Dan POV
The following day, I feel miserable. I know that Charlotte is here and that the Capitol can't hurt her anymore, but I need to see her for myself. I drag myself out of my bunk bed, making sure not to wake my mother and Maisie, who sleep on the top bunk. Not very many people are awake yet, but I don't blame them, seeing as it's about 6 o'clock in the morning. I go to a different part of the bunker that serves food, and since we are down here, everything is non-perishable and also it must be rationed, given the fact that we have no idea how long we'll be stuck down here. I hear that about eight people who didn't make it yesterday were killed in the bombings. I am glad to be able to say that none of them were my family or Charlotte. Going through the food line and getting a morning ration of sliced carrots, a cup of broth, some crackers, mashed potatoes, and a cup of water, I sit down in an area away from everyone to eat my meal. It is in this moment that I wonder - are they even able to feed Charlotte? I know that they told me yesterday she was malnourished...
A voice snaps me out of my thoughts and back to the real world.
"Hey Dan. I heard you get up," my little brother says to me. Even if we were back in 12, he wouldn't have been old enough to be in the Games - he's only 11.
"I'm sorry I woke you," I say, "Have you eaten yet? Are you hungry?"
"I'll get food later," he waves it off briefly, "I think that people want to sleep in today...we went through a lot yesterday."
"Yeah, I think so too," I sigh, dipping a cracker in the broth and eating it. I feel like I have cotton mouth - I have to practically force myself to eat something.
"Have they said anything else about Chatlotte?" he asks gingerly.
"No, at least not yet," I answer matter-of-factly.
"You can go check...I'll just be getting some food," he tells me quietly. I nod.
"I'll be back in a little bit," I say, getting up to throw away the remains of my breakfast.
I then search for a soldier, and I ask him for permission to go to the locked corridor. He obliges, scanning his key to gain access through the door. I walk to the same room I was in yesterday, except now, nobody is in it. I search each door until I get to the last door on the left. As I slowly open the door, I hear chatter coming from inside the room.
"Oh, hello Daniel. You're up early today," Alma Coin says to me with a slight smile.
"I couldn't sleep. How's-" I begin as I notice the glass window in the room. Without finishing my sentence or paying attention to anyone else, I go to it.
Charlotte.
She's asleep, but with how hollow she looks, she seems like she's dead. Coming from District 12, she wasn't fed well before the Games either, so now I realize just how little she was taken care of in the Capitol.
I had expected her hair to look matted, but then it occurred to me that she was probably cleaned before she was hooked up to IVs and monitors and things of the like. Still, I can see how much her hair has thinned from the malnutrition.
Distracting myself from the bruises all over her body for one second, I turn back around briefly, only to see that nearly everyone in the room is staring at me, at this moment, realizing just how broken of a person I am. I glare at their judging looks and then wipe the tears off of my face before looking back to Charlotte.
"Has she had any improvement at all?" I ask.
Alma makes a look towards a man with glasses, who I assume is the doctor, and he begins, "Well, she's breathing on her own, her brain function has returned to normal after we drained her system...she gained back two pounds in just a day, which is better than what we were hoping for...uh..." he is having trouble remembering everything, "Oh, and yesterday she was conscious for two minutes ten seconds - all she did was open her eyes and then start rambling on about something before she fell back into the coma."
I give him a sad, ghost of a smile as I feel tears pooling in my eyes again.
"It may not be what you want to happen right now, Daniel," Alma sighs, "But it's better than what we had all hoped for."
"I know. I just want her back," I nod, looking back up at Charlotte's motionless body. Her monitors show that her heart is still beating, which is all I could have hoped for. I'm just glad she's alive. Here. Safe from the Capitol.
"We will update you when she is awake. For now, you should probably go back and spend some time with your family," Alma suggests. I nod and take one last glance at Charlotte before I exit the room.
I get rid of any signs on my face that show I was crying, and then I go back to my family's bunk beds.
My mother, now awake, slowly gets off of the top bunk, trying not to wake Maisie. She smiles at me when I get to her.
"How are you?" she asks.
"I'm okay. Where's dad?" I ask.
"He's with your brother," she answers.
"Momma," Maisie yawns, sitting up, "Do we get breakfast?"
My mother nods to Maisie and then turns back to me and whispers, "What have they said about Charlotte?"
I lose my composure again - only slightly - but I whisper, "I got to see her, mom."
My mom gasps and gives me a hug, which I return. "Is she okay? How is she feeling? What did you say?"
"She's still comatose," I say with a dull tone, "but they told me she's getting better. I'm just glad she's safe."
"Me, too," my mom smiles. Maisie then climbs down the bunk and tugs on my mother's shirt.
"Foooooood..." Maisie groans.
"We'll get some in a second," my mother tells her. "Do you want to go with us?"
"No," I say, waving it off, "I'll find something to do."
After they leave, I sit down on my bunk and then let out a small laugh, along with a smile.
Charlotte is here and she's gonna be okay.
