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KILL FOR YOUR LOVE.

act three.

(chapter thirty-five, the sixty-eight hunger games)

the justice building, 68 ADD.

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SUNLIGHT WAS CREEPING IN through the boarded windows, dancing upon any surface its rays could find. They swirled around the makeshift room, waltzing to a mute ballad. They leaped and twirled until finally, they landed on the small face of Juniper Hale. 

The girl groaned slightly as she forced herself to sit up, running her fingers through her hair. She could hear people bustling at the front of the house and as she looked over at the two other beds, Juniper realised they were both empty. 

Swinging her legs over onto the floor, the Hale girl stood up and crossed the room, exiting through the door. Her joints ached, muscles tense and tightening as knots began to tangle through every fibre of her being. Juniper hissed slightly at this as she tried to stretch her back and arms whilst walking, but eventually gave up once she saw the two males standing near the door of the house. 

Justice and Orion Hale, two completely identical beings, were wearing their best clothes. Their dark hair were slicked back neatly, having simple white shirts on with black slacks. It was the same thing they wore every year. Every Reaping. 

The Reaping. 

The Hale girl felt her mouth become dry as she became acutely aware of every sensory in her body. She could feel the blood rushing through her ears, head pounding as her heart began to move from her chest to her throat. The Reaping. The Reaping was today. How could she have forgotten? She and Justice spoke about it just yesterday, but she had forgotten all about it. 

"June..." Orion Hale turned around to stare at his thirteen-year-old daughter. Fear was set in his eyes, something every parent in District Ten experienced. It may only be his children's second Reaping, but there was still a chance. There was always a chance. "You're awake."

"Oh, finally." Justice rolled his eyes with a smirk. "Thought you were dead."

"Justice," their father snapped warningly. 

Death was always a sensitive topic within the families of District Ten. Every citizen had encountered the wrath of the Hunger Games and everyone had lost someone in the arena. Whether it was friends, family, or even neighbours, every year, two people that they knew would die. And that was because District Ten tributes always died together. That was the saying. 

For the Sixty-Seventh Games, last Reaping, it was a twelve-year-old and a thirteen-year-old, two children that Juniper and Justice knew rather well. They died together on the first day, slaughtered by the Careers'. And for the Sixty-Sixth, it was the same. And then the Sixty-Fifth. All the way until the Sixty-First. 

Until Lucy Stevens. 

Lucy Stevens was a strange figure. A soft soul. She was naturally beautiful with her flowing red hair, with how freckles gently littered her face. And Juniper admired the woman somewhat. She had won seven-years-ago and yet, she still hadn't turned to alcohol or morphling to help her pain. She was distant as if she was in another world, but yet sane. But it wasn't like anyone ever saw Lucy Stevens. After she won the Sixty-First, she resorted to hiding in Victors' Village after her mentor died and she was forced to train tributes by herself. The people of Ten only ever saw her when it was that time of the year. 

"You should probably get dressed, June," her father muttered as he shifted on one foot to the other. 

"Yeah... right..." Juniper nodded as she slowly turned around to re-enter the bedroom she had just left. 

With the remembrance of the Reaping being that morning, the aches and twinges in the girl's body seemed to diminish as the fear of her name being drawn by Nadine Groves became more important. It was only her second Reaping. Her name wasn't in there enough to have a risk. But there was always a risk. Always a chance. 

But Juniper tried to swallow those thoughts down as she went over to the small box in the corner of the room that held all of their clothes. They were too poor to own a simple wardrobe and it wasn't like they could get one anyway and so, it took Juniper some time to dig out the Reaping attire she wore last year. It was a simple blue cardigan with a white blouse, followed by a black skirt. 

And as Juniper placed the materials on, she sighed. The attire wasn't flattering. It didn't make her look appealing. The black skirt hung on her hips rather than hugged. The cardigan was too big with the white blouse too tight. It itched and felt severely uncomfortable, even as Juniper tried to adjust it. And as she did, she caught sight of herself in the mirror and shuddered. 

The girl was thirteen. A teenager. Pimples were starting to cover her face, harshly scratching at her flesh rather than caress. And her skin was blotchy, eyes red with deep purple bags underneath her eyes. If she were chosen, the Capitol would have a field trip in harassing her looks. They all seemed too judgemental. 

