Gamble of Wits Chapter 8, a hunger games fanfic

Chapter 8: Ghosts in the Night

"Please remain calm and stay in your rooms."

A robotic monotone voice of a faceless woman echoed throughout the entire train. She sounded eerily calm yet stern and cold like a machine pretending to be warm and hospitable.

"Please remain calm and stay in your rooms."

The same sentence had been repeating for the past few hours since the train had stopped. It had almost been drilled into Sera's mind now and she could only think of it whenever she shut her eyes.

At first she couldn't hear what she or it was saying. She squinted her eyes in an attempt to focus her senses and relaxed. The words were quiet at first before it paused for a second and then continued a little louder. It was telling the passengers to remain calm and stay in their cars. She kept waiting for the second part to be repeated as well but louder. It never happened.

The second part of the statement was not repeated after the volume of the recording was increased like it didn't matter what the second part was. She had a small belief the erased second part was the reasoning for the train stopping. It was like they didn't care if the passengers knew why there was a sudden stop.

Craning her head back, she checked the clock on the wall behind her. It was still evening and early for her to go to bed. She pushed herself off the bed and ignored the dull voice and peered outside the window.

From the window, she could see they stopped near a wooded mountainous area with a lake nearby. The area felt like home for her.

District 5 was the district of lakes and mountains after all but this was not District 5. She believed they were still on the outskirts of the Capitol mere hours away from it too. If she remembered anything from her limited time in school, it was the geography of Panem. Capitol was surrounded by mountains like 5. It was why it was so hard to attack, something they took advantage of in the Dark Days.

"Please remain calm and stay in your rooms."

She lay in bed now, staring out the half-covered window, wondering when the recording would stop and the train would start again. The longer the train was at a stand still, the longer it would take her to get home and she really wanted to get home as soon as she could. She wanted to spend as much time as she could with her family before the tour began.

Her eyes drooped before they fluttered back open when the voice repeated the sentence once again. Nodding along to the voice and she clutched her pillow tight, burying her face into it.

Her eyes drooped again as she felt her head feel lighter and her limbs looser. Breathing out, she pulled at her covers and turned away from the window. Her eyes were still shut in fear of losing the little sleep that was finally coming to her. She stilled for a moment and counted backwards from twenty.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eigh—

Clang.

A sharp clanging sound interrupted her counting.

Alarmed, her eyes flew open and her grip on the sheets tightened. The clanging sound was followed by some faint banging. It was coming from outside. She stayed in bed and quietly listened to the sounds. The clangs and bangs were followed by some quiet but hurried indecipherable shouts.

"Please remain calm and stay in your rooms."

Through it all, the sound of the monotone and robotic woman never stopped. She carried on as if nothing was going on.

She wondered if she didn't care about the loud noises in the background of the recording or maybe she had been slowly conditioned to remain calm as the recording had told her to do. She couldn't tell.

Maybe she didn't want to pursue her curiosity, there was a danger to that. Still, she couldn't help but contemplate the sudden sounds and wondered what was really going on.

Various scenarios floated around in her mind, one scenario she knew she could never say out loud, the rest were quite normal like maybe there was a problem with the train, engine failure or maybe the operators had gotten ill.

The seasons were changing and changing seasons brought upon various illnesses, she nodded to herself, remembering those words her sister used while she wrapped Sera in clothes trying to keep the sickly girl warm. She smiled at those memories and shut her eyes again after she turned back to the window.

Her eyes twitched and arms relaxed again, she was half conscious again, searching for sleep while the recording was played in the background. Eyes closed, she frowned.

The volume of the recording increased again.

It increased again just as she was about to doze off. The recording had paused for a split second before the pitch of it distorted and then it became louder and a little bit faster like someone had also increased the speed of the recording.

Now it felt like those words were being drilled into her head.

She tossed and turned in her temporary bed while the monotone voice went on and on and on. She was finding it difficult to sleep like this. She opened her sleep-filled eyes and shut them again while letting out a quiet yawn, determined to try and drown the awful recording down, she pulled at the pillow and covered her ears with it.

"Please remain calm and stay in your rooms."

Those words went on and on, getting louder and louder, faster and faster with each second.

Sera grunted in frustration and this time she refused to completely open her eyes. Her face and body face the half-open window where moonlight streamed into the room, illuminating a part of it in a dull pale silvery-white light. Sighing she opened her eyes, turning to reach for a remote which would pull back the curtains.

She grabbed the remote and felt around for a button. After pressing it, the moonlight flooded the room. It was easier to sleep like this for her. It reminded her of home.

It also reminded her of one of the last nights leading to the end of the games. The moon was just as bright then and she remembered thinking if the sky she was under was real and if the boy who accompanied would make a move to kill her. She never found out the answer about the sky and as for the boy, she misjudged him, something she did feel guilty about.

Turning back around to face the window, she shut her eyes but not before putting the remote back where she found it. She could see some of the moonlight leaking through her lashes as she tried to dive deeper into sleep.

Finally, she stilled. Her breathing relaxed as her chest softly rose and collapsed. Her lashes fluttered a little as the corners of her mouth turned upwards in a peaceful smile as slumber finally took over.

"Can't sleep?" The rough voice of Gaius asked as Sera jumped. Without meaning to, she had taken out a blade and had it aimed at his direction. Her eyes wildly darted around the room.

The red haired boy took a step back, his hand creeping up to the ax behind his back. He cautiously stared at the flighty silver-eyed girl. "Relax! It's me, Gaius. District 2. We're allies now. Remember."

He slowly approached the girl whose hand around the blade tightened before loosening a little. He kept his eyes on her the whole time. His cold gold eyes watched her like a hawk.

Sera breathed out in pain and put away her knife, muttering a quiet apology for him before turning away. Her hands were still shaking through the whole ordeal. It didn't seem to be from the cold. It was from fear.

Gaius could tell she wasn't used to this. To all of this. He was. He was trained since he could remember to participate in this game, something everyone knew about career districts. He kept her eyes on her as she moved around the living room of the lodge they had taken shelter in. Her eyes looked red and puffy as were her lips. His eyes narrowed when he noticed a few scraps of dried blood in the corners of her lips.

When she noticed his gaze on her lips, she hurriedly wiped it off and turned away from him. He swallowed his words and walked over to the almost dead fire at the stone fireplace in the middle of the room. Silently, he picked up a log from the pile of logs he had chopped up earlier in the evening with the help of Ripley, their other ally. He watched Sera through the corner of his eyes before throwing in the log.

"What are you doing?" Sera asked, hurrying over to the fireplace. She quickly poked the fire out, trying to kill the flames before they started to grow.

"I'm lighting a fire. You look cold." He answered, confused by her actions.

"No. No."

The younger girl shook her head and worked even harder to kill the flames. She bit her lips in frustration while shaking her head. She wasn't happy. No, she was anxious. The pit of anxiety in her stomach grew and it was making her sick. Gaius' actions certainly didn't help.

Her eyes darted around the half-burnt logs for any sign of any flames before she took a step back. "We need to put this out, the fire will attract more attention." She stated, looking down at the dying embers. "Smoke on a bright snowy night will be more visible, it can be seen for miles. We'll be spotted by the others or any mutts, if we leave it on for the whole night." She finished, wrapping her arms around herself.

"You looked cold." He said, staring at the girl in front of him.

"I am but so are you and Ripley. It's something we all have to deal with." She was only fifteen, two years younger than him but here she was chastising him for his thoughtless kindness which might have gotten them all killed. She was right. "But thank you for thinking about me."

