Chapter 15: Push and Pull

"Five minutes!" Mica shouted as he hurried with a roll of iridescent lace that had been hand embroidered with various flowers. "Come on, Harp." He tossed her another roll of silver string as he passed by.

Harp squeaked in surprise, almost pulling Sera's hair as she was delicately weaving a bright silver string through a strand of her hair. She hastened her pace once she got Mica's warning and clipped some dainty silver and rose gold metal butterfly pins that were tastefully decorated with jewels onto Sera's hair.

"Done!" She squeaked out, passing her over to Eos for any last minute alterations to her dress.

Eos helped Sera stand straight and gestured to Mica to get her into her shoes before pulling up the sliding straps of her dress. The light and silky fabric almost slipped through fingers but she pulled it up and quickly worked to sew them up. She took a step back and checked her again before letting go.

The iridescent silk chiffon dress that Eos and her team had worked on tirelessly was perfect for Sera. It was delicate and eye-catching but not too eye-catching where it would make her stand out more than she wanted to but just enough to keep her moniker as the 'Flower of Panem'.

Looking at it from a distance, Eos was glad she hand-sewed the fabric. She even asked Sera for her suggestions of flowers. Of course, Sera didn't tell her what the flowers meant, she could only guess it was something sentimental to her.

Pale yellow carnations decorated the edge of her train with lavender, primroses, peach blossoms and lastly dahlias which Eos believed to be a tribute to her aunt. Sera didn't correct her.

"Thirty seconds!" Mica came back and helped Sera into her shoes. Though the high heels took her time to get used to by now, she could walk in them a little bit more comfortably. "And we're done!" He along with Eos and Harp directed Sera to the back of the stage.

Sera hurried over to the corridor that led up to the stage, her stylist team bidding her goodbye the closer she got, the more she wanted to go back already.

Caesar's sudden interest in having previous victors of that decade for an interview was not something Sera was happy about. If anything, she was annoyed. Her time in 5 was cut short and she had to leave soon after the reaping.

And as luck would have it, Finnick, the one person she was trying to avoid was there. Slowing her pace, she nodded at him in acknowledgement before taking her place and waiting to be called out.

His face brightened when he saw but inwardly she was cursing her luck. The one person the President asked her to stay away from.

"Aw! Look what you did? I'm late! Very late and it's all your fault!" A shrill angry voice echoed down the halls, followed by the sound of heels clicking.

Finnick and Sera shared a look as the sound of the clicks grew louder and louder before a woman appeared from the corridor. She was tall and blonde, dressed in a golden gown that was shaped to her figure like they had draped sheets of gold over her body to get that perfect look.

"Finnick." The woman curtly greeted Finnick before turning her gaze to Sera. Her emerald eyes examined Sera before a flash of recognition appeared on her face. "Seraphine." Sera nodded.

"And you are?" Sera asked. The woman looked familiar to her. Her cascading blonde curls were very recognizable but she just couldn't guess where she had seen them before.

The corner of the woman's lips subtly went up. "Cashmere." Finnick introduced with a bored look before she could say anything.

Cashmere's painted lips turned up into a kind smile but her eyes were anything but kind. She quietly assessed Sera before extending a hand to her. "Cashmere, District 1 and you're...last year's victor."

Sera nodded and shook her hand, quickly letting go as two others joined them.

She recognized one of the two newer arrivals. Augustus Braun, the prime example of what victor should be. He certainly looked the part.

Behind him was another man who looked more like a shadow than a man. Gaunt face and dark shadow marred his youthful face. His eyes were hazy and unfocused while he looked around as if he was lost.

"Augustus. Oh, thank god, it's you and..." Cashmere seemed very displeased with the additional person. Stiffly, she turned to Finnick and Augustus. "I thought my brother was going to be here."

"Gloss had a schedule." Finnick answered as Cashmere stiffened. She looked like she was going to cry for a second.

"What about Foret?" She glanced at Sera who was too busy examining the fifth member of their party. "Well?"

"Oh, Huxley got married a few months ago." Sera answered absentmindedly.

