Stell's POV
I can feel the fog slowly start to leave my head, and gradually, I notice the things around me. One of the first things is that, somehow, yet again, I'm not dead. I don't open my eyes though, in the back of my mind, I'm afraid of what I'll see.
I don't remember how I ended up here, can't remember the beating that knocked me out at all. Last I can think too, Kias was rushing to open my cell. He must have been caught, considering that my skin feels as though it's been rubbed raw.
But they I feel the soft touch to the bandage covering my head. Someone strokes my hair aside, and I feel soft fingertips on my forehead. They ghost around my face as well, gently stroking down my cheek. They trace around my eyes, down my nose and even under my chin. I let out a deeper breath, and the movements freeze.
Slowly, I open my eyes. I'm met with the sight of a white tile ceiling, and cautiously, I look to my side.
Mags smiles toothlessly at me as she takes my hand gently in both of hers. She squeezes it tightly and I manage a small smile for her. One hand leaves mine to come back to my face. She continues tracing it as the smile grows brighter.
"Stell." My name is soft as she says it, and I can see the tears in her eyes. I turn my head towards her, which even though it's a simple movement, I find to be exhausting. "You're safe." Mags tells me and I lift up one side of my mouth in response.
I move my eyes to glance around the room. It's mostly white, with a window opposite me, which I have to look away from almost immediately. I can hear the beeping of machines behind me and the slightly off rhyme beat of my heart.
I have to swallow when I see my arms. Only one strip of skin remains going from my palm up to my elbow, as far as I can tell. The rest has been rubbed raw, and the red of my muscle causes me to stiffen slightly.
"It's okay," I look back to Mags, "they say it got rubbed off on the road, but it'll grow back, it already has started." She points, but doesn't touch. I can see it slightly, the new skin just starting to grow out from the part that had survived. But I don't understand what she says about a road, and I decide not to ask.
I don't think I could speak even if I tried to right now. "He keeps asking to see you." I look back to Mags. "Almost got himself killed, but made it out, just in the nick of time too Peeta's told me." It takes me a moment to realize she's talking about Finnick. My lips purse together and Mags closes her mouth, stopping what she was about to say.
I can't tell what I feel when I think of him now. The thought of seeing him, the doubt that's been planted in my mind. I thought he didn't care. If he didn't care he wouldn't be worried though.
"He's been a wreck without you. Whatever they told you Stell, whatever they said he loves you." I don't look at her as she speaks, and she eventually sighs after I don't make any indication of my thoughts on the matter. She strokes my cheek once more and I feel my eyes slide closed. "Sleep child, you're very sick still."
And I listen to her, letting myself slip back into unconsciousness.
The next few days are a series of waking up and falling asleep again. I only stay awake long enough for someone to feed me, give me a drink, or so that I can get up and slowly walk the ten feet to the bathroom. I don't speak to anyone I see. Mags visits the most, and Peeta comes at least once a day.
When I first woke up to see him there, I just held his hand, squeezing it as hard as I could manage. We didn't need to say anything to each other.
Mags tells me of Finnick. He broke his arm during the invasion of the Capital, and suffered a concussion, but he's healing well.
Today though, I'm told that I will be meeting with President Coin. I'm not really looking forward to, but they did say she's coming to me, seeing as though me going to her would be impossible at the moment. I also don't see what the visit will accomplish, since I don't plan on contributing to any conversation.
But after I've been awake for nearly an hour and a half, the door slides open and a woman with gray hair walks in. I'm well enough now to sit up in bed, my back against my pillows, and I can turn my head to acknowledge her.
Her eyes narrow at me slightly, looking me over, before she smiles. "My name's Alma Coin, it's an honor to meet you Stell." I don't like her voice either, it's too calculating, as though she's put too much thought into what she says. She sits down in the chair beside my bed and folds her hands in her lap. "I thought you may like to be informed of your trail."
I feel my eyebrows go up and she smiles, though it looks more like a grimace. "You see, Soldier Everdeen and I had a deal. That as long as she upheld her end of the Mockingjay agreement, I would uphold mine. Part of that, was your immunity, as well as Peeta's. But you see, by the time we found you, practically dead in the street, she had already disobeyed orders. She had led the group she was with further into the Capital, on a private mission, vendetta shall we call it, to kill Snow."
I nod my head. That sounds about right with what I was told. "So, you will be given a fair trial. You've been accused on a major account of treason against the rebellion. The heaviest sentence you may receive is death by firing squad."
Great. This is great. Treason against the rebellion. It repeats over and over in my head. It really doesn't make sense. I was a prisoner. In the Capital. For the past seven months. When did I commit treason? While I was refusing to give them the whole escape plan details from the arena? When I wouldn't tell them members of the rebellion? While I was being whipped?
Coin dismisses herself, leaving me alone in my room. I let out a breath, cursing my life and praying that they don't give me someone like Haymitch to defend me.
"You have to be back in ten minutes. We need to hook you back up to your medications." A nurse tells me as she hands me a pair of canes that I use to help me walk. I just nod my head absently, knowing that since they're actually letting me go walk around by myself, I'm going to be gone longer than ten minutes. I don't like my medications anyways. There are about three different ones. One to keep the pain away, that one I'm okay with. One to keep me relaxed, I could do without that. And the other keeps away my nightmares. I hate it; it makes me feel lousy and tired all the time. But they don't want to risk me waking up everyone else.
I might scare someone. I'm pretty sure my general appearance still, even after ten days, will scare anyone. It still looks like someone peeled half my goddamn face off.
I hoist myself up, leaning heavily on my two canes and make my way out the door. I don't stop for a moment, afraid that she'll see me confused on where to go and make me come back, or escort me like I'm a child. I'm twenty two for Christ's sake I can handle myself.
I don't really look up as I go, focusing more on the fact that I don't want to land face first on the floor. I just like being able to actually walk and move around. I only glance up some moments when I catch sight of another hallway; I usually go that way, just for kicks.
I'm just getting the hang of a slightly faster pace, which is about half the speed of my normal walking pace, when I hear my name.
"Stell?" I barely hear him, but then, his voice always did seem to stand out from anyone else's. It was a breathy whisper, and slowly, I turn around. I bring my canes closer to my body so I can stand up straighter as I look at Finnick. He's at the other end of the hallway, and doesn't move as he stares at me. My eyes take in the white sling he has on, his right arm heavily bandaged in a thick case. The top of his forehead is wrapped in gauze too. My eyes lock onto his face, and then, I can't move.
Fear courses through my veins, making me stuck where I stand. I hear my breathing get heavier and my eyes widen. "Stell?" his voice is more panicked, and my mind reels as he starts walking towards me. I can feel myself shaking, shaking so much that I feel as though I'm about to fall over, and I can't move. Can't physically will myself to get away, to run, try to run at least. But I can't. I can't. I can't.
My head feels as though it's spinning, but my eyes stay locked onto his face. My skin feels as though it's burning and I feel blood come up from where my skin has yet to regrow, cold sweat covers the healthy patches. My chest aches harder the closer he gets, and suddenly I'm freezing cold.
So I start making noise for the first time in over a week.
I start screaming.
Okay, so things are better! Both are alive hurray! As for what's wrong with Stell, I've decided to give ya some hints, it'll be like a game and you can guess!
So here are some things you should think about with her:
1. She's not hijacked, defiantly not hijacked like Peeta was in Mockingjay.
2. She was fine hearing Finnick speak to her.
3. She didn't attack him.
Also, remember how she watched the videos of him, that should be the biggest helper ;)
Have a great day and remember you're all awesome and I love all of you. Thanks for the follows, favorites, and reviews! Keep'em coming guys!
