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KILL FOR YOUR LOVE.

act two.

(chapter seventeen, a violent, destructive monster)

the milking station / victor's village, 75 ADD.

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JUNIPER HALE WALKED THROUGH the mud and manure that was District Ten. She was slow with her strides and her joints ached, but she kept her peaceful pace as she tried hard to not stare at any of the citizens too long, but that deemed to not be a problem as half of them cowered away at the sight of her. 

She was making her way to the Milking Station where her father was working. Some asked, if they were brave enough, why Orion Hale was still working if his daughter managed to make them hundreds and hundreds of dollars by slaughtering other kids. No-one really had an answer. But Juniper knew that her father still enjoyed working there because it brung him a sort of sense that everything was normal. If that were ever possible. 

It might have worked for Orion Hale, digging himself in his work at the Station to hide his overwhelming fear and concern for his daughter and to distract him from what happened three years ago, but it didn't for Juniper. It didn't as she walked through the strip of housing that separated the Barn of Death and the Milking Station.

With every glance, Juniper could see him. With every step, it was like he was still walking beside her. It was impossible, she knew that, but as Juniper Hale walked through the strip of housing that bordered the Barn of Death and the Milking Station, it was like Justice Hale was still there because with every single motion she did whenever walking through District Ten, it reminded her immensely of her late twin brother. 

(The minute the cow moved, ridding of their hiding spot, the Hale twins launched up, sprinting their hearts out across the rest of the green paddock)

("Look, the Milking Station." Justice pointed to the small building as they managed to exit the housing strip that separated the Barn of Death and the station)

("Okay." Juniper and Justice nodded in unison as they watched their father walk over to his Milking Station peers, the men patting each other on the backs. They all had children in the Reaping.)

Juniper stopped suddenly. Her head was spinning and she had to pause momentarily to pinch the bridge of her nose. This happened all the time. Whenever she strode through District Ten, she would be reminded immensely of her brother, her twin, the person she killed. Some days, it would be so strong that Juniper had to turn back to Victors' Village, but some days, it was like this. Having to stop for a moment to get her head in the right place. 

"Look who it is!"

Juniper dropped her hand from her nose and turned around, feeling anger bubble up in her stomach as she saw Brent Higgins stride towards her, arms outstretched as if he excepted a hug. Alcohol and morphling reeked off of him. 

"Brent." Juniper scoffed. "Out to come terrorise more citizens?"

"No more than you do." Brent smiled as he went beside the woman.

And he wasn't wrong. Brent Higgins might have terrorised and scared civilians in District Ten on purpose, but Juniper Hale did the exact same thing by accident. Whenever she walked into the heart of the district, it would become quiet, eery. Everyone would walk backwards, make space for Juniper to stride through because they were too scared to get close to her because she was simply known as the twin-killer, the one who snapped. And whilst the people of Ten were proud that someone had won the Hunger Games, they were completely petrified of their Victor. 

"So, what are you doing out and about, Missy?" Brent asked as Juniper resumed walking. All the kids stared at the two winners as they went by, their parents holding them back in fear. 

"The Milking Station." Juniper grunted in response. She did not want to talk to Brent Higgins. He had become more insufferable over the three years.

Brent nodded as he burped slightly, saying, "I don't know why your old man still works there. I mean — you have so much money to last you a lifetime and he still works? I gotta give it to him—"

"Do you need anything, Brent?" Juniper asked, stopping in her tracks as she turned to stare at the drunkard. 

"Can't I just spend some time with you?"

"No."

Brent scoffed as he put his hands up in defence, retreating slowly as he replied, "Didn't want to anyway... I only came here to get more liquor."

Juniper shook her head slightly as she watched the man walk away from her, heading to a house at the end of the strip. Juniper knew that the woman who lived there was a dealer, getting crappy, cheap alcohol and morphling from the black market and selling it for a lower price. Juniper had gone there some times before when the Capitol's supply had run low, but never every day like Brent did. 

