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KILL FOR YOUR LOVE.

act two.

(chapter twenty-two, the familiar feeling of rage)

capitol train / remake centre / city circle, 75 ADD.

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"SO, WHO HAVE YOU two chosen to be allies?" Lucy Stevens asked that next morning as she spread butter on a toasted piece of bread. "Assuming you've thought about it like I asked."

"I'm not allying with anyone," Brent immediately said as he kept looking down at his porcelain plate that was filled with eggs and bacon. "I'm going alone."

"That's ridiculously stupid, but you do you. Juniper?"

Juniper stared at Brent Higgins for a while before shaking her head, turning her attention to Lucy as she replied, "Finnick, definitely. Cashmere, I would like, but that also means being with the Careers', so I'm hazy on it. Volts — Beetee — would be smart. Seeder and Chaff, maybe. Five, Six, Seven, Nine, and Twelve are a definite no."

"I understand why you won't ally with Everdeen and Mellark," Lucy began to say. "But considering how popular they are right now, they would get a lot of sponsors. It would be very smart."

"I don't give a damn. I'm planning to kill them anyway."

Lucy gave it a thought before merely nodding and heading back to her breakfast. Brent remained quiet whilst Nadine still looked at Juniper with a disgusted look, eyeing her haircut. The tension was drowning them all, suffocating them even after they finished their breakfast.

But it was quickly forgotten about as everyone felt the train beginning to slow down however no-one got up. No-one moved. No-one even bothered to look out of the window as the humongous buildings of the Capitol rolled by, encrusted in silver and gold as it glittered in the sunlight. Not a single one of them were bothered by the soft lullaby of the water from the hydropower lake as its waves lapped over each other. They had all seen the grandiose of the Capitol multiple times before. This wasn't any different. 

But the people were. 

Juniper realised this as the train slowly stopped at the station, coming face-to-face with the crowd of civilians whose makeup were hideous, clothes ridiculous, and wigs high. She realised that the atmosphere of the Third Quarter Quell was much different than any other Hunger Games because as the group started to get up from their seats, the Hale woman caught sight of nearly every citizen sobbing and crying as tears ran down their faces. The people weren't ready to let go of twenty-three of their shining jewels.

"Poor things..." Nadine sighed. "Not ready to say goodbye..."

Juniper's eyes narrowed with anger at the escort. Not ready to say goodbye? Poor things? If anything, the Victors', the twenty-four Victors' that were being sent back into the arena were the poor things. They weren't ready to die. They had it worse than any Capitol citizen. 

"Don't say anything." Lucy, however, clamped a hand on her shoulder, warning her. "She's one of them, Juniper. Don't think much of it."

"Poor things?" Juniper snapped. She could feel the rage rising. "How are they—?"

"Don't think much of it."

Lucy pushed Juniper along and out of the dining cart, keeping a strong hand on her shoulder as they rejoined with Brent and Nadine, who were standing at the entrance. They could hear the cries and screams of the crowds faintly, but when the escort pressed a button and the door opened, it was much more intense and the Hale woman had to blink momentarily as camera flashes went off. 

Nadine went first, as always, and tried to mingle with the crowd, who continued to shout and sob. But no-one paid attention to the escort and nor to Brent Higgins as he immediately left the train, going right down the walkway as he ignored the people and the cameras. But when Juniper, gingerly, stepped off the train, the crowd went into utter chaos.

Guttural screams echoed around the station as the people tried to jump over the barricades. They all sobbed and screamed, trying to grab Juniper as she stood there, a brow raised as she stared at them all. 

(Justice was right behind Juniper and at the sudden appearance of the two tributes from Ten, the Hale twins, the crowd went manic)

Juniper should have felt flattered that the people of the Capitol cared this much about her. But she didn't. She didn't feel flattered or touched by their expressions of care. If anything, it made Juniper hate them more because they didn't care for her. They didn't care about Juniper Hale. All they cared about was the Victor from the Seventy-Second, the twin-killer. That's who they cared about because if any of them got to know the real Juniper Hale, they would be just as appalled as she was now. 

