Chapter Five, Hiding in Plain Sight

Although she had promised herself to take things slowly, it had been difficult for Silyah not to get caught in the whirlwind of the Tour once she boarded the train. From the moment Beetee had joined the group at the station, the hours began to race to the end of the day. Almost too soon, Silyah found herself being woken up from yet another nightmare by none other than Effie Trinket. The woman handed her over to her stylist and prep-team, who desperately needed to finish preparing their "canvas" before dressing her up later that day.

A small breakfast later, Silyah was entrusted with the mission of waking up her guest, as Ms. Trinket could not do so herself due to a manicure emergency. The brunette thus made her way into Elijah's room, ready to wake him up with a witty remark.

"You're not a very good watchdog, are you? I've been roaming about for the past few hours. All on my own." She grabbed a pillow from the chair beside the bed and threw it at the half-awake boy.

He gave a groan and poked his head from under the covers, his straight black hair forming a cloud around his head. "You're old enough to know not to take candy from strangers, Silyah."

"You never know what I could have said while getting my legs waxed," she snorted. She walked over to the window, drawing the thick curtains wide open. "I'm starting to think that you had other motives than your job when you agreed to come on this tour."

Elijah ran a hand through his raven locks. "Your lack of trust in me is cutting me deeply. What other motives could I possibly have?"

"Oh, look at you, starting to understand how I feel," murmured Silyah before clearing her throat. "I haven't thought about your reasons, but perhaps you were trying to enjoy the comfort of this train for free without having to go to the Games?"

The slightly drowsy boy sighed. "I actually like it at home, believe it or not. I am only here because of my orders."

"In this case, pardon my language, but get the Frond up. We're going to the spa. Effie's orders. She might not be Kelp, but she must be obeyed."

"Spa? Are you serious?" This did sound like a task Effie Trinket could give them.

"You were lucky to be invited. We'll be getting full treatments."

Elijah furrowed his brows. "Oh, yeah… Lucky me."

"Come on, up you go."

"Right. Fine." The boy sat up, the soft, white bed sheet covering him falling from his bare shoulders.

"Oh. Right. I'm sorry," quickly said Silyah, catching a glimpse of Elijah's pale skin. She awkwardly diverted her gaze away from him. "Should have given you some privacy. I forgot that boundaries were a thing since my prep team got hold of me." She took a few steps back towards the door.

"Right," he repeated. "I'll be ready in a moment."

"I'll wait for you at the end of the wagon."

On these words, Silyah quickly disappeared, closing the door behind her.

A few minutes later, Elijah arrived at the meeting point, his black hair still slightly messy, as he had not really bothered to make it look decent.

"Good morning again." Silyah was still avoiding his gaze.

"Good morning," the boy greeted her back, attempting to fix his hair by running his left hand through it.

"Enjoying your job so far?" inquired the young woman, grabbing a muffin on a passing breakfast cart to then throw it into Elijah's hands.

The raven-haired teen caught it, smiling slightly behind Silyah's back, as she was now walking in front of him. Choosing to ignore her question as he trailed behind her brown waves of hair, Elijah decided to ask her one of his own. "Has your hair gotten longer since we met? It looks longer."

Silyah looked down to her locks. "Probably." It had grown so long that only the bottom of it still naturally curled in ringlets that went past the bottom of her back. The rest of the texture was coming from the braid she had worn while sleeping. "I actually think that there is an unwritten law about my hair around here: no cutting except when the ends need a trim," she mentioned, realizing that she was now discussing hairdos with a guy.

"It's almost part of your trademark," Elijah pointed out. "I noticed that one of the women in your prep team – the one with the white hair – tried to mimic your style."

"Here's a well-kept secret: she's wearing extensions." Silyah almost smirked, but her heart was not quite into it.

"Well of course. She is from the Capitol; everything is fake there."

"The muffins are quite real." There it was; a tiny, minuscule grin tickling the corners of Silyah's mouth. "Quite good too. Convinced me not to skip my breakfast this morning."

"Fine then, nothing is real except for the muffins and –" Elijah took a bite out of the one she had given him. "You're right. They are rather good."

