Chapter 7: Idol Worship
Every single year, crowds would gather at the Capitol station like bees. Every single year, the poor workers would have to say a silent prayer for the object of their insane actions and themselves. Yet, it would not be a complete lie for some of those that worked there, whether as cleaning staff or selling train tickets, they too wanted to catch a live glimpse of the newly crowned victor.
Seeing the newly crowned victor of Hunger Games at the Capitol train station was almost a tradition. Some would even try to touch the victor, believing it would bring them luck, not the annoyance or ire of the victor. Some would try to talk to them, asking them of their journey and how they won. While others would scream out their devotions while chasing the victor each step along the way.
It sounded terrifying to Sera. Strangers that she had never met chasing her down to get a glimpse of her or touch her were nightmarish. She would rather go back to seeing Gene's phantom than experience what Emilia was telling her. She felt like she was going to be an exotic animal being transported back to her natural habitat.
Emilia had pulled her aside for a moment and warned of the crowd but most of all of those that blindly followed the new victor, star struck by their presence for no reason whatsoever.
"There are some odd ones in the Capitol, those that worship victors. Do be wary of them, they might try to touch you or pull at your hair if they manage to get close enough." Emilia had said while looking around, checking the two were alone from prying eyes and curious ears. "I'm afraid, it may be worse for you since you were too kind in the arena."
She didn't understand then what Emilia meant. Seeing the look of confusion, Emilia pulled her closer and lowered her voice to a bare whisper.
"You see no one has ever acted as you have, true or faux kindness. It was...refreshing to say the least." That was all the escort had said. She did repeat her warnings once more and warned her to be careful of her own words.
Words had power.
Now that her face was known all over Panem, she had to be careful of her image. Emilia had emphasized this quite clearly even before her departure day. She had told Sera time and time again that Sera should be careful with her words as some may use it to attack her while some will hang by every word she said like blind worshippers.
It was strange knowing that to some she was considered an idol or god-like but to others she was a mere form of cheap entertainment.
A lump formed in her throat as she swallowed bitterly. Like these people Emilia was warning her of, she too was human. The only difference was that she didn't have the luxury of simply treating the games as games. Perhaps it was that notion that set her and the rest of the victors along with the rest of Panem apart from these people.
"Children, calm down!" A mother dressed in a bright orange dress with feathers and jewels pulled her children back as Peacekeepers passed through, leading Sera and her party to their destination.
The children stopped their play fighting to gawk and wave at Sera. She smiled back. Her eyes darkened when she noticed the toy weapons in their hands along with makeshift costumes mimicking what the tributes wore in the arena.
They had no idea of the true horrors of the game. She couldn't help but wonder if she was ever as naïve as them. She couldn't think of any memories of her naivety. The only moments of childhood naivety that she could recall were hoping her father would come back home just like he did before that 'incident'.
The mother of the children took out a small camera, pointing it at Sera before pressing a button, she vaguely heard the mother saying 'smile' as a bright flash blinded her momentarily. Sera jumped a little in surprise.
She nervously fidgeted with her hands before Peacekeepers quickly came and blocked the woman and her children from further approaching her. They ushered Sera down another turn while Emilia had looped her arm around hers. She sucked in a breath when she arrived at the platform.
At each side were herds of people dressed in vivid colors that blinded her. She blinked twice trying to clear her vision as Emilia dragged her forward. By no means was she a stranger to this sight. She had seen this before when she had just arrived at the Capitol but this was much different from then.
People huddled in front of her, trying to block her path. That did surprise her, she'd admit. It was quite different from when she had just arrived. She remembered it well enough, all the people who were flocked around her, touching her or pulling at her hair, some marveling at her silvery eyes but now, the crowd parted with each step she took.
She heard quiet whispers of awe and admiration. Most of them were starstruck, some were not happy to see her, those ones probably wanted another tribute to win. Those ones did not hide their animosity and glared fiercely at her. She was tired. It was not her fault their favorites died. She did what she had to.
Her eyes hardened and she turned to those that openly glared at her. Then she smiled softly at them. They looked taken aback, ceasing their chattering in an instant, being taken aback by her actions. Good, she wanted them to feel bad, she thought as she tucked her hair behind her ear with her free hand.
They were also those ones that looked at her in pity. She didn't pay those ones any mind. She knew what they were thinking. They were probably lamenting the fact that she may not have long left or that she survived by chance only to face death by sickness. She knew it all. She could hear them too and she didn't care.
It was only half-true what they were saying and thinking. She wasn't going to lose her cool and stupidly correct them. No. For now, they could believe the half-truth half-lie she concocted during her first interview.
Yet, it seemed as if someone was angry on her behalf as one of her newly devoted followers yelled at those who disliked her. Sera's head snapped to look at the commotion.
One man marched towards another, grabbing the other by the collar and screeched at him to take back his comments he made earlier towards Sera. The other man stammered a quick apology while trying to pry off the devout follower's hands off of him. He scratched and pulled at his captor's hands as tears slid down his face and snot came out his nose. His face went beet red in fear, pain and embarrassment.
It was truly a pathetic sight to see but it was entertaining to say the least for Sera. How weak, she thought, staring at the red-faced man who was one of those that pitied her and called her weak and undeserving to live yet here he was crying just because someone had grabbed him by the collar.
She was weak but at least she fought back and came back mostly unscathed. She did hesitate, yes, but only because in the game, she was almost strangled to death by her own district partner she had once trusted.
