Princess of the Sea
By: CyanideMuffins7
Chapter 28: Monochrome Reality
Disclaimer: I own nothing of the Hunger Games, the trilogy or any of the characters Suzanne Collins has created. I only take credit for the characters I have created and the plot I have made.
An endless abyss of darkness encompassed me like a warm blanket, or was it really a blanket? My nose smells a clean, distinct smell of some type of antiseptic. I must be in some hospital. If I'm being treated for the venom, I'm no doubt closely monitored. I realize that all the feeling of the venom has vanished as well as any other pain I suffered.
My ears clearly pick up clicks of shoes not too far from me along with a voice of a man. It's a voice I do not recognize though. He's mumbling numbers to himself and writing something down. A light buzz goes off and he walks off, but I can hear him talking.
"Yes, she just came out of surgery five hours ago." He doesn't speak for a while but sighs before speaking again, "Well I've been monitoring her and she appears to be doing fine: her heart rate went down about two hours ago, her skin is regaining color, her muscles are relaxing and her brain waves indicate she's becoming aware of her surroundings." Another slight pause, "No, she's getting better because of the magical fairy dust I sprinkled on her. Of course the Penumbra venom has been extracted, not a drop is left in her system." He said in a sarcastic tone. Silence followed and he coughs before speaking. "I apologize. She needs time to recuperate from the surgery and we can get into fixing her up in about two and a-" He was cut off with slight chatter on the other end.
"Fine two days." He mutters before static cuts him off.
My conscious slips into a blissful sleep. I have no dreams. All I dream of is darkness and static. I don't know how long I sleep before my flickering eyes are greeted by a soft white light surrounding the whole clean white room. My vision is blurry like I'm looking underwater. It takes a few blinks to see the back of a man wearing black standing in front of two women wearing pure white uniforms with green colored hair.
"All of her scars have been eradicated from her skin. But that scar she received in the beginning of the games will need to go under intense care in order for it to be fully healed." Says one of the women while she looks down at the ground.
"No, I don't want her skin to be treated any further. She's fine with the scar." says the man in black as he crosses his arms.
The other woman looks at him, "The scar must be treated, we have been-" she begins until the man in black cut her off, "Nonsense. I will work with it."
I notice that the only color on the man in black is the tips of blue on the ends of his long hair, "And if you proceed without my knowledge, then I'll see to it that your tongues are plucked from your small, pestering mouths." He threatened in a polite and calm manner.
My eyes close again into darkness. Time seems to fly by and I regain consciousness again by the sound of a voice. I slowly open my eyes slightly to see Finnick sitting by my bedside with his hands on the edge of the bed. I also get a good look at some restraining bands that are around my waist, wrists and ankles along with tubes inserted into my right and left arms. I guess they still don't trust a half conscious girl.
"I promised myself that I would never let anyone experience what Annie had to suffer. I tried to convince your Sponsors to help you out by sending what you need but they just wanted to see you squirm and work out of desperation. " Finnick quavered as his head hung low.
"I even bribed them when certain situations became dire for you. But they ignored me." He jeered as he rested his elbows on the edge of the bed and ran his fingers through his clean bronze hair.
"I'm sorry Pandora. I tried my best. I'm sorry…I'm sorry…"
I watch as the gold colored liquid slips down the tube and into my arm. Suddenly my eyes close and I go unconscious. This time I'm out for a while, and I don't know how long. But when I open my eyes, the only restraint on me is the ones around my ankles but the tubes are gone as well as all the fancy medical equipment. The only thing in the room is the machine that keeps track of my heart, a white end table and the bed that I'm restrained to.
My vision is fine and I can see as clear as day. I slowly sit up and look around the windowless, white room. Everything looks so clean. It looks like no one has ever set foot in here. My body feels sore and I think I should evaluate the damage. I lift my weak arms and every scar is gone. I lift up the covers to see the wound on my thigh is gone. I place my hands over my face to feel the cut on my cheek but it's gone. My wounds and scars aren't just vanished, but my skin feels so soft and clean like silk.
