Chapter 5: Wild Roses
Night had arrived within a blink of an eye. Skies were dark and the smell of petrichor was faint in the air. The windows were still stained with raindrops from the evening downpour. Sera stood in the center of her room, looking out at the window.
Her stylist team buzzed around her like bees busy at work. Rietta grabbed her face gently and worked to make her look flawless while natural. Every second, she would take a step back and squint her white eyes to scrutinize her work before going back to add more.
Behind her, Harp worked her magic as she worked to style her short hair in a simple yet intricate manner. When she was done, she moved aside.
Eos stood on the side and hummed lightly as she held up a short silvery-white silk dress with petal sleeves that seemed to flutter in the wind. The dress was embroidered in a pearlescent thread and beaded with colorful gems that reminded her of the solar panels in her district when the sun shone on it. It was pretty but Sera could tell that dress would be heavy. She paused in her thoughts and scanned her team quickly.
Someone was missing.
Ovid.
She remembered.
Her eyes wandered around the large bedroom and found no sight of the azure haired assistant head stylist. She turned to Eos, giving her a questioning look. Eos simply shrugged. It seemed even the head stylist didn't know where her second-in-charge had run off to in this crucial time. She wasn't happy about, Sera could see the slight anger on Eos' face clear as day.
The stylist quietly grumbled under her breath as Rietta ran around trying to cover Ovid's tasks, hovering around Sera to check on her. She stepped back and bunched her lavender hair in her hands, putting it in a bun. Turning to Eos, Rietta took a step back before helping Sera into the dress.
On the side, Harp also moved to cover one of the other tasks of Ovid. The bird-like woman sat on the floor of Sera's temporary bedroom and worked on carefully prepping her shoes. Sera watched from a distance as Harp carefully laid down small jewels on the long silver strings of the shoes.
"We don't have that long." Huxley muttered to the group, just loud enough for the group to hear. The moment everyone heard his words, they scuttled around trying to get Sera ready even faster.
Emilia rolled her eyes at Huxley. The escort leaned against the tall windows with one of her feet up against the glass pane. Behind her, the sun was being consumed by the tall Capitol buildings.
For Sera, the view was beautiful. The yellows, reds, purples and blues all mixed together on the painted sky, if only it wasn't the Capitol.
"Ah. Don't rush perfection, Huxley dear." Her eyes were trained on the team. It was clear that the absence of Ovid might've made difficulties for the team but for the escort, it was a different story. Although, the mood in the room was far lighter without Ovid around. "Besides, we have an hour or two to kill."
The head designer let out a laugh as she watched Huxley scowl. "She's right, Foret." Eos spoke out as she hunched down to carefully lace up Sera's dress. "Seraphine's meeting got pushed back, remember?" She added. Huxley reluctantly nodded. He knew but he still had some anxiety of getting on President Snow's bad side. Up until now, he worked hard to lead a quiet and unimpressive life as a victor. He wanted the same for Sera.
"...Word around the town is that a...certain former victor was called in for a meeting." Harp coyly stated in a low sing-song voice. Huxley, Emilia and Sera snapped to stare at the small bird-like woman. Her beak-like mouth grinned. "Interesting, isn't it." Sera nodded. "Well, if anyone wants to know; It was Finnick Odair." No one reacted to that. Sera was the only one who seemed a little curious and she hid it well. There was no point listening to idle gossip for the young victor.
Harp finished adding the final touches to the shoes and handed them to Eos who quickly slid the heels under Sera. The stringed strap of the shoes wrapped around her legs, stopping just close to her knees. It was again a little too high for Sera to walk in.
Emilia moved quickly to grab a hold of the young victor to steady her. Carefully, Emilia let go of Sera as the young victor took a few steps around her room. Eos motioned for her to walk around a bit more to 'break in' the heels as Eos had said before. Small clicks echoed throughout the room as Sera walked around for what felt like hours. It was only ten minutes.
"I think you're done." Rietta beamed as she slowly backed off.
"Yeah...She is done." Eos confirmed gently handing Sera's hand to Emilia and Huxley. The two managed to grab onto Sera before she had a mishap. It was unlikely but there was no saying.
The stylist team moved quickly to fix any last minute imperfections and do a quick scan of the young victor. Eos gestured to Sera to do a little spin. Reluctantly, the fifteen year old victor did a small spin then stopped.
The team nodded at each other then nodded at Sera.
They moved to pack up their things being helped by a couple of avoxes. Emilia and Eos chatted away on the side while Rietta and Harp quietly laughed among themselves about something. Seeing everyone busy among themselves, Huxley led Sera to the living room.
