Blinding (Chapter One)
~Enter Katniss~ (Annabelle's POV)
When I opened my eyes the world around me was dark. Freezing, cold air bit at my skin. I could feel the goose bumps rising on my arms and legs. Who ever put me here didn’t even leave me a blanket.
“Cheap bastards,” I muttered as I sat up.
A sharp pain ran up my back. I quickly lay back down. I didn’t want to mess myself up permanently. So I waited; I don’t know how long. There were no windows and no clocks. Time might as well not have existed. My body had started to grow numb by the time the heavy, metal door opened. I could hear hushed voices in the doorway. I didn’t even bother trying to interpret them. At this point I no longer cared. I just wanted to get off this damn table.
“Miss Annabelle?”
It was a woman’s voice. I guessed she was around her forties. I could smell them already, two men and her, the one female.
“Is that my name?”
I was never addressed by my name. #5609 was my name. Over the years I had forgotten what my real name was.
“Yes, Dear, Annabelle Mari Orta.”
The name was nice enough; to bad no one called me by it.
“Your old number, #5609, has been filed. You will be addressed by your birth name. So says President Snow,” this was a man’s voice.
So the old fart decided to deploy me, huh? Too bad he wouldn’t be getting his way. As soon as I was let out of this place I was running. Once out of the Capitol they would never find me.
“#2075 has also been deployed. The two of you shall fight in the Hunger Games.”
My eyes snapped in their direction. The Hunger Games?! No, why would they do that? Wait. The only reason they would be putting us in the Games was to spice it up. Send the killer human test experiments to give the Capitol crowd a wow. The people must have wanted more blood this year…as if the previous years hadn’t been enough. As far as I was concerned they could all burn in hell.
“Are we fighting each other?”
#2075 was my friend. She always had been and there was no way I was going to harm her. Snow could kiss my ass.
“No, President Snow only does those tests in the lab. You remember them don’t you? You did win after all,” this was the second man. I didn’t like his voice. It sounded like pure evil.
Yeah I remembered. I killed fifteen other kids that had been dragged into the same program as #2075 and I. We were experiments. Trained and mutated to severe the Capitol. I would never do it though. I wasn’t a brained washed idiot like the rest. I kept to myself. #2075 is the only one that I trust and with good reason. Obeying wasn’t an option for the two of us. Thankfully they never put us together in tests. If that would have happened, neither of us would have fought and we would have been deported to the KSL labs. The doctors said that’s were failures were sent to be fixed. I knew better. The kids that went in there were tortured and damaged. They were never the same once they came back.
“The two of you will be passed off as two normal girls picked randomly as a special for the Games this year. You will train with the other tributes and go on the talk show just like them. You will even be assigned stylists. Everything will make you seem normal.”
“Don’t want to make them think we are professional assassins now do we?” I said coolly with a hint of mischievousness in my tone.
They ignored me.
“You will not show your colors until the Games starts. Then, you will make it incredibly hard for the others to win. When you kill them do it elaborately and skillfully. We want to amaze the crowd.”
I fixed my eyes back on the ceiling. I would do no such thing. I would sit back and watch them beat each other. I was done killing people.
“What did you do to me?”
“Removed all the devices they planted in you. Your back will hurt for a few days so take training easy.”
“They would mess with the frequencies of the Games. Plus we want you to feel free. The more comfortable you are the better the performance.”
They were stupid. This ‘freedom’ they had granted me was just making it easier to slip away. Though Snow had us trained and mutated, I had come out completely normal. No deformations or diseases. I looked like a normal kid from one of the districts. I assumed that’s why Snow liked me so much. No one would suspect the pale girl that was as dangerous as a poor, neglected puppy. That…and I killed mercilessly. I didn’t kill for Snow. I killed to live. If I didn’t take down all those others I would be sent to KSL or killed for defiance. Besides they died quickly. It would be like blinking to them.
“President Snow is looking forward to this.”
“I bet he is…”
~
My back was seriously killing me. Every step I took felt a hot blade cutting up my spine. How the hell was I supposed to do this so called training? By the time I reached the training area, the Tributes had already set to work hours ago. They all seemed pretty easy. I looked around the vast room in boredom. Everything was dull compared to what life was like back at ‘home’.
“Oh! You must be Annabelle Orta!”
I saw a woman with neon green hair and way too much facial makeup walk up to me. Her perfume smelled like burning flowers.
“I’m Tessel Fame. Nice to meet you.”
She stuck out her hand and I took it slowly. Her hands as were cold as ice.
“I will be your fake agent for the games.”
“I see…”
“Now, you must wait here for Elaine.”
At first I was puzzled, then I remembered we would be called by our birth names from here on out. #2075 must be Elaine. That was a pretty name. It suited my friend well.
“Okay.”
“She should be coming up any minute. I will go check though. I am sure your backs are in much pain right now. Bye back soon.”
Tessel was gone as soon as she had come. This left me gazing about the room again. Some of the other kids had noticed me. A few were confused while the others were sizing me up.
‘You do that flame heads. You do that.’
