I apologise in advance for the cliffhanger; just know that the next update will be tomorrow so there won't be that much of a wait.
Chapter One-Hundred-and-Thirty-Three; Intruder
They piled more cupcakes than they could ever eat in one sitting upon wide platters they found in the cupboards, along with huge glasses of cold milk. They carried them carefully then, back into the main room, making sure to maintain their balance.
It would be impossible to remain in the kitchen and see what they were doing; unlike the main room that had its wall of glass the kitchen was enshrouded in darkness.
They curled up on the sofa, sitting close by one another.
Stephanie had never been a nervous eater before that night, she considered ruefully as she polished off her third cupcake.
Sporadic dins of noises would erupt from outside but Stephanie had long since given up trying to distinguish if they were cheers or hecklings.
And as each second ticked by Stephanie grew more concerned for Haymitch.
If he was out in the Capitol tonight…! Stephanie picked distractedly at the pink sprinkled icing on a cupcake.
Stephanie had no doubt that the Capitol would have built this farce of a trial up into something wildly sensationalist. Feelings would be running higher than usual as they normally were in the Capitol.
The Capitol on this night, that a district girl would be tried – Stephanie still had absolutely no idea what the hell they were trying Slena for?!
Disturbing the peace? Knocking over a few chairs? Scaring the living daylights out a few Capitolites?
She half-expected Capitol guards to appear in the penthouse, and whisk her away to testify at Slena's trial.
But the main point of it was; with all the build-up the Capitol news was sure to put on the trial, anti-District feeling would be at an all-time high in the Capitol.
And if Haymitch was out in that…?!
Stephanie discarded the half-eaten cupcake on the tray as she rubbed her stomach, fervently hoping she wasn't about to be sick.
Stephanie and Frenkin both gave loud yelps at the sudden eruption of noise that sounded from the hallway at that moment.
There was the loud ding of the lift echoing throughout the otherwise silent penthouse and then there was a loud bang and an unfamiliar voice cried out.
"Why the hell are all the lights off in this damn place?! Am I meant to be a friggin bat?!"
Another few choice curses followed as Stephanie and Frenkin exchanged wide-eyed looks in the darkness.
Stephanie slipped as silently off the sofa as she could then. She reached forth with shaking fingers to pick up one of the empty platters that were on the coffee table.
Stephanie made to creep towards the hallway when Frenkin's hand shot out to grasp her forearm. He shook his head fiercely, his blue eyes wide and terrified behind his glasses.
"Don't go!" he whispered frantically.
Stephanie leaned forward for a split second to press a kiss to Frenkin's forehead, forcing back the tears that were choking her throat at the sudden despairing question that had arisen in her mind - demanding to know, just how in the hell she was ever meant to go into the arena with Frenkin, knowing that in the end one way or another they would be irrevocably separated?!
But Stephanie moved forward anyway, ignoring the pull of her heartstrings when she caught Frenkin's pleading, frightened eyes.
She might not be able to protect him in the arena where they would be inevitably separated, but right here and now! – Stephanie would be damned before she would let anyone harm Frenkin, in what she considered, the closest thing they had to a home here in the Capitol.
Stephanie fleetingly considered that whoever the stranger was that had suddenly appeared in their penthouse, they really couldn't have burglary in mind. The stranger was still grumbling discontentedly as they stumbled down the dark hallway making no attempt to be quiet and sneak in. Stephanie fleetingly wondered if perhaps it was just another tribute or mentor who had gotten off at the wrong floor.
Stephanie poised herself ready, pressed flat against the wall beside the doorway that led into the hallway, with the silver platter raised high and waiting. She glanced briefly to see that Frenkin was hidden under the coffee table, as she had instructed him with furious hand signals when he tried to follow her. She could just see a few locks of blonde hair sticking out.
A hulking shadow suddenly loomed in the doorway and every muscle in Stephanie's body tensed as she held her breath.
"…bleeding power-outage, no doubt with that damn light show they have going on outside…"
Stephanie caught the faint grumbled line before she moved.
She put all her strength into bringing the silver tray down as hard and as fast as she could.
There was a resounding crash and Stephanie faintly thought she had heard Frenkin gave a frightened cry.
The force of the hit travelled up Stephanie's arms, seemingly reverberating through her entire skull as her teeth knocked together.
But the shadow had ducked out of the way at the last moment, seeing the damn spotlights from outside flash against the silver of the tray.
Stephanie's once well directed swing had hit the far wall uselessly.
Adrenaline flooded Stephanie's limbs then as her mind seemed to blank. In that moment only one thought filtered through to her; she couldn't let whoever this person was get into the room and find Frenkin.
Stephanie snapped her arms back to swing the platter again but she was at a disadvantage.
Stephanie was in the main room illuminated by the lights afforded from the glass window wall while the shadow in the hall was concealed completely.
Stephanie had a brief moment to regret ruefully how she had thought the darkness would protect them tonight.
Then Stephanie gave a strangled cry as she was suddenly knocked to the ground, the silver platter clattering noisily to the floor.
Her instinct told her to scream at Frenkin to run as she grappled with the figure, but sense reminded her that Frenkin would have nowhere to run to.
Stephanie gritted her teeth as the cold realisation occurred to her; this is exactly what it would be like in the arena.
"Are you a bloody moron?!" the stranger yelled above her.