Six. The man was most likely from Six. She vaguely recognized him. The 61st victor or his shell to be exact. It seemed to her that he had met the same fate as his predecessors.

"Well, congratulations to him." Cashmere clapped loudly, diverting Sera's attention back to her. "But that doesn't explain why he's not here."

The 61st victor flinched at the sudden loud noise and started to shake violently. "He got married so he's staying behind in Five, that's all there is to it." She brushed past the blonde and went to check on the 61st victor. "Are you okay?" He looked up with wide eyes, his eyes darting everywhere before he nodded. "You sure?"

"...Pretty." Was all he said before the signal went off. It was time for the five previous victors of the last decade to go on stage.

Sera felt bad for the 61st victor but there was nothing she could do. She left him behind and took her spot in the queue and waited. One by one, each of the victors in front of her were called on to stage until it was just her and Finnick.

"Are we doing this again?" He didn't waste a minute before he spoke.

"I don't know what you mean." Sera did what she always did: pretend.

He didn't believe her but he didn't want to argue. His face contorted for a second as if he realized something. It was gone in a blink of an eye and he was back to his usual charming self.

"I heard you're going to be a mentor this year. Congratulations." Though his words seemed kind and polite, a glance at him told her otherwise.

"I'm only replacing Leora, that's it." Sera replied, looking away. She could never meet his gaze. Every time she did, it was like he was trying to read her mind. She hated it because it reminded her of what she was doing at the clinic. She didn't want anyone to know, not even when she was dead and gone. "Come to think, how did you know?"

"Know what?"

"How did you find out that I was going to be a mentor?" She questioned. It only occurred to her after a moment that she never actually told him. The replacement of Leora at the 69th Hunger Games was still not a public matter as it was a fairly recent matter so how did he know?

Unmoving and curious, Sera stared at Finnick without looking him in the eyes. He tried to avoid her scrutiny by nervously laughing it off but she didn't move or join in. She just stared.

When she didn't react, he ruffled his hair and kicked his feet off the wall, standing straight. Somewhere in one of the dressing rooms, his personal stylist team was screaming and crying at the mess he made of his hair.

Though she'd never say it out-loud, his messy hair made him look more pleasing to the eye than before.

Still, his looks didn't distract her from the fact he knew something no one but a few did. To her, Finnick was a mystery. He was always at the right place at the right time. Sometimes, he knew everything and sometimes, he knew nothing.

He really was an interesting person. If Sera wasn't so keen on avoiding attention and focusing all her efforts on her safety, by extension the safety of her family, she'd actually take time to figure him out.

To her, figuring people out was easy. It was like an elaborate puzzle. It was why she was so disappointed with Scarus when he started telling her pieces of his past. She lost her interest then and there. With his pieces uncovered, there was little to figure out and little of interest to her. Every time, she wanted to know something, he'd tell her. That was not interesting or entertaining at all.

But Finnick was different. He was hard to figure out. The pieces of his past were there a little to be seen by all but at the same time there were many pieces that were covered or uncovered pieces were jumbled up.

Unfortunately, she couldn't afford to figure him out, not when the President of Panem was breathing down on her neck. She'd have to put her curiosity to rest, for now. "Never mind, it's not really important. People will know anyway after this."

Finnick silently agreed, looking thankful that she dropped it but at the same time, he was not. It was like he knew what she was doing. He didn't want to let this go. "Want some advice?"

"Oh, I already know I'm not equipped to handle this. I just barely won my own games through sheer luck."

"None of us are really equipped to handle any of this."

"Doesn't seem that way." She folded her arms across her chest, being careful not to scrunch up her dress. "Sometimes, it feels like everyone knows what they're doing."

"I don't." He admitted. He didn't, even if he had a little more years over her, he was still learning. "I don't think I ever will."

"Here, I thought you had everything figured out."

"Ah, that would be nice, wouldn't it? Unfortunately, I don't. Wishful thinking."

