Ocean Eyes - Finnick Odair

Twenty-Eight

TW- forced prostitution, PTSD

Marissa does not know how long they torture her. Every day it's the same but, it never gets any easier. They throw her back in her cell at what she assumes is nighttime with Peeta, who writhes in pain and mutters things about Katniss and Capitol's Mutts. Marissa is usually too distraught after hearing Finnick being tortured to help him or even concentrate on what he's murmuring. Annie is relatively unscathed although being locked up with little to no food and, her friends being tortured is doing nothing for her mental state. And then there's Johanna. Marissa only found out Johanna was here after the first day she was tortured with Finnick's screams. The girl from District Seven had been shoved into an adjoining cell, twitching as if she'd been electrocuted and her head shaved. Johanna screams out a lot, Marissa thinks it's more out of anger than anything else but, it still upsets her.

Peeta had been called to do another interview at some point although, Marissa is not sure when and she did wonder how they managed to make him look presentable. The blond baker has lost over fifteen pounds due to his distress and the limited amount of food and water they're given, he's developed a nervous tremor in his hands and, it would take a lot of makeup to cover up the bags under his eyes. Marissa can't imagine she looks any better than him.

She's barely slept since the first night of torture. Occasionally she'll drift off due to pure exhaustion but, she doesn't like to have her eyes closed. Flashes of Finnick being tortured, tied down to a table and beaten and burned and lacerated for the purpose of her own suffering play behind her eyes when she closes them. When they're open, she distracts herself by focusing on blank spots of the room and willing away the grotesque images.

Today is different from the rest. The peacekeepers march in as they do every morning, seizing the victors roughly and dragging them to where they will endure hours upon hours of mental and physical torture. Marissa doesn't even fight the restraints anymore. She just lies there, listening to Finnick screaming out for her with tears streaming from her eyes. She's heard it every single day but, somehow that makes it worse. She never gets used to it. Then, when Finnick's screams finally quieten down, the peacekeepers renter the room, freeing her from the restraints and pulling her from it. Usually, they would just chuck her back into her cell but, this time they don't. They lead her to one of the prep rooms where Galla is waiting for her.

The blue-haired woman looks particularly horrified by the sight of Marissa but, the redhead does not care. The Capitol resident should be horrified. Her people are the ones responsible for Marissa's suffering. They're the reason the Hunger Games still exist.

"Oh, Marissa," she whispers, touching her hand to the girl's hollow cheeks. Marissa flinches back from the hand, her glare turning icy. Galla frowns at this, returning her hands to her side. "You should go and have a shower so I can make you look pretty again."

This doesn't sit right with Marissa. She'd never been particularly disgusted by her prep team but, the fact that Galla is more concerned about her looking good than the fact that she is being tortured makes her want to be sick.

Marissa does have a shower, though. Pleased to wash off any blood and dirt from her body no matter how much it stings the injuries from the restraints that litter her body. When she's finished, Galla examines the full extent of her injuries with pursed lips.

"I don't know how I'm going to make you look good, Marissa."

"Maybe you could stop them torturing me," Marissa replies bitterly. Galla frowns at her, shakily wiping tears from her eyes before she composes herself. She covers Marissa's face in heavy makeup, even covering up the majority of her torso which is injured. Marissa doesn't know why Galla works so tirelessly on perfecting areas of her skin that will be covered by clothes which she assumes she'll be dressed in for another interview until Galla pulls out her outfit.