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KILL FOR YOUR LOVE.

act two.

(chapter twenty-three, and then the rebellion begins)

training centre, 75 ADD.

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DINNER WAS FILLED WITH silence, drowning everyone as Juniper Hale was filled with rage, grasping her knife and fork tightly, as Brent Higgins sipped quietly on his juice, as Yara Gives and Nadine Groves had a staring competition, and as Lucy Stevens stared at her plate with a clenched jaw. 

The mentor had been taken aside by Haymitch Abernathy just after the Tribute Parade had finished and the pair had a very long conversation. Juniper didn't know what it was about and nor did she care to ask. She was too busy narrowing her eyes at Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, who had both fidgeted uncomfortably due to her glare. But whatever it was her and Haymitch spoke about, it had Lucy so deep in thought she didn't seem to care about giving Juniper and Brent advice for training tomorrow. 

"Well..." Nadine muttered as everyone eventually finished their meal. "I expect both of you to be up early for training tomorrow."

"Do you hear that?" Yara teased as she took a sip from her wine glass. "She expects you both to be up early."

Brent merely rolled his eyes, getting up from his seat as he retreated back to his room. And Juniper did the same as she downed the rest of her juice, barely acknowledging anyone. She wasn't in the mood to hear Nadine and Yara bickering and fighting over something small and so, she headed to her room. 

But as she entered it and flopped down onto her bed, trying her hardest to fall into a fulfilling sleep, all she could manage was a restless one that resulted in her waking every hour or two. By the fifth time it happened, she gave up and sat straight with a gasp escaping her lips. 

"Fuck sakes..." Juniper mumbled. The sun was barely up, merely peeking through the skyscrapers of the Capitol and it caused the woman to groan. She couldn't go back to bed. It was useless. She would just wake up again in the next hour or so.  

Therefore, with that in mind, Juniper got up from the blankets and slowly made her way to the bathroom. She yearned to feel the boiling hot water caress her skin and so, she quickly tore her clothes off and stepped into the shower, pressing nearly all of the buttons. 

Soon, she felt that strong feeling of the water pounding into her flesh as soap bubbles floated everywhere, the grime and sweat from the night before washing away and swirling down into the drain. Her short hair was massaged and washed properly and as the shower did that, Juniper cherished the feeling of the boiling water soaking into her skin, caressing her flesh as it made her sigh. No-one should be awake at this time and so, really, it was just Juniper and herself. And she liked it that way. 

So she didn't think of anything else as she took her time in the steamy shower, staying in there until all of the soap bubbles had popped and her fingers were wrinkly. Once her flesh had shrivelled and suds gone, Juniper slowly stepped out and felt the mat below activate, letting the harsh wind blow her body dry until it was red. When it finished, the Hale woman grabbed a robe and ran a hand through her hair. 

But whilst Juniper didn't think anyone was awake, she nearly shrieked when she saw Lucy Stevens pacing around her bedroom, fingers stroking her chin as her brows were furrowed together. 

"Oh, good!" Lucy seemed relieved at her presence. "Look, get dressed and ready. I'll wait outside your door."

"What?" Juniper hissed. "Lucy, what the hell are you doing in here? It's not even m—"

"Just do what I say, okay? Need to get ready for training." Lucy kept nodding like she had drunk multiple cups of coffee. However, what gained Juniper's interest was when her mentor mouthed, "Ears everywhere."

She furrowed her brows as she watched the woman quickly exit her room, leaving her alone to ponder what had just happened. But, despite her confusion, she still did what her mentor requested of her, seeing clothes laying on her bed. And so, she threw them on as well as a pair of sneakers before rushing out of her bedroom. 

"What the hell are you—?" Juniper went to ask as she saw Lucy leaning against the wall, but the woman's hand immediately clamped over her moving mouth, refraining her from speaking. 

All Lucy did was shake her head and slowly took her palm off of Juniper's face, taking ahold of her bicep as she began to lead her away from the bedroom door and through the apartment. No lights were on and nobody was around, not even the Avoxes, and it was just the two women, which made Juniper ponder what this was all about. 

Maybe Lucy wanted her to be up extremely early for training so she had a head start? But no, it wasn't even near ten o'clock and if she wanted Juniper to be early, she wouldn't come get her at dawn. Maybe this had something to do with Haymitch Abernathy. 

