...uh...didn't think it would start so soon." He began as he uncovered his face. "Then again, you've always been a little sensitive." He added with a grim look. Sera raised her brows and inched closer. "It's normal. All of this. It happens to all of us...victors."

"Normal?" Sera echoed Huxley. She scoffed in disbelief. "There's nothing normal about hearing voices of the dead, Hux. I feel like my mind is tearing itself apart. I haven't been able to sleep since day twelve of the game…" Her face felt wet as she felt something rolling down her face. Unconsciously, she touched her face. Tears. She was crying. In disbelief, she laughed. Sera thought she had cried her eyes out earlier that night in the shower. She was wrong.

Huxley grabbed her shoulders and engulfed Sera's small frame into a hug. Sera was only a year older than his own sister and she was already crumbling. The face of his younger sister flashed in front of Huxley's eyes as she pulled Sera even closer. He patted her back as she sobbed quietly. "I can't promise that it'll be okay but I'll do what I can to make it better." Sera only nodded in response. She was too upset by it all to say anything else. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He repeated, patting Sera's head. He should've warned her of the true consequences of winning but at the beginning all he could think of was his promise to Talissa and Clarisse.

The two didn't know how much time had passed since Sera started breaking down but it didn't matter. Despite his guilt for not informing Sera of the true consequences, Huxley was somewhat glad. As selfish as he might sound, he was glad that there was someone he could share his guilt and fears with, Sera knew that too. But the two didn't bother to voice out their true thoughts out loud.

It was Sera who pulled away first. Her eyes were redder than it had been when she cried in the shower. It was also puffed up like those fishes Emilia had tried to make her eat before her training began. Carefully, she tried to rub her eyes, only to hiss in pain. In the end, she decided to let it be and let the swelling go by itself. Huxley's shirt was also half drenched, not that her mentor cared. She knew he was used to these antics from his younger sister and her friend, Clarisse. Sera almost laughed at the state of her mentor but stopped herself, remembering her own puffy and red face. A thought occurred to her as she clicked her fingers. "Roses!" She stated. Remembering her initial topic of interest, Sera leaned towards her mentor and asked. "Tell me about the roses."

Her mentor whistled and shook his head in disbelief. "I think that's enough heavy stuff from toni—" Huxley cut himself off as a distant look eclipsed his face. "Never mind." He shook his head and made a motion to lower the flames from the fireplace. There was a conflicted look in his eyes as he stared into the flames. "The roses were from the president."

"You said that already." Sera reminded him.

"I know." He nodded. "But they weren't congratulatory roses. They were a...threat or most people think they are."

"Huh. Who would've thought? The Capitol threatening their own victors. Shocking." The new victor replied with a slight bored expression on her face. She wasn't surprised at all. Despite what she had said in her first interview before she became a victor, she didn't admire the Capitol at all. If she was to be honest, Sera hated the Capitol. She lost her father, mother and uncle because of the Capitol. He and his brother-in-law passed away in an accident at a power plant in their District. It was the same accident that took both of Huxley's parents too. An accident they all said but everyone in District 5 knew that it was really a failed experiment to replace what was lost when District 13 fell. "Come on. Tell me something we both don't know."

Huxley sighed deeply and shook his head. "I'm surprised you still remember that." He called out Sera's thoughts. Even though Sera didn't verbalize her thoughts, Huxley had known her long enough to know what she was really thinking. "You were quite young when it happened."

"Father passed when I was five. Mother at eleven. It hasn't been that long...just four—five years ago. I remember." She spat. "Y'know," Sera tried to swallow her anger and resentment but she couldn't. "If our mothers weren't healers, they wouldn't have gone on site that day either. Yours passed within a year or two of exposure while mine slowly withered away." The flames flickering held Sera's attention as she vaguely remembered her father's dark brown orbs and her mother's weak smile as she decayed away in her bed. "...I wonder which was worse. To die quick or to slowly turn into a corpse in front of your loved ones." Tired, she shut her eyes and turned away from the flame. She needed to get back on topic. "Why am I being threatened? I thought I made myself seem..."

