Chapter 13: Angel of Mercy

'Iaso Emley Clinic'

A private clinic in the heart of the Capitol whose patrons were mostly wealthy elites. The doctors and nurses that worked there were said to be the best of the best.

It was where Sera was assigned to volunteer at by President Snow. She didn't know much about the clinic at first and had to rely on Scarus for some information, much to his annoyance. He found her to be a little stupid for not knowing about the clinic, ignoring she wasn't from the Capitol.

If she could help it, she wouldn't have asked him anything. She only asked because she had to, otherwise she didn't care. She just wanted to get this done and over with.

Sera and Scarus followed the nurse with the powder orange hair through the clean white clinic. Scarus glanced around, checking the place while Sera counted the seconds in her head. She didn't want to be here and neither did he. For once the two were one the same page but unfortunately, neither could protest against this.

"This is the room." The nurse announced stopping outside a room where the door was painted a bright blue. "He should be awake now."

Sera stared at the bright yellow door and breathed out, nervously. She didn't know who was behind the door, all she had was a name.

The name was also labeled on the door.

'K. Talcott'

"Are you just going to stand there?" Scarus took a step forward, his hand on the door handle.

Sera shook her head. Taking that as a signal, the nurse pushed the door open. Behind the door a sickly young boy lay in bed looking out the window. He reached out towards it before he closed his fist and brought it back to him.

"Kairos? You have a visitor." The nurse softly called out to the little boy who was deathly pale and bone thin with red eyes.

Lazily, he opened his eyes wider. His head moved from side to side as he struggled to keep his eyes open while his body trembled.

When he noticed her, he stilled before his eyes widened. He visibly brightened as he grinned brightly. "Oh! Oh! You're–you're—" He squealed loudly, clutching his sheets in his small hands.

Sera flinched but plastered a smile on her face while Scarus covered his ears, waiting for the boy to calm down. She pulled at her sleeves while waiting, she felt a little uncomfortable and wanted to go back home.

"Kai, what did we say about getting too excited?" The nurse put her hands on her hips and leaned down.

"It's bad for me." The boy deflated and sank into his bed. "Sorry, you're probably a little…overwhelmed as well."

The little boy, despite being younger than her cousin, was well-spoken and seemed intelligent.

"It's fine." Sera waved it off. "Kairos, nice to meet you. I'm Seraphine." She smiled brightly at the boy who nodded excitedly. "I brought you a little something, I don't know if you'll like it but…"

Scarus placed the flower arrangement on the bedside table.

"Is this for me?" Kairos asked and Sera nodded. "Did you or your aunt make it?"

She was taken back by the sudden mention of her aunt but remembered her interview where she talked about her family. It was surprising that someone actually remembered what she said in her interview. She knew it was a little boring and she herself almost fell asleep while watching it.

"I made it. I don't know if it'll be to you liking—"

"I love it." He touched some of the petals and smiled sadly. "I haven't seen flowers in a while—I'm not allowed to go for walks."

"Not even to the clinic gardens?

"No. It's bad for him. The soil, moisture and the insects make it a bad environment for him." The nurse spoke up.

Her eyes softened. She remembered when she was younger, her aunt and Talissa would always confine her to her bed in fear of her health becoming worse. Talissa was the absolute worst during that time, coming home early from school just to watch her and also sometimes locking the house. Aunt Dahlia ended up having a talk with her about it later. Sera did understand her sister but she hated her methods.

Now she found herself looking at her own reflection in Kairos. A reflection or maybe a snapshot before she was reaped.

"In that case, I'll bring the garden to you." She promised and she meant what she said. Even if it would be hard for her to make an arrangement between her almost full schedule, she'd try her best to bring some flowers.

"Really?" She nodded with a bright smile, still keeping her distance from him. Even if she sympathized with him, she couldn't get close to him. "Can I hug you?" He reached out for her.

Before she could answer, Kairos pulled her in for a hug as his small arms wrapped around her neck. He stayed like that for a while. His tiny body trembled. For a moment, she thought he might be crying but no tears were shed or did she hear his cries. He sighed a little before he reluctantly let go.

Scarus had his hand to his side and eyed the little boy carefully. Sera shot him a look and he slowly lowered his hand away from the concealed weapon. Her eyes flickered with anger before she forced herself to calm down. He took a step back but didn't take his eyes off of her. The two shared a look knowing they would have to talk about this later after this appointment was done.

