The 'Flower of Panem' or 'The Angel of Mercy', Seraphine Reza is the jewel and pride of Panem. One of their most treasured victors in the history of the Hunger Games and a favorite of President Snow.
While she smiles, comforts and plays her part ev...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Sera paced around the television room, and on the screen, was a muted Caesar talking about something nobody in the room cared enough unmute. His wild and boisterous attitude had seemed to have died and been replaced with a more suitable somberness.
However, there were clear attempts for him to regain that joy he had for the games. It was lost whenever the camera cut to the audience.
For once in the history of the games, those Capitolites didn't look like beasts baying for blood. They were openly upset and devastated.
Zephyr had joked that those people had finally discovered empathy only to be told to shut up by Huxley. He didn't want to think or talk about the Capitolites at all. He wanted to do his job as a mentor to Wells as best as he could and go back home.
"Have you seen Haymitch?" Chaff's gruff voice brought her back and she turned her head away from the window. "Got saved by a hair, thanks to that Peeta boy—you know the loud one from the so-called star-crossed lovers. Poor fella. He's gonna have to choose between himself and his girl."
Wells laughed drunkenly and Leora steadied him before he crashed into the table. "Haymitch got reaped too?"
"He did and then he got away because of—"
"I know who you're talking about...I just didn't expect them to pick him."
"You're surprised?" Chaff looked around the room.
No signs of their escorts or any attendants, just former victors, drowning in their sorrows.
Leora was sitting next to Wells, nursing a glass of liquor. Huxley in one corner of the room with his eyes trained on Sera by the window while Zephyr was next to her, his face buried in his notebook.
Not one person in the room looked like they wanted to be there. They'd all rather be at home or the ones mentoring. Sera and Zephyr were the only ones who really had the choice of being on that train back to the Capitol.
"You know they wanted him gone since the whole incident at the last Quell." Chaff carried on, shaking his head. "And...they thought it was going to be something to have the victor of the last Quell take part in this one. Two birds with one stone kind of thing."
Leora snorted and rolled her eyes. "They need to get over their silly little grudges and choke."
"Drink to that." Chaff and Leora clinked their glasses and took a harsh swing of their drinks. "You know what I don't get is why you..."
"Volunteered?" Leora finished for Chaff. The older victor laughed and refused to shrink under the gazes of her fellow victors. "Consider it a passing good deed."
"A good deed?" Huxley echoed and shared a look with Sera.
"We all know why you did it," Zephyr added.
"I'm doing you all a favor." She replied. "She saved my life, now I save hers. I don't owe anyone anymore."
Chaff looked between the two and grabbed the bottle of hard liquor. He poured some into his, Leora's, and Well's glasses with his one hand. He looked up at a silent Huxley.