"Well, I know that my tribute is...screwed with me as his mentor. I just know it. I know nothing about anything." That was half-true, she knew a lot. She knew what plants were edible, what plants were not, how to start a fire, how to properly cut up game and how to throw knives. She knew a lot. "I mean, on the surface, I seem pretty skilled. Really, I don't know a thing about teaching—not to mention, I feel like I'm too young to be taken seriously."

"You are." She looked at him in disbelief while he only shrugged in response. She was hoping for some assurance, not acceptance. "But it's fine. I was worse off, it's not a competition but if it makes you feel any better, I was fifteen, just like you—"

"Actually, I'm going to be sixteen in three weeks, the day of the tribute interview with Caesar."

"Oh, I totally forgot about that. Happy Early Birthday!" He clapped a few times with a bright grin before stopping, leaning in close to her face. "What a birthday, right?"

"You tell me. Last year, I was the one getting interviewed about my survival chances, now here I am."

"Here you are." He echoed, eying her with a tough look on his face. "Anyways, like I was saying. I was horrible as a tribute. My tribute died within hours of the game starting. I couldn't sleep or eat for days afterwards but it got better."

"That just sounds...horrible." She paused, taken aback with her sudden burst of honesty. "I mean—"

"It was horrible." He cut her off before she could correct herself. There was a clear bright grin on his face, the same grin he had while wishing her an early birthday. "But I learned a few things from that so don't make this harder on yourself than it has to be."

Sera scoffed and rolled her eyes. Finnick's advice sounded too good to be true. She couldn't exactly relax when another person's life was on the line and her responsibility. "Easier said than done but there's a life on the line. We're their mentors, they need us and if I just 'relax', I feel like I'll fail them."

"Like you failed me." Gene's face appeared in front of her. She didn't flinch like before. His appearances along with her other dead allies were more common to her. At least she had company. "You fai..led us." Her dead partner cackled, standing hunched over next to Finnick who remained blissfully unaware.

"Let me tell you something," Gene glared at Finnick. "Once your tribute goes out into the arena, then things are out of your hands. All we can do is send in some sponsored food or medicine and that's it. If the odds are in their favor, they live. If not, well..." Finnick trailed off not finishing his sentence but she understood what he meant. "You can only do so much in the training center and training isn't the same as the real thing. I know my words sound hollow but I mean what I said."

It was a little frustrating to admit that he was right. Reluctantly, she nodded, agreeing to take his advice before looking away just as Gene faded from her view.

"...Finnick Odair!" Caesar's voice echoed throughout the halls from the stage as the two looked at each other.

"Go." Sera gently nudged him to his position just as he was escorted to the stage by Caesar's stagehands. She was left alone, waiting.

She saw the stagehands coming back before her name was announced. "... Seraphine Reza!" They grabbed her hands, gently guiding her up to a platform while the others held on to the train of her dress.

The platform rose slowly, bringing her to a stage. Her senses became overwhelmed, her head was spinning and for a second she found it harder to breathe under the applause and the stares of strangers.

Forcing herself to smile, she tried to gracefully walk to her seat between Finnick and Augustus.

"Another decade of Hunger Games is coming, who would've thought we'd make it this far. As we see this game begin in the next few months, we make preparations for another wonderful decade of the Games for next year." Sera felt a little sick hearing Caesar talk and she almost let it snow if she hadn't caught the eye of Augustus who tried to reassure her. That was kind of him, she hardly knew him.

"And can I say on behalf of my fellow victors, thank you Panem for making it happen. We wouldn't be here without you." Cashmere coyly smiled and clasped her hands together as Augustus agreed with her.

Sera and Finnick had no choice but to play along. She did pause for a second when she heard Cashmere's words. If it was anyone else, it would sound rebellious or be considered contemptuous towards the nation. Cashmere knew how to work the crowd in her favor. No one seemed to actually pay attention to her words and sang blind praises of her.

The crowd was still screaming their love for her with blind adoration. They were such fools. Cashmere smirked at her when she turned to her. She knew what she said. Oh. She was not who she seemed.

Sera in return smiled gently and participated in idle chat with the rest of the victors.

"You know I can't help noticing the lovely flowers on your dress!" Cashmere pointed at Sera's dress.