He watched Sera turn away from him and take out a container of medicine, she took out her flask of water. She gave him a nod before she took out a small cup. She filled it with water from her flask and then took out a pill. Holding the pill in her hands, she tried to crush it in her fingers.

Seeing her struggle, Gaius' body moved on his own. He took the pill from the flighty girl and easily crushed it in half before gently grabbing her free hand, placing the halves of the pill into it.

Sera smiled gratefully and threw in the crushed pill into the cup and swirled it in. She swirled the cup slowly in her hands and watched as the pill dissolved, turning the water into a vivid magenta liquid which she drank. She flinched and her face contorted because of the bitterness of the pretty medicinal drink.

Its smell and color could not hide its unpleasant herbal and chemical taste which was quite unpleasant. She put everything away and walked over to the window, assuming Gaius would leave. She sat down near one of the old sofas whose leather face was cracking and rips decorated its back.

The moon was very bright, so bright, it was almost blinding. She had never seen the moon shine so bright and she wondered if it was real or if she was still alive. The chill in her bones told otherwise. She was very much still alive. She felt a shadow cast over her and glanced at the couch opposite her.

To her surprise, Gaius didn't leave.

He followed her and took a seat near the tall windows just like she did. Neither spoke at first. She was a little uncomfortable having allies again especially since the outcome would always stay the same, they would die or they would kill her.

Before she was fortunate enough to know the weaknesses of her allies since they seemed so open and so friendly while Gaius was the opposite.

Closed off and stoic with hints of kindness. He was similar to Augustus Braun. It was ironic, Braun was the mentor of Valor who had discarded Gaius without looking back.

"You know, I'm the oldest of three brothers." Gaius started, interrupting Sera's train of thoughts. She turned to glance at him. She knew that already. She saw them when he volunteered. "They are all quite annoying at times but I know when they are hiding something." He glanced at her again. His gaze focused on her lips. He knew. "They're not very discreet. Sometimes, I think the reason they are so bad at hiding is because they want…attention." He didn't take his gaze away from her.

She tried not to flinch or react to his words. Nodding her head, she tilted head and placed it on her knees, hugging her knees close. He didn't look away for one moment. His golden eyes gleamed with curiosity while staring at her. He knew.

She swallowed some saliva and licked her dry lips before finally glancing at him. "What about your parents? Parents aren't the best seekers when children hide even if they claim they are." She decided to play along and act innocent like she had done so far.

Gaius' eyes flickered with sadness as the corners of his lips turned upwards in a small sad smile. "My mother is too busy with work to notice me or my siblings." He answered, turning away from her. She hit the mark. His parents seemed to be a sour spot for Gaius. She felt pity for him, she didn't mean to reopen wounds for him but she had no other choice. It was her or him and she had to choose herself.

"What about your father?" Sera asked in a small voice, shifting in her seat.

"My father was a good man. Quite observant too."

A smile lit up on Gaius face, making him seem more youthful and less aged. He carried on talking about his father while Sera nodded along, stopping now and then to ask more questions. He would even laugh uncharacteristically while the two chatted along about their parents. He already knew about hers. Everyone did.

She mentioned it in her interview but she was more surprised to know he had seen her interview. Most tributes did not bother to watch each others' interviews unless they saw the other as a threat. Gaius saw her as a threat or he was interested in her. She stiffened. Both options were equally terrifying for her. He was bigger and stronger than her. One wrong move and she would be dead. She needed to be careful, more careful than she had been.

Gaius stopped mid-sentence when he noticed a distant look on Sera's face. Under the moonlight, her silvery gray eyes gleamed brightly as if they were glowing like the moon itself. She looked deep in thought and she would pause to frown. He wanted to know what was on her mind. "Is something wrong?" He asked, not caring what she might think.

He was curious about her. He had been since he saw her at the training center.

She was quiet, kind and a little too friendly while her partner seemed to be either apathetic or aggressive to whoever approached them. She intrigued him because no one in the game was kind. They were either scared, angry, depressed, hysterical, ambitious, determined or blood-thirsty, some overlapped. She seemed to not fall into any of those categories. He knew he was ambitious and depressed at the prospect of being part of the game despite volunteering, he was very scared even if he didn't let it show.

Sometimes, she seemed to be determined at times but at the same time unbothered by the games. He couldn't tell if it was a mask or if she had resigned herself to her fate.

It was no secret Seraphine Reza had an illness which was deadly, she only confirmed it at her interview with Caesar.

The interview of Seraphine Reza started off quite boring, if Gaius had to be honest but as it went on, he knew two things. First, Sera knew a lot about flowers, their meanings mostly. Gaius didn't even know flowers had a language and he was surprised to find out, they in fact did. The second thing he realized was Caesar was not the one in control of the interview.

Usually interviews with Caesar were led by him, he picked the questions and gave cues for a tribute to follow but for her, she seemed to purposely say one thing and finish with a hint of another which led Caesar to follow. It took Gaius a while to notice and he wondered if anyone else noticed it as well.

Maybe Amethyst did. She seemed to hold a special grudge towards Sera for no reason whatsoever and had singled her out last time. Maybe Amethyst and him were the only ones to notice since the others seemed to largely ignore her.

His partner, Petra certainly didn't. She once remarked, within the earshot of Sera, she would most likely get killed during the bloodbath and she would be quite lucky to receive a quick death. How wrong Petra was. Sera had outlived Petra and had managed to even outlive genius from District 3 who all tributes viewed as a threat from the first day.

"Seraphine? Is everything okay?" He asked again.

Sera jumped a little and blinked rapidly. "Everything is fine." She answered with a feigned smile, pushing her body into the back of the sofa she sat on.

"Really?"

She nodded. "Well, I noticed you kept speaking about your father in the past tense…" She trailed off, not knowing what to say.

He looked down and signed as he clasped his hands together, momentarily forgetting about his doubts over Sera. "He's dead." He quietly stated.

His eyes teared up and he started rubbing them, trying to erase the tears and stop them from falling. He looked up to see Sera's gaze on him. She looked apologetic and also a little teary eyed from his simple statement. It was then, he remembered she too had lost her father, both of her parents of he remembered correctly.

Shifting in her seat, she drew her head back from her lap and moved a little closer to Gaius' side. "How did he d—pass away? If you don't mind me asking."

"An accident in a quarry. After it my mother took on more jobs to make up for what we lost and I was left in charge of my brothers." He clasped and then unclasped his hands, looking anywhere but her. She turned the tables and it was then, he realized it was her, she was the one leading the conversation but by now he didn't know how to steer it back to the topic he wanted. "I heard you also went through something."

"Yes and no. My parents didn't pass away at the same time. I also had an aunt who raised me, my sister and my brother along with her own son."

"You were more fortunate than me."

"Maybe." She softly smiled and looked away. "Maybe not." Her illness, he had briefly forgotten about it but it wasn't why she looked sad.

She knew he wanted to ask her about it, the extent of it and how she made it this far with it. She'd be a fool to tell him everything here, after all the games hadn't ended, they were on camera, being watched and listened to, every waking moment.

"The moon is very bright tonight." Sera absentmindedly remarked while reaching out to touch the rays of light before drawing her hand back. She slipped her hair behind her ear and stared wistfully out the window.

Snow had started to fall again, she smiled a little. Their tracks would soon be covered along with the blood of their recent hunts. It would be harder for the two District 1 tributes to find them but how long until Ripley and Gaius turned on her, she wondered.

