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KILL FOR YOUR LOVE.

act one.

(chapter six, no-one is born evil)

training centre, 72 ADD.

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THE INTERACTION WITH JOHANNA Mason surely did a number on Juniper's brain. It invaded her mind for reasons she couldn't explain. How could someone so young be so murderous? So angry? Yes, killing was part of the Hunger Games, but slaughtering over six people was cold-blooded. No-one was born evil, Juniper had always thought, but then she met Johanna Mason. Johanna Mason was the definition of the devil. And, apparently, her own tributes thought so too. 

"She's weird, our mentor," Cedar had whispered to Juniper on the second day of training. "I swear, she's a devil."

"Should you be bad mouthing your mentor?" Juniper asked. 

"Probably not." Cedar smirked. "But she doesn't like me and from the sounds of it, nor you."

Cedar and Ash, the pair from Seven, did not leave Juniper and Justice alone. They spent the entire time on the poisonous plants section on the first day and on the second, when the siblings moved to the fire-making, they followed. And it raised Juniper's suspicion.

"Why do you keep following us?" Juniper asked as she stared at the faint fire Cedar was trying to make. 

The girl shrugged as she said, "Because... you don't think anything of us."

"What?"

"Everyone else has these expectations, these thoughts of me and Ash because the last Victor came from our district," Cedar mumbled. "You don't. Or at least I don't think you do."

"I couldn't care less about you and Ash," Juniper told her. 

"Good." Cedar smiled slightly. "And mostly because I feel bad for you... I mean, only one comes out alive and I know you and Justice are planning to die in there... you two aren't very quiet."

"And why would you care if me and Just died?" Juniper asked, feeling her lips turn up a bit. "Less tributes for you to kill, Cedar."

"It is human instinct to care, Juniper," Cedar said. "Well... unless you're Johanna Mason."

And so, Cedar and Ash stayed with Juniper and Justice for the remaining training sessions. And, in a way, the Hale girl was glad that the two kept with them, for it made things much more enjoyable. If she was going to die in a few days, she'd rather have her withering moments laughing at Ash and Cedar's stupid jokes. 

But back with the District Ten team, tension was high. Juniper and Justice had wasted the entire second day at the fire-making with the pair from Seven and it caused both Brent and Nadine to be stressed out of their mind, the escort because she wanted them to get high scores in their individual evaluations so she could maintain a good reputation and the mentor because he wanted to beat the Careers'. So, just to keep the two in good spirits, Juniper and Justice both agreed to at least try when it came to the third day. 

The Hale girl had learnt some stuff from the survival stations, dipping into the knot-tying with Cedar until Ash suggested they try out some weapons. His female counterpart agreed immediately, but Justice looked at Juniper wearily. 

"It would be good to know," he said. He wanted to join Cedar and Ash, who were now walking away. "And who else can say they've wielded a sword before?"

Juniper sighed as Justice went off, having no choice but to follow her brother as he joined Cedar and Ash, who were now staring at the different array of weapons. Their silver blades shined in the spotlight that beamed down upon them, their hilts so intricate that it nearly had Juniper in a trance if she didn't see Cedar pick up an axe with ease, Ash picking out a sword. 

"Well, come on, Juniper," Cedar called out as Justice walked over to Ash. "Pick up an axe... I'll teach you."

And so, for the remainder of the third day, Cedar taught Juniper how to use an axe, much to her dismay, and dabbled a bit in sword wielding. And whilst Juniper didn't care much for the weapons, Justice was having a blast with Ash, the two boys laughing along. But as the Hale girl studied her brother, she saw the boy from Eight standing in a corner, eyeing her.

Juniper furrowed her brows as she watched the boy and their eyes caught onto each other. The Eight tribute tilted his head, his grey-black hair falling into his face as he did. The look that flashed across his eyes was malicious and sinister. Juniper gulped when she saw the four Careers' walk over to him. 

She concluded that the boy from Eight was with the four from One and Two, meaning that they most likely made him join their pack, also meaning that he had become a Career. If Juniper were to die, she wouldn't dare inflate their egos by having them spill her blood. 