Caesar turned to look as well. His face stretched into an excited grin like he had been dying to talk about her dress too. "Oh yes, they look very eye-catching. The flowers, do they have a meaning?"

Finnick let out a laugh, diverting all the attention from Sera. She was thankful to him and had stopped herself from thanking him. "I think they're just seasonal flowers, not everything has to have a meaning, right?"

He looked at her. She couldn't help but smile as she nodded, thinking up another set of lies. "Right, it was spring and I wanted something to...commemorate the new season. Although dahlias and lavenders are out of season, I thought it'd be nice to have something to remind me of my aunt and my sister." She lied. That was not what she meant at all.

"Your aunt's name is Dahlia, if I remember correctly." Caesar leaned forward in his seat. The victor of the 61st Games flinched, trying to minimize his shaking. Caesar and everyone else ignored him.

"Yes, and my sister loves lavenders."

"Aw that's so sweet of you." Cashmere clasped a hand over her cheek and stared at Sera's dress. "It's like a little little piece of your family is with you." Sera bobbed her head with a bright smile as the crowd screamed compliments at her and Cashmere.

"Family is important." Augustus agreed. "I always say that to myself and I said it to my tribute last year." Sera almost reacted to the sudden mention of Valor. She had almost forgotten about the vicious boy who had almost won had it not been for Gaius.

"You were a great first time mentor." Finnick leaned forward. Though he looked bright and happy speaking to Augustus, it was clear to Sera, he didn't like talking about family. His was gone, not by any natural means so it was natural for him to change the subject.

"Speaking of mentors, I've got news that you will be a first time mentor this year." Caesar turned to the crowd as he spoke before swiftly turning to Sera. "Now Seraphine, tell us how you feel about this big milestone in your life."

Terrible.

"Nervous. Really nervous. I don't know if I'll be as good as the ones sitting with me."

"Aw, you'll do fine." Cashmere reached out for her and gave her hand a squeeze. "It's natural to be nervous. I know I was."

"No, you?" Caesar couldn't believe it. Cashmere laughed before throwing her head back, her hair staying perfectly in place throughout. He leaned towards her and put a hand up like he was telling a secret to only Cashmere. "I couldn't tell, I'm sure no one could tell either."

"No, I was really nervous. Gloss being there helped but you know...he can't help with everything."

Augustus seemed to understand what she was talking about. "It's hard being a mentor for the first time, I was one last year and I can tell you that but it's not that bad."

"Well, I'm sure no one had it harder than Finnick who had to mentor his only cousin. What a shame!" The crowd fell into an uncomfortable silence with Caesar's words.

Finnick looked up at Caesar with a dull look but inside he was burning with anger.

Sera turned to Cashmere and quietly complimented her dress. It was a really pretty dress and she looked stunning. She half-expected Caesar to notice this interaction and quickly forget Finnick.

"Oh, what do we have here?" Caesar quickly abandoned Finnick after not getting the reaction he wanted and turned to the two girls.

"Sera was just telling me about how much she loved my dress, which is more than what I can say about you, Caesar." Cashmere pouted as if nothing had happened a few moments before. She flicked a strand of her hair back.

"I thought you looked lovely tonight. Didn't think I needed to put it into words."

"If you don't put it into words, how will she know?" Finnick joined in with Augustus nodding along.

"Ah, it was my fault. Will you forgive me Cashmere? And dare I say you look ravishing in that dress. It's like they molded it out of gold...just for you." Caesar looked to the crowd for help and they all murmured in support of Cashmere.

"Just this once, okay." Cashmere finally gave in. Her eyes shined brightly while she blew kisses to the crowd and one to Sera and Augustus.

Augustus pretended to be embarrassed at the actions of his former mentor while shaking his head in disapproval.

Caesar's laughter ceased and he gestured to the stagehands behind the camera. The screen behind them flashed momentarily before the stage lights turned off one by one. A screen erupted before them, separating them from the audience.

Within seconds, avoxes dressed in pale green appeared with crystal glasses, jugs of wine and juice along with bottles of champagne and stands of small desserts. They neatly set it up on the table before disappearing as soon as they had come.

