Baird's girl

Chapter 25

Over the days, Ethan and Amber met several times in District 12, and Amber ended up confessing things to him that she never thought she could share, until that fateful night when Amber's world collapsed.

May 21, 2018
District 12 Bar

While Amber, Maude, and Joana were performing on stage, singing and dancing, Amber spotted Jackson out of the corner of her eye; he was heading towards the back of the bar. Amber continued singing, wondering what Jackson was doing.

Once her song was over, Amber asked Joana to take over, which she did.

Amber then headed to the back of the bar, and the closer she got, the more she heard voices; two voices; Jackson's and ... Mary's?

"Jackson?"
"Amber, go back on stage, I've got this."
"You've got this? What are you talking about?"

Mary intervened at that moment:
"So Amber? When is your boyfriend from the Capitol coming back? When you're hanging?"

She said it in a mocking but serious tone. How did she know about her and Ethan? And more importantly, did her aunt, the mayor, know? If so, she would soon be the one hanging from the tree, not as a spectator, but as the condemned.

"And it's a shame... Jackson, I think. You could have refrained from protecting her, I would have found a way to get rid of her anyway, now I have to find a way to get rid of both of you. It's a pity I can't send you to the arena anymore, it was convenient, even if it didn't really work."

She looked towards Amber and said the phrase that sealed her fate:
"Isn't that right, Amber? By the way, I hope you and Lucy enjoyed the arena. It was a little gift just for you two."

She paused, enjoying the dark look Amber gave her, knowing full well that she couldn't do anything against her without suffering the consequences, before saying to Amber and Jackson:
"We'll meet at the hanging tree. It's my ultimate gift for you two!"

A rifle was placed in the middle of the room, Jackson, faced with this death threat, didn't think.

He quickly moved towards the rifle and aimed it at Mary, who was leaving with her back turned.

"Jackson, what are you..."

The deafening sound of the gunshot wasn't even heard, there was too much noise in the bar for anyone to hear anything. Mary lay dead on the cold floor.
Amber let out a cry of surprise and shock when the shot was fired.
In shock, she moved towards Mary and checked her pulse but felt nothing, Mary was indeed dead, Jackson had killed her.

Amber lost control of herself, and Jackson tried to calm her down:
"Amber, it's going to be okay! Listen to me carefully: I'm going to take care of Mary, and you, you're going to go back to the bar, people need to see you, if you think it's necessary, go on stage, act like everything is normal, okay?"
"Yes..."
"Hurry up."

Amber ran to the front of the bar and asked Michel for a drink without explaining anything. She was still in shock and mentally absent.
She held her glass tightly and stared ahead when Thomas placed his hand on her shoulder.
Amber quickly turned around and dropped her glass in the process.

Jackson quickly moved towards her, and they went outside.

"Amber, be more careful, damn it."
"Careful? You just signed my death warrant!"
"What are you talking about? No one can link you to the murder, okay?"
"The mayor hates me! Since last year's reaping, she's been looking for a way to get rid of me, you just gave her one!"
"She can't prove you were there at the time of the murder!"
"Jackson, evidence can be fabricated!"
"They haven't found her body yet."
"And you really think that by the end of the evening no one will come across it? Of course they will!"
"There was no way I was going to get hanged for defending you right after surviving the arena!"
"But what do you think? I've survived two arenas and I'm going to be hanged anyway! And there's no way I'm going to die like that and alone while I'm innocent!"
"You can't turn me in! I protected you!"
"No! Thomas protected me, it's always been Thomas who protected me. All you've managed to do is get me into more trouble than I already had!"
"Do what you want! Anyway, no matter how much you proclaim your innocence, you'll always know deep down that you're as guilty as I am. You were there."

And with those words, Jackson returned to the bar, after saying to Amber:
"Thank your boyfriend, this wouldn't have happened without him."