But the woman waved the thought of Brent Higgins and his dealer away as she started to set off to the Milking Station, ignoring the strange looks and glances she got from people. She shoved her hands into her pockets, clenching them up into fists as she dug her nails into her palms, but she hissed slightly when she felt her fingers graze the fresh cuts on her flesh. 

The cuts from the porcelain plates being smashed still stung whenever they came into contact with anything. The ones on the soles of her feet had its own heartbeat whilst the ones on her arms and palms were still very sensitive. The hot shower she had the day before didn't help. 

But any thought about the plates smashing and her cuts disappeared when she came face-to-face with the facade of the Milking Station. The grey building loomed over Juniper and she swallowed slightly as she headed towards the steel doors, two Peacekeepers' keeping guard. And unlike three-years-ago where the Peacekeepers' were gripping their guns tightly and grunting at the seventeen-year-old girl, they were skittish in-front of the twenty-year-old woman. 

"Brian." Juniper nodded curtly at one of the soldiers. "Is he working in there?"

"A-Ah, y-yeah," he stammered.

("I — we — would like to see our father," Juniper told them, jutting her chin high up in the air as she clutched her satchel tightly. "He works in stable six."

"And I want to be rich." The Peacekeeper sighed. "Get lost. The men are working—")

"Well...?" Juniper drawled as she eyed him. "Go get him."

"U-Uh, yes, sorry." Brian nodded repeatedly as he opened the steel door, peering his head into the stables. "Orion? Y-Your kid's here..."

Juniper clenched her jaw as she narrowed her eyes at the other Peacekeeper standing guard, even as Brian came back, but once her father's figure appeared, wiping dirt from his fingers that were infected with cuts, her expression softened. He seemed more tired than ever, but as he saw his daughter, his eyes had some sort of twinkle in them. 

"June." Orion sighed, smiling slightly. "Thanks, Brian."

The Peacekeeper nodded quickly before resuming his position as guard, still scared of the Hale woman, even as she began to walk away with her father. 

"I'm not sure why they're scared of you," her father muttered as they began to retrace their steps through the strip of housing. Since his daughter was a Victor, Orion Hale wasn't required to work full hours and could leave work whenever he wanted, but to him, it was more like a hobby than a chore. 

"You know why." Juniper sighed slightly. She watched as kids kicked a football around in the mud, smiles on their faces as they laughed and conversed.

Her father ignored her statement as he looped his arm into his daughter's, saying, "There's a mandatory viewing tomorrow night, I think."

"Yeah, Finn told me."

"Do you know what it's for?"

Juniper took in a deep breath as she said, "Either for that goddamn wedding or the... Quell..."

"Oh... right..." Orion nodded his head slowly. The Hunger Games was, of course, a sensitive topic for the Hale family. "The reading of the cards?"

"Probably." Juniper shrugged. "And then the mentor's list will come out..."

And then they left it at that like they always did. If the Hunger Games ever appeared in a conversation, the duo would be desperate to get rid of it, to change the subject. It was a matter they did not want to speak about especially with the pain still being raw. It was numbed with anger by Juniper, of course, and then numbed with exhaustion by Orion, but it was still an open wound. 

Everything was an open wound these days.

"So, I was thinking—"

Orion Hale began to speak, but was suddenly cut short when a loud cackle came out from one of the muddy streets of the strip of housing. They were just about to leave and enter the Barn of Death territory, but they both stopped to see who it came from and Juniper was not surprised to see Brent Higgins coming down the road with a new bottle of liquor in his hand, already half-empty, with a wad of money in the other. 

"Oh, I'm going to kill him." Juniper hissed as she wrung her arm out of her father's grasp, stalking over to the older Victor. Orion tried to call her back, but the woman's mind was set. "Oi! Brent!"

"Ah, Missy!"

Juniper could barely understand what he was saying with his slurred words, but she knew he was inevitably under the influence in the middle of District Ten, which was never a good thing. When she got closer to him, ready to slap some sense into the man, he suddenly brought her into a hug, squeezing her tight. 

