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KILL FOR YOUR LOVE.

act two.

(chapter thirty, and there's nothing like a mad woman)

the arena, 75 ADD.

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JOHANNA STOOD OVER BLIGHT'S bloodied corpse for some time, staring down at him whilst Juniper paced around, the pain having eased away as confusion replaced it. How did Blight die? If he had choked to death on the blood, then what was the force that caused them all to be flung backwards? 

"Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock, tick tock."

Wiress was going around in circles as if deranged whilst Beetee was nearly losing consciousness again, agony searing through him from the gash. But Juniper paid them no attention as she walked up and down the area they were in. She didn't have a deep sense of care for Blight and she really just wanted to find out what killed him so it didn't kill her or the others. But Blight did save her from Brutus. He was the first one to go to her when she collapsed from exhaustion and dehydration. And he was the only proper sane one out of the five. 

"Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock, tick tock."

Juniper clenched her jaw as she tried to block out Wiress's nonsense. She was in a state of shock as she wandered around in circles and Juniper wished Beetee would just settle her down because she really needed to find out what killed Blight. Not that she cared. Of course, it was a shock. But it didn't make her tremble or sob. It was just another tribute gone. Unfortunately, it was Blight. 

"Stop pacing, Hale." Johanna scoffed over her shoulder, finally turning around. As Juniper looked at her face, she realised there were no tears but rage. "It's not rocket science. He hit the force field."

"What?"

Johanna rolled her eyes as she bent down, picking up a little twig that was by her feet, and lunged it into the distance beyond Blight's body. But it didn't go far because there was a sharp zapping sound before the stick flew back, burnt as a crisp. 

"We're at the end of the arena," Johanna said. "He just ran into it because he couldn't see anything."

It made sense and it explained why Juniper was thrown backwards, causing her to unclench her jaw as she stared at Blight's corpse. She then went to go retrieve her sword when suddenly she remembered she had dropped it when the blood rain started. And when she went to go find Blight's axe and Beetee's cylinder of wire and realised they were gone as well. They had nothing. 

"Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock, tick tock—"

"All right, I understand!" Johanna shouted as she whipped around to face the loony woman from Three. "Tick damn tock!" 

"Hickory dickory dock—"

Johanna nearly screamed with rage as she stormed over to her, pushing her down into the soil with a harsh hand on the woman's shoulder. Wiress stopped her muttering as she sat, looking up at Johanna with wide eyes whilst Juniper barely watched. 

"No point in making her sit down," she said, causing Johanna to narrow her eyes. "We need to get moving anyway. We have to find our stuff."

"Yeah because we're going to find it the goddamn dark," the tribute from Seven remarked in a snide way.

Juniper poked the sound of her mouth with her tongue before replying, "Not the weapons, you idiot. We'll never find those in the dark and I'm not really in the mood to cutting my toes off walking on them. I meant the wire."

"Why the wire?" Johanna asked, annoyance laced in her tone. 

"Because if Volt's is dying from getting it, it must be important," Juniper told her and she did believe that, thinking back to what Plutarch said about listening to Beetee and if he got gravely injured by Enobaria just to get it, it must be part of the plan. 

Johanna bit her lip before nodding slightly, pushing Wiress up on her feet and nudging Beetee, "Come on, Volts. We're gonna find your stupid wire."

"He's on the brink of being unconscious, dumbass." Juniper rolled her eyes. "He won't hear you."

"Well, if he's on the brink of being unconscious then that means you can carry him," Johanna spat before walking past her, disappearing into the darkness of the jungle.

So, feeling rage fill up her stomach, Juniper took Beetee's arms and placed them over her shoulders before setting off after Johanna, Wiress following happily. And so, they left Blight's body and once the three managed to catch up with the Mason woman, they began to search as best as they could in the dark foliage for the cylinder of wire, all while trying to keep an eye out for the sharp blades of the axe and the sword. 

But in the end, it was only Johanna and Juniper trying to find it as they had slumped Beetee against a tree and Wiress refused to leave his side. The crazy woman was muttering something as she rocked herself gently. 

