THIRTY SEVEN

DISTRICT 13

The room was plain grey. The only thing that held colour was the light, and even then, it was a dim yellow that hurt her eyes at first. Her fingers flexed, stretching the muscles that were so tired and tensed. She looked around, glass looked out onto a corridor, and across it, another room where someone else lay in a bed. She attempts to sit up, but the pain in her leg causes her to stop, it felt like it was on fire, and it spread all the way up to her knee and into her thigh. She had no idea what was laced into Enobaria's knife, but it was causing her excruciating pain.

As she lay there, unmoving, she tried to think of the last thing she could remember. It hurt to think, her head was pounding as she searched for the memory. Finally, it came back to her. The arena had collapsed after Katniss had shot the forcefield and Finnick...Where was he?

She hastily pulls the blankets off herself, they land with a soft thud on the floor. She rips the cords from her arm and leaves it dangling from its drip holder. She uses the edge of the bed to help her stand, her calf burns, by the looks of it, blood was soaking through the bandages wrapped around it. She pushes off the bed and heads for the door. Her hands slam against the glass and she attempts to open the door.

"Help!" She screams, "Finnick!"

From along the corridor, two people dressed in grey nurses uniforms rush towards her chamber and they use keycards to open the door. They grab her arms as she falls forwards.

"Talia, you can't be out of bed just yet, your leg is still too hurt to be walking on it," Says the younger of the two, blonde hair that was separated into two long braids, and blue eyes that could brighten up anyones day. Talia recognised the girl, but couldn't quite place a finger on why. The other woman and the girl helped Talia back to her bed, and a third, male this time, quickly came running with some medical supplies in hand. More bandages and what looked like needle and thread.

"Where's Finnick?" Talia asks as the older woman, blonde too like the young girl, with the same blue eyes, undid the bandages around her leg.

"He's safe," The girl says, looking at the older woman, "You're safe...This is District 13,"

"District 13?" Talia asks before yelping with pain, blood gushed from the wound- she had torn her stitches as she'd gotten up. She remembers the rebel group that told her of District 13 still existing, just underground.

"Fetch my herbs for the poison, Prim," Says the older woman and thats when it clicks in Talia's mind.

"Prim? Primrose Everdeen? Katniss's sister?" Asks Talia, "Where is Katniss?"

"She's here, she's...Somewhere, still unconscious, you all not long arrived," Primrose tells her before quickly leaving to carry out her mother's instruction.

The male nurse hands Primrose's mother a large needle, filled with a strange liquid.

"This will send you to sleep, Talia, and we can deal with your leg, it'll sting for a moment, but you'll be okay- when you reawaken, everything will be explained," Her mother says, before placing the needle in her arm and injecting the liquid as gently as she can. All goes silent after a few moments, and the last thing Talia see's before she passes out, is the warm smiles of Mrs Everdeen and her daughter.

She jolts awake. Her eyes adjust to the low light, it must have been sleeping hours, the whole ward was in darkness apart from small night lights that sat beside the beds. Talia flicks hers on, and jumps when she see's the figure sitting in the chair opposite her bed. It takes her a moment to put a name to the face, but soon realises who it is. Rossan Clark. Her mentor for this years games, an elusive man, who she barely knew anything about, besides some small details of his own Hunger Games.

He looks up from the papers he was reading through and gave the girl a small, reassuring smile. "Nice to see you awake, Talia,"

"How did you get here? You were in the Capitol," Talia says, looking Rossan up and down as he stood. His usual black suit was gone, and replaced with grey slacks that matched every inch of the room she was currently residing in.

"When Katniss Everdeen put an arrow through the arena's forcefield, the Capitol and the District's went into meltdown. Immediately, Capitol hovercraft raced to the arena, but their absence allowed District 13's hovercraft to come into the Capitol and collect some of the Victor's that had been residing there during the games, as well as some others who wanted to come along," Rossan explains, "We then met up with the hovercraft carrying the saved Victors and we were brought back here,"

"Who was saved?" Talia asks quickly.

"Yourself, Katniss, Finnick and Beetee," He says, "The others, Peeta, Gwen, Johanna and Enobaria were taken by the Capitol...The rebels who saved you were under strict instruction to rescue certain people...You and Katniss being those people...Finnick and Beetee were extras that were able to be grabbed before the Capitol crafts showed up,"

Talia takes a moment for it to sink in, they had lost more than they'd saved, but for a moment, a selfish thought centred her mind. It was her and Finnick till the end, and both of them had made it out alive- injured, but alive.

"What's happening now? In the Capitol? The Districts?" She asks.

"The Capitol is on lock down, no ones allowed in or out, people stay in their homes. Snow hasn't made any announcements as of yet, perhaps he is waiting for us to move first...After all, this has fast become a game of the most dangerous chess ever played," Rossan says, "The Districts...1 and 2 have stayed loyal to the Capitol, continuing to work, the others however, have picked up whatever might be used a weapon, and have turned on the Peacekeepers there. District 12 however...Was destroyed. The Capitol sent firebombs as soon as the blackout happened...Some escaped the flames and made it here, the rest...Perished in the fire, turned to ash,"

"District 4...My family...Did they make it? Do you even know?" Talia asks, frantic with the news another District was destroyed.

"District 4 is safe for now...Its at a crossroads. Some citizens are doing all they can to get rid of the Capitol influence, while others beg for protection from Peacekeepers...They believe you dead," Rossan says, he couldn't look at the girl as she closed her eyes and started weeping.

"I do have news of your family," Rossan says, "The rebels stationed in District 4, who I believe you may have met the night before the Reaping, sent District 13 a video messaging saying that Elite Peacekeepers from the Capitol had arrived in the early hours of the day following the arena blowing up, and took some of the citizens hostage...Those citizens were taken from the Victor's Village,"

"What're you saying?" Talia asks, her face showed her anger, her eyes red and puffy, but the tears had stopped spilling.

"Your parents, your siblings, your nephew...They were taken, alongside Annie and Mags, to the Capitol...We have no way of knowing what is happening to them, or if they remain alive...I'm sorry, Talia, I truly am sorry," He says.

Talia lies back down on the bed, her hands shaking as they rested on her abdomen. Fury filled her. She had only one thing on her mind.

Kill President Snow.

________________

Why hello there

I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
I've been writing nonstop for this book for the past three days and honestly, i'm so excited for you guys to read the rest !

Book 3 starts now !!!

~Chloe❤️