But with a mere shake of the head, Juniper followed Brent, walking down the runway with Lucy behind her. She ignored the crowd and breathed a sigh of relief as she swiftly exited the train station, entering the building she knew as the Remake Centre. But that sigh of relief got quickly sucked back in once the Hale woman saw a group of lanky, disgusting men that were painted with polka-dots. 

Her prep team. 

"Surely me and Brent can switch?" Juniper mumbled to Lucy behind her. 

"I'm afraid not." Lucy eyed the team. "This is Yara's team."

"I'm gonna slaughter Yara."

And that statement stayed true, even as Juniper neared her prep team, whose names she never cared for, and even as she was carted off through the maze that was the Remake Centre, and even as she sat naked in-front of the men. She was going to brutally murder Yara Give slowly and horribly. But Juniper tried to calm down her racing heart as she began to list off the prepping routine in her head, trying to ignore the men's watching eyes and harsh fingers.

They first scrubbed her body down with a gritty foam that removed not only the dirt and sweat on her flesh, but also multiple layers of her skin as well. They then filed her nails to be perfect, uniform shapes. And then removed the hair off of her body with no mercy, ripping the wax off ruthlessly as Juniper felt the familiar feeling of sickness rise in her throat. She was sure they had ripped off some of her flesh as well. 

But Juniper saw the first signs of emotions in the men's eyes as they stared at her haircut. They mumbled under their breaths as they looked at papers, which had to have been Yara's design, before ultimately nodding on something. And so, each male began to set onto something. One was fixing her hair, getting small scissors out as he began to fix whatever disaster Juniper managed to cut up whilst another was busying himself on her makeup, roughly drawing brows on, painfully poking and prodding her face with different appliances. And then the other one was down by her side, pressing nails onto her fingers. They were a deep red, causing Juniper to raise a brow.

But, just like three-years-ago, the Hale woman had to admit that even though the three men were cruel and disgusting with their wandering eyes, with their touches being too long, and their methods harsh, they were masters at their art. And Juniper had to swallow down any complaints she had when she saw herself in a mirror, the prep team standing behind her.

Her hair seemed much neater than it did on the train, fluffier and waiver, which would make Nadine happy, but it still hung just above her shoulders. But that's what Juniper wanted. It was tactical. Strategic. And her makeup was deadly, her eyes smouldering and smoky, her lips a bright, daring red, and her eyeliner dramatic yet aggressive. 

"Yara would like to see you now."

"Oh, we wouldn't want to keep Yara waiting." Juniper rolled her eyes as one of the men grasped her bicep tightly, leading her out of the room and she was sure a bruise would form. But the man kept his hand on her arm as he took her through every hallway and stairs in the Remake Centre before stopping in-front of a door, opening it, and chucking Juniper inside. It slammed behind her. 

The Hale woman narrowed her eyes as she tightened her robe around her tender, raw body, walking more into the room and was confused when she saw that Yara Give was not in her office. She was nowhere to be seen, but Juniper was not surprised. Yara was not one for formalities. She could be an hour late and would not mutter an apology. So, with that in mind, Juniper began to head to the sitting room.

It was a plain area with three blank walls, one being entirely of glass as it showcased the glittering buildings and structures of the Capitol. It had grey couches facing a low table for furniture. Juniper knew a delicious meal was just a click away, eyeing the simple button that was on the side of the table, but as she began to head to it, she heard the click of heels. 

"Are you planning to die again or are we over that?"

Juniper bit her tongue at the sound of Yara Give's voice echoing around the sitting room and so, she turned around, but couldn't help raising a brow at the appearance of her stylist. No longer was she drenched in an aqua colour, but she now wore everything a bright, terrible orange.

