Chapter One-Hundred-and-Four; Buttons

(Stephanie's POV)

Stephanie's brow was furrowed deeply in concentration as her eyes remained trained on the sight before her.

"And then…" Frenkin turned his empty palm upwards and Stephanie's eyes lingered for a moment on the sight before she exclaimed, "Nope, I still don't get it."

Frenkin chuckled as he pushed his glasses up on his freckled nose and then closing his hand, Stephanie gave it the required two taps and when he uncurled his fingers the red button lay innocently in his palm once more.

Stephanie's frown deepened and she sighed. "I still don't know how you did it Frenkin," she admitted, chuckling softly at the bright if slightly mischievous grin that crept across Frenkin's lips.

"I could show you," he offered, his eyes shining.

Stephanie flashed him an equally bright smile as she nodded, and Frenkin leaned forward suddenly as animated as she had ever saw him.

He launched into a tirade, his expression ever so serious as he explained patiently to her how to do the simple trick.

But despite the pleasant distraction Stephanie couldn't help it as her eyes drifted to the window and the darkening skies outside, dread coiling tight in her gut as Haymitch's absence lengthened on.

An hour or so later Stephanie was still no better at the trick.

Frenkin's tiny hands could effortlessly magic the button away with barely a movement it seemed, however Stephanie could never do it fast enough or she would inevitably drop it. Her thoughts too occupied to concentrate properly.

Isa peeked her head into the kitchen where they sat at the table still engrossed; a simple red button between them.

Isa frowning at them curiously, drifted further into the kitchen with wide green eyes as she pulled out one of the chairs at the table and perched herself on it.

Stephanie and Frenkin exchanged a glance as Isa sat in wide-eyed silence.

"Isa?" Stephanie prompted.

"Hmm, what pet?" Isa turned brightly to Stephanie.

"Is something the matter?" Stephanie tried again.

"Oh no," Isa said cheerfully and then she leaned in towards them almost conspiratorially. "You're playing with a button," she told them solemnly.

Stephanie arched a brow, her expression a mixture of confusion and amusement. "Yes Isa?"

Isa's perfect brow puckered in puzzlement but as she opened her mouth to speak Bright darted into the room, sighing exaggeratedly in relief when she found Isa.

"Isa! Come on, it's starting soon!" Bright admonished, barely sparing a glance towards Stephanie and Frenkin.

Isa got to her feet, smiling at both Stephanie and Frenkin who Bright finally deemed with a glance.

"They're playing with a button," Isa told Bright with a grave nod.

Bright looked for a moment before she sniggered loudly behind a daintily manicured hand.

Isa frowned, swatting at Bright's arm with a clawed hand as Isa pursed her lips in firm disapproval.

Stephanie and Frenkin exchanged completely baffled glances, the red button still lying innocently on the table between them.

"Isa, what on earth?" Stephanie said, thoroughly exasperated as Bright did a dismal job at concealing her laughter.

Isa actually looked a little bashful if truth be told, as she took the seat at the head of the table between them. "Well, it's like this see," Isa began to explain seriously. "At school we learnt about the Districts," Isa told them as Stephanie's eyebrows drifted to her hairline – Where on earth was Isa going with this?

"We had a teacher," Bright suddenly cut across Isa. "When we learnt about the Districts they just seemed so boring," Bright intoned meaningfully, while Stephanie's expression took on a more unamused look.

"So I asked," Isa once more brought the conversation back to her, throwing a disapproving look at Bright for interrupting, before she focused her attention back on Stephanie and Frenkin. "What on earth do all the little children in the Districts do once they get out of school?"

Isa's face was so painfully earnest that Stephanie couldn't help but sigh in pained exasperation as she finally realised what Isa was trying to say.

"And our teacher said you played with buttons," Bright finished with a triumphant smile. "We all couldn't believe it," Bright continued, "I mean buttons! We all thought she was teasing for sure, but…" Bright's eyes drifted towards the button on the table.

"Don't be so rude, Nina!" Isa rebuked, her brows drawn down into a displeased frown. "They can't help it. They know no different," Isa told her knowingly.

Isa smiled at them once more then, bright but with a hint of sympathy in her green eyes. "Now – you play with your button," Isa told them seriously, before dragging a still snickering Bright from the room Isa and Bright left the penthouse.

As soon as they had left Frenkin gave a crooked smile as if to say he still didn't understand Capitol people, and Stephanie had had a bemused if slightly bitter smile on her own lips…right, up until Isa's last words.

They can't help it. They know no different.

Stephanie sighed, suddenly troubled as she got to her feet and went to the huge windows overlooking the Capitol in the next room.

She looked down at the various buildings, at the people milling about busily to and fro carrying on with their everyday lives. And if she concentrated hard enough she could see the huge screens that played Reaping Videos, Chariot Rides, Interviews and all the tributes videos on a constant loop to get people hyped up for the Games.

They know no different…

Did the people going about down there with their lives really know no different?

Would children clutching at their mother's hands as they hurried along the streets, look up curiously at the faces of these strange people displayed on the screen? Would they tug at their mother's sleeve, pointing inquisitively with wide, innocent eyes at the image of a 12 year old Frenkin Handalriss the moment he was reaped and his family falling apart? And would their mother pause patiently, bending low to whisper to them excitedly about the upcoming Games, because they knew no different.

Stephanie looked down at them and found there were no words to describe what she was feeling; the sheer magnitude of the Capitol people's delusion was staggering.

"How can they look at us and really see nothing more than tributes?" Stephanie whispered under her breath.

Frenkin looked up at her. Sometime along the way he had approached her as she stood silently looking down with misted, horrified eyes at the Capitol below them.

For a moment Frenkin looked so much older despite the huge glasses on his small face as Stephanie's gaze was trained on the bright lights and busy streets of the Capitol.

"Because we play with buttons and they don't…" Frenkin answered.