❝FIRE ON FIRE WOULD NORMALLY
KILL US, BUT THIS MUCH DESIRE,
TOGETHER WE'RE WINNERS❞
in which a girl from district 4
meets a boy from district 2
during the 74th annual
hunger games.
[the hunge...
——☆ FIRE ON FIRE chapter forty: price of rebellion
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LILIA WOKE TO THE dim yellow lights above her, the smell of a hospital room filling her senses. She blinked slowly, her eyelids heavy, trying to make sense of her surroundings. Her whole body felt like it had been torn apart and stitched back together. The steady beeping of machines sounded through her ears, and as she turned her head slightly, she noticed nurses in uniforms move around the room.
As her eyes flickered forward, Lilia spotted Johanna Mason in the bed across from her on the other side of the room, her buzzed head and pale skin showing cuts and bruises. However, she couldn't see Peeta anywhere.
Finally, moving her eyes to her side, Lilia noticed someone else sitting beside her.
The boy was leaning forward in a chair, his elbows resting on his knees, his hands clasped tightly together as if he was holding himself together.
"Cato..." her voice cracked out.
Instantly, Cato's eyes shot up, his gaze softening the moment he realized she was awake. His hand cupped the side of her face, and for a moment, he just stared at her.
Lilia reached up, her trembling hand covering his. "You're here."
"I'm here," he whispered, leaning down to press his forehead to hers.
The warmth of his skin, the familiar feeling of him, sent a wave of comfort over her. The last time she had been this close to him, they were in the arena, about to execute Beetee's plan to eliminate the last two Careers. The moment felt like a distant memory now.
Pulling away, the girl looked up, "What...what happened? How did you get here? And how did you find me?"
Taking a deep breath, Cato began, "After we were separated and the arena collapsed, I was taken by the rebels from District Thirteen. Beetee, Katniss, and Finnick were with me. We were all transported here, where I've been for the last few months..."
Lilia sat back in her seat, her mind racing.
"Why?" she asked finally. "Why did they take you? The rebels?"
"They knew that I had valuable information, being from District Two, which holds all the Capitol's military power, weapons, and manufacturing. They figured that if they could get me out, they'd have a better chance at taking the Capitol arsenal."
Lilia thought over what he had said. It made sense to her now, why they targeted him.
"When I first got here, I was so angry I nearly took out three guards. They had to restrain me for days before they could get a word out of me. But, then, I saw you on the Panem broadcast..." Cato trailed off, his eyes moving to the ground. "I couldn't stand seeing you tortured in the Capitol."
