kill for your love - the hunger games

(022) the familiar feeling of rage

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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—?"