"So, she's either in shock or severely dehydrated, according to my dumbass district partner." Johanna scoffed. "More like she's just fucking crazy."

"Don't swear as much." Juniper teased. "The Capitol children are watching."

"Oh, fuck the Capitol children!" Johanna waved the statement away like it was mere dust in the air. "I hope they all die anyway."

Juniper stopped her search in a bush to look at Johanna. She didn't seem all that upset about Blight's death, but rather angry about it. Whether it was because she blamed the man for his own death, running into a forcefield, or because she was angry at Snow for putting them in the arena again, Juniper didn't know, but she figured it was something along those lines. But as she watched Johanna, who was mumbling curse words under her breath, Juniper realised she had taken Blight's place of being the most sane. 

And she didn't like it. 

"Oh, here it is!" Johanna called out. She pulled up the cylinder of wire, which was soaked with blood from the rain. "Thank you, Nuts and Volts, for helping out."

Juniper rolled her eyes, something she must have done several times now due to Johanna's comments, and looked up around the jungle. She wasn't in the mood for losing the wire again and therefore, when she found a bush of vines, she snatched one out and went over to Johanna.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Johanna asked with furrowed brows when Juniper snatched the wire off of her, but the Hale woman ignored her as she began to tie an amateur knot with the vines, connecting the cylinder to it. 

"I'm being smart," Juniper finally answered as she wandered over to Beetee, kneeling down to see that he still had his purple belt on. She then did another loop to attach the cylinder to it. "Perfect. Now we don't have to carry it nor will we lose it."

Johanna went to go say something when suddenly, another cannon boomed around the arena, causing them both to jump as they stared up at the sky. Even Wiress stopped as she followed suit, eyes wide with her mouth opening slightly.

"And who the hell was that?" Johanna asked. 

"I can ask the Gamemakers if you want." Juniper scoffed. "Doubt they'll answer."

"Shut the hell up, Hale." Johanna clenched her fists. Juniper gathered she didn't like being made a fool. "I don't want to be here just as much as you don't."

"Well, if you had found Finnick at the Cornucopia, we wouldn't—"

"Oh, so it's my fault I didn't find Finnick?"

"Something like that, yeah."

"Well, if it weren't for your stupid idea of if we find water, we find Finnick!"

"And how does that make sense?"

"Better than—"

"Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock, tick tock—"

"Shut the hell up, Wiress!" Juniper and Johanna spat in unison, turning around to point at the said loony woman. And it was only Beetee's pained groans that caused both women to glance at each other with a look of hatred before returning to the tributes from Three. 

As they did, Juniper looked up to see that the moon was still in the sky, but that it was slowly going down, the arena slightly brighter than it was, everything illuminated with a pale white. And suddenly, Juniper felt her exhaustion, dehydration, and rumbling stomach come back to her. Blight's sudden death had momentarily made her forget about their rising issues. 

"We need to get out of the jungle," she muttered to Johanna as she kneeled next to Beetee, who was sweating considerable amounts and deathly pale. "We can't stay in here."

"And do what?" Johanna asked. "We need to find Finnick and the others."

"We will," Juniper told her. "But we need to go to the beach, think properly. And maybe we can go to the Cornucopia again, see if there is any supplies."

"There isn't." Johanna shook her head. "It's just weapons. Me and... Blight... we checked before you even got there. There isn't any food or anything."

Juniper cursed slightly under her breath as she pinched the bridge of her nose. Her patience was completely gone and she was out of ideas because Blight was dead, Finnick and the others weren't anywhere near, they didn't have any supplies, and Beetee was nearly dead, and Wiress was crazy. They had nothing and no-one. 

Clenching her jaw, Juniper simply said, "I don't care, Mason. Let's just get out of this stupid jungle."

Swinging Beetee's arms over her shoulders, Juniper picked herself up and began to walk away, Wiress skipping along beside her as Johanna groaned loudly, following. It was silent for a couple of minutes when suddenly, Beetee opened his eyes slowly. He must have vaguely heard the two women's conversation because the first thing he said enraged Juniper.

