Chapter One-Hundred-and-Thirty-Seven; Unexpected Saviour

Stephanie's shriek shattered the air as she woke spluttering with the cold water that had just been thrown in her face, dripping off the end of her chin.

"Well, that's effective," Electra remarked breezily as she turned to exit Stephanie's room with the now empty glass. She paused at the threshold of the door, calling over her shoulder, "main room. Ten minutes."

Stephanie groaned as she passed a weary hand over her eyes.

This was going to be the exact opposite of 'fun', Stephanie thought.

As Stephanie dragged herself out of bed that morning she had time to appreciate sardonically that Electra had chosen the crack of dawn to wake her at.

Stephanie glared sullenly at the sky that looked the colour of ash, any evidence of the lights from last night well and truly gone. It would rain today she thought absently as she dressed.

Stephanie shut her bedroom door quietly as she exited the room, not wanting to wake Frenkin who was still slumbering peacefully across the hall. It boded ominously, Stephanie considered, that Electra had only wakened her for proper mentoring. But in a way Stephanie was glad, for she had some answers to demand off Electra, that were better cleared up in private.

Stephanie couldn't help her fingers nervously brushing against the pocket of her trousers as she walked down the hall however; constantly checking that the slim phone was still tucked securely there.

Stephanie had deliberated bringing it with her when she was leaving her room. She considered stashing it somewhere, and had been hunting about her room for a good five minutes searching for a secret place. In the end however, Stephanie considered that the safest place to keep it was on her person. She didn't want an unsuspecting Frenkin finding it and possibly answering it.

"You're five minutes late," Electra remarked without looking at her as Stephanie entered the main room. Electra was lounging on the sofa with her feet propped up on the coffee table.

"I doubt it will make much difference," Stephanie muttered moodily rubbing at her sleep-wearied eyes.

Electra's clear blue and cloudy eyes looked up at her, narrowed ever so slightly, "you are so far away from being a Victor it's not even funny," she said seriously.

Stephanie swallowed, glancing towards the windows as the first spitting raindrops struck the panes and the skies opened up on the Capitol that was shrouded in mist.

"Wonderful weather," Electra announced cheerfully and Stephanie arched a brow as she dropped herself onto the sofa.

"I took the liberty of making you a coffee," Electra said as she leaned forward to push the cup of inky blackness towards her, "you're going to need it," she added ominously.

Stephanie raised the cup of coffee to her lips, before she grimaced, setting it back on the table, "it's cold," she mumbled.

"It would've been warm if you were here five minutes ago," Electra shot her a smug little smirk.

Stephanie merely fixed Electra with a frank look as she leaned back more comfortably on the sofa.

"How do you know Seneca?"

Electra's expression betrayed her shock as she gaped at Stephanie, before she visibly recovered herself.

"You don't beat about the bush, do you?" Electra muttered with an almost appreciative smirk.

Stephanie arched a cool brow. "I'm tired of not being in charge of my own life and I'm sick of blindly doing what other people tell me to do, never asking why and never knowing why – just being expected to follow obediently like a trained Capitol doll," Stephanie declared calmly but with a steel edge to her voice.

Electra's smirk grew more pronounced as a spark flared in her good eye, "well maybe I spoke too soon, and you do have some of what it takes to be a Victor."

Stephanie smiled grimly, as she looked to Electra expectantly.

"He saved me," Electra said.

It was then Stephanie's turn to gape as she narrowly missed falling off the sofa in shock. She had been so determined to be calm and composed, to demand answers for once until she was satisfied.

It seemed despite what she had thought before; there was more the Capitol could throw at her that could surprise her.

Electra snorted as she saw Stephanie's shell-shocked look. "Need a moment?

Stephanie shook her head, "Seneca Crane saved you?" she echoed disbelievingly.

Electra's smirk widened to a grin as she shrugged carelessly before her expression sobered. "Yea - he did," she confirmed.

Stephanie blew out a long breath as she leaned forward, balancing her elbows on her knees, as she propped her suddenly heavy head up in her hands.

Stephanie raised completely bewildered eyes to Electra.

Electra laughed then outright, yet she still somehow managed to look sympathetic. She tilted her head to the side, "want to talk about things?" she asked knowingly.

Stephanie groaned as she scrubbed her hands over her face.

"I'll take that as a definite yes," Electra muttered dryly as she got to her feet.

She lifted Stephanie's full cup of cold coffee and her own empty cup in her hands, smirking at Stephanie.

"I'll get us something stronger," Electra said meaningfully.

"I don't drink," Stephanie called after the blue-haired woman as she disappeared into the kitchen.

A pitying laugh floated out to her, "believe me – you will."

…

Stephanie's face screwed up in a grimace as she lowered the cup from her lips again.

"This is horrible," Stephanie spluttered as Electra smirked at her, endlessly amused.

