Splintered

Chapter Fifty-One: Blood Red Roses Can't Bloom Without Rain

Hours passed in a bizarre, hazy blur. At some point, a speechless Leo freed her from his room and escorted her back to her own. A cloud of numbness enveloped her mind like a barrier or a safety net, protecting her from her own thoughts. She settled into a chair beside Bellona while Indira and Sable conversed quietly.

Not long after the executions, a fleet of medevac hovercraft descended, confirming the SOS had reached its mark. At Snow's order, Bellona was evacuated first. Capitol medics whirred around her like a swarm of bleach-white uniformed insects. Eventually, the reluctant yet resigned Sable and Leo allowed Indira to escort Bellona to the Capitol personally.

Leo said little, merely kissed his sister's cheek, then her hand as she was loaded via gurney.

"I won't leave her side. I promise," Indira assured them, trailing the stretcher with her hand fixed on Bellona's.

Hazel had seen the glistening in Leo's eyes as the medical hovercraft ascended into the morning light.

"She'll be alright," Sable hushed. "Tough as they come, our Bellony."

Hazel nodded dully, eyes burning, yet she was certain her body was too dehydrated for any more tears.

Beyond the growing cluster of Capitol citizens tending to the wounded Peacekeepers, the rest of the grounds were hushed. The bodies were gone, buried quickly as if the truth could be smothered with shallow graves. Evenly spaced blood stains told a grimmer story than whatever would be fabricated for polite society.

Hazel absorbed it all in silence and long, faraway stares. Leo stayed close, monitoring her quietly and assisting to pack her bag with whatever items she wanted to take from the soon-to-be-abandoned train.

Snow, on the other hand, kept a wide berth, but she still felt his eyes every so often. The rest of the rescue vessels arrived soon after. The remaining wounded went first. Then Snow signaled for Hazel, Leo, Festus, and Sable to join him.

Their gunmetal gray hovercraft waited at the far end of the clearing. The entire thing rose higher than a two-story house on broad landing struts. Golden eagles marred its side panels. The cockpit windows were tinted to a near black. The air beneath the craft trembled with the hum of its engine.

It made train travel seem archaic and ridiculous by comparison.

Once inside, Hazel sank into a chair, bag slung over her shoulder.

She nearly scoffed as Peacekeepers unloaded the ivory District Ten bull statue.

"What would you like us to do with your gift?" Snow asked, hovering several feet away, studying her reaction.

Hazel didn't look up. "Can you take it back to Seven and give it to my brother, Sage? I promised him I'd bring him home a present."

Snow's façade broke, and a small smirk formed. He sauntered closer, watching as four peacekeepers balanced the awkward statue between them. "Fitting. Garth's gifts are certainly unique. Though it seems like a small reward for a life."

"One life saved, but how many others lost?" Hazel breathed.

Snow leaned over her, "You can't know for sure. Sometimes the sacrifice of the few leads to the salvation of the many."

She pressed her lips closed as he pushed away from her and the craft began its ascent. Higher up and in much better light, the devastation was evident. Burly logs clogged the tracks. The two askew trains were coated in bullet holes and skirted with shattered glass.

Hazel hardly moved, still taking in the scene until warm hands slid behind her shoulders. She flinched but quickly settled as Leo murmured, "Seatbelt, Marlowe."