"June, come on!" 

Juniper bit her tongue as she hurriedly tied her hair up before making it to where her brother and father were standing at the front of the house, near the door. Justice was rolling his head around as he leaned against the wooden wall, Orion clenching his jaw as he looked out between the cracks of the boarded-up window. But when Juniper went up to them, the two males looked towards her. 

"Well, you look beautiful," their father said. 

Juniper fidgeted with her fingers as Justice pushed himself off of the wall, heading towards his older sister as he slung an arm over her shoulder, muttering, "Thank you, I know. It's my hair, isn't it—?"

The Hale girl interrupted her younger twin as she punched him in the arm, causing him to wince. But before she could say anything, their father opened the door to reveal the streets of District Ten. Kids were exiting their homes, heading towards the Justice Building that was on the other side of the district. Some of the children were clutching their parent's or sibling's hands whilst others walked by themselves. Those were the ones without any family. 

But Juniper tore her eyes away from one lone boy as the three of them began to walk out of the house slowly, beginning to trudge through the muddy ground. She could hear it squelch underneath the multiple shoes that walked through it and felt herself become sick slightly. And it didn't help when she looked over her shoulder to see a cohort of Peacekeepers' charging through the crowd, guns raised as they herded them all to the Justice Building. 

Heads down, the Hale family carried on. They managed to pass the housing section where they lived and to where the Breeders were. Cows mooed and calves whined as they stared at all the strangers walking past their 'green' paddock with chickens ignoring them as they rummaged around on the ground for spare seeds. The Breeders was a massive shed that was surrounded by fences that enclosed the animals and as the creatures taunted the children with their freedom of not being sent to death, Juniper smirked slightly at the thought the animals would be sent to the Barn of Death in a few years. 

But that smirk dropped instantly as they passed the Breeders, climbing through the houses as a whistle echoed around. It was threatening. Demanding. Mocking. It was the whistle that announced the Reaping was to begin and it sent a chill down Juniper's spine. She nearly passed out the first time she heard it last year, but even now, as she expected it, she had to clutch Justice's hand, who grasped back even tighter.

And as they hurried towards the Justice Building, Juniper could still feel the vibrations of the whistle course through her bones, penetrating every muscle. But she felt immensely sick as she caught sight of the Building. She was trying to block it from view on the way there, but now as she was forced to look up, she saw the vibrant banners. She saw the camera crews perched on rooftops. She saw the decorations hung from the Justice Building with the pathetic attempts of making it look like a clean, well-kept district. 

"I'll be by the boundaries, just like last year," their father suddenly said. "It'll be okay. I promise. It'll be okay."

"We know." Justice nodded swiftly as Orion Hale wrapped his arms around his two children. The man was shaking slightly. 

"We'll see you afterwards?" Juniper asked as she escaped his grasp after a moment of embracing. 

Their father nodded weakly before heading off to a group of some men he worked with at the Milking Station, who all patted each other on the backs. All of the workers had children in the Reaping and Juniper furrowed her brows. She could see her father's teeth chattering despite the sun that beamed down upon them. 

"We'll meet up afterwards," she said, turning to Justice as she temporarily dispelled any thoughts of her father's fear. 

"Yeah..." Justice said, trying to grin. 

Juniper clenched her jaw as she squeezed his hand before parting, joining the line of females that waited to be signed in. Peacekeepers' sat at desks would take their finger and prick the flesh with a needle, smearing the blood on paper before scanning it with a device. It was an annual census to see how many children resided in each district and to have a somewhat idea of the population. 

But anxiety began to fill her up as the line became shorter, her spot moving further up. And so, feeling her heart beat rapidly, Juniper tried to distract herself as she looked up at the stage. It was heavily guarded with Peacekeepers', holding three chairs and two glass bowls filled to the brim with paper slips. Juniper chewed on her gums as she stared at the balls. Her name was in there. Justice's name was in there. And there was always a chance— 

"Next."

Juniper walked forwards without a thought and allowed the Peacekeeper to grasp her index finger, pricking it harshly as they smeared the blood down onto a piece of paper. The man scanned it with a device, which read her name and her age, before ushering her on. 

