Chapter 8
When I finally come around I find myself in a tiny hospital room. What am I doing here? Little tubes tug on my arm & when I sit up there's a rushing through my head that makes me nearly lose my balance. My door is slightly ajar so I can see down the hallway a man in a white doctor's coat. I've never seen any place this… well, this clean. Everything is so shiny & new that it makes me feel out of place, like a dusty shoe in a sparkling, bright closet. I must have arrived in the Capitol.
I quickly wave down the man passing & luckily he sees me. "She's awake!" He calls over his shoulder & practically runs over to me. When he nears I see that his face is dripping with sweat. His thin grins seem crazed, & I jerk back as he tries to examine my arm.
"Let me see her." A voice snaps. It's Audante's voice. He pushes the man aside & leans over me. "Are you hurt? Did anyone in that hovercraft touch you?" His anger was starting to scare me.
"Umm.. n- no…" I answer shakily. I've never seen him this way- so angered & vicious. Maybe since he's at home now, in the Capitol, & knows I can't back out of our marriage now.
"Good." He nods quickly. "Wouldn't want you all bruised up for the wedding, now would we?" He makes a very stern face at the shaking doctor & walks out the door.
A shiver runs through me as I watch him waltz out. "Ri- right. Well uh, I ran some tests & you seem uh, fine. They need you upstairs for some prepping for the big day tomorrow so uh, I'll just remove those." His ice cold hands yank out the clear tubes from my skin & now my head is really spinning. What did that man on the hovercraft inject in me, & why is everyone acting so strange? I thank him while he leaves & change into some clothes waiting by the chair next to me.
Cautiously I step out into the open halls. When I pass by I hear hysterical cries echo throughout the tiny rooms & I slowly realize where I am. I'm in the Psychiatric Unit. The hospital for all the crazy & mentally sick. My episode in the hovercraft must have placed me a new room in here. Eventually I find the elevator & rise onto the second floor. Of course, there's someone waiting for me.
"Hi!" I cheerful woman greets me, waving a hand with practically claws on the end of each thin finger. She has wild hair that is swirled pink & purple, bouncing around on the side of her head. "I'm Cadence!" She tries shuffling me to the end of the room, but I'm reluctant to go. My heels dragging as she gives me a harder push. "Come… on.." She grunts putting her strength into it. Wow, is she persist or what. I finally let her drag me into a fluffy green chair. "Okay! Aha, you have quiet the personality don't you!" She wags her finger at me & giggles happily.
"I haven't even said anything yet." I answer miserably. This is going to be torture.
"Of course, well uh, this is Elicit." She reaches a light hand onto the shoulder of a very thin & mousey girl. Her hair is stick straight with blunt bangs shimmering metallic silver. Her big eyes look to me then back to Cadence, & shyly she waves at me. I wave back slowly, unsure of what to say. I barely know what's going on, or what even happened, but I seriously doubt that either of these two would know.
"Alright! Well we're just going to uh, make you over for the big day tomorrow!" Cadence squeals & rushes towards me, grabbing me by the wrists & dragging me to my feet. I can't tell whether it's the drugs stirring through my bloodstream, the fact that I never wanted to go through with any of this, or just Cadence's annoying enthusiasm for everything, that I'm feeling absolutely exhausted. They spend about half an hour bathing me in this bathtub, scrubbing every inch of my body with weird colored soaps & smelly creams. Really I've never been shy about my body so it isn't too weird having these two strangers bathe me, but I'm more to the point where I just don't care anymore.
Once my hair has been soaked, shampooed, & combed, & a fluffy towel is wrapped around my clean shoulders, Cadence rushes out of the room to grab my evening gown for tonight's dinner. This leaves me & Elicit alone in silence. I keep the fuzzy bath towel tightly wound around me & look at Elicit. She was a very strange looking girl- very skinny & pale. Her thick eyelashes fan over her rosy cheeks like a butterfly resting on a flower. It wasn't until she began looking around that I realized I was intensely staring at her & it was making her extremely uncomfortable. She looked so nervous around me, like I was a crazed flesh eating monster. I quickly consider my options: one, make her like me by being kind & starting a friendly conversation. Two, continue to stare until the annoying one gets back. Or three, enjoy the few hours left of my freedom & totally freak her out. Well, it had been a long time since I've had a good laugh.