Sera paused in her tracks. Now she didn't bother hiding her interest in the little conflict. She wanted to see if the red-faced man would fight back or not. She waited and waited while doctoring a concerned look on her face that did not go unnoticed by Huxley who too had stopped.
The red-faced man would not fight back. Truly pathetic. People like him only knew to show pity for others but were truly cowards themselves, projecting their fears onto strangers. She did hold disdain for him and those similar to him in the Capitol. Even her devout followers were pathetic too, fighting for a girl who didn't know them or care for them. They didn't know her either, all they cared for was her pretty face and the merciful acts that she showed in the arena.
It was a hollow devotion and to see that their newly found devotion to Sera would drive them to resort to violence on her behalf, disgusted at her. How easy was it for them to use others to raise fists on their own. They were all unlikable.
Sera shut her eyes and let out a deep sad sigh before she turned towards the nearest Peacekeeper. "Please stop them. I don't want to see anyone get hurt." She said it loud enough just so the crowds nearby would hear her, making sure that the disdain she held for those men was well hidden in her voice.
The crowds all awed and sang her praises while more joined in on the growing conflict. The contrast between the two scenes caused a small headache to form.
She wouldn't lie and say she didn't enjoy this a little.
This was the blind devotion Emilia had warned her off. It was nauseating but somehow it was exhilarating to know that she had control over thoughts of strangers with her mere presence. Even her mindless request to the Peacekeeper set off a chain of awestruck Capitolites, young and old alike, to sing her praises.
While those that were simply curious of her, now sang her praises. She heard some in the crowd say things like "It was all true." or "She's different." She didn't know what they meant and she didn't care. What she knew was that she had control. For once in her sickly short life, she finally had some control and it felt good.
Peacekeepers all stopped at her words and stared at her, uncaring of the commotion and escalating violence behind them. Each of them glanced from another before they broke formation. Two Peacekeepers came over to her. "We'll handle it." Was what one of them said, she didn't know which one. She didn't care.
The two that left formation easily split the conflict and before everyone knew it, it was over. The small mob dispersed and the crowds that were uninvolved moved to separate themselves from them as if they were not just watching and silently encouraging the conflict.
All of sudden, a loud crunch echoed in the station. Heads snapped towards the source of the sound. Sera cupped her mouth in shock as Huxley pulled her behind him and Emilia covered her own eyes in horror.
Gasps and screams rang through the station as Peacekeepers quickly set to pry the men away from each other. The red-faced coward who had insulted her was now crying and screaming out in pain, nursing a broken and bloody nose.
Sera's eyes went wide as she grabbed another Peacekeeper and with doctored concern asked them to get some medical help.
People around her scrambled to act in hurry with Sera's words while she was swept aside in the protection of the remaining Peacekeepers. This was quite entertaining. She wasn't really shocked at a couple of broken bones and the minuscule amount of blood she had just witnessed. If anything it was pathetic.
If her follower truly wanted to defend her honor with violence, he should have ripped the coward's throat off. Only then would the red-faced man be silenced. But those dark thoughts were locked away by Sera the moment they appeared. She couldn't nurse them out in the open or at all. She had to remind herself that this was not the arena anymore.
One last fleeting glance at the two parties, Sera was escorted into the train.
All the while Huxley would glance at her every now and then. He was afraid. He was very afraid that he would lose his childhood friend. That gleam in her eyes. He always knew Sera had a cruel streak with her little hobbies that she had picked up to fill the time she had off being sick all the time growing up.
Botany, chess, flower-arrangements, knife-throwing and one that Huxley wasn't confident to recall, was what accompanied her when she was all alone while everyone was too busy. Her hobbies were at times morbid but she understood why she practiced them.
Growing up sickly, her hobbies allowed her to have some means of control in her life. He knew that well. Still he was afraid that the games may have released something that should never have been released. He could only hope that Sera was smart enough to get it under control before she got herself and her loved ones killed.
"Huxley Foret...and Seraphine Reza, I'm Scarus Redcliff. I was sent by President Snow to be Miss Reza's personal guard and ensure her complete safety, for now I'll be escorting you two to District 5. We'll see each other again before the tour."
"Scarus?" Sera asked without meaning to.
She stared at the boy in front of her. Unlike Peacekeepers who were always dressed in white-gray armor, he had a black hood covering his head but his face was very much visible. He was tall and wore a knee length black leather coat along with gray armored trousers. But it wasn't what he wore that caused Sera to repeat his name like that.
It was the fact that the boy had a disfigurement on his face. On his pale face there was a huge scar above his right side of the face, passing through his eyelids and stopping just shy of his upper lip. He looked young and had it not been for his disfigurement, one might even consider him handsome. His mouth was stuck in a frown and he seemed like the type to never smile.
"Scarus?" Now it was Huxley who questioned the boy's name. The two childhood friends shared a look before Sera turned away. It was clear what they were thinking. Did he change his name to suit his disfigurement? "That's...an interesting name." Huxley muttered, placing his hand under his chin.
Scarus smirked and pushed off his hood while leading the two through the train cars into their own compartment reserved for the two only.
Sera could see him now in the bright afternoon sun, that he had dark auburn tresses that reminded her of dried aged blood. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought that his hair had never been washed and was caked in blood as it was slick backed and shiny. His yellow-gold eyes had a crazed spark in them that made her wary of him. He could either be rabid or obsessive.
Scarus said nothing until they reached their train car. He pointed towards the different compartments while giving them a small tour of the car. Then he stopped at the seating area for District 5.
