kill for your love - the hunger games

(034) blurred memories

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KILL FOR YOUR LOVE.

act two.

(chapter thirty-four, blurred memories)

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JUNIPER WOKE WITH A gasp, her eyes snapping open as her heart thudded viciously against her chest. But the moment her eyelids rose, she was immediately blinded by a beaming, white light that was above her. It shone so brightly that it heightened the intense headache that Juniper had.

And then suddenly, panic rose. Where was she? She wasn't in the arena, that was for sure. But what had happened to the arena? Juniper tried hard to think back to what occurred, but all she could remember was a similar light, like the one that was hanging above her, that flashed across the sky before it turned into a treacherous mix of orange and red. Did Beetee destroy the arena? Had he blown up the force field?

He must have. There wouldn't be any other cause for the sudden change in lighting. But if Beetee had destroyed the force field, where was Juniper? Did Plutarch pick her up? Where were the others?

Those were thoughts that plagued her mind, causing Juniper to try and blink away the light that hung above her. But when it didn't go away, the Hale woman ceased trying and attempted to focus on something else. But the only thing she could think about was the beating, searing pain that enveloped her entire being. It trickled from up her feet, to her legs, to her stomach, spreading to the tip of her fingertips, all the way until it reached the top of her head. It was infecting every limb, muscle, and bone in Juniper's body and it made her grit her teeth. 

She had to get up. She had to know where she was. 

What if Plutarch hadn't picked her up? What if he left her to rot, considering she had failed miserably at her task? Juniper feared the worst as she attempted to lift herself up... but she couldn't. She tried again. But she couldn't. She couldn't move. 

It was like some invisible barrier was keeping her from moving, much like the translucent wall back in the arena. Why couldn't Juniper move? She couldn't move anything, not even her head as she tried to turn it sideways. She was completely, utterly frozen. 

And this caused a guttural whimper to build up in her throat, rumbling her chest. Juniper Hale did not like vulnerability. She hated it. She had felt vulnerable so many times throughout her short life of only twenty years that she tried to escape it as much as possible. But right now, she couldn't feel anything except pain. She was on show. Juniper was on show, lying somewhere where she couldn't move, as if someone was restricting her to do so.

Juniper slammed her eyes shut as she tried to recollect her thoughts. Bright light. Lightning. Midnight. Twelve o'clock. Fire. Flames. Explosion. Force field. She whimpered as she bit her tongue. No. She needed to remember. What had happened?

There was something to do with Chaff. Yes. She had bumped into Chaff. She could see it now. She could see his arm that ended in a stump, the glistening spear. But Chaff was dead. How was Chaff dead? Who had killed Chaff?

It was Brutus. Yes, Brutus. Brutus had killed Chaff. And then he was in a fight with someone. Someone who wasn't Juniper. But then he was in a fight with Juniper. A fist-fight. She had lost her weapon, he had lost his. But Brutus was dead as well. How was Brutus dead? Who had killed Brutus? Did she kill Brutus?