Daughter of the Games (Sequel to Pregnant in the Games)

Chapter 10: The Announcement

When I woke, unimaginable pain had spread throughout my head. Each heartbeat brought on a new burst of pain. I rolled onto my side, wincing as I did so. I brought my knees into my chest, curling up into a ball. 

"I take it you would like your pain meds now," A voice, Luke, said. 

"That'd be great," I whispered in response. 

"Come on. Sit up." 

I pushed myself with my arms, forcing myself to sit. Sitting up made it hurt worse. The light from the ceiling tiles is nauseating; I had to squint my eyes. Luke handed me a pill and a bottle of water. I gladly took the pill without question. 

Why does my head hurt so bad anyways?

That's when all the memories came back at once, rushing toward me like a wave. I betrayed Luke. I did what I had to do in an attempt to save Panem. The Peacekeepers came in. They threw me against the ground. I heard a crack. Ivan was supposed to get my family out safely, but I have no idea if he actually did. 

"Your head hurts so bad because you cracked your skull open. It's nothing too serious. It should heal itself," Luke said. 

I looked over at Luke, really seeing him for the first time. His eyes face is blank. There's no compassion in his eyes. No slightly upward curve of the lips, like how they usually are when he talks to me. There's no feeling behind his words. 

He's pissed. 

"Where am I?" I asked. 

"Back in District 13. In the hospital." 

"Where's my family?" 

"Good question. I was hoping you would know the answer," Luke replied. "They're missing. Someone got them out. I have no idea where they are." 

I couldn't resist smiling. 

Luke scoffed. "I should've known that you were responsible for that, too, considering how you tried to get all of Panem to hate me." 

"Did it work?" 

Luke pursed his lips slightly. "Yes, it did. However, it wasn't enough. Panem was already as good as mine. You simply stirred up uncertainty, which will be put to rest later this afternoon." 

I frowned "What's that supposed to mean?" 

Luke smiled. "It''s a secret. Let's just say that no one is going to be planning any revolution after this." 

There's two different ways his sentence can be interpreted. Either he's going to do something that makes all of Panem love him again, or he's going to something that will make them too scared to act. Either way, I don't like it. 

"Do you realize the severity of what you have done, Crystal?" Luke asked, standing from his chair. "You're a menace to me now. You tried to ruin everything, and your actions have forced me to take drastic measures to ensure the security of my spot." He walked toward me, sitting on the edge of the bed. "You may feel like you've done something good, but really you've put more people in danger. Including yourself. With your missing family, all the repercussions for this are falling right on top of you." 

"That was the intention," I spat. 

Luke smiled again. "You think that's a good thing now. You did the heroic thing, right? But soon you're going to realize that it was the worst mistake you've ever made. You'll never forgive yourself for it." 

I'm taking it that he's going for the second option. He's going to terrify Panem into submission. 

"What are you going to do, Luke?" I asked.