Shivering, Kairos pulled at her sleeve and hid behind her. His face peeked out from behind her to look at the guard who was assessing him. Scarus almost glared at the boy but stopped once he met her eyes. He wasn't here to scare the patients, that wasn't his job.

She recoiled at Kairos' touch but didn't move not until she saw Scarus almost scare the boy. She internally groaned looking at her guard, at this rate she wouldn't get anything out of the little boy. President Snow would be very disappointed if she came up with nothing at their next meeting.

"Scarus…do you mind?" She looked at the door and back at him. He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, opening his mouth to reply before he could, she smiled at him but her eyes were hollow. "You're scaring him." He nodded and left taking the nurse with him.

Before Scarus left he gave her a look telling her the two would talk later, she was not looking forward to that conversation, already knowing what he would say. Maybe she should've carried on playing him like a fool like she did at their meeting.

But he was dangerous.

She remembered. Yes, he was. He was also directly connected to President Snow, one wrong move and she'd end up worse than dead. She couldn't afford that.

Kairos.

She had almost forgotten about her assignment. The boy looked at her with bright wide eyes that reminded her of her cousin Nox when he was younger, around eight or seven maybe. Her cousin looked up to her like Kairos but that was only because the two were often ignored whenever Ramiel, Talissa or their aunt was busy. The two only had each other.

She stared at the boy and he stared at her back. She felt awkward being left in the room with him and she didn't know what to say. She tried to search for the right words to make him say the right things so the two would never have to see each other again.

How did she manage it in the arena again?

"So…I heard you like me quite a bit."

The boy looked up at her with wide eyes filled with devotion and admiration. She didn't like it, what did he admire about her or any of the victors?

There was nothing to admire.

"You're the new victor, and I know most people prefer Augustus Braun but I like you. You're like me."

"I'm like you." She echoed his words. "How so?"

"Well, it's just that most victors are so…full of life…so healthy but you—you're like me!"

Her eyes darkened a little. She was like him wasn't she? Sickly and tired, on the verge of dying with one push.

Oh.

She was like him.

"So you saw yourself in me?"

Kairos nodded. He reached out for the flowers, clasping his hand around a stem of a yellow freesia while touching each of the petals one by one. He held on tight as if they would float away into the wind if he didn't have his hold on them or someone would take them from him.

She half expected him to say something but he didn't. The two stayed in comfortable silence with Kairos being mesmerized by the simple arrangement of yellow freesias, candytufts, greenbells and white lilacs. She didn't know what to ask him, like most of her arrangements, she wasn't given any additional information about them and everything she knew, she knew from them not from Scarus or anyone else.

It was frustrating, she clenched her fists in, digging her nails into skin, just enough to hurt but not hard enough to draw blood. She needed something but she didn't know what to say to the sickly boy who was mesmerized by her work.

The door opened and Scarus poked his head in before gesturing to his wrist. Time was up and she had nothing. She wasted a day. There was nothing she could do, it wasn't like she could dig her heels in and ask to stay. She wasn't that stubborn or stupid.

She quietly bid Kairos goodbye and went back to the apartment assigned to her at the Victoria Building.

"Did the boy say anything?" Her hands trembled a little when Scarus asked her that on the way back. She was lucky that her back was facing him as the two made their way back to her apartment. "Seraphine?"

"Hmm." She looked back and shook her head, not offering any other words.

Scarus clicked his tongue in distaste and took out a notepad before he scribbled something down. He didn't say anything and she half-expected him to ask her about the little boy but he made no mention of him at all.

Before he left, Scarus reminded her of her next session. She hoped that session would be more fruitful than this one.

The days passed in a blink of an eye, she visited Kairos almost every week. She was also introduced to another patient, an elderly woman who was on her deathbed.

"You remind me of my granddaughter." The old woman laughed as Sera calmly peeled an apple next to her bedside while Scarus stood across the room, watching the two. "Oh but my granddaughter is not as pretty as you."

Sera smiled and carefully cut the apple into six pieces before placing them on a plate. She grabbed a pear from the fruit basket and started to peel it. "You flatter me, Mrs Dorothy."

"Well, it's true." She said as she took a bite of the apple. "Oh if only she was still in the Capitol–that girl, she was always so reb—Ah." Mrs Dorothy glanced at Scarus and quickly changed the topic but not before reaching for her hand and giving it a small but comforting squeeze. She pulled Sera in and leaned over her, close to her ears. "Be careful of that boy, dear."

Scared openly glared at Mrs Dorothy and showed his disdain towards her despite not knowing of her comments. He would always look down on her but would never tell Sera why and she didn't press him, the less she knew the better.