She still maintained her exceptional height with her cheekbones still sticking out as if her bones were raised, her lips still looking to be inflated, and not a wrinkle in sight. But instead of an intricate braid down her back, hair dyed an elegant aqua, her locks were now as straight as paper and painted a bright orange. And she wore a complex dress, which was the same colour as her hair, but it didn't seem to cover anything up. Huge chunks of the material was taken out and with one wrong move, everyone could be traumatised. But the most noticeable feature, if there was one amongst the mess, was that Yara Give's skin was no longer ghastly white. It was now a horrible, dreadful tan. 

"What happened to you?" Juniper couldn't help but burst out a laugh. Yara tried to narrow her eyes at her, but she was too cosmetically enhanced to do so. "Oh, come on, how long did that tan take you?"

"I could ask the same to you," Yara snapped. Juniper nearly choked on her chortles as the stylist began to take a few steps forwards. "You didn't have that short of hair in the recap of the Reapings."

"But at least I don't look like a human orange."

Yara tried to clench her jaw to no avail, but ignored Juniper as she walked by her, sitting down on the grey couch as she pressed the simple button that was on the side of the table. As she did, the top split open with another tabletop rising with a mouthwatering array of sandwiches and fruits. 

"Are you going to sit or are you going to keep insulting me?" Yara snapped as she took a plate, arranging her meal already, making Juniper take a deep yet shaky breath before going to sit across from her, following suit in grabbing the different sandwiches and fruit. 

"But really, Yara... what made you go orange?" Juniper mumbled as she dug into the food. She cherished the taste of the meat and sauces of the sandwiches, sighing as she took a bite. 

"Aqua wasn't my style anymore."

"Really?" Juniper scoffed. "Because when I think of Yara Give, I think of aqua."

"Not anymore," Yara said. Juniper did have to admit that after her initial shock of the change of appearance, Yara Give did look much better and much more beautiful now than she did three-years-ago. "But you didn't answer my question... are you planning to die this year or are you over that?"

"Just tell me what I'm wearing or I will stab you with that knife and I don't care if it's blunt, I'll make it work."

Yara didn't seem surprised at Juniper's comment, saying, "Okay then... the Tribute Parade... this dress is, if you haven't worked it out, going to be red. It's simple, nothing showy, but it looks good..."

"What?" Juniper asked, sensing Yara's hesitation. She was eyeing her haircut. 

"I was going to say something about your hair, but I realised it works with the design..." Yara nodded slightly. "The three pigs did good on it... yes, it will be all right, the short hair."

"It's strategic, having short hair."

"Yeah, I'm sure it is." Yara waved away Juniper's comment. She didn't seem to care. Her mind was already set. "Just hurry up eating."

And so, Juniper hurriedly scoffed down her meal and the stylist got to work the minute the Hale woman had finished. But, unlike three-years-ago, she wasn't scared. She had seen Yara's designs evolve from fake cow intestines and butchers to beautiful dresses and gowns of elegant materials and so, Juniper wasn't terrified. But there was a common factor in Yara Give's works. Real animal fur. 

"I know you're going to ask," Yara said an hour later as she did the final touches on the dress that Juniper was now wearing. "I'm pretty sure it's real fur. It is dyed and if you want to make yourself feel better, pretend it's artificial."

"I'm not even surprised anymore."

And as Juniper felt uneasy at wearing real animal fur, she did realise the dress she was wearing was undeniably beautiful. It was of velvet material, a deep red, and it encased her waist and torso, going down slightly with a massive slit at the thigh, showcasing Juniper's right leg. But there were no sleeves, nothing hiding her arms, and her collar bones were on show as well as her shoulders. There was no trickling neckline, there was nothing. Instead, a large collection of deep red fur wrapped around the top of the dress, acting as a border from the velvet material and Juniper's flesh. 

"Do you like it?" Yara murmured as she helped the woman into a pair of black heels. 

"It's better than cow intestines."

Yara ignored Juniper's quip and when she finished her final touches, she shrugged and took the woman by the arm, leading her out of the office. The stylist took her towards the basement level, riding down in an elevator and whilst they did, Yara whistled slightly whilst Juniper closed her eyes. She always hated the Tribute Parades. She never liked them and never would. 

