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KILL FOR YOUR LOVE.

act three.

(chapter forty-nine, the seventy-second hunger games)

tribute centre, 72 ADD.

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THE SILENCE WAS DEAFENING. The hall was so quiet that seventeen-year-old Juniper Hale could hear both her and Lucy Stevens's hearts beat. There was, of course, the odd slam of a door down the next corridor or the hushed whispers of doctors, but other than that, it was quiet. 

Everyone made sure to look at Juniper. It was like people were too scared to let her out of their sight. Whatever happened in the room with no windows or doors, the room that was filled with a soft, yellow light, it frightened people. But Juniper wouldn't know. The doctors had quickly sedated her after it happened and she couldn't remember anything. She didn't want to remember. 

"Where is that doctor?" Lucy Stevens whispered to herself, craning her neck to look down the hallway. She had a frown dancing upon her lips and she kept fidgeting with her fingers. 

But Juniper didn't answer. She couldn't seem to answer. Tears were streaming gently down her cheeks. Justice was dead. Her brother was dead. And she had killed him. And Cedar. And Ash. And Leona. And Rayon. And Dallas. And Wing. And Hermes. 

Whatever the doctors gave the Hale girl, whether it was a sedative or another drug, it had stopped Juniper from sobbing, from going into complete hysterics. It softened the emotions within her. It made her numb. Juniper supposed the doctors in the Capitol didn't want a sobbing, depressed Victor. 

Victor.

Juniper had won. Juniper Hale, the measly girl from District Ten, had won the Seventy-Second Hunger Games. How? How could she have won? She wasn't supposed to. She shouldn't have. No, Juniper should be dead. It was the original plan, the deal she made with Justice. They were both supposed to die so they didn't have to live without the other. But Justice broke that arrangement.

("And so, it's agreed." Justice nodded. He put his hand behind his back. "If you die, I die—")

("You were always supposed to live, not die. It's you, June. You have to win. You have to live, not me—")

Her heart rate should have increased, should have been pounding more than it ever should. But it didn't. The drugs they gave Juniper were too strong. They made her feel like she was on a cloud, drifting away from her emotions. They numbed her. They made her feel loopy. She didn't like it. She didn't like this. Juniper just wanted to go home.

"Ah, Miss Stevens?" 

Lucy snapped her head up whilst Juniper looked down at her boots. The doctors forced her to get redressed in her arena attire. The tight, sleeveless shirt was clean of any blood. The baggy trousers were dry of any swamp water. The jacket was forgotten about. And the thick, hard boots were wiped of any mud. It looked as if Juniper hadn't even set foot in the swampy arena. But she did. Justice was dead. Twenty-three kids were dead and yet, Juniper Hale was the sole survivor. The winner.

"Yes?" Lucy asked as she looked at the girl sitting next to her before standing up, heading towards the doctor. It was the dark-haired one with glasses that had sedated her. "What is it?" 

Juniper couldn't hear what the two women were talking about, still looking down at her shoes. She just wanted to go home. There was usually a lag of a few days between the end of the Games and the presentation of the Victor so they could put the starving, injured, mess of a person back together again, but Juniper wanted to forget all about her post-Games interview with Caesar Flickerman. She didn't want to attend banquets. She didn't want to be put on display. She just wanted to go home. Juniper wanted to go home to her father. 

Her father. 

How was he taking it? Was he drowning himself in tears, drinking out of a bottle? Or was he at the Milking Station, desperate to get the Hunger Games out of his head? Whatever it was, Orion Hale had lost a son. He had lost Justice. And he was forced to watch his daughter become insane, to kill eight children because her sorrow and rage got the better of her. Whatever was happening with Orion Hale, Juniper just wanted to be held by her father. She wanted to forget about the Seventy-Second Hunger Games. 

"There's no telling..." Juniper heard the doctor say. "The drugs we gave her should calm her down. You're going to need to talk to Mr. Crane about that." 

The Hale girl looked up to study the woman. Her features were sharp and bony, glasses sitting atop the bridge of her nose. She had black hair that was done tight in a bun that settled at the nape of her neck. And the woman gave off the impression of someone who followed the rules, who held power. But she was just a mere doctor in some Capitol facility and so, Juniper soon turned away, but remained listening in on the conversation. 