She only visited the woman five times before it was her last visit.

The old woman handed her a slip of paper at her final visit to her and clasped her hands tight, not wanting to let go. "My granddaughter…" Were Mrs Dorothy's last words but she slipped into her quiet eternal slumber while holding Sera's hand tight.

Her hands were blue from the cold as she worked hard to crush some of the herbs that she had foraged. Beside her on a makeshift bed lay Jenny from District 4. Jenny was sickly pale, paler than usual and the cold didn't help at all. She trembled violently as Arcadia and Flint tried their best to get her fever down.

"An-Ann…" Jenny reached out to Arcadia and called out for her younger sister. Her sea-green eyes had turned foggy as madness clouded her vision.

Sera felt sick looking at Jenny. A lump formed in her throat as she turned away and busied herself with finishing the antidote for Jenny and Jenny only, but it wouldn't matter.

"Seraphine…" She clung onto her hand tight as Sera tried to feed her the medicine. She rejected it and held on even tighter. She stared at her before she smiled and closed her eyes, taking her last breath.

Sera stared at the dead woman blankly as a single tear slid down her face. Scarus hurried to her side and snaked his arm around her waist before pulling her up with him. Nurses and doctors ran through the halls trying to save Mrs Dorothy but she had already long passed.

She wouldn't lie and say she didn't mourn the old woman who was like a grandmother she never met. At the same time she envied her, the old woman lived a long life and died a natural death surrounded by her loved ones.

Though perhaps the note in her hands might ruin her loved ones, she didn't have the luxury to ponder on it.

Not even reading the note the woman left her, she handed it to Scarus. That note wasn't meant for her eyes and she'd rather not get involved in something she didn't want to.

Scarus held her hand in his with the note. "You don't want to read it?" He asked with a curious gaze on her, expecting her to say 'yes'. She shook her head and walked past him to go to visit Kairos.

Outside Kairos' room was a couple who seemed to be in a quiet disagreement with the nurse. A tall thin man with spider-like fingers and thin-wired glasses, accompanying him was a woman with long luscious blonde hair that was pinned up in curls held together by gem-scattered pins. The couple arguing with the nurse stopped once they spotted Sera.

"Consul Talcott." Scarus greeted. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Icarus Redcliff." Consul Talcott's face darkened as he spat out Scarus' name like it was poison before he dryly laughed, looking away. "In case you haven't noticed, my son is admitted here."

Sera glanced at Scarus who avoided her gaze. Icarus? His name was Icarus, she was surprised to know that. Scarus must've been a cruel nickname from his mother. It made sense now why everyone addressed him by his family name rather than his given name, even the President called him 'Redcliff'.

"So he is." Scarus nodded. "Shame he's not getting better." He noted with a wry smile. For a moment, it looked like he pitied the little boy but she could've been mistaken.

Consul Talcott glared at Scarus before coughing. His wife looked at the pair in front of them with her pale eyes, assessing them. "How's your mother? I haven't seen her around lately."

Scarus narrowed his eyes at the woman who refused to shrink under his gaze. "...Resting." was all he said before he held out the door for Sera.

Neither Consul Talcott or his wife particularly liked Scarus or Icarus. She swore she saw Mrs Talcott look at Scarus with pure disgust and anger.

The couple examined Sera, as she walked past them and went into the room. Like always, Kairos looked forlornly out the window. When he heard the door open. He turned around hissed at the door.

"Leave me alone—I don't want to see you, go back—oh." He coughed violently and covered his face trying to keep it down.

Noticing Sera, he calmed down but there were still tears in his eyes that threatened to spill out. Kairos swallowed and forced himself to smile. "You're here!" He excitedly greeted Sera, ushering her to sit down.

Behind the door, Consul Talcott let out a deep sigh and clutched his chest, his eyes downcast. His only son didn't want to see him. His wife tried her best to placate him but he moved past her and left her in front of the door.

"Are you okay?" Sera asked as she placed the floral arrangement that she brought with her on the bedside table. But the table was already occupied by some toys. Seeing her gaze, Kairos threw the toys off the bedside table and sat back into his bed.

Placing the arrangement, she settled into her seat. "...I'm sorry you had to see that." Kairos looked down at his hands. His tiny body trembled as he bit back a sob. "It's just they never come but when they do…" He sighed.

"Maybe they're busy." She tried to justify with her hands in her lap.