"I was born with this scar on my face." The boy began with a wide grin, pulling up a chair and taking a seat next to Sera and Huxley who had just sat down for a light afternoon snack. "My mother named me as such. That's all there is to it, no story of glory or gore. Just a birth defect. Not quite the story you two were expecting were you?" He said, flashing his canines.
A part of her pitied the boy for being named after his disfigurement while the other wondered if a name could determine one's path in life. She was curious. Yet one look at the boy let her know that perhaps asking the boy questions about his life would not be the wisest thing in the world. Her best course of action was to observe first then act later, just like she always had done.
"How old are you?" Huxley asked. He, like Sera, had not missed the youthful appearance of the guard underneath his scarred appearance.
Unlike his childhood friend, he wasn't afraid to voice his questions out-loud. If he was curious, he would ask small questions to satiate his curiosity. He personally didn't like this habit of his and often he tried to be more like Sera and the rest of her siblings but he failed. His curiosity was his foil.
He looked on at Scarus, beckoning him to answer while holding a cup of tea. Sera didn't even know where the avox had come from and didn't know how to react as they filled three cups with tea, placed stands of extravagant small finger pastries and desserts before disappearing just as quickly as she had appeared.
"Eighteen. You're nineteen, won your first games at seventeen by gutting alive the three careers that were trying to hunt you down. Impressive if I say so myself."
There were stars in the boy's eyes, staring down the mentor who shuffled in his seat, clearly taken aback. Scarus didn't stop there. He carried on. "Since then, you have mentored twice, the first time your tribute was an idiot and failed to follow your instructions and died, while the second time..." He trailed off, throwing Sera a cool but detached look full of apathy. "As for you, you're fifteen. Reaped at fourteen, turned fifteen at the night of the first interviews and an accidental victor."
Huxley stilled, the grip on his cup tightened. Blankly, he looked at Scarus. He wasn't pleased with the blatant disrespect of the new addition to their party. Not only did Scarus state the facts wrong but he also managed to insult his childhood friend and fellow victor. It also didn't help that Scarus was the type of person he loathed.
He was starstruck and showed only adoration and admiration for the former victor. That was something he despised. He knew it was only a matter of time before Scarus either turned against him in his idol worship of Huxley or he hurt his loved ones over his obsession. He also loathed the fact that Scarus had insulted the tragic dead tributes he had 'mentored'.
It was common knowledge among victors and Capitolites alike that Huxley was not a good mentor from his first mentorship. He made it clear from the moment he was chosen, he ignored his tribute's attempts to ask for help, he didn't offer any help whatsoever, made no attempts to secure sponsorships and instead spent more time in being gloomy and kept to himself. He didn't even show any emotions when his tribute died, he simply got up and went back to his room.
"You know quite a lot about the two of us." Sera commented absentmindedly as she took a sip of the tea.
A small smile graced her face as she sipped the warm liquid from her cup, observing Scarus' mannerisms and slight tics while keeping a blank face. From his physical appearance and his build, she assumed him to be strong and capable. He was also chosen by the President, which meant he had to be remarkable in some way. The way he talked he was also knowledgeable of the two. That would be a problem.
"You must admire Huxley a lot." She added in. Her eyes were sharply trained on the auburn-haired boy in front of her like a hawk. Her observations had borne some fruit in such a short time. She didn't miss that awestruck sparkle in his eyes when he looked at Huxley. He admired her mentor.
It was so similar to those Capitolites at the station. Those simple minded people who only sang of her praises and ignored her faults. Like how she had enough medicine for multiple but only offered it to her other sickly ally once. Only once. She didn't offer it again and only watched and cried as the sickly female tribute from District 4 died of her sickness and a fever caused by a simple wound. All of which could have been treated by Sera but she didn't. No one remembered that.
Sera knew that because that was one of the first things she did when she came back. She had obsessively watched and dissected her own games. She had not only kept a close watch on her allies but also those from the career pack. She also went back and watched the accompanying commentary that most victors never ever bothered to watch. It was interesting to say the least.
She noticed something, those who were the least visually palatable had more critics and even their smallest mistakes were magnified while those considered 'pretty' were forgiven. She almost missed it had she not gone back again and again to watch it all.
Amethyst was an example. Sera noticed that no matter how cruel she was, her cruelness was framed in a beautiful way. It was jarring. Even her betrayal of the District 2 female tribute was brushed aside despite their fragile 'friendship' being praised early on in the games.
She wondered if that was why disfigured victors were never as popular as those who won unmarred from any scars. From her memory, victors like Porter were largely ignored. Maybe beauty was one of the reasons why Scarus admired her mentor so much. Huxley was considered handsome by most and he was strong while Scarus was strong yet marred by his birth defect.
Perhaps she was getting ahead of herself and concocting a false image of a person she had just met.
Scarus shifted in his seat, affected by what Sera had said a few moments ago. Her blank face and distant look in her eyes did not help. He knew he had said too much but his pride refused to let him apologize or maybe he was embarrassed. His gaze darted towards her mentor and softened. For a second he looked as if he was eager for acknowledgement. His ears had also turned a bright shade of red in embarrassment.
He admired Huxley for his cold detached yet ruthless nature in the arena which might suggest that he craved something similar. It wasn't glory that he craved, maybe gore? Or was it acknowledgement. He mentioned his mother, maybe it was acknowledgement. Maybe she was making things up in her head again. She had to constantly remind herself to take every idea of Scarus that she had with a grain of salt, as she could never be too sure of a person.
"It's okay. I admire Huxley too. Who wouldn't, right?" She carried on but now there was a subtle twinkle in her eyes. She wanted to know more. "I'm nothing compared to him."