"This isn't the way to the beach."

Utter rage filled Juniper's stomach as she slung Beetee off of her, shouting, "Well then, I don't know! All right? I don't know where the hell I'm going, but if you're so fucking smart, Volts, you lead the way!"

"Don't swear," an amused Johanna taunted. "Capitol children are watching, remember?"

"Shut the hell up!" Juniper spat. "Just be damn quiet, Mason, all right? You're not helping. None of you are helping! I'm the only goddamn one who is trying to do something that can save our lives, but no. You're just being a brat. She's nuts. And he's on the brink of death and I can't carry him because I don't carry old men!"

"Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock, tick—"

Before Wiress could finish her last 'tick tock', Juniper's limits had truly been tested and immediately took a step forward, slapping the woman so hard that she nearly collapsed onto Beetee. "Just stop! All of you just stop!"

And suddenly, as Juniper ran a hand through her hair, letting out a shaky breath, she realised everyone's eyes were on her. And then she realised all of Panem's eyes were on her. Everyone in the districts, everyone in the Capitol would be studying their screens intently, watching and listening as Juniper Hale let her rage get the better of her. And her father would be watching, most likely at the Milking Station with his head hung low in disappointment.

"... what way is the stupid beach, Beetee?"

The man from Three wearily pointed in a direction and so, they all set off, Juniper at the front with Beetee and Wiress in the middle, Johanna at the back. And as the Hale woman led the group, she suddenly felt everything on her. She could feel the dried up blood soaked into every pore on her flesh, being itchy. She could still feel the remnants of the burning sensations in her bones. Sand was still trapped slightly in her hair. Dirt was covering everything. And she was sweaty. She was so sweaty. And she was so hungry, and thirsty, and she was so tired. 

She was so exhausted that she didn't have the energy to wince when she heard another cannon go off. She was so focused on food and water that she couldn't care less about who it was, just holding onto the hope that they would stumble into a clearing where Finnick was. And she realised, as she was stuck with a half-dead man, a crazy woman, and a Johanna Mason, that seeing Finnick Odair again would be the only thing that brought her great happiness and comfort. 

"Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock, tick tock."

Juniper's slap hadn't seemed to faze Wiress enough to make her stop, but the woman didn't have the energy nor the patience to deal with it and so, she was forced to hear Johanna snap at her. 

"Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock, tick tock."

"I'll be the next one to slap you, Nuts, if you don't shut up!" Johanna shouted.

Juniper nearly tripped over a tangle of vines as she felt her eyelids droop slightly. She had to at least get to the beach and then maybe, she would allow herself some time to pass out. But she was sure that once she did, she wouldn't be able to actually go to sleep. She had just about managed to escape any memories haunting her, with the exception of the bloodbath, but she knew the minute she would close her eyes, ghosts would be conjured up and she didn't have the mental stability for it in her position.

"Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock, tick tock."

"Be happy, Mason," she managed to croak out as she ran a hand down her face. "Be happy it's not the hickory dickory song."

"At least that had different verses!" Johanna snapped. She didn't seem to be having a good time at the back with Wiress and Beetee. "This is just the same thing over and over again!"

But Juniper couldn't pay the slightest attention to her, her legs absentmindedly walking. She wasn't thinking straight and the lack of water, food, and sleep was causing her to be much slower than she usually was. And so, by a few hours later, they were still in the jungle. Juniper wondered if she was the liability in the group, but she looked behind her to see that even Mason was going at a slow pace. So, she concluded not.

And as Juniper's eyes nearly closed fully, feeling her body give way, a penetrating scream came from the distance, causing everyone to stop as everything began to vibrate as if an earthquake was happening. Then suddenly, it sounded as if there was an enormous wave crashing just a little bit in-front of them. But when they heard the cannon, Juniper didn't care about who it could be as she stayed focused on the enormous wave. It had to have disappeared by now, but that meant the beach was so close. Juniper had never let out such a guttural groan of relief when she saw the greenery stopping, being replaced by the golden sand. 