The flames cackled wildly as Huxley pondered over Sera's question. He also wondered why she was being called. Most victors were called after the victor's tour but why was she different? "I don't think this is a threat." He answered honestly.

Sera looked up at him, confused. "But you said—"

"I know what I said." He snapped. "The roses are also his way of greeting, you can say. The president might be interested in you instead."

"Maybe I should've shown the judges my skill of recognition of flora and their uses instead of the knife-throwing skill. I'd get a lower score and it would—"

"—Get you little to no sponsors and paint a bigger target on your back" Her mentor scowled. It was his idea to showcase the more deadlier skill to hide the almost useless skill. He knew better than anyone that sometimes those survival skills were better than offensive or defensive skills. It had taken him and Sera a while to settle on a strategy together. The countless repeats of every single game available, the two had watched still made their eyes ache. "Face it. If you showed them the fact you didn't just know the superficial things 'bout plants like their meaning but actually knew their uses, you'd have a harder time."

The young victor choked on air. Her eyes widened as her mind took her back to the early days in the arena. That flower. That damned flower. They must have found out that she lied. "...You don't think they found out." Sera started, clasping her hands in front of her. Her hands felt clammy, she was nervous at the idea of being discovered. "—That I poisoned them. My allies."

Huxley shook his head. "Impossible. You said it yourself the plant or flower that you used is barely a poison."

Sera nodded. "It just drives a person insane if certain parts are eaten and the seeds are edible." The young victor recalled back to her early days when she found that flower. She had only seen pictures of it before in a worn out copy of her aunt's notes. It was small and found in shady, damp areas. Sera still remembered how lucky she was to find it in the arena.

"Exactly. You didn't lie to them," He got up and killed the flames. The two watched as the flames died out with a dramatic flair and left behind only the charred remains of firewood. "If anyone asks, you only knew it was edible, nothing 'bout the effects. Got it."

The mentor paused as he heard footsteps in the distance. His senses were more sensitive thanks to the time in the arena. He wasn't the only one. Sera had too picked up on the sounds. She was the first to relax as she recognized the familiar clicking sounds of heels. It was Emilia. The tired woman walked past the living room, ignorant to the conversation. Emilia paused to wave to Sera before she all but ran to the hall leading to her own bedroom. The moment she was gone, Huxley turned back to her and gestured for her to continue.

The lights on their floor were slowly being turned off as the many avoxes left to go back to their own quarters. The two District 5 citizens watched quietly as the final avoxes left before Sera continued. "We moved to the woods by the tenth day. I couldn't find any of those flowers in the woods so we only hunted." She added quietly.

"It looked like whatever effect—you said insanity right?" He turned to Sera for confirmation as she nodded. "They did look a little unhinged but from what I remember seeing, they seemed to get a whole lot better."

Sera quietly nodded. "Y'know I wasn't going to use those flowers I found at first." Huxley raised his eyebrows and leaned closer to Sera. He motioned her to continue. "...If Gene didn't try to kill me on that night, I wouldn't have used it. Those flowers." She confessed. Her gaze was turned away from her mentor's as she stared at the window behind the fireplace.

"I know. I could see it from the observation rooms." Huxley shut his eyes as guilt started to weigh down on his chest. He remembered that look all too well. There was a switch in Sera's. The bright silver eyes which were once full of hope disappeared overnight all because of one boy's mistake. He couldn't blame Gene. The boy was unhinged and desperate to go back home. A part of him blamed Leora for being so neglectful to the boy after giving him some hope on the train to the Capitol from their district. Huxley wasn't the best mentor, after all, Sera was the only tribute he had truly cared about since he had become a mentor. However, he had a clear goal in mind. He never gave his past tributes false hope. "It wasn't your fault. Turning on your district partner early on is rare." The words were probably generic and Sera must've heard them already from either Eos, Emilia or any of the styling team members but he didn't care. This was the only thing that came to his mind. "His death...it wasn't just a suicide. Was it?"

