Chapter Ninety-Four; Love True?

(Stephanie's POV)

After her inevitable fainting Stephanie had awoken – thankfully not this time to a needle in the arm – but nevertheless Bright and Lashes arguing with one another in such delicate, squeaky voices that had absolutely no business being so damn loud, Stephanie decided.

Stephanie glared at them.

"Kas, I am telling you, this is like the gazzilionith time!" Bright nodded empathetically, her lips pursed as her expression was one of complete seriousness.

Lashes rolled her eyes, her pupils for a disturbing moment become entirely engulfed under the green monstrous feathers she was wearing on her eyelashes.

"No, now Nina – don't exaggerate. It's more like the eight hundredth time," Lashes said condescendingly, fluttering her lashes.

A quick glimpse and Stephanie realised that some considerable time had passed for a number of factors.

One; She was currently being looked after by Bright and Lashes it would seem, while everyone else had hightailed it elsewhere.

Two; Said Bright and Lashes were fully clothed to the proper Capitol standard and back to looking their old selves.

And Thirdly, and perhaps most tellingly, was because that bright light was streaming in through the windows. It had to be early morning because the sky was bright and blue; cloudless.

Stephanie bolted upright, immediately regretting it as a painful ringing sound reverberated through her skull.

"She's awake!"

"I know she's awake – I can see!"

"Well what do we do?"

"What were you two talking about?" Stephanie cut through their exclamations in an irked tone.

Both stylists snapped their mouths closed, looked at one another and then began speaking at the same time. Bright paused, Lashes paused, they looked at each other, giggled, tried to speak again, repeated the process…

Stephanie felt like knocking their heads together.

"We were just talking about how many times you have fainted now," Lashes managed to explain innocently.

Stephanie's brow twitched ever so slightly as she glared darkly at the two stylists. She couldn't tell if they were being intentionally offensive or just their usual, airhead selves.

Stephanie shook her head slightly, deciding it mattered little either way as she scrubbed a weary hand over her face.

"Where is everyone?" Stephanie asked. The two stylists, after having ascertained that Stephanie was awake, had lost all interest in her and begun chatting amongst themselves once more.

Lashes glanced up at her mildly irritated that their conversation had been interrupted again.

She waved a perfectly manicured hand dismissively in the air. "Tess, El and Mirr have gone to ready Frenkin's outfits…"

"Oh my Kas! Did you see Alba when he heard the news!? I thought his rollers would fall out!" Bright cut across her excitedly and that had Bright and Lashes off on a tirade concerning Alba's very 'severe' reaction to the news last night.

Stephanie rolled her eyes, grimacing at the mention of 'last night's news' that had been delivered just before she had fainted into Haymitch's equally stunned arms.

Realising she would have to be more direct if she wanted to get any actual answer she wanted in the next hour or so, Stephanie cut across them once more.

"Lash erm - Kas…Where's Frenkin?" Stephanie asked.

"Clothes fitting with Alba at the studio," Lashes answered in a bored tone.

"And Isa…Haymitch?"

"The Globe I think," Bright replied wistfully.

"I bet that is where all the escorts and mentors are," Lashes added conspiratorially.

Stephanie got to her feet, ignoring the swaying of the room, made for the kitchen.

Lashes and Bright spared her a semi-interested glance before resuming their conversation.

Haymitch had told Stephanie about The Globe before, or rather he had mentioned it. It would be where Haymitch would be watching her in the Games.

It was a huge building, with its one defining feature being a golden sphere outside of it. Stephanie didn't understand the appeal, but then she rarely did when it came to the Capitol.

Inside it among many other rooms the two main rooms consisted of The Hub and The Hive.

Throughout the Games The Hive was basically just a high-class room for sponsors to lounge about in, watching the Games on huge screens with every convenience they could ever want placed around them. Escorts also tended to stay here during the Games, cheering on their tributes and sensing the mood amongst the Capitolites.

The Hub was conveniently placed across from The Hive, but was a considerably less cheerful place. It was were the mentors sat at their individual stations, with their individual screens and watched their tributes be slaughtered.

Stephanie didn't really understand why Haymitch and Isa would be there for, but considering Lashes comment it seemed that was where all the other mentors and escorts were heading; most likely trying to dig up answers, motives, ways to work the 'news' last night to their advantage.

Stephanie mechanically filled herself a glass of water from the tap as she chewed on her bottom lip nervously watching the clear water flow.

She should be at training now, she knew that.

Every tribute should be at training now.

But they weren't.

And Stephanie had the awful feeling that she may well be the only one perhaps in the whole Capitol who knew why.

Despite being on the verge of collapse as she watched it, Stephanie could recall every single word of Flickerman's as he made the announcement, could even see the exact muscles in his face twitching slightly with the effort to maintain that composed mask for the cameras.

"And now to all those watching, you have just heard the news that Head Gamemaker Seneca Crane has postponed the training until the last weeks before the Games."

Stephanie heard the words repeat themselves over and over again in her mind with a sickening clarity.

Greedily Stephanie gulped down the glass of water in one long draught hoping to get rid of the vile taste.

Flickerman's calm voice faded but it was only for another to take its place…his voice.

Seneca.

"You need more time…"

Seneca had said that back in Sterlin's apartment when she had been training that she had needed more time.

Would Seneca really postpone the training for her?

And as Stephanie considered the question more and more she came to one conclusion.

Seneca had said he would prove it afterall. And with a nervous flip in her chest Stephanie realised that he had.

Seneca had proven he loved her.