"Well, can you send Seneca here?" Lucy snapped. The Hale girl had never heard the older Victor raise her voice before. "I don't fancy leaving Juniper by herself... not when that happened." 

"Surely Mr. Higgins could stay with her whilst you meet with Mr. Crane," the doctor offered with a weak smile. Her lab coat swished around her knees as she held a clipboard. "The Head Gamemaker has a lot on his plate." 

"Oh, I'm sure he does." Lucy scoffed. "But we're talking about the stability of the newest Victor. Surely, that has some importance." 

The dark-haired doctor faltered slightly, but nodded as she said, "Of course, Miss Stevens, I apologise. I'll get a nurse to send for Mr. Crane." 

"Thank you..." 

The doctor left quickly, heading down towards Juniper as her heels clacked. And as she walked past the girl, she offered her a smile. But the newest Victor didn't reciprocate it. Instead, she let more tears roll down her cheeks as Lucy began to walk up and down the hall slightly, hands on hips as she sighed. 

The woman looked tired, exhausted even. Dark, violet patches resided underneath her eyes as she paced up and down. And she looked skinny. Her clothes hung on her rather than hug and her fingertips were shaking. Lucy didn't look like that last time Juniper saw her. The woman, now, was stressed, exhausted, and anxious as she ran a hand through her hair.

"What did I miss?" 

Both of the Victors' snapped their heads to the side to see Brent Higgins swaying towards them. He had a flask in his hand and was sipping on it as he looked at Juniper and Lucy. But whenever his eyes settled on the girl, he nearly flinched. Whatever happened in that room when Juniper first woke up, it also had Brent scared as well. 

"They're getting Seneca down here." Lucy grumbled as she stomped towards the man, snatching the flask from him. She put in her coat pocket and Brent pouted. 

"Why?" 

"You know why!" Lucy snapped. 

Brent rolled his eyes and raised his hands defensively as he slumped down into a seat next to Juniper. He, too, glanced at her occasionally and was toying with his hands, licking his lips to gain whatever residue of alcohol was on them. He stunk of liquor and tobacco and Juniper would have gagged if she wasn't numb from the drugs.

But it wasn't like she wanted to feel. She didn't want to feel the pain or sorrow. She didn't want to feel the rage, the anger. She just wanted to go home. That was all that Juniper Hale wanted to do. She didn't want to be dressed up in some dress that Yara would have designed. She didn't want to do her Victory Tour in a few months, having to visit each district and say some monologue for the fallen tributes. How come they all died and Juniper was the only survivor. Twenty-Three dead. One alive. 

"Ah, Lucy!"

Everyone snapped their heads to see a man spread open his arms as he walked down the hall. He was followed by a cohort of Peacekeepers', who all held their weapons tightly as they marched behind him. Juniper studied the shaved pattern of his facial hair that looked like waves and his blue eyes and quickly remembered that it was Seneca Crane, the Head Gamemaker. 

"Seneca." Lucy began to head over to the man.

But as she did, Juniper realised there were two other people standing beside the Gamemaker. There was a middle-aged man who looked completely dishevelled. He had grey eyes with dark, curly hair and he, too, reeked of liquor just like Brent. But the other man had to be in his early-twenties as he was tall and chiselled with tanned skin, bronze hair, and stunning sea green eyes. He was someone who had a natural beauty and who women must have went crazy over. Both of them looked familiar, but Juniper was too loopy, too numb from the drugs that she couldn't even begin to rack her brain on who they were.

"How's the newest Victor doing, aye?" Seneca laughed as he nodded his head at Juniper. The dark-haired doctor appeared from where she had disappeared and stood beside Lucy. 

"Not good, obviously," Lucy told him with narrowed eyes. She sent a mere smile to the two men beside the Gamemaker. "That's what I need to talk to you about." 

"Of course, anything." Seneca smiled, eyes glimmering with joy. 

"You need to cancel the post-Games interview and the Victory Tour." 

The smile dancing on Seneca's lips and the glimmer in his eyes faltered slightly as he processed what Lucy asked of him. He looked from Lucy, to the two men, to Brent, and then finally at Juniper. Confusion settled in on his face as he let out a coughed laugh. 

"Cancel?" Seneca asked, shoving his hands into the pocket of his robes. "Um — why do you say that, Lucy?" 

"Why do I say that?" Lucy scoffed. The two men that stood beside Seneca looked at each other, wincing. "I'm sorry, did we watch the same Games?" 

