Chapter One-Hundred-and-Nine; Thorne Twins
Isa reached them first, almost careening directly into their table in her enthusiasm.
"Right pets!" Isa began entirely business-like as she eyed the three of them meaningfully. "Today is going to be a lot of hard-work," Isa stressed as she rapped her nails against the table sharply.
Stephanie inhaled a rallying breath. She had a looming feeling that for once Isa's assessment wouldn't be an exaggeration.
…
It was in the subtle changes that Stephanie realised that things were changing; a charged atmosphere that was so thick you could almost taste it, like static buzzing against your lips.
Stephanie was glad she had reached her new resolution to win that day, for she didn't know if she would have had the grim determination to last the event without it.
The bright sunshine never waned in its intensity, the cooling breeze was ever present, but the pleasant day became a backdrop for an event that Stephanie came to realise would be different in more than one way.
The first changes came with the interviews. Stephanie had pasted on her usual smile, feeling her facial muscles begin to ache after a while. She suspected she was beginning to look rather manic.
However after a few laughing questions as they discussed or rather tried to decipher what Bright and Lashes had been doodling on her back – the questions changed.
The reporters no longer hung on the end of every awed compliment from the tributes. They were bored listening to what the tributes thought of their Capitol.
And Stephanie fleetingly remembered Haymitch's words on the train. They were nothing more than playthings to the Capitol people. And the Capitolites were bored with their simpering, smiling toys in wonder of the Capitol, now they wanted something new.
They no longer wanted to see District tributes, they wanted to see what the Hunger Games was all about – killers.
The Games were approaching and the Capitol people were calling for blood and death not love and scandal.
Stephanie clenched her jaw until it was almost painful, a snarl building behind her teeth as she heard the question that Frenkin was being asked mere feet away from her.
"How are you planning to survive the bloodbath? I mean an alliance would be your only chance of surviving; for a while at least – But what could you possibly offer an alliance Frenkin Handalriss?"
Frenkin stammered, his eyes wide and terrified behind his glasses and Stephanie stopped herself from going over and smacking the hateful woman in the face for her insensitive words, forcing herself to focus on her own pestering reporter.
The man had inquired eagerly about Stephanie's thoughts on the upcoming arena and how much she thought Dan could help her through sponsor gifts.
Stephanie answered as best she could. Thoughts of the arena still terrified her but in all honesty she didn't know if Dan would be sending her anything at all? Given Haymitch's silence on the subject of her 'Capitol Lover', Stephanie had absolutely no idea that Seneca was behind the whole scheme and dread still coiled in her stomach at her impending date with the younger Flickerman brother fast approaching that afternoon.
However apart from a few questions on the upcoming date with Dan very little attention was given to it, for which Stephanie was immeasurably grateful. A rueful smirk tugged at Stephanie's lips as she realised what was happening.
The Capitol was losing interest in her.
Scandals and lovers popping up everywhere had been enthralling for a while but their appeal was waning. This was afterall the Capitol were scandals were ubiquitous. Stephanie's only novelty was that she was from the Districts. But her 'Capitol Lover' had been identified, the crazed manhunt was over and Stephanie was fading to the background once more.
She was afterall neither strong nor skilled; her only factor that the reporter had touched upon was the possibility of sponsor gifts from Dan in the arena.
Being hit so effectively with the truth almost had Stephanie doubting her own resolution to win but steeling herself grimly, Stephanie pushed on through the interview.
As her own interview tapered off to a close, Stephanie drifted closer to Frenkin waiting until his rounded up. She was planning on giving him a hug as soon as it finished, not caring that the gesture would make them both seem weak.
However as she neared she caught snippets of another interview that made her freeze. She turned, her face already morphing into an expression of horror that she couldn't suppress, not even for the cameras.
She caught his eyes over the head of the reporter that was eagerly waiting for an answer.
Stephanie had never sought his gaze before, never even exchanged a word with him.
But he looked back at her, his white blonde hair concealing his pale blue eyes for a moment. He saw the sympathy in her gaze and she saw the pain in his.
The reporter was impatient though and edged forward repeating his question more forcibly, "Tain, what will it be like to go into the arena with your twin sister Astara, knowing even under the best circumstances only one of you can survive? Will we be expecting any displays of sibling sacrifice from the Thorne twins?"
Tain's gaze drifted past Stephanie and Stephanie didn't need to turn to know where it had fallen, or rather on whom.
