Waves Breaking Over Rocks Part 2

Chapter 21

Annie

I'm on the couch again, with Cora at my side and Finnick holding my hand. I don't know how many times I've gone away in the past week, but I already know what to expect. That doesn't make it any more bearable.

As soon as I feel him get on top of me, my eyes cloud with tears. I don't want to go through it again. I might be in my mind; I can't see or hear him. But I can feel what he does. I feel how he touches and kisses my body. And I hate it.

It's not like when Finnick and I do it. He's careful and sweet, moving slowly. The Capitol men are not. They do what the feel like to me, and I can't fight back. I can't even say anything in the real world. But in this world, I scream.

"Make it stop!" I sob. I call out for help, but neither Finnick nor Cora can do anything about it.

"I'm sorry, love. I can't stop it." He moves to caress my face, but I slap his hand away. I don't want anyone touching me.

"Make it stop!"

The next day...

One day has passed since the last visit, which means another one will be coming tomorrow. Thanks to the clock on the wall, I can tell when the hours pass. Each man comes for exactly six hours. In that time, they do whatever they want.

So this is what Finnick goes through every day for months, just to keep me safe.

I'm lucky I'm mad. No amount of torture is going to make me go crazy. You can't change something into what it already is.

Then something strange happens. Smoke starts coming out from the ventilation shafts, clouding my vision. They're going to kill me, I think. The fumes make me dizzy, and they make my eyes heavy. But I fight it. I didn't go through all of that just to die.

Then the door slams open and three men come in. They don't look like Capitol men, although it's hard to tell with the smoke. Then I realize I'm completely naked and no matter how many times I'm violated, I'm never going to get used to men seeing me nude.

I go to a corner, curling up so they can't see my body, and I cover my mouth with my hair. I'm about to pass out... Even my thoughts are getting fuzzy...

Have... to... keep... going...

I focus all my energy into staying awake, so much that I don't have the strength to fight off the men. One of them picks me up and they carry me away from the horrible room. We're barely through the door when I give up and let the darkness consume me.

I wake up with five-or-so machines hooked up to my body. I am surrounded by a few doctors, talking and taking notes in their clipboards.

"Where am I?" I ask one of the nurses.

"You're on a hovercraft to District 13." He replies.

"And where's Finnick?"

"He's in District 13, waiting for you. Now, we're going to run some tests, okay? Please relax. We'll be there in a few hours." He tells me.

I try to. You're safe, you're going to be with Finnick again. You're away from the Capitol.

But that just seems too good to last.

The doctors do their job carefully, making sure that I'm comfortable. When one of them asks me to unclothe myself so he can check something, I refuse, and he accepts. Instead, he tells me I can have the tests run by a female doctor. That, I accept.