The young victor's head snapped to look at her mentor. Her eyes wide with horror but the small satisfied smile betrayed her. She quickly cupped her face, hiding it from Huxley's gaze. She gasped and shook her head. "No...I...I don't know. He was—"

Huxley didn't look unconvinced at all. "It's okay. I won't judge. I did gut three people alive during my game, after all." He tried. He really wasn't in the position to judge. Sera drove her allies insane while he turned on them in the end. He actually took their lives with his own bloody hands but Sera let them tear each other apart. He didn't know which was worse. But again, he wasn't in the position to judge.

"I guess he was a little too weak to the effects of those flowers." Sera slowly confessed. Gene's bloodied corpse flashed in front of her eyes as her gaze hardened. "He tried to steal some rations, I don't know if you saw but he managed to steal some and tried to make a run for it." The images disappeared and she was back in the living room of the District 5 floor.

There was a silence that followed Sera's confession. Neither made a move to say anything else as the time ticked on. After a moment of silence, Huxley got up. He stared down at Sera. "Go to bed, tomorrow's gonna be just as hard...maybe more." The last part was mumbled under his breath, turning away from Sera.

He didn't add on or do anything else but just left after that. Sera didn't stick around after that. She got up and snapped her fingers twice as the lights in the living room shut down one by one with each step she took towards the hallways leading to her room. The halls were dimly lit as Sera dragged herself to her room. She opened the door and almost fell on the floor before she caught herself on the shelf next to the door. Steadying herself, she got up. She walked over to the closet and pulled out a pair of soft pajamas. Quickly, she changed and crawled onto her bed as she pulled the covers over her. With a motion of her hands, the lights turned off as she drifted off to another tumultuous sleep.

---

The day passed in a blink of an eye. Sera spent most of it, lounging around in her District floor. She'd move from her room to the living room, sometimes joining her mentor. Now night had come. She stood in the center of her room as her district stylist team buzzed around her like bees busy at work. Rietta grabbed her face gently and worked to make her look flawless while natural. Every second, she would take a step back and squint her white eyes to scrutinize her work before going back to add more. Behind her, Harp worked her magic as she worked to style her short hair in a simple yet intricate manner. When she was done, she moved aside. Eos stood on the side and hummed lightly as she held up a short silvery-white silk dress with petal sleeves that seemed to flutter in the wind. The dress was embroidered in a pearlescent thread and beaded with colorful gems that reminded her of the solar panels in her district when the sun shone on it. It was pretty but Sera could tell that dress would be heavy. She paused in her thoughts and scanned her team quickly.

Someone was missing. Ovid. She thought. Her eyes wandered around the large bedroom and found no sight of the azure haired assistant head stylist. She turned to Eos, giving her a questioning look. Eos simply shrugged. It seemed even the head stylist didn't know where her second-in-charge had run off to in this crucial time. She wasn't happy about, Sera could see the slight anger on Eos' face clear as day. The stylist quietly grumbled under her breath as Rietta ran around trying to cover Ovid's tasks, hovering around Sera to check on her. She stepped back and bunched her lavender hair in her hands, putting it in a bun. Turning to Eos, Rietta took a step back before helping Sera into the dress. On the side, Harp also moved to cover one of the other tasks of Ovid. The bird-like woman sat on the floor of Sera's temporary bedroom and worked on carefully prepping her shoes. Sera watched from a distance as Harp carefully laid down small jewels on the long silver strings of the shoes.

"We don't have that long." Huxley muttered to the group, just loud enough for the group to hear. The moment everyone heard his words, they scuttled around trying to get Sera ready even faster.

Emilia rolled her eyes at Huxley. The escort leaned against the tall windows with one of her feet up against the glass pane. Behind her, the sun was being consumed by the tall Capitol buildings. For Sera, the view was beautiful. The yellows, reds, purples and blues all mixed together on the painted sky, if only it wasn't the Capitol. "Ah. Don't rush perfection, Huxley dear." Her eyes were trained on the team. It was clear that the absence of Ovid might've made difficulties for the team but for the escort, it was a different story. Although, the mood in the room was far lighter without Ovid around. "Besides, we have an hour or two to kill."

