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KILL FOR YOUR LOVE.

act two. 

(chapter nineteen, a realisation, an agreement)

victor's village, 75 ADD.

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JUNIPER HALE WOULD LIKE to think she was smart. She wasn't a genius, that's for sure, but she would like to think she was above average. She had the ability to work out word problems within a few minutes. She could figure out difficult equations. She could read, write, speak. But that was academically. 

Socially, in the arts of common sense and other people, she wasn't so great. Juniper Hale had a blurry view of what was right and wrong and most of the time, with her actions, she did the latter. When it came to figuring out people, to reading the room, she lacked those skills. She was not a people person. She also did not know the deeper meanings of things, such things like the mockingjay pin. But it was also the most simple phrases that one could speak that she wouldn't be able to understand.

("On the seventy-fifth anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that even the strongest among them cannot overcome the power of the Capitol, the male and female tributes will be reaped from their existing pools of Victors'.")

So that was probably why, even after the mandatory broadcast finished and the television automatically turned off, that Juniper Hale still sat on her couch, still trying to figure out what President Snow meant because existing pool of Victors'? What did that mean? Even Orion Hale couldn't figure it out. Or maybe he did. Maybe he did and was sitting in denial on the couch. But as Juniper turned her head to look at the man, it suddenly hit her. 

The existing pool of Victors'. 

There were only three Victors' in District Ten. There was two females, one male. The existing pool. The Victors'. Juniper Hale. Lucy Stevens. Brent Higgins. They were back in the Reaping bowl. 

Juniper felt her heart crash. She heard the screams in her head. She could feel the itching sensation of a blade in her hand. She was in the Reaping bowl. She had to relive the Reaping. If she was chosen by Nadine Groves, she would be a tribute again. She'd go back into the arena. Victors' were tributes. Victors'. Everyone Juniper had grown to know over the years, they were going to be in the arena. Finnick. 

Finnick. 

"June, where are you going?" Orion Hale managed to croak up. Tears were already in his eyes. He had figured it out too. 

But Juniper ignored her father. She ignored his pleas and calls as she hurriedly got up from the couch, nearly slipping on the polished, wooden floorboards as she headed towards the entrance hall where the phone was on the wall. And immediately, without calming herself, she managed to pick up the receiver and push in the numbers she had memorised with shaking fingertips. Her entire body was shaking. It was like Snow had destroyed her entire nervous system with just one sentence. 

Buzz. Tap. Buzz. Tap. Buzz. Tap.

Finnick wasn't picking up. He wasn't picking up and with every buzz of the phone, Juniper could feel the realisation come truly crashing down. It was a fifty-fifty chance. In a few months time, she could be back in the arena. Or Lucy could. Brent was definite. But for the females, fifty-fifty. But Juniper knew. She just knew that President Coriolanus Snow would rig the Reaping so she would go back in. She was going back into the arena. 

"June?" Orion Hale entered the hall and found his daughter fuming. He looked nearly scared.

Before Juniper could even scream, yell, or even cry, the front door blew open and Lucy Stevens appeared. She didn't seem so emotional about the whole fiasco, but there was still a sense of urgency in her eyes. And since Juniper's attention turned to her, Lucy was the victim of the woman's rage. 

"How the fuck can he do that?" Juniper yelled. Both Orion and Lucy flinched. "How can he be allowed to do that?"

"Juniper—"

"Embodiments of hope when there is no hope!" Juniper continued. Her voice was rising in sound, if that was even possible. "That's what they say! We are the golden children of the Capitol. We are their sparkling jewels!"

"Juniper—!"

"Don't Juniper me!" Juniper screamed. She was sure the entirety of District Ten could hear her now. "They can't just keep tossing people in there! They can't just do it for their own entertainment! Those sick, arrogant—"

She was cut off by the shrilling sound of the phone ringing. It caused everyone to jump, even Juniper. But with the rage inside her, the utter anger that no words could describe, she groaned and reached for the phone. No-one said any complaints as she ripped it off the wall, throwing it down onto the floor. The shrilling noise stopped and was replaced with the sound of the phone smashing on the wooden floorboards.

"Those fucking bastards!" Juniper snapped.

