Chapter Fifty-Six; Unconventional Introductions
(Stephanie's POV)
The door opened again, only this time it was the opposite door and it was a Capitol official who entered.
Silence was called for and when it was obtained the official began speaking.
"Five minutes. Please organise yourselves in order of your District from 1 to 12. Boys in one line, girls in the other."
The official whispered something to the guards beside him before he once more slipped from the room.
"Well…move!" The guard yelled impatiently.
Stephanie subconsciously tightened her grip on Frenkin. She turned to face him, saw his wide, frightened eyes and not caring what it would look like or what weaknesses it may expose, she enveloped him in her arms.
"It's all going to be okay. I promise," Stephanie whispered but she barely believed herself.
Stephanie turned around but Astara had already gone and so Stephanie and Frenkin got up and made their way over to where the lines where hastily being thrown together.
Cron was at the front, hands on his hips as he grinned down at the rest of the line falling in behind him. His district partner was the small, pixie girl with the black hair. No surprise there, Stephanie thought. The girl was busy scowling at Cron as he actually seemed to be making an attempt to get everyone into order.
"Stephanie Trindlesworth!"
At the call of her name from the unfamiliar voice Stephanie snapped her head up. It was the Career girl with the short, silky blonde hair. She was signalling Stephanie to come over.
Reluctantly Stephanie approached her. The girl gave Stephanie a dazzlingly smile. She was wearing a strappy, silver sequined dress and matching heels. She was over a head taller than Stephanie and had an almost patronising look in her eyes as she looked down at Stephanie.
"Lana Blackell from District 2 – you're behind me."
And with that said, the girl flicked her shoulder length hair dismissively and turned her back on Stephanie.
Stephanie clenched her teeth together but she was too nervous to start an argument and valued her life too much to argue with a Career.
Stephanie glanced to her left and saw Frenkin looking about him with wide eyes only magnified by his glasses. And then Stephanie felt an anger fill her as she looked ahead. There was Cron, practically a giant compared to Frenkin, and the District 2 boy, not as intimidating as Cron but still powerful. What chance did Frenkin or even she stand against them?!
Stephanie stamped her foot in annoyance. "Damn Capitol!" she cursed in angered frustration.
"You should watch what you say."
The low murmur came from behind and Stephanie whipped round to be met with a pair of dark eyes that returned her gaze unflinching.
"Who are you?" Stephanie demanded in a hushed whisper.
"District 4 – Slena," the girl in the white dress answered. "And you are Stephanie Trindlesworth?"
Stephanie nodded, narrowing her eyes suspiciously, but the girl broke the gaze to turn and call to her district partner who was still glancing about him clueless.
"VIR … VIR, VIR! VIR! VVIIRRR!"
Stephanie cringed at the deafening shouts and the boy in the navy suit tilted his head to the side and then he spotted his district partner.
Slena simply pointed to the vacant spot to the left of her.
Slena returned her gaze ahead of her, to once more meet Stephanie's.
"He's partially deaf," Slena explained tonelessly. Stephanie watched the boy Vir as he took his place to Slena's left. What chance would Vir have? She thought sadly.
She glanced a few unfamiliar faces at the back but she never got a chance to investigate more as suddenly they started to move.
They were directed out of the room, flanked by numerous guards on either side. They went down a long corridor that brought them suddenly to a narrow flight of stairs ascending that could admit no more than two abreast at a time.
Stephanie took her dress in one hand, fervently hoping she wouldn't land face first and inwardly cursing Ficen once more.
They had gone up no more than four steps however, when they came to a sudden halt and the guard that was escorting them began to have an argument with another guard that he had met along the corridor. It seemed there was a problem.
Stephanie was so busy concentrating on walking in her heels that she smacked right into the back of the tribute in front of her, creating a domino effect when Lana fell forward knocking into the District One girl.
Frenkin immediately reached out to grab Stephanie's arms to stop her from tumbling on top of Lana. But it was Slena who roughly hauled Stephanie up that saved her from crashing into the floor.
Stephanie turned to face Slena. "Thank-you," Stephanie mumbled, her cheeks flaming red with embarrassment.
Slena had a slight smile playing on her lips.
Unfortunately for Lana and the District 1 girl, the District 2 boy appeared to be too busy being bored to stop her fall and Cron didn't realise until he turned to speak to his district partner and found her on the ground beside him. And once Cron knew, it seemed everyone knew.
Cron let out a bellowing laugh that reverberated down the narrow stairway where the tributes were crowded, waiting nervously. Every head turned to see what had happened and there was a slight ripple of giggling that went along the lines.
There was nothing malevolent or mocking in the laughter. It was merely everyone was so nervous and tense about their upcoming interviews. It seemed to break some of the suffocating tension anyway, as strangers exchanged smiles and the such.