Silyah slowed down and let him finish the pastry before opening the door of the spa wagon. "Let's see what this is all about. We didn't have access to this part of the train the first time around."

Elijah nodded absent-mindedly, following her inside.

"Welcome, Ms. Natho," said a feminine digital voice as the victor reached a facial recognition device. "Welcome Mr… Welcome Ms… Welcome…" The machine gave a strange beeping noise, as though it was feeling physical pain. "Welcome, Guest. You are not in the system's database. Please state your name."

"Elijah Fowl," clearly enunciated the boy.

"Welcome, Mr. Fowl." The system beeped some more for about thirty seconds before finally getting back into operation. "Please follow the glowing path. It will lead you into the dressing rooms. Enjoy your experience with Capitol Spa."

For someone who was used to technology and robots, Silyah was taken aback by this glitch-filled digital greeting. Who coded her? she wondered.

"Do you think we should report that little bug?" asked Elijah with a light frown. Had he just seen… No, surely not…

"Maybe… Hopefully they won't ask us to fix it." The girl shook her head. "Let's follow the blue glowing road, shall we?"

"That's why we're here, is it not?"

"Asking rhetorical questions is my job, Fowl." Another microscopic smile might have escaped Silyah's ice mask as she proceeded to lead the way towards the changing rooms.

"I've started to realize that."

The two teenagers quickly reached the changing station, in which were a few stalls. On two of the stalls' doors were pictures of them to indicate which stall had been assigned to whom. While Silyah's portrait was her default victory picture, Elijah's was a shot that had been taken mere minutes ago.

"Wow. You've been added to the database." Silyah raised her eyebrows.

"Oh. Once again, lucky me," muttered the boy.

The picture, which Elijah had clearly not been prepared for, portrayed him with a look of mild confusion.

"You'd think they could afford better cameras," observed Silyah before going into her booth to change into a light, spa-appropriate attire and a plush bathrobe.

After doing her hair up into a quick bun, Silyah got out of her stall, meeting up with a similarly-dressed Elijah. The girl had expected the digital entity to tell them where to go next, but was rather surprised to see an Avox on the other side of the changing area.

Elijah frowned, not used to this type of lifestyle, but he nevertheless followed the woman who led them to where were waiting two massage tables folded into lounge chairs and four people who seemed to be preparing some oils.

The quiet servant nodded at the teenagers, soundlessly telling them to go take a seat.

Elijah settled in a chair, eyeing Silyah out of the corner of his eye. The young woman was sitting down as well, and had let the two spa employees take her arms and feet.

The raven-haired boy tensed up when the Capitol woman placed her hands on him. He thought he had gotten over that little physical contact issue, but clearly he hadn't.

"This is a place of relaxation, not tension," the massage therapist pointed out, giving him a look.

Elijah fought the urge to roll his eyes. "Yes, of course. Sorry."

On the other chair, Silyah didn't seem bothered at all. She was no stranger to Capitol treatments after all.

The Fowl boy closed his eyes, he tried to control his shaky breathing by inhaling and exhaling and attempted to let himself relax by thinking of something, or someone else.

He had expected Silyah to conduct small talk every now and then during the treatment, but surprisingly enough, silence reigned in the spa wagon for the complete duration of their time there; a factor that made Elijah even more uneasy. Perhaps the girl wasn't used to company when being in the hands of the Capitol workers, or maybe she simply didn't have anything to say.

Once the massage therapist finally freed him from the countless different massages and facials, Elijah ran a hand on his cheek, feeling his smooth, newly exfoliated skin. "And there went my chances of ever getting facial hair," he murmured, getting up from the chair.

Silyah turned towards him, clearly not expecting such a comment to come from the boy. "Wait, what?" she inadvertently let go of a single chuckle as she tightened the belt on her robe and got up, already heading back to the changing rooms.

"Haley constantly teases me about how I'll never have any facial hair. I think I might have to accept defeat eventually."

Now that he mentioned it, the victor tried to picture the boy with a beard and gave him a strange face. "To be honest, I don't know how that would look with your jaw line."

