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THE WILTED DANDELION.
Celia's last night of safety passed her by faster than she had hoped. She remembered sitting with her knees to her chest, back resting against a withering tree in their enclosure. It was like slow motion, watching the other unfortunate tributes curl in on themselves in an attempt to offer comfort to their unfortunate bodies.
Celia had really tried not to become attached to her fellow district citizens, but of course she had kindled a friendship with a select few.
Wovey - the sweet girl from District Eight. She was young. Celia had opted not to ask the child her age as she knew it would only break her own heart further. Wovey had picked a bright yellow dandelion around dusk, handing it to Celia with a smile.
The bright weed was still clasped in Celia's hands even as she jumped awake at the sound of a branch breaking. Two figures looming near the fence.
From the colorful tool skirt, Celia knew one of the silhouettes to be Lucy Gray. And she could only assume the other was Coriolanus. The two talked in hushed voices as Celia quickly jumped to her feet, still with a tight grip on the dandelion.
She hesitantly approached the pair, "Coriolanus?"
The blond on the other side of the gate straightened up at the sound of her voice. Lucy Gray took a step back, eyes grazing over Celia's figure as she slowly stepped forward.
"I'm sorry, hon. Did we wake you?" Lucy Gray's voice cracked as she attempted to subtly wipe her tears.
"It's alright," Celia reassured. "Wasn't sleeping well anyway." Her gaze flew back to the mentor, "Coriolanus, are you alright?"
He cleared his throat and shuffled on his feet awkwardly. "I'm doing well now. Thank you.." As the sentence died off, Lucy Gray was quick to remind him of Celia's name. "Right. Thank you, Celia."
"Celia helped me dig you out." Lucy Gray spoke up, gauging her mentor's reaction. "I couldn't have gotten you out by myself."
Coriolanus tightly shut his eyes and shook his head with a faux smile. "Thank you, Celia. Without you, I wouldn't be here."
The girls were pleased with his reaction, not taking note of how hard it seemed for him to keep his real reaction at bay. Celia hadn't done anything to wrong Coriolanus, but he still saw her as an annoyance. Somebody so close to Lucy Gray could easily pose as a distraction, a threat even.
"Of course," Celia smiled weakly, stepping closer to stand beside Lucy Gray. A thick tension settled over the trio. "Sorry," Celia started. "I can- I can leave you two be-"