For the briefest of seconds, Stephanie even thought she saw the guard at the front of the line manage a smile. But the moment of care-free laughter was just that; a moment.
The guard roughly helped the District One girl to her feet while Lana's district partner finally stepped in.
As soon as she was on her feet Lana rounded on her district partner, eyes blazing. "What happened to having each other's back, eh Har?" she whispered bitterly and Stephanie could have sworn she saw a flash of hurt in Lana's eyes.
Her district partner Har shrugged nonchalantly. "We're not in the arena yet," he replied.
Stephanie waited for Lana to turn and lay into her but she didn't. Her expression went blank before she shrugged it off carelessly and smoothing down her already immaculate hair, Lana turned to once more face the front.
However it seemed the black-haired girl was not so quick to forgive. She peeked around Lana's body, being too short to see over her head, even if she was two steps above.
"You!" Her voice was shrill, her green eyes seething as they looked on Stephanie.
Stephanie's breath caught in her throat. Stephanie didn't know if she was meant to apologise or not. In a normal situation of course, but they were going to be trying to kill each other in a few weeks. What was an accidental push now?
Stephanie squared her shoulders and looked dead back at her, arching her eyebrow challengingly. Despite her confident stance Stephanie doubted if she could even manage an apology. Her tongue felt like it had turned to lead in her mouth and so it seemed the safest option was to remain silent.
The lines of tributes had fallen silent again, except for Cron who was still laughing, his chest heaving with uncensored bellows.
The guard beside Cron glanced at him but he seemed reluctant to check Cron, giving Cron was three times bigger than him, even if the guard did have weapons for protection.
"Stop laughing you imbecile!" The black-haired girl whipped her head around to scream at Cron, her curls bobbing furiously.
"Oh for – Go down a pirouette or something Tarii!"
To Stephanie's surprise, it was the bored District 2 boy who spoke, as he leaned casually against the wall, rolling his eyes when the black-haired girl Tarii's mouth dropped open in shock.
"Come on cuz. No harm, no foul," Cron said, with a huge grin.
Tarii turned once more on Cron, rising up to her full height, which was barely reaching Cron's shoulders.
"How many times do I have to tell you idiot, never to call me that," she hissed, her hands curled into small, angry fists at her sides.
Tarii once more turned to Stephanie, her eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Tarii come on." It was Lana this time. "Is it really worth it?" Lana spared a glance over her shoulder at Stephanie, her gaze holding nothing but apathy. Stephanie didn't know whether to feel offended or relieved that she evidently meant so little to Lana.
Tarii glared for a moment more at Stephanie murderously before her lip curled into a sneer. "You're right. There will be plenty of time for that in the arena…plenty." And with that chilling promise, Tarii turned around and Stephanie released the breath she didn't realise she had been holding.
She felt Frenkin's hand nudge her own as he gazed up at her with a shocked expression, his eyes seemingly magnified by his glasses. Stephanie attempted a shaky smile.
"Looks like you've made an enemy."
Slena's low murmur sent a shiver up Stephanie's spine. She turned her head slightly so she could just make out Slena in the periphery of her vision.
Have I really just put a target on myself? Stephanie thought incredulous. All she had done was fall, for goodness sake!
Stephanie was just considering if maybe she should try and make some attempt of an apology to Tarii when Slena's words cut across her thoughts like ice.
"But then we're all enemies after all." Slena's unfeeling assessment turned Stephanie's blood cold.
Stephanie found herself once more assessing those around her in a detached, clinical way that chilled her to the bone to recognise in herself. But she almost couldn't help it.
Her eyes passed over Cron, Har, Tarii and Lana; the Careers. Stephanie knew she would be no match for Cron and his daunting physique and strength. Har, despite looking impassive and unconcerned about his surroundings most the time, Stephanie suspected that he was far more alert when he wanted to be.
Lana had height over Stephanie and Tarii, despite looking like a delicate ballerina, no doubt disguised some deadly talent. Afterall, she is a Career, Stephanie reasoned.
Stephanie casually turned her head to glance down the lines, her face half-covered in the shadow of a curtain of her hair.
Stephanie could match Slena in physique. They were near enough the same height, but Stephanie felt sure that Slena would beat her with experience. Slena's district partner Vir; the partially deaf boy. That could be an advantage, sneaking up behind him?
But even through detached, calculating eyes the thought settled uneasily in Stephanie.
Stephanie's gaze immediately skimmed over the District 5 girl who was adjusting the huge bow on her head with trembling hands. Stephanie knew she couldn't kill her. It would be like killing Eldi. But then…Stephanie reasoned. Eldi is part of the reason why I'm doing this. So I can return home to her.
The District 5 boy looked even younger up closer, but it was hard to tell with the hat casting most of his face in shadow. He was watching his district partner and after a few moments of her struggling, he muttered something and she dropped her hands from the bow with a bashful smile while he fixed it for her.
