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KILL FOR YOUR LOVE.

act three.

(chapter fifty-one, who's plutarch heavensbee?)

the cells / the lab, 75 ADD.

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JUNIPER HALE CLENCHED HER jaw as she stared up at the ceiling, back leaning against the wall of the small cell. She had waved Johanna's comment off as a mock, a tease and was sure that nothing severe would happen to her. Why would it? The Capitol had let her stay four weeks in the white room of hell with a comfy bed and a medium-sized room whilst Johanna Mason and Peeta Mellark rotted away in the cages down the hall. Clampitt had given her decent meals and stated they didn't want to kill her, so why would the Capitol hurt Juniper? 

If they wanted information about the rebels, punishing and torturing her was not a smart way to do it. Sure, they could beat her into being submissive, but had they seen Juniper Hale? She was not an obedient, submissive woman. She had been punished before, hit before, beaten up before and that had never diminished the fire that she held. So, no, she didn't take Johanna Mason seriously.

But then she began to stare at her and Peeta Mellark. She studied how the former's flesh was covered in bruises and oozing scabs, a tinge of yellow to her skin with her paper robe aged. Tremors ran through her skeletal frame, fingertips shaking whilst her legs and arms spasmed slightly. And every now and then, the woman would let out a hacking cough that rattled her ribcage. She was sick, exhausted, beaten, and hungry. 

Then Juniper looked at Peeta. He was mumbling mutt to himself as tremors rippled through his entire being. She could see nearly all his bones from how skinny he was with bags carved underneath his eyes. His hair, whilst not bald like Johanna, was cut nearly to the skin. He looked insane and worn out with bruises painting his skin. Juniper was sure he was dipping into insanity. 

And as she stared at Johanna Mason and Peeta Mellark, the Hale woman realised that maybe something could happen to her. 

She was the only one within the four cells that didn't have bruises covering every inch of her skin. She hadn't got her hair cut. She was starving, but you couldn't see her bones. She still had a few layers of fat on her. And tremors weren't making their way through her joints and muscles. Despite the fear and utter hopelessness, she looked much healthier than the others did. But if Clampitt thrusted her into the small cell that stunk, Juniper feared that would change. The doctor wouldn't put her there without a reason.

Juniper felt herself blanch and nearly throw up as she tried to shake the thoughts out of her head, turning to look at Annie. The woman had stopped crying to herself and had fallen into a restless sleep, curled up in a ball as she winced and shook at random times. She shouldn't be here. She should have been with Finnick. 

Finnick.

The poor man must have been devastated. If it was just them four and Enobaria, then it would be just Katniss, Beetee, and Finnick with the rebels. Juniper had no idea how the Everdeen girl would react about the situation. Was she destroyed over the absence of Peeta? Or had she gotten over it quickly and became the face of the rebellion? Juniper had always thought that the romance wasn't true and she didn't expect it to be anything more than a tactic to survive. And then Beetee would not be fazed. He would be helping the rebels with technology and such. But Finnick. 

He would have no-one wherever he was. Mags was dead. Juniper and Johanna were in the Capitol. Annie was gone. He would have no-one that was his family, no-one he could trust. He always had Lucy Stevens, but the woman would be too focused on the rebellion. And then Haymitch, but he was probably drinking away in some deep hole. Finnick had no-one and even Juniper had no-one. 

She hated Johanna Mason and being in her presence wasn't something she enjoyed. Her rage was only numbed by her fear, exhaustion, and hunger. And then Peeta Mellark was... he didn't look like him anymore. His lips didn't twist into that lopsided grin. Juniper could look at him straight in the eyes without seeing her dead brother. But then she would be reminded of what Peeta Mellark had done for her and she would have to quickly look away. 

(Juniper looked over properly at Peeta for the first time and studied him. His blue eyes were swimming with comfort and something else Juniper couldn't place her finger on, but in that moment, as she felt the cool water lap at her ankles, making her shiver as she felt the trapped whimper ache her heart, she felt oddly... at peace with Peeta Mellark)

And then Annie was unstable. She wasn't mad, like some suggested, she was just unstable. And without Finnick to help her, it would be worse. Juniper kept eyeing her sleeping state and begged, silently, for the Capitol to not hurt her. Annie Cresta was too much of a kind-hearted and forgiving woman for anything to happen to her. 

But suddenly, the heads of all four Victors' snapped up as the metal door flew open and two Peacekeepers' appeared with no Clampitt. And as the pair of soldiers walked in menacingly with one holding a golden, shiny key, Johanna shook her head and began to chuckle. Peeta was rocking himself again. Annie woke up and started to whimper.

"Don't say I didn't warn you, Hale," Johanna told her.

