VENUS《 FINNICK ODAIR

Chapter 26. A KINDER GAMBLE.

"OKAY, NOW YOU'RE GOING TO LET GO OF MY HANDS, TRUST YOURSELF, YOU CAN DO THIS," EDITH SMILED AT HER YOUNGER SISTER, THEIR CHEEKS ROSY AND GRINS CHAPPED FROM THE FROSTY WIND. Vienna's hands were trembling. She seemed so delicate; bundled up in old coats, kohl braids weaved with pink ribbon and makeshift skates attached to her pointed boots. She was grasping with all her might for support, as if she were to let go of her sister, she would not just fall onto the icy surface, but sink beneath the Vein, joining whatever monsters eleven year olds thought resided at bottom of the rivers.

     Jak scooted past, kicking up flecks of shaved ice up at the two of them. "Come on Vivi! Race with us!"

     Her younger brother Jak and the us in question: Lottie and Delilah, were lapping around the underside of the bridge to the ferry dock. A considerable distance for little Vienna who had never been on the ice before - too scared. But none the less, Jak gave Vienna that smile, and Vienna glowed. She would do anything for her baby brother.

      Edith brushed a gloved finger over Vienna's icy hand. The elder paused and attempted to remove her hands, Vienna hesitated, but Edith managed to escape Vienna's cold clutches; only to remove her own gloves and place them on Vienna's hands.

    Vienna stuttered, "But your hands, you said that you didn't like the contact-"

     Edith shook her head, "You'll freeze before you fall onto the ice and besides, if you are going to face your fears, so shall I."

      Her big, sienna eyes blinked the information in, her lip still trembled. Edith only brushed away some sleep from her eye and gave her a kiss on the top of her head.

      Vienna sunk out of the grip. And with that she let go, and despite a few falls over the next hour - she unsurprisingly managed to glide as quick as her sisters and not sink into the clutches of the canal bed.

      "They miss you a lot you know," Paylor sighed into the wind, hot breath steaming in the air. Usually in the start of the second month, the sun would begin to shine, bringing the usual graphite sky of winter into a dust grey. But a snowstorm after she arrived back from her first Capitol performance sent 8's city into a flurry of ice. And even after another week the Vein; 8's primary river, was still frozen over. She was surprised by the lack of bustle in the streets, although they did just escape a week long blizzard.

       Focusing back on Paylor, Edith shook her head dismissively, skating over to her said adoptive mother. They never used the title with Paylor, she was always referenced as some culmination of her name. For mothers were of dream fiction and even in some cases, nightmares. To them, she was Tomali, or Mali or Paylor or anything that amounted for her name. Names were important: that's what Mali used to always say; keep your name, it makes a good story.

     Edith didn't want to know what stories were being written about Edith Scotch; but she was glad she hadn't tainted Paylor's legacy with her last name.

    "If they miss me even a cent of how I miss them, then I'm not surprised."

     Paylor sighed and helped the girl up to the street. Edith sat onto the cobbles with a thud; unlatched her makeshift skates she purchased from a vendor down the road.

     "Well, Delilah and Lottie fill your shoes well enough, the littles have someone to follow when I'm on shift, but they do miss you, they just don't like worrying ya. They see you like you're the only pinch of colour in their world."

     Edith laughed and gave Mali a kiss on the cheek, passing her the skates. "Well I probably am, with my gloves off I'm certainly colourful in this scene." Edith gestured to her hands, exposed to the snowflake air, the scars pigmented a bright vermilion. "You should go skate with them, I'll see you at Cecelia's before I go right? I leave at three."