Elijah was trying to figure out how he could possibly interpret and reply to this statement when the arrival of an Avox stopped his train of thoughts. The same woman who had led them to the massage area dropped something that had fallen from Elijah's robe into his hand, before quietly slipping away.

Shrugging away any kind of remark about his jaw, the dark-haired teenager turned back to where Silyah once stood, only to realize that the girl was gone.

It was not too long after that he heard her shriek.

Eager to go change back into her own clothes, Silyah had quickly made her way to the changing rooms, figuring that Elijah would easily get back to the stalls on his own. With no one yet in sight, the fair-skinned girl took the liberty of removing her robe as she went over to her stall.

Unexpectedly, her survival instinct sparked up; her heart nearly shooting out of her chest. For a split second, the girl wondered how she could have possibly bumped into thin air, but then, panic attacked her once more. A scream of surprise and fright escaped her throat as a figure materialized before her.

"Shhhh!" hushed the petite silhouette with jet-black hair. "Shhhh! It's just me! Haley!" she said in a low and rapid voice.

Silyah fell quiet, not because she had been told to stop screaming, but rather because she was now breathing hard, trying to see if she still had a pulse after this terrifying moment. "D'Arvit!" she managed to utter, almost choking on the word.

"I am so sorry! I would have gotten out of the way, but I didn't see you approaching since I immediately turned around when I saw that you were taking off your robe. So, so sorry!" frantically whispered Haley.

"Silyah?" Elijah's concerned voice came from the other side of the door. "Are you alright? I heard you scream."

The young woman barely had the time to wrap her robe around herself like a bath towel that Elijah was already in the room to check on her. It didn't take him too long to notice that Silyah was not the room's only occupant.

"Care to explain what's going on here?"

Not losing a beat, Silyah hopped over to Elijah, grabbing both him and his sister by the collar. "You two, get in here," she ordered, dragging them in her changing stall and quickly locking its door. "Explanation. Now." It went without saying that she was still shaken.

"Mom made me do it," said Haley Fowl, a tad sheepishly.

Elijah groaned. "She sent you to look out for me?"

"Don't take it personally. She just didn't want you to get in trouble and she told me that she'd feel safer if you had a backup if need there be."

Silyah's gaze traveled from one twin to the other, still trying to calm down.

"And she entrusted you with that task?" asked Elijah, his voice filled with doubt.

"Well, there is no debate on the fact that I am the most discreet person she could have asked."

"You don't say." The Hunger Games victor sighed.

"And somehow you manage to bump into people. I am guessing that it is why Silyah turned into an alarm earlier."

"You bet," replied the brunette, holding on to her robe with an iron fist.

"In all fairness, she bumped into me," mentioned Haley.

"Most people tend not to see you when you're invisible, Hal. I know it's confusing since you see them."

The boy's slightly older sister arched one of her eyebrows, resisting the urge to punch her brother. "I am not an idiot, Elijah. I turned away because she started undressing. I might be able to turn invisible, but I don't use that power in perverted ways."

Elijah sighed. "Why were you hiding in here, of all places?"

"Saving my magic. I knew I had fewer risks of being seen without my shield in a locked stall. I spent the whole night switching between wagons and being very worried about being caught."

The girl's brother pinched the top of the bridge of his nose. "You could have avoided this if we had known from the start. Why didn't you tell me?"

"You'd never have agreed. I have sent you a warning text message this morning, but now I see that you don't have your communicator with you."

The boy couldn't argue with that.

"So, what do we do now?" wondered Silyah.

"I don't know about you two, but I'd sure appreciate better living conditions. You'd think it would be easy for an invisible girl to steal a meal, but believe me, it's not."

Silyah closed her eyes for a few seconds. Think, think, think! You need a plan! It would have to be one hell of a good plan for it to work during the entire tour.

Silyah's brain was still trying to find a foolproof course of action when Elijah cleared his throat. The girl's eyes shot open, landing on the Fowl boy. "Mhmm?"

"May I suggest something?" he asked.

"Of course, go right ahead," Silyah prompted him.

"Perhaps we could go get dressed and discuss this somewhere else?"