Sera's high heels clicked against the marble floors as Sera walked beside Huxley in the halls leading to the living room. Neither spoke a word. They both liked it that way. Huxley lit the fireplace while they took the same seats as the night before. He grabbed two random books from the bookshelf nearby and handed one to Sera.
She smiled gratefully as she opened the book and scanned the almost new-like book. The pages and the cover itself looked untouched. Of course, it would be. Who would read when they have to fight to the death?
Outside it was getting darker. The sun had long set. The sky was now a cocktail of a dark blue, lavender and a soft black. An hour had passed in a blink of an eye as the two passed it in serene silence.
Sera sat up when she heard someone pulling something. Her attention snapped to the halls opposite her. From the dimly lit corridors, she could barely see Rietta and Harp as they led the way to the exit through the living room.
Eos waved as she walked past Huxley and Sera. Huxley ignored everything around him but Sera smiled and waved back. The stylist team was ushered into the reception area behind Sera by Emilia who happily led the team to the exit.
The two heard the team along with Emilia leave. Sera turned to Huxley with a look of determination. "Is there anything I should know? Any last advice?" Sera questioned. Her hands shook a little.
"Just be careful to watch what you say. That's all." Huxley answered without looking up.
"That's all?" Sera echoed.
"That's all." Huxley repeated, ending the conversation. Sera pursed her lips and nodded. It was the most expected answer yet she still wasn't satisfied. Then again, Huxley had never been in this place before. He wouldn't know. After a moment, he got up and dusted off his dark silver coat. "It's time."
The mentor held out his hand Sera just as Emilia sauntered back in. She flashed a nervous smile at the mentor as she held her hands together. Breathing out and in, the escort nervously led the two to the car outside.
The three went down the elevator in complete silence. It was almost suffocating. Sera felt like a lamb being led to a slaughter for a second time in her life. The short car drive was also filled with complete silence save the noise of the car itself. Huxley gave her hand a gentle squeeze as he got out of the car and held the door open for Sera.
Sera poked her head out, looking around the perfectly manicured lawn and hedges. She stepped out of the car, holding onto her mentor. Around her, there was an abundance of pretty flowers and shrubs.
They were all perfectly shaped into whimsical yet simplistic sculpture-like shapes. It was eye-catching but not as eye-catching as the President's mansion itself. The tall and large imposing building was very eye-catching.
The first thing Sera noticed were the huge white marble columns that were framing the mansion. Underneath those pillars, there were small lights on the floor illuminating it. The mansion was quite different from the soaring buildings that Sera had seen before. This was unlike anything she had seen.
A cold shiver went down her spine as the chilly early autumn passed through her. She quickly composed herself as she walked into the large mansion beside her escort and mentor. The two others trailed behind Sera. In front of her, the reception was lively. There were workers dressed in simplistic fine clothes mixed with Capitol socialites.
The socialites were starkly different to the Capitol government workers. They wore feathers, silk flowers and jeweled colored outfits as they flitted by. But the one thing they all had in common were the careless way they laughed and gossiped among themselves. The sight was unfamiliar to Sera. In District 5, the mayor's house and the official building were quiet and professional.
"This way." Huxley gently grabbed Sera as the on-lookers nearby gawked at the two with interest. Emilia led the two to another reception-like area. Up head, there were two identical looking female guides leading Emilia. On the sides, there were tall columns and behind those columns were what looked like white statues at first glance. Upon a closer look, Sera looked away. Those weren't statutes, they were peacekeepers. "We won't be going past here."
Huxley stopped and grabbed Sera's arm. The two guides stared at Sera with a slight interest. Sera nodded as her mentor let go and went away with Emilia to another room. Sera was left alone in an unfamiliar room. The walls were made of carved white marble and draped with jewel-toned drapery.
White marble tall statues of men, women and some strange animals were strategically placed along the room. There were some plants as well, some beautiful gem-toned orchids, roses and lilies all dotted along the room.
Above Sera, there was a large chandelier that shined brightly. The crystals reminded Sera of rain drops on a bright spring day. It was a beautiful and luxurious room. A strange bitterness rose in her heart. All these luxuries would never be experienced by her people or those in the less unfortunate districts. She hated that but she didn't let it show.
The two guides chatted away among each other as they stood near a statue. Now and then, they would spare a glance at the young victor. There was a look of awe on their faces that Sera didn't like at all. It was like she was some exotic animal. Nervously, she looked away and pretended to focus on the flower arrangements or the detailed paintings on the wall.