As she watched the slow snowfall, she tried to think of various plans where she could leave the two boys and head out on her own. She still didn't trust them but she snuck a glance at Gaius who had followed her gaze earlier and was still staring at the moon. He seemed kind and loyal, he could be useful if she had known of him earlier. He was also more observant and smarter.

"Do you think it's real?" He suddenly questioned, looking at Sera. The two made eye contact and she jumped back a little in surprise. "Do you think it's real?" He repeated his question and gestured towards the sky.

Sera bit her lip in concentration and squinted her eyes. "Hard to tell." She answered, leaning forward to get closer to the windows. "It feels real but at the same time, it feels—"

"Fake?"

She nodded. "I mean, it's just I've never seen a moon this big and bright."

Gaius nodded along as Sera's eyes drooped and she tried to fight sleep. Seeing her sleepy, he got up and offered her his hand. She hesitated for a moment then she took it and he helped her up before escorting her back to her room. He kept his eye on her while she went back to her temporary bedroom.

She went in and waited for the footsteps to fade away before she grabbed the nearest piece of furniture and pushed it in front of the door. Backing away she glanced back at the small window. The moon really was quite bright that night.

Sera stirred in her sleep and took in a sharp breath before she let it out. Her face was turned towards the window, the moonlight draping her face like a white net.

"Please remain calm and stay in your rooms."

The recording was still playing even now.

Sera angrily clutched her sheets and pulled them closer to her ears, in an attempt to block out the sounds but not the moonlight. She could still hear the sound of the recording through the muffled sheets.

"Please remain calm and stay in your rooms."

The moonlight's path was interrupted and a sudden darkness covered her face for a split second. Her eyes flew open and she jumped up. The aggravating recording was the least of her concerns now. She sat up, grabbing the closest object to her, a small metal pen next to the remote for the curtains. She looked around as her eyes wildly scanned the room, getting up and carefully walking over to the window.

It was dark outside, so dark she had to squint and press her face as close as she could to the window. Twinkling stars didn't help neither did the moonlight. All she could see were silhouettes of plants and rocks, nothing else. She sighed and started to move away from the window when she saw it again.

It was like a shadow darted across the window and she almost missed it had she not been staring at the window. She was back watching the window again, she ducked when another shadow paused in front of her window. A figure was in the distance but it was clear to her it was watching her. It didn't move like the last one but instead it just watched her.

"Please remain calm and stay in your rooms."

Her heart hammered against her chest as she breathed in and out, trying to calm herself. Her grip on the metal pen tightened as she unscrewed the lid and flicked it aside to reveal the sharp metal nib.

Clack. Thuck. Screech.

"Please remain calm and stay in your rooms."

Those sounds followed by the sound of footsteps.

She glanced up and slowly crawled away from the window and towards the door. The sounds kept continuing mixed in with the sound of the recording while she carefully took in and let out measured breaths. She would pause and glance at the window, checking if the shadow was at her window. It was not, not yet.

Letting out a quiet breath, she crouched in the shadows next to the door leading to the small hallway. She made herself small and stayed there, waiting for the scraping sound to go away before she stilled.

Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.

From the sides of the train from where the window was, she heard those noises. She froze and clutched the pen, while glancing around for any other weapon-like objects. There was an umbrella stand on the opposite of her, next to the door.

A single umbrella was propped up. She could use the umbrella as a shield or a weapon. While she stared at the umbrella, she felt eyes on her.

"Please remain calm and stay in your rooms."

Holding her breath, she slowly turned her head towards the window. There a masked face peered through the window. Its body was covering up the moonlight completely but she could see the mask vaguely. A black mask with some markings on it.

At first she thought it was one of the Peacekeepers and she was about to come out of the shadows but then she didn't move. Peacekeepers wore gray or white uniforms and their masks were no different.

Whoever was peering in was not a Peacekeeper. It was not a Peacekeeper. Though she was not fond of the Peacekeepers, the unknown scared her even more. She stayed silent and watched carefully as the masked figure glanced around the whole room or as far as they could see before taking a few steps back.

"Please remain calm and stay in your rooms."

Crouching down, she grabbed the remote of the nightstand and not only closed the curtains but sealed the window shut.

She collapsed onto the floor and clutched her chest as a dull ache caused her heart to throb. She fumbled around in the darkness and then switched on the night light. Light illuminated the room a little and she dragged herself closer to the nightstand where a glass and a jug of water were placed.

Carefully, she poured herself a glass and quickly drank it as she leaned back against the bed while still sitting on the floor. Her eyes wandered over to the clock on the wall.

It was way past midnight now.

The recording was still playing. It started in the evening when the train had stopped. She assumed by now the problem would have been fixed but no, instead the train was still stuck.

She glanced at the dark dimly lit metal ceiling. In the background the dull monotone recording still continued to play as she sleepily closed her eyes.

"Are you going to sleep now?" A familiar voice asked. Her eyes darted around the room for the source of the voice. "Those people could be out there."

Her blood ran cold and she paled visibly. The pen in her hand felt cold and heavy. A strong metallic scent permeated the room as she heard light footsteps from the direction of the door. Slowly, she turned her head towards the door. In front of the door, she saw a shadow.

The shadow advanced towards her and stepped into the light.

Pale gray skin with light green veins, the wraith dragged himself over to Sera. His cold gold-brown eyes and dark eye bags made his face hollow while his crimson hair caked in blood fell over his left side of the face. He smiled wistfully as he looked down on the District 5 victor. She shrunk in his presence, pushing herself towards the bed.

"You have to stay on your guard, Seraphine or else you'll end up like me."

"Gaius…" Sera breathed out. She gasped and clasped her free hand over her mouth in horror, the moment she uttered his name. Hearing his name his smile twisted into a crazed grin that stretched from ear to ear. "How…I don't underst—" She clasped her hand over her mouth again as bile rose to the back of throat and tears threatened to spill from her eyes.

"You remembered."

She weakly nodded as the wraith tilted his head to the side. His grin faded as he looked back at the shut window and covered window. She followed his every move. He moved to the window and she expected him to pull it back uncovered but to her surprise, he didn't.

"This moon is real." The wraith murmured while black tears slid down his face. "I never saw the real moon again."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She sobbed while gripping the metal pen in her hand tight. "I had no choice. I had to go back home. I promised my family."

"I know." Gaius flickered over to where Sera was and bunched down. He pushed her hair away from her face or attempted to, drawing back when he failed. "I would have done the same thing." He added while crouching down to meet Sera's eyes.

"Would you?"

The wraith nodded. "Yea…sss. I..I would have been worse."

"No. You wouldn't. I was thinking of…poisoning you."

"But you didn't."

"I could have."

"You held back."

"That's—uh—because I—"

"You wanted me, Valor, Amethyst and Ripley to fight to the death so you would be the last person standing while we tore each other apart and you just watched."

"I didn't. I didn't. I didn't want that. I swear."

"Liar..."

"It's true. I didn't."

"Then why did you hide?"

Sera shut her eyes and tears rolled down her face. He was right. She did hide and wait for them to tear each other apart. She sniffed and looked at the ghost of her former dead ally with a tear-stained face, red eyes and a pink face.

"You're not real, are you?"

The wraith smiled cryptically and looked at the door while the recording played in the background. "You should go check outside." He said, looking at the door now.

"You're not real." She said, this time with more conviction as she shook her head.

Hearing her, the wraith snapped his head towards her and leaned in closer to her face. His cold gold eyes bore into her silver ones, unmoving.