Silyah's face suddenly flushed. That was right… She was locked up in a stall with two other people, with barely nothing on but a robe wrapped around herself. Not that Elijah had more clothes on, for that matter.

"Excellent proposition…" said the girl slowly, unlocking the stall's door as she turned to Haley. "We'll get dressed, then we can all meet up in my room. Go now if you want a head start; my door is not locked."

The slim raven-haired girl nodded, disappearing immediately as Silyah opened the door. Elijah gave Silyah a quick nod before going to his own stall.

They would have a problem to solve, but they could surely turn this one into an advantage.

After everyone was properly clothed and gathered in Silyah's room, it was decided that Haley was to remain concealed in the victor's chamber for as long as the train was in movement. To preserve the girl's magic supply as much as possible, as well as to allow her to get some fresh air, she suggested that she would subtly get off the train during each stop and follow the District 3 group from afar, hiding in plain sight with a different disguise every time. Seeing as it was riskier to have Haley be found in the train, both Silyah and the girl's twin had no objections in regards to that plan. Besides, how hard could it be to hide an invisible girl amongst a crew of oblivious people?

"How about the food?" questioned Haley. "I might be tiny, but I still need to have something in my stomach." After all, the Fowls never had issues with money and food.

"Well," Elijah ran a hand through his hair, smoothing it back only to let it fall back down on his forehead. "I could always get some more with each meal and give it to you. I am sure that nobody would question a teenage boy's appetite."

"I can eat with you in here. I was used to eating in the dining room wagon, but I don't think anyone will mind me locking myself up in my room," added Silyah.

"Then it's settled," nodded Elijah.

"Okay, so would we be ready to put this plan into action?" Haley tilted her head slightly. "I'm actually really hungry right now."

Silyah glanced at the clock on her nightstand. "Dinner should be ready by now… Let's get this operation started."

After being over the initial shock of Haley's presence on board, Silyah began to feel something she hadn't felt in a long time: better. A little voice at the back of her mind was telling her that this trip would not be so bad; that she wouldn't have to through this alone. She'd have Elijah to keep her in check, and his twin sister to perhaps have a friend to confide in. Unfortunately, the revival of her optimistic side only lasted so long, and her newfound pessimism quickly took back over when Effie was done going over the day's schedule with her.

"Elijah!" called Silyah, walking in the living room wagon, not quite yelling, but definitely being loud enough to alarm the boy. "We have a problem! Big, big, big problem!"

"And what would that be?" Hearing his name, the boy turned to her.

"Effie told me to read these cards for my speech, but I really can't read this. This is horrible!"

"We can make some slight adjustments, I'm sure. Let me see them," requested Elijah.

Silyah cleared her throat as she went to his side. "The beginning is okay, but here's an example: 'I am grateful for the sacrifice of your tribute, for they are the reason I'm alive.' That's awful! Certainly not words to say to people in grief."

"Remind me to never let Effie write my biography."

"What's the matter?" Beetee, who had been looking for his tribute, walked up to the two teenagers.

The girl turned to her mentor. "Have you read Effie's speech?"

A slight guilty look appeared in the man's eyes. "No," he admitted. As wonderful as he was with electronics, speeches intended for broad audiences were not strongest suit. He had a technical mind and he was good at explaining, but heartfelt speeches were completely beyond him.

"Could we modify a few things? Just the wording?" suggested Elijah.

The mentor looked at the time. "We'll have to be quick. We'll be in District 12 soon."

It was at this convenient moment that Effie appeared. "Oh, there you all are! The stylists are waiting for all of you! Off to the cart you go!"

Silyah gave a faint grunt as the woman pushed them towards the stylists' area eagerly. Walking beside her, Elijah still didn't understand why he had to go through this torture since he would not even be seen on camera, but he nevertheless followed the program. Along with Beetee, they used their time in the stylists' chairs as a brainstorming session to subtly make the victor's speech a bit softer.

Only a clock tick ahead of the plan, Elijah gave the speech a final read over just to make sure that there was nothing in there that Kelp would frown upon. In fact, as far as timing went, the whole group was not to linger on any detail for too long, for just as they were done getting ready, the train was starting to slow down, preparing for its arrival in the twelfth district of the great nation of Panem.

