the great war • hunger games fanfic

it's time to go - taylor swift

Lacy's world seems to slow down as she walks slowly to the stage, Peacekeepers surrounding her, caging her inside the human walls. She can physically feel the pity radiating off of her District— and sticking to her skin like sweat— as she hears a faint scream followed by a weeping. As she passes her sister, and sees the tears streaming down her face, Lacy's reminded of the flowers. Huh. She forgot to wear them this year. Maybe that made her get reaped. Maybe that's what made Pearl drop the first name and pick hers.

"Come on up, Lacy," Pearl says, stepping down a one of the stage's steps to hug the girl, and lead her to the microphone. "Why don't you tell us how old you are, dear." Pearl's voice boomed through the district, providing the only bit of noise in the silent gathering.

As Lacy answers, her own voice feels distorted, as if she's hearing it from someone else. Pearl by now, has moved on the boy's bowls. She picks out another slip, sentencing another innocent to a place where no one returned the same. Off in the crowd, she can see her mother sobbing on her knees. Aunt August and Uncle Stephen are kneeling by Marjorie's side, consoling her. Her dad is comforting Ronan and Betty-Lou, who are shaking into their dad. Lacy's shocked as she sees a boy a little older on the stage by her side. He was pale and a little scrawny with dark hair and dark eyes. His name was Billy something. Billy reaches out to shake her hand, but instead, noticing a camera pan closer to them, Lacy takes his hand and goes into a deep, dramatic bow. When she rises up, she sees her Aunt August kiss three fingers and raise them in the air. Lacy repeats the action she had seen her grandma do before, bidding her home farewell as she's taken into the Justice Building.

-

"MY BABY." Lacy can hear her mother shriek as she bursts into the dreadful room that contained a large portrait of President Snow on one of the ugly walls. "My baby."

"Mom!" Lacy exclaims, getting pulled into a tight embrace by her mother. When they let go, her mother cradles her face with her warm, calloused hands. It was as if she was memorizing her face for the last time.

"The curse." Her mom mutters, staring into Snow's portrait with disdain. Lacy leans into her mother's embrace again. Not knowing if it's the last time she'll get to hug her mother. Then, Betty and Bridget rush into the room.

"Here, for you." Betty whimpers, undoing the ribbon in her hair to put in Lacy's dress pocket. The nine year old clings onto Lacy's skirt, crying into the fabric. Lacy then turns to face Bridget.

"Aunt August told me to give you this. Grandma got it for you." Bridget whispers, handing over the silver rose compact. 

"I don't want you to go." Bridget whispers, holding back tears. "You were bigger than the whole sky." She said, repeating an old promise Lacy had originally said to her a long time ago, back when Bridget had gotten terribly sick and doctors feared she would die and Lacy had been going through a horrible poetry phase. 

"Thanks, Sunshine." Lacy says as her voice breaks, pulling Bridget into a hug. The four stay in the group hug, before Peacekeepers barge into the room.

"Time's up." A beefy one barks. Bridget slips the compact into Lacy's pocket, before getting harshly yanked back by the beefy Peacekeeper.

Marjorie lets out a haunting cry as she's ripped away from her daughter. In her fourteen year old's face, she can start to see Dorothea, the similarity of the two situations and the two girls mocking the suffering mother.

-

Lacy sits silently on the train in a comfortable chair next to Billy, her district partner but otherwise complete stranger. Pearl sits in front of them, sipping a warm tea. Lacy eyes the food on the mahogany tables. She has never seen most of the foods that are splayed out. She spots a yellowish liquid, reminding her of the Silkberry she had found in the woods. Oh how she wished she was back in her lake, with her mom and siblings. Lacy takes the silver ribbon out of her pocket, playing with it. She holds back tears as she twirls it around her wrist.