venus₁ [treech]

v i

I wake up in a brightly lit room. I blink a few times to adjust to the harsh lights. It's a hospital suite, a large room with lots of beds.

The area around me is swarmed with doctors, nurses, and parents of injured Academy students. I look to my left. Festus is sitting up, chatting with my parents, as well as his own. His arm is wrapped in a plaster cast and held to his body with a sling, and he has stitches on his cheek to patch a deep gash, but other than that, he looks unharmed.

I take a look at my own body. A sling also holds my right arm to my chest, my shoulder wrapped securely with cloth bandages. A thin tube has been inserted into my left arm, pumping some sort of fluid into my veins. A few scratches and bruises cover my skin, but other than my shoulder, I don't seem to be too hurt.

"Mom? Dad?" I ask, my voice scratchy.

Everyone at Festus's side turns to look at me. My parents' eyes light up when they see I'm awake.

"Venus!" exclaims my mother, coming over to sit by me. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright," I say. "I can't really feel anything right now."

"They gave you some morphling to help with the pain," says my father. "You dislocated your shoulder, and they have it fixed for now, but you'll have to get surgery at some point."

"When?" I ask. "I have to be there to help with the Games."

"We should be able to push it back until after they're over," says my mother. "Just be careful with it until then."

I sigh in relief. "How's Treech?" I ask, thinking of my tribute.

"Your tribute? He's fine," assures my mother, running her fingers through my hair to soothe me. "They released a list of casualties shortly after the bombing, and I didn't see him there."

"Good," I say, relaxing just a little bit. "Is anyone else from school hurt?"

My parents' faces fall.

"Most of the mentors had minor injuries. Apollo and Diana Ring died in the explosion. Gaius Breen and Androcles Anderson are in critical condition. And Coriolanus Snow hasn't woken up yet, but he seems like he should be alright," explains my father.

A lump forms in my throat. Pollo and Didi were my neighbors. I was never very close with them, but they were like family, in the way that all of my Academy classmates are.

"So what happened?" I ask. "Do they know who planned it?"

My father shakes his head. "Probably rebels from the districts. The curious part is that there were no aircrafts involved. The bombs had been planted at some point in time."

That means whoever planted the bombs could be in the Capitol. I've heard whispers of District sympathizers in the city, and even rumors of Dean Highbottom, who created the games, being one of them.

"Whoever it was, they don't want the Games to happen," says my mother.

"Are they?" I ask. "Still going on, I mean."

"They've been delayed again, but yes, they are," she says.

My heart beat quickens. Treech would still have to go to that arena, even if he's hurt. I have to visit the zoo, to make sure he's alright.

"When can I leave?" I ask, sitting up to the best of my ability.

"As soon as you finish getting your medicine injected, you should be allowed to leave," says my mother. "Now, before we leave, we have a gift for you."

"What's it for?" I ask.

"It was supposed to be a graduation gift," explains my dad. "But we thought we'd give it to you early. A way to say we're proud of you for all of your accomplishments and to say good luck in your mentorship."