I jump as the wall slides open and Nimbus walks in the room with a silver tray in his hands. He looks at me wide eyed like he's scared that he did something wrong. I calm once I saw his face settled in. He hesitantly steps forward toward me and places the tray on the white end table. I want to ask Nimbus how long I've been here but I just keep my mouth shut. I don't want to pester him and it's not like I'm going to get a straight answer out of him.
Nimbus fluffs my pillow and adjusts my position so my back is straight. I look up to Nimbus and decided to break the silence, "Am I dead?" was the only thing I could think of. I mean, I could be dead. I could have died at the last minute, after Claudius Templesmith announced I was the winner.
Nimbus shakes his head with a frown. He must think I'm outrageous for saying such a thing. I don't have the strength to eat the bowl of light brown broth, so Nimbus takes the spoon and takes a spoonful. He extends his arm out towards my mouth but I don't open it. He keeps the spoon out for a chance I open my mouth, but it remains closed.
I'm not sure what's in that broth. It could have some type of sleep syrup so I have to go back to sleep. I can't trust what they bring me.
I look over to Nimbus as he kneels down and strokes my back. A reassuring smile curls his lips as he looks at me with the spoon in front of my face. Nimbus is not the enemy. He's my friend. His smile is all I need to know that everything is going to be alright, that and his face was turning beet red.
I smile back and opened my mouth for the spoon. The broth warmed my belly after so much vomiting in the arena. It feels like I haven't eaten in weeks. Is that how long I've been out?
After the last sip, Nimbus places the spoon on the bowl and picks up the tray. He stands up with the tray, "Thank you." I manage to say with my hoarse voice.
Nimbus smiles back with his beet red face. He rushes out of the room and out the door. I lean back in my bed and I close my eyes for only a second. When I reopen them a man is standing by the heart monitor, pressing a few buttons until the machine turns off.
The man wears a white coat with a white collared shirt and a dark brown tie. Like all citizens of the Capitol he looks odd. His hair was delicate orange and his bangs were swept to the right in a neat fashion. As he turns to me his head towards me, the hair spiking out from the back of his head looked like the wavy rays of the sun. His skin had a slight warm yellow tint to it. In the white light, his skin and hair had a rather lovely glow. He smiles once he sees I'm awake.
"Ah, rise and shine milady." He smiles. I recognize his voice from the man I overheard talking about my surgery.
I slowly sit up from the bed. The restraints around my ankles were gone and my body didn't feel as weak before I closed my eyes. I slip my legs out of bed and slowly stand on my now sturdy legs. The man chuckled, "Slow down there kiddo." He says as he rests his hand on my back to keep me support. I wobble a moment before I regain my balance. I'm very glad I'm wearing a hospital gown. I'm not comfortable with people looking at my nude skin.
"Thanks." I mutter. The man has a very charming smile as he looks at me, "No problem. I'm Doctor Solis Wilks. I've been taking care of you like a piece of china the past few days." He introduced while patting my back.
I don't really say anything. It's pointless if I introduce myself, he already knows my name. Hell, all of Panem probably knows my name by now. So I'm just standing here awkwardly because I don't know what I'm supposed to do. But I have a million questions in my mind, and I know he can't answer all of them.
"Well, I shouldn't keep you any longer from your pomp and ceremony. You will be changing into these clothes," He says as hands me the clean outfit I wore in the arena, except it's not covered in mud and open stitches with my shell necklace on top, "and you will head down the hallway where you will be greeted by your mentor and blah blah blah." He says as he carelessly waves the air with his hand.
I retrieve my clothes, catching a whiff of soap as my clothes are placed in my hands. Doctor Wilks stuffs his hands in his coat pockets and heads to where the moving wall is. He turns to me as the wall slides open, "It's nice meeting you Pandora. I hope to see you again—just not on a gurney." He smiles.
Before he walks out of the room, I manage to ask one question that I've been wondering since the arena, "Wait, what was that poison Fitz shot at me with that dart?"
Doctor Wilks turns to me and his smile has faded. Did I ask something I'm not supposed to? But he just sighs and rubs the back of his neck, "I don't want to bore you with scientific explanations and such."
I frown, "I don't mind that much. Just give me a quick version."