"Yeah, they are quite busy." He agreed with a bitter laugh. "...It does take time to do bad things. Mother said you shouldn't do bad things—then why does father insist on…" He muttered under his breath, biting his lips, almost drawing blood.

Sera should've stopped him then but she didn't. She needed to hear him out. She had to tell President Snow something in the next meeting and unfortunately Kairos would be the fatality for it.

"Kairos…" She softly called out. "I'm sure your father isn't a bad person."

"No. He isn't one. He wasn't one before." The boy sank into his bed and stayed quiet for the duration of the visit. She accompanied his silence.

With every further visit Kairos grew more bitter. He knew that his time was almost at an end and he hated it. His parents hardly ever visited anymore, too busy with their own lives.

On one of her last visits, his mother came to see him. She remembered how when the door opened Kairos craned his neck to check on the door. A nurse stood on the other side with a package in her hand.

"It's from your mother." She announced.

"No! That woman is not my mother!" Kairos' pale sickly face twisted in anger and hate as he threw off his covers and ran up to the nurse. He took the parcel and threw it in the trashcan next to the door. "Tell her 'Kairos doesn't need anything from her' and to leave me alone!"

The nurse meekly nodded before hurriedly leaving but she crashed into another.

The woman with bright blonde hair, Kairos' not-mother, glared at the nurse and dusted herself off. "Kairos. I—"

But she was cut off. "I said I didn't want to see you, Mrs Talcott." He hissed.

"How—I'm your mother, Kairos."

"My mother is dead, you killed her."

Mrs Talcott shook her head and looked at the boy, pleadingly. "I didn't—" Scarus walked in. He looked at Mrs Talcott who sobered up and glared openly at Scarus. She must've remembered then that she wasn't alone, Sera and the nurse were still there. She didn't want spectators. Without a word, she hurried out.

Scarus left after that, only coming back later when visiting time ended.

"I want to be like you." Kairos said when the two were all alone.

Sera raised a brow and paused in her actions, a half-peeled apple in her hands. "You want to be a victor?"

He shook his head. "No. I want to get better and maybe learn how to do what you do—" He pointed at the arrangement at the bedside table.

"Flower arrangement?" He nodded excitedly. "I can teach you if you'd like."

"You will?"

Sera agreed. Kairos went on to say that he wanted to open a flower shop and move away from his parents. Despite his age, he was already resolute in his plans for the future. She felt a little lost and envious of him. How nice it was to know what you wanted for the future. She envied those people but she was a little happy too.

The boy looked excited over the prospect of his future, probably because his present wasn't so good.

She found herself enjoying the company of the boy that reminded her so much of her younger self and her cousin. Kairos was a sweet boy who seemed affection starved, his father and step-mother hardly visited after those incidents.

"Seraphine…" Kairos hugged Sera without a warning as tears ran down his face and he sobbed uncontrollably during one of her visits.

She didn't know why but she had a feeling it might be because of his parents. Scarus or Icarus met her eyes and nodded. He didn't say anything and left to go wait outside until her appointment ended or if she was in danger.

"What happened?" She pried his hands off of her and gently sat him down on the bed, taking a seat opposite him. "Kairos?"

He sniffed and rubbed his already reddened eyes. "Why is everything so hard?" He cried. She had no answer for him.

"Hey, hey. Look at me." She took his hand in hers and looked up at his dull red eyes. "Now, breathe." He tried to follow her instructions but couldn't help but let out a cry. "No. No. Look, just focus on me. Okay, you're going to get worse if you keep crying like that."

"I don't care. I don't…" He pulled his hand away and looked at the window, pulling his feet up on the bed. He laid his head down on his knees. "...I hate that woman." He didn't look at her. "Everything has gone wrong since he met her—if he never married her—she wants him to hurt someone..."

Sera glanced at Kairos and quietly pulled her seat closer to his bed. This might be in. A lump formed in the back of her throat as she tried to ignore the heavy feeling in her heart. "Hurt who?" She asked being careful not to alarm him.

He turned to look at her with bloodshot eyes as tears rolled down his face. "I…I don't know." He wept, reaching out for her. This time she offered her hand to him. He clasped her hand around his and held on tight. "I'm so…scared…he's going to hurt someone. I…I know I wasn't supposed to listen…I was sleeping but she came in…I couldn't help it."

She patted his back as he kept sobbing, soaking her dress with tears. "It's okay, it wasn't your fault. It won't be your fault, anyways." She tried.

