the way things go [s. plinth]

v i i i

The next morning, the tributes were rounded up for another funeral procession. Based on the speeches, it sounded like it was for two of the mentors who died in the bombing. The tributes had been separated by gender and locked in another caged truck. Thankfully, this one wasn't as humiliating as the first. Ophelia could sit on the floor out of sight of prying eyes.

Ophelia assumed the bodies of the deceased tributes were on display again. This time, she couldn't see them, and she was glad she couldn't. The idea of seeing Marcus's dead body made her skin crawl.

Since her fall yesterday, Ophelia had opted to go barefoot. She couldn't walk well with her heeled shoes and her sprained ankle. With her mussed hair and her dirty dress, she knew she looked exactly like the Capitol's expectations. She didn't care anymore. If she looked like a stray animal, so be it. There was nothing she could do at this point.

In the afternoon, the tributes were taken back to the Academy for another session with their mentors. As Ophelia waited for Sejanus, she looked around the large room. There were eight empty tables. As both Facet and Marcus were gone, Ophelia was sitting near no one. She felt like she was marooned on an island at sea. It felt incredibly lonely.

After a few minutes of waiting, the Academy mentors filed in. Ophelia tried to smile at Sejanus as he sat across from her.

"Hey, Phee," he said sadly. "How are you?"

"Not well," Ophelia admitted.

"Do you want to talk about it?" asked Sejanus.

Tears welled in Ophelia's eyes. She nodded slowly. "I feel like it's my fault that MArcus died. If I hadn't tripped and he hadn't stopped to help me, he could have gotten out. But now he's dead. Because of me." She looked down so Sejanus couldn't see her cry.

Sejanus reached across the table and grabbed Ophelia's hands. He wished he could hug her and let her know that everything would be alright, but he wasn't allowed to. This would have to be enough.

"Ophelia, look at me, please," said Sejanus. She did, looking at him with so much sadness in her eyes, Sejanus swore he could feel his heart break. "Marcus isn't dead. He escaped. There are Peacekeepers everywhere in the Capitol looking for him, but as far as I know of, he's still out there."

Ophelia gasped. "I didn't kill him?" she asked softly. She was relieved that Marcus had made it out of the arena, though she was still worried for him.

"It wouldn't have been your fault, Phee," said Sejanus, squeezing her hands gently.

"I know. But at the same time, it doesn't feel like it."

"How's your ankle doing?" asked Sejanus.

Ophelia looked down at her foot, flexing it carefully. "It's a little better. I've been trying not to walk on it when I can avoid it."

"I wish there was something I could do to help," said Sejanus. He thought for a moment, staring at Ophelia's wrapped ankle. His eyes lit up. "I have an idea."

"What?" asked Ophelia, leaning forward with anticipation.

"It's a surprise," said Sejanus. "I'll bring it tomorrow. Oh, and I brought lunch for you."

He handed her a few sandwiches, two peaches, and a slice of cake.

"Thank you," said Ophelia.

"You're welcome," Sejanus said kindly.

Ophelia nervously picked at her food. For some reason, she was nervous sitting alone with Sejanus. They were practically alone, since there were no tributes in their direct vicinity. Sejanus made her nervous. Even now, she could feel her pulse quicken as he looked at her.