It's called Penumbra venom. It comes from a mutation from the Capitol, the Penumbra which is a cross between a silver haired bat and a rattle snake. They were used during the Dark Days to ambush rebel camps. The Penumbra would camouflage on the bark of trees, hide high in trees or deep in caves. They attack in groups like bees. The bat serpents would attack by biting their victims, injecting venom that causes: major hallucinations, lowers the oxygen in your body, muscle spasms, difficulty breathing and many other symptoms. The venom is slow acting, and it eventually kills a victim within five hours.
If I suffered any longer in the arena, I would be dead.
"Anyways, you are very lucky that we retrieved you when we could or else we wouldn't have a Victor this year." He finishes as he places his hands in his pockets again.
"Well you really have to get ready so I'm forcing myself to leave. I'll see you some other time Pandora." He smiles, winking at me before he leaves the room.
I guess you can trust doctors, well at least Doctor Wilks. He speaks like I'm not just a patient but a friend. I think I'm adding the good Doctor to my trust list.
I've lost a lot of time speaking with Doctor Wilks, so I change as fast as I can out of my hospital gown and into the new clothes I received with my necklace. I rush towards the moving wall where it slides open. I enter into an empty hallway with no doors on the walls. I remember Doctor Wilks's instructions he gave me. I turn to my left and I walk down the hallway until I enter a large chamber where they were looking at me with smiles—Finnick, Iza and Nex.
I need to stay strong. I'm probably being recorded now. I walked to the three and the first person's arms I end up in are Finnick's. He holds onto me tightly and rubs my back, "You did great out there." He says proudly by my ear. Iza and Nex join in on the hug as well, crushing with their arms. Iza is wiping tears and blowing her nose with an ecru handkerchief, talking about how proud she was of me and other things I couldn't hear because she was sobbing.
I feel like something was missing from this hug. Where was Atris? That's right, being that the other tribute is gone Atris and the other prep team has lost their purpose.
After a long awkward moment, each one of them peels off of me like like chipped paint. I'm left to finally breath. Finnick pats my head and turns me to Nex, "Well it's time for you to get dolled up before talking in front of an audience again."
Nex holds his arm out for me to take. I grab onto his forearm and he escorts me to the elevator where we'll be heading up to meet my prep team again. I feel so safe when I'm with Nex. Maybe it's because he opened up to me and I feel like I can relate to him. He's really been a true friend to me, maybe one of my first real friends.
"Are you alright? I heard the surgery was intense." He asks me as he keeps his eyes on the elevator doors.
I realize that I'm gripping tightly onto Nex's arm and I let go, "I'm fine. It's just still hard to grasp." I admit as I rub the back of my neatly combed hair.
Nex lightly nods his head, "Don't worry, you'll grow accustom to it for now. Just wait until you return to District 4." He reassures.
The days I was out, District 4 has been preparing for my return. They will probably throw a festival and such. I remember when Annie became victor and they threw a festival for her, but she didn't attend it and neither did Finnick. I don't plan on turning into an Annie. I'm not going to go crazy after all that's happened to me.
The elevator finally makes it stop and the doors slide open. My prep team stood right out of the door with smiles on their faces, "Congratulations dear!" Mek yells out, "We're so proud of you!" says Katarina as she jumps up and down.
Mek and Katarina are about to run to me, but Sala-M holds them back, "She just got a body polish. Your claws and talons are only going to ruin her skin." Sala-M says as she flaps around Mek and Katarina's hands.
I'm then lead out of the elevator and to the dining room with Nex and my prep team. We sit down to eat beef stew with cut vegetables like carrots, potatoes and peas along with freshly baked rolls. I'm already full just after one bowl.
I'm then taken to my room where my prep team prepares me for Nex. They place me in the nice warm shower until I come out smelling like soothing chamomile. Mek gives me a yellow silk robe to wear as my prep team fixes my hair and does my makeup. Their conversation consisted of the Games, "The District 7 boy was a bit crazy, wasn't he?" "Lena got what was coming to her." "Those jawless creatures gave me the chills." I don't want to talk about the Games, but I know that's what it's going to come to when I met the audience again.
My prep team babbles on about the Games until Nex walks in with a celadon colored dress. I observe as I stand up, "It's an odd color if you're still using an ocean theme." I admit.
