❝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...
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LILIA WOKE UP SLOWLY, her eyelids heavy and her body aching. She blinked, her vision blurring as she tried to make sense of where she was. A tent. The white fabric above her ruffled in the breeze, the scent of antiseptic in the air. When trying to move, she hissed in pain. Her skin felt as though it had been scorched.
As her eyes adjusted to the light, she realized she wasn't alone. Katniss Everdeen lay next to her, her body still, but alive. Beside her, Katniss's mother was wrapping fresh bandages over her arm.
"Don't try to move too much," a voice came from her other side.
Lilia moved her gaze and saw Haymitch Abernathy standing at the entrance of the tent.
"What happened?" Lilia croaked, her throat dry.
Haymitch's gaze softened for a moment as he stepped to her bed and crouched beside her. Pausing for a moment, the man rubbed a hand over his face.
"The fight's over," he said quietly. "After the Capitol dropped those bombs at the palace, the rebels walked right in."
That's right.
Slowly, Lilia began to recall the events that took place before she blacked out. The bombs. The gunshots. The rebels. The memory of the silver parachutes falling from the sky, the bright flash, the sound of screams, the force of the explosion knocking her to the ground.
"The bombs...they were meant for the children?" Lilia asked.
Haymitch nodded. "Yeah. Everybody felt it. Peacekeepers, palace guards...they had kids in there too. It was over after that. No one wanted to fight anymore."
Lilia lifted her gaze to the ceiling, her mind whirring in thought. It didn't make any sense. The Capitol had killed their own people. Their own innocent children.
Why would Snow do that?
As thoughts began to consume her, and the memory of the events grew more clear, Lilia's brain immediately locked onto one person.
"And...Cato?" she asked, her voice filling with worry.
Lilia's last memory of him was the explosion, the moment they'd been ripped apart by the blast.
Haymitch sighed. "I don't know."
"Come on, Haymitch," Lilia pleaded. "You have to know something."
"I'm telling you, kid, I don't know," Haymitch pressed. "We're still looking for survivors. But with the mess down there, it's hard to tell."
Lilia shook her head and clenched her jaw. Cato was strong, he had to be alive, but the uncertainty was torture. She couldn't lose him. He was the last person alive that she loved.
Beside her, Katniss Everdeen began to stir, her face tightening in pain as her mother gently dabbed at a burn on her arm. The girl opened her eyes slowly, blinking as the light hit her.
"Where are we?" Katniss whispered.
"You're in a rebel camp," Haymitch replied, standing up and moving over to her bed. "Both of you were found near the wreckage after the bombs went off. Burned pretty bad, but alive."
"Is it really over?" Katniss asked.
"Yeah," Haymitch said quietly. "For better or worse...the war is over."
Without another word, Haymitch gave a small nod before moving back outside the tent, leaving the two of them to process the aftermath.
───────────────
Hours later, after Katniss' mother finished wrapping up Lilia's burn wounds, the girl was escorted out of the infirmary. Once she stepped outside of the tent, Lilia stared out at the rebel camp, which spread out miles. There must have been hundreds of thousands of people there.
However, the only thing she could focus on was the searing pain in her body and the growing fear in her chest.
Where was Cato?
"Lilia Conway?" a guard asked, catching her attention.
"Yes?" Lilia replied.
"Come with us," he continued, gently taking her arm. "We're taking you to the Capitol mansion."
Perhaps a part of her was curious why they were taking her to the mansion, but Lilia didn't bother to ask. Instead, she simply nodded, stumbling behind them as they led her toward a waiting transport.
"Here you are," another guard spoke, holding open the car door for her.
"Thank you," Lilia muttered before stepping into the vehicle.
The car ride to the Capitol mansion was rather quick, but it felt like an eternity in her mind. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get the dreadful thoughts out of her head. Was Cato dead? Was he somewhere in the wreckage?
When they arrived at the mansion, the guards guided her inside, through long corridors lined with opulent decorations, past the lingering scent of smoke and fire that still hung in the air. Gunsmoke. The rebels had attacked not too long ago.
Lilia's legs felt weak beneath her as they finally stopped at a large door.
"This is your room," the guard said, opening it and gesturing her inside. "Take your time. Rest. Someone will check in with you later."
Lilia stepped inside, and the door closed behind her, leaving her alone in the large room. The walls were draped in gold fabrics, a plush bed sat in the center, and a mirror placed on the far wall.
The guard had said to rest, but how could she rest when all she felt was fear? She sank onto the edge of the bed, her hands trembling in her lap. What if he's dead? Lilia tried to calm herself, breathing in slow, steady breaths, and whispering words of assurance to herself. But, to her dismay, the effort was useless.
Within seconds, the girl stood, and began to pace the large room back and forth with her arms crossed tightly over her chest.
Adrian dead.
Maya dead.
Her mother dead.
Her father dead.
Finnick dead.
Cato dead?
Lilia buried her face in her hands, trying to block out the thought, but it was too much. All she could think of was Cato's face, his deep blue eyes, his soft lips.
Suddenly, a knock came from the door. Lilia's heart leaped in her chest, her body jolting with sudden hope and fear. She raced towards the door, her hands shaking as she wiped the tears from her cheeks.
"Hello?" she asked.
No response.
"Who is it?" she asked once more.
No response.
Furrowing her eyebrows, the girl cautiously stepped closer to the door, reaching her hand out. But, before she could reach the handle, the door creaked open.