Juniper went to spit an insult at the woman when suddenly, one of the Peacekeepers' stood forward and shoved the key into the padlock, undoing it. Then, with a tight grasp, they leaned towards her and grabbed ahold of her bicep, flinging her up and out of the cell. The door slammed behind her as the two Peacekeepers' held harshly onto her arms, gloved hands holding on so brutally that Juniper was sure bruises would appear on her skin.

As the two soldiers began to drag her out of the area, heading towards the metal doors, Juniper looked over her shoulder, heart thudding, to see Johanna avoiding her eyes, tears streaming down Annie's cheeks, and Peeta staring right at her as he mumbled mutt over and over. 

What were they doing here? 

The metal doors were opened by the two Peacekeepers' that were kept on guard and the soldiers holding Juniper dragged her back into the large room. It was still filled with metal, silver tables, shelves, and stands. Vials and tools laid on them with V-shaped structures littering around. Generators were humming and the lights were extremely bright as the Peacekeepers' walked Juniper into it. Doctors were working at their stations and some stared at the Victor as she was pushed along by the soldiers. The Hale woman had a terrible feeling about the place. 

"Ah, Miss Hale." 

The Peacekeepers' brought her over to a section of the lab that was clear of any tables, shelves, or stands and Dr. Clampitt was standing there with a clipboard in her hand. The bruising on her neck seemed to go down slightly, but was still visible. Her dark-hair was loose in waves with her glasses perched on the tip of her nose. Her eyes were narrowed as she looked at Juniper, who was let go with the Peacekeepers' standing behind her. 

"How do you like your new room?" Clampitt murmured with a slight smile, looking up from the clipboard to stare at the Victor. "Are your roommates treating you well?" 

"Why is Annie Cresta here?" Juniper snapped without a single thought. "She shouldn't be here, she's not involved in this." 

"Oh, we know." Clampitt nodded. "But she'll be very useful for future purposes." 

Juniper felt her fingertips twitch. 

"Right..." Clampitt murmured. "Stand still while I assess you." 

Juniper narrowed her eyes as the doctor began to circle around her, studying with a deep intensity. She was scribbling away with a pen and the sound made the Hale woman uncomfortable as she began to look around the large lab. Technicians were working away at stations, some staring at vials whilst others were glancing at computer screens. It had Juniper's interest, even more so when she saw a bucket that was half filled with water a bit away from where she stood, a drain directly underneath her feet. Further down the lab, there was a chair that had straps on the armrests. 

"You're in the early stages of starvation and dehydration," Clampitt said to her as she began to walk back to where she had stood previously. "That might be a problem, but not one for me to fix... now, Miss Hale, I am going to ask you this only once and I want you to answer my question." 

"And if I don't?" Juniper scoffed. 

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, but I do suggest you answer." Clampitt cleared her throat with a wince as she readjusted her position. She looked Juniper right in the eyes. "What do you know about the rebellion, Miss Hale? What did Plutarch Heavensbee tell you?" 

The Hale woman clenched her jaw. Previously, if Clampitt asked her about the rebellion in any form, she would have a hint of comfort and warmness in her voice. She would assure Juniper there would be no consequences, that she was safe. But now, as she asked, a type of vileness and danger filled her tone.

"Who's Plutarch Heavensbee?" Juniper lied innocently. She wasn't going to say anything about the rebellion. She had made a promise.

But those three words seemed to cause a flicker of anger across Clampitt's face as the woman stepped forwards slowly to Juniper, heels clicking. The Victor could feel her warm breath fanning onto her cheek and suddenly, within a split second, Clampitt raised her hand and struck Juniper across the face. But whilst the woman's flesh stung and was surely turning red, she merely winced as she looked back at the doctor. 

"Do you really think a slap could hurt me?" Juniper nearly laughed. She had been struck across the face multiple times before, some making her see stars, but Clampitt's was simply a prick.

"No, I didn't." Clampitt began to walk backwards, eyeing the two soldiers behind the woman. "But this will." 

The doctor nodded at the Peacekeepers' as she waltzed away, joining some technicians at another station. And as she did, Juniper raised a brow, but then suddenly, there was a terrible pain in her left temple as she dropped to the floor. Her vision was blurring in and out of focus and it caused an increasingly agonising headache within her mind. Had someone hit her? 

Juniper wouldn't know because as she tried to get up, panting slightly, someone drew their boot right into her ribcage harshly. And as a crack echoed around the lab, it was followed by the grunts of Juniper and the Peacekeepers' as batons hit the woman on the head several times, feet launching themselves hard into her side, fists pounding wherever they could reach. Incredible pain soared through Juniper as she felt the Peacekeepers' harass every part of her. Head. Legs. Arms. Torso. Whether it was poles, or their hands, or their boots, they didn't care as they smashed it into Juniper. And with her vision blurry, head spinning from whatever had hit her in the temple, all she could see was the vague splotches of blood that were splattered onto the floor. 