"I know but…he wants to hur—no, kill someone, Seraphine." He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her neck as he sobbed harder. His small body trembled in fear.

"Kairos."

He pulled away and looked up at her. "Do you know who? Who does your stepmother want your father to ki–hurt?"

He sniffed and squinted his eyes, scrunching up his face as he tried hard to think back to last night. Sera looked at him with sad eyes and a soft smile. How nice it would've been if he was her family? Sera looked like someone who grew up with love, not like him.

Looking up, he wiped his tears and steeled himself, trying to act more mature than he was. "Creed." He quickly said before clasping his hands over his mouth then he looked around and leaned in to whisper. "...It was someone called Creed."

Visiting hours ended and Sera was ushered out to the halls. Scarus had to leave her momentarily to go attend to some business. "Seraphine," He grabbed her before leaving. "Remember don't get attached to that boy."

She reluctantly nodded before he let go. She told me she'd wait at the balcony overlooking the clinic gardens and gather her thoughts. He didn't say anything but had to hurry away.

"What do you think of that boy?" President Snow questioned her, during one of their dinner meetings.

Sera paused in her actions and placed down her knife and fork. "...He's a sweet child and…very talkative."

President Snow nodded and stared right at her. "And well, did he talk?"

She nodded. Her eyes became dull and heart began to ache. She knew what he wanted to hear. "Yes. He did." He motioned her to carry on. "He said that his father was 'doing bad things' and 'he wanted to hurt someone'."

"Who did he want to hurt?"

"Someone called 'Creed'."

He nodded and placed his knife and fork on the plate before motioning to an avox nearby to clean up his plate. She did the same, having lost her appetite.

"Anything else, I should know. Anything about the new Mrs Talcott, perhaps?"

She exhaled and looked up at the President. "She's encouraging her husband, maybe it was her that came up with the plan. I don't know. But I know Kairos doesn't like his stepmother because she's encouraging his father to do bad things."

"We can't allow that."

President Snow looked at her, expecting her to answer and agree with him. She let out a breath and nodded. "No, we can't allow that." She had no choice.

The avox returned a few moments later with a platter in her hands. She lifted the cover and disappeared behind a pillar as President Snow gestured for Sera to take the object in the center.

"This is…"

"A gift for young Kairos."

Sera held up the small vial of clear liquid in her hand and looked at it. She had a small idea of what it might be but she couldn't reject it. She let out a pained breath and plastered on a smile.

"...Thank you for your generosity." She recited as if she had rehearsed this scene multiple times. "I'm sure the Talcotts will appreciate the gift." She felt a little sick.

President Snow nodded in approval before dismissing her. She got up and mechanically walked outside to meet Scarus who obediently waited for her.

She didn't know how the days passed until her next meeting with Kairos. She spent the days in a haze. The vial stayed on the kitchen counter in the open where every morning it would greet her, reminding her what she was going to do.

The evening before her last meeting, she gripped the vial tight in her hands as the memories of her games flashed in her mind. She wanted to believe the vial didn't contain poison

She uncapped the vial and took a sniff of it, a stupid move on her part but she wanted to know what it was. When the scent of the unknown liquid hit her she stiffened. It was poison, a deadly one too. She capped the vial and placed it somewhere she wouldn't see and stared down at her hands.

Scarus was silent on the last visit to Kairos, no smart comments or anything but he would look over his shoulder and stare at her pale face. "It'll get easier with time." He said as the two approached the familiar bright yellow door.

"Somehow I don't agree with you." She looked up at him and smiled but like always, her smile never reached her eyes. It didn't bother him at first but the more time he spent with her, the more he realized how doll-like she was. A flower in a vase, as President Snow had described her as. She lived up to that.

Sera hesitated going in and surprisingly he didn't hurry her or force her. He waited patiently before she breathed out sharply and reached for the handle, opening the door.

"Seraphine! Look what I made—it's not as good as yours, nurse Minthe says I need some practice. What do you think?" Kairos held up a haphazardly put-together floral arrangement in front of Sera's face.

She took it and placed it down with the one she made and stared at it.

"It's a start." She grinned, picking at the artificial twigs that were scented to smell like wood. "Maybe add more greenbells? The colors of the orange roses clash with the harebells unless—" She put on some white gloves before picking up a few white lilacs from her arrangement and started adding them to his and also a few violet zinnias.

Nurse Minthe came back into the room and started preparing a medicinal mixture in front of her eyes. She watched her carefully before she decided to swap the syringes. Even if the vial didn't work, the arrangement would work enough.

