Chapter Sixty-Five; Warning Signs

(Stephanie's POV)

Stephanie tried to level out her breathing. Haymitch visibly stiffened beside her.

She tried her best to reason with herself. This was a publicised, filmed event. Seneca couldn't do anything to her here in front of all these people.

But then so had the first party and the dinner and the photo-shoot and the boutique – all been 'publicised, filmed events,' her brain helpfully pointed out.

Stephanie felt sick. Sick and dizzy.

Stephanie glanced over towards the door and saw Seneca being greeted by reporters as he held himself smugly in a tailored black suit and slicked back hair.

Her view however was suddenly blocked as Haymitch stood in front of her, his jaw tight with frustration but his eyes softening as they looked at her.

"It'll be fine," he murmured quietly.

"It'll be just like the first party Stephanie."

Stephanie jumped slightly as Frenkin piped up from her side, his blue eyes sympathetic genuinely – unlike the Capitol's sympathy.

Stephanie managed a fleeting smile, nodding her head vigorously and she inhaled deeply.

"Course it will be Frenkin. Just another party," she said, trying to convince herself.

She resolutely ignored her brain pointing out how the first party had gone. I'll not be going into any greenhouses this time to meet any gardeners, her thoughts assured sarcastically.

Haymitch instinctively being able to read her discomfort, though Stephanie wasn't hiding it very successfully, nodded towards the other side of the room.

Stephanie smiled gratefully, clutching Frenkin's hand in her own as they walked through the crowds.

The side of the room Haymitch led them to was a little less crowded given that it was closest to the open windows and furthest from the buffet tables.

Glancing back Stephanie saw Isa battling her way through the crowds, though she stopped almost every few seconds exchanging what Stephanie assumed were compliments with other Capitolites.

Stephanie snorted in soft amusement as she watched Isa quite obviously snubbing other escorts from what she considered 'lesser districts', as Isa would stick her nose in the air snootily, pointedly turning her face away from them.

Isa tottered over to them, bright grin and brighter green eyes.

"The interview went brilliantly pet!" Isa immediately said, grasping Stephanie's hands.

"Thanks Isa," Stephanie muttered, glancing over Isa's shoulder.

She couldn't see him currently over the heads of the crowd. But she knew he was here. Somewhere. And that was enough for her paranoia to be on high alert.

"So now we can't be sulking over here in this corner pets – we have to get out there! There's this woman I simply must introduce you to, Dotty Evans…" Isa babbled on obliviously.

Stephanie looked at Haymitch and he returned her gaze. Even Frenkin looked up at them.

A begrudged agreement was shared between the three of them silently as Isa continued with a list of people she 'simply must' introduce them to.

Stephanie, Frenkin nor even Haymitch wanted to have to go about the crowds with pasted smiles mingling and socialising but…it had to be done.

Isa was right. They couldn't sulk in the corner all night, no matter who had arrived.

Isa dragged her three reluctant counterparts back into the swarming crowd.

Stephanie for the next half hour found herself subject to the singularly astounding and baffling complexities of Isa's social life.

Isa seemed to know everybody. And despite what Stephanie had always suspected that Isa was completely oblivious to everything going on around her, Stephanie found that that wasn't the case – well not in all circumstances at least.

They would be engaged in conversation; Dotty Evans and her two sisters all competing to be heard. Isa would flawlessly follow each thread of conversation while Stephanie struggled to answer Dotty's questions on what she had thought of Cen's boutique.

Furthermore Isa would lean in to Stephanie and whisper some hushed comment such as, "Cetra Edwards; rich, absolute dear." Stephanie would stare at Isa perplexed and Isa's green eyes would flick for a millisecond to someone passing by.

Stephanie was astounded that Isa could listen to three conversations at the same time and notice 'people of note' walking past.

Despite the confusion of trying to communicate with Capitolites Stephanie had actually found herself beginning to relax slightly, her nerves slowly lessening in their intensity.

Haymitch was a few feet away from her. He had his hand on Frenkin's shoulder as they talked to a group of people. By the way Frenkin was blushing scarlet and how he kept looking down, Stephanie guessed Haymitch must be singing Frenkin's praises.

Frenkin glanced up and caught her eye, and as he smiled sheepishly, Stephanie returned his smile.

"Stephanie, what do you think?"

"Hmmm?" Stephanie snapped her gaze back to the group of people she was supposed to be having a conversation with.

Isa looked contemplative, her perfect brows furrowed in thought and Dotty and her two sisters also looked more serious.

Stephanie took a gulp from the glass of champagne she had been given in her hand, briefly worrying that she missed too much of the conversation to try and hazard an answer.

Then Dotty's younger sister Ella piped up.

"Fuchsia or carnation pink?"

"I don't know Ella, I still quite fancy a salmon pink."

"Oh! Don't talk to me about salmon pink Dotty! Did I never tell you about the salmon pink dress I got…"

Stephanie breathed a sigh of relief. They were still talking about the pink flowers for Ella's wedding in a year's time. Apparently Ella needed all that time to 'prepare'. And given that they had spent the past hour talking about pink flowers – Stephanie had never been aware there were so many shades of pink – Stephanie was left in no doubt that Ella would most assuredly need that full year to plan indeed.

Stephanie had barely laid eyes on Seneca all evening, though her shoulders still held a tenseness as her thoughts constantly were aware that he was here, somewhere.

She had got brief glimpses of him in the crowd around them. He was always talking to someone else; reporters, Capitolites, Flickerman.

Stephanie had begun to think that maybe the evening would not be so bad. She had salvaged her interview as best as possible and Seneca seemed to be disinterested in her.

Stephanie allowed herself a shaky, genuine smile.

Moments later as the events unfurled around her, Stephanie rebuked herself angrily for being so naïve to think that events could actually go this smoothly.

The first thing that Stephanie saw that sent alarm bells ringing in her head was when she was glancing about.

Ella, Dotty, Isa and the rest of them were still droning on about pink flowers so Stephanie let her gaze wander once more.

Haymitch and Frenkin were onto a different group of people that Stephanie vaguely recognised; Sylva Landa and two of her sons: Aral and Harron. Stephanie scowled darkly as she saw the looks of faint amusement they wore as they sized up little Frenkin.

Dess was thankfully not there, Stephanie noted gratefully.

But as her gaze drifted away from the small group – before she could get so annoyed to go over and possibly smack Sylva Landa's sons upside the head – Stephanie saw one of the most unusual and disconcerting sights she thought she could ever see.

The dance floor wasn't that full as the couples swayed in time to the music, and many people loitered beside the floor at the buffet tables, chatting and snacking on the food and drink available.

It was two of those people standing at one of the tables, engaged in a blatantly private and heated conversation by their body language.

Both wore grim expressions and were standing close together, no doubt to lend some level of privacy to the discussion they were attempting to have.

One had their hands clenched by their sides in evident irritation as they said something furiously to the other. The other reacted immediately, their expression darkening as they made some sharp retort.

Stephanie gawped at them, not fully comprehending what she was seeing.

But she could only watch as Slena and Ficen continued arguing.