"Hickory dickory dock. The mouse ran up the clock—"

"Shut up!" Johanna nearly screamed, not paying enough attention to Juniper, who practically collapsed onto the sand, as she turned around to shove Wiress over. And then Beetee, who finally had enough, fell beside the woman from Ten. 

But Juniper didn't care enough to check on Beetee as she laid her head on the sand, not caring about Johanna or Wiress, because the sand was so soft, it felt like a pillow and it was enough to lull her to sleep, not having enough energy to fret about the sand particles sticking to her due to her being drenched in blood. 

"June!" 

But with that one word, that one voice, Juniper snapped her eyes open and immediately jumped up from the sand. She scanned the beach for the only man who would ever dare call her by that nickname and let out another guttural scream of relief as she saw the figure of Finnick Odair sprinting down to her. 

And despite her initial complete exhaustion, Juniper mustered up enough energy to go bolting down the sand, completely leaving the other three as her main focus became the man from Four. And suddenly, when their bodies clashed into each other, arms wrapping quickly around, Juniper smiled tiredly. 

"Shit, June, are you all right?" was the first thing Finnick said once he saw the dried blood transfer onto his undershirt, pulling back slightly to look at her face. She barely registered his frown. "June?"

But Juniper didn't answer. Instead, she wrapped herself tighter around Finnick in the fear that if she let him go, he would disappear from view. And Finnick either knew this or felt the same as he too wrapped his big arms around her small frame, practically hiding her as he squeezed. It was only when she began to suffocate that they let go, walking over to Johanna, whose rage did not simmer, even at the sight of the Finnick. 

She kept gesturing to the jungle, speaking so incoherently that they only managed to make out, "We thought it was rain, you know, because of the lightning, and we were all so thirsty. But when it started coming down, it turned out to be blood. Thick, hot blood. You couldn't see, you couldn't speak without getting a mouthful. We just staggered around, trying to get out of it. That's when Blight hit the force field."

"I'm sorry, Johanna," said Finnick as Juniper looked over her shoulder to find Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark right behind them without Mags. She didn't question it, but both rage at the sight of the two filled her up along with hope at the realisation Plutarch wouldn't leave her to rot in the arena as she could finally do her task. 

"Yeah, well, he wasn't much, but he was from home." Johanna nodded. "And he left me and damn Hale with these two, which is always fun with her." Johanna narrowed her eyes at Juniper before nudging Beetee, who was slowly going unconscious again, with her shoe. "He got a knife in the back at the Cornucopia. And her—"

"Tick tock. Tick tock."

"Yeah, we know. Tick tock. Nuts is in shock." Johanna rolled her eyes. But as the Mason woman repeated Wiress's phrase, it caused the loony tribute to careen into Johanna, who harshly shoved her down. "Just stay down, will you?"

"Lay off her!" Katniss snapped and it caused both Juniper and Johanna to freeze. Lay off her? It was easy for Katniss to say, but she wasn't the one that had spent the whole afternoon, night, and morning with Wiress's craziness. 

And Johanna didn't take this lightly, and neither would Juniper if she wasn't exhausted, because she narrowed her eyes at Katniss with hatred as she said, "Lay off her?" She stepped forwards and immediately slapped the girl just as hard as Juniper did to Wiress. "Who do you think got them out of that bleeding jungle for you? You—"

Finnick interrupted her rant as he tossed her writhing body over his shoulder, carrying her out into the water as he began to repeatedly dunk her while she screamed many insulting things to Katniss, who had her bow and arrows raised, but she didn't shoot. She looked confused as she looked at her lover and then at an exhausted, hungry, thirsty Juniper. 

"What did she mean? She got them for me?"

"I don't know." Peeta shrugged. "You did want them originally."

"Yeah, I did. Originally," Katniss murmured as she looked down at Beetee's blood-stained body. "But I won't have them long unless we do something."