No. 

No, it couldn't be. Haymitch Abernathy had spoken to both Lucy and Juniper many times before and had never left the former in such a state. But whatever the District Twelve Victor had said, it had Lucy in such a mess that she nearly tripped over her own feet as she guided the Hale woman to the elevator. But then, as Lucy pushed her inside and pressed a random button, it hit Juniper. 

Rebellion. 

(Between her fingertips, half-golden and half-muddy, was the exact token Katniss Everdeen took with her into her arena, into the Seventy-Fourth Hunger Games)

(The Quarter Quell wasn't about punishing the other Victors', it was about punishing Katniss Everdeen and squashing the idea of rebellion)

(His voice echoed around and Juniper stared up at him with hatred. But his eyes were focused mainly on Katniss Everdeen)

And so, as the elevator doors closed, leaving Juniper to be by herself, Lucy Stevens disappearing from sight, the Hale woman leaned against the wall and she closed her eyes. Whatever this whole scheme was, it didn't have anything to do with going to training early. It was filled with rebellion and Juniper slowly realised that was what Haymitch Abernathy was telling Lucy. It made sense, he was the mentor of that godforsaken Katniss Everdeen. He would know of what she did, what she had caused. But what did it have to do with Juniper Hale?

She hadn't been rebelling. Sure, she wasn't a predictable person nor a sane one, but she wouldn't rebel. She had decided three-years-ago on the hovercraft that the Capitol had to be punished for what they were doing, even if it wasn't her and she stood by that. She wasn't capable and she couldn't lead a revolution because, simply, no-one liked her enough. But everyone seemed to admire Katniss Everdeen. It made sense why she would create a spark. But still, Juniper had no idea why she was involved in it. 

(Juniper just hoped, as she neared the hovercraft, that someone in their right mind could break the Capitol, even if it wasn't her)

And her confusion became more extreme as the elevator door opened up to reveal a luxurious, opulent office. The morning sun was beginning to stream in through the massive window that was set right behind a desk, a desk where a large man sat in an expensive suit. His head was bent down, looking at something, but when the elevator opened, he immediately snapped up. 

But suddenly, a woman who had silver flowers tattooed on her plump cheeks came bustling into view. She had a fake, wide smirk playing amongst her lips as she held many papers close to her chest. The Victor from Ten raised a brow and felt her confusion increase more and more. 

"Miss Hale!" The woman exclaimed. The man at the desk rose. "We're expecting you. I'm Fulvia Cardew."

"Good for you..." Juniper mumbled as she eyed the hand that the woman had extended. 

"Why don't you go brew up a cup of coffee, hey?" The large man asked Fulvia Cardew, who seemed to be his assistant. She nodded merely before hurrying away, leaving him to add, "Miss Hale, I do apologise for the time. It's very important we settle this early."

"Who the hell are you?" Juniper snapped as she looked him up and down. She clenched her jaw as she narrowed her eyes. 

"Plutarch Heavensbee," the man greeted. "Head Gamemaker."

Juniper felt her open palms turn into fists as she dug her nails back into the freshly-healed cuts in her flesh, feeling them sting as they opened again. But she didn't mind. The only thing she did mind was that she was standing in-front of the man who created the very arena she was going to be sent into. He was the man who was going to kill twenty-three Victors'. 

"What an honour..." Juniper hissed as she felt herself backing up slightly. Surely Plutarch Heavensbee knew of the rebellion. He would know, considering he answered to Snow. And if he knew of the rebellion and Juniper was here in his office, then Plutarch must—

"Miss Hale, I'll make this quick," he said as he noticed Juniper's tight fists. "There's a plan in place, a plan to break you Victors' out of the arena."

Juniper blinked. 

She didn't speak and so Plutarch carried on. 

"And we only require one thing from you, Miss Hale," he continued. "Just one thing."

"And what the hell is that?" Juniper snapped.

 A plan. 

There was a plan to get the Victors' out of the arena? The Hale woman eyed the Head Gamemaker with a certain amount of distrust. This was probably just a ruse. A scheme to have Juniper cough up whatever knowledge she knew about the rebellion. She was smarter than this, she wouldn't be fooled. 

