The thorns on this rose are never ending

“Nice clothing choice Rosaline.” Olive was sitting in the common area, her headphones on when she noticed the older mentor. She knew why the woman was wearing such a baggy outfit. For almost a year after her arena she couldn’t bear any friction on her skin, she’d felt taken apart like a jigsaw puzzle. The punishment six months ago had almost brought her tumbling back to that state, but she’d managed to claw her way out of it with help from trainers and a very mute physical therapist. “Feeling better I presume.”

“Beat it, Blackwell, or I’ll rip your freshly re-grown skin off.” Rosa hissed as the Capitolite hurried away. Despite the threats, the punishments, despite everything, she was still angry. And her anger could not be contained. She wanted to sit down, to relax, or just to beat someone up, but neither was possible. “Feeling peachy.” She said mockingly. “Why don’t you go and mop around on your damn floor?”

Kaelen lifted his eyebrows but didn’t retort that he’d told his tributes to meet him where he was standing. He figured it wouldn’t matter much if he tried to argue. “Just wanted to show them around.”

“What for? Neither of them will be here long enough to remember any of it.” Rosa said angrily, her emotions still running wild.

“So let me get this straight,” she said as she stood on her feet. “You want me to hoard myself in my room so I can end up, what? The fiftieth causality in your long line of failures? Not exactly my style, queenie.”

“Or you can get on my damn nerves and I can make sure you don’t get out of your Arena.” Rosa hissed angrily, walking over to her Tribute. Quite frankly, that was the luxury she craved for herself. Luxury, she knew the poor kids were thankful for. “Your call.”

Her mentor seemed to be a even match for her, although she currently had the upper hand with fiery rage from an unknown source. “I’m not a child,” she answered. “I can be wherever I want as long as it’s inside this stupid tower.”

Rosa laughed, but the laughter remained full of the same anger. “So you’re stupid and naive?” She questioned her, crossing her arms. It was a bad move, and it pained her, but sometimes, pain was helpful. “You’ll be whatever I want you to be if you want to get out of that hell. And if you volunteered, you clearly do.”

“In case you haven’t noticed that is exactly what I am doing.” He folded his hands, calm in the face of her anger. He couldn’t understand what Rosa thought was normal about their lives. He’d seen normal, lived normal, and they definitely weren’t it. “I got a nice little letter after what happened. It was basically a veiled threat on our children’s lives. I’m sorry if I’m a little shaken about that. Would you like me to be more understanding? In the end it was your decision to have those children. I couldn’t have stopped you if you’d wanted to end it. Maybe I should call River over so I can apologize to him again about causing him so much distress over my deafness. After all it’s all about how you two feel, isn’t it? Somehow no matter what happens I’m the one who ends up with the regret and the blame.”

He smacked the wall. “I live to serve, Rosa. Tell me what I can do.”

“Now you’re a little shaken?” Rosa hissed, her anger only growing further as Bran remained so calm. She could just storm off. Yell at some Capitolites and Avoxes, and get her anger out. But she couldn’t just leave this hanging. Not anymore. “Our children had targets on their backs from the moment we were born- and you can play the Capitol’s bitch as much as you want, it will not change! Instead, they will just use you, and still do what they please to them! Since when do you have any faith in those bastards?!” She questioned him angrily, not even flinching when he smacked the wall. She would’ve done so much worse.

“Are you seriously comparing me with River? Is that what it’s gotten down to?” She hissed, narrowing her eyes as she suddenly stopped. It was like anger had evaporated and turned into rage. Walking up to her husband, Rosa stopped a few inches away, her body tense. “I gave you two option. Either deal with what I do, or leave.”

“So you’re telling me, you don’t love me? You’re saying the only reason that you married me was because I bugged you?” It sounded ridiculous even to his own ears. There was only one woman on this planet that he would lay down his life for and she was standing in front of him.

“No, you idiot!” Rosa hissed in frustration. She wanted to break furniture, her hands itched to burn something, to destroy, but she couldn’t. One wrong move, and she could split a stitch, or make damage to herself. “I love you. And I tried playing that stupid game of being normal- but I don’t work that way! I do not plan attacks like a team. I don’t listen to commands. I do not cooperate. Just deal with it or leave me be.”

“Don’t be stupid Rosa, just sit down. There’s no use causing yourself more pain.” He stood up from his seat when he saw her flinch. “We are a team, in case you haven’t noticed. We’ve fought together in two rebellions, had two children that despite what you say are the most amazing things in this world. Be angry with me all you want, but don’t bring them into this.”

“Don’t call me stupid!” Rosa said angrily, nearly yelling it out. Yet, she remained stubborn, refusing to sit down. She probably needed to lie down at this point. “Do I look like I play by the rules to you? We’re a team cause you bugged me! It’s not the life I was ever after, and don’t go around pretending you’re angry when it was damn obvious from the beginning!”

“No, I have. I was staring because I need your attention. Now that I have it, I need you to look through some stuff and pick out some shit for your ball dress and your interview.” 

“Not now!” Rosa nearly yelled out at her stylist.It was still beyond her how he would have chosen to be her district’s stylist. “Or ever.”

Zoe raised her hands up to play the victim before going back to lounging comfortably on the couch. “Whatever you say,” she breathed out sarcastically. 

“Raise your hands again, and I’ll break your fingers.” Rosa hissed at the tribute. She was never good with them, and now that she had someone who had volunteered into this hell, she wasn’t sure how to react. There was no normal explanation to this. “Shouldn’t you be in your room?”

Sometimes Kaelen had a habit of ending up in the wrong place at the wrong time, and now was one of those times as he found himself at the opposite end of a question from Rosa that he honestly wasn’t sure if he should answer. “Not staring,” he assured her with a shake of his head.  It was evident he felt fairly awkward in the situation he’d been caught in. “Just waiting for tributes.”

“Go and wait somewhere else.” Rosa said angrily. Her anger was unreasonable, but then again, when was it ever different when it came to her? The  Capitolite had finally departed, getting the threatening message. “No one’s training now anyway.”