alexithymia [h. heavensbee]

i

The early morning light shining through her window pulled Aniston Fosse out of sleep. She yawned and sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She noticed something was different about her room today. Her inner layer of curtains was open, not just the outer ones. Typically, she slept with the transparent curtains drawn, but not last night. Aniston swung her legs over the side of her bed, preparing to get up to close them, but stopped before standing.

"What are you still doing here?" she asked, kicking her sleeping best friend in the ribs.

Hilarius Heavensbee groaned and rolled over. He opened his eyes and blinked a few times to adjust to the light.

"Did I fall asleep?" he asked.

"Yes," said Aniston, not bothering an attempt to hide her annoyance. "You told me you were going to leave after I fell asleep."

"I was planning on it," said Hilarius. "But I got tired and my parents were still awake."

"Oh."

Hilarius's parents fought all the time. The Heavensbees and the Fosses lived in adjacent buildings, their apartments facing each other. Since Aniston was young, she could remember Clara and Johannes Heavensbee arguing. For years, Hilarius would climb from his window into Aniston's room to get away from the torment.

The same had happened last night and typically, Hilariusleft once the fight was over, but clearly that didn't happen.

"Sorry, Ani," said Hilarius.

"It's alright," said Aniston. "Just leave quickly. I don't want either of us to get in trouble."

Hilarius sat up but before he could get to the window, a loud knock sounded at Aniston's bedroom door.

"Ani? Are you awake yet?" asked Aniston's mother.

"Shit," whispered Aniston. "Hide in the closet."

Hilarius scrambled to his feet. He threw open the closet door and stepped inside, Aniston closing it behind him.

"Coming!" she called over her shoulder.

Aniston opened her bedroom door, trying to hide the panic on her face.

"Ani, are you feeling alright?" asked her mother. "You're flushed."

She reached out to touch Aniston's forehead.

"I'm fine," said the girl, looking nervously over her shoulder at the closet. "You scared me, that's all."

"Alright, get dressed. Are you dancing today?" asked Mother.

Aniston nodded. "After breakfast, I'll head over to the studio before the Reaping."

"Make sure you fix your hair before the ceremony. You have to look nice," said Mother. "When you're ready, breakfast is on the table."

"Thank you," said Aniston, before closing the door in her mother's face.

She knew it was rude but Aniston was horrible at keeping secrets. The longer she stood talking to her mother, the more likely she was to let something spill about the boy in her closet.

The Fosses and the Heavensbees hated each other. Since the First Rebellion ended ten years ago, the two families had been at war. It started with investments in various industries. The Fosses had invested money in District Three, the electronics district, which worked well for a while, until a few years ago when the district was labeled a 'rebel district.' District Five, the power district, had similar financial outputs, but had been performing better recently due to its loyalty to the Capitol. And for whatever reason, that inspired the ongoing feud between the Fosses and The Heavensbees.