The head designer let out a laugh as she watched Huxley scowl. "She's right, Foret." Eos spoke out as she hunched down to carefully lace up Sera's dress. "Seraphine's meeting got pushed back, remember?" She added. Huxley reluctantly nodded. He knew but he still had some anxiety of getting on President Snow's bad side. Up until now, he worked hard to lead a quiet and unimpressive life as a victor. He wanted the same for Sera.

"...Word around the town is that a...certain former victor was called in for a meeting." Harp coyly stated in a low sing-song voice. Huxley, Emilia and Sera snapped to stare at the small bird-like woman. Her beak-like mouth grinned. "Interesting, isn't it." Sera nodded. "Well, if anyone wants to know; It was Finnick Odair." No one reacted to that. Sera was the only one who seemed a little curious and she hid it well. There was no point listening to idle gossip for the young victor.

Harp finished adding the final touches to the shoes and handed them to Eos who quickly slid the heels under Sera. The stringed strap of the shoes wrapped around her legs, stopping just close to her knees. It was again a little too high for Sera to walk in. Emilia moved quickly to grab a hold of the young victor to steady her. Carefully, Emilia let go of Sera as the young victor took a few steps around her room. Eos motioned for her to walk around a bit more to 'break in' the heels as Eos had said before. Small clicks echoed throughout the room as Sera walked around for what felt like hours. It was only ten minutes.

"I think you're done." Rietta beamed as she slowly backed off.

"Yeah...She is done." Eos confirmed gently handing Sera's hand to Emilia and Huxley. The two managed to grab onto Sera before she had a mishap. It was unlikely but there was no saying.

The stylist team moved quickly to fix any last minute imperfections and do a quick scan of the young victor. Eos gestured Sera to do a little spin. Reluctantly, the fifteen year old victor did a small spin then stopping. The team nodded at each other then nodding at Sera. They moved to pack up their things being helped by a couple of avoxes. Emilia and Eos chatted away on the side while Rietta and Harp quietly laughed among themselves about something. Seeing everyone busy among themselves, Huxley led Sera to the living room.

Sera's high heels clicked against the marble floors as Sera walked beside Huxley in the halls leading to the living room. Neither spoke a word. And they both liked it that way. They took the same seats they had last night as Huxley lit the fireplace. He grabbed two random books from the bookshelf nearby and handed one to Sera. The fifteen year old smiled gratefully as she opened the book and scanned the almost new-like book. The pages and the cover itself looked untouched. Of course, it would be. Who would read when they have to fight to the death?

Outside it was getting darker. The sun had long set. The sky was now a cocktail of a dark blue, lavender and a soft black. An hour had passed in a blink of an eye as the two passed it in serene silence. Sera sat up when she heard someone pulling something. Her attention snapped to the halls opposite her. From the dimly lit corridors, she could barely see Rietta and Harp as they led the way to the exit through the living room. Eos waved as she walked past Huxley and Sera. Like usual, Huxley ignored everything around him but Sera smiled and waved back. The stylist team was ushered into the reception area behind Sera by Emilia who happily led the team to the exit.

The two heard the team along with Emilia leave. Sera turned to Huxley with a look of determination. "Is there anything, I should know? Any last advice?" Sera questioned. Her hands shook a little.

"Just be careful to watch what you say. That's all." Huxley answered without looking up.

"That's all?" Sera echoed.

"That's all." Huxley repeated, ending the conversation. Sera pursed her lips and nodded. It was the most expected answer yet she still wasn't satisfied. Then again, Huxley had never been in this place before. He wouldn't know. After a moment, he got up and dusted off his dark silver coat. "It's time."

