Chapter 6
I'm in a hospital bed. I can feel the cool sheets over me, and hear the soft beep of machines nearby.
I hate it.
I sit up quickly, and flex my arms and legs, ignoring a screeching protest from my right arm's muscles. At least this time, I'm not tied down. I look around, and see white, the horrible white, but it's fringed by blue and greens, breaking it. Good. I supress a shiver, at the last time I was in hospital. I look down at my arm, wrapped up tightly in a bandage. There are only five beds in this room, and two are curtained off. On the one next to me, I see Johanna, who's siphoning off my morphling supply. She ignores the look of annoyance I throw at her, and I sling my legs out of bed, disconnecting the wires. Suddenly they wail, and bleep loudly and frantically, and the doors at one end of the room fly open.
To my surprise, it's my own mother; but she's wearing a proper doctor's outfit, and clutching a clipboard. She sort of reminds me of Effie. Mum embraces me, careful not to hurt my arm, then forces me back in bed, not noticing Johanna, who was discreetly still taking my morphling.
"Honey?" mum says softly, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ears. I open my mouth to speak, but she shushes me, and checks on my arm. After checking and examining me, she smiles warmly and takes my hands in hers.
"Katniss don't try to walk about for a while, ok? The bullet burst a vein, but we were able to heal you. We don't want it to tear open though, so be careful." She sits down on the bed, and murmurs "Peeta and Gale were in here earlier. Everyone has been at some point of another since the –"she pauses, and I take the chance to blurt out "What happened? How long have I been out?" Mum nods, and replies "Only a few days. They got you back easily. You're in the hovercraft.; we haven't dared bring you back to the house yet; we think Snow sent camera people, and well, it wouldn't be exactly good if they caught you coming out of an unknown aircraft. We've told them your mildly ill, in bed at home for now." I agree to this, and look around the room. On the bed to the side of me is Finnick, asleep, his hair tousled, and looking curiously young and forlorn. I stare at him, and look back at mum. I lower my voice, and whisper "What happened with the peacekeepers and that –"my voice breaks. How can I explain without sounding crazy? I take a deep breath.
"Mum, there was a girl in the tunnels. Sixteen, I think. Mum, she had eyes from the seam, grey seam eyes. C'mon, you've lived here your whole life. Has anyone ever been taken from here? Or gone missing?" I lean forward eagerly, while mum concentrates on plumping my pillows. Finally, she gives a sigh, and meets my eyes, smoothing the sheets.
"No, love. No one. Except from dead tributes, no one at all went to the capitol." She stops, and gives me a reassuring, but worried smile. "Finnick saw the girl. She…she was trying to kill you. You would have died. Whoever she is, she's a capitol's trained assassin." She nodded to me smartly, and swept away. Obviously to stop me from protesting any further. I lay back on the bed, fuming. I know she was form the seam. I also know she tried to kill me. But why would the capitol get someone form district 12 to be an assassin? Why not 1, 2 or 4? The career districts? I frown, and close my eyes. I'll find out about Athena in the morning.