"I like you, Missy," he murmured as he tightened his grip on her. "You're a good kid."

"Get off me, you jerk!" Juniper scoffed as she shoved him backwards. "Are you serious right now? You just got that bottle and you've already drunk it?"

"You do it all the time." Brent shrugged.

"In the safety of my own home! Not in the middle of the district!"

"Sh, sh, sh..." Brent hushed her as he pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes momentarily. "Don't yell... too loud..."

Juniper raised a brow before sighing, reaching forwards and trying to grab the liquor bottle from his hand, "Brent, just stop. Not here."

"Why not?" Brent slurred as he gestured around. A crowd was gathering and Juniper could feel her cheeks burning up with embarrassment. "They don't care."

"I'm sure they do," Juniper whispered. "Now, get back to the Village."

Brent waved her off and turned to the growing crowd which mainly consisted of the kids who were kicking the football around. They were cowering back in fear once the older, drunk Victor turned to them. Juniper furrowed her brows at Brent. 

"They don't care, do ya?" Brent laughed as he stalked towards them. "Goddamn, district kids... you know, Missy, they're next. This Reaping, it'll be on you little brats and I'll have to goddamn mentor ya—!"

When Brent tried to throw the liquor bottle at the group of kids, Juniper felt a sense of immense rage fill her up as she grabbed his shoulders, turning him around and swinging her fist harshly into his nose. A rippling crack echoed around as the man staggered back, a gush of blood coming out. It was coated all over his face and Juniper's fist. 

"Ah, you broke my nose!"

"Maybe that will sober you up!" Juniper hissed as she grabbed a lock of his hair, bending the man down so she could whisper into his ear. "I don't mind you drinking, I really don't, but don't terrorise the people. And never try and hurt those kids, you understand?"

"What do you know—?" 

Juniper tightened her grip on his hair, causing him to whimper as she repeated, "Do you understand?"

She didn't wait for Brent to answer. Instead, she threw the man down into the mud before stalking away from him. She ignored the looks she got from the children with the football and the sigh her father let out. Juniper just started to walk down the path back to Victors' Village. 

"June!" Orion Hale called out. 

"Don't scold me for it." 

"I wasn't—"

"Don't."

Juniper looked down at her hand. It wasn't broken or bruised. It wasn't even swollen. Juniper Hale had gotten so acquainted to punching people that even her fists were used to it now. All she had was a sense of anger and annoyance in her heart as she desperately tried to ignore the Barn of Death and the paddocks that were to her left. 

"June!" Orion Hale ran up to his daughter, grabbing ahold of her shoulder and turning her around. "I was gonna ask if you were all right... are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Juniper said as she got out of his grasp once more, continuing down the muddy road. She could hear it squelch underneath her boots with every step she took. 

(Juniper shuddered when she heard the sludge squelch underneath her boots once she was up)

"June!"

"What?" Juniper said in annoyance, turning around to face her father. The red barn seemed like a monster to her in the background. She could see the farmer attending to the cows in the paddocks. 

"I just wanna say... he had it coming." Orion nodded. "He had it coming... he shouldn't have tried to hurt those kids."

"Yep. I know."

Juniper started to walk away, taking deep breaths when she heard her father sigh. She tried hard to ignore it and the rage in her stomach, focusing on her breathing, even as she exited the muddy land of District Ten and the 'greenery', as they liked to call it, of Victors' Village. 

She tried to calm herself, make herself present, but everything seemed to be louder than it normally was. The birds chirping in the sky were screeching, making Juniper's ears ring. Her father's heavy breaths were so loud that it made her heart drop. She could hear her own thunderous footsteps followed by Orion's. She could even hear Lucy faintly humming in her kitchen, her window wide open to let in some fresh air. 

But with all of that, Juniper still tried to focus on her breathing, even as she headed towards her house in the Village, struggling to unlock the door. When she managed to open it, she immediately entered and shrugged off her jacket. Her father was right behind her and did the same, but he left almost immediately, heading upstairs with nothing but a single pat on her shoulder. 