But as Juniper thought of this, she realised that maybe the Careers' were the only ones who could actually kill her. All the other districts, despite Eight, Seven, and Six, all cried during training. Three spent half their time burrowed in corners. Four just sat with Five, all crying. Nine tried to use some weapons, but failed miserably. Eleven and Twelve were all too bony and malnourished to even stand. 

But then Johanna Mason. 

Johanna Mason had spent half of her time in training crying and sobbing in a corner, according to Brent. She was seen as weak, pathetic, and overall innocent. She got a low score and didn't seem worthy of anyone's time. But then the minute the tribute number went down, she turned into a beast. She was a monster underneath that angelic persona. And so, with that in mind, Juniper tried hard to not dismiss the other tributes. But yet again, she didn't care who killed her, just not the Careers'. 

After lunch, which consisted of small sandwiches and plums, the twenty-four tributes were escorted to a little room that was attached to the gymnasium. Peacekeepers' were on each side with a trainer and when they were thrusted into the small area, they were told to line up in order of district number and so, Juniper and Justice went between Nine and Eleven. 

They called up Rayon from One first, the bulky boy being escorted by two Peacekeepers' and disappearing into the gymnasium. They all had ten-minutes and so, Juniper would have to wait for a while before it was her turn. But as she waited, she was not nervous, unlike Justice who was shaking beside her.

"It will be fine, Just," she murmured as she laid a hand on his shoulder. "It'll be fine."

"Yeah." Justice nodded as he clasped his hands together, laying them on his lap. "It'll be fine..."

Ten-minutes later, Satin from One was called up with no appearance from Rayon. Juniper figured that if you were called up, you didn't go back to the room so as the Careers' zoomed past along with Three and Four, the area got less packed with people. When the boy from Six was called up, whose name was apparently Hermes according to the robotic voice that echoed around, Juniper took the time to examine his girl counterpart. 

Her faint black hair was tied up neatly, her grey eyes trained on the floor. Her posture was hunched and the girl seemed nervous, which was the most severe emotion Juniper had seen. But as she stared at the girl from Six, the tribute seemed to sense someone was watching her and so, she quickly looked over her shoulder. Juniper averted her eyes rapidly. 

Wing was her name as the female, robotic voice bounced off the walls. The girl got up slowly and disappeared, causing Juniper to scoff as she recalled their names. Wing and Hermes. Of course their names would be that considering their district dealt with transportation. 

When ten-minutes of Wing's time had been up, Ash from Seven was called and Justice gave him a small smile as he did. Juniper had realised that her brother had gotten close to the boy from Seven, which didn't surprise her. Justice always got along with people and was exceptionally polite to Ash and Cedar. 

Cedar. 

Juniper looked over to her, seeing that she was already walking towards the door. The girl from Ten gave her a slight thumbs-up for courage, realising why Justice was so fond of them. She noticed, as she watched Cedar disappear and her ten-minutes starting, that it was exceptionally lonely being in the Hunger Games, that it was incredibly hard knowing you were going to die in a few days. 

How could anyone live like this? How could the Capitol live with themselves after this?

The boy from Eight, Dallas, zoomed past and so did his female counterpart, who had been sobbing and shaking the entire time. Juniper realised the girl was too weak to even do well in the assessment. But then the District Nine male got called up. Within twenty-minutes, it would be Juniper's turn. 

And as she waited for the Nine female to be called up, she debated on what to do. Weapons were out of the question because she, quite frankly, had no idea what she was doing and so, that left survival. She had to do something, but if it was up to her, she would just walk out of the room. But no, she couldn't do that because if they didn't punish her, they'd punish the ones she loved. Her father. 

Oh, her father. He was all alone back in Ten and Juniper wondered how he was faring. He'd have his Milking Station peers to support him, but what about after the Games? When both Juniper and Justice were dead? Maybe he would marry some other woman, birth new children. But no, he wouldn't because Juniper knew that Orion Hale would wither away in a depression no-one could save him from if both of his kids died. That, yet again, was a horrid fact. 

"Justice Hale."