She blinked and he was gone, leaving her alone in the dimly lit room. "It wasn't real…" She breathed out, noticing the smell of blood was very much absent from her room.

Gaius was dead.

He had been for many days now. If he was really haunting her, she knew he would not tell her to go check outside. He was the opposite. In their short-lived alliance, he would always suggest never checking odd sounds or smells, instead, he made sure neither Ripley or her ever went towards it. It wasn't Gaius. No, it couldn't be, she told herself while getting up and sitting on the bed now.

The silent ticks of the clock mixed with the recording of the voice kept her awake. There were still tears in her eyes. She sniffed while clutching her arms around herself, sleep was now long gone. She glanced at the door, thinking about her initial curiosity and Gaius fading last words. How similar they were.

After calming herself down, she got up from the floor. Her light footsteps echoed against the floor while she looked around for a sign of Peacekeepers.

Luckily there were none. She walked over to the door next to her room and knocked on it twice. She knocked a few more times but still she received no answer. In the background she could hear the recording, still playing.

"...Huxley?" She called softly, rapping at his door. "Hux, it's me, Sera."

No answer.

She carried on for a few more seconds before finally giving up and taking a few steps back. It seemed like her mentor managed to sleep. She felt slightly annoyed and jealous at the thought but there was nothing she could do. Certainly not throw a tantrum in the middle of the halls for the Peacekeepers to come and forcefully confine her to her room. She turned around and went back to her room to grab a coat to cover herself up with and left the room.

Slipping her hand into the coat, she checked if the ticket was there. The sharp and thick edges of the ticket touched her finger and she drew back, not wanting a paper cut. The ticket was there, she would need it to get back inside. She paused in the common area before making a u-turn and going into the dining room instead.

"Please remain calm and stay in your rooms."

The dining room was pitch black, no light was on. Windows were covered up and curtains drawn, not letting any light in. Yet the moment Sera walked in the dining room, the lights turned on all at once. She didn't go in deeper but only stood in the doorway. Her eyes wandered over the dining table and counted the cutlery.

After their dinner the cutlery was back in its place rearranged. She was tempted to pick up the dull knives from the table, she instead made a beeline for the cabinet towards the back of the room. She remembered seeing an avox take out a bunch of cutlery from there when Sera had accidentally dropped one of hers during the entrée.

Carefully, she pulled at the drawer where she thought the cutlery were. They were all organized neatly in rows. She picked up a few knives and put them in her coat pocket. She made sure to place the knives in the hidden panel Eos had thankfully sewed in. She was grateful for her stylist and designer.

"Please remain calm and stay in your rooms."

The doors slid open and she walked out into the halls. Outside their car, the halls were bleeding red as the normal white-yellow lights had turned a deep red which seemed to flash every time she blinked.

"Please remain calm and stay in your rooms."

"Couldn't sleep?" A voice she had only heard a few times but she recognized nonetheless, asked as she stepped out of the reserved area for 5 and into the common hallway.

Finnick Odair smiled politely at her while running his fingers through his messy bronze hair which gleamed with a slight red under the flashing crimson lights. Red hair. She shook her head, pulling the coat around her tight.

With a small polite smile, she walked over to the tall and wide windows overlooking the wooded outside. She could see a range of trees and plants nearby. Unfortunately, she couldn't see much more.

Glancing back, she caught Finnick still staring at her curiously. Under the blinking red lights, his face flickered to another face.

Pale gray with light green veins and cold gold eyes followed her movement. Gaius stared at her curiously.

The lights flickered and Finnick was back.

"Please remain calm and stay in your rooms."

Gaius and Finnick, they were both seventeen.

She couldn't help but compare them but their age and the fact they were both career tributes were all they had in common. That was where their similarities ended. Finnick seemed to have a hint of darkness to him which often shined through while Gaius was honest, a little too honest at times and despite being a career tribute, he was not as bloodthirsty as his peers. While Finnick's calm but desperate kills from his game was etched into her mind during her examination of the past games, his was one which stuck to her.

It was interesting to her considering in under a year he had managed to make everyone forget how deadly he was behind the charming smile of his. He was talented, she would give him credit for it. He played to his advantages.

"Are you ignoring me?" Finnick asked with a hint of a smile while he clasped his hands together behind his back.

"I don't have a reason to." She answered.

She turned away from him and looked at their reflections in the darkened window. Finnick's hair appeared red under the crimson lights and for a moment, she could have sworn, she saw Gaius again. Staring intently at the dark mirror, it was like she was standing in front of Gaius again.

"Really?"

"Really."

"I don't believe it."

"Believe what you will." She didn't take her eyes off the dark mirror. Gaius' reflection flickered. "I have no reason to ignore you or talk to you."

He flinched at her words and bit his lips. "That hurt a little."

"Sorry, I guess."

"You don't really mean that."

She gazed at him with her silvery eyes appeared more pinkish-red than silver under the red lights. He was taken aback and couldn't help but take a few steps towards her to get a better look at her.

She turned away and looked down. "I didn't but I also didn't mean to offend you."

The corners of his lips turned upwards. He quickly covered his mouth with one hand. "But you did." His voice came out slightly muffled under his hand.

A genuine smile was about to appear on his face. It would be odd if anyone were to appear and see him smile like that at someone he only met a few times.

"I don't understand you—why are you so cautious around me?" He walked towards her and leaned down to look at her. "Did your team tell you to stay away from me or did you hear about my growing 'reputation'?"

Sera couldn't help but laugh at how right he was.

Her team, more specifically Eos and Huxley had warned her off him. He was someone who garnered attention, something she didn't need.

Still, she was young but not stupid enough to simply confess just because Finnick had accurately guessed right. His reputation, on the other hand, was not something she was aware of much, she knew very little and cared not so much. It was the least of her concerns but she could tell now his reputation might be connected to the warnings of her team and mentor.

Either way, she wanted to draw the line between the two and avoid him. By now, she had run into him twice more since the dinner with the President and both times, she acted as if he was a ghost in the room.

"Please remain calm and stay in your rooms."

Ignoring him, she turned away from him, preferring to study the surroundings outside the window. Her eyes scanned the window while Finnick waited patiently for her answer. She didn't intend to answer him and he knew. He was ready to wait the whole night, it would annoy her enough.

She snuck a peek at the older boy who, like her, was dressed in his night clothes but unlike her he didn't tightly bundle himself. His clothes were more loosely put together as if he didn't care how he looked.

"You didn't answer my question." He reminded her of his question. She ignored him again, acting as if he didn't say anything. She moved her head and squinted at the window. "You won't be able to see anything," He said, following her to the window.

He turned his back to the window and leaned against it. She turned to stare at him and blinked twice before ignoring his words and putting her face closer to the window, she covered her face with her hands while squinting her eyes in the darkness. "I'm telling you, you won't see a thing."

Sighing, she carried on ignoring him and looked around the window. Her eyes tried hard to make out the dark splotches in the night. Even though earlier she was afraid of the silhouettes, it seems Finnick's presence had quelled her fear a little. She thought it was because there was strength in numbers.

"Please remain calm and stay in your rooms."

Finnick snuck a look at the young victor and rolled his eyes. Going against his initial words, he let his curiosity take over and he mimicked Sera's actions. The young victor was peculiar sometimes.

Bored, he scanned the darkness but really he was more focused on Sera who seemed focused on a particular spot in the darkness. He followed her gaze and paused.

"Did you see something?"

