kill for your love - the hunger games

(009) welcome to hell

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KILL FOR YOUR LOVE.

act one.

(chapter nine, welcome to hell)

the arena, 72 ADD.

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WHEN JUNIPER OPENED HER eyes, it took a moment for her sight to adjust to the scenery before her. The silver, shining Cornucopia. The perfect circle of all the other twenty-three tributes. The swampy, thick moat that surrounded their pedestals, reaching all the way to the little island the horn was on.

Juniper gulped as she looked around. Shrubs and oak trees surrounded them, all tangling into an array of intricate designs, their dark, mysterious greens causing the girl from Ten to be in a trance. And water, swampy water, surrounded them. It was infested with algae and lily pads and Juniper heard the sounds of toads croaking. 

The arena was a swamp. 

But she wasn't worried about the swamp. She wouldn't be alive long enough to even have some sort of stressed feeling about it. The only thing that she was concerned about was Justice. Where was Justice?

Juniper's breaths started to become laboured as she squinted her eyes to find her twin. She glanced around the perfect circle, around the moat, in order to find him, but with every look, it was not Justice. Where was Justice? Juniper began to panic when suddenly, she looked to her right. 

And, yes, she was glad when she found those honey eyes looking directly back into hers, when she saw the brown hair done into a gentle bun, when she caught a glimpse of the freckled face that belonged to Cedar, District Seven. She was so glad that she momentarily forgot about Justice, that her entire attention was on the girl onto her right. But Cedar's honey eyes turned into those of fear when suddenly, she caught sight of someone on Juniper's left. 

So, Juniper found herself tearing her eyes away from Cedar's face to look at the other tribute beside her. And her breath was caught in her throat when she saw the boy from Two, Jagger, staring right back at her. His muscles were practically ripping away the fabric of his tank top and jacket and Juniper considered jumping off of the pedestal early, just to get blown up. There was no way she was letting Jagger kill her. it had been her wish since the whole thing. No Career was allowed to kill her. 

Looking back at Cedar, Juniper mouthed, "Where's Justice?"

But all Cedar could do was shrug. Ash was three tributes to Cedar's right and was already looking at the two girls. Justice had to be behind the Cornucopia, hiding behind the silver horn. But, yet again, Juniper's attention was brought back to Cedar as she began to mouth something. But Juniper had no clue what she was saying so the girl resorted to signs. 

She pointed to herself, Juniper, and Ash, and then jammed her finger into the direction of the Cornucopia. She then nodded her head at one of the multiple oak trees in the swamp. Cedar wanted her, Juniper, and Ash to go to the Cornucopia and then meet at the oak tree farthest away. Juniper immediately shook her head. She needed to find Justice.

"They will kill you!" Cedar mouthed and pointed to Jagger, who was rubbing his nose as he got into a stance. But then she pointed to three other tributes on Juniper's left. They were surrounded by Careers'. Satin. Rayon. Leona. And Jagger. And Juniper knew that the only way to find Justice and to avoid being dead to One and Two was to follow Cedar's plan.