"Fuck sakes..." Juniper mumbled once she was alone. She headed to the phone that was on the wall, nearly ripping the receiver off of its hook as she, with shaking fingers, managed to put in a number she had memorised over the two years. "Come on... pick up..."

Juniper waited as the phone began to ring, tapping her fingertips against the table that was underneath the phone. With every buzz, there was a tap of a finger.

Buzz. Tap. Buzz. Tap. 

"Hello—?" 

"I punched Brent Higgins," Juniper breathed out, not even giving Finnick Odair a chance to properly speak or wonder who had called him. 

"Oh."

"Yeah. Oh."

"Why, might I ask?" Finnick questioned. "Well, I know why... but why?"

Juniper hurriedly told the story about what happened, Finnick silent as he listened. Finnick was always a good listener. He had grown accustomed to Juniper's rambling and knew to never interrupt her as she did. Instead, as she spoke quickly, he just took in as much information as he could. 

"So... yeah... there you go..." Juniper finished her story, letting out one big breath. "That's why I punched him."

Finnick was silent for a moment and the woman didn't if it was because of the delay, if there was one, but he soon said, "Well, good on you, June. That jerk deserved it."

"I think I broke his nose." Juniper laughed slightly as she leaned against the wall. She could hear her father bustling around upstairs. "There was a loud crack after I punched him."

"You know, I'm kinda keen to go to Ten just to see his swollen face," Finnick replied. "All the other Victors' hate him—"

"The entirety of Ten does," Juniper added. "It's not fair on them, him going around and flaunting his wealth. Not fair on those kids being told they're next for the Reaping."

"Dickhead," Finnick spat. "If I weren't such a civil man, I'd kill him."

"You? Civil?" Juniper breathed out a chuckle. "Actually... you are, yes. You are very civil."

"Is that sarcasm I'm hearing?"

"It's actually not." Juniper shook her head. "You are very civil. Very peaceful and present."

"Aw, shucks, June," Finnick replied. "You have me blushing and all that."

Juniper laughed once more and the two carried on with their conversation for a couple more minutes before they went their separate ways. When the Hale woman heard the Odair man put down his receiver, hanging up, she did too and made way to the stairs. 

Her hand was starting to hurt slightly, making her wince as she tried to massage it. It wasn't bruised or swollen, which was a good thing, but what added to the pain more was the cuts on her palms. It didn't help that the scars on her flesh from the last outburst were still sensitive and as Juniper looked down at her skin as she climbed the stairs, she realised her hands were littered with them. She sighed as she made it to the top floor, quickly putting her palms away so she wouldn't have to look at them anymore. 

When she reached her father's bedroom door, Juniper stood there for a while. She knew Orion Hale never liked it when his daughter showcased violence. It caused him to become quiet and he would regularly leave her alone until she calmed down. And whilst she still felt that faint feeling of anger in the pits of her stomach, it wasn't as if she was going to have another outburst and destroy all the plates, which they really needed to stock up on. She had just punched an arrogant jerk who deserved it. But Orion Hale despised violence, especially if it came from his daughter. 

So maybe that was why Juniper decided not to knock on his door or enter. She wasn't in the mood to have that conversation with the man nor could her heart take the exhausted, defeated look on his face. Orion Hale was a broken soul, but so was Juniper. 

She was broken down, torn, and destroyed as she slowly retreated to her own bedroom across the hall, gently lowering herself down into the comforts of her bed. But there was no comfort in it. There was no safety in going to sleep. There was no safety anywhere, not in the real word or in her dreams. And Juniper knew this and was petrified of falling asleep because she knew the minute she closed her eyes, she would be reminded of what she was, who she was, and what she did. 

Her dreams did not numb the fact that she was a violent, destructive monster. 

("Because you're a monster... people will be terrified of you..." Dallas coughed)

⇢ ˗ˏˋ matz 🎧 !

— idk if this is confusing or not but here's a map of d10 (kinda)

its large in land size, the actual district, but when it comes to housing and the town as shown, its very small.