(When the opening music began to blare faintly, the massive doors sliding open to reveal the thunderous screams from the crowd-lined street, Lucy and Brent walked up to the chariot)

(As Justice hummed in agreement, their horses started suddenly and Juniper realised they were next)

When the doors opened, revealing the lower level, Juniper opened her eyes and clenched her jaw. She could see all the Victors' in the flesh now, even from far away. They were all talking and standing around in small groups and Juniper let out a deep sigh as she eyed everyone. The Hale woman did not like this. She didn't like any of this. She hated the process of getting ready for the arena. The Tribute Parade. Training. Scores. Interviews. It all made Juniper sick as she tried to keep the rage simmered down. 

How could the Capitol do this?

But as Juniper was walking towards her designated chariot and as someone bumped into her, causing the woman to nearly be knocked to the ground, she couldn't help but snap, "Oi! Watch where you're going!"

And that rage, that anger nearly bubbled to an extreme heat as the person who had bumped into Juniper swivelled around, revealing it to be Johanna Mason. "Do you have a problem, Hale?"

Johanna Mason's green eyes were narrowed as she copied the same expression Juniper had. Utter rage. And the Hale woman didn't blame her as she surveyed her outfit for the Parade. She had a headdress of leafy branches atop her spiky, brown hair, which was different to her bleached bangs three-years-ago, and was wearing a corset that was supposed to be bark on the top half of her body whilst wearing a detailed full-body suit of deep green underneath. 

"You see, I thought you would, Mason." Juniper scoffed as she rolled her jaw. "Considering you're the one that just bumped into me."

(Staggering back, still maintaining a grasp on her robe, she was about to scoff at the person, but when she focused her vision on who it was, Juniper blanched. Johanna Mason)

"It was an accident." Johanna sneered.

"Oh, was it?"

"Believe it or not, yeah."

Juniper took deep breaths as she slowly felt the rage, the anger boil up. She contemplated ripping Johanna's eyes out with her long, fake nails that one of the prep team members had glued on or just punching her repeatedly in general, but before any of those fantasies could come true, a certain face popped into view, blocking Juniper's sight of the Victor from Seven. 

"June, is that you?"

And suddenly, all rage and anger disappeared instantly as Juniper's eyes focused upon Finnick Odair's face. Immediately, she checked if he was all right. He didn't seem as tired and he wasn't sickly thin. But as Juniper made sure her friend was all right, she seemed to notice the lack of clothes and realised that he was just wearing a golden net that was draped over him, being knotted at the groin. He wasn't technically naked, but he was close enough. 

"Finn..." Juniper breathed out a sigh. She could see Johanna Mason walking away. 

"I couldn't tell it was you with that new haircut," Finnick Odair mused. The two immediately brought each other in for an embrace, strong arms wrapped around the other. They hadn't seen each other since last year. "You didn't have that during the recaps."

"It was a spur-of-the-moment decision." Juniper nodded as they slowly let each other go. "It's strategic."

"I'm sure it is." Finnick looked as if he was trying not to laugh, but when he saw Juniper roll her eyes, he lowered his voice and added, "Are you all right?"

The Hale woman took a deep breath in as she looked around carefully, replying, "As good as one can be in this type of situation... you?"

"Yeah... yeah, I'm fine..." Finnick merely nodded and his friend knew exactly who was on his mind. 

Annie.

"How is she?" Juniper whispered. She knew that Finnick was weary of the Capitol and other Victors' finding out about him and Annie. It wasn't because he was ashamed to be in love with her or embarrassed. He simply knew it would be too much for the girl if anyone were to ever find out and he also knew that Snow and the Capitol would abuse that relationship in any way they could. "Is she all right?"