From a distance, she could faintly hear the sound of music softly playing. Without meaning to, she closed her eyes and breathed out. She was tired.
Her small moment of peace was snatched away from her the moment she heard the sound of heavy footsteps. The two guides along with Sera, all turned their heads to stare at the source of the scuffle. There a tall, athletic and handsome boy stomped out.
He looked familiar. Sera's eyes widened as she instantly recognized him and she wasn't the only one.
"Finnick!" The two guides gasped in a flirtatious tone that almost made Sera sick. Finnick paid them no attention but absentmindedly flashed them a charming smile. It was meant to assure those around him. It only unsettled Sera, after all, behind him were two peacekeepers.
The guides and the other guests that had now appeared out of nowhere batted their eyes at the seventeen year old while Sera tried to hide among the crowd. It was strange how no one cared that he was young.
Questions buzzed around Sera's mind about the peacekeepers and Finnick's foul mood earlier. Questions that she tried to banish from her mind. She didn't want to get involved with any other victors, like Huxley had told her not to. Her mentor clearly knew well.
"We meet again." Finnick laughed quietly, catching Sera by complete surprise.
There was a slight sadness to his tone as he walked past Sera. The District 5 victor tried to avoid his gaze by looking elsewhere. It didn't work. Finnick seemed to trip on air and almost fall on Sera. In her surprise, she tried to lend him a hand to study himself. She thought he would miss which would cause him to fall but he didn't. Finnick grabbed her shoulder to steady his near-fall and leaned down closer.
His lips almost brushed past Sera's ears. "...Be careful." He whispered before he pulled back and flashed a charming smile as if nothing had happened.
Confused, Sera opened her mouth to speak. She quickly clamped down and simply watched him leave. It was the wise thing to do. After all, there were eyes on her. Sera stood straight and brushed off the shoulder where Finnick's grip had been. She looked elsewhere, pretending nothing had happened.
The small crowd dispersed and in their place, a nameless woman in a stark white pantsuit waited for Sera. She motioned for Sera to follow her. Without a word to the guides, Sera followed the woman through the elaborately decorated corridor.
The woman stopped, gesturing Sera into a room. Hesitantly, Sera went inside the room. It's walls were made of glass and the ceiling was high, also made out of glass. She was surrounded by plants.
White roses.
These roses like the ones she had been sent smelt slightly of the familiar iron-like scent. Bloody white roses. From where her eyes could see, the white roses covered and occupied the room. Everywhere she turned, more white roses. The smell was nauseating.
Clutching at her skirt, she breathed out and started walking through the white rose labyrinth. Her heels clinked on the stoned path as she took slow steps, looking for a sign of another life.
Off the stone path, there was finely cut grass underneath the thorny rose bushes. But the smell of grass was nowhere to be found. Sera breathed out tiredly, her grip on her skirt got tighter. "Ah. Miss Reza." A soft but powerful voice called out from behind her. She froze slightly as the familiar voice echoed through her mind. Slowly, she turned around to face the caller.
"President Snow." Sera greeted, bowing lightly. "It is an honor to meet you." She lied with a soft smile.
The old man in front of her laughed quietly and nodded. He had a pair of scissors in his hands along with some snipped off rose stems on the ground surrounding him. "Congratulations on your victory, Ms Reza."
The President was tall and imposing, dressed in all white. His white hair and beard along with the matching attire almost made him blend in with the roses. There was a single white rose attached to his breast pocket. Like the roses, there was something deadly about the man.
"I thought we could have a small talk before dinner." The smell of blood grew stronger and almost made Sera's stomach wretch. "If that's fine with you."
Sera nodded. "Of course. Who am I to say no to the President." She joked. In the back of her mind, she wanted to stab him with a stem of his prized roses and run far. Snap out of it. She screamed at herself. All the while, she maintained her composure.
"Hah. I like you." President Snow chuckled. "You know how to talk." Sera didn't say anything but simply followed the man through the labyrinth. President Snow chatted away about her victory and the upcoming tour while the young victor nodded at every word, pretending to care about what the man was saying. She wanted to go home.
Without looking, he summoned an avox and handed the pair of scissors to him. "Now, I heard that you know your flowers."
"I do."
"Hmm. Do you know what white roses mean?" He questioned, caressing a rose.
The rose had thorns but President Snow didn't appear to care at all. Sera scanned her surroundings as dozens of thoughts ran around inside her mind.
"Purity, trust, innocence, loyalty," She recited the top of her head, remembering her aunt Dahlia's words. "Perfection and..."
