𝓕𝓲𝓻𝓮𝓯𝓵𝔂 - (𝓕.𝓞𝓭𝓪𝓲𝓻)

08.

vol ii
☼ chapter eight ☼

While debriefed her on her first task, Theia couldn't help but glare at the boy in front of her, not airing her grievances until the older woman had left.

"You fucker. After everything, you put yourself forward for the job of shadowing me."
"Don't be like that." He tries to move towards her, but she stops him, warningly putting her hand out.

"You made it clear that you wanted nothing to do with me."
"Theia please. I'm sorry. For everything. I didn't mean what I said, I—"
She scoffs. "Are kidding me? You expect me to believe that bullshit?"

He moves to answer her. She doesn't let him. "And what about your fragile ego? Having to watch over me isn't exactly the high-profile Capitol job you gave up everything for, now is it?"

Keenan tries to reach for her, a pained expression falling upon his face. "You don't understand."
She pulls away, vexed. "I don't want to." She huffs. "And I don't want to work with you."

"You don't have a choice. I took this assignment to protect you."
A crazed, guttural laugh leaves her throat, and he winces at the noise. "Are you joking? Protect me? When have you ever done that?"

"I know in the past I didn't. God what I did to you, I deeply regret it, Theia. Please, I—"
She had heard enough.
"If I'm stuck working with you, then stay out of my way as much as possible."

~

As if acting as a Capitol puppet wasn't bad enough already, then forcing her into close proximity with her asshole of an ex-boyfriend was definitely making it worse.

In the days between her arrival and the start of her new work, he had been there, practically behind her shoulder at every waking moment.
He was relentless, constantly trying to make amends with her, but Theia wasn't having any of it.

He had broken her heart once, and she wasn't about to let him try and pick up the pieces.

She had spoken to Lynette and tried to convince her to remove Keenan from the post, saying that the two of them had inconsolable differences. She refused, trying to reassure Theia that he was the best fit for the job.
Hell, Theia had even considered going straight to Antonius.
But it wasn't like she would ever be given the choice anyway. She wasn't a guest; she wasn't there on her own accord. She was a prisoner.

The only thing keeping her sane was her role at hand.

Not even a week into her tenure, she had found a note nestled within her work papers. It was from Irene informing her of their first planned meeting.

That same night, Theia snuck through the darkened streets of the Capitol, her face shielded by an oversized scarf. Having never been through the winding streets, her only reference was the memory of the maps she'd been shown.

Under the guise of a dingy restaurant alleyway, Theia collects her breath, taking slow steps into the darkness.

A hand abruptly grabs her from behind. Acting on instinct, Theia twists the wrist and spins the figure, holding their arm at an unnatural angle.

"It's me." A woman pants out. "Theia, it's me." She strains painfully, folding under the extreme pressure.

Theia winces, slowly dropping her hold, and faces the woman before her, whose wide eyes stare back at her, shocked.
"Irene." She utters, her eyebrows furrowed and her pulse heightened. "Don't grab me like that again."