Nex lightly shrugs and I take off my robe. I slip on the smooth silk dress over my body. Nex places my necklace around my neck, "The first thing I liked about you from the start wasn't just your personality and your unique looks, but your eyes." He says as he turns me to the large ornate mirror.
This time, I'm wearing light mint green cap sleeves with a v neck ruffled neckline. The ruffles went all the way down to the hem line that reaches to the floor. Katarina helps me into ivory heels, making sure I keep my balance as I stand in them.
"I have never seen such color in anyone's eyes before. So I wanted to make sure all of Panem never forgets them." Nex continues as he walks away from me for a moment.
I can't pry my eyes away from the mirror. The dress is simplistic yet it still makes me look stunning. My eyes especially pop from the makeup and the dress. Nex returns with a hand held mirror and slowly turns me around so my back is facing the giant mirror. Nex hands me the hand held mirror and positions my hands so I can look at my bare back, revealing my lightning scar that reached down my back all the way to the side of my neck. The branches stretched out around the left side of my back as well as my shoulder. I slowly position the mirror to my left side to see the branches reaching over my shoulder and up neck so it is visible. Nex made this dress to really accent the only scar I have. He has outdone himself.
"Do you like it?"
I nod to Nex, "It's beautiful." Was my only reply. I do admire my beauty, but there's something deep inside of my heart that tells me I shouldn't feel this way. I can't think of the feeling quite yet.
Nex and my prep time file me out of my room and into the elevator where we are taken to the level where the Tributes trained. I've never worn heels before and it feels uncomfortable. But years of dance has put me into a graceful and balanced position, so walking in them is a cakewalk. As tradition, I'm accompanied with my whole support team to be raised from beneath the stage. But Nex and his trio of pets ran off to get ready themselves, which leaves me alone for the moment. I hear someone cough and I sharply turn around to see Atris standing a few yards from me. She wears a black lace dress that reaches to her knees and her slick white hair brushed over her shoulder.
"Hello Atris." I greeted while calming down. Atris nodded and timidly approaches me as I hear the clicks of her black heels. As she came closer, I noticed that her eyes seemed watery and her nose was a little bit red. Was Atris crying?
"Are you alright?" I ask while tilting my head to see her face clearly.
Atris nods again, "I'm fine." She sobs as she pulls out a black handkerchief from her small bag. I pull Atris in for a hug, because I know she needs it. Atris hugs me tightly and sobs into my scarred shoulder, which doesn't seem to hurt at all.
"He really liked you." I hear her whisper near my ear. Hei didn't just "really like" me, he loved me. There's a difference between the two, I don't see why she has to sugar coat everything.
"Everyone saw him as a crazy, deranged psychopath. But when I first met him, he was brooding by the window. When I first talked to him, he was so kind, gentle and sensitive. It was hard to believe that everyone interpreted him as such a horrible boy."
It would be hard to imagine Hei like that. But after all that's happened, for what he has done for me, that it's true. I can honestly believe it. If Hei never had bullied me, would everything have turned out the way it did? But if that happened, Hei and I would have been the remaining Tributes which means that we would have either ended up in a bloodbath, or he would have let me kill him willingly.
Atris pulls back from the hug and looks at me, "I just wish you two would have ended up winning together." She sniffs.
I nod courteously, and Atris walks away from me and walks into the elevator. I stand by myself for a moment until Nex, my prep team, Iza and Finnick finally arrive.
The voice of Cesar Flickerman fills the sound above us as he goes into a speech about the games, recapping and such. Mek, Sala-M and Katarina walk onto the metal platform and rose up onto the stage in an instant. The crowd roars in a ripple of applause and cheers. After the prep team came Iza, then Nex and Finnick.
As I step on the platform I begin to think about how distraught Atris was. She must have really cared for Hei, like Nex cares for me, his only friend in this madness. Each time I think of Hei, my heart aches and I feel like my eyes want to water, but I hold them back.
All of these feelings, the deep feeling in my heart, heart aches and wanting to cry, I know what they mean. I realize that I don't just wish that Hei and I could have won together; I wish we could have been together.
Because deep down, I know I love Hei back.