Katniss and Peeta completely ignored Juniper as they began to tend to Beetee by stripping his blue jumpsuit off as well as his undergarments as they washed the blood off in the water. And as Finnick kept wrestling Johanna under the water, it left Juniper with Wiress, who seemed to be shaking with fear, but she was quiet and so, the Hale woman took that time to lay back down in the sand, closing her eyes as she tried to at least get some rest before more chaos begun. 

And she was sure she got a good hours sleep until she felt someone's foot prodding her in her side. Opening her eyes slowly, she was blinded by the white-hot sun, but she managed to make out the figure of Finnick, water dripping off of him with a smirk resting upon his lips. 

"Bath time, sleeping beauty."

Juniper managed to raise a brow before Finnick scooped her up onto her feet, assisting her in walking to the water. It was dyed purple with the blood that had come from Beetee and Johanna so the man from Four took her to a clean patch as he sat her down. Juniper nearly fell asleep in the water as she felt Finnick pour some water over her blood-stained jumpsuit. 

"Are you that exhausted, June?" Finnick chuckled slightly as he watched her drooping eyelids. "You had nearly an hour nap."

"And you just let me sleep on the sand?" Juniper managed to mutter as she slowly felt the dried blood exit her flesh. 

"Katniss was going to wake you up, but Johanna warned her you would rip her face off if she did so we just left you. It did look like you needed it."

Juniper opened her eyes wide enough to gain a clear head as she began to clean the blood from her hair, grumbling, "I swear I was going insane with those three. Blight was the only real sane one."

"... was it quick?"

"I think." Juniper nodded as she eyed Johanna, who was gulping down massive amounts of water and was stuffing her face with some type of seafood. "I don't know. One second he was pulling me along, the next the cannon went off... where's Mags?"

Juniper was weary to ask the question and she could practically feel Finnick freeze from behind her as he ceased pouring water. His silence and stillness was enough to have the woman reaching up, squeezing his hand with enough of comfort and love that Juniper Hale could give. Finnick reciprocated it as he tapped his thumb against hers, sighing as he continued washing the blood away. And it was soon after that any remnants of the crimson liquid had exited her flesh and seeped into the water. Then Katniss came over. 

"Juniper, if you give me your jumpsuit, I can let it soak with Beetee's and Wiress's."

The Hale woman stared at Everdeen as her dislike for her came rushing back, but for the sake of Finnick and of the plan, she merely nodded as she refused to look her in the eye. And as she shooed the man from Four away, unzipping her jumpsuit and stripping it off until she was in her undergarments, she realised Katniss had a distrusting look in her eyes. But Everdeen had also noticed the amount of hatred in Juniper's eyes and whilst confused, she still took the jumpsuit and tried her best to be silently civil. 

As Juniper went to get out of the water, she heard Finnick calling her over to where he, Wiress, Beetee, and Johanna were, huddled in a small area that was infested with vine-made furniture. When the woman from Ten came over, she was immediately confused at the set-up. 

"Have you done some decorating, Finnick?" Juniper asked, brows raised as she stared at it all. 

But any teasing about the vine-furniture disappeared when Finnick presented her with a large bowl of water and something he called shellfish. And the minute she caught sight of them, Juniper snatched them from his grasp as she guzzled the water in seconds, not even bothering to savour it as her teeth ripped at the meat of the shellfish. And slowly, but surely, her thirst and hunger started to diminish and she sighed out with immense relief. 

As Juniper ate and drank, Finnick began to slowly recounter what happened to him and the others in a detached, clinical voice, telling a story about some fog and then orange monkeys, but Juniper, after she let out a huge burp, simply did not have the energy within her to ask questions or add to anything. So, with no objections from anyone, the Hale woman laid down on a vine-mat Finnick had made and closed her eyes.

But she could never get anything she wanted because even though it was a couple hours later, it still felt like seconds as she was suddenly awoken by the harsh shaking of her body, caused by Katniss Everdeen. 

"Get up," she ordered. "Get up — we have to move. Wiress is a genius."