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THE BLISS OF FINNICK AND OCTAVIA'S reunion was short-lived. Peeta had attacked Katniss the second he saw her. His pale hands had found themselves wrapped around her throat, causing her eyes to nearly bulge out of her head. Peeta had to be knocked out to get him to release her.
Katniss didn't understand at first. She didn't want to hurt him, even when he was killing her.
After Katniss was taken to be checked out, Boggs and Haymitch went to ask Octavia what she knew.
"It's too soon. She doesn't need to talk about this yet," Finnick hushedly protests as Octavia sits a few steps behind him on a hospital cot. Haymitch looks past Finnick, catching Octavia's eye.
The woman looks at him for a moment, flashes of Chaff bubbling to her memory as she recalls their friendship. Then, another thought came into her mind.
"Seeder."
Finnick turns to face her, nodding gently as he responds to a question she hadn't asked aloud.
"She's here. She's safe." He takes two steps toward her, placing a hand on her cheek. "Should I go get her?"
Octavia nods slowly, looking up at him. He kisses her forehead before walking away from her, letting his hand linger on her fingers for a few seconds and exchanging a look with Haymitch.
"Octavia, we need to know what they did to Peeta in the Capitol," Haymitch carefully chooses his words as he approaches the girl.
"I don't know. I couldn't see him," she says honestly, shaking her head back and forth as she recalls the white walls of her room.
"Is there anything you can tell us about what they did to you?"
"I just," her breath hitched, "I just heard him."
Boggs squints his eyes slightly as he processes her words.
"You heard him?"
Octavia clenches her jaw as the sound of Peeta's cries begins to play in her mind.
"His screams," she clarified, "I heard him."
"Octavia, what did they do to you?" Haymitch asked, concern slightly laced in his tone.
"I thought you were asking about Peeta," she replies.
"Now I'm asking about you," the man counters, Boggs takes a step back but continues listening.
Octavia's stare goes blank as her eyes fall to the floor.
"I heard them. All day, all night. I heard them. Peeta, Johanna, others that I couldn't place," She mutters quietly. Haymitch gives her an encouraging nod.
Octavia clears her throat.
"I had these dreams. They were nothing like I'd ever had before, like they were created—no, manufactured. Manufactured to torment me, to hurt me," she stutters wildly as she speaks, picking at her cuticles causing blood to peak out.
