Deep in the Meadow

|21| birth

Johanna is quickly loaded onto a stretcher by some doctors, one being Selena, and they rush her to a room on the left side of the gym. I barely get any time to say anything to Johanna before one of the workers slams the door shut and we are left unknowing what is going on in the room.

West clears his throat and I realize he is standing right beside my cell. I jump in surprise.

"Looks like Johanna's going to be a mommy too." He sneers mockingly.
"Your just in luck that I'm not going to torture you while she has that baby. I'll let her have it tomorrow, then I'll take it away. At least I know that she will tell me the answers to anything I want if I have her baby in my possession." He says. My stomach turns.

"Your going to use her baby to torture her?" I ask horrified.

"Why, yes. It will be fun!" He cheers.
"After tomorrow, when I take her baby away, we will go back to torturing. And since Johanna now has a rebellious heir, I'll just kill her baby along with the rest of you when that day comes in two weeks.

We agreed that two days after Johanna has Asher we will escape. That means just one more torturing until we leave. I just hope West doesn't change the date of our death. If he chooses to kill us tomorrow, I don't think we will even have a chance of getting away.

I think West realizes that I'm thinking about something, and he speaks up.
"I don't think this will happen, but I want to bring it to your attention anyway." He starts, watching the door to the room Johanna is in. I think he can tell that we are planning something. I don't know how, but for some reason I think he can tell.
"If you try to escape you will fail. Are you trying to escape?" West asks noting my surprise when he brings up the topic.

"No. And if we were trying to escape, I think you would be smart enough to notice." I bark back, anger rising in my voice. We aren't trying to escape, we are planning to. There's a difference.

West continues to look at the door Johanna is in.
"That's good. Because if you were trying to escape, surly the citizens of the Capitol would kill you and your family off the second you get in a hover and fly out, if I don't get to you first. You know that they are as angry at you as I am. They won't hesitate to take you down.
Do you remember when I sent out that message before I had you in my possession, and I showed the picture of the Capitol mutts and the citizens. Every Capitol citizen's face held a frown. No one except for the "Capitol Alliance" who are somewhere in the Capitol, like you. Every citizen hates you now. You won't survive a flight out of here with citizens throwing things at you and firing guns at your engine. They are as much of a threat as I am to you. Plus, I don't want them killing you for me. I want the honor to be all mine." He smiles. I don't make a comment, trying to hold back my anger.
But I do remember when the message was sent out and he showed that picture. It's true. The Capitol citizens are mad.

Before I can try and prove to West that we aren't trying to escape so I can get him off out scent, he is waking back to the training room where I spot a mutt at the door waiting for him. It's golden suit is ripped down the side and he wears a grim expression. He has a large cut down his face with a string of blood dripping off his face from the wound. This mutt particularly reminds me of someone.

Janson. It's Janson from the day me and Peeta came here to investigated the threats that West fed to us. We watched him turn into the beast he is now. The only thing that is the same, is the slim body shape, and the hazel eyes.
Everything else has been mutated.

"We are prepared for combat Master West." Janson declares pounding is fist to his chest in solitude.

"Great. Is the weapon training done?" West asks walking past Janson into the training room. Janson follows obediently. I can't hear the rest of the conversation over the scientists ruckus.

Why would they need weapon combat? Or combat in general?
Doesn't West trust that we will answer the questions he asks truthfully? Unless he is training them for something else. Something more.

Before I can think anymore, the door to the room Johanna is giving labor in bursts open. Two doctors rush out and find a rolling desk by the mutation section and push it into the room as fast as possible. Before I know it the door is shut again and we are unaware of what could possible cause that outburst.

"Do you think Johanna's okay?" I hear Peeta ask.

"I'm sure everything is fine. She's tough. In a few hours we will see her again holding her baby." I reassure. But to be honest I'm a little worried for her too. And for what West plans to do with the mutts. But I keep that to myself.

•

Willow is sleeping on her table. We finished eating the small portion of food that a worker delivered to us 15 minuets ago but I'm still hungry. And by the look that Peeta wears on his face, he looks hungry too.

Johanna hasn't shown yet, and my worrying continues. Not to mention that West has been in the training room a lot lately. I can't help but think he is planning something against the districts. Or maybe even to persuade us not to try and escape. I think he knows we are planning to do something. I'm just glad he doesn't realize that a lot of the Capitol Alliance works here.

I lay on my table trying to find sleep. It has to be 10:00 by now. My eyes begin to shut, trying to think of only good things that might happen. Not the bad. But it's impossible. There are too many bad things happening.

(Johanna's POV)
I lay on the padded table. I just finished giving birth to my son. Selena keeps telling me that he is as healthy as any baby, and there doesn't seem to be any major issues.

Every doctor in the room is with the Capitol Alliance. They helped me deliver Ash and made it as comfortable as possible. Granted it hurt a lot, but I'm sure it is all worth it. After all, thats what Selena keeps telling me.

"Here he is!" The one man doctor says swaddling Asher in a white blanket and gently placing him in my arms. I gasp as I hold my baby against my chest. He's perfect. He has pale skin that matches mine and beautiful brown eyes that Aspen had.

"Asher." I whisper as tears pool my eyes and slide down my cheeks. I lean down and kiss his forehead. In response he lifts his arms up and cries. I smile.

"I'm so sorry Johanna, but West told us that he doesn't want you comfortable. Sadly he wanted you back in your cell after his birth. Just letting you hold him right now is breaking his orders." Selena tells me.

"Not that we care if we break his orders." Murmurs the man that handed me my child. I smirk.
"I'm sorry but we have to bring Asher to the newborn nursery upstairs for tonight. West said that tomorrow you can be with your kid all day, but he didn't specify what would happen after tomorrow." Selena sighs. I wipe the tears off my cheeks and kiss Ash again.

"Oh." Is all I can utter while staring adoringly down at my baby. Having him has changed me a lot. But one thing I know that won't change is that I will always hate West. Especially for taking my baby from me.

"Don't worry though. I was assigned to care for him in the nursery tonight. He will be in good hands." Selena concludes as I slowly raise Asher into Selena's arms. She smiles down at him. I sit up.

Before all the doctors leave, one of them that I haven't learned the name to speaks up.
"And don't forget." He says.
"We are still on to help you guys escape in two days." And with that, they all filed out one by one including Selena and Asher.
Then another man helps me into a wheelchair and I get pushed back to my cell.
As I'm put on my table, crying Asher and Selena disappear in the elevator. I sigh.

I gave birth to my baby.

The next step is to get him to safety. To get us out of this brainless, tortured prison.