The last thing she heard was her own groans and her father's sighs as she swiftly left the entrance hall, going up the stairs, into her room, and slamming the door. She might have been acting like a moody teenager, but she didn't care. She was cheated out of her childhood. No-one could tell her what to do.

But the Capitol could. Oh, the Capitol controlled everything. They told all the Victors' what to do, told them how to act, how to please. Snow had the tightest reins on the Victors' and it might as well have been his idea to have Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark marry, to have the Finnicks, the Junipers, and the Cashmeres sell themselves out. This was all because of Snow. 

Juniper groaned in rage as she made her way to her attached bathroom. It wasn't as high-tech and fancy as the Capitol's one in the Training Centre, but it still had a shower that she could sit under. And so, Juniper, still with her clothes on, turned the hot water on full, not even waiting before getting in the shower, sitting underneath the head as she immediately curled up into a ball.  

She cherished the boiling sensation that rippled across her flesh, not even caring that her clothes were soaking wet and the water seeping into the material. She let the heat spread throughout her like an infectious virus, closing her eyes as she began to rock herself. She tried to wash the rage out and as she tried, she immediately felt guilty for smashing the phone. Now she can't call Finnick until she got it repaired. He'd have to call Lucy.

But her worries about the phone soon disappeared. She was going back into the arena. She was a tribute again. There was a likely chance that she, Juniper Hale, was going to get Reaped by Nadine Groves. 

("The female tribute to represent District Ten in the Seventy-Second Annual Hunger Games is...." Nadine started to say as she slowly unfolded the slip of paper)

A guttural cry escaped from her lips as she shook, despite the boiling water that was pounding into her skin, and she clamped a hand over her mouth. Her anger soon vanished as Juniper bursted into tears. Her cries echoed around the bathroom, mixing with the sound of the hot water running, and they soon turned into near-screams. She was going back into the arena. Juniper Hale was possibly going into the Hunger Games once more. 

("Justice Hale, Juniper Hale!" Nadine gasped as she took ahold of the boy. "Dare I say it, do we have a brother and sister?") 

(It swivelled open and the faint yells turned into booming screams as camera flashes went off, momentarily blinding Juniper)

(When her name echoed around the room, Juniper was already up and standing, trying hard to swallow down the vomit that threatened to rise)

(And the plate clicking as Juniper Hale entered her death)

(Brent raised his brows and cocked his head as he slowly said, "I don't know how much drugs they gave you, but... Jesus, Missy, you won. You're a Victor. You won the Hunger Games.")

But why? Why would they send the Victors' back into the arena? Did they think the Capitol would not care for the Victors' back then? How did they even know, all those seventy-five-years-ago, that every district had sole survivors? District Twelve didn't even have a female one until last—

And then it hit Juniper. 

District Twelve didn't have a female Victor until last year. Until Katniss Everdeen came along. As Juniper thought this, she quickly fished the mockingjay pin out of her pocket, fiddling with it as she furrowed her brows, trying to ignore the tears that were rolling down her cheeks harshly. Katniss Everdeen. There was a reason why the mockingjay pin suddenly appeared in the clutches of a random District Ten citizen. And there was a reason why the Victors' were suddenly being thrusted back into the arena.

President Snow wanted Katniss Everdeen dead. 

Or wanted the idea of her dead. He wanted to stop the rising of rebellion. And as Juniper realised this, she rose from her ball and got out of the shower, staring at her reflection in the mirror as it all came washing back to her. The Seventy-Fourth Hunger Games. 

Juniper had been there as a mentor. The girl died on the first day during the bloodbath whilst the boy managed to come tenth (whose names and faces she could barely remember) and whilst that would cause certain dismay to the young woman at the time, only being nineteen, Juniper had a newfound interest in the star-crossed lovers. She didn't actually think the pair would survive and she had a growing dislike for Katniss Everdeen, but she had to admit that she was brave. Especially when the girl from Eleven died. Especially with the berries. 

Yes, it made so much sense now as Juniper thought about it, staring in the mirror. Katniss Everdeen had defied the Capitol in not dying, in doing the three-finger salute when Rue from Eleven died. She had shown people that they did not have to live under the tyranny that was the Capitol, that they could stand up for what was right. The Quarter Quell wasn't about punishing the other Victors', it was about punishing Katniss Everdeen and squashing the idea of rebellion. 