The mentor held out his hand Sera just as Emilia sauntered back in. She flashed a nervous smile at the mentor as she held her hands together. Breathing out and in, the escort nervously led the two to the car outside. The three went down the elevator in complete silence. It was almost suffocating. Sera felt like a lamb being led to a slaughter for a second time in her life. The short car drive was also filled with complete silence save the noise of the car itself. Huxley gave her hand a gentle squeeze as he got out of the car and held the door open for Sera.

Sera poked her head out, looking around the perfectly manicured lawn and hedges. She stepped out of the car, holding onto her mentor. Around her, there was an abundance of pretty flowers and shrubs. They were all perfectly shaped into whimsical yet simplistic sculpture-like shapes. It was eye-catching but not as eye-catching as the President's mansion itself. The tall and large imposing building was very eye-catching. The first thing Sera noticed were the huge white marble columns that were framing the mansion. Underneath those pillars, there were small lights on the floor illuminating it. The mansion was quite different from the soaring buildings that Sera had seen before. This was unlike anything she had seen.

A cold shiver went down her spine as the chilly early autumn passed through her. She quickly composed herself as she walked into the large mansion beside her escort and mentor. The two others trailed behind Sera. In front of her, the reception was lively. There were workers dressed in simplistic fine clothes mixed with Capitol socialites. The socialites were starkly different to the Capitol government workers. They wore feathers, silk flowers and jewelled colored outfits as they flitted by. But the one thing, they all had in common were the careless way they laughed and gossiped among themselves. The sight was unfamiliar to Sera. In District 5, the mayor's house and the official building were quiet and professional.

"This way." Huxley gently grabbed Sera as the on-lookers nearby gawked at the two with interest. Emilia led the two to another reception-like area. Up head, there were two identical looking female guides leading Emilia. On the sides, there were tall columns and behind those columns were what looked like white statues at first glance. Upon a closer look, Sera looked away. Those weren't statutes, they were peacekeepers. "We won't be going past here."

Huxley stopped and grabbed Sera's arm. The two guides stared at Sera with a slight interest. Sera nodded as her mentor let go and went away with Emilia to another room. Sera was left alone in an unfamiliar room. The walls were made of carved white marble and draped with jewel-toned drapery. White marble tall statues of men, women and some strange animals were strategically placed along the room. There were some plants as well, some beautiful gem-toned orchids, roses and lilies all dotted along the room. Above Sera, there was a large chandelier that shined brightly. The crystals reminded Sera of rain drops on a bright spring day. It was a beautiful and luxurious room. A strange bitterness rose in her heart. All these luxuries would never be experienced by her people or those in the less unfortunate districts. She hated that but she didn't let it show.

The two guides chatted away among each other as they stood near a statue. Now and then, they would spare a glance at the young victor. There was a look of awe on their faces that Sera didn't like at all. It was like she was some exotic animal. Nervously, she looked away and pretended to focus on the flower arrangements or the detailed paintings on the wall. From a distance, she could faintly hear the sound of music softly playing. Without meaning to, she closed her eyes and breathed out. She was tired.

Her small moment of peace was snatched away from her the moment she heard the sound of heavy footsteps. The two guides along with Sera, all turned their heads to stare at the source of the scuffle. There a tall, athletic and handsome boy stomped out. He looked familiar. Sera's eyes widened as she instantly recognized him and she wasn't the only one. "Finnick Odair!" The two guides gasped in a flirtatious tone that almost made Sera sick. Finnick paid them no attention but absentmindedly flashed them a charming smile. It was meant to assure those around him. It only unsettled Sera, after all, behind him were two peacekeepers. The guides and the other guests that had now appeared out of nowhere batted their eyes at the seventeen year old while Sera tried to hide among the crowd. It was strange how no one cared that he was young. Questions buzzed around Sera's mind about the peacekeepers and Finnick's foul mood earlier. Questions that she tried to banish from her mind. She didn't want to get involved with any other victors, like Huxley had told her not to. Her mentor clearly knew well.

