𝐀 𝐂𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐩𝐬 || 𝐊. 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐧

"𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙥𝙖𝙮 𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙥𝙪𝙯𝙯𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙖𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙙."

Conway O'dair and her brother contrasted each other like the day diverged from the night. Their charm was a conjoining feature in their arsenals, as well as their mirrored eyes and affinity for the sea. Perhaps most importantly, they were tethered by the rampant guilt which bloomed from surviving the Hunger Games.

She could sing a requiem for the withered girl she was once, now replaced by a liar who could fool even the wisest. Which just so happened to be how she won her first games. Conway acted a mastermind in a game created by maggots, and lived by virtue of her intellect and tricks. Weren't the mutilating nightmares, debilitating regret, and sorrow penance enough?

It should have been.

But the Capitol was fragile. Their power was akin to the frail wings of a paper bird, and Katniss Everdeen's flame was enough to incinerate them. She unraveled all that was set in stone, and incited a spark of rebellion that Snow needed to snuff. And so... the 75th Hunger Games declared that the tributes for the Quarter Quell would be reaped from the existing pool of victors.

The only eulogy left to for the birds to hum would be that of Conway's funeral lament.