She swallowed a lump in her throat as she walked through the entrance, making her way to the second row at the back. The older children were in the very first row with the youngest at the very behind. And so, with the daunting fear that Juniper had to endure more Reapings, she fidgeted with her fingers in the thirteen-year-old section. 

People were still being signed in and with a failed attempt of trying to locate Justice and her father, Juniper looked back at the stage, eyeing the three chairs. One would be for the mayor. Another for the escort. And then the final one for the only living Victor of Ten. It had been seven-years since someone from Ten had won, close to a decade. Of course, they didn't have it as bad as some districts like Twelve, whose last Victor was from the Fiftieth, eighteen-years-ago, but it wasn't a good look considering Lucy Stevens barely won her Games. 

"Oh, looky."

Juniper got rid of any thoughts of Lucy Stevens as she caught sight of the escort, Nadine Groves, walking onto the stage with the mayor beside her. Nadine Groves was perhaps the most tallest woman Juniper had ever laid eyes on, but yet beautiful. However, she wasn't naturally pretty like Lucy Stevens was. She was cosmetically enhanced pretty. Plastic surgery filled her face that it was remarkable she could still smile. But she was gorgeous. 

Every year, she wore pink. It was her preferred colour and you would catch her dead if she wore anything else but that. And this year, she wore a deep magenta attire that was decorated in feathers. She looked like a big ball of fluff, but was so beautiful doing it. Her face was clear of any of the white foundation the other escorts wore, but her lips were plumped with a rosy colour, eyelids dusted in the shade she was wearing. And her wig was blonde with tulips stuck within the curls that were slightly tousled. She was gorgeous with her facial features sharp and powerful. 

And then there was the mayor. He was a short, skinny man who had no hair on his body whatsoever. And as he sat down with Nadine, he kept eyeing all of the children with a distant look. No-one had negative comments about their mayor, but they didn't have any positive thoughts about him. He was simply there, seeming as a powerhead even though he wasn't in any case. 

But suddenly, he got up and walked to the microphone with nearly every child within the crowd groaning. The mayor would recite the Treaty of Treason and the reason for the creation of the Hunger Games. And even Juniper looked down at her muddy shoes as she pinched the bridge of her nose. She had only endured it for the first time last year, but she had attended enough Reapings from the boundaries to know that it was the most boring, longest segment of the event. 

But despite the groans and sighs, the mayor went on to read from a long scroll. He described the origin of the Hunger Games and its reason for its existence. How thirteen districts rebelled against the Capitol and how the latter managed to regain them and completely destroy the thirteenth. And due to the death the Capitol underwent during the Dark Ages, as punishment, they invented the Hunger Games where one boy and one girl from each district from the ages of twelve-to-eighteen were to be chosen to fight until there was one remaining. But everyone knew this. It had been drilled into their heads. 

When the man finished, he then began to read a list of all the surviving Victors' from Ten. But it wasn't a list. There was only one name and it was no surprise when Lucy Stevens walked out and took her seat next to the escort. 

Juniper stared at her, admiring her from afar. She didn't look sick, or high, or drunk. She was just, like the mayor, there. But there was something about Lucy Stevens that Juniper couldn't explain. And she didn't think she ever could. 

But all eyes were off Lucy as the mayor introduced Nadine Groves to the crowd, but everyone knew who she was, what she was set to do. However that didn't stop the woman from plastering on an exuberant smile as she set towards the microphone, the sound of her heels clacking behind her. 

"Well, hello, hello," she said. "It is an absolute pleasure to be here today in District Ten to represent the Capitol. Isn't this just so exciting?"

No-one responded. No-one was excited. The Hunger Games weren't exciting. But Nadine's smile didn't seem to fade with the silent crowd and so, clearing her throat, she began to move towards the first glass bowl. The girls. It was always the females first and Juniper felt the blood rushing to her ears, soaring and crashing.

Juniper squeezed her eyes shut, feeling her heart stop momentarily as she heard the rustling of paper slips. Her name wasn't in there multiple times, but there was always a risk. Always a chance. She may only be thirteen, but there were plenty thirteen-year-old's that went into the Hunger Games. Just last year, there was one. It could always happen and Juniper felt herself become faint with fear and paranoia. 

