kill for your love - the hunger games

(086) time stood still, waiting for her

▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄

KILL FOR YOUR LOVE.

act three.

(chapter eighty-six, time stood still, waiting for her)

district ten / victor's village, 75 ADD.

▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄

NIGHT CONSUMED DISTRICT TEN. The sky was filled with strokes of midnight blue and jet-black. White, glowing stars consumed the canvas, twinkling within the darkness as they shone down onto the district. The pale, crescent moon was alight and casted shadows onto the ground, silhouettes of the nearby houses and structures within view. 

In. Out. 

In. Out. 

In. Out. 

"Well... this is it," Lucy Stevens murmured as she stood beside Juniper Hale. 

The former's red hair seemed to be the only bright colour within the night. The light of the moon and stars cascaded against her face, highlighting her freckles and the natural beauty the woman held. The latter clenched her jaw. 

"Right..." Juniper grumbled as she moved her arms to hug herself. 

Lucy stared at the woman for a while before telling her, "He's not here, you know. He's still in the Capitol." 

("... how did you find out about that?")

"I don't care," Juniper whispered as she began to move down the steps of the platform. "As long as he's nowhere near me..." 

The Hale woman stepped foot into the mud of District Ten and winced when she heard it squelch underneath her boots. She could feel the dirt stick to the soles of her shoe, but she tried to ignore it as she began to walk into the district. Juniper shuddered when she felt the warm, humid air of the night stick to her flesh. 

(And despite the white-hot sun, the air was warm and heavy with moisture, the thin fabrics of their jumpsuits clinging to them with sweat already)

(And Juniper shuddered when she heard the sludge squelch underneath her boots once she was up)

In. Out. 

In. Out. 

In. Out. 

("... I thought we were starting to like each other..." Johanna whispered, her smirk faltering slightly as she stared at Juniper)

(The middle-aged man blinked numerous times before letting his shoulders drop, eyes drooping down as he told her, "I don't think you should go back to District Ten.")

The silhouette of the Barn of Death came into view and Juniper forced herself to squeeze her eyes shut as she tried to control her breathing. She could feel the muggy air attach its waves against her skin and the materials of her clothes. She could sense that mud was flicking up onto her boots with every step she took further into the district. She could smell manure, hay, raw meat, and milk. 

(Faint footsteps accompanied by rapid panting fought against the sounds of the cows mooing and groaning, the livestock barely glancing at the two seventeen-year-olds that creeped through the paddock)