Secrecy.
Remembrance.
Grief.
"I'm afraid that's all I can remember." She lied.
President Snow nodded, almost like he was convinced by Sera. "It seems you know quite a bit. I'm impressed." He clasped his hands behind his back and started walking. He led Sera deeper into the white rose labyrinth. "Actually, I was more impressed by the...care you showed your fellow allies."
Her blood ran cold, she almost broke out in cold sweat. She swallowed and blinked as the images from her game flashed through her mind. "Care?" She echoed quietly.
The two stopped upon a large rose bush near a statue of a woman. The woman was carved so realistically, that Sera almost thought she was real, had it not been for the algae growing at her feet.
The marble statue was detailed and depicted the woman weeping as she stared at the sky wistfully. A thin veil of delicately carved off-white marble covered her body as she clutched her chest. Next to the statue was a small water fountain with three carved doves.
"Yes, care." The President confirmed. His gaze wandered to the statue then the roses. He was far too busy tending to one of his roses. "I think it was remarkable how you put two of your allies out of their misery and the fact they trusted you while dying. Truly remarkable." Sera was speechless as his words. She simply nodded along to his words. "You have a talent Miss Reza...of comforting the dying in their darkest moments. A true talent." He smiled down at Sera while holding the rose. It was a look a predator gave to its prey just before it devoured it. "I have a proposition for you. Now I usually don't do this for anyone but you."
"I'm honored." Sera quietly replied.
"I'm sure you are." He muttered. "As I was saying—The people of Capitol are in awe of your talents. They call you the 'Angel of Mercy' or the 'Flower of Panem'—I personally prefer the latter. It's more...fitting." President Snow turned away from Sera and walked over to another rose bush. He pulled the roses closer to him gently and peered down on them, almost like he was inspecting them. "And flowers should be viewed, not touched." He let go of those flowers. "Therefore, it would be nice for you to 'volunteer' at selected hospitals around the Capitol...maybe the whole of Panem, if opportunity arises. What do you think?"
For a moment, Sera was taken aback by the words of the President. Volunteering at hospitals, it seemed too much but she shouldn't voice her complaints. "I don't mind. Is there anything else I should know?" She asked. It seemed too simple, there should be more to this proposition..
"I would like you to inform me of any...concerning matters the patients share with you." And there it was. Sera knew the President was plotting something and this was it. She didn't react to this condition at all. "Do you mind?"
"Not at all."
"Good. It's only a trial. If—" He turned away from Sera and started walking away from her. Without looking back, he moved towards another end of the in-door garden. "—you do well, then maybe it'll become more permanent."
"I understand."
"There will be a banquet in your honor later on...just like all the others. Don't worry."
Sera swallowed her fear and smiled brightly. "Oh no. It's fine. I'm just honored at the thought of the President thinking about me." She stated. Her smile didn't falter at all.
"You are as humble...and kind as the rumors say." The President drawled out, scanning Sera for a sign of weakness. "I suppose we should get back. We've made your escort and mentor wait long enough." He turned away again and disappeared from Sera's vision.
Butterflies flew past Sera as she tried to keep up with the man. Like the flowers in the garden, these butterflies were also a brilliant shade of white. She drew back from them after another glance of those insects. They were mutts.
The wings of the insects looked to have eyes that opened and closed as it flitted by the young victor. She almost tripped yet steadied herself quickly by clutching her skirt. Her near-fall led her gaze towards a rose bush. This rose bush was like any other in the garden except a single rose stood out to her.
"President Snow," Sera called out from a corner of the vast white rose garden. From a short distance she heard a rustle and the imposing old man came out of the thicket of white roses. "I think there's something wrong with this one." She gestured to a rose which at first glance looked like all the other roses in the garden.
A pristine white rose. However, on closer look, it was different. The petals inside were tinged in a deep red that were hidden behind the pristine white petals.
President Snow slowly marched over to where Sera stood and peered down at the rebellious rose. He smirked and let out a small laugh, sending another chill down her spine. "So it is." The president drawled out, glancing between the odd rose and her.
Without looking away, he motioned at an avox nearby who disappeared and reappeared with a pair of shears in hand. He grabbed the rose gently and snipped it's head off. She watched the odd rose fall to the ground and was swept away by another avox who moved quickly to discard it.
In silence, Sera watched the avox disappear once more. Only this time, the avox never returned. She was left alone with the president in the garden of white roses.
He turned to her and smiled. It was menacing. "You'll do well." Was all he said, the rest of the night was a blur for Sera and the start of everything.