Kairos put his face close to the flowers and sniffed it. "This smells so good." She only smiled and nodded as he reached out to touch the petals of each of the flowers.

She wanted to stop him but she caught Scarus' gaze. She drew her hand back and sat still, idly listening to Kairos for the rest of the session.

That was the last time she ever saw Kairos. Her appointments with him were over but it didn't mean her job was over, she was simply given new patients to visit in his place and found herself busier than ever.

Now and then, she would pass by that bright yellow door and find herself stopping before Scarus would have to hurry her along. If she didn't know him, she'd think her guard was worried about her. That would never be true. Scarus only tolerated and she tolerated him.

Mrs Talcott caught her gaze when she was passing by. She looked worse than what she remembered her, her curls were pinned up haphazardly while her eyes were dark and red. Consul Talcott was there as well, he looked thinner than usual.

Sera didn't say a word to the couple and moved past them as the two quietly talked to a group of nurses and doctors. "...But he was getting better." She heard Consul Talcott say as he put his head between hands and wept.

"I'm sorry to say that he might not make it." Nurse Minthe glanced over at Sera and nodded in acknowledgement. "You should say your goodbyes now."

"I don't understand." Consul Talcott looked around and shook his head. "He was getting better."

"It's not uncommon for patients to improve before…" The doctor trailed off and he never finished that sentence. He patted Consul Talcott on his shoulder and left.

Sera hurried past the bright yellow door and walked straight into the balcony overlooking the gardens, she always spent her time in whenever Scarus would leave her. She found it harder to breathe and carefully took a seat near the walls.

Kairos was a bright child and he deserved better. His parents were complicated people and a target for Snow that meant someone like Kairos would never find peace and happiness. She stared out at gardens, her mind in chaos.

Sometimes, she could see Nox in him and sometimes he reminded her so much of herself, it was daunting. Yet her hands were tied. Scarus told her not to get attached to the boy but refused to elaborate but it seemed it was too late.

She cared for Kairos.

"Scarus, that was—oh." She paused and quickly got up when she saw him. "Finnick." Of all the people she had to bump into that day, it had to be him.

The two had decided at her Victory Dinner at the President's Palace that at best they'd try their hands at being something, not friends, not strangers but something. Since then, they hadn't seen each other, something she was grateful for. She never knew how to deal with him.

Turning her back to him, she hurried to wipe her tears before he noticed. "A lovely coincidence." He commented, taking a seat opposite her. "What are you doing here?"

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?" She was almost offended at his tone. It wasn't like she wanted to be here in the first place.

"I asked first."

Sera rolled her eyes. He was right, he asked first. "I'm on 'official' business."

Finnick's eyes darkened when he heard her. Under the table he clenched his fists and tried his best not to show her his true thoughts. "So…"

"Were you crying?" Sera asked without letting him finish. She looked at him with bright and wide eyes as she took out a handkerchief and offered it to him without hesitation. She didn't want to answer any of his questions, not when guilt and regret ate her up from inside.

His eyes were red and there were some reddish bruises on his neck. He followed her gaze and quietly covered up his neck with his collar. There was also a familiar metallic stench in the air that overpowered the scent of the flowers from the garden below.

He grinned but his eyes were pained. "Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?" He echoed back to her words, making her laugh in disbelief. He got her, again.

"Pollen. It was the pollen from the garden." She lied.

He handed her back her handkerchief. His movements were slow and he winced everytime he moved. She handed it back to him.

"I think you need it more than me."

"Why would you think that?"

"If I tell you, I'd ask questions and I'm sure neither of us want to sit through all of that."

"I don't mind if you ask me questions."

"I do."

"Why?" She shrugged in response and turned to look at the garden. "Is it because knowing more means you care more?"

"Fine. I'll ask you questions." She glanced at him with a hollow smile. "How did you get hurt?"

His eyes widened before he covered his mouth and let out a humorless laugh. "Straight to the point. How did you know?"

"I can smell the blood." He gripped the handkerchief in his hands tightly but said nothing more on the topic. "You're always injured whenever I see you." She muttered under her breath.

"And you're always crying."

She scoffed. "That's…not true."

"It is."

"It's not. I wasn't crying at the Victory Dinner."

"No but you looked like you were about to cry."

"No I wasn't."

"You were." She rolled her eyes and moved away from him.

She looked down at the fountain below, the quiet rush of water and the flutter of wings from the butterflies made it peaceful.

