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･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.
"It's so nice to finally meet you, Miss Byrne," the young man eagerly and enthusiastically shook her hand. "I can't believe it took almost five years!"
Odette felt herself slip into that easy smile. It was easy to put the mask on, easy to escape to a part of her brain that was used to this now. "The pleasure is all mine, please, call me Odette," she pulled her hand free and tucked a curl behind her ear to give herself something to do. "What's your name?"
He tried to hide his broadening smile by taking a sip of his drink. Odette wished she could drink, but she'd learned the hard way it was easier when she didn't. "Richard Helvar," he said proudly, as if the name should ring a bell. Perhaps it should have, but names got muddled together. He was the fifth person she was meeting and the party had only started half an hour ago. "My mother used to be a stylist for district four. She quit when she got an offer for her own fashion brand. Perhaps you're more familiar with my father, Elliot Helvar. He worked on your Hunger Games."
"I don't think I've met him," she didn't want to. Had she not been so good at this, she wouldn't have been able to keep her face straight. More than a hundred people worked on her games. She'd attended parties of her own game makers. She'd been forced to spend the night with some. That had never gotten easier.
Richard smiled broader, holding his answer just to grab another drink from a server. "He's great, made it quite a spectacle," Odette wanted to escape. Be anywhere but talk to him. "He caused you and... what's his name? Kayte? Something like that, to be brought together. Now that was a show, I'm sure you remember."
He didn't even need to say his name. She remembered the gathering of birds, the falling branches, the running in fear that something might come for her, only to run into that something. She was never able to forget his smile as he wrapped the rope around her neck, as he said exactly what he intended to do to her and how he could make her suffer longer. She felt the blood drain from her face. "I don't think I'll ever forget him."
Perhaps Odette was fantastic at the game she was playing, or perhaps Richard was just oblivious. He laughed, unaware of how Odette was feeling. It happened often, that people wanted to talk about her games. In fact, she preferred it over talking about Miles, but it was something else to hear who was responsible for one of her worst nightmares.
Richard was speaking, but Odette couldn't anymore. Now, his voice reminded her of the boy's. She could and would do this, she just needed a moment. "I'm sorry, could you excuse me for a moment?"
She assumed he said yes. He took a step aside so she could walk past him. She didn't know where she was going, because everything was terrible here. She felt like just a girl again.
The party had started an hour ago, but only half the guest had arrived. She managed to reach the balcony without being stopped. Odette drew the curtains closed behind her, exhaling as a breeze hit her skin. It was still warm outside, but not the clustered heat from inside or the heat of the sun burning into skin. She looked down onto the colored street. It was still early, people were walking under the yellow streetlights, excited for what the night would bring. In a strange way, it was calming. At least it pulled her thoughts away from Richard and her own terrors.