Torturous agony filled Juniper as she felt herself be kicked and punched on the tiled floor. But whilst the woman had been beaten up before, something was different this time. She couldn't seem to stand up. She couldn't seem to fight back. Instead, she just laid there, curled up into a ball as she heard things crack and pop. Her vision was still murky as a guttural whimper began to build up in her throat. And Juniper suddenly realised why Johanna Mason and Peeta Mellark looked why they did, why their frames were skeletal, why bruises painted their skin, why they looked on the verge of death. 

It went on for hours, Juniper was sure, and it only stopped when Clampitt stepped in and ceased the relentless attacks. And as the Hale woman laid on the floor, she had enough energy to let out a hacking cough and blood splattered out. Wiping her tongue, she found she had bit it so hard that the crimson liquid was seeping in her mouth, coating her teeth and lips. 

"Take her back to the cell..." Clampitt ordered the two Peacekeepers'. 

Everything was on fire. Every joint, limb, muscle, and bone was alight as searing pains shot through her entire being. Juniper tried to pant for a breath as she felt the Peacekeepers' lift her up, but she found it incredibly hard as a strong pain jolted through her chest. The Hale woman was choking on the lack of oxygen and the blood that coated her mouth. 

Juniper felt her head loll back as she tried to groan, allowing the soldiers to take her back to the metal door. She barely saw the device on the wall flare green, beeping as the Peacekeepers' keeping guard opened it. Juniper couldn't hear Annie Cresta gasping as her ears began to ring. She barely registered that she was thrown back into the cell until she felt a wave of agony crash over her. 

"Well... they bloodied you up good." 

The Hale woman looked up as she strained to make the two Johanna's staring over her into one. The woman had a twisted smirk on her lips and nearly cackled. Peeta was rocking himself in a ball again, hissing mutt and Juniper could vaguely hear Annie crying through her ringing ears. 

"Is this what they do to you?" Juniper managed to spit out a wad of blood from her mouth and as she did, she nearly yelled out at the pain in her chest and ribs. "Beat you up?" 

Johanna went quiet as she lowered herself back down onto the floor with a grunt before scoffing, saying, "Not quite." 

The Hale woman laid on the floor as she let the pain wash over her. Her head seemed to be bleeding as she felt something coat her hair, thudding rapidly. Her chest was in agony and Juniper found it hard to breathe. She couldn't see. She could barely hear. Her legs and arms were aching and she was sure bruises were already starting to pop up a sick pink and red colour. 

"Mutt, mutt, mutt," but the one thing Juniper's ears settled on was Peeta's hissing and she realised his voice wasn't soft, warm, and soothing like she remembered it to be. It was rough, hoarse, and filled with pain.

"They'll probably take you in the evenings." 

"What?" Juniper grunted as she tried to get past the blurriness of her vision. She could slightly make out the bars of the cell. 

"They'll take you in the evenings," Johanna repeated. "They take baker's boy in the afternoon, me in the morning. But they never take Annie..." 

"You sound jealous." 

"I'm not." 

Juniper closed her eyes as she tried to take little breaths without sending shots of pain to her chest. Jealousy was not riddled in Johanna's tone and the Hale woman knew that. Instead, relief of some sort was present. And then Juniper remembered that she and Finnick were close friends and therefore, she cared for Annie in some capacity. 

"Clampitt said that she'll be useful for future purposes," she managed to croak out. Annie had stopped crying and resorted to whimpers. "What does that mean? What future purposes?" 

"It could mean anything with Clampitt," Johanna stated. "It could be important... could be lies... no-one knows except her."

"Right..." 

"You don't actually believe everything she says, do you?" Johanna asked and Juniper opened her eyes. She could see just one woman from Seven now with her vision less blurry, but her head still pounding. 

"No. Of course not." Juniper scoffed. Did she? "That's stupid." 

"Well, good." Johanna huffed. "I don't want you going crazy on me as well. I can barely stand the other two." 

"I thought you didn't care what happened to me," Juniper said as she recalled their conversation in the elevator after the interviews. 

("I don't." Johanna shrugged. "I couldn't give damns shits if you die or not. I just thought I would warn you so you don't be surprised.")

"I thought we decided that I did care," Johanna stated. "Because you're a pain in my ass." 

("But if I'm a pain in your ass, wouldn't you want me dead?" Juniper mocked as she pushed herself off of the wall, taking a step forward. "Are you secretly planning to kill me in the arena?")

Juniper shook her head at the memory of their idiotic conversation in the elevator and closed her eyes once more. The pain was subsiding and she cherished the feeling as she knew, tomorrow, it would be worse. But as she closed her eyes, trying hard to not enter the land of sleep, she could see the three figures, but one's face was much more clearer than the others. 

And she recognised the face. 

Now, as she saw it clearly, she knew the face. But from where? He looked like Justice. Was it Justice? No, it couldn't be. His frame was stockier than the boy, his face