Busy. I've been incredibly busy. It's been so long, but it's here. Hopefully, the next chapters will be uploaded within 2-3 days.
Now, the chapter to follow the itty bitty cwiff anger. (yes i was kidding about that, last chapter) Happy reading!
Chapter 24
In my subconscious, it's a nightmare that never ends; I can't wake up from it. Memories dreamt, are given disturbing qualities. Other dreams are all about the war.
I dream I'm being held in the Capitol and I'm trying to fight my way free, but it's no use. Then, I watch as all my friends die; Gale is shot in the head, Finnick dies of poisonous gas, and Johanna drowns in a street flood. Prim is off in the distance of a battle, but before I can reach her, she gets blown up by bomb. I'm starting to question if it's a dream. It could all be real, but I'm too lethargic to stop any of it.
As I slowly wake up, I feel I can't move. Restraints? Maybe it's sleep paralysis. A group of people, concealed in shadows, surround me. It looks like we're in a high ceiling hospital room, with rows of other beds. The only thing is a see a huge dark wave of water rushing in to flood the room. I'm shouting to alert them of the wave, but they seem not to care.
I'm trying to get free from my restraints, and I'm still shouting, when I feel the wave crash onto me. The shadowed people are gone with the wave, and I still fight my restraints. I can't hold my breath for any longer, and then I'm drowning. I feel the water fill up my lungs. It's not a good feeling. I close my eyes tightly waiting to die, but I don't.
When I open my eyes, I see I'm in a plain, white, regular room. It looks like a hospital room, but there are no machines. Only the bed I'm in and a chair beside me. I look down to find restraints all over me, but there are only cuffs at my wrists. The small relief diminishes, while I begin to panic. I may not be dead, but I'm still somewhere were I'm not supposed to be.
I remember being drugged, and people coming into our boarding cell. I must have been kidnapped, but what about my mother? I didn't get the chance to wake her up. Was she kidnapped too? Or what if she's… dead? The thought makes my breathing uneasy. I hate being in the dark. I need some answers from somebody.
I look to the wall on my left and I see a large mirror. It's not a mirror, from what I can figure out. A large mirror is not useful in a room like this. It's a window like in Peeta's room, meaning there are people behind it. Whoever is on the other side is behind all of this. I start shouting toward window, even though they may not be able to hear me. I pull on the cuffs repeatedly till my wrists are red and raw. I kick for a bit, but then I start to get tired, and just lay back and give up.
It seems like an hour goes by, and still no answers. Then another hour goes by. As from what it feels like. Who knows, maybe it's been days. I stare at the ceiling to keep from thinking what's really could be happening right now. My mother and my friends could all be dead. Whoever brought me here must have been from the Capitol, which means District 13 could be breached. What about Dr. Odessa? Was she a spy for the Capitol this whole time?
Maybe she felt guilt when I had that last appointment. That would explain her distance. She was unable to act happy and cheery, because of what she had to do. Bringing Peeta along added to her guilt. She was just another person who was working for the Capitol. Maybe she didn't really care about me. She just acted nice, because it was her cover. I hate her for letting me trust her.
Another, what feels like, hour goes by. I feel tired, despite all the sleep I should have gotten from being drugged. I'm afraid of falling asleep, because who knows what they'll do to me while I'm asleep. Also, I don't want to go into sleep paralysis and start hallucinating again.
I get this feeling of anxiety. Am I still pregnant? I look down at my stomach and slowly pull the covers off. There it is; the bulge of the baby. I'm relieved to see it there, but then I fill with dread with the thought of these people knowing I'm pregnant. I just want these people to come and tell me what's going on. What do they plan to do? I don't care how bad it is. I just want to know what it is, or all be left to imagine the worst.
I think about another hour later, I hear the door being opened. I'm bracing myself, even though I may know who it already is. The door opens, and while I was expecting Snow, it's actually my lovely doctor from Thirteen.