Getting up from his chair, Elijah walked over to the window. It wasn't every day one could get to see a district other than his or her own. Silyah quickly joined him as soon as Xarone finished adjusting her black winter cape on her shoulders.

Through the window, everything was slightly blurry, but soon enough a fence appeared into view, followed by a landscape of green and mountains. Further down the railroad, a city of gray and brown stood.

"This is…" Silyah squinted at the window. "Much different from what I expected."

"What did you expect exactly?" Elijah glanced towards her.

"Less nature, more mines."

"From what I know, mines are usually underground," the boy pointed out.

"The tunnels are, but not the facilities," she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Fair enough. They could be in another section of the town."

As Silyah nodded, a very faint shimmer appeared in her field of view. "Ready?" she asked quietly, knowing that Haley was now at her side.

She had let the girl rummage through her clothes to find something to wear for the ceremony, and had smuggled a simple blond wig and some makeup from the stylists' cart for her to disguise herself. For the time being, however, Haley was invisible, waiting to disembark the train and get to the Justice Building before letting go of her shield.

Elijah glanced down at the watch that served him as a communicator. "Ready," he replied, when he saw the tiny "thumbs up" icon Haley had sent him.

When the train came to a full stop, the whole group huddled at its opening doors. A small welcoming committee composed of the three victors of 12 and two Peacekeepers was waiting for them on the train station's main floor.

"Welcome to District 12," said Peeta Mellark as the group from 3 walked over to them. "Or welcome back, in your case," he smiled at Effie, who looked absolutely thrilled to have all her victors gathered in the same place.

Ecstatic, the Capitol woman led the introductions and promptly hugged everyone, including Haymitch, who smelled a tad strange.

Just as Katniss shook her head to look away from the boy who seemed out of place, Effie brought him forward.

"Now, before anyone asks, this is Elijah Fowl," she told the group. "He has been granted a special invitation for the tour by the President. He is here as Silyah's moral support, but he does not want to be seen on camera. Isn't it right?"

"That's right," confirmed the young man. "In case you're wondering, I am Artemis's half-brother," he added, still feeling as though his presence in District 12 was being questioned.

The two Peacekeepers looked at each other, and then towards the boy. "We'll take him with us while you are touring the district to get to the Justice Building," said one of them.

Elijah eyed Silyah for a moment.

"I'm slightly nervous, but I don't think I'll require your service in the next few minutes," she told him.

"Alright then." He took a split-second to subtly read a message on his communicator and nodded. "We won't be too far away, I presume." Silyah caught his reference instantly. Haley was going to go with him. "Let me know if you do end up needing me," added Elijah, turning to the Peacekeepers to follow them to their vehicle.

"We should get going too," said Katniss. "The sooner the ceremony ends, the sooner Haymitch will get to reunite with the bar during the banquet." She gave him a playful smile.

"Now you're talking, sweetheart," replied the man in question.

"She's right," Peeta took a step forward. "Basically, the Peacekeepers will lead the way and your team's vehicle will go after them. The rest of us will take the rear, but we won't be part of the main event."

Silyah nodded as Effie led her to a convertible car. For this ride, she would get to sit in the front passenger's seat while her mentor, escort and main stylist would fill the back row.

"The only thing left to do is to smile and wave," Effie encouraged her as the car took off. "Everyone is gathered to see you, so enjoy this moment!"

Silyah highly doubted that, but nevertheless obliged for the thirty minutes it took them to complete the tour of the city and reach the Justice Building.

Once the whole District 3 team was gathered in the City Square's main edifice, the ceremony began and Silyah was soon pushed on the stage to go face a silent crowd. She shook hands with the Mayor who recited a speech for her and was handed a bouquet of flowers before it was time for her to speak.

Through a window, Elijah watched her and the crowd in turns, wanting to keep an eye on her, as promised, and see how the crowd reacted to her speech while trying to spot his sister amongst the gathered people. From where he stood, he could periodically catch a glimpse Silyah's shaking hands. Although she was reading her cards in a confident tone, it seemed that facing a crowd would forever make her tremble.