"We need you to keep Katniss Everdeen alive."

And suddenly, utter anger filled Juniper as she started to tremble. Keep Katniss Everdeen alive? Keep her alive? Keep the girl who was the reason why she was in the arena in the first place alive? That was something that contradicted what Juniper had been planning the entire time. She couldn't kill Katniss Everdeen and keep her alive at the same time. It was laughable and even Juniper chuckled slightly at the thought of it. 

But then, as she did, Juniper realised something. Snow wanted Everdeen to die, to squash the entire idea of rebellion. That was why all the Victors' were going back into the arena. But if Plutarch answered to Snow, then why was he asking Juniper to keep the girl alive? And why was he also contradicting everything Snow had in place?

"You want me to keep Katniss Everdeen alive?"

"She is the face of the rebellion," Plutarch answered simply. "She is The Mockingjay."

Juniper felt herself sway slightly as she was reminded of the mockingjay pin she had found in the mud. It was now at home in Ten, but the mere thought of it and the fact that Plutarch could be serious, it was enough to have Juniper walking past the man, lowering herself down on a fluffy couch a few steps away. 

"How can I trust you?" Juniper asked as the man sat down in-front of her. "How do I know this isn't a scheme for me to spill information so you can have Snow—?"

"Punish you?" Plutarch finished. "I assure you, Miss Hale, that isn't the case. Though Mr. Odair did say you would be slightly paranoid..."

"Finnick?" Juniper perked up, eyes wide. Finnick? Finnick knew about this? "Finnick? Finnick Odair knows about this?"

"Of course." Plutarch nodded. "He will also be of valuable help—"

"Who else knows?"

"The pairs from Three, Four, Six, Seven, Eight, Eleven, and you as well as a few mentors."

"Just me?" Juniper murmured. "Not Brent Higgins?"

Plutarch took a deep breath in as he replied, "Brent Higgins isn't one to be trusted. We know what he does, roaming the streets and terrorising the civilians. He is not the ideal choice to be in a rebellion."

"Rebellion..." Juniper whispered as she leaned more into her seat. "Holy shit, it's actually happening... wait, how do you fit in all of this? You're the Head Gamemaker."

"For several years, I've been part of an undercover group aiming to overthrow the Capitol," Plutarch said. "And by being Head Gamemaker, it comes handy. Especially when it comes to breaking Victors' out."

"And how do you plan to break us out, Heavensbee?" Juniper grumbled. 

"That's not knowledge you're allowed to have," Plutarch replied and when the Hale woman raised a brow, he raised his hand to stop her. "For worst case scenarios, everyone has varying degrees of information. Your main job is to protect Katniss Everdeen at all costs and then you just listen to Finnick and Beetee."

Juniper clenched her jaw as she ran a hand down her face. Listening to Finnick and Beetee was easy considering she actually wanted to ally with the two, but protecting Katniss Everdeen? That was something that Juniper did not want to do. She wanted to see that girl burn and die painfully. But as Juniper was thinking this, she thought of the boy.

"What about Mellark?"

"Someone else is protecting him," Plutarch told her. "We would like it if we can have both of the pair alive when it comes to breaking you lot out, but if there is a choice..."

"Pick the girl?"

"Pick the girl."

Juniper let out a guttural groan as she pinched the bridge of her nose. She didn't want to keep Peeta Mellark or Katniss Everdeen alive and as much as Juniper was tempted to say no, she remembered that Finnick was involved in the whole scheme. And that was enough to have her on board because as long as Finnick was doing something, Juniper Hale would be right behind him. 

"So... I just protect Katniss Everdeen and you get me out of the arena?"

"Yes."

"And then what?"

Plutarch leaned forward as he smirked, saying, "And then the rebellion begins..."

Juniper knew those daunting words would haunt her for the rest of her life.

"So... are you in, Miss Hale?"

(But only one stayed certain in her mind. She hoped that one day the Capitol could pay for what they have done)

(No-one could save her now. But someone could change the future, give the people a flicker of hope)

(She wouldn't be alive long enough to even have some sort of stressed feeling about it. The only thing that she was concerned about was Justice. Where was Justice?)