"Trust me, Lucy, I watched the Games." Seneca chuckled. "I controlled the arena, for crying out loud. But we don't need to cancel the interview and Victory Tour." 

Rage and anger settled into Lucy's expression as she snapped, "And why not?" 

"Because the people need this!" Seneca said, spreading out his arms again. His smile and the glimmer in his eyes returned. "They need to see Juniper Hale on that stage and on that tour, especially after what happened in the arena. It'll be a massive hit!" 

"I know it's your first year, but come on, Seneca!" Lucy began to raise her voice as she gestured to Juniper, who still sat in the chair. "Look at her! She can't go out. She won't go out." 

"She looks fine." Seneca scoffed. 

"Seneca... you can't expect her to go out on that stage or on the tour," the man with the bronze hair and sea green eyes mumbled. Juniper looked up to stare at him. "What she's been through... it's unfair to ask that of her." 

"Exactly!" Lucy clicked her fingers at the man who just spoke. "Exactly! Listen, Seneca... she lost her brother... her twin. Just let Juniper go home, let her go back to her father. The people don't need a post-Games interview or a Victory Tour. They'll see her next year when she's made to mentor, which I am sure you and Snow are going to make her." 

"But—" 

"Lucy is right," the other man grumbled, the one with the grey eyes and curly hair. "She doesn't seem... stable." 

"I can confirm she isn't," the doctor with the dark-hair and glasses spoke up. "After what happened in the arena and what happened when she woke up, she's not mentally fit to go on that stage." 

"And who are you?" Seneca questioned. 

"I'm the Head of this facility, Mr. Crane," the doctor told him. "I look after the Victors' when they arrive from the arena." 

"And, what? Heal them?" 

"I am not that kind of doctor, Mr. Crane." 

Seneca looked at the group of people that huddled around him then at Juniper before dragging his palms down his face, sighing. It was his first year as Head Gamemaker and he would have wanted the post-Games interview and Victory Tour to be a hit just like the actual Games were. And he knew Snow wouldn't take no for an answer. The president would want Juniper Hale on that stage and on that tour. But as he stared at the faces of Lucy Stevens, the doctor, and the two men beside him, he let out a groan. 

"How... crazy... is she?" Seneca asked. "Because if she's not Annie Cresta crazy, then Snow won't say yes to the cancellation." 

Lucy looked appalled as the man with the bronze hair winced, the woman saying, "The situations between Juniper Hale and Annie Cresta are completely different, Seneca." 

Juniper knew who Annie Cresta was, even if her system was full of drugs. The woman had won two years before during the Seventieth and was the only known Victor to not participate in the post-Games interview and Victory Tour. It was because she had witnessed her district partner get beheaded and suffered from a mental instability ever since, causing her to be house-ridden when she became Victor. The eighteen-year-old, at the time, only won due to an earthquake breaking a dam and being from District Four, she survived by being the best swimmer. No-one had seen her since.

"I know that." Seneca raised his hands defensively. "But Snow won't say yes. I mean — he's crazy over this girl! All he talked about was the Hale twins and when the boy died, her. He won't say yes to this, trust me." 

"But you think it's a good idea, don't you?" Lucy asked. "Because, Seneca, I'm not just saying this because she was my tribute, I'm saying it because she just can't. She won't be able to handle it, even with the drugs in her system. Once she's off them, she is going to be traumatised by this and do you really want a sobbing, depressed girl on your stage? Even Caesar wouldn't know what to do with that."

Before Seneca could open his mouth, the dark-haired doctor spoke as she said, "If you think President Snow won't say yes to this, I can change his mind." 

"And how will you do that, exactly?" The dishevelled man asked.

"President Snow thinks very highly of me, I can assure you, and he trusts my judgement," the doctor explained. "And I, quite frankly, agree with Miss Stevens that the girl shouldn't be on the stage. So, I can write her off as crazy, psychotic."

"But she's not," the man with the bronze hair said. 

"Did you see her in the Games?" The doctor questioned, fiddling with her clipboard. "It would be accepted and understood. And I had to sedate her when she woke up, President Snow would understand. He trusts me. If he didn't, he wouldn't hand his Victors' over to me." 

"But the people...?" Seneca groaned. 

"You have next year, Seneca." Lucy scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Don't get your panties in a twist because you didn't get an interview or a tour for your first year as Head Gamemaker." 