But even if the Quell was about that, which it most surely was, Juniper still had a chance of going back into the arena. All because Katniss Everdeen decided to do a salute to a dead, little girl and tried to eat poisonous berries. 

(Juniper just hoped, as she neared the hovercraft, that someone in their right mind could break the Capitol, even if it wasn't her)

She could feel her heartbeat racing again, an ache in her chest and so, Juniper stumbled out of her bathroom and into her bed. She tried to ignore the cold that suddenly came creeping onto her, tried to ignore her teeth slightly chattering as Juniper thought the same phrase over and over as the hands of sleep took ahold of her, her eyes closing. She was going back into the arena because of Katniss Everdeen. Katniss Everdeen. 

And she thought it over, and over, and over until her eyes finally opened once again. But as she did, she was blinded by the morning sun that flooded into the bedroom. Someone had opened the window and Juniper swore she could hear voices downstairs. It must have been morning by the time she came round.

When Juniper tried to get up from her bed, she found the sheets to be soaked in water with damp clothes stuck to her flesh. Sighing and running a hand through her partly-dried, knotty hair, the Hale woman slowly went over to her wardrobe, ripping the materials off of her before redressing in long pants and a sweater.

Her throat was sore and scratchy and her whole body shook as Juniper, gingerly, left her bedroom and went down the hall. She could feel her joints aching with every step she took, her ears ringing with every noise that echoed throughout the house and she swore she nearly fainted as she went down the stairs. There was a pounding sensation in her head once she made it to the first floor, hearing people in the dining room. When she entered, she wasn't surprised to see her father and Lucy Stevens sitting across from each other, breakfast in-front of them. 

"Ah, you're awake," Lucy commented as she took a sip from her steaming mug. Juniper hid her hands in the arms of her sweater, trying to gain some warmth. 

"Regrettably..." Juniper grumbled as she took a couple more steps forward, finally settling into a seat at the end of the table, an equal distance away from her mentor and father. 

"How are you feeling?" Orion Hale asked her. There was a sense of caution in his eyes that Juniper didn't blame him for. She still felt the effects of her rage and tears.

"Fine..." Juniper nodded slightly. She eyed the hot cups of coffee and the steaming plates of eggs.

"Do you want some breakfast?"

When Juniper nodded, her father got out of his seat and headed towards the kitchen, leaving it to be just her and the older Victor. They sat in silence for a while as the Quarter Quell announcement lingered in their minds. It was a fifty-fifty chance, but Juniper knew that if Lucy Stevens name was called... she wouldn't volunteer. 

"So..." the said woman drawled as she took another sip of her coffee, wincing slightly at the bitterness. "Are you going to prepare?"

"Prepare for what?" Juniper asked as she eyed her mentor. 

"For the Quell," Lucy stated so simply that it caused the twenty-year-old to blink multiple times. She didn't seem emotional about the situation, similar to the night before. "You know, train, eat healthy, get to know all the Victors'."

"Okay, first off, why would we need to train?"

"Because it's either you or me in there," Lucy said. "And I don't know about you, but if I'm chosen, I'm not going to die. I'm only thirty."

"So what?" Juniper scoffed as she smirked at Lucy. "You're gonna win the Quarter Quell? That involves all Victors'? Meaning, Career Victors'?"

"Well, I don't have an all out plan—"

"Huh."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"What?"

Juniper took a breath as she laughed, shaking her head as she muttered, "It's just funny seeing how much you've changed. The old Lucy wouldn't even think of winning the Quarter Quell."

"Oh, really?" Lucy mused. Juniper didn't know if she took the comment lightheartedly or was insulted by it. "Well, it's funny seeing how much you've changed... your father ordered a new phone."

"Guess Finnick is gonna have to start calling you now."

"Oh, he did." Lucy nodded. That peaked Juniper's interest. "Just before I came here. He was asking for you, but you were asleep."

"And you didn't wake me up?"

"You were asleep," Lucy defended. "You rarely sleep."

Juniper simmered down at that comment because it was true. She barely slept. And now that she thought about it, her sleep last night was nightmare free, which was surprising since she had heard the most drastic news. The only thing on her mind was Katniss Everdeen and a potential rebellion. 

Rebellion. 

