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WHEN THANA wakes, only a few hours have passed. Her body is still used to the little sleep of the last few weeks. The girl slowly tries to push herself up, every single cell in her body aching. Dizziness spreads through her mind as she hastes herself towards the small toilet. The girl doesn't know what it is she vomits, but she feels slightly better after, her chest feeling less tight. As she pushes herself up back towards the bed, a soft smile graces her features as she sees a set of fresh clothes and a plate with water and bread.
Once Thana is freshly dressed and finished her plate, her nausea is still present, and no matter how hard she tries to ignore it. She knows it has to do with whatever she went through last times she was awake. Whether that was today or yesterday, Thana knows that what the doctor did was anything but nice. The burning marks her skin spot showcasing the brutality of her.
"Morning," Luke enters the room, another glass of water with him. Thana looks up at him, scared of what he is going to do, because there is no way she is going to be able to fend him off or endure his torture. "No, need to be afraid. I am not doing anything while Marly is torturing you this hard."
The kindness of Luke is very unexpected, but for some reason, Thana accepts it. Hoping he isn't manipulating her, because she knows deep down, she can't trust anyone again; especially if they are from the Capitol. Whatever trust and kindness that lay in her, broken with the first slap after she awoke those weeks ago.
"I know what I did was unethical," Luke says, "but Doctor Anderson is overstepping. And not just with you." The way he softly tells Thana that the others aren't okay either makes her tear her eyes away, blinking away the tears. "There is nothing we can do anymore, now that she has been given permission by the president."
"They are hurting Peeta the hardest, aren't they?" Thana dares to ask, knowing that they would hurt Katniss the most in hurting him, and Johanna and her.
Luke looks at her for a moment, "emotionally yes." He nods his head, seeing the tears on her cheeks. "I heard there might be plans of breaking the 5 of you out," he whispers, "I won't be in their way, I am sorry for what I did." He shakes his head, "I thought that what I did was justified, but it never was." With those words, the torturer leaves his prisoner alone again. No regret in his words, the limp body of the girl touched by the flames replaying in his head.
...
There is a small spark of hope in Thana's chest when Wells comes to get her for another session of Doctor Marly Anderson. The words of the man still echoing through her mind, of course they would come to get them. She would just have to endure even more, but she would. She would if it meant she would see her sisters and parents again. To be in their arms one more time before strength would leave her completely.
"She won't be experimenting with the gas today," Wells says as they leave room 1004, "Snow wants you alive, and the risks are way too high. Especially since I reported your symptoms, he isn't overly happy with the extrema she has chosen for you."
Thana nods slowly, "I still feel like I could vomit every moment." She grips his arm to keep her balance, "is my family okay?" After what happened this morning, she felt safe asking it.
"They disappeared of the Capitol's grid with Pearl," he squeezes her arm, "We know nothing about them." He opens the door to room 1008, pushing the girl in.
"There you are again," Marly sits behind a small desk, "walking and well." She looks annoyed at Luke, "I told, you everything would be fine."
"She can barely stand on her own, Doctor Anderson," Luke says, guiding Thana to the chair, offering her a reassuring nod, "you can't just kill the Capitol's sun, not even after her betrayal." He straps the girl in, walking to Marly once Thana is stuck to the chair.
"Whatever," Marly brushes it to the side, "we will just do it without the masker the next few sessions." An evil glint forming in her eyes, she sees Luke standing there between them. "Don't tell me you have grown soft, that she has you tricked into her act as well."
"Of course not," Wells scoffs, "I wouldn't grow soft to a traitor to our state."
"Good," the doctor steps forward to the girl, pushing the man aside, "let's check your health little victor." The woman mocks the trauma filled young woman. If Thana could, she would let tears mark her cheeks. Life had been so unfair since the announcement of the 75th hunger games. Especially since Latif, since Latif passed. After that, she wasn't allowed to really grief her own brother. Jack, she was allowed to grief once her games were finished, but Latif; no, she had to survive in the arena and now endure the Capitol.
Marly Anderson lights a flashlight, to check Thana's pupils. Which still reacts accordingly, then she goes over to check her heart, which has no irregularities.
"All good," Marly says, "your body has not been affected besides your dizziness and nausea. Which is good." The glint of a caring doctor is seeable for Thana before it disappears. "So, let us start." She pauses, "or do you want to confess?"
For the first time since being in the Capitol, Thana wisely keeps her mouth shut. Just praying for it to be over. No masker meant only fire, and fire she could, no would have to deal with. The delicate skin on her arms still showcasing the effects of the fire from last evening.
"As I thought yes," Marly smears most of Thana's skin on her arms in with a weird substance, leaves a ring open on both arms, making two bracelets. "Today, I we are testing this cream out, and the effects of fire on it." The doctor makes some notes.
After letting the cream set for about 5 minutes, in which there is mostly silence in the room. Marly Anderson starts moving around again, the oil filled tanks reappearing under the victor's arm. She positions them with great care, not caring about the weird looks from Luke.
"If everything went alright," the doctor says, "the cream would keep your skin from burning for at least 5 minutes." A marker is put on the edges of the cream. "We shall if it works."
Thana merely nods, closing her eyes as she hears the fire start below her arms. The heath reappearing to her delicate skin makes her whimper and tears stream down her face.
The victor feels no difference over her whole arms, the pain bearing too much for her weakened state. Her body falls limp in room 1008 once again.