I keep my emotions inside, and keep a stern expression. She walks over with an IV drip and expression of discountenance. She puts it beside my bed, while she avoids my gaze. She rubs my arm with alcohol, and is about to insert the needle, when she holds on to my arm to stop me from moving. I don't budge, and while she inserts it I speak up.
"You were never in the District's 13's army, were you?" my voice sounds dry from the yelling.
She keeps her gaze down at my arm. "I was. I was transferred to Thirteen when I was young, along with others," she says in a low tone. I guess she doesn't want the people behind the glass to see her talking with me. I have to ask her something.
"Has District 13 been taken?" She continues bandaging the IV in my arm.
"No it hasn't," she says in a whisper. "But they're planning to." With that, she gets up and leaves.
There are so many questions I still have, but I won't get any answer to any of them. All I can think about is all the people in Thirteen. What would Coin do? Most of the district's military is here, in the Capitol. At least that's where I think "here" is. It seems the Capitol is for taking District 13, so they don't want to completely destroy something they want to acquire. I wonder if they'll try using bombs again. It brings me back to the memory of it.
Another noise is heard from outside the door. I hear speaking then, a hand turns the knob. In comes President Snow in all his glory, and a pair of peacekeepers. He has a sly smile on his face I want to slap off. I return the same smile, he laughs at my imitation.
"I hope you didn't mind the process of bring you here. Wait, I'm sure you don't remember, so there is nothing to mind." He says in his low hoarse voice. The rose in his front pocket is making me nauseous. I don't speak and keep eye contact. I'm not afraid of this man.
"Oh, and congratulations," He adds. "We found out you were expecting, just when you did. It was quite a surprise, but nonetheless a wonderful thing."
"Dr. Odessa was your spy," I say more like a comment, not a question.
"Yes, along with others," He pulls the chair a little farther from my bed, and sits down. "Who would have thought that your doctor would be one of our spies? It was luck on our part. We didn't plan that."
"Lucky you," I say sarcastically.
"And now that you're here, we plan to take advantage of your visit." He says it casually, like I chose this.
"How?" I say sternly.
"Don't worry, it won't be for long. You just do a few things for us, and then you'll be out of this for good." You'll be out of this for good is dead, I'm assuming.
"Well thank you, but what if I decline?" I say.
He moves closer. The blood on his breath makes me gag. His snake-like eyes stare straight at me.
"You won't decline. You would like to see your mother again, wouldn't you?"
I look straight at him, and study his expression. His posture is stiff, while he shouldn't be too worried if I'm cuffed. He continues with his sly smile, but it looks like the rest of his face is frowning.
"You're lying. You don't have her." I say.
He looks slightly taken back, but then slightly grins. "Good guess. She's not here. She escaped for her own good," he says. "But, you should've played along. We can't hold you with your own life, so I guess we'll resort to your child's."
I was afraid of this. Of course he would use it against me. If he just took my life, then we'd both be dead. He wants to kill the baby and leave me. They'll continue to use me for the Capitol's side. How do you go on, when there's a life inside you and it's just cruelly taken away?
"You'll do what we tell you," he says. "First thing, you should get ready for your televised showing. They'll make you more presentable and conceal that bump or yours."
I don't say anything, and watch as he leaves the room. I make my hands into a fist and pull on the cuffs with all my force. The cuff cut into my wrists and I give up and lay my head back. If they televise my capture, then it would only mean to stall the rebellion. That's the most they could do with me, right? Coin wouldn't risk much for my rescue. I wouldn't let them stop their task of taking the Capitol for my sake.
But the people would. They see me as something in important in this. It started with the flowers for Rue, the berries, the speech in District 11 on the Victory Tour, the fighting in the war, the speech in District 2 after blowing up the Peacekeepers' HQ. If I die, then I would be some kind of martyr and people would fight for that, but the only thing is, Snow won't kill me. He wants them to see he has me alive. All I can do is go along with Snow's plan till I find a plan to kill myself somehow.
The door opens, and in comes Dr. Odessa with peacekeepers. She injects something into my IV, and it immediately makes me feel hazy. She walks out of the room, while the peacekeepers detach the cuffs from the bed. They grab hold of my arms and walk me out of the room roughly.
The hallway is a plain gray, with multiple white doors with little windows on each. I can't help but think if this is where Peeta, Annie, and Johanna were kept. We reach the end of the hall and go in an elevator. My perception is clouded, so I can't see what floor we're at.
We go down a more decorated hallway and into a room. A group of serious looking stylists turn their heads when they hear us come in. They're absolutely silent. They're nothing at all like my stylists.
"She's been drugged?" asks a man.
"Yes," answers the peacekeeper.
"Over here please," says a woman in a serious tone. The peacekeepers lift me by my arms and put me standing on a platform. The peacekeepers stand aside and the stylists put makeup on me. My hair is washed, combed, and blow-dried. They brush it and leave it down. Another stylist puts a sort of corset thing around my waist. They tighten it so much, that I let out a yelp of pain. It only reduces the bulge some and it makes it a little more difficult to breathe.
"It still shows some, but it won't be noticeable in the dress," says the male stylist. A dress is put over my shoulders. Through my blurry perception, I see it's black, empire waist, and ends at my knees. It's good for concealing a not-supposed-to-be-pregnant rebellion symbol. The female stylist holds my face in her hand. Her fingers dig into my face, and I want to pull away, but it's useless. She holds tighter and puts a light pink gloss on my lips. She finally lets go, but some peacekeepers hold me by the arms again, and take me off the platform. My perception is slowly coming back, and I then I see myself in a mirror. Concealed and simple. They don't want to overdress their enemy.
I'm pushed along down the hallway and into the elevator. I see we stop at the second lowest floor. The button for the lowest floor is only labeled with a letter D. It could mean dungeons, where I'm assuming I'm being held. The doors slide open and we're in front of double doors. A peacekeeper shoves them open with one arm, and pushes me in with the other.
It's a large room with a stage. Around the stage are rows of seats. The set on the stage I recognize from Peeta's interview. The left half is where Peeta was interviewed by Claudias. The other half is higher set. On it, is a podium with the Capitol seal. It's where Snow was televised with Peeta when he gave out the plans of the bombing. Behind the podium is a huge screen showing the seal over a map of Panem. I'm led down the aisle of chairs and then pushed to walk the steps to the stage. They sit me down in a smooth leather loveseat. They tell me to stay there and be quiet, but I don't understand where everyone else is.
"Where's Snow?" I ask the peacekeeper.
"Don't worry about it," he says rudely. I stay seated and survey the room for exits, other peacekeepers, and possible obstacles from escaping. Ten minutes later, the double door open and in comes Snow along with a crowd of others. The film crew sets up and lights up the stage. A man comes up and hands me a paper.
"What's this?" I ask, my voice is still slightly scratchy.
"You're lines," answers Snow. "You will not say much. They'll be displayed on a screen and you'll read them off, just as they're put. You make them believe what you're saying. You don't do well enough, you lose it." He walks away and takes his position behind the podium. A pair of important looking officials takes stances behind him. He's given some makeup by a stylist and he waves her away. I skim the paper quickly and notice it's calling for a cease fire. Still? Isn't a little late for that? I continue to read and see there's a part where I announce that I join the Capitol. How am I going to make this sound believable?
A man hooks a small microphone to my dress and then cameras are pointing at me and Snow. Snow will make an announcement of my capture, and speak about the rebellion. The cameras will film me say my lines, and then Snow will dismiss with a final word. Doesn't sound too hard.
Wrong. My breathing is quick and my arms shake. I try to keep still and calm, but my heart starts palpitating and it causes the baby inside of me to kick. I'm not ready, but nonetheless the director says it; Action.
So, next chapter will be another POV. I wanted the story all in Katniss' POV, but then we wouldn't know what's going on back in 13. So I'm going try that out...
-cheezebuns