She pulled away from the window and gazed up at him. For a moment, she debated telling him about what happened in her room. "Maybe. I'm not too sure."

Her face scrunched up while she shifted on her feet. There was something out there. She knew what she saw. She thought before the situation in her room was in her head after the apparition of Gaius but now she wasn't so sure.

The older boy nodded and put his hand under his chin to think before glancing back at her. "You didn't answer my question." He reminded her while carrying on thinking.

"Seriously?"

"Mmm. Answer my question."

Sera sighed and now she turned her back to the window. She leaned against the window and crossed her arms over her chest. She didn't want to answer him and lying was not in the cards as it seemed like he would be able to tear apart the lie with ease. "Yes." She said, not meeting his eye.

"Yes?" He stepped towards her till they were standing face to face. "Yes, as in your team did tell you to stay away from me? Or 'Yes', you heard of my growing reputation."

"The first one." She still didn't meet his eyes. He grinned but his eyes were sad.

"Well, I'm not surprised." He remarked.

"You act as if you care what people think about you."

"I don't and at the same time, I do." He admitted.

She looked up in surprise, meeting his gaze. She shrunk back and looked down again. Heat rushed to her cheeks and she was thankful for the red lights. Blood rushed to her cheeks, reddening her cheeks and ears as she realized how close the two were. She tried to move to the side a little but Finnick followed her.

"Um. Wh—why do you care so much? It's not li—like people will change their opinions of you, caring ab—about what other peo—people think about you will only hurt." She stuttered out nervously, looking anywhere but in front of her. Nervously, she gnawed down at her lips.

"You gnaw your lips when you're nervous."

Surprised, she glanced up again, only to immediately shift her gaze downwards. "Excuse me?"

Finnick let out a small laugh in amusement while grinning widely. He seemed to have fun with the younger victor. She seemed smart but a little too wide-eyed and innocent compared to the rest of the victors.

"You're right. People won't change their opinion especially once they have an image of you stuck in their head but I'm not a bad person." He replied. He acted as if he didn't say anything and carried on.

Sera shook her head. She smiled and chuckled in disbelief. "That's what bad people say." She retorted. "Nobody admits they're bad. It's not how the world works."

"Oh. So you know the world works?" He asked, leaning down at her.

She leaned back, further away from him. "I—I have some ideas." She scoffed when finally she realized what Finnick was doing. She pushed him away and silently cursed at him. "Besides, it's not like you know anything more than me. We're only two years apart." She pointed out, standing a little straight, no longer wanting to play his games. She felt so foolish for letting him play with her mind like that and she chastised her brain for falling for it.

"You can learn a lot in two years."

"Like what?"

"I can't tell you that."

Sera rolled her eyes and looked away. "Can't or won't or better yet, you don't know anything." Now she was trying to play him. She knew sometimes, you had to hit people's pride to get something out.

Finnick narrowed his eyes on her. "I'll tell you when we're closer."

"That's not happening." She retorted, dismissing the idea of ever being friendly with the infuriating boy. "I just don't see it. We don't have anything in common."

The older victor shook his head and glanced around. She was making it a little easier for him than she thought. He was a little happy at that even if she wasn't aware. She was flustered in his presence and for once he was thankful for his face. The face he cursed before was now aiding him. How ironic.

"We're both victors." He pointed out.

"There's at least sixty-six other tributes who fit the criteria, forty seven of those are still alive." She looked up, meeting his gaze while tucking a stray piece of her dark hair behind her ears. "There's no reason for us to be friends."

He sighed and hummed quietly under his breath. "We're technically both the youngest victors in the history of the games. I know what you're going through and I thought I could help. That's more than enough reasons for us to be friends or acquaintances, at least."

"I have Huxle—"

"He was one of the older victors. If I remember correctly, he turned eighteen, a month or two after his games. He doesn't know what we're going through."

"It's not that different." She insisted.

"You say that now but give it a few more months, it'll all change."

"What will change?"

"Everything."

"Everything?"

Finnick nodded as she questioned him back. "You know there's more to winning the games than just making it out alive."

He looked down at the District 5 victor who didn't meet his gaze. He pitied and envied her. She still had it all. The malicious part of him didn't want to warn her, instead it called for him to stand aside and watch as she slowly lost everything. But he couldn't. It wouldn't be fair.

"The real game starts after the tour is over."

"So you're saying it's not over."

"Not by a long shot."

Sera looked away.

Her gaze traveled down the crimson-lit halls. He was right. Even if she didn't want to admit it, he was right. Huxley would never know what she was going through. Her friend and mentor was one of the older victors and older victors seemed to have it easier to navigate post-games. She knew deep down no matter how much Huxley would advise and watch over her, it wouldn't make a huge difference. His use was practically over for her. By next summer or spring, he would even be married while she would still try to balance her new life. He had his life figured out even without the games.

Finnick was right.

"It's hard," She suddenly said, looking down at her hands colored red by the lights. "being surrounded by everyone while they poke and prod at you, blindly criticizing you or following you like you're some kind of—"

"God?"

"I think that's going too far."

"I don't think so." Finnick disagreed. It wasn't far from how the Capitolites saw them. The victors were either gods or some sort of un-humans who were separated from normal people. They were all either hated or loved and praised. His eyes wandered to hers and the two made eye contact. "You know they call you the 'Angel of Mercy'."

"I've heard. It's a terrible nickname."

"Really?" He questioned. "I think it fits you."

"It doesn't. There's nothing angelic or merciful in what I did or I had to. I was a coward." She swallowed back her oncoming tears and looked away. "I…I ran away and hid while they were all going at each other's throats. I just stood back and waited."

"So? There's nothing cowardly about that. If anything it was pretty smart, you saved yourself the trouble of having to kill them all."

"Your own tribute died because of me."

"Did you kill Ripley?"

"Well, no."

"Then it wasn't your fault but if it makes you feel any better, Ripley was going to die anyway. He didn't have what it took to win."

"He was your tribute." She reminded him. Somehow, she felt offended on her former ally's behalf. His own mentor didn't think much of him. It was tragic. "Shouldn't you be kinder when talking about him?"

Finnick snorted. "Kind. That's funny." He commented. "There's nothing kind about all of this so there's no point in me being kind towards an idiot who got himself killed. Ripley would have died even if you two didn't team up. He got too cocky."

"I suppose he did but he was skilled. He could have easily won with those skills."

"Skill alone doesn't help you win, otherwise that boy from One would be the one standing there in your place."

Sera flinched and wrapped her arms around herself. He was right again. Skills alone didn't push someone to the finish line, there was more than skill needed to win. "Valor? Not Gaius or Amethyst?" She questioned instead of adding onto his words.

"Amethyst? Is that the girl from One? She was too reckless and hot-headed. She only made it that far because of her partner. While the boy from Two was too trusting. He was another Augustus Braun but unfortunately for him, the odds were not in his favor like they were for Augustus."

She blinked back in surprise, not expecting him to know the tributes that well. From what she had seen of him before the games, he seemed easy-going and a little too free-minded, someone who didn't care much for the games but seeing him correctly point out the flaws of her allies was a little shocking for her.

"The odds were, however, in your favor."

"Because I had more than just skills?"

"No." He shook his head and leaned down to face her. "You actually knew how to put your skills to use." She tilted her in confusion and froze. He couldn't have known about what she did. "You did something to them, didn't you?"

"Did what to whom?" She mumbled out while looking away from him.

"You did something to your allies. The anti-career pack, I mean."