Huxley knew that was a lie. Sera was much more methodical than him and he was the only one who noticed the familiar shine in her eyes. On one hand, he was happy to see some resemblance of normalcy returning to his childhood friend but on the other he was worried.
That twinkle in her eyes was not innocent at all.
Huxley almost pitied Scarus before reminding himself that Scarus was a hand of Snow and he needed to be kept in check. Sera knew it too.
"I—um—I..." The boy started stuttering for an apology of a kind. He wasn't good with words. His actions were a good act but now he was flustered and stuttering like a fool.
This was too easy.
Scarus was like a child meeting his favorite idol and in his arrogant haste, he had offended another victor. Not that he cared, he made it very clear from the moment he met Sera that he loathed her. Yet it was clear President Snow cared.
Only after offending her, he remembered his duty as he straightened his back and with a blank look, turned away from Sera. It was a pity. He gave up. He already made a mistake, the eyes and ears nearby would have recorded this. Mistakes were hard to erase and the more mistakes he made, the further he would fall.
Not caring about the guard's response, Huxley took out a book from his bag and flipped it open. He gave a sharp pointed look to Sera and the young girl sighed before mimicking him a moment later.
Turning his attention back to his book, he couldn't help but fear the true meaning of Scarus' appointment. His appointment had all but dashed his hopes for the young victor's peaceful life. With Scarus' appointment, things had changed. Sera could no longer hope for peace and quiet and he too couldn't hope for it on her behalf. Talissa would be heartbroken. That was the first thought that came to Huxley's mind when he thought of Sera's new future.
The two victors from District 5 decided to ignore the guard after Sera had caused him to become flustered. If Huxley hadn't interrupted, she would've done much worse. she could've prodded a little bit more and dug deep into his mind but she didn't. Scarus should've been thankful. But there would be more opportunities to get inside the mind of Scarus.
She flipped through the old yellowed delicate pages of her aunt's book which recorded details of various plants and where to find them. Some were long extinct, some which were said to be common were now rare and some that were rare were now common.
The contents of the book were almost memorized but she always went back to it. The pages had detailed drawings of the plants along with additional notes by her aunt, citing which ones were edible and which ones to avoid. Unlike her aunt's other books, this one didn't mention the uses or side effects. Her aunt also never bothered to add in the side effects or circle out poisonous plants.
Sera flipped another page, stopping at a page showing a type of berries. These berries were said to be common but were now uncommon.
In the margins of the page, in cursive scribble her aunt had noted 'less commonly found now due to over gathering' and 'similar in appearance to nightlock'. She traced the illustration of the berries and the writings on the page fondly but stopped at the mention of 'nightlock'. It was a poisonous berry notoriously found throughout Panem. It looked harmless and could be easily mistaken for blueberries.
Most assumed the berries to be the deadlier part but she knew that one wouldn't kill. Multiple were needed to finish the job and it also depended on weight and height of the victim. The bigger the person, the more berries would be needed. But it was the nightlock flower which she was interested in.
Nightlock flowers were a lethal paralytic poison, capable of paralyzing even the biggest animals. It was incurable and in worse but rare cases, it could slowly kill. Berries caused death while the flowers were paralytic and unpredictable.
A loud groan echoed through the room followed by a bang.
Sera jumped, instantly reaching for the fork on the table. Huxley eyed her wearily and gently nudged her feet under the table, stopping her mid-motion. Fortunately this half-motion was missed by the third-party in the room.
Scarus scowled at them both as he kept looking around the room for something. She didn't care. Her curiosity over Scarus had been lost and she was not in the mood to play with him.
Sera looked up and smiled innocently at him with her wide silvery eyes looking straight at the man. Only for him to return her friendly smile with a scowl and glare. It was childish, very childish.
She lowered her gaze and went back to her book but still from behind the pages, she kept her gaze trained on the guard who got up and opened the door of the compartment. He stomped out of the door. Still Sera didn't put the book down, she flipped a page and carried on reading and watched the closed door.
Bang.
Scarus banged on the other side of the door, attempting to get in. Bang! Bang! Bang! The strong glass doors echoed with his pounding. They would flicker from their opaque black cover to clear with each banging.
Huxley shut his book with a loud audible sigh of frustration and motioned for an avox to clean the table in front of them. He was beyond angry at Scarus who attempted to break the sliding doors to their train compartment and complained that it was stuck. Huxley got up and strode towards the double sliding doors. He turned the privacy filter off and calmly gestured to the ticket screen on the outside of the door.
Scarus instead tilted his head to the side confusedly. Did he not understand Huxley? Sera thought as she put her own book down and craned her head towards the door. Her eyes wandered over to Scarus' discarded coat behind his chair. There a tall card poked out of one of the pockets of his coat. He had forgotten to take his ticket. Sera wanted to laugh at his foolishness but instead she got up, not taking Scarus' ticket. Instead she acted as if she hadn't noticed it.
"You have to scan your ticket." Sera pointed at the scanner where Huxley had gestured moments before. Scarus tilted his head in confusion and touched it. "No. Your ticket. Not your hand." She said. "Your. ticket." She reminded him again. The visual privacy filter may have been turned off but it seemed the glass didn't allow sound to pass through to the other side. She tried again to remind him to scan his ticket. Obviously, she knew he didn't have his ticket but what she really wanted was for him to ask for her help.