Justice went visibly pale as he slowly got up, Juniper quickly grabbing his hand and squeezing it before letting him go. She felt puke rise in her throat as she watched her twin disappear. It didn't matter, their scores and how well they did, they just needed to do something so the Capitol wouldn't punish their father. Juniper felt her heart racing, for some odd reason, during those ten-minutes of waiting, feeling the four from Eleven and Twelve staring at her.

"Juniper Hale."

When her name echoed around the room, Juniper was already up and standing, trying hard to swallow down the vomit that threatened to rise. She could feel her heart beating rapidly as she met two Peacekeepers' at the door, both of them taking each side of her and escorting Juniper.

The gymnasium didn't look like what it did during training sessions.  Half of the exercises and gym equipment had been taken out and the survival and weapon stations were moved to the centre where a big spotlight shined down on them. The Gamemakers, who all wore deep purple robes, had completely lost interest in what was happening down below, their attention purely on the food and drinks that were in their hands. 

"Juniper Hale, District Ten," she announced as she stopped in the middle of the gymnasium, hands behind her back as she tried to control her breathing. The Head Gamemaker looked up, wiping grease away from his mouth. 

Seneca Crane. 

It was his first year being Head and was perhaps the most sane one out of them all. He didn't follow typical stereotypes of the Capitol people, the only unusual thing about him being the intricate design of his beard, making his facial hair look like waves. He stared down at Juniper with his icy blue eyes. 

"You have ten-minutes to demonstrate your chosen skill, Miss Hale," Seneca told her, merely looking down at his watch, his other hand holding a flute of alcohol.

Juniper nodded as she examined the gymnasium. She wouldn't dare touch the weapons and so, that left the two stations that she actually used. She would spend five-minutes trying to sort out the poisonous plants cards and then another five with the knot-tying she did with Cedar. She would use the fire-making, but the girl from Seven did most of that during training. 

And so, Juniper walked over to the stack of cards that sat on the bench, picking them up. She could recognise a few of the plants from memory when Justice did the deck and so, she was sure she got a few right. She mentally did a five-minute countdown, feeling Seneca Crane's eyes staring a hole into her. When she finished, the trainer merely glanced through them and nodded. Juniper felt a sense of pride. She had guessed the entire thing. 

When looking up at the balcony, Seneca Crane was still watching her, sipping his drink as he did. Juniper swallowed as she made her way to the knot-tying. She didn't actually know how to tie knots, not really paying attention, which was now becoming a daily thing, but as she crossed to the station, picking up a lengthy, thick piece of rope, she squeezed it until her fingers went white. 

Taking a deep breath, Juniper did the knot that she partially remembered doing with Cedar and the one the instructor told them. It was a simple order of multiple loops and twists to make an intricate noose, which was a good way to trap things or free yourself, which was said word-for-word by the professional who ran it.

Juniper felt her breathing becoming irregular. She wasn't giving them a show, barely doing anything. But at least she was doing something because if she didn't then she knew her father would pay for it. He was already going through torture with the loss of his twins, he didn't need to be punished for their actions. Therefore, Juniper tried her hardest to make a decent-looking knot. When she turned to face Seneca, his lips were pursed as he nodded. 

"You are dismissed, Miss Hale," he told her as he began to turn his back. "Thank you for your time."

"A pleasure," Juniper grumbled before walking towards the back exit.

Going to the elevators, Juniper was sure she would get a terrible score. Anything higher than three would be a miracle, but the girl would not be surprised if she got a one or a two. But yet again, it did not matter. She would be dead soon and she only put on a 'show' to spare the life of her father.

Juniper entered the elevator and pressed the button for the tenth floor, rubbing a hand over her face as she did. It was only a matter of minutes before the door opened to reveal Justice, Brent, and Lucy speaking together with Nadine. Yara, yet again, was nowhere in sight.

"June!" Justice's face immediately brightened up when he noticed her, causing Nadine, Brent, and Lucy to look up. "How did you go?"

"I'll be damned if I got anything higher than two..." Juniper said meekly as she walked over to the four, rubbing the back of her neck. Lucy had a pained look on her face whilst Brent rolled his eyes. Nadine bit back a remark. "I just tied some knots and sorted through the poisonous plants cards. You?"