On the stage, the victor looked up to the platform that had been built at the back of the City Square. On one side was Scpenser Ross's parents and what seemed to be his younger brother. On the other, a petite woman with pale brown hair stood alongside a tall blond man and three elderly people. Perhaps Quartz Dalhai's grandparents.

Seeing the look upon their tired faces, Silyah was glad to have made a few changes to her cards. It wouldn't make a big difference in the depth of their pain, but it would certainly help to soften the blow of their children's deaths.

"I didn't know your kids very well, but I am aware that for some time, Scpenser helped my… friend survive in the arena. I also know for sure that Quartz was a great positive spirit. The fact is that I owe my life to your tributes. I am tremendously grateful to be alive, but I know that I will always be in debt for their sacrifice. Therefore, thank you, District 12… Stay strong." She bowed down, a hand on her heart to show her respects to the calm crowd before her. The thought of giving the audience a three finger salute had briefly crossed her mind, but the President's words echoed in her ears before she could do anything deemed too rebellious.

Shortly after, the Mayor handed Silyah a plaque of some sort and the audience was given some time to cheer. Then, the ceremony was closed and the girl was escorted back inside the Justice Building.

"That didn't go so bad," said Elijah as the doors closed behind the brunette.

"Glad you think so," she gave him a shy smile. "I saw your sister, by the way," she added, this time speaking in the tongue Artemis had taught her.

Elijah didn't even have the time to reply; Effie had already entrapped Silyah in a hug.
"Well done! That was a fantastic way to start off the tour! And you will be bringing capes back in style!"

Elijah took a step back, chuckling lightly, covering his mouth behind his hand.

"Thanks Effie," said Silyah, giving the woman a light pat on the back while narrowing her eyes at Elijah.

The escort let go of the girl.

"Only eleven more districts and the Capitol left. It should be a blast," smirked the Fowl boy.

"Oh, it's going to be absolutely wonderful!" Although she had not been on many tours, Effie was positive about the fact that she adored them.

Elijah gave Silyah a look behind the escort's back. He would have to work really hard to endure Effie's overly enthusiastic behavior.

"You'll get used to it," whispered the girl before being told to go meet her stylist to get ready for the evening banquet.

It took everyone a little less than an hour to change into their evening attire and meet up again in the Justice Building's reception hall for the District 12 Victory Banquet.

The whole celebration was not exactly grand. There was some light music and chatting people here and there, but it was nothing like a Capitol extravaganza.

Elijah looked around, relatively okay with how little attention seemed to be directed towards Silyah and him.

"Well, isn't this festive…"

"Looks like my kind of party," Silyah gave him a side-glance as she gathered the mesh skirt of her dress to sit down. "Short and quiet, with decent food."

On the other side of the table, the three victors from 12, who had been invited at the honor table, chuckled at Silyah's comment. They pretty much felt the same way about the parties.

While waiting for the first course of their meal, the group made small talk, but it was clear that everyone around the table was being careful about their words due to the presence of cameras and microphones in the room. Elijah did not participate much to the conversations, choosing to keep an eye on his sister instead. She had appeared shortly after his arrival, hiding in plain sight and doing a good job blending in with the locals.

Between the entrées and the main course, Silyah was introduced to two women with fair skin and hair; Mrs. Everdeen and her second daughter, Primrose, with whom the Natho girl got along quite well. In fact, what very few people knew was that the youngest Everdeen girl had made it her mission to help new victors feel better on the first day of their tour. She knew what it was like to support a Hunger Games survivor and she had figured she might as well use her knowledge for the greater good. It definitely made her feel better about the fact that she had been spared from going to the arena when she had still been eligible for the Reaping, which was not the case anymore.

When dessert time came, no one was surprised to see the Mellarks make their arrival, much to Silyah's joy, as she remembered quite fondly how tasty their pastries were. The whole family was there, bringing cookies, tarts and small cakes on each table of the reception hall. Each of the pastries was decorated with a purple flower Silyah knew all too well.

