Timber

Chapter Fourteen: A New Morning

Hazel awoke to the unsettling sensation of snow melting into her skin, a feeling that seemed to seep into her very being. She was momentarily lost in a haze of disorientation, her thoughts entangled in the remnants of her dreams. Still chilled from the lingering echoes of her dreamworld, she sought solace in the familiar embrace of her blankets, pulling them up to her nose. The air in the room carried a strange scent, a departure from the usual piney aroma of her home, the forest, and the earth she knew so well.

Instead, it was a cleaner scent reminiscent of freshly laundered linens.

Still groggy from slumber, her mind struggled to make sense of it all. She felt like a puzzle with missing pieces, her memory flickering like a fading candle. In that fleeting moment, a whirlwind of emotions coursed through her, a kaleidoscope of fear, disbelief, and determination. She couldn't ignore that her world had been altered beyond recognition in the past day.

As her disoriented thoughts began to settle, Hazel peeled back the blankets and swung her legs over the side of the bed. The room was bathed in the gentle morning glow of the sun's rays, casting warm hues across the ornate furnishings. She rose to her feet, bare toes meeting the plush carpet underfoot.

She approached the window and drew back the heavy curtains, revealing a scene that was both breathtaking and bewildering. Beyond the confines of their luxurious prison, a vast garden and manicured lawn unfurled before her. A grand circular fountain, its waters sparkling and leaping in the golden light, stood as a beacon in the center of it all.

The scene beyond the yard was equally surreal. A towering brick wall demarcated the estate's boundaries, beyond which the world unfolded in a series of rolling green hills. The sunrise on the horizon painted the sky with hues of pink and gold.

Hazel stood there, her gaze transfixed on the horizon as she drank in the surreal beauty of the Capitol's landscape. The rolling green hills seemed to stretch on indefinitely, basking in the warm embrace of the early morning sun.

A subtle change in Silus's breathing drew her attention. Turning, she witnessed her brother peeking his eyes open. Disappointment filled his face as he took in their unfamiliar surroundings.

"Morning, sunshine," she greeted him. I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've ever gotten up before you."

Silus sat up, his hand moving to rub away the lingering traces of sleep from his face. "It would take a life-and-death experience for you to finally get up on time."

"Touche," she conceded. "How did you sleep?"

Silus, while stretching his stiff muscles, couldn't help but respond with a playful exaggeration,

"Like the dead." They both paused as the words hung in the air.

"You really need to stop saying that," Hazel teased.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." He glanced at Hazel, his eyes betraying the anxiety lingering beneath the surface. "How did you sleep?"

Hazel sighed, "Like hell."

Before Silus could respond, a sudden knock on the door echoed through the room, followed by the unmistakable click of a lock disengaging. Hazel's eyes darted to the door.

The familiar faces of Indira Lovegood and their peacekeeper peeked through the door at them. Indira's long, lustrous hair cascaded in intricate braids, shimmering under the soft room lighting. Her caramel-toned arms were adorned with bracelets that jingled as she moved. She donned a deep magenta dress that matched the vibrant shade of lipstick she wore, her signature diamond-encrusted heels reflecting the artificial brilliance of Capitol fashion.