A couple of minutes flew by in silence. None the tributes had moved in my direction. I liked it that way. The less I had to interact with them the better. I hated people. Most of them anyway…I spoke to soon though. A girl with long brown hair braided into a ponytail made her way towards me. I felt a frown form on my face.
“Are you lost?” she asked.
I shook my head.
“Then why are you here?”
“I’m a tribute.”
The shock on her face was evident.
“Snow picked me and my partner up from our homes. Thought it would be fun to see us struggle I guess. That man is never satisfied.”
“Where are you from?”
How to answer? I was from district 4 originally, but should I say that? I decided to tell her. I was supposed to be normal, right?
“District 4. I was taken a long time ago though. No one remembers me now.”
“Oh, why were you taken?”
I looked her dead in the eye, “For President Snow’s pleasure.”
She turned a light shade of green. The girl must have thought I meant sex which couldn’t be farther from the truth, but hell, I couldn’t have painted a better picture myself.
“My name is Annabelle Orta.”
“Katniss Everdeen…District 12.”
So she was from the mining district. Her eyes and hair should have given it away; from the Seam obviously. I wasn’t paying attention though.
“Who is your partner?”
“My friend Elaine, her family lived in District 6.”
“Same thing that happened to you?”
“Yep, we stick together like white on rice.”
Katniss’s face became sad. She probably didn’t want to kill anyone. Poor girl; a part of me wished I could aid her. That wasn’t an option though. I had made my plan. Chill in secret and watch it all go down. Snow could try to kill me, but it would never work. He had screwed me up so bad that not even death could hold me.
“I wish you well,” I said resting my hand on her shoulder, “Your family must really miss you.”
“Huh?” Katniss looked at me in surprise.
“You smell like the forest and game, but a second smell lingers on you. Like herb and milk. I am guessing it is your family? You must be close. Usually smells like that wash off. The scent of loved ones never really leaves though.”
“You know a lot…”
I shrugged. It was obvious to me. Other people didn’t see the way I did.
“It’s my little sister Prim…”
“I can’t remember if I had any siblings…” I became lost in my thoughts, “If I did they are probably dead now…”
“Snow had your whole family killed?”
“A devil always covers his tracks.”
Katniss nodded. She wasn’t stupid, I give her that. If anybody knew hardship it would be her. The districts farther away from the Capitol were treated like crap. Always being worked until blood ran.
“I pray you see your sister again. Losing family is hard…I don’t remember what they looked or sounded like, but I still recall what it felt like to lose them.”
“My….father died in a mine explosion when I was younger. I am still not over it.”
“Let me guess, nightmares.”
“Exactly. You too?”
“Whenever I sleep I get them. Being awake is the only comfort I get now. I love the dark though.”
“You’re very interesting.”
“Am I now? I won’t be during the games. I plan to sit still and watch. Let the others kill themselves first.”
Katniss laughed, “I was going to park myself in a tree and wait it out.”
“Great minds think alike.”
“Yes they do.”
Katniss and I continued to talk until Tessel came back with Elaine. The girl looked miserable. Instinctively I wrapped my arm around her to hold her weight. She didn’t need to push anymore than she had to.
“Elaine, this is Katniss.”
Katniss gave her a weak smile. Elaine waved as best she could but failed. They must have had to drug her. The doctors put more metal objects in her than I could count. Their way of taming her since she always fought back. The fire had been turned down but never put out. Elaine was a tiger waiting in the shadows. All she needed was the right time to pounce.
“I’m going to go set her down near the rope tying station,” I stated picking her up.
More pain shot through my back. So picking her up wasn’t a good idea, but I couldn’t let my friend stand there in agony.
“Let me help you.”
Katniss moved to assist me and I waved her off.
“I can do it. Just make sure to tell me if you see any blood trailing down my back.”
“Why would that happen?”
“When you are a pet to the Capitol, the Capitol is sure to make sure you don’t ever want to misbehave. Tracking devices, zappers, tranquilizers, you name it.”
“Disgusting.”
I held Elaine closer to me.
“If you only knew.”
~
By the time the training area was closing, I had watched Elaine tie approximately two thousand five hundred eighty-five knots. Katniss sat with me the whole time. Her company was comforting in a way. Made me feel like I wasn’t alone. I had Elaine but that was different.
“So where is your partner?” I asked as I picked Elaine back up.
Katniss looked around quickly. I followed her gaze to an incredibly good looking boy blonde boy. I was immediately entranced.
“His name is Peeta Mellark. The son of a baker back at home.”
I nodded silently. I didn’t want to get to close to him. It wouldn’t be good. My heart was already beating wildly. I was not used to that and I wasn’t looking to get used to it. I didn’t know if Katniss had a thing for him either. She was becoming a friend already and I didn’t need this boy screwing it up. Elaine and I were only meant to make it fun. If I stayed close to Katniss I could have her win and go back home to Prim, her mother, and Gale. Everyone else would have to go. No more getting close. I was a killer but I did have a heart. I had let Elaine and a few others in and she was the only one left. I would get Katniss through and then be done. I wouldn’t put myself through it anymore.