Gamble of Wits || Finnick Odair

Chapter 57: Cruel to be Kind

Finnick tried to argue, opening and closing his mouth before he gave up. Sera laughed and pecked his lips before bundling up the bouquets into her arms to carry them over to the entrance for Emilia and her escort Peacekeeper to pick up later.

"This is goodbye." Sera said, her fingers slipping from his.

"For now." He finished for her. "I'll see you soon."

He kissed her and left her. She watched him return to his own apartment before she shut the door behind her. Again, that overwhelming feeling of loneliness struck her when she was left alone in her apartment alone.

But now she was sitting alone underneath a painted ceiling in a quiet room too big for her liking. She could hear the quiet ticks of the clock in front of her over the mantle of the dead fireplace alongside her heartbeat and breathing.

Marble covered the walls with paintings in golden frames decorating the room. Crimson flags draped the walls where there was an empty spot between the paintings. An elaborate cage or coffin—whichever way someone saw it as.

The only exit and entrance were white oak double doors on her far left guarded by two Peacekeepers. She leaned back and let out a bored sigh. He was late and her patience was running thin.

Creeeeeeeeeek.

Sera's head snapped towards the double doors and she sat up. Her back straight, her shoulder taut and a false smile on her face. But the moment her eyes landed on the small face, her eyes dimmed and smile dulled for a second.

She resisted the urge to scowl or sigh and forced herself to smile deeper. The uninvited guest beamed brightly and all but skipped towards her. Peacekeepers tried to stop her but one look from her caused them to stumble back with a quick apology.

Of course they wouldn't say anything to her. She was practically royalty around those parts.

Sera quickly composed herself, offering a painted smile to the young girl who stepped into view. Pale gold hair tied into a braid very alike to Katniss Everdeen's and pale blue eyes that were too soft to belong to someone like her.

President Snow's granddaughter—whose name Sera admittedly forgot on purpose—stood in the doorway, with a curious and mischievous glint in her eyes. Great, as if she didn't have anything else to do, she'd have to babysit his granddaughter now too.

"Seraphine." Her baby blue dress swayed as all but skipped towards her. Only twelve, if she was in the districts her name would be in the reaping pool—

"Miss Snow." Sera greeted as politely as she could. The little girl's name still not reappearing anywhere in her mind. "Your grandfather's not here."

"Oh, I know." She said, dismissively. "He's having one of his meetings...with the Senate and the Gamemakers." She pulled the chair meant someone else and sat down. "He's not very happy with them."

"I can't imagine why."

The little girl grinned in response before leaning in and putting her hand over her mouth, mock-whispering. "Would you like to know?"

"It's not my place to know."

"It's not that interesting anyways." Snow's granddaughter reached for the empty teacup and stared down at it. "I heard it was about the games next year and are you having tea? I'd love to join you."

That wasn't a question.

Sera knew that well. Pale blue eyes that looked too innocent stared up at her widely. If she wasn't Snow's granddaughter, Sera might've pictured a younger Nox before aunt Dahlia died in her place but all Sera could really see in her place was President Snow himself.