VENUS《 FINNICK ODAIR

Chapter 33. DISTRACTED.

T/W: Mild description of blood.

"AND I SUPPOSE THAT'S YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE?" EDITH JESTED TO CANDY OVER THE PHONE. Her face was etched with a beaming grin at the sound of a familiar voice.

"Well it can't be a nightmare anymore can it? I mean, its not as if I cant pretend my wig didn't fall off mid speech. Paparazzi will find any reason to scratch at your image," Candy tutted, the quality of the phone-line in 8 brining a nasally tone to her accent. Or maybe it was the autumn wind that was giving her a sniffle.

Two months had passed since the Games; and in between daily calls to Johanna, reconciling her relationship with her Victor family, visiting Vienna's grave and performing in the Capitol - Edith seemingly had no time to heal.

Physically she was fine now, her stripes were visible scars but she had chose to see them optimistically; one area of her body she could now never show.

And as for her mental state, Edith was as scattered as she was before with nightmares every night - it was a wonder how her eye bags weren't as dark as the night sky.

But she was trying, or at least attempting to distract herself. With the stack of books from her birth parents she had left untouched since moving in, she began to read again. And she had begun to clean her house from the inside out; for she had left it to rot for the past year. She didn't really know how to heal, Edith realised soon enough. Edith didn't really know how to do anything for herself, or at least without realising it. But she told herself that distraction was better than nothing.

Edith wrapped her finger around the cord of the phone, the clock slowly ticked. Soon Johanna would call.

"And so then she made up with them in the end, but they still keep a grudge - understandably so..."

Edith couldn't hold her question in for long.

"Candy? Who is running Candelo Enterprises after the passing of Mr Candelo?" She pried. Edith didn't know why she cared, but she did all the same.

"Well I believe it is his old right hand man, Mr Brighton. You should know him, I think I introduced you two at the Sponsor Lounge, his daughter is Anastasia Brighton. The dancer, you know, the one that dated Finnick Odair? The girl with pink skin and red hair?"

Edith grimaced, her relationship with the boy still hadn't changed since the Games, he stayed away at functions - openly insulting her every decision at even her slightest movement towards him.

He was terrible at insults to the point where she had to hold in her laughter. Well she could've just laughed at him, but she didn't wanted to let him make a fool of himself. She wanted to test whether he felt bad at her fake pouts, her cold shoulders.

But he did nothing, and Edith was the fool. But she was too stubborn not to try. She still longed for the friend who saved her from the clutches of a disgusting monster, who played cards and miserably lost, who wished on the shooting stars that flew by in the sunrise glow.

And if they were alone in an elevator or at the function's bar, he ignored just her. As if she was just a ghost.

Strained relationship indeed.

"Finnick Odair seems to go through a new lady every month, its hard to keep track," Candy continued. Edith held back a scowl. She knew it wasn't his fault and she wished on the stars every night that Snow would rip up his contract. Edith was just jealous that he at least pretended to be kind to them. Maybe that was selfish of her, but she was on a rampage for selfish activites or at least she was trying; it was a thing her and Johanna had - do a selfish thing a day and report back in the daily phone call.