"Please help yourself." Caesar beckoned his guests to the food and drinks while intermission began and he disappeared to fix his appearance,

Sera carefully eyed the drinks, not knowing if any contained alcohol or not. She couldn't have alcohol.

"Are you not going to drink anything?" Cashmere reached for a glass of champagne and held it to her.

"I can't drink alcohol." Sera answered back, reaching for a small rose-colored pastry and putting it on her plate.

"Why not? Are you allergic?"

"She's sick, Cashmere." Augustus answered for her, placing some pastries on Cashmere's plate. "Gloss asked me to." Was all he said before he busied himself in a conversation with the quiet victor from 6.

"I didn't think you were actually sick." She mumbled under breath.

"Unfortunately, I am." Sera finished her pastry and reached for another.

"Here. This is just plain cherry nectar, no alcohol." Finnick handed her a clear glass of deep red liquid which looked a little like blood. She hesitated for a second and he quickly replaced it with a glass of pinkish golden liquid. "Strawberry and apple." He stated, handing her the glass that she accepted with a small smile that he returned.

"Well, isn't this adorable." Cashmere leaned back into her seat and swirled her glass of champagne in her hand. "You two better be careful before someone other than me sees this." She said much to Sera's confusion.

"And we're back!" The stage lit up again as Caesar came back, he grabbed a glass of champagne and took his space. "Now, let's take a look at this year's tributes."

The screen behind him shifted and the number '12' appeared before it faded. In its place, District 12's reaping for that year appeared on the screen. It was like any other year. The two names were called and the two stood on a stage, said some words and that was it.

From 12, it went through the reaping of each district. Caesar would comment something with each reaping, trying to drum up some excitement with Sera and the rest of the victors playing along.

"District 6, aren't they a lively bunch? Wouldn't you say, Jet?" Everyone turned to the fidgety victor who had not said much since the event began.

Lively would not be the word Sera used to describe the tired people of 6. They were more dead than alive.

Jet nervously pulled at his sleeves before looking up. "...Yes, we are. I...am looking forward to...mentoring one...of them." He replied mechanically, being careful not to stutter.

Caesar nodded before moving onto Five, her district. The clip of the reaping played out as she vaguely remembered it.

Ira was chosen out of the girls and she had put up quite a fuss, crying for her sisters to volunteer for her and Mirri but no one did.

Eugene's brother was chosen next.

Sera's heart momentarily stopped again as she stiffened before another quickly volunteered to take his place.

"Well, a volunteer. Isn't that exciting, Seraphine?" Caesar clasped his hands together and looked at Sera.

"I suppose it is. I think he's very brave." Words came out of her mouth while her attention was solely on the screen where Ira and her partner Zephyr stood. He was foolish, not brave. "Much braver than me."

"Oh, don't say that." Finnick interrupted her. "I mean, you won the games with your chronic illness. I think that's brave too."

She stilled for a second, turning to him. Last thing she expected was for him to openly compliment her. Her mind was running with ideas as to what he was planning. She quickly plastered on a smile and changed the topic.

"Cashmere, you were a volunteer, right?"

"I was and so was my brother" Cashmere jumped at the opportunity to be included and smiled brightly. "I volunteered for a really close friend while my brother volunteered for a cousin of ours."

"So commendable. Brave and beautiful." Caesar commented as Sera nodded. "If I remembered correctly Augustus also volunteered."

Augustus put down his drink and bobbed his head. "I did. I...uh...volunteered for my younger sickly brother. I know everyone believes I did it for the glory but the glory and fame were just the reward I gained from my sacrifice."

"Such a noble person. All of you." Caesar wildly gestured to the five victors on stage. "Look at them, how can you not love them?" His lips stretched from ear to ear as he grinning wildly. "Ah, another decade of the games and more loveable victors. Any predictions for these games?"

"I know for a fact, my tribute will be doing very well." Cashmere didn't want any time to comment. "I have a feeling Finnick's tribute will do exceptionally well too."

Of course they would, they were career tributes. They always did well.