"I'm really talented in hairdressing." I bluntly told the girl. She glances over at me & smiles tightly.
"That's nice." I continued to stare, & so she quickly dropped her gaze.
"I can do your hair, if you like. Just a quick hairdo or something." I say loud & plain. She looks at me & gives me a queasy smile.
"Umm.."
"Just sit in the chair, right there." I point towards the chair.
"Oh, uh, okay.' Her voice was tiny & squeaky, but she obeys & slides into the chair.
"Okay. Wait right here while I find a comb & hair bands." I run over to the table in the bathroom where they had scrubbed me clean, & jumbled through all of the cosmetics. To be honest, I have never seen any of these before & know nothing about hairstyling, but it felt like a good day to learn. Just as I grab a sparkly comb my towel decided to flop to the ground. Quickly I curse under my breath & search wildly for something to hold it up. I spot a shiny clip & snap it to the towel, securing it into place. I run back over to the chair at Elicit. "Got it!" I shout & walk over to her.
When I approach her I can tell she's frightened- her eyes wide & nails sunk deeply into the chair. "Just relax." I tell her as I take the shiny & silvery hair into my rough fingers. I take the comb & begin to run it through her hair. "Ah, you know this is really a beautiful color." I compliment her, making sure she's feeling comfortable.
"Oh thank you." She smiles.
"Did you know that I live in District 4?" I say smoothly.
"Oh, yeah! Aha." She giggles, already beginning to relax.
"Yeah, this silver reminds me of all of the fish I've caught over the years." I smile to myself.
"Er, oh, ha ha." I can tell that comparing fish to her hair disgusted her.
"Ha. Well you know, I have this big strong spear that I use to fish with." I begin to ease closer to her, & I can tell by mentioning a weapon she has become stiff.
"I use this really big, machete knife to sharpen it, making sure its point can slice through any flesh." I continue combing through her soft hair. "You wanna know how I kill the fish?" I wait a second for her to reply but nothing comes out but a tiny squeak. "Well, first I wade into the water so stealthy, that no living creature can tell I'm there. I usually use a little bit of worm blood to spread across the surface of the calm waters, to draw in the hungriest of the fish. Soon enough they smell it & begin swimming towards the blood, & sometimes I'll even let the worm dangle a little for them." I inch closer to her ear, & begin to talking slow & suspenseful. "Then, right when I see the fish gaze up at me, I look down into its brainless eyes & spear it right through its flesh, its bone, & finally through its tiny, little heart. And then you know what I do. I take it home & slice it open, spilling its guts everywhere. And then… I CHOP OFF ITS HEAD." I yell loudly next to her ear, just as the door flings open & Elicit jumps, shrieking loudly. Cadence stands shocked in the doorway, holding my wedding gown up into the air. I do my best to conceal my wide grin, but Cadence just gives me a guilty look.
"Goodness!" Elicit shrieks & jumps quickly from the chair, counting each strand on her head as if I had ripped it out.
I stifle another laugh, turning my head as Cadence shoots me sharp looks. "What is going on in here?" She demands in her shrill voice. Looking back at Elicit I see her animated eyes are darting around, chest heaving rapidly. "Look. We know that you don't want to marry him. We know you have had a rough life & that you have a hard time handling yourself. But you have no choice, & taking it out on us will not change anything!"
My eyes open widely in shock as I hear the words spilling from her mouth. How did they know I don't love him? Am I really that see- through, that predictable? And 'can't handle myself' they must be referring to my state of mind. It has never been that I can't handle myself; I just can't handle what happens around me. The fact that I have no control over anything- that one moment I can be sitting quietly with my young & beautiful sister, & the next she is dragged away from me, & thrown into a terrible mess of torture. I can handle myself just fine- it's these awful things I have a hard time handling.