Two excitedly conversing Capitolites stepped in front of her at that moment, blocking her gaze to Tain, whose eyes burned torturously.
Stephanie knew it was cowardly but she couldn't bring herself to look at Astara, not when she could already imagine the anguished expression that would be reflected on the girl's gaunt face.
She moved swiftly, away from the agonising interviews.
She kept Frenkin within her line of sight as she approached the only person who could reassure her.
Stephanie grazed her fingers against Haymitch's, feeling his poorly healed scratches beneath her touch and attempting a tremulous smile that Haymitch saw through with barely a cursory glance.
He had been talking to another mentor. She dimly recognised the shorter man as the same one Haymitch had been speaking to at The Chandelier Rooms.
"Interview go well sweetheart?" he quipped lightly, taking a gulp from his glass.
His tone was careless but his expression wasn't.
"It seems my love life isn't so interesting anymore," she replied wryly, clearing her throat to rid herself of the lump lodged there.
She knew the Hunger Games were cruel. She could not be becoming an emotional wreck everytime she was faced with that reality.
But Stephanie didn't want to become so desensitised to every horrible thing that she would become nothing but an empty shell, a husk that could no longer feel.
Every time her heart was pierced with sorrow it reminded her that she was human – she felt, and mourned. She may be forced to dull those feelings, push them away and lock them up but she would not forget them entirely.
She was determined that the Games would not change her into someone – something she would not recognise.
"Frenkin's interview is nearly finished," Stephanie added, feeling herself gain some level of control over her emotions. She inhaled a deep breath and it calmed her as Haymitch's scent clung to the air.
"Right Haymitch, we'll talk later about things," the shorter man said meaningfully and Haymitch nodded once in acknowledgment. "In the meantime, don't fall down any more flights of stairs," he added with a wry grin before the man slipped away.
"Who was that?" Stephanie asked distractedly.
Haymitch indulged himself in another drink. "Crick, District 5 mentor."
"Oh?" Stephanie prompted questioningly and Haymitch's gaze flickered to hers.
"Was wondering if you would like to strike up an alliance with his boy – Prall," Haymitch explained tonelessly.
Stephanie furrowed her brow in thought, trying to dredge up everything she knew about District 5's Prall.
She remembered little Ava introducing them, she remembered he had looked wary and had kept mostly to himself. She remembered watching him mumble lines under his breath in preparation for his Flickerman interview but beyond that Prall was a stranger.
Stephanie looked to Haymitch. "What did you tell him?" she queried.
"I said I wouldn't make a decision until I had discussed things with you," he replied.
"And do you think I should be in an alliance with Prall?" Stephanie asked. It felt strange to be finally discussing things like this.
Haymitch expelled a long breath and shrugged. "He's nothing special," Haymitch informed her. "I don't suppose you know anything more about him?"
Stephanie chewed on her bottom lip, considering that she didn't know Prall at all and she told Haymitch as much.
Haymitch looked contemplative for a few moments, "Make a chance soon and talk to him – suss him out."
"Suss out what?" she asked with a quirked brow.
"Anything – everything," Haymitch answered her as he finished his drink in one go. "Frenkin's interview's over."
Stephanie turned to see Isa had swooped in and was busy complimenting Frenkin profusely while leading him over to Stephanie and Haymitch.
Stephanie felt an absent smile curl her lips as Frenkin came up to her and grinned sheepishly.
She threw an arm around his small shoulders, pulling him tight against her and startling him a little.
"You know I love you," Stephanie whispered so only the bespeckled boy in her arms could hear.
Frenkin pulled away blushing as he nodded. "I know," he assured her before he grinned that same shy smile again. "You too," he added and they both chuckled.
Haymitch quirked a brow as Stephanie straightened, in his storm-cloud eyes the briefest hint of reprimand.
Stephanie knew it wasn't wise to indulge in such displays of comfort in public – especially now, given the change in tactics she had noted amongst the interviews.
But…Tain's interview, that agonised look that had haunted his eyes.
Stephanie loved Frenkin as a brother and if she thought about it she would become instantly choked up at the thought that very soon they would be irrevocably separated one way or another.
She couldn't imagine what it must be like for Tain and Astara – the Thorne twins – They had been together before they even came into this world; two halves of a whole.
Stephanie imagined she could understand now why Tain and Astara had seemed so distant with one another. It must be hard enough for them already, without trying to continue on as normal knowing in a few weeks, even under the best circumstances, the other perfect half of you would be gone.