"I'm not a mentor this year but I will be joining Caesar for commentary on this year's games later on." He flashed a charming smile at Caesar who jolted awake.

"That's right folks. We're going to have Finnick for a special victors' edition of commentary this year alongside Seraphine, Augustus and Enobaria." Sera sat straight, surprised at the sudden mention of her name. "Although, it wasn't in my plans to have an active mentor of the games joining us but due to some...internal issues we had to carry on."

She clasped her hand and nodded attentively, but inwardly, she wanted to scream. No matter if Leora was ill or not, she would still be called to the Capitol for this.

Seeing her forced reactions, Finnick snickered before covering his mouth with his hand and quickly taking a sip of his drink. She almost glared at him, stopping when she remembered where the two were.

"Seraphine, do you have any predictions?" Augustus asked, noticing her sudden quietness. She did. She had plenty about other tributes but for her own district, she'd need to think hard.

The reaping of that year was something that she remembered as well as her own. For weeks, she had been trying to forget it but Caesar had dragged it up again.

"None. I...I'm not really good at making predictions." She awkwardly laughed, pulling at her sleeve.

Finnick stared at her from the corner of his eyes. He didn't believe her for a second. From the short time he had known her, one thing he knew well was that Sera was observant and very good at predicting people. He found it no surprise that she'd keep that talent hidden away from the prying and hungry gaze of the Capitolites.

"Oh, it's just for fun. It's nothing serious." Finnick gently nudged her to speak. He knew she was already cursing him out and he couldn't help but laugh at the forced smile on her face. He was having too much fun.

"Well, since it's just for fun." Sera pretended to think. Everyone in the crowd stared at her with wide eager gazes. Her followers holding their fists tight in anticipation while Cashmere and Augustus curiously turned their heads towards her. "Hmm. I think my tribute will win."

A pin drop could be heard in the studio. Everyone looked at each other and spoke in hushed whispers, a little surprised to hear Sera speak so confidently especially when the tributes from Five that year looked very unimpressive.

Slowly, a mischievous smile appeared on her face before she weakly laughed. "I'm joking. I'm joking. Everyone looked so serious for a second so I thought I'd try to...lighten things up but seriously, I don't know who might win or who'll get far. The games are always a surprise each year."

"And that's the beauty of the Hunger Games." Caesar agreed as the small teleprompter in front of him started flashing numbers. They were running out of time. "Ladies and gentlemen, unfortunately we're all out of time." The crowd 'aw'ed' in disappointment as Caesar got up and waved them to calm down. "I know. I know. Time sure flies when you're having fun but please give a round of applause to our past victors."

The stage burst into a chorus of cheers and applause. Sera flinched as the onslaught continued as slowly the cameras stopped rolling. Her head was hurting and she felt she was going to faint again as she swayed a little on her feet, almost falling before she felt someone grab her waist and steady her on the dim stage before leading her backstage.

She half expected it to be Scarus again and remembering him, she tried to push that person away, only to be surprised when she came into the light. Finnick had his head turned away from her as he quickly escorted her away from the crowd.

"You can let go now." She quietly mumbled, gently pushing his hands away. She hastened to put some distance between the two before she stopped. Beyond the corridor in front of her was Scarus. She could hear him talking to someone. "Thank you for that."

"I was being nice." Sera nodded and turned around, picking up her pace. "Do you really believe your tribute will win?" He stopped her with those words.

Honestly. She did. At least, she thought he had a chance.

"I was joking."

"Were you? Maybe. I saw something else."

"Why don't you just wait and see. Hmm?"

He nodded with a bright grin on his face before running his fingers through his hair. "I'm looking forward to the show."

Sighing, she turned around and walked off. Suddenly, she felt competitive for some reason, even if she didn't think her tribute was smart, she wanted him to win but at that moment, she wanted to go back to her apartment and lay down.

"Ser—" Scarus couldn't even speak as Sera hurried past him to her stylist team. He frowned, confused before following her down the corridor.

Flower Dictionary:

Yellow carnation - Disdain

Lavender - Distrust

Primrose - Youth

Peach Blossom - Captive

Dahlia - Instability