xlviii. forced illusion

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chapter forty-eight

OCTAVIA WOKE UP TO A PIERCING SCREAM

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OCTAVIA WOKE UP TO A PIERCING SCREAM. It was a familiar man's voice, but she couldn't decipher who it was. She thrashed against the restraints around her, attempting to figure out who it was. The screaming became more clear when Gianni opened the door.

"Octavia, how are you feeling?" He asked, jotting something onto his notepad.

"Who is that? Who is screaming?" She asks, ignoring his question.

"Answer my question, first."

"I'm fine. Who is that?" She asks through clenched teeth. Her hand curls into a fist, digging her nails into her palm.

"It's Peeta," he says honestly. Octavia's eyebrows knit in concern.

"What are they doing to him?" She asks quietly, not wanting to push her luck with the information. She knew that Gianni liked her from the nights they had spent together, but his loyalty would never be with her.

"I told you I wouldn't use tracker jacker venom on you," he says, pausing for a moment, "the same doesn't go for everyone."

Octavia gulps as Peeta's screams fade out. Silence comes over the two as Gianni takes a step closer to Octavia. His hands find her collarbone, applying pressure that sends a small sting through Octavia's chest.

"Does that hurt?"

She shakes her head. It did hurt, but she wouldn't tell him that. He hums a response, scribbling on his notepad.

He runs his eyes over her heart monitor, monitoring her vitals before clicking his pen closed.

"Okay, you seem like you're getting a little bit better. You're lucky you have me as your doctor, otherwise you'd have it just as bad as the rest of them," he says. Octavia squints her eyes at his words.

"What?"

"I won't hurt you, Octavia," he tells her. She wondered if he was trying to be sweet, trying to make her swoon. Really, it made her stomach twirl in disgust. She couldn't show that, though.

She gives him a nod. After a moment of silence, Gianni clears his throat.

"Next time I see you will be," his voice trails off as he looks down at his wristwatch, "a few hours."

Octavia nods. He places his hand gently on her face, Octavia does her best not to resist him. His smug smile makes her angry as he looks down at her.

When he leaves, the sound of the other Victor's screams fills the room, again.

As she struggles against the restraints, she begins to realize that this is her punishment: listening to her friends be tortured and being completely helpless.

She thrashes against the restraints, slamming her head onto the bed in anger.

She could faintly hear another door opening. Peeta's screams grew louder by the second. She caught a glimpse of him as he passed by her room, dragged by peacekeepers.

𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑮𝑰𝑹𝑳 ,  𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐢𝐫 Where stories live. Discover now