"Nearly the same thing." Justice shrugged. He looked up to Brent and Lucy. "Tried out some of the weapons... thought you would too."

"There was no point in it." Juniper forced a smirk. 

"Well, that's disappointing." Brent sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "Come on, you demons, dinner and then the broadcast."

And so, being led away by Nadine, the lot of them sat down in the dining area as Avoxes laid down plates of beef and carrots with sliced up apples. Juniper, of course, questioned the combination, but one narrowed look from Nadine silenced her. And so, the entire dinner was dealt in quietness except for the sound of obnoxious chewing from Brent and the scraping of cutlery on ceramic.

But of course, dinner didn't last long since both of the Hale twins were starving and so, a good couple of minutes later, everyone was getting out of their chairs and heading to the sitting room. Nadine switched the television on and they were all immediately greeted with Caesar Flickerman and Claudius Templesmith's great smiles. 

"I must say, we are very excited to show the scores for this year." Caesar laughed. His green hair still remained as vibrant as ever. "Last Games, of course, were something."

"Of course, of course." Claudius's smile began larger, if that was even possible. "Johanna Mason, shocking everyone... I wonder if the District Seven tributes this year are the same!"

"Ditto!" Caesar hollered. "But now, I suppose we better get on with it, Claudius!"

"I suppose we should, Caesar!"

"And so, this is the moment we've all been waiting for." Caesar's tone of voice became ominous as he looked directly into the camera. "Over the past three days, like always, our beloved tributes have been training vigorously and after individual evaluations, our new Head Gamemaker, Seneca Crane, is willing to give us their scores... let's dive into it."

When Caesar read a name off the list he was given, a picture of them would pop up along with their district number and what score they were given. It went in order of districts and so, the boy from One was first and, like always, all the Careers' got an eight-to-ten range.

Juniper didn't overly care for the other districts, Three, Four, and Five passing rather quickly without any thought, but when they got to Six, the Hale girl started to pay attention. Wing, her grey eyes boring through the screen, got an eight whilst Hermes, a replica of his peer, got a nine. Juniper wasn't surprised, but got chills at the non-emotional look that was plastered on their faces. 

With Six done, Seven was next and Caesar went on a massive rant about Johanna Mason, going on for minutes that the people behind the cameras had to tell him to get a move on. Mumbling an apology, Ash's face appeared first and Juniper wasn't surprised when he got a seven, something Caesar said was coincidental. And then Cedar appeared, her honey eyes shining and her brown hair glowing. She scored a ten. 

Juniper realised that half of the tributes, the ones that mattered, had gotten very good scores. Wing and Hermes both got a respective eight and nine. Cedar and Ash managed to get a ten and seven. And then all the Careers' got an eight-to-ten range. But when the Eight girl passed and Dallas showed up, Juniper and Justice both blanched. Eleven. Dallas had scored an eleven. 

Nine moved on and then suddenly, Justice's face appeared on the screen, his slight smirk and sparkle shining on the screen. The boy himself leaned forward as everyone stayed silent. 

"Justice Hale, the male tribute from District Ten," Caesar said. "He has scored a... six."

Justice smirked as he leaned back into his seat, Lucy nodding whilst Nadine forced one. Brent shrugged and took a swig of his alcohol as he said, "We can work with that."

Justice's photo disappeared and Juniper was forced to look at her own face, seeing District Ten appear under her photo. She didn't care what she got considering it didn't matter. In around three-four days, she would be a corpse and her name would be forgotten forever. It didn't matter what score she got. 

"Now, Juniper Hale, the other twin duo from District Ten." Caesar chuckled at his own statement. "She has scored a... five."

"Ha! I got higher than you!" Justice immediately said, cackling whilst Juniper shook her head. 

"That's okay." Lucy tried to give her a smile, but Juniper did not care. 

She didn't expect to get a five or anything above three really. But a five, she was all right with, not that it mattered anyway. But as Juniper looked over at Justice, he seemed all giddy with his six. He seemed to be taking the news of their death rather well.

"Right, well." Nadine got up from her seat. "Time for bed, I think. We have a lot to do tomorrow."

"What?" Juniper asked. "What do you mean?"

"Well, we have to get you ready for the interviews."