"She was — uh — pretty shaken up..." Finnick nodded back, speaking in a low voice. "Really shaken up... but I couldn't see her after the Reaping so I'm not really sure now, but... she's safe, she'll be fine... I just don't know how she's gonna cope if I—"

"Finnick, you're going to go home to her," Juniper immediately interrupted him, grasping his hand tightly. "You're going home to her."

The man from Four was about to reply with something when suddenly, music began to echo around the stables as all the Victors' started to head to their own chariots. Juniper spotted Brent Higgins coming towards her, wearing a deep red vest, the collar lined with fur that matched the woman's. His nose was still bent and faint bruising still painted that portion of his face.

"Fuck, you punched him proper good, June," Finnick said, forgetting about the conversation they were having moments ago. "I thought it was just the television that made it look bad, but damn."

As Brent came over and the first chariot exited the stables to the thunderous applause of the Capitol, Finnick said his goodbyes and quickly hurried over to Mags, leaving the Victors' from Ten alone. But as they both entered the chariot and steadied themselves on the metal bar in-front, silence consumed them. It was only when District Five left that Brent turned to face Juniper. 

"You know my prep team said there wasn't enough concealer in Panem to hide my bruising?" 

"That's what you get when you terrorise the local kids." Juniper shrugged. "And I think it quite suits you... makes you look more manly than you normally do."

Brent clenched his jaw and tightened his grip on the metal bar as Juniper slowly watched every chariot leave the stables. And as the Hale woman took deep, shaky breaths as she readied herself, she felt the horses start suddenly as they began to trot after District Nine. As they left the stables and entered the spotlight, it was Juniper's turn to clench her jaw. 

She was momentarily blinded by the bright lights, but after she overcame that, she eyed all of the people that were everywhere, all of them sobbing and crying. And whilst some screamed names, blew kisses, and waved, some shed tears into a friend's shoulder or wiped their cheeks daintily with a handkerchief. To the people of the Capitol, this was highly personal to them. 

("Poor things..." Nadine sighed. "Not ready to say goodbye...")

The cameras had been on Juniper and Brent since the moment they entered the Parade, but suddenly, gasps were let out from the entirety of the crowd and they all forgot about the Victors' from Ten. Instead, the cameras and everyone's attention were put on Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, who were behind Seeder and Chaff.

The couple were holding hands tightly with no emotion on their faces, the girl having a black crown, which appeared red-hot, casting strange shadows on her flesh. And it seemed as if they were really on fire, nothing like the flickery stuff their stylist had used last year. Juniper realised that Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark were not playing around this year.

But Juniper Hale wasn't either. 

Once all the chariots had curved into the loop of the City Circle, everyone's eyes were set upon the numerous balconies that were filled with the most powerful people of the Capitol. But Juniper was fixated on President Coriolanus Snow, the thin, small man that had as much plastic surgery as Yara, whose arms were wide. 

"Victors'! Tributes!" President Snow greeted. His voice echoed around and Juniper stared up at him with hatred. But his eyes were focused mainly on Katniss Everdeen. Rebellion. "Friends! Guests! We welcome you back to the Capitol for the Third Quarter Quell... we welcome your strength, your bravery, and your ruthlessness as we wish you, our dearest Victors' turned tributes, luck for the Seventy-Fifth Hunger Games!"

Snow's greeting fell onto deaf ears as the minute he finished his speech, the anthem began to blare, the camera doing laps around each tribute's face. It went on for a while before the small yet powerful man disappeared into the depths of his balcony, leaving the chariots to turn around and do one final lap of the City Circle before heading into the Training Centre. 

And as the horses trotted and even as the large doors closed behind all the chariots, Juniper felt that same rage bubble deep in her stomach at the sight of Snow, but even more when she saw Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark walk over to their mentor, Haymitch, who was followed closely by Seeder and Chaff. 

Juniper figured there and then that she was going to brutally murder the star-crossed lovers in the slowest, most painful, most torturous way she could come up with. 

⇢ ˗ˏˋ matz 🎧 !

— here is the idea of june's dress