Maybe that was being overdramatic. No-one had tried to rebel against the Capitol in seventy-five-years and if they did, they were surely killed and forgotten about. A sixteen, seventeen-year-old girl wasn't capable of firing up a rebellion, a revolution just because of a salute or berries. But if Snow was worried, if Snow was willing to kill twenty-three Victors' to destroy the very image of her, then maybe she has. 

"But back to what I was saying—"

"I'm not training." Juniper was quick to interrupt her. 

"Yes, you are." Lucy nodded. "You're training with me... if you get picked, I'm not volunteering, so—"

"Same here."

"Thank you." Lucy rolled her eyes at her. "So, if you get picked, you need to be able to survive in those conditions—"

"What if I don't want to survive?" Juniper spat. "What if I've already planned my death?"

"Don't be stupid, Juniper," Lucy told her without hesitation. "I'm not going to do this with you again. We did it three-years-ago and—"

"And look how that turned out!" Juniper snapped. She felt rage rising, but suddenly, her father appeared beside her with a steaming plate of eggs and a hot cup of coffee. "Oh... thank you."

"Look how what turned out?" Orion Hale asked as he resumed his seat at the table. He eyed the two women. 

Juniper immediately cupped her hands around the mug of coffee and sighed as she felt the warmth enter her. It ran up through her veins and through her heart and it made her forget the coldness that had invaded her. She took a sip of the black liquid and tried to banish the bitter taste as she focused on her eggs, cherishing the hotness. 

"Juniper is going to train with me—"

"No, I'm not," Juniper interrupted her, mouth filled with eggs. 

"Yes, you are," Lucy said determinately. "It benefits both of us. I'm not volunteering for you and you're not volunteering for me so if one of us is chosen, no matter who, we are strong and fit enough to withstand the arena."

"Have you thought about Brent in this equation?" Juniper asked as she slurped on her mug. She didn't care about Brent Higgins because it was certain he was going into the arena as the only male Victor and inevitable that he was going to die, but she wanted to change the subject. 

"You broke his nose, I thought you didn't care about him?"

"It's actually broken?"

Lucy nodded as she replied, "Of course. Your punch is way too strong."

"Oh, yes!" Juniper cheered slightly. "Okay, that's made me feel a little bit better."

"I think you should train with Lucy, June."

Juniper looked up, coming down from her cheerful mood of breaking Brent Higgins's nose, to see her father's exhausted, pained eyes. She put down her mug and fork whilst eyeing her father. 

"I think you should train with Lucy," Orion Hale repeated softly, the said woman nodding vigorously. "If you are... if you do end up going back, then you're prepared... and it'll get you out of the house."

Hearing the words come from her father had more effect than it did with Lucy muttering them. Training would, if she was chosen, help her in the Quell and would put her up higher than everyone else. But everyone else. Her friends. Finnick. Annie. Cashmere, even, who she had formed a sick bond with over the three-years. All the people she knew, her friends, would be in the arena with her. And only one comes out and Juniper knew, despite her rage, despite her no hesitation to violence, she would not be that sole survivor. She couldn't because if Finnick died, if Finnick died, Juniper Hale would not know what to do with herself because the man from Four had... was... they had a bond that Juniper hadn't felt with anyone since... since... 

"Look, if I'm chosen, if," Juniper said as she tried to shake the previous thought out of her head. "I'm not winning. Twenty-three. Twenty-three Victors' and twenty-three that I know. Finnick, Annie—"

"Odair and Cresta might not even be chosen." Lucy was quick to interrupt her. "Four is a Career district, there's so many Victors' other than them. Juniper... they probably won't get picked... but if you are and you're not ready, then the only thing you can rely on is your rage."

Juniper shrugged. "You've seen what I can do with my rage, Lucy."

"Juniper," Orion Hale said. She looked over at her father. "Please."

He was begging. Orion Hale was begging. And it hit Juniper. He had already lost... he had lost... he had lost him. He couldn't lose Juniper. All Orion Hale had left was his daughter and if she were to die in the Quell, if she was picked, then that was it. He would have no-one. He would be left alone. And whilst Juniper hated life, hated Snow, hated the Capitol, hated herself, she would never intentionally hurt her father. 

Never. 

"Fine. I'll train with you, Lucy."