She numbly smiled and blinked. Her actions were robotic as she shook her head with a small laugh. "I don't know what you're talking about. I just got lucky. The odds were in my favor."

Red light kept flickering on and off again while the young victors stood in silence. Only the dull sound of a robotic woman interrupted the quiet. Finnick kept his eyes on Sera who stared down the corridor, thinking about his earlier proposition.

Though in the back of her mind, thoughts about the train's sudden stop lingered. She wanted to talk about it instead of what she did in the arena and the future. Her future was uncertain, she knew that. She always knew there was more to simply winning games but now that Finnick had pointed it out, she didn't want to think about it.

She could see the faint reflection of her face in the dark window. She looked tired and so much older than she was. The bags under her eyes had deepened and darkened considerably. Even if she didn't have her illness, she would still look ill with her current appearance. Her complexion had paled a lot too.

Her reflection flickered in front of her eyes again. She shut her eyes and shook it off, looking up at the cloudless sky. Her reflection morphed into another.

A pale face with green veins under his eyes and gray lips grinned pleasantly at her. It reached through the window. "Are you not going to tell him what you did?" The ghost of Gaius gently caressed her cheeks while whispering harsh but sweet words to her as she flinched. Before she could step back, he made a grab for her throat. His face morphed into another.

"Tell them what you did!" Bent neck and bloody head with tears of blood leaking from his eyes, Gene tightened his grips on Sera's throat as she choked on air. "Tell them how you poisoned us all!"

She made a grab for her throat, trying to pry his cold dead hands off of her. Her lungs constricted as she started thrashing against Gene's grips, collapsing on the floor. She tried to fight against him but found her hands bound. This was real. It felt so real. She panicked and she couldn't breathe.

"—phine! Seraphine!" Finnick harshly whisper-yelled at her while leaning over her. He grabbed her shoulders and gently shook her. "Snap out of it!" He shook her while her eyes trembled. "Look at me! Look at me! No one is there. It's just you and me."

Her sleep deprived eyes fluttered open and close, Finnick's form kept shifting between the two of her late former allies before she finally peeled her eyes open. Gaius and Gene were not there. The hall was empty except for her and Finnick. "Finnick?" She carefully asked.

"I'm here." He gently coaxed her, gently seating her down on the floor.

But she didn't want to sit down. Instead, she pushed herself up and backed away from him. He had so many questions on his mind but one glance at the confused girl made him forget. He sighed and tousled his hair before turning his head towards the door leading to the District 5 reserved train car.

"You should go back to bed." He said, getting up.

Sera nodded. Her eyes were wide. "I should, shouldn't I?" She absentmindedly said.

He waited for her to return. She didn't. She stayed and he let her. He didn't want to push her. Instead, he watched her carefully, making sure she didn't relapse again into one of her fits. He knew what was going on but he couldn't exactly tell her without her rebuffing his advice. It was all too familiar for him.

"What are you doing out here, anyways? It's quite late." He pointed out while fixing his clothes. "You did hear the recording didn't you?" He gestured to the speakers embedded into the walls.

"Please remain calm and stay in your rooms."

"Well, I'm not deaf." She bit back. "Sorry it was a little harsh—don't know why I said that." She immediately apologized while gnawing on her lower lips.

"Apology accepted, so what are you doing out of bed at this time?"

"Isn't it obvious? I couldn't sleep. What about you?"

Finnick nodded. "Same." He carefully took a step forward. "Nightmares?" He cautiously questioned, not really expecting her to answer.

Sera let out a soft musical laugh, surprising Finnick. "Maybe." She answered. "But if I had to be absolutely honest, it's the creepy recording."

"It is quite unsettling, isn't it?" He agreed and decided to play along.

"It is. It's also been playing since the train stopped."

"Right?" She said while Finnick nodded. "Anyways, do you know what happened?" She decided to finally ask while acting like nothing had happened earlier.

It was worth a try asking the boy who looked like he knew some things. He had an air of mystery and knowledge around him like he knew things he shouldn't. She wanted to trust her instincts so it was worth asking even if he gave her a half-lie half-truth, she could make out the full truth herself from all things she had gathered.

"Engine failure. It was in the initial announcement. Were you not paying attention?"

Sera shook her head, actually being honest. She couldn't exactly pay attention then, Scarus had decided to push her into her room while Peacekeepers had streamed into the District 5 reserved compartment when the train had first stopped. She vaguely did remember Scarus telling her of the engine failure.

"Well neither was I." He confessed with a shy and mischievous grin. "A Capitol tourist told me."

"A tourist?" Sera said in disbelief. "A tourist." She repeated. "How is that possible?" She sounded out.

"I know, I thought I was seeing and hearing things."

She nodded. "If I remember correctly, tourism around Panem was banned permanently post-15th or 21st Hunger Games?"

"17th, actually. Permission to travel was introduced in the middle of the 21st Hunger Games and 22nd was when they restricted movement around Panem for all the districts." Finnick corrected her. "It was because some people from other districts were settling in other districts without permission."

"I remember reading that in class. It was to 'balance' out the population of Panem and divide them across the districts evenly." She added. "It's still surprising."

"That there's a tourist on board?"

She agreed. "It's strange." She remarked, feeling much better than she had before. She even smiled a little while chatting with Finnick who was a little pleased to have a normal conversation in a long time with someone who was not his former mentor.

"Not stranger than this sudden stop." He chimed in, standing next to her. He leaned against the window like she did now.

"You can have more than one strange occurrence, you know that, right?"

The corners of Finnick's mouth turned upwards into a small smile. "Really, I wasn't aware of that." He lightly teased her. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I don't think it's an engine failure."

"Neither do I."

"What do you think really happened?"

"I don't know but I rather not think about it."

"Why not? You're not curious?"

"I am but I know that curiosity has its price." He replied, carefully keeping his gaze on her.

Sera was looking out the window again. She had a feeling the train stoppage was more than a simple engine failure.

Scarus' anxious and angry face was etched into her mind. There was no reason for him to be angry if it was a simple engine failure, there were also those unknown shadows in the dark she saw earlier from her room.

She snuck a glance at Finnick who was still watching her in the reflection of the window. A part of her wanted to tell him what she saw but at the same time, she didn't know if she could completely trust her eyes and mind. Her mind hadn't been the same since the games ended.

Thunk.

The two froze hearing the sudden sound. Sera turned and shared a look with Finnick who carefully reached for her hand, pulling her back towards the doors leading to one of the compartments.

"Did you hear—" Finnick put a finger to her lips and nodded.

Thunk. Thunk.

Hurried footsteps echoed outside the train. Footsteps hitting the metal floor echoed against the backdrop of the monotone recording while loud rustling noises and shouts were heard from outside.

Before Sera could react, Finnick pulled the two of them in through a door.

"Please remain calm and stay in your rooms."

The door slid close as Finnick hurried to turn on the privacy filters for the glass doors and lock the doors. Sera carefully glanced out the one-way glass door and saw Peacekeepers running down the halls with their weapons out. Her hand moved towards her chest as she gently patted it. The sudden move was unprepared and caused her heart to ache a little.

Sera caught Finnick's eyes and mouthed something to him. The boy shook his head and made his way towards her. He didn't know what was going on either. The two stood in the unknown empty compartment and took a seat on the floor, backed towards the wall which faced the doors.

Neither of the two would lie if they said they were not afraid. Both were very afraid but they were also curious.