Stephanie moved on, feeling a pang in her heart for home and the times when she would tie ribbons in Eldi's hair for some special occasions.
Stephanie not wanting to make it obvious what she was doing could only catch a glimpse of the District 6 girl. And even then it was only a flash of the girl's flame red hair as she had her back to Stephanie while she was talking hurriedly with her district partner. The boy was smaller than Stephanie but taller than Frenkin. He didn't look to be particularly strong but then it was hard to tell.
A restlessness had begun to come over the waiting tributes as nerves began to kick in once more with nothing to do but wait in this narrow stairway. Stephanie wondered why they didn't just escort them back to the room, but then the Capitol people never did seem to do things that made sense to her.
"It shouldn't be long now." Frenkin's timid reassurance disturbed Stephanie from her observations and she glanced down to reiterate Frenkin's assurance, only to find that Frenkin hadn't been speaking to her.
He was speaking to the District 5 girl with the bow in her hair, who looked like Eldi.
It seemed the girl wanted to know why they weren't moving on, being as she was too small to see over the heads of those in front of her. She considered Slena too intimidating to ask and Vir obviously hadn't heard her, but Frenkin had.
"Thank-you," she answered with a bashful smile, the bow once more sliding side-wards on her head. She reached up to stop it, blushing in embarrassment.
"You're the District 5 girl?" Frenkin inquired. His own cheeks had acquired a tint of rosy flush, Stephanie noted with a sad smile.
"Ava," the girl clarified, her green eyes brightening a little.
"I'm Frenkin. Pleased to meet you Ava," Frenkin replied, extending a small hand.
Stephanie couldn't help but smile at the exchange, even if her heart did weigh heavier with the foreboding knowledge of how the budding friendship would come to an end, one way or another in the next few weeks.
Slena had witnessed the exchange as well, given as Ava had to reach by her to shake Frenkin's hand. Slena met Stephanie's gaze, her dark eyes almost amused as she arched an eyebrow at Stephanie questioningly.
Stephanie glared at her in response but Slena's expression fell, as her gaze suddenly became intent as it focused on something somewhere over Stephanie's shoulder. Stephanie followed her line of vision.
At the top of the stairs a new guard had appeared. His expression was stony as his eyes took in the tributes still crowded in on the narrow staircase hemmed in by guards at either end. He began to converse in low tones with one of the guards near the front, the woman's face was tense as she listened, nodding obediently.
Stephanie watched for a moment or two longer trying to decipher what was going on but they were too far away and speaking too lowly. Besides, even if they weren't, Cron had taken to recounting a tale from home to pass the time, rather raucously it had to be said. He seemed undeterred by Har and Tarii's evident disinterest. Lana was watching his theatrics amused but it was hard to tell whether the amusement on her face was condescending or hinted at genuine interest.
"It seems there is a problem."
Slena's murmur was surprisingly distinctive despite the noise and startled Stephanie. Stephanie turned to face her with a questioning look on her face but Slena merely looked back, the slightest hint of a knowing smile on her lips.
The notion that Slena could lip-read was not a comforting one, Stephanie thought.
"Stephanie!"
Frenkin's tug on her arm momentarily pulled Stephanie away from her musings over Slena.
Stephanie looked to Frenkin expectantly.
"Ava, this is Stephanie," Frenkin repeated.
Stephanie glanced at Ava who looked back, her lime green eyes staring up at Stephanie fearfully. Stephanie couldn't blame her. Ava was even smaller than Frenkin. In fact, a quick look around, and Ava seemed to be the smallest tribute.
Stephanie smiled kindly at her. "Nice to meet you, Ava." Stephanie shook Ava's small hand in hers.
Ava responded in kind and then added, "And this is Prall. Prall this is Stephanie and Frenkin from District 3." Ava tugged insistently on her District partner's sleeve.
The boy looked warily at them from underneath the rim of his hat, seemingly uncomfortable with these impromptu introductions. Stephanie couldn't blame him. It wasn't the most conventional of meetings.
He nodded brusquely towards them, his gaze darting about nervously.
The boy Vir who was currently sandwiched in between them was looking about confused. Stephanie felt a pang of sympathy for him that dissipated, when she looked at Slena who was looking at them all with an infuriatingly amused expression.
"What?" Stephanie barked harshly. She didn't normally take an instant disliking to people, Ficen being the exception, but Slena was fast becoming the second.
Slena had a look of controlled surprise on her features as she looked at Stephanie.
"I didn't say anything, but you should watch where you are going this time," Slena replied tonelessly.
Stephanie stared at her perplexed for a moment until Slena nodded ahead, and turning Stephanie saw that they had started moving again and with a new sense of urgency about them as the guards ushered them on impatiently.
Their interviews awaited.