(When Juniper scavenged around, trying to find a bag and also trying to hold back a sob at the sudden realisation that Justice could already be dead, she saw a scrawny, mud-covered boy round the side of the Cornucopia)

Justice. 

All Juniper could think about in that moment was her brother. Her poor, innocent twin. The twin she had killed. All she could do was think about him and instead of rage filling her up, she tried hard to fight back a sob at the memories of him. He would say yes to this. He would want Juniper to do this. 

("You're going to be okay... you're going to be all right... you'll live on, June... just win...")

Justice would do this. He would say yes. And Finnick had already done so. Finnick was part of this and where he went, Juniper went. And so, her decision was not based on Katniss Everdeen. She was not doing this because she adored the star-crossed lovers. She was doing this because it was what Justice would have done and it was what Finnick was doing. And the mere thought of the boy and man, it was enough to sway her.

"Yeah... I'll do it..." Juniper nodded as she stood up. "I protect your Mockingjay and you get me out of that arena."

"And?"

"And we give the Capitol fucking hell."

Plutarch barked out a laugh as he extended his hand, and this time, instead of eyeing it like she did with Fulvia Cardew, Juniper shook it with a toughness and ferocity that had Plutarch smirking. They both nodded. 

"Welcome to the rebellion, Miss Hale," he said once they let go. "Now... it would be wise to go back to your apartment. Eat and be ready for training. I'll see you there."

"Goodie..."

"Oh, and, Miss Hale?" Plutarch said. "Do not discuss this with anyone and especially not with Miss Everdeen or Mr. Mellark. We cannot have them jeopardise this plan. It's best to keep them in the dark."

And with that, Plutarch Heavensbee smiled at the woman before retreating through a glass door behind them, leaving Juniper to her own devices. She just needed to protect Katniss Everdeen and then she would be out of the arena. Plutarch would break her out. And then the rebellion begins. The rebellion. It was actually happening. 

Juniper thought about this as she went to the elevator, pressing the button that would lead her back to the tenth level. And as she felt the elevator go down, she tried to clear her head, tried to gather her thoughts. Protect Everdeen, be broken out. It was simple. She had to keep Everdeen alive and then Plutarch would break her out. 

But how would Plutarch break her out? How would she know when? But then she remembered what he said about just listening to Finnick and Beetee and that everyone had varied knowledge about the scheme. She shouldn't know when or how, but just protect Everdeen. That was her objective, her role, even if it meant swallowing down her hatred for the girl. 

But no. No, Juniper didn't have to. She didn't have to hide her hatred for Everdeen and Mellark, which would be too much of a complicated thing if she had to. She just needed to protect Katniss, not get her to trust her or maintain a friendship with her. She just needed to keep her alive and Plutarch didn't say be friendly with her. 

"And where have you been?" 

As the elevator doors opened, it revealed a very distressed Nadine Groves pacing around the entrance hall. Juniper raised a brow as she looked out a nearby window to see the sun was right up. 

"I was out for some fresh air..." she drawled as she narrowed her eyes at the escort. "Is that a crime?"

"Yes!" Nadine screeched. "It is strictly prohibited for any tribute to leave the safety of the building for some fresh air."

"Ah, but I didn't leave the building." Juniper smirked as she headed for the dining room. She could hear her stomach rumbling. "I went to the roof. That's not leaving."

Nadine went to go snap at the woman, but once they reached the dining room, they saw that Lucy Stevens, Yara Give, and Brent Higgins were already there, eating their breakfasts. And as Juniper entered, the mentor looked up and clenched her jaw. The Hale woman merely nodded and so did Lucy. It then hit Juniper that the rebellion was what Haymitch must have been telling her. Haymitch Abernathy had to know. But Everdeen and Mellark didn't. They couldn't find out, according to Heavensbee. 

"Oh, see? She's alive," Yara commented. She still looked as orange as ever. "No need to worry."

"I'm touched that you worry about me," Juniper grumbled.

"Not really." Yara shrugged. "I just wanted Pinky over there to shut up."

"Enough," Lucy warned. The stylist piped down. "Eat, Juniper. Training is in an hour or two."

And as Lucy Stevens gave the two tributes advice, all Juniper Hale could think about was the rebellion. 

(Plutarch leaned forward as he smirked, saying, "And then the rebellion begins...")