"What do you think is going on?" Finnick asked. This time he was the one asking. He watched her from the corner of his eyes as she gnawed on her lower lip. She was hiding something and he wanted to know.

The young victor hesitated and snuck a peek outside the glass doors. "...I think there might be other people on board." She carefully confessed. "I saw something from the window of my room. They must have found a way in while the train was stopped."

"Please remain calm and stay in your rooms."

"Or they're the ones who stopped the train." He guessed, leaning towards her.

She considered it while her eyes darted around the room. There was a question on her mind. Whose compartment was this?

"I know what you're thinking." He started, getting up and offering a hand to her. Nervously, she grabbed his hands and allowed him to pull her up to her feet. His hands moved to grab her waist, steadying her. She pulled away and motioned him to carry on. "The compartment's for District 4."

"Oh." She glanced around the dark and quiet common area. Her face turned pale. "The other mentor, she could come in here and find us."

"She won't. She left after her tribute died."

"Oh."

Outside Peacekeepers marched on while they had their weapons out. The two couldn't make out much of what they were saying except they did manage to catch something. "—They took out the cameras." Sera heard one of the Peacekeepers complain while the others hurried to quieten that one.

"Why don't you scream it out, Merwin."

Sera's eyes widened as she moved past Finnick and looked out the glass door. A familiar scared face stared straight at her through the door. Surprised, she almost tripped and fell but Finnick was there to catch her before she fell.

"We should check the compartments." Scarus peered down at the door. Finnick and Sera froze, sharing a look of fear.

Sera could hear the pounding of her heart as it hammered against her chest. Finnick snaked his arm around her waist and glanced at all the doors in the common area. He scanned all the exits and entrances, starting to map out their exits while Sera started looking around the room for anything that could become a makeshift weapon.

Those dull knives in her pocket would not be of much use in close contact. She, no, they would need something more.

"Are you insane, Redcliff?" A Peacekeeper pushed Scarus back and dragged him away from the doors. "You want the whole train to know what's going on? There's some high profile patrons on board."

"All the more reason to check the compartments."

"And what happens if they wake up and start questioning us? Tell them the cameras were destroyed and some of our weapons are missing. Are you going to tell them that?" Another Peacekeeper harshly whispered back.

The first Peacekeeper grabbed Scarus' collar and pushed him against the windows. "Look, we have a few former victors on board as well as the new one. If they all find out, it's not gonna be a good look for us." Scarus pushed back and stood straight while glaring at the rest of the Peacekeepers. "Minister Thistlewood won't be happy either. He's already on the President's bad side, this is gonna make it worse and who's gonna deal with the fallout?"

"Not you, Redcliff, that's who. Us. It'll be the rest of us who will face the wrath of Minister Thistlewood." Another Peacekeeper bit back.

"I don't follow Minister Thistlewood." Scarus growled out. "I follow the President."

"It won't make a difference." Another Peacekeeper commented before sighing. She seemed tired. "Why don't we all calm down? The compartments are not going to be a problem, nobody can enter without a ticket anyways."

"They took out the cameras." Scarus pointed out.

"The cameras were outdated and were in need of a replacement."

Scarus nodded and opened his mouth to say something else, only to be cut off. "I know what you're going to say but we don't have time for this."

A loud boom echoed through the halls.

The recording glitched and became even louder to mask the sound of the aftermath. Smoke covered the halls, blocking out their view. Sera pulled Finnick away from the door with her as the two moved towards the wall. Sounds of loud booms were heard twice more as the Peacekeepers cursed and scrambled to the source of the sound.

When the halls were quiet again, Sera turned to an equally stunned Finnick and gave him a look. She wanted to talk, to discuss what the two had just heard and seen.

"Did you hear that?" Sera asked.

"I'm not deaf." He echoed back to Sera's earlier words with a light grin on his face. "But, yes. I did. The cameras are down, lucky us."

"Yes but did you hear the other part about…weapons?" She leaned towards Finnick and whispered the last part.

"I did. That's concerning to say the least." He didn't look concerned at all. His seagreen eyes were lit up with excitement and the corners of his mouth were turned upwards into a smile, showing off the dimples in his cheeks. He wasn't concerned at all.

Sera sighed and shook her head, looking at him. "You don't seem that concerned." She pointed out.

"I'm not." He honestly answered, his grin was even wider than before.

He was excited at the prospect of the Peacekeepers failing. Their weapons going missing meant they were stolen and he didn't care if they were stolen. Someone out there probably would make better use of them anyways. Yet when he glanced at Sera, he suddenly felt a little guilty for being excited.

"You're the one who's concerned—if I remember correctly you looked like you knew that one Peacekeeper. The one without the mask and had a scar running across one side of his face. You knew him."

So he had noticed.

Sera exhaled and ran her fingers through her hair before touselling them. He was more observant than she had initially given him credit for. Everything Sera knew of him was based on her repeated examination of his games. If she were to be honest, she didn't have any personal accounts of him.

"I do and I don't." She answered, craning her head towards him with a tired look. "It's complicated."

"I'm fine with complicated."

She glanced at fogged up halls and looked at Finnick who didn't take his eyes off her. She had figured him out a little. He had a way of squeezing out answers from her by taking control of their conversation and constantly pointing out her tactics to avoid conversation. She didn't like it. She considered herself mischievous but Finnick Odair was moreso. He was equally on par with her in being observant as well. She wondered if this was how Scarus felt earlier in the day.

"Scarus Redcliff is my personal guard. Apparently, he was an elite guard before President Snow assigned him to me for some reason."

His excited grin faded from his face and his eyes looked pained as he looked down at Sera. He knew he had the President's interest after his victory tour but it was the first time hearing someone gaining the President's interest straight after the games.

It was unfortunate and unlucky of Sera to be the one to garner the President's interest. She seemed kind enough, careful too and most importantly, she was ill. Everyone knew victors who were injured or ill were usually left alone by the Capitol yet here Sera was with her own personal guard chosen by the President himself. He pitied her, more than he pitied himself because there was no saying what her future held for her now she even had a personal guard.

"I'm sorry." He quietly apologized.

"Why are you apologizing? It has nothing to do with you whether I have a guard or not."

"I know but if you ever need to talk. I'm here."

Sera smiled softly and glanced up at Finnick who was taken back by her soft expression. It was different from her expression before and looked more genuine than her smiles from before. "Thank you." She quietly said, glancing back while gnawing her lower lip. The smoke was clearing out. "I'll think about the offer later."

Finnick nodded and glanced at the door as well. "You should go back. I think the Peacekeepers are gone. You are welcome to stay here as well." Sera gave him a look and shook her head.

The two stood in silence, watching the smoke clear out. Sera made a move towards the door to leave but was stopped by a tug at her wrist. Finnick pulled her back and gestured to the window.

Through the smoke, the two watched in silent awe and horror as strange soldiers dressed in black came out of a hole on the side of the train. Finnick's grip on her arm tightened as the two moved hurriedly to the sides of the room near the door leading to the hall with the bedrooms.

"Please remain calm and stay in your rooms."

These Strange soldiers dressed in all black were very different from Peacekeepers who dressed in shades of white and gray, even Scarus, an Elite Guard, had some gray and white under his long black leather coat. Their masks were different too. Unlike the black and whitish-gray visored helmet the Peacekeepers had, their masks seemed to have respirators attached to their masks.

"...I don't think those are Peacekeepers." Sera whispered to Finnick who silently agreed, not letting go of her hand.

