Atlas (A Selection/Hat Films Fanfiction)

~ Twenty Five ~

CW: whipping

"Atlas!" Hannah hissed, violently shaking me awake, "Wake up! Now!"

My flight response kicked in and I was immediately wide awake. Throwing my blankets away and jumping out of my bed, I waited for my vision to come back as the blood rushed to my head. Bile rose in the back of my throat from my empty stomach, a feeling that I was all too familiar with. It was almost comforting to feel something so visceral from my old life, especially as adrenalin was coursing through me and making my heart hammer against my chest.

Gemma was behind me, pulling off my pajamas before I could recognize her. Luna had a black dress pooled on the floor for me, and I stepped into it without being prompted.

"What's happening?" I asked, a nervous yawn escaping my lips and causing my body to shiver as I slipped my arms through the off-shoulder sleeves. I tried to rub the sleep out of my eyes, but Hannah surprised me as she pushed my shoulders down and forced me to sit back on the bed. She deftly pulled the strands of curls back together from where I had taken the pins out last night, and Luna rushed over to add on a small, black, mesh veil to hover over half my face.

I sniffled, shaking my head to wake myself up as Hannah finished my hair. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. It looked like I was going to a funeral.

"Did someone die?!" I startled, my outfit suddenly registering in my head.

"No Atlas," Hannah said more gently, taking both my hands and pulling me up so that Gemma could tighten my corset, "but it's not good. You need to go to the western courtyard immediately."

"Wha- why?" I asked, dizzy and disoriented from the lack of sleep and low blood sugar. The corset was cinched tight around my chest, making it hard to breath deeply, but I couldn't ask Gemma to loosen it before Luna gave me a firm push on my back towards my bedroom door. Hannah was already there opening it for me, and she briefly squeezed my arm before I stumbled out of my room. I had no choice but to gather my skirts messily and rush down the hallway.

When I turned the corner, I saw Fox and Corrin both exiting their rooms, looking as confused and bewildered as I felt. Fox was also in black and Corrin had on a muted grey, ankle-length dress.

"Hey," I called, rushing to catch up with them, "do you know what's going on?"

They only waited for me to reach them before they started hurrying towards the western side of the castle. I followed a step behind them, not comforted by their presence. I thought about Alex and wondered if he was already down in the courtyard, but I knew I didn't have time to go find him.

"Do you think it's the Convicting?" Corrin asked both of us, breaking the silence of our rustling skirts.

"The what?" I asked, jogging a few steps to walk next to her.

"That's only for the princes' top two picks," Fox replied, ignoring me, "and they would never spring that on us like this."

I wanted to ask more about what they were discussing, but with the pace we had kept we were already nearing the large double doors that lead outside. I feared the absolute worst, and I wasn't disappointed with what I saw.

I stopped dead, the gravel under my heals crunching as I saw what had been set up in the courtyard. I knew exactly what was going to happen; the tall pole, wooden platform, and masked guard haunted my dreams at night. I scanned the platform, which was bustling with people yet still eerily quiet. A long row of black chairs had been set up on a secondary riser behind the pole, and I realized almost every seat was filled.

This was a public whipping.

For a second I thought the plot with the princess had been found out and I was going to be canned for treason, but then I felt Silver yank my arm, shaking me out of my daze. She pulled me over to sit down between Fox and Albany who, for once, was silent. Everyone wore the same dark black and grey clothes, and I couldn't tell if they knew what was going on either, but the seriousness hung over us like a cloud.