Deja Vu Battle | Hunger Game 3 (Part 1)

3.

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"𝔼𝕊𝕋𝔼𝕃𝕃𝔸!"

A gasp of breath was taken in, as her body jerked up while her brain tried to calm her body. What's happening? Where is she? Estella's eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the sterile white walls that surrounded her. The steady beeping of machines filled the air, reminding her that she was still in the clutches of the Capitol's grasp. The memories of The Hunger Games flooded back, the bloodshed, the fear, and the desperate fight for survival. But amidst the chaos, one question gnawed at her mind - where was Aries?

Frantically, Estella tried to sit up, but her body betrayed her. Weakness coursed through her veins, reminding her of the toll the Games had taken on her. She winced as pain shot through her limbs, a constant reminder of the battles she had fought. The realization that she was alone in this unfamiliar hospital room only intensified her feelings of vulnerability.

As she scanned the room, her eyes fell upon a small table beside her bed. It held a bouquet of flowers, a card, and a single photograph. Her heart skipped a beat as she tried to reach for the photograph, recognizing the familiar faces of her team. It was her family photo, almost as similar to the one Mr William gave her on her first reaping.

There's just one thing different. A young Aries is now recognizable. "A-Aries..." Panic gripped her, and she couldn't touch the photograph, desperately searching for any clue that could lead her to him. Questions swirled in her mind. Had Aries survived? Had he been captured by the Capitol? Or worse, had he been killed? The uncertainty gnawed at her, fuelling her determination to find him. She knew she couldn't rest until she had answers.

Everything was a blur. She couldn't remember how she had managed to survive, or how she had ended up in this hospital. She felt a sense of panic rising in her chest, wondering if she was the only one left alive.

As she lay there, trying to make sense of her situation, a nurse entered the room. The woman seemed kind and gentle in her presence, but Estella couldn't shake the feeling of being alone and vulnerable. She longed for the familiar faces of her team, the people who had become her family during the Games.

"... hey," Estella's voice was hoarse as she addressed the woman who was dressed in anything but a nurse's uniform. A typical Capitol fashion style. Her throat felt like it was ablaze, and she was on the brink of collapsing from exhaustion. "What's happening?" she asked, her words slow and slurred.

As Estella observed the nurse adjust the IV stand, she noticed something peculiar about the fluid that was being injected into her veins. It was meant to be transparent, but instead, it was a murky, viscous purple that resembled poison. She attempted to move her fingers to halt it, but her body refused to cooperate, and her mind was slipping away from her.

"What's going on?" Estella inquired, tears welling up in her eyes as she locked gazes with the nurse. The woman simply grinned and replied, "President Snow is prioritizing your safety, Miss Perez. You have nothing to be concerned about." Estella shook her head, but her eyes gave out, and she murmured, "No... no..."

Estella's heart pounded in her chest as panic surged through her veins. President Snow? What did he have to do with her safety? And why was this nurse injecting her with something that clearly wasn't meant for her well-being?

"... Aries." As the murky purple fluid continued to flow into her veins, Estella's vision blurred even more, and her thoughts became fragmented. She could feel her body growing weaker, her breaths becoming shallower. The room spun around her, and she could no longer distinguish reality from the nightmare that enveloped her.

In her last moments of consciousness, Estella's mind flashed back to the life she had known before. The laughter, the love, the freedom. All of it seemed like a distant memory now, fading away into the darkness that consumed her. She had become a pawn in a game she never asked to play, a victim of a power-hungry regime that sought to control every aspect of its citizens' lives.

As Estella's voice faded into silence, her body finally succumbed to the exhaustion and the poison that coursed through her veins. The nurse stood there, watching her life slip away, a twisted satisfaction evident on her face. President Snow's plan was working.

"Is she handling it gracefully?" A resonant voice resonated in the chamber. Startled, the nurse took a step back as President Snow strode into the room to assess Estella's condition. President Snow's presence filled the room, his deep voice echoing through the silence. The nurse gasped, stepping back as he entered, curious to see how Estella was handling her fate.

President Snow's cold, calculating eyes scanned the room, taking in the scene before him. Estella lay motionless on the sterile hospital bed, her once vibrant features now pale and lifeless. But what was more important was that her chest was slowly moving.

The nurse, a loyal servant of the Capitol, quickly composed herself and nodded, her face a mask of feigned concern. "Yes, President Snow," she replied, her voice trembling slightly. "We have increased the dose as she has succumbed to the venom just as planned. Her body should be getting used to it."

President Snow's lips curled into a sinister smile, a twisted satisfaction evident in his expression. He approached Estella's bedside, his footsteps echoing ominously in the silent chamber. As he gazed down at her form, a sense of triumph washed over him.

"Excellent," he murmured, his voice dripping with malevolence. "Estella will serve as my triumph and the Capitol's future. This Rebellion will not be tolerated as long as she's by my side..." Caressing her hair like a father to a daughter, eye-crazed. "I'll will her to your care. Anything wrong will be your responsibility, Mrs Hellen." As President Snow turned to leave the room, not sparing a glance at the flinching nurse, his presence lingered like a dark cloud, casting a shadow over the nurse to create fear.

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