One of the soldiers yelled out something about a package and led the others in the opposite direction without a glance at their hiding place. Their stampede lasted for hours and followed by some shouts and screams. Sounds of bullets hitting flesh and metal echoed around the halls while smoke covered the halls again. Sera and Finnick stared out the glass doors, neither making a single move or sound.

The two stayed like that near the door of the hall leading to the bedrooms in the compartment reserved for District 4 for hours until neither could keep their eyes open.

Sera fell asleep first, her head dropping onto Finnick's shoulder. He followed soon after. He fought hard against sleep, trying to keep his eyes open and stay on guard but finally he gave up and let sleep consume him.

When the two teens woke up, it was early morning and the sun had just started to rise. The gunfire, banging and shouting had all ceased by now. It was almost peaceful with birds chirping quietly in the background against the now-distorted voice coming out of the speakers.

Sera got up first and walked over to the glass door with Finnick on her heels. The two stared out at the hole in the side of the train.

"Please remain—"

—calm and stay—"

"Please remai—ur rooms."

"Ple—calm—an—tay in y—oms."

"—main cal—nd stay in yo—s."

Dull and monotone voice glitched as it repeated loudly through the speakers embedded into the walls. It repeated itself, each time trying to correct its mistake, only to glitch again and again. It was unnerving, even more so in the wake of the carnage from last night.

"I have to go back before Scarus comes back to check on me." Sera broke the wall of silence first.

Finnick nodded but neither of the two moved for a while. They were both somewhat afraid. Despite being almost used to death, what happened last night was different. It was anything like they ever experienced.

She stared blankly at the wreckage in front of the two. There was an anxious feeling in the pit of her stomach kept gnawing at her insides. Her chest felt heavy as well and it felt a little harder to breathe.

For someone who did not want to be involved in anything, she stumbled on something she did not want to see at all with someone she swore she would avoid. She only hoped this was a one-off experience.

The windows and the metal wall were all gone, leaving a huge gaping whole in its place. Sera could finally see outside now. It was slightly dark in the early morning but she could make out the rocks and trees in the distance.

Glass and metal littered the floor where the two had stood and talked last night, moments before the chaos erupted. Metal walls of the train had curled and frayed with reddish stains covering the sides.

Sera and Finnick shared a look noticing the stains. They knew what it was but neither spoke up about it, afraid a single word would have Peacekeepers storming the compartment.

Sera reached for the door and unlocked it. The door slid open and she stepped out into the wreckage, being careful not to stop on the glass. Finnick followed her soon after, being sure to bring his ticket with him.

The two walked along the corridor, surveying the wreckage from last night. Finnick spotted some bullet shells and could faintly smell gunpowder in the air while Sera found pieces of bloodstained black fabric strewn about.

"We didn't see anything this morning or last night." Finnick quietly stated, his eyes scanning the wreckage.

"We didn't see and hear anything this morning or last night." Sera corrected as the two shared an anxious glance at each other. She wrapped her arms around herself and looked around the corridor to check for any sign of Peacekeepers.

Finnick nodded in agreement before stopping in front of the compartment reserved for District 5. The glass and pieces of metal looked non-existent here and it was noticeably cleaner than his side. He had a guess it might be because of Sera's personal guard. Snow's dog, though he would never say it outloud.

"You have your ticket?" Finnick asked.

Sera walked over to her door and took out her ticket from her pocket. She glanced at Finnick one last time before scanning her ticket and going in. They made eye contact as the doors slid shut in front of Finnick's face.

He stayed outside for a while and on the other side, Sera did the same. The privacy filters were turned on so neither could see the other. Moments passed and the clock behind Sera ticked by before she finally let out a breath of relief and turned away, walking back to her room.

Finnick did the same. He had to be quick before the Peacekeepers arrived to clean up the mess. Going back to his compartment, he was met with no one. He was alone again. His former mentor turned fellow mentor had left earlier due to her weak health, he had no personal guard like Sera. He had no one.

Sighing, he trudged back to his room but not before throwing a glance at the glass door. To his surprise, the privacy filter was up on both sides. He couldn't see outside the door. It was completely opaque. He went over and tried to mess around with the buttons.

They wouldn't change at all.

Finally he gave up and went back to his room. He sat on his bed and turned towards the wall. He stared at the metal wall numbly. Across from him, separated by walls of metal, Sera also stared numbly at the wall. She glanced at the door before collapsing on her bed, Finnick did the same in his room.

Sera had managed to put back the knives she borrowed earlier and even tidied her room to look exactly the way it was before she left before she finally let sleep take over for a little while. It was a dreamless nap with tossing and turning. She was so exhausted by last night's events, it took Huxley knocking on her door to wake her up. She jumped up from her bed and sleepily rubbed her eyes before dragging herself to shower and change.

"Did you knock on my door last night?" Huxley asked as he pulled a chair and sat down on the dining table. He stared at Sera, examining her from head to toe, checking if she was fine. He frowned. Her under-eyes had become darker, she looked paler and her eyes were a little red.

"I did." She quietly admitted while looking around for a sign of her personal guard. Scarus was still nowhere to be found. "I had some nightmares and I wanted to borrow a book." She lied with ease while taking her seat.

Scarus entered the dining room, taking the two by surprise. He looked tired and annoyed. There were bandages on his arm and legs. He wasn't in his previous uniform. He wore some black slacks and a deep red shirt. His long leather coat was draped around his arms as he quietly shuffled to his seat.

The two District 5 victors shared a look and quietly greeted the elite guard, not bothering to question him. There was no point, he was not going to answer anyways.

"Couldn't sleep last night?" Scarus suddenly asked, looking at Sera with a small pitiful smile. The young victor froze and slowly looked up to meet her guard's gaze. She swallowed and tilted her head in confusion. "I overheard you two just now." He glanced at Huxley then back at Sera who pulled her chair in.

"Oh." She smiled weakly and nodded. She decided against making excuses and choosing to mix her truths with half lies. "I've been having nightmares lately," Scarus nodded, his eyes not straying from her face. "I couldn't sleep so I wanted to borrow a book from Huxley. He didn't wake up so I went back to sleep or tried to anyway."

Scarus nodded once before gesturing to the avoxes to serve some food. "Try to get some more sleep tonight." He quietly said while placing his breakfast onto his plate. "Oh and due to some emergency repairs, nobody is allowed to leave their compartments."

Sera and Huxley frowned and Sera leaned forward. "Emergency repairs? I thought the engine was fixed by now." Scarus shrugged in response.

Nobody spoke a word after that. The three quietly shared their breakfast while Sera sleepily looked down at her plate. She actually had no appetite and she would rather be in bed. Feeling Scarus' gaze on her, she forced herself to finish her meal before excusing herself and going back to bed.

The rest of the train ride was uneventful. Repairs were done in a day, allowing the passengers to go out to the halls again. Sera being curious ventured out with the excuse she wanted to walk around for her health.

Naturally, Scarus was skeptical but nevertheless relented, on the grounds he would be her chaperone. Huxley had decided to stay in his room for the duration of the journey.

When Sera stepped out into the halls, it was clean and almost empty. No pieces of broken glass, no metallic pieces or bloodstained fabric. Nothing. It was like nothing had happened two nights ago.

She did run into Finnick who, like her, was also examining what should have been the sight of the wreckage but unlike her, he was not surprised everything had been fixed in such a short time. Unfortunately, the two didn't manage to talk for the rest of the trip with Scarus making sure Sera would not run into the District 4 victor and she didn't, not even when she finally arrived at her home district.