Seneca winced and nearly pouted like Brent did when Lucy took his alcohol as the dishevelled man asked, "So it's cancelled?" 

"Yes, Mr. Abernathy." The doctor nodded. "It is." 

The Head Gamemaker went to go say something else, but he let out a massive groan as he waved everyone away. He then swiftly left the hall as his Peacekeepers' marched behind him. Lucy sighed as she put her head into her hands before looking up at Juniper. She was still sitting in the chair with tears going down her cheeks. 

"The drugs should wear off soon," the doctor said. 

"Then you'll take her back to the room?" Lucy asked. 

"Yes. We'll sedate her whilst you organise a train back to Ten, Miss Stevens—" 

"Oh, no need," the older man said. "I'll sort that out. You just be with her, Lucy." 

"Thank you, Haymitch..." Lucy smiled as she put a hand on the man's shoulder. "Thank you, Finnick." 

"It's no problem," Haymitch said. He looked at Juniper and gave her a mere smile as he added, "You take care of yourself, aye, kid?"

Haymitch Abernathy.

Juniper remembered now as she stared at him. He was from District Twelve and won the Second Quarter Quell, twenty-two-years-ago. And Juniper was sure he was the only living Victor from that district and remembered him vividly sharing a bottle of liquor with Chaff from District Eleven. 

And then Finnick Odair. 

He was from Four and won the Sixty-Fifth, seven-years-ago. He was the youngest Victor, winning at fourteen, and many rumours flew around about him. Some say he had five Capitol girlfriends, others said six. Juniper never believed them considering she thought he was too young for older women in the Capitol to fawn over. And the rumours also started when he was fifteen, just after his Victory Tour, so it made it even more impossible. 

"I'll book that train for you, Lucy," Haymitch said as he smiled slightly at her. He then noticed Brent, who had fallen asleep in his chair, and raised a brow. "Just you three?" 

"Yes, please, Haymitch." Lucy sighed as she massaged her temples. "Thank you." 

"When are you taking her in?" Finnick asked the doctor, who stepped up beside the three Victors'. 

"Now, perhaps," the doctor muttered. "I need to get those drugs out of her system before she goes to the station. I'll also have an official empty it so the public doesn't get sight of her. And once President Snow clears the cancellation, someone will draft up the announcement." 

"And you're sure Snow will agree?" Lucy asked. 

"Of course he will," the doctor said. "Yes, he's found an interest within the girl and would have liked her to stay for the interview and go on the Tour, but he will. Trust me. If I say she's not stable enough to do it, he'll understand." 

"I never thought Snow would be an understanding guy." Haymitch scoffed. 

"And what do you mean interest?" Finnick questioned as he furrowed his brows. He fiddled with the end of his shirt as his fingertips twitched. 

The doctor stared at the twenty-one-year-old before simply asking, "Well, it's very rare for twins to be Reaped for the same year. It's an impossible event, but it happened so it perked President Snow's interest as well as the entire nation. You can surely understand, Mr. Odair. He was very interested when the Nicholo siblings won back-to-back Games." 

"Of course." Lucy nodded her head. "It makes sense. Can you also send a Peacekeeper in Ten to retrieve Orion Hale? He wouldn't be expecting his daughter back so soon so he'll need to be moved into the Victors' Village." 

"Of course, Miss Stevens," the doctor assured her. "Does she have any other family?" 

Lucy sighed as she stared at Juniper, who resigned to staring back at her boots, before saying, "No, not that I am aware of. I think it's just Juniper and her father now." 

"Of course." The dark-haired doctor nodded. "I'll notify a Peacekeeper. For now, I need to take Miss Hale back to the room. You three can wait outside, if you want." 

"I need to book that train," Haymitch said. "But I'll see you before you go, Lucy?" 

"Of course. Thank you, Haymitch." 

With that, both Haymitch Abernathy and Finnick Odair left the hall after sparing a glance at Juniper. Then, it was just Lucy and the doctor. Brent was still asleep in his chair, drool dribbling out of his mouth. The man looked more dishevelled than Haymitch Abernathy did.

"I'll take her now if that's all right with you, Miss Stevens?" 

"Of course. Thank you, Dr....?" Lucy sighed as she raised a brow. She didn't know the woman's name. 

"Clampitt. Dr. Clampitt."