Gamble of Wits || Finnick Odair

Chapter 16: Plan For Victory

A few feet behind the statue was a clock tower displaying the time. The square was usually home to a bustling marketplace with shops and carts circling the center of the square. For the reaping day, all shops and businesses were shut. The usually vibrant square was dull with black clouds looming overhead the gathering crowd.

Behind the stage in the distance, was the Justice Building, the mayor's office and administration building. Behind it, in the distance, the Asterhall, the mayor's quarters, could be seen. It was a large and impressive building which was carved out of a rocky hill with two floors above and two floors below for storage. Most of the downstairs of Asterhall was open to the public, the east and west wings were used for educational tours, the south wing was used for ceremonies while the whole second floor was reserved for the mayor and his family.

While the Justice Building was mostly reserved for administrations and was a hub for Peacekeepers. Sera and her family had been in the south wing of the Asterhall once before she became a victor, a long time ago when her father had passed and they were invited. She was too young to remember exactly why and her aunt never talked about it again neither did her sister or her brother. It was so long ago, the memory had all but faded.

The last time she was there was for dinner with the mayor during her victory tour. Mayor Weathers was joined by his family. It was a quiet and a formal affair until the mayor's wife decided the silence was too deafening.

She glanced at the Asterhall once more before walking over to her place next to Huxley who had already taken his place. Next to him were Leora, Wells and the mayor's wife, Estelle whose husband was noticeably absent from the stage. The former victor turned mayor's wife beamed at her brightly before her face shifted into glare once she spotted Porter.

Porter was helped by two of her helpers while being followed by two Peacekeepers who led her to her spot. Estelle wasn't the only one glaring at Porter, Wells looked at her with disgust while Leora looked at her with a murderous glare. Only Huxley seemed apathetic to the older victor. He looked away when Porter greeted him with a nod, he seemed to have no interest to interact with his former mentor instead he busied himself with idle chat with Sera. She was still very much confused about Porter and why every other victor of her district couldn't stand her.

Stealing a glance at Porter, the forty-something year old wore a simple but expensive navy embroidered dress which seemed to have snakes and white roses embroidered onto the fabric. A stark contrast to the rest of the victors who wore dull and muted clothes. Porter had her neck brace on as usual supporting her head and neck while her closely cropped hair was curled to the side in waves.

Sera had to pause for a second when she spotted those familiar flowers on her dress. At first she thought nothing of it but then she glanced again to check. White roses. Those flowers, they couldn't be a coincidence. She wondered if there was indeed a reason why Porter was despised, a justifiable reason but she didn't dwell on it much longer.

In the distance, she could see the ongoing registration process going on as the children quietly filed into their rightful positions. She let out a sigh, Huxley patted her shoulders and gave her a small comforting smile. His face hardened and then a tired but anxious look flashed onto his face. She followed his gaze, only to find Clarisse moving towards her designated area. Clarisse searched the crowd before she spotted her brother and Sera on the stage. Huxley gave her a reassuring nod which was reciprocated. The two siblings silently communicated as the crowd finally finished gathering.

Mayor Weathers, a tall muscular man with long braided full hair and trimmed beard escorted Emilia to the stage, the two stopped in the center as he gave his usual speech which Sera knew every other district also had. It was almost exactly the same in every other district but Mayor Weathers would more than often cut down on parts of the speech and add his own words in. No one ever objected and Emilia usually made up for it.