"We meet again." Finnick laughed quietly, catching Sera by complete surprise. There was a slight sadness to his tone as he walked past Sera. The District 5 victor tried to avoid his gaze by looking elsewhere. It didn't work. Finnick seemed to trip on air and almost fall on Sera. In her surprise, she tried to lend him a hand to study himself. She thought he would miss which would cause him to fall but he didn't. Finnick grabbed her shoulder to steady his near-fall and leaned down closer. His lips almost brushing past Sera's ears. "...Be careful." He whispered before he pulled back and flashed a charming smile as if nothing had happened.

Confused, Sera opened her mouth to speak. She quickly clamped down and simply watched him leave. It was the wise thing to do. After all, there were eyes on her. Sera stood straight and brushed off the shoulder where Finnick's grip had been. She looked elsewhere, pretending nothing had happened. The small crowd dispersed and in their place, a nameless woman in a stark white pantsuit waited for Sera. She motioned for Sera to follow her. Without a word to the guides, Sera followed the woman through the elaborately decorated corridor.

The woman stopped, gesturing Sera into a room. Hesitantly, Sera went inside the room. It's walls were made of glass and the ceiling was high, also made out of glass. She was surrounded by plants. White roses. These roses like the ones she had been sent smelt slightly of the familiar iron-like scent. Bloody white roses. From where her eyes could see, the white roses covered and occupied the room. Everywhere she turned, more white roses. The smell was nauseating. Clutching at her skirt, she breathed out and started walking through the white rose labyrinth. Her heels clinked on the stoned path as she took slow steps, looking for a sign of another life.

Off the stone path, there was finely cut grass underneath the thorny rose bushes. But the smell of grass was nowhere to be found. Sera breathed out tiredly, her grip on her skirt got tighter. "Ah. Miss Reza." A soft but powerful voice called out from behind her. She froze slightly as the familiar voice echoed through her mind. Slowly, she turned around to face the caller.

"President Snow." Sera greeted, bowing lightly. "It is an honor to meet you." She lied with a soft smile.

The old man in front of her laughed quietly and nodded. He had a pair of scissors in his hands along with some snipped off rose stems on the ground surrounding him. "Congratulations on your victory, Ms Reza." The President was tall and imposing, dressed in all white. His white hair and beard along with the matching attire almost made him blend in with the roses. There was a single white rose attached to his breast pocket. Like the roses, there was something deadly about the man. "I thought we could have a small talk before dinner." The smell of blood grew stronger and almost made Sera's stomach wretch. "If that's fine with you."

Sera nodded. "Of course. Who am I to say no to the President." She joked. In the back of her mind, she wanted to stab him with a stem of his prized roses and run far. Snap out of it. She screamed at herself. All the while, she maintained her composure.

"Hah. I like you." President Snow chuckled. "You know how to talk." Sera didn't say anything but simply followed the man through the labyrinth. President Snow chatted away about her victory and the upcoming tour while the young victor nodded at every word, pretending to care about what the man was saying. She wanted to go home. Without looking, he summoned an avox and handed the pair of scissors to him. "Now, I heard that you know your flowers."

"I do."

"Hmm. Do you know what white roses mean?" He questioned, caressing a rose.

The rose had thorns but President Snow didn't appear to care at all. Sera scanned her surroundings as dozens of thoughts ran around inside her mind. "Purity, trust, innocence, loyalty," She recited the top of her head, remembering her aunt Dahlia's words. "Perfection and..." Secrecy. Remembrance. Grief. "I'm afraid that's all I can remember." She lied.

President Snow nodded, almost like he was convinced by Sera. "It seems you know quite a bit. I'm impressed." He clasped his hands behind his back and started walking. He led Sera deeper into the white rose labyrinth. "Actually, I was more impressed by the...care you showed your fellow allies."

Her blood ran cold, she almost broke out in cold sweat. She swallowed and blinked as the images from her game flashed through her mind. "Care?" She echoed quietly.