Huxley had taken a step back and was waiting. He waited patiently, watching as the newly appointed guard searched for his ticket. He waited and waited. All the while, he kept an eye on Sera to see if she was up to anything. He had to be careful of her. She was unpredictable at times and he couldn't forget that mischievous twinkle in her eyes from before.
"I don't have my ticket." Scarus declared. His words were heard loud and clear through the whole hallway. His pale face had turned a shade of pinkish red in embarrassment. "I think I lost it." He added with a scowl while looking away. His insides burned just to admit that fact out loud but to admit his blunder in front of the girl he was mocking before was even more demeaning. "...Let me in." He muttered with his face turned away from Sera. He didn't want to see that innocent but coy smiling face. He didn't. It would only serve as a reminder of his actions.
This was easier than she had thought. Sera envisioned Scarus to be a prideful person who would never ask for help yet he did. A surprise. A welcomed one too. The corners of her mouth turned upwards as she smiled gently. She moved to the button on the side to open the door. Scarus looked up at and kept his eyes on Sera as she pressed the button. The doors slid open at last, letting him in.
Huxley finally went back to his seat. He made no acknowledgement of the guard but did subtly motion for Sera to follow his actions. Wordlessly, she followed, not before she restored the privacy filter. She didn't want Huxley to complain if the filter stayed off. She spared a concerned glance at Scarus before settling back into her seat, picking up the upturned book she carried on reading the botany book. She didn't manage to read much before the young guard slammed a flat disk onto the table. He pressed it once and a chessboard sprung up in front of the three.
The young guard stood back and pulled up his chair, taking a seat. "Why don't we do something a little more enjoyable? Like chess." He grinned while looking at the two from District 5 with expectant eyes. Huxley shared a look with Sera who pursed her lips. This was her expertise after all. She enjoyed chess far more than he did, he had no doubt that she would say yes. "...You two have played chess before?" Huxley blinked blankly, bored and tired of Scarus already while Sera blankly smiled. "You know what chess is at least? Do you not have that in District 5?"
With every one of his words that came out of his mouth, the less the two from District 5 liked him. He was ignorant and his arrogance was a subtle reminder of what people of Capitol thought of non-career districts. Even so, to both Sera and Huxley's knowledge, District 4 was often treated similarly to non-career districts. Still that knowledge did nothing to soothe the disrespect.
Letting out a deep audible sigh, Huxley turned his head and went back to his book. He preferred to ignore the guard all together. It was clear to him that the guard craved his attention most of all while spurning Sera's existence.
The last thing he wanted was to give Scarus what he wanted and despite being appointed by the President to watch over Sera, he didn't seem to be as preceptive nor intelligent as the victor he would be guarding. It would be interesting to see how Sera dealt with him.
With that thought, he was tempted to see a game of chess between the two and maybe continue to observe Scarus' tenure as Sera's personal guard. His childhood friend wasn't a difficult person but she was cunning and mischievous. Two things that often made him wary of her but he was lucky that he was never the target of her childish schemes.
"Well?" Scarus asked, looking at the two as he started setting up the pieces. "You two do know what this game is right?" He gestured to the board and pieces. The black and white pieces appeared one by one as he spoke.
Silence ensued. Sera blinked blankly before the corners of her mouth moved upwards in a small but shy smile. "...No. I'm sorry. I've never played it." She said, looking down at her book as she closed it. Her short black hair curtaining her face, hiding her facial expression.
"You at least know the rules?"
Sera looked up. She swallowed thickly and shook her head, acting as if she was embarrassed and nervous, she pulled at the sleeve of her tan coat which she had not taken off. "I'm sorry." She quietly apologized and looked at Scarus.
The guard rolled his eyes, muttering quietly under his breath insults that he assumed she couldn't hear. She could hear. Her hearing had unfortunately gotten better. A side effect of her time in the games. She knew it and as did Huxley who had commented that it might be better than his as her games were one of the longest in the history of the games itself.
Her eyes darkened and her grip on the book tightened. He didn't really believe she was stupid did he? Of course he did. With his head turned off, she rolled her eyes and looked away. "Well, I suppose I have no choice but to teach you both." He declared, sparing a glance at Huxley who avoided his gaze.
"If it's not too much trouble." Sera replied with a bright and kind look as she pulled her chair closer to the table.
"Thank you but I'm not interested." Huxley rejected the offer quickly.
From the corner of his eyes, he kept an eye on Sera. He was curious as to why she had lied about the harmless pastime that she was well-versed in. Still he didn't go out of his way to contradict her, instead, he played along to her whims. Maybe it was one of her pranks. He tried to justify her actions. It was not. A part of him believed it was not.
That cautious part was most likely correct.
He knew Sera had changed a lot since she had been in the games, no, since she had been reaped. He saw that shift from the stage when her name was called. Her eyes hardened for a split second as a silent fury came over her but blink and it was gone as if it was not there. Even in the broadcasts, it was largely omitted. She went as far as to ask the stylists to chop off her long locks to survive better, much to the dismay of both Eos and Ovid, one of the few times those two agreed on anything.
It was like she had a plan composed the moment her name was called, a far cry from his own self. He remembered the crippling fear he felt when his name was called, how he spent nights leading up to the game hoping and praying for a miracle that would allow him to go back home to his sister and Talissa.
Shifting his gaze back to the two, he watched as Scarus tried to explain the rules of the board game to his childhood friend who focused on each of his words. She nodded along and even asked questions about the game as if she wasn't a seasoned player who had won a considerable amount of games each time she played. Still he didn't utter a single word of her existing knowledge and experience as even Scarus looked a little happier with Sera's interest in his words.