To the brunette's right, Elijah eyed the frosted flowers and looked back towards the victor. It seemed as though the world didn't want her to forget about Artemis. It occurred to him that he probably wasn't helping either, considering how alike she thought he and his ancestor were.

"Hope you like the personal touch," Peeta told Silyah.

"He's been practicing for weeks," laughed Katniss. "I'm pretty sure he could paint one with his eyes closed. What did you call them again?"

Silyah glanced down at her bracelet. Beside the skeleton key was dangling the charm Artemis had made for her. She had tied it there since her black dress' thick straps wrapped around her neck in a way that wouldn't look right with a necklace. "Aremèsias. It's a bit of a silly name, I know…"

"Not as silly as Coriolanus Snow," murmured Katniss, a playful smile on her lips.

"Fair point," admitted Silyah, taking a tiny cupcake between her fingers.

"Then again, who are we to talk? Names these days are very… Unique. I think that around this table, there's only Elijah who's got a more conservative name," brought up Peeta.

The teenager in question turned his attention away from a camera in the corner of the room at the mention of his name. "My family always had a particular interest for old-fashioned names, Mr. Mellark," he explained.

The last two words of the boy's sentence seemed to amuse Katniss. Peeta gave his fiancée an exasperated look.

"Don't encourage them, Katniss," he said, although his smile was already resurfacing. "Ah, am I really going to be called Mr. Mellark of the remainder of my life? It makes me sound like my dad."

Katniss laughed some more.

"One day you'll get it too, Mrs. Mellark," responded Peeta, leaning back into his chair.

Katniss fell quiet and regret immediately filled Peeta's eyes, which landed on the ring on the young woman's left hand. The moment of silence lingered on until the baker's son straightened himself up again. "I think it's time for a dance. Silyah?"

It took the girl a few seconds to register that request. "Oh, sorry… I'm not much of a dancer. I think I might be more lethal with heels on a dance floor than with a spear in the arena."

"It's that bad?" wondered Peeta.

"Last time it ended with Artemis almost getting punched in the nose and Caskar getting electrocuted," Silyah reminded him. Surely he had seen that during the tribute Gathering.

"Poor girl," Katniss shook her head, smiling. "I'll go with him." She got up, smoothing her sleek feathered dress. "If you change your mind, you can join us. In the meantime, just keep an eye on Haymitch." She rolled her eyes to then look towards the man who clearly had a long meeting with the bar. On that note, she and her fiancé headed to the dance floor.

Elijah turned to Silyah once the two other victors left. "How do you think you'll fare in the Capitol if you cannot even dance here?" There was a "Fowl smirk" on his face.

She sent him one right back. "I was hoping you could help me break my leg before getting there."

"It isn't moral support you need me for; it's dance lessons," stated the boy.

"Wait, a Fowl that doesn't have two left feet? Those things exist?" Silyah tried to hide her sudden anxiety with sarcasm.

"Say what you want to say, but I don't think you'll get away with remaining seated in every single district, Silyah. When should we schedule your first lesson?" he asked her, giving her a small payback for her little game of sass.

"Don't be ridiculous, as annoying as you are right now, I wouldn't want to kill you," she grimaced. "You know that can be unstable on my feet. Now imagine when I have to wear a new pair of high heels every night."

"Then we should start your lessons as soon as possible. I don't think you'd want to trip in the Capitol."

Tired of that talk, Silyah turned her head away from Elijah to look at the small crowd in the reception hall.

"I'll tell you what. Instead of dancing, we should go mingle with people our own age. Look at that blond girl over there. She looks like she could use some socializing and seems much nicer than you." Silyah got up, resolute on the idea of joining Haley by the refreshment table.

Elijah sighed as he followed her, accepting his defeat. For the time being, he was powerless against Silyah's will. Her behavior was practically exemplary as far keeping the secrets of the People went and she had proven to be a clever planner when Haley had shown up in the train. As a matter of fact, he wondered why Kelp was worrying so much about her.

Yes, the new chapter is here at last! We had originally planned to get it out for September 1st, but we were slightly delayed. On this note, happy late birthday to Artemis Fowl II!