The two stopped upon a large rose bush near a statue of a woman. The woman was carved so realistically, that Sera almost thought she was real, had it not been for the algae growing at her feet. The marble statue was detailed and depicted the woman weeping as she stared at the sky wistfully. A thin veil of delicately carved off-white marble covered her body as she clutched her chest. Next to the statue was a small water fountain with three carved doves.

"Yes, care." The President confirmed. His gaze wandering to the statue then the roses. He was far too busy tending to one of his roses. "I think it was remarkable how you put two of your allies out of their misery and the fact they trusted you while dying. Truly remarkable." Sera was speechless as his words. She simply nodded along to his words. "You have a talent Miss Reza...of comforting the dying in their darkest moments. A true talent." He smiled down at Sera while holding the rose. It was a look a predator gave to its prey just before it devoured it. "I have a proposition for you. Now I usually don't do this for anyone but you."

"I'm honored." Sera quietly replied.

"I'm sure you are." He muttered. "As I was saying—The people of Capitol are in awe of your talents. They call you the 'Angel of Mercy' or the 'Flower of Panem'—I personally prefer the latter. It's more...fitting." President Snow turned away from Sera and walked over to another rose bush. He pulled the roses closer to him gently and peered down on them, almost like he was inspecting them. "And flowers should be viewed not touched." He let go of those flowers. "Therefore, it would be nice for you to 'volunteer' at selected hospitals around the Capitol...maybe the whole of Panem, if opportunity arises. What do you think?"

For a moment, Sera was taken aback by the words of the President. Volunteering at hospitals, it seemed too much but she shouldn't voice her complaints. "I don't mind. Is there anything else I should know?" She asked. It seemed too simple, there should be more to this proposition..

"I would like you to inform me of any...concerning matters the patients share with you." And there it was. Sera knew the President was plotting something and this was it. She didn't react to this condition at all. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all."

"Good. It's only a trial. If—" He turned away from Sera and started walking away from her. Without looking back, he moved towards another end of the in-door garden. "—you do well, then maybe it'll become more permanent."

"I understand."

"There will be a banquet in your honor later on...just like all the others. Don't worry."

Sera swallowed her fear and smiled brightly. "Oh no. It's fine. I'm just honored at the thought of the President thinking about me." She stated. Her smile didn't falter at all.

"You are as humble...and kind as the rumors say." The President drawled out, scanning Sera for a sign of weakness. "I suppose we should get back. We've made your escort and mentor wait long enough." He turned away again and disappeared from Sera's vision.

Butterflies flew past Sera as she tried to keep up with the man. Like the flowers in the garden, these butterflies were also a brilliant shade of white. She drew back from them after another glance of those insects. They were mutts. The wings of the insects looked to have eyes that opened and closed as it flitted by the young victor. She almost tripped yet steadied herself quickly by clutching her skirt. Her near-fall led her gaze towards a rose bush. This rose bush was like any other in the garden except a single rose stood out to her.

"President Snow," Sera called out from a corner of the vast white rose garden. From a short distance she heard a rustle and the imposing old man came out of the thicket of white roses. "It appears that this one's different." She gestured to a rose which at first glance looked like all the other roses in the garden. A pristine white. However, on closer look, it was different. The petals inside were tinged in a deep red that were hidden behind the pristine white petals.

President Snow slowly marched over to where Sera stood and peered down at the rebellious rose. He smirked and let out a small laugh, sending another chill down her spine. "So it is." The president drawled out. Without looking away, he motioned at an avox nearby who disappeared and reappeared with a scissor in hand. He grabbed the rose gently before snipping it off. Sera watched the odd rose fall to the ground and swept away by another avox who moved quickly to discard it. In silence, Sera watched the avox disappear once more. Only this time, the avox never returned. She was left alone with the president. He turned to her and smiled. It was menacing. "You'll do well." Was all he said, the rest of the night was a blur for Sera and the start of everything.

---

Author's note: My google search history looking real concerning but I hope y'all enjoy.

Updates are gonna be really sporadic and I'll update when I can.