Come Back to Me

XXXVII

"Oh my love, it's so wonderful to see you!"

Reno wrapped his arms around Cordelia, so tightly that he left her gasping through air.

"You as well," She beamed, "how have things been treating you?"

"Oh splendidly," He squeeled, "you are still all the Capitol can talk about!"

Wonderful. That was the goal, wasn't it?

Olympia, and Kennedy were next to envelope her in an embrace, the front peppering her face with tiny kisses.

"My dear," Kennedy pulled back with a horrified gasp, "your eyebrows! And that mark under your ear, you've just let yourself go, haven't you!"

Cordelia's eyes widened in shock, before meeting those of her sister and brother, who were across the living room and trying their very best not to burst out in a loud chorus of laughter.

"Oh, I, it's a scracth probably." She stuttered out her unconvincing response.

The women in front of her were already tugging at her frizzy curls and the shirt she had worn home. What a way to walk through her front door, after spending the night with her mentor, who no one was supposed to know she was seeing.

"Where were you anyways?" Reno snipped.

Cordelia didn't have the chance to responsd, before her twin sister stepped in for her.

"She was with her boyfriend." The girl dragged out teasingly, earning a glare.

"And who is that?" Kennedy shrieked.

"And did he give you this?" Reno shouted.

Cordelia was sure her ear drums had raptured when Olympia's voice shrilled through the air, "Dearie, we need every detail, every one!"

She dug through her head for any suitable response to any of the overwhelming questions, when a different voice broke through the air.

"Leave the poor girl alone, won't you?"

Caspian.

She broke out of Olympias shaky grip on her shoulder, and all but knocked over the man with how much force the few steps had given her. Cordelia gasped his name with relief as he tilted back, taking her a couple inches off of the ground.

"How are you dealing with everything?" He said softly, leaving both of his hands on either of her shoulders.

The first time anyone had asked her that since she had walked through the door.

"I'm alright, it's been good to be home." She said, adding a little firmness so her voice wouldn't crack.

The statement wasn't a complete lie. Nightmares kept her up too late into the night, and she still wasn't eating as often as she should. But, at least she was home. Well, for the next twelve hours at least. Chaos grew as her dad walked through the door, having been on a two week fishing expedition. Greyson ran to the man, smile beaming as he jumped into his arms, like Cordelia had done with her stylist minutes ago. His smile grew even bigger when his father propped him over his shoulder, and he saw Finnick had come in right behind him. Things got loud again as her prepteam took Finnick into the same suffocationg embraces, as did her younger brother. Cordelia's mother offered everyone something to eat or drink.

"That's alright," Caspian smiled at the woman appreciatively, "we have to whisk her away but, thank you kindly."

Olympia yanked Cordelia's wrist, pulling her up the stairs and to her bathroom with so much exictement that the latter almost fell on her face countless times. How did they already have their entire layout setup? Had she really been that late, it was so early. Her eyes were barely open.Well, until she felt the first wax strip rip off of her leg that is. They had seemingly started at square one to, as Kennedy and Olympia so lovingly put it, correct the atrocity she had let herself become.