"So if the king is taken, the game is over?" Sera questioned, pointing at the white king on Scarus' side of the board. Scarus nodded, a little patient and calmer than before.
The young victor didn't seem like much of a nuisance to him. She was kind, patient and attentive. It was almost too good to be true. There had to be a reason why he was appointed to watch over her. He thought that by being rude to her, she would reveal her true nature but much to his anguish, she only carried on with her usual behavior.
"And if the queen or any of the important pieces like the rook dies, then a pawn—" This time she gestured to the black pawn on her side of the board. "—can replace them?"
Scarus nodded again. He pulled his chair closer to Sera and leaned in on the board. "As long as the pawn makes it to the other end. Only then." Sera nodded.
She drew back and clapped her hands together as a bright smile appeared on her face. He could see the appeal of a victor like Sera a little bit more. Her win might have been pure luck but she was an interesting victor nonetheless. She was kind and pretty but not airheaded. There was a slight intelligence in her, not too much, just enough.
"The king is the most important and the queen is the most powerful?"
"Right but the queen is also replaceable. Remember that."
"But it's still the most powerful. The king is the most vulnerable." Sera quietly pointed out.
Scarus looked up at Sera. She innocently looked at the board. He scanned her face for anything. Her words seemed more than innocent but then again she was only fifteen. A girl so young would never dare to have such thoughts. She probably said it without thinking, Scarus thought. He decided in the end that he would omit that from his report. He would, however, include it if the game of chess revealed something he should've seen before.
"It seems like you've got the hang of it now. Shall we play a round?"
Naturally Sera agreed. She moved her hands back as Scarus started rearranging the chess pieces. He picked the white chess pieces while allocating Sera with the black. She didn't mind. He didn't bother to ask her preference either, not that it mattered.
The white side went first, Scarus chose a pawn from his right side and moved it two steps forward. With a hand under her chin, Sera examined her pawns before moving the one in the center once. It was then Scarus' turn again. The two went back and forth until Scarus decided to take out a bishop from his side.
Sera took out a knight instead. Scarus easily took one of Sera's pawns and her knight. Sera took three of his pawns. He didn't care. She put more focus on taking his pawns than any of the other pieces. Scarus thought it was a foolish strategy as he took her bishop that only moved in the black squares. The young victor frowned. Her face scrunched up into a frown as she drew her hand under her chin in a thinking pose. Her ethereal silvery eyes scanned the board trying to find a means to win.
The clock behind the Scarus silently ticked by. It had grown quite dark outside as the sun was starting to set and three hours had passed whilst Scarus and Sera played chess. Now and then, the young guard would complain that Sera would take too long to make a move while she would gently remind him that she had never played before.
It was a lie, obviously but Scarus would never know.
Huxley was impressed, Sera had willingly lost all her important pieces except the king, queen and a sole knight. The knight soon was lost and Sera was left with only the king, queen and seven pawns. One of her black pawn pieces was all the way towards the other side of Scarus' side yet the guard ignored it completely, even though his rook could easily take it. He didn't think it was as important as the queen or the knight.
Keeping an eye on Scarus, Sera waited as he took her last knight and all she was left with was the queen. Most of the white pieces were on her side while most of his pawns were gone as were his knights and bishops. He still had his rooks, queen and king.
When he finally took her knight, she traded her pawn on his side of the board with another queen. Scarus frowned when he saw that. Sera looked up innocently asking if it was wrong, it wasn't. She knew it already. He reluctantly shook his head, carrying on.
Now Sera had two queens and obviously her king, he had two rooks, a queen and his king. He had to be careful. He moved his rooks to the end of his board intending to take her newly crowned queen except he didn't see that he had left his own queen unprotected.
Sera moved her new queen diagonally, taking his queen swiftly. This time she made her decision quicker than her last moves to prevent Scarus from further complaining.
Scarus drew back in surprise at the sudden loss. His unattentiveness made him lose a queen and even if he thought to replace it with a pawn. He had but two pawns compared to her six pawns. Unlike his opponent who spent time moving her pawns forward his was in the middle of the board, nowhere near the end of her side.
There was no way he could replace his queen this easily.
He clenched his fists and used his rook to try and take one of her pawns instead. He had a feeling that Sera meant to promote all six of her remaining pawns into queens except he didn't predict that his rook would be taken by another pawn of hers.
She had five pawns left, losing one to him and he still had three.
For the next moment or so, the two went back and forth while checkmating each other, until he managed to get two of his pawns to the end of her side, with one right at the end. Finally he traded his pawn for a queen but his moment didn't last as Sera traded her pawn next for a bishop that had a clear path for his king.
"Checkmate?" Sera said once again, looking up at him. She had a shy and girlish grin on her face as she clasped her hands together in excitement. "I think I'm getting better at this." She added pushing her hair behind her ears.
"It appears so." Scarus muttered with a tight smile as he moved his king.
Sera moved another one of her pawns. He used his new queen to take that pawn, thinking she was getting too confident. His opponent moved the bishop once more but this time to avoid the path of the new white queen. He took his next move to move his second pawn to the end of the black side and then he replaced it with another queen. He grinned as he placed a second white queen on the board. His joy didn't last long.
She looked up once at Scarus' arrogant face and looked back down at the board before she picked up her bishop, moving it diagonally and taking the new queen. She was lucky that Scarus was too busy protecting the king and moving his remaining pawns to the end of the board that the path of her bishop was unobstructed.