Finnick didn't say anything in fear of ruining the perfect quiet between the two. It was peaceful. He glanced over at her and saw she had shut her eyes. He worked quickly to wrap up his wound without her knowing. He was grateful that she wasn't the type to ask questions.

"I'll return your handkerchief later." She opened her eyes and gazed at him. It always surprised her how bright her eyes were.

"You don't have to." She waved him off and started to leave.

Against his nature, he followed her. He knew he shouldn't but he followed her. Nurses eyed him as he walked down the halls, two steps behind Sera before catching up to her.

"Stop following me." Sera muttered under her breath without looking at him.

With an amused smile and his hands behind his back, he trailed behind her. "I'm not following you."

She narrowed her eyes at him and decided to turn around the corner. Still, he followed her. "See you are following me."

"You got me. I am following you." He shrugged. "So where are you going? Trying to find your dog?"

"Dog? I don't have a dog—oh. He's…His name is Scarus and you should watch what you say."

"Why? It never bothered you before."

"I don't know if you've noticed…" She scanned the corridor and looked at him, hoping he would get it or maybe he was pretending to be dumb. "But he's not someone people like us should mess with."

"Oh. Is he…" Sera knew the exact words Finnick wanted to say but he couldn't say it outloud so she nodded and turned away. He breathed out and quickened his pace, ignoring the stares of curious nurses, he tried to match her pace. "...You have it hard."

She shook her head. She didn't believe that, she thought she was luckier than most. One look at her fellow District 5 victors and she knew she was luckier than most. "There's people out there who have it harder than me, I can't afford to pity myself."

"Wise words. But you know, if you don't pity yourself no one else will."

"That's fine by me."

"Really?" She nodded. "Somehow I don't believe that."

"Believe what you will, I have enough to not want more."

He walked around her and blocked her path. "But you can never have more."

"Then you have more to lose."

Silence followed as Finnick flinched when Sera spoke. He wasn't expecting her to say that or even think of something like that. Noticing he had gone quiet, she went past him and started walking towards her and Scarus' designated meeting place before it was time.

Finnick sighed as he stood right where Sera left him and let out a laugh before he glanced at her, her back was turned to him and she had already reached the next corridor. He could've left her alone then but if he did, he would be alone, again.

Even though Sera didn't want to be seen speaking to him or being around him in public, he couldn't help it. "So where's your dog?" He asked, again catching up to her.

She glanced at him and shook her head. It might've looked like she was annoyed but the small amused smile on her face said otherwise. "He's not my dog." She reminded him, slowing her pace down. "I don't even like dogs." She added absentmindedly.

"Same, I prefer cats." She nodded. She liked cats too, not that she hated dogs but she preferred cats.

Looking up at the older boy, she couldn't help but chuckle. He looked at her with a confused face and she shook her head. "I'm sorry…I just realized you remind me of a cat."

He was taken back by her before he smiled. "I remind you of a cat?"

"Because you're always poking your head where you're not supposed to be."

"Are you insulting me?" She shrugged in response and quickened her pace. "I'll let that pass considering we're friends."

"I never said we were friends…" She trailed off and stopped. Her path was blocked by a large crowd of nurses and doctors who hurried past her. A stretcher was taken out of a room while everyone scuttled around.

The door the stretcher came out of. She recognized it. That bright yellow door that reminded her of a warm summer day.

"Consul Talcott's son…" The two former victors heard a nurse say. "A shame—so young—so early."

Bile rose in the back of her throat and she felt like she was going to throw up. Her heart hurt a lot, she stumbled back in pain as her head started to spin.

Finnick noticed that Sera had not only stiffened but her hands were trembling and if anyone looked close enough it looked as if she was going to cry. He reached out towards her, to pull her back from the crowd and maybe bring her back to the balcony but he wasn't fast enough.

"Seraphine." Scarus hastily made his way to the two and grabbed her wrist. "Where—" He paused, noticing Consul Talcott and his wife who were both mourning. Looking away from them, he glanced at Sera who kept her head down, to stop herself from crying. "We should go." He tugged her wrist.

Scarus' path was blocked. Finnick stood in front of him with questions on his mind, Sera looked at him and quietly asked him to move, reminding him again that Scarus was not someone either could cross. Reluctantly he moved aside.

The guard looked back at Sera who avoided his gaze. This would be a conversation for another day. He sighed and glared at Finnick, moving past him.

Sera shut her eyes and took a deep breath before letting go. Ignoring the two boys, she walked in the opposite direction of the bright yellow door. There was no point crying over someone who would've died regardless of what she did. She just hastened the pace of his death, that was what she had to convince herself.