"The female tribute to represent District Ten in the Sixty-Eighth Annual Hunger Games is..." Nadine started to say slowly as she unfolded the slip, back at the microphone. "Fiona Roberts."

Juniper, selfishly, foolishly, and harshly, let out a sigh of relief, as did all the other girls around her. Fiona Roberts was a name the Hale sister had not heard of. She couldn't even match a face to it. And so as she watched a fifteen-year-old girl move through the crowd two rows in-front of the thirteen-year-old's, Juniper did not feel bad. She would pity the family, if the child had any, but it was not her. And it was not anyone she knew. 

"Miss Fiona Roberts!" Nadine giggled as she helped the girl up onto the stage. Fiona Roberts was shaking as tears began to stream down her face, her skin already blotchy as pieces of hair began to become loose from her braid. "Well, well, look at you! And how old are you, dear?"

"F-Fifteen..." Fiona Roberts responded and whilst some tutted in dismay, Juniper now became focused on the bowl that had been left alone. 

Now that her name was not chosen, that she had survived another year, the girl became obsessed with the boys bowl. If she was not called out, then there was a chance Justice would not be picked. There were multiple slips of names in there. It would be highly unlikely for Justice to be called. 

But there was always a chance. 

"Now, for the boys!"

Nadine trotted over to the bowl and immediately dove her hand into the swarm of paper slips. It took her a moment before letting her perfectly manicured nails capture one unlucky name before practically skipping back to the microphone. Her white teeth were shining as she beamed a bright smile. 

"The male tribute that will represent District Ten in the Sixty-Eighth Annual Hunger Games is..." Nadine said as she fully undid the slip. She read the name once and then twice to make sure she got it right. "Brent Higgins."

Nearly everyone in the crowd craned their heads around. Brent Higgins? Who was Brent Higgins? Some of the girls were whispering to each other whilst the boys were shrugging. Juniper furrowed her brows as she watched one of the big screens that was set up, seeing the cameramen swirl the camera around the audience until it finally caught sight of a disturbance in the crowd at the front. 

A boy who must have been Brent Higgins began to slowly walk out of the huddle of males, heading towards the stage. And as he did, everyone looked at whoever was beside them. Who was Brent Higgins? Some people knew Fiona Roberts, Juniper may not have, but some people did and so, not everyone was confused on who the girl was. But hushed mumbling drowned the crowd of children.

And as they did, Juniper remained looking at the big screen, seeing that the camera had zoomed in on Brent Higgins's face. He was eighteen, had to be considering he came from the front, and he was skinny, lanky. His eyes looked sunken in with his flesh a deathly pale colour. But whatever it was, may it be his purposely ruffled brown hair or the flattering clothes he was wearing, Juniper was not surprised to hear the muffled murmurs of some of the girls exclaiming that he looked... cute. 

But Juniper ignored those comments as she tried to think where she had seen Brent Higgins before. Or if she had ever seen him ever. But she couldn't. He was eighteen and had to have started working. But he didn't work at the Milking Station or the Barn of Death, so the boy must be at the Breeders. And that would also explain why Juniper hadn't seen him before. He was on the other side of the district. 

"Well, hello!" Nadine grinned a tad too much as she grabbed ahold of Brent Higgins's bicep, yanking him beside her. "Look at you, handsome boy! And how old are you?"

"Eighteen," Brent Higgins replied. And unlike Fiona Roberts, he did not stutter. There was no fault in his words. No mishaps. Juniper gathered from the way he spoke, from his swagger as he went up the stage, and the way his eyes gleamed that Brent Higgins was not terrified, that he was confident. But Juniper also gathered the ginormous ego that could potentially become the death of him. 

And she was sure that would become the death of him because District Ten tributes always died together. And as Nadine Groves said a few last words, closing up the Reaping and allowing the other remaining children to live for an extra year, Juniper Hale narrowed her eyes at Brent Higgins. 

And when he saw her and did the exact same action, it was in that moment she decided she did not like the male tribute for the Sixty-Eighth Hunger Games. 

⇢ ˗ˏˋ matz 🎧 !

— this act is gonna have a lot of flashbacks within it and those are very important to what is happening to june in the capitol. it will make more sense as the chapters progress. 

also buckle in, get ur tissues, get ur pals. this is gonna be a ride.