THE SIREN'S SONG 𓇼 F. ODAIR

67 ~ the lost daughter

"When you are put in a stressful situation that is reminiscent of a traumatic event," a medic asked, "does that elicit a large response out of you?"

"No, I..." Carolina trailed off, thinking for a moment. "I slow down. Maybe for a couple of seconds, but nothing longer than that. Not anymore."

The woman, the same woman that Carolina had to sit down with weeks ago, looked up from her clipboard and nodded at her. A small smile was on her face as she pushed the bridge of her glasses up her nose before moving her eye back down to her paper.

"When I say the word Mutt," she continued. "What words come to mind?"'

Carolina's cheeks grew warm at the word, but she shook her head to rid the tortured thoughts circling her mind.

"Death," Carolina said almost immediately. "Lethal... Blood... Fake."

"Fake?" the medic asked. "Could you elaborate?"

"They're not real," she said. "Nothing about them is real. They're Capitol creations. They're meant to target all of your fears, and once you realize that, it's easier to fight back."

"Do you think you can fight them now?"

"I have in the past," Carolina said.

"We're talking about your future right now, Miss Seymour."

"Yes," Carolina nodded, more confident, "I will be able to fight them. I have experience. I have trained. I have passed every other exam necessary. I believe that I am ready."

The medic started writing something down on her clipboard and continued to do so for five minutes straight. Carolina sat up slightly, hoping to catch a look at what the woman was scribbling, but she was unable to see anything.

Once she was done, the medic loudly stamped and folded up her report, placed it in an envelope, and licked it shut. She then extended it to Carolina, who stared at it curiously.

"That is my advice for Plutarch," the medic explained. "Please give that to him when you visit today."

"How did you know–"

"You have visited Plutarch the past four days for updates on Squad 451 since they left," she said. "I'm assuming you're going to head there straight after this evaluation."

"Yeah," Carolina nodded slowly.

The medic stared at her for a long moment, and Carolina stood up, taking the woman's gaze as a means of dismissal. As she left the room, her eyes never left the white envelope in her hands.

That is my advice for Plutarch, the woman's words echoed through her mind.

Whatever the medic had written on that piece of paper determined whether Carolina could go to the Capitol. She wanted to tear open the envelope and see the medic's thoughts immediately, but Carolina knew if she did that, Plutarch would get upset. Usually, she would have risked it, but since the man could retaliate by preventing her from going to the Capitol, Carolina decided to be on her best behavior.

She placed the envelope in the pocket of her gray jumpsuit, forcing herself to think of something else. It proved hard, however. She thought of Finnick, then Fletch, then the thought of being with them soon circled through her mind, leading her to think of the small white envelope once again.

Before she could act on her thoughts, Carolina walked into Command, coming face-to-face with Plutarch Heavensbee, President Coin, and a couple of assistants. Suddenly, Carolina's mind was spiraling.

President Coin was the only person in the room who seemed calm. Plutarch tried to feign the same poise, but his efforts were exposed by his pallor and wild eyes. Carolina's heart dropped.