Nevertheless, she couldn't erase the image of Consul Talcott on the floor with head between his hands as he wept like a child over the loss of his only son. If only he didn't choose to cross the President, Kairos would've lived another year or so.

"What were you and Finnick Odair talking about?" Scarus questioned as the two walked back to her apartment.

"Nothing. Nothing at all." She unlocked the door to her apartment and bid him goodbye but he didn't leave. "Please, I'm tired."

"Just tell me what the two of you talked about."

"Icarus." Scarus flinched at the mention of his given name. Nobody hardly ever called him that, not since his mother started introducing him as Scarus. "Please, I'm tired."

He wanted to argue but instead all he said was. "My name is Scarus?"

She smiled tiredly while leaning against her door. "Is it?" She questioned back. "You don't seem to be sure about your name." Her eyes twinkled mischievously as she said so.

He missed that look. The only time he saw it directed at him was when they played that game of chess. That was the only time. She only had that look now whenever she spoke with Huxley Foret or Finnick Odair. He scowled thinking about that boy.

It would be a lie to say, he wasn't confused about his own name or if he told everyone he liked the name Scarus. He hated it, in fact. Somewhere along the line, he got used to the shameful nickname his mother had given him. But now, hearing someone call him Icarus, someone who didn't say it with disdain, felt strange.

"Well?" Sera questioned, gazing up at him with tired eyes. Her eyes drooped as she struggled to stay awake and on her feet.

Noticing her state, he decided to not question her any more. They had all the time in the world to talk. "Get some rest." This time, he closed the door, after gently pushing her in.

When he left, Sera took a nap and spent the rest of her day crying or writing letters back to her family. She couldn't bring herself to be completely honest in her letters.

Consul Talcott's face was etched onto her mind. No matter how much sleeping pills she took, she couldn't erase his and his son's face from her mind. Now and then, Mrs Talcott and Mrs Dorothy would also haunt her dreams along with her former allies. She spent weeks tossing and turning, going on her days like a walking corpse.

The next time Sera did see Consul Talcott and Mrs Talcott together, it was on the television. Consul Talcott was stripped of all honors and was publicly shamed for being a traitor in the Capitol square along with his wife whose long luscious blonde hair had been shaved clean. Their eyes and cheeks were sunken in as the two along with other traitors were paraded in front of the square.

The two were made to dress in rags and stand among a group of traitors while people jeered and heckled at them while they were paraded in the square.

Nobody saw those two again. She suspected that Consul Talcott was dead, executed for his planned crimes and as for Mrs Talcott, she didn't know.

"Is Mrs Talcott…" Sera never finished her question. She looked up at the President, expecting him to know and he did.

He took a sip of the tea before putting the tea cup down. "If you know the answer to your questions, should you really ask me?"

"No. No, I don't."

"Kairos…that boy, he didn't deserve that."

President Snow looked up at Sera and carefully assessed her. His eyes narrowed. "No, he didn't but the sins of the father are inherited by their children."

Sera didn't believe that.

"He was so young."

"He turned twelve last year." She glanced up and said nothing in response.

Twelve.

She knew what that meant and why the President mentioned it. If Kairos wasn't from the Capitol, he would be eligible for the reaping pool and if he was reaped, he would dead regardless.

"If anything, you gave him a mercy that isn't deserving of a traitor's child."

Her hands trembled a little.

Mercy.

He knew or he had some idea of what she did. She forced herself to smile and nodded.

It seemed her response pleased him as he didn't dwell on it too much. His eyes twinkled with amusement watching her squirm in her seat. She felt foolish for thinking she could ever outsmart him.

"I do have to say, you've exceeded expectations."

She said nothing but simply acknowledged his words. She had nothing to say. What could she say? Her mind was in chaos and she felt sick. She ruined a family and murdered a little boy.

"I expect great things from you in the future, Miss Reza." She didn't know if he noticed her inner turmoil but if he did, he didn't comment on it. "I hope I won't be disappointed." He finished, looking at Sera with his clouded dark eyes.

She placed her teacup down and clasped her hands in front of her. "...You won't." She answered quietly against the fluttering of the wings of the butterfly mutts and the fountain nearby.

Flower Dictionary:

Candytuft - Indifference

Yellow Freesia - Friendship and Optimism

Greenbell - Luck

Harebell - Grief

White Lilac - Youthful Innocence

Zinnia - Thoughts of absent friends