Though in her plans she had lost three of her pawns, she still had two left. Two was all she needed. Besides, unlike what Scarus initially thought her to do, she had no intention to replace all her pawns with queens. That would be too easy. She knew she wanted one to be another bishop and one to be a rook. She only wanted one queen on the board, otherwise it would be too easy to finish the game. One queen was all that she needed.
She watched as Scarus tried to save his last pawn and get it across the board to replace his depleting pieces. She made some idle moves until finally Scarus wasted his last pawn on another queen. It was then, she decided to move her pawn to the end and finally replace her other bishop.
It was Scarus' turn, he tried to make a move on her remaining pawn with the rook he had left. Sera debated sacrificing her pawn but then decided against it and decided not to move it to where Scarus wanted to move it. Instead she moved her bishop away from his end of the board.
She had two bishops, a queen, a pawn and obviously the king. While he had his king, two queens and a rook. They were almost evenly matched. Maybe she should've sacrificed that pawn after all. Taking another glance at him, she let him make a move in front of her last pawn. She could easily take that pawn but she decided against it, letting it be taken before she used one of her bishops to make what looked like to be an idle move.
It was getting late now, almost time for dinner to be served as Huxley gently reminded Sera. He pointed at the clock before pulling back and leaning back into his seat. His eyes were still on the board. Despite his initial lack of interest in this game, it had quickly changed once he saw how frustrated Scarus was becoming. He had started muttering profanities under his breath, thinking no would hear him and going red with rage.
Her idle move seemed to have been a fatal move for Scarus. In her next move, she used the bishop to take his second queen, leaving him with one queen. He tried to save his other queen by having it guard his king while Sera used her other bishop to guard her king instead of the queen. Scarus used his rook to attack Sera's king only for it to be taken by her queen.
He only had his king and queen. He froze. He was losing quickly if he didn't act fast but what could he do? He couldn't leave the king unprotected but he had to do something. He swallowed as he moved his queen and took one of her bishops.
Except that was a terrible move. In Sera's next move, she used her own queen to take his last queen. He only had the king left. It was only then did he realize how foolish he had been. He let his arrogance cloud his judgment and thinking. Still he thought Sera had gotten lucky so far. How would a beginner know to utilize the pawn correctly? She had gotten lucky, that was the only reasonable explanation, he thought as he moved his king to safety only to be surrounded by her bishop and queen.
"Checkmate." She declared. This time there was more confidence in her voice. "Did I win?" She asked, clapping her hands together.
Scarus drew in a sharp breath before saying. "I yield."
He didn't look pleased. He couldn't bring himself to be. Chess was a game he was a master in. He had played this game since he was child and yet a beginner had beaten him in her first game. At least, it was a long and drawn game. He prided himself on the fact, the game was drawn-out and he didn't lose immediately.
"Not bad for a beginner." He complimented his opponent with a small grin.
Checking the time again, Huxley got up and held out a hand for Sera. "It's time for dinner. You need to eat on time, remember." He gently grabbed her hand in his before escorting her into the dining room.
Scarus followed after he was done putting away the board and the pieces. He followed the duo to the spacious dining room through the door on the right of the seating room while the door on the left to a hallway with three doors. Three bedrooms for the three of them.
The three sat around the table as avoxes moved to place that night's meal. It was silent around the table as Huxley quietly whispered to his childhood friend about something which Scarus briefly picked up. He lost interest once he realized it was about Sera's illness and Huxley was only reminding her to take her medicine on time. He knew that his charge was ill, who didn't. The whole of Panem knew Sera was ill. How ill? Nobody knew.
Caesar Flickerman had assumed it to be a fatal illness of the heart which Sera neither denied nor confirmed. It only made the entire nation believe that the young victor could drop dead any moment because of her illness but Scarus thought otherwise. He didn't think it was as fatal as the nation was making it out to be but the President believed in those rumors.
Anyone close to the President knew that President Snow never took rumors quite seriously. He always had them investigated but he himself never believed them. It only meant one thing, the President must know what her illness really was. He must have believed it was fatal enough for her to need protection. He was lucky that his father was a close friend of the President's late son and that he had been trusted with this task.
Though at first he complained a lot, only to his father but now he could slowly see what the President saw in Seraphine Reza. She had a natural talent of gaining people's trust in a short time. She gained his. Before he could stop himself, he was telling her about his childhood and his family over that game of chess. He was so busy trying to win that he didn't even realize what he was doing until now. Still, she didn't bother to bring any of it during the course of the game nor did she seem to tell her mentor about it.
After the meal was served, the avoxes retreated into the shadows. Smoked salmon with wedges of orange and lime was served alongside a beetroot and apple salad. There was also roast beef which was coated in black pepper and herbs with a side of herb butter and roast potatoes. Lastly there was a mushroom casserole with what seemed to be cheese on top with a side of potato wedges.
Huxley opted for some mushroom casserole with a small slice of the salmon while Sera decided on the smoked salmon. Scarus was glad to take the roast beef with some potato wedges. The dinner was unlike any Sera had experienced during her time as a tribute. Before there used to be only one main dish but now there were multiple.
At first she had hesitated and thought about taking the roast beef but she opted against it when she noticed how red it was. She also opted against the beetroot salad. The redness made her stomach churn in disgust. Instead, she decided to take some of the sliced and toasted bread and some herb butter that was served alongside the beef. She finally understood why Huxley would always opt for the vegetarian option whenever they ate meat that looked a little too red.
"So. I heard you were ill." Scarus innocently stated, picking up his knife and fork. He raised an eyebrow and stared hard at the young victor. She froze mid action before putting her own fork and knife down with a small smile. She looked up at him and nodded. "What's your illness?"