"It's Haymitch's favourite," Electra told her matter-of-factly as she took a generous gulp from her own cup. "Haymitch and I have shared many a bottle of this some dark nights."

Stephanie peered at the amber coloured liquid that smelled strong enough to be used as paint stripper. She swallowed, feeling a little queasy as the strong liquor sloshed around in her otherwise empty stomach.

"I don't think drinking this early in the morning was advisable," Stephanie mused but Electra only sniggered in response.

"Nonsense," she refuted firmly as she knocked back the rest of the drink.

Stephanie marvelled slightly at Electra's seeming indifference to the alcohol's effects.

"Now!" Electra suddenly announced as she eyed Stephanie shrewdly, "fire away with your questions."

"How did Seneca Crane save you? – When? – Why?!"

Electra tipped the bottle over her cup again, refilling it; her hands remarkably steady.

"It was after I had just received this wonderful addition to the left side of my face. I don't know how; but somehow I managed to stagger out of the room I had been left in to die," Electra looked up, shrugging with forced casualness. "I think Seneca was no older than fifteen at the time. He stumbled across me I guess, a bloody mess whimpering on the ground. He got help; stayed with me…he saved my life."

Stephanie's expression was one of mute shock as she tried to imagine a bright-eyed fifteen year old Seneca with slightly messy ebony hair, aiding someone like Electra.

Stephanie gathered her thoughts, "and what, you two just decided to stay in touch?" she quirked a brow sarcastically.

Electra smirked ruefully even as she narrowed her eyes. "Seneca Crane may have saved my life that day – don't ask me why, because I haven't a clue. But he did. However that doesn't mean that Seneca Crane isn't a Capitolite through and through," Electra warned enigmatically as she sipped from her cup.

"Meaning what?" Stephanie prompted.

"Meaning even at that sweet age of fifteen the Capitol way of thinking was engrained in him. He saw his opportunity and he took it. I was laid up in hospital for months afterwards as you probably heard - when who should visit me?" Electra widened her eyes in surprise sardonically, before shaking her head at the recollection. "This blue-eyed kid barely old enough to shave comes and tells me I owe him my life," Electra knocked back the rest of her drink, her voice as bitter as the alcohol.

Stephanie swallowed, "did Seneca make you come here to mentor me?"

Electra frowned in confusion, "no," she answered immediately, "why on earth would Seneca make me…" Electra trailed off as she tilted her head to the side in thought.

Then Electra shook her head again in that dumbfounded fashion. "Well, well Stephanie Trindlesworth, there is definitely more to you than meets the eye," she mused.

Stephanie scowled as she shoved a hand through her brunette locks. She had brought tears to her eyes trying to tame the wild nest her hair had resembled that morning.

She eyed Electra shrewdly. "What do you know about me?"

"You're Stephanie Trindlesworth, great great granddaughter of 16th Hunger Games Victor Sam Trindlesworth and you might possibly become the next Trindlesworth family pride," Electra shrugged, smirking, "what else is there to know?"

But Stephanie narrowed her eyes knowingly, seeing the altogether too perceptive glint in Electra's one clear blue eye.

"What do you know about me?" Stephanie asked again, her voice as cold as ice.

Electra tipped some more of the amber liquid into Stephanie's cup, nodding encouragingly at her.

Stephanie knocked back a few more vile mouthfuls, shuddering as Electra spoke.

"I know that this Scandalous Stephanie Trindlesworth act is rubbish," she stated, "believe me, I was scandalous back in my day but you…" Electra cast a side-long glance at Stephanie, "you haven't got it in you to do what it takes to be scandalous. The word gullible is practically imprinted on your forehead," she muttered, knocking back the rest of her drink.

Stephanie rolled her eyes, not able to find Electra's words too insulting. After seeing the Capitol in all its deceptiveness she was only too glad to be described as gullible.

She sipped again at her drink out of habit rather than actual want.

"Can I ask some questions now?" Electra prodded her, though it didn't seem she would respect Stephanie's wishes even if Stephanie did refuse.

"What do you want to know?" Stephanie asked tiredly.

She hadn't met Electra before last night; had only ever caught rare glances off her around their district. She had of course known of Electra, but only as the beautiful Victor that all the boys seemed to be enamoured with; including her brother Fen at one stage, as she recalled how her sister Weisna and her would tease him over it.

Stephanie never imagined she would actually meet the other woman, or be sitting on a sofa in the Capitol knocking back shots of whiskey at six in the morning with her.

But…Haymitch trusted Electra as far as Stephanie knew, and Seneca evidently trusted her.

Electra at that moment seemed to be the most trustworthy person in the entire Capitol.

Electra smirked, "I want to know everything," she replied, but her expression sobered just as quickly in the next moment, "and as your new mentor, I need to know everything."

Thanks to girlworthfightingfor for the review; hmm, Haymitch comatose you say? Well…kidding :P but more Seneca/Stephanie fluff to come as well!