THE SIREN'S SONG 𓇼 F. ODAIR

60 | THE MUTTS

Carolina went days without seeing a single person that she recognized. The only thing that kept her sane was counting the white square tiles on the ceiling over and over again.

There were 64.

She checked 73 times.

Seven medics tended to her, all equipped with their own personal security teams. Carolina thought it was a bit much since the Capitol had already handcuffed each of her hands to her hospital bed. She wanted to say something about them. They were uncomfortable, and frankly, they were unnecessary, but every time Carolina spoke, she was met with silence.

They wouldn't even look her in the eye.

No one spoke to her until her third day when she received her first visitor.

Cashmere.

"How are you, Fishing Lina?" she asked softly.

"I feel fine," Carolina said, trying to pull herself free from the handcuffs. "I don't understand why they have me in these. I'm not a threat."

"Lina, you killed two doctors," Cashmere sighed, sitting on the edge of Carolina's bed. "I know you didn't mean it..."

"They weren't real," Carolina shook her head. "They were–"

"They were, Lina," Cashmere said with a sad expression on her face. "They were transferring us to a different building, and you woke up in the middle of it."

"They– no. That can't be true," When Carolina saw Cashmere's expression, her breath hitched. Carolina shook her head, her face growing warm. "I– I killed someone real? I– what were their names? Do you know?"

"I don't know," Cashmere replied after a moment. Carolina was quiet, trying to stop herself from breaking down. "But they were Capitol. They deserved it, right? After what they've done to us."

Carolina stared at her lap before nodding slowly. When she looked up next, Carolina's eyes focused on Cashmere, and she smiled softly.

"They're scared?" Carolina asked.

Cashmere smirked. "Terrified. They should be."

Carolina matched Cashmere's expression for a moment before allowing her eyes to scan over her friend. Her hair was soft and shiny, an improvement to the frizzy state it had been in for the past week. The bags beneath her eyes were nearly invisible, and she looked healthy.

"You look better," Carolina said. "Are they–"

"They haven't done anything to me since we've been transferred," Cashmere said. "Have you..."

Carolina shook her head when Cashmere trailed off.

"No."

"I don't know if that's a good or bad thing," Cashmere said. "Maybe it's all over."

"Or maybe they're setting up for the big finale," Carolina said.

Cashmere's face dimmed at Carolina's words, but she didn't counter. Instead, she reached out to grab Carolina's hand and squeezed it.

"I should probably go back to my room now," she said slowly. "I don't want to get in trouble for visiting you for too long."

"Yeah," Carolina nodded. "That– that would be for the best."

Cashmere stood up and kissed Carolina on the cheek before turning around to leave the room. Carolina leaned her head back on the pillow and stared up at the ceiling, counting its tiles once again.

She didn't want to think about what the Capitol would do to Cashmere if they caught her in her room. There must have been a reason for finally separating the two of them.