OUR FOREST OF THORNS | tbosas ✔️

006 || Terrifying Imaginings

CHAPTER SIX —    Terrifying Imaginings ..

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          Daphne Ravinstill had vanished on him. And like all disappearances do, the matter haunted Coriolanus into losing his ability to fall asleep, even though for the entirety of the day, his heart knew only trepidations and his body knew only the tiresome endeavors of fending for his life against the Tributes in the transport or walking the distance between the Academy, the train station, his home and the Zoo, more than once.

From every fiber, his body ached and begged that he closed his eyes and take the win he could take, despite the demerit he received, first on his spotless academic record — but how could he? The only thing he saw when he closed his eyes laying in bed was Daphne, in her white coat; he envisioned oh, so clearly her thin fingers and how gentle her touch had been as they drove through his hair on his behalf, combing it back and to the side.

It was unlike her to show no signs for this much of an extended period of time and guilt compelled him to believe that it was his fault this radio silence between them endured into the night. After all, he was aware it had been incredibly rude of him to have left her at the train station after she had been so thoughtful as not to let him wait alone for the Tributes' arrival. There was no excuse good enough to justify his lack of manners, not even the fact that everything had happened too fast on the platform for him to discern that his obsession to coerce his tribute into quickly trusting him was a dangerous and irrational gamble that would cost so much more than even he could anticipate.

He had to admit that he had hoped to see her after the Zoo. His hope had been nothing but an arrogance which now, left alone to his thoughts, with no one to share in his victories of the day, he criticized down to the bone.

After not finding her at the Academy, it was hard for him to ignore that he was at fault for this absence and though duty proclaimed of him a need to visit the Zoo with the rest of the Mentors should he wish to maintain his upper hand above them all, his mind was tormented with the afterthought of looking around and hoping to see her face in the crowd.

Once night fell and he dropped in his bed, he was certain all the blame was his to bare. She wouldn't have left on one of her usual mysterious trips without letting him know ahead of time and should something had happened to her, the news broadcast would have addressed it by then, naturally taking all the spotlight away from the Tributes. It became plain as day that his impolite departure had been a hurtful insult and distancing herself from him was his punishment.

Of course it would be so. After all, to spend every day in someone's company was a binding contract of habit which, once broken, felt like a proper disemboweling.

Unfair as it was to have perfomed so incredibly well that his Lucy Gray had gained the attention of all cameras, yet he himself remained unable to feel proud of his accomplishments when pinned against this truth, Coriolanus was quick to agree that he deserved to feel this restless. He would have been just as cross with her had their places been reversed and he had been the one forgotten on a bench in a lonely train station.

The worst part however was knowing he had no authority or influence sufficient to even solution this issue on his own. It was past curfew and even if he made it close to her house, he'd sooner be shot dead before being allowed to visit a friend. He was forced therefore to wait it out and that was a maddening aspect to this punishment.