Huxley glared at the guard and moved to act before Sera stopped him. She gently nudged his feet with hers under the table, stopping him. "Unfortunately, I don't know." She said with a small laugh as she used her napkin to wipe the sides of her mouth.
"I thought your sister was a doctor."
"A chemist." Huxley corrected.
Sera spared a glance at Huxley. He was always so emotional whenever Talissa or his own sister was mentioned. "My sister is a chemist not a doctor. We only have two doctors in our entire district. Both are mostly busy with energy-plant related injuries or illnesses. It didn't help that we couldn't afford to go to see one either after my parents died."
"I'm sorry." Scarus scrambled to quickly apologize. Sera shook it off. "I didn't know." He added quietly.
"Well, now you know." Sera retorted with a stiff smile before resuming her meal. "Though I admire that you are brave enough to ask. Most just stop and stare, making up stories about me inside their heads." She lied through her teeth while she picked up her knife and fork, digging back into her meal. She was obviously flattering him.
"Thank you?"
Scarus was confused whether the victor was admiring him or she was mocking him. He couldn't tell. At that moment, he felt like an idiot. He didn't know what to say.
While he was thinking of what else to say, it seems Sera had already moved on as she seemed to have finished her meal and had moved onto dessert. As did Huxley. A banana and chocolate cake for Huxley while Sera had a strawberry mousse with raspberry sauce in front of her. By the time Scarus finished his dessert, Sera was already done.
She only had a single glass of water in front of her. He watched in silence as the victor took out a small glass bottle of what looked to be pinkish powder. She uncapped the bottle and poured some onto the cap before pouring that into the water in the glass. Then with a spoon, she stirred the mixture which turned the clear water into a vivid magenta shade. Putting the spoon down, he watched as she brought the colored liquid to her lips and drank it all.
When she finished, she excused herself and left. Huxley followed soon after, leaving the newly appointed guard all alone.
Sera walked around from her room to the hallway before choosing to stand in the hallway between the seating area and the bedrooms as she watched the night sky from the wide windows of the train. The sky was always something she loved watching. It was calm and peaceful.
Night had set in as the stars twinkled brightly in the clear bluish black sky. Though there were no clouds in the sky, it was still slightly colder than it had been during the day. The coldness reminded her, it was the time when leaves changed colors and soon enough the trees would wither and shrivel up as would most plants as winter crept up on them.
She heard the sound of a door opening and closing behind her and the footsteps followed. She didn't move.
"You might catch a cold if you stand here like that."
She heard the familiar sound of her newly appointed guard say as he appeared at her side. She had almost forgotten that he was there. She ignored him, reaching out to touch the fogged up window. Her hand was caught mid-air as Scarus' rough hand grabbed Sera's wrist and pulled it away from the cold glass.
"You have a chronic condition, catching a cold like this would be bad for your health."
"I do," Sera answered after a moment of ignoring the guard.
She turned her silvery gaze towards him and grinned. Taken aback, he dropped her wrist, letting it fall to her side. It always shocked him how bright her eyes were. They were so clear and bright. She let out a small laugh that echoed in his mind before she turned back to the window. He was almost disappointed.
"—But. I'm not going to catch a cold from this. Trust me." She added on, moving closer to the window as if to spite the guard who had decided to show her some sudden kindness.
Scarus scowled. He stomped away for a moment, leaving Sera all alone in the hallway. She sighed in relief, happy to be left alone to her devices. He came back soon, leaving only for a few minutes. She felt a warm shawl drape around her shoulders as she could see his reflection in the window as he draped the shawl and took a step back.
"Thank you." Sera had no choice but to thank him. Though she would have preferred to have been left alone. She saw Scarus spare a small smile. Her eyes darkened as she pulled the shawl around her tighter.
The two stood in silence, staring outside. Both trying to unravel the other while not making a sound. Sera had some inkling of Scarus already. His father, a former aide and friend to President Snow's late son from his first marriage and his mother, the daughter of a wealthy man.
It painted quite a picturesque life.
Instead of following his father's footsteps, he chose to become Peacekeeper but was then promoted to the Elite Guards. Something Sera didn't know even existed until this evening but apparently it was common knowledge in the Capitol.
It all seemed well for him until he was tapped to be Sera's personal guard. He was mostly chosen for his age being the youngest of the elite guards. She wondered why age would matter so much. Did the President think Sera and maybe even Huxley would let their guard down near him or maybe it was something else.
Just thinking about it made her head ache in pain.
The train came to a halt, Sera almost fell forward. Her head nearly crashed into the window in front of her. Scarus moved quickly as he grabbed her by the waist, pulling her back toward the center of the room. If he had been a second late, she would've been injured quite badly and he would not only be reprimanded but he might face something even worse.
"What was that?" Sera asked. Her eyes flashed in concern as she looked outside.
Behind her a door opened and closed. Huxley walked out of the room and stood in the hallway with the two. "What happened?" He asked, checking Sera before looking at Scarus.
The guard held up a hand as he pressed his earpiece and harshly whispered something, turning away from the two and putting some distance between them.
Scarus' face hardened with each word in his ear piece. His eyes would travel to the two Peacekeepers outside as he listened to the voice on the other side of his earpiece. He nodded once at the Peacekeepers nearby who nodded back. and picked up his coat, wearing it again. He stood guard in the common seating area and announced. "It appears we have met with some problems due to engine failures. Please remain calm and stay in your designated area."