Stephanie sucked in a sharp gasp as she felt the unmistakable feel of a cold blade pressed to her throat as the stranger gained the advantage.
Stephanie immediately froze as she stopped struggling then. From what she could tell the stranger was roughly around the same stature as her and the voice seemed to be unmistakably feminine. The scent of something metallic and almost familiar tickled Stephanie's nose. But she couldn't tell much more about the stranger as the figure was now crouched behind her. The nails of one hand digging into her shoulder, as the other held the blade to her throat.
"Now…"the stranger began, the voice just slightly out of breath.
However at that moment there was a resounding crash and Stephanie squeezed her eyes shut as she felt a few shards of glass rain down on her.
Stephanie felt her heart stutter as the blade passed a hair's breadth from cutting her skin.
Then Stephanie turned just in time to see the stranger slump to the ground, unconscious, after having been whacked rather effectively on the head with a glass.
Stephanie's gaze flitted away from the unconscious figure though as she looked up to see Frenkin standing, hands still raised, illuminated by the light from the windows. He was panting heavily, tears glistening on his cheeks and more swimming in his eyes as he looked towards Stephanie.
Stephanie didn't waste a second as she lunged forth. She crushed Frenkin to her fiercely as he clung to her effectively.
They managed to somehow stagger away from the prone figure on the floor. Stephanie, having the presence of mind to pick up the abandoned pocket knife from the floor as they passed it.
Frenkin's entire body was trembling and his tears were already flowing and dribbling over the bare skin of Stephanie's shoulder where his face was hidden.
Her dress was well and truly ruined now for the second time Stephanie thought, noting the long tears at the bottom of it. Maybe it was an unlucky dress or something?
Stephanie shook her head to dislodge the meaningless thoughts but really it was useless. She was shaking just as badly as Frenkin was, just barely pushing back hysteria.
A stranger had broken into their penthouse on this particular night, and held a knife to her throat!
Stephanie didn't want to look at the stranger lying on the floor, still unconscious.
But swallowing down the sick feeling Stephanie gently pried Frenkin's iron-like hold from around her waist.
She felt like hurling up the cupcakes she had eaten minutes before and she felt sure she was going to faint. But looking at Frenkin's teary face she found her resolve to stay standing.
"I'm going to check – " Stephanie began when Frenkin cut across her.
"No! Please don't!" he begged again.
Stephanie captured Frenkin's tear-stained face in her hands as she held his gaze intently.
"Frenkin, I promise you everything will be okay," Stephanie forced the words out in the most level voice she could manage.
She knew the promise was meaningless because effectively she was about as adept at protecting Frenkin as a mannequin. Hadn't the little boy, who was still clinging to her to prevent her from moving away from him, just saved her life?
I'm friggin useless! Stephanie thought vehemently, feeling the need to tear something apart; preferably herself. But she forced the feelings of anger at her own ineptitude back to indulge in at a later time.
She needed to check, or tie up, or do something with the stranger before they gained consciousness!
Frenkin gazed up at her; his eyes desperate behind his glasses.
"It'll all be okay Frenkin darling," she assured him, swiping her thumbs across his cheeks to wipe away the tears, but more flowed to replace them almost instantaneously.
Frenkin nodded then, reluctantly and sadly.
Stephanie knew that if Frenkin wasn't so utterly traumatised at that moment, he would have given her one of his knowing looks, because they both would know deep down that Stephanie couldn't make any such promise.
But the poor boy was so shaken at that moment that he desperately needed to believe in Stephanie's words.
"Now, I want you to stand way over there by the door while I check, okay? And if…if anything happens you are to run – do you hear me? – you aren't to try and help me. You run to the lift, get in it and go…anywhere. Tell the guards or the first people you see that there is an intruder in the penthouses. You do not under any circumstances try to come back for me or help me. Do you understand?"
Fresh tears streamed from Frenkin's face and Stephanie resisted the urge to clasp him close to her again. The stranger could be regaining consciousness any second and she needed to be swift.
Stephanie held Frenkin's gaze meaningfully for a second, knowing tears were streaming down her own cheeks.
Frenkin nodded then and Stephanie planted another firm brief kiss on his forehead before she turned.
She made sure Frenkin was over by the door, half shrouded in the shadows from the hall as his blue eyes behind his glasses watched her anxiously.
"Remember – run if anything happens," Stephanie said sternly as she approached the still figure.
Frenkin nodded vigorously, his face as white as a sheet in the darkness.
Stephanie reached the figure then. She winced, hissing slightly as she stepped on the broken shards of glass, littering the ground around the figure, in her bare feet. But she ignored it, readjusting the grip on the pocket knife in her hand nervously. She had never used a knife in her life for crying out loud! – Well, most definitely not in the capacity she was meant to now.
Stephanie hovered over the figure almost waiting for it to suddenly spring up at her, but it didn't.
Stephanie tried to squint in the darkness to better see the stranger but the figure was lying behind the sofa, cast in the furniture's shadow.
From what she could see of the stranger's face that was turned to the side with long lengths of hair splayed over it; the stranger was definitely a woman.
Stephanie bent slowly, keeping the knife poised as she reached forward tentatively to move back the hair concealing the face.
Stephanie gasped sharply then as the face came into view and her eyes widened.
Stephanie recognised the woman.
Thanks to girlworthfightingfor for the review; I suspect you're right about Haymitch and wouldn't that be such a sweet wedding! :P