I'm allowed to shower myself, but there's a guard at the door and an Avox right outside who passes me things that I need to be sure that I don't have access to anything dangerous. She had worked with us at the training center I realize which is why she looks familiar; but I don't remember her name at first.
I wonder if they'll give me my leg back when I get out or not. Since they've allowed me one again it's been much more basic than the original. Helps keep their mutt on a leash though. It cant get wet, doesn't move very smoothly, so it's hard for me to run.
I lower myself to the bottom of the shower and sit. Why they've brought me in here I don't know. There's a random thought about sitting there forever until use up all the Capitol's water supply or wash myself down the drain somehow, or if I can hold my mouth open long enough to drown myself.
The Avox raps on the side of the shower room and I lean over to open the door a crack, "Yes?"
She looks concerned seeing me on the floor.
"I'm okay. Just..." I don't want to get into it.
She makes a gesture which I infer means the time is up. I pull up on the rails and get out of the shower dripping for the towel. She has a pair of pants for me, not the ones I was wearing for the interview, but not the plain pants I've been wearing during rehearsal days either. The guard is holding my leg and shows no sign of giving it back. Despite my protests that I'm okay the Avox helps me put the pants on. She makes a gesture I don't understand but I'm guessing having seen it a few times means something like, "it's okay" or "no problem" or maybe "it's my job".
"So...what happens now?" I ask the guard, "Hospital-?" I'm about to ask something else, but he puts up the hand holding my leg in a dismissive rather than handing over motion and appears to be listening to something. After a moment he walks towards the two of us. I think for a moment he's handing over the leg but instead he raises it up as a weapon. Years of Mom's rolling pin are probably nothing like a prosthetic leg but it's not me that gets hit with it it's the Avox woman and she goes down with a strangled noise.
I launch myself at him before he can fully raise the arm again but balance is not the best on the one leg and I wind up falling between the two of them. It does mean I can block him instead and try to wrestle the leg from him and push the Avox to get out of the way given she did move when I almost fell on her.
The guard gets this slight smile on his face and I can fill my shoulder throbbing from where the blow hit. When he moves I swing hoping I can use my one leg and the fact I'm pretty solid still to somehow knock him off balance. He's solid too and wearing armor which doesn't help but he teeters enough that a shove from my not throbbing shoulder gets him on his back and he goes down with a thud. This unfortunately brings other guards in from outside, and gets me stun blasted.
My shoulders and wrists are aching, and I realize as I come too with the groggy drug hangover that it's because I'm hanging at an awkward angle, suspended by my wrists from the wall. I'm not alone in the small room. The Avox woman from before is there, Lavinia, her name is Lavinia, and after a moment the door opens and someone else is kicked into the room. They make an odd gurgling sound as they fall on the floor spittle and blood spilling from their mouth as a guard kicks him in the stomach over and over and then drags him to the wall and chains him up I realize then this is the other Avox who worked on our floor of the training center, Darius.
This has all been a trick. They must have planned this. They killed the prep team and Portia because they had contact with me before, because we were friends, and therefore clearly must have been co-conspirators in the rebellion and now this. These people also helped with Katniss and I. The Capitol is making them suffer because of me.
This is my fault.
Maybe I am the enemy.