Chapter Seventy; Terror in the Capitol

(Stephanie's POV)

Dess sat himself down beside Stephanie on the sofa.

Stephanie immediately scampered across the sofa as best she could on her behind, trying to ignore the black spots and the blurred edges that assaulted her vision with the sudden movement.

Dess looked at her almost sympathetically.

"My sentiments exactly," he said.

Stephanie didn't know whether to be offended or relieved that Dess quite obviously now found her as disgusting as something he would scrape off the bottom of his shoe.

Ficen growled – yes, growled low in her throat in warning.

Dess stared at her, Stephanie arched an astonished brow and Fas sniggered.

Dess turned to face her again.

Stephanie looked at him questioningly, her vision starting to swim again. She raised a hand to press to her head and found her movements becoming more sluggish and lethargic. Her arm had felt like it weighed a tonne to move.

Stephanie was about to open her mouth to point out that unless Ficen got her medical attention there was a high chance she was going to pass out again.

However the words that were practically on her lips were silenced. Instead in their place came a muffled shriek of alarm from Stephanie that was smothered when Dess mashed his lips messily against hers.

Stephanie in her shock didn't even get to shut her eyes before there was a blinding flash of a camera and a shuttering click.

Stephanie screwed her eyes shut tight as her very corneas stung with the exposure.

Adrenaline kicked in as sheets of sheer panic and fear crashed over her.

She shoved against Dess' shoulders as he pushed her back into the sofa, clawing at the red suit with everything she had, distantly feeling the Capitol nails she wore snap against the force.

But Stephanie could feel it, and the terror of that realisation spurred her on.

Her hold on consciousness was slipping.

Tears rose to her eyes then spilling over as she tried to twist her neck away from Dess, ignoring the agonising thumping against her skull.

Fear ran through her veins like ice, her heart was thrashing against her rib cage like a wild animal.

Stephanie begged fervently in her head for someone – anyone to help her!

Stephanie begged for Haymitch.

Her head was beginning to spin, her lungs were burning from the lack of oxygen – because there was no way in hell Stephanie was opening her mouth even to breath!

The ringing in her ears was back as Stephanie's body revolted against being starved off the much needed oxygen. Stephanie's limbs felt weak as much of her energy had been sapped by the loss of blood and she was still suffering from the acute effects of a concussion.

Stephanie felt her legs pulled out from underneath her as she was pushed back into a lying position on the sofa, a crushing weight in a suffocating cloud of cologne settled over her.

Stephanie's lungs were screaming, her head was veering wildly. She distantly felt a warm trickle of blood trace down the curve of her neck and she suspected that her head wound had opened up again.

Dess' lips left hers and Stephanie opened her eyes only to be met with another blinding flash.

Dess began to trace sloppy, wet, open-mouthed kisses down her throat.

Stephanie sucked in air before she screamed, flailing wildly, and trying to knee Dess in that particular sensitive juncture, but the damn idiot was crushing her with his weight.

Stephanie tried opening her eyes once more. That cold fear had possessed her entirely, a dark dread settling in her as Stephanie fought against what Dess intended to do.

"Ficen!" Stephanie screamed as she called Ficen every foul name she could think of.

Surely Ficen wasn't going to sit by and let…let Dess…Stephanie pushed against Dess desperately, feeling her throat close up and her vision mist over with fresh tears of anger and frustration and pain.

They spilled down her cheeks even as her head began to throb, her vision filled with black spots.

Stephanie raised a shaking hand to where Dess' head was bent at her shoulder and lacing her fingers through the scarlet hair she pulled – hard, and twisted and tugged with all her might.

"ARGH!" Dess screamed as he pulled away from her. Stephanie immediately let her hand fall, her energy entirely gone.

"That's enough," Ficen's voice cut in calmly across Dess' shrieks.

Stephanie's chest heaved with laboured breaths, her vision nothing more than a blur of colours, pain searing through her head in blinding spasms. Stephanie felt sick, her stomach churned violently. Stephanie just managed to turn onto her front to avoid choking on her own vomit.

She blacked out.

…

Stephanie awoke suddenly, but it wasn't like last time where her senses filtered through to her in trickles.

All too quickly she was fully awake, fully conscious.

Her lungs felt like they were on fire. She was shuddering uncontrollably.

Stephanie turned her head to the side, her eyes opened impossibly wide and bloodshot.

Ficen tugged the sleeve of Stephanie's nude, silk dress down sharply as Ficen moved away to discard of the now empty syringe.

Stephanie's lungs were still working too quickly from whatever Ficen had injected her with and the rapid breathing was making her feel sick and dizzy.

Stephanie felt the revolting aftertaste of her own vomit clinging to her tongue.

A few minutes passed in silence as Stephanie's breathing slowed to a more normal rhythm, though still a tad too fast, her heartbeat was still pounding, her head even more so.

Stephanie fleetingly heard a few brief mutters but she couldn't distinguish them.

Suddenly she was being lifted up to a sitting position. She was still shaking uncontrollably.

It was Fas, and he looked mildly sympathetic.

Stephanie felt a knife of fear stab her suddenly as she met Dess' dark gaze as he was seated in the chair facing her, massaging his head.

Stephanie attempted to speak, only to find her throat was hoarse and resembled sandpaper while her tongue felt like cotton in her mouth.

"Damn over-reacting…we only needed a few photos!" Dess exclaimed with feeling, going on to mumble and lament about the loss of his fine hair.

Stephanie felt her thoughts race by too quickly for her to even comprehend them, especially in her current state.

She distantly realised that there were still tears leaking out of her eyes, running down her streaked cheeks.

There was a hiccup. Then a coughed heave. Then Stephanie broke down crying; huge, choking sobs that tore at her throat and rattled through her whole body.

Stephanie raised her trembling, blood-smeared hands to her tear-streaked face and she began to rock back and forth, as she sobbed and shook uncontrollably.

She had never felt so terrified in her life. It had been a cruel reminder of just what kind of people there were in the Capitol, of how many dangers there were.

"Oh for f-, stop it!" Ficen grabbed her by the shoulders, harshly shaking her.

Stephanie felt her teeth knock against each other.

"Give her a few moments at least," Fas cut in on her behalf.

Ficen glared at him over her shoulder but relented, instead crossing to the other side of the room behind Stephanie.

Dess sighed suddenly and Stephanie flinched, a hoarse yelp finding its way out of her throat.

Dess rolled his eyes.

"Believe me – I didn't want to do this! I would much rather prefer that sweet thing Lana. Don't take it too personally dear – even the best of us find it hard to look attractive after a knock to the head."

Stephanie mustered up the energy to glare darkly at him, trying not to show the abject terror she truly felt.

Dess looked at her bored before he suddenly got up and straightened his suit.

"Well I see I am no longer needed," Dess said, looking to Ficen.

Stephanie didn't turn around to look at Ficen. She couldn't. Her head felt like lead.

But Dess nodded and walked to the door, opening it and leaving without another word.

Stephanie's head was still swimming with thoughts in amongst the terror and the pain.

Dess words; We only needed a few pictures.

Pictures? – Pictures for what?

Stephanie looked towards Fas, his camera still perched in his lap as he grinned at her.

"Pictures?" Stephanie managed to choke out.

Fas got her drift though and his smile widened as he nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes pictures, we…" Fas began.

"Get out!" Ficen ordered Fas out of the room before he could continue.

Fas' face fell a bit but he soon shrugged and got up. He gave Stephanie a cheerful goodbye and then left the same way Dess had moments before.

Stephanie found herself left alone with Ficen and that her fear was quickly being replaced with rage.