Chapter Sixty-Eight; In Way Over Her Head

(Stephanie's POV)

Stephanie half ran, half brisk walked down the hallway, still not completely steady in the heels.

She fleetingly considered just taking them off and sprinting after Slena but was too afraid she would lose her.

Stephanie caught the brief flash of red material as it turned the corner at the bottom of the wood panelled hallway.

Stephanie hurried after it, her heeled footsteps muffled by the rich, emerald carpet lining the halls.

Stephanie reached the corner and…stopped dead.

Stephanie didn't dare peek around the corner – She recognised that voice.

One of them was Slena's and the other… Stephanie shuddered, listening in abject fear to the angry exchange.

"What the hell was that you imbecile?" The man's voice shouted, anger clearly colouring his words.

Stephanie chanced a brief glimpse around the corner.

She gasped sharply, pressing herself immediately back against the wall. They were closer than she thought.

Slena stood in the corridor clearly distressed, tears shining on her cheeks. He was at the doorway of a room just off the hallway, his hair a complete mess.

Stephanie had no idea what he was doing here. In fact, she thought he hadn't been at the party at all.

"You said a diversion. V…Vir must have misunderstood. I didn't mean for him to do that," Slena replied miserably, burying her face in her hands.

"Yes a diversion you idiot! Like sing a drunken song, slip and fall – not get your district partner to attack another tribute! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU HAVE DONE?" Dess' voice rose louder and louder.

Slena flinched as she cried brokenly.

"I'm s…sorry. Please this can be fixed. We can salvage this…" Slena tried to placate, her voice begging.

Stephanie's thoughts raced wildly. What the hell was Slena talking about?

How or what was Slena involved in that included Dess?

"We?" Dess snarled. "There is no we." Dess' voice dropped dangerously, "Wave goodbye to your…"

"NO!" Slena screamed, complete horror and terror filling her face as she doubled over, her hands fisted in her hair that now fell about her shoulders in wild tangles.

Stephanie briefly forgot about the hatred she felt for Slena for what had happened with Vir and Cron.

Slena looked so desperate. Her dark eyes were wide and practically bulging with fear, as tears dripped unchecked of the end of her face in fast succession.

Stephanie heard Dess scoff in disdain and disgust and she barely contained herself from going round the corner and making Dess regret it.

"Too late," he replied coldly.

A long, warbling wail, a broken, keening cry issued from Slena's lips as she dropped to her knees, her head bending to her lap.

Stephanie was in shock. She couldn't comprehend. She was in disbelief… I am in way over my head.

There was also a cold fear in Stephanie as she looked at Slena, knowing that Dess possessed the power to reduce her to that as well with a few threats. And that fear was what truly kept Stephanie glued to her spot; too terrified to move and help Slena but too rooted to the spot in horror to flee.

Over Slena's wailing cries Stephanie couldn't hear the approaching footsteps.

The next thing Stephanie felt was a hard, sharp thump to the back of her head and Stephanie slumped to the floor, out cold.

…

(Ficen's POV)

"Who's there?!" Dess immediately called out on hearing Stephanie's body hit the floor with a loud thud.

Ficen stepped out from behind the wall.

Dess visibly relaxed and Slena's cries abated, though out of fear rather than comfort.

"Get her into the room quickly," Ficen ordered, gesturing with a tilt of her chin in the direction of the corner.

Dess looked at her perplexed but one icy stare and he complied, warily edging around the corner as Ficen rolled her violet eyes.

"Move it! We haven't much time," Ficen snarled.

Slena jumped to her feet to follow Dess when Ficen directed her fierce glare on her.

Dess gasped as he beheld Stephanie's limp body on the floor.

"Ficen!" Dess exclaimed, his mouth struggling to work for a few moments as he stared in horror. "What the hell have you done?" he hissed when he had regained his voice.

Slena's face paled as she looked at Stephanie's still body, already a sticky crimson oozing from the back of the unconscious girl's skull to congeal in her hair.

"Fixing your mess," Ficen said, her tone pitiless. "Now move it – get her in the room."

Dess gingerly approached Stephanie's unconsciousness form and between him and Slena they carried her into the room Ficen indicated, the one Dess had previously been in.

The room was wood-panelled like the hallways and had a huge, elaborately carved fireplace with two high-arched windows either side of it, overlooking some gardens.

Dess and Slena placed Stephanie delicately on one of the leather sofas in the room and then stepped back.

"You," Ficen addressed Slena and Slena flinched by reply. "You almost destroyed everything." Slena began to tremble but Ficen continued mercilessly.

"You are lucky that I have managed to salvage this. Now clean your face and get back to the foyer. The tributes are being moved to a back room – and Slena…"

Slena paused, her hands stilling from scraping back her hair to some semblance of order. She looked to Ficen expectantly.

Ficen smiled callously.

"Make sure this stays between us – or you know what will happen." Ficen looked at Stephanie lying ashen on the sofa.

Slena gulped as she nodded jerkily. "Of course," and with that Slena slipped from the room to walk back to the foyer.

"Can we trust her to keep quiet?" Dess asked once Slena had left.

"Of course not," Ficen answered immediately. "But she will or else her cousin dies."

Dess took a deep breath as he ran a shaky hand through his ruby hair to try and smooth it into order.

Dess looked once more at Stephanie, his eyes widening in fear.

"This wasn't supposed to go like this, Ficen," Dess said, as he eyed the damp patch of hair on the back of Stephanie's head, his stomach broiling sickeningly.

Ficen cast a cool, side-long glance at Dess.

"And whose fault is that?" Ficen questioned sarcastically.

"Hardly mine!" Dess squawked indignantly. "I told that stupid girl Slena a distraction – a distraction! Just enough so that I could get Stephanie away without him noticing. I didn't think the stupid girl would do something so idiotic to send the whole place into lockdown essentially."

Ficen turned to Dess, her expression deadly serious.

"And did he notice?" she asked.

Dess swallowed and shook his head in the negative. "No, he didn't notice…I think," Dess added meekly.

"You think?" Ficen intoned dangerously.

"I told Slena to make sure that Stephanie and he weren't together when that disastrous 'distraction' went down. So she probably slipped away and he hasn't even realised yet," Dess replied hopefully.

"You better hope so, and that he finds out nothing about this," Ficen warned darkly.

Dess visibly gulped. "He won't!"

Ficen rolled her eyes but Dess' gaze had locked again on the ever darkening patch on Stephanie's hair, his lips downturned in a grimace as he visibly paled.

"I don't think I can do this…" he whispered.

Ficen rounded on him then fiercely, her violet eyes blazing.

"You damn well will!" she shouted.

Just then there were a crisp, two raps on the door.

Both Ficen and Dess immediately tensed before it was followed by another softer knock.

"Get in," Ficen barked harshly.

The door opened barely slightly and he slipped in, shutting it silently behind him.

He turned to them with an impish grin that immediately fell, his expression quickly sobering as he saw Stephanie on the sofa.

Ficen saw the protests and questions forming in his head as he opened his mouth to voice them, but she held up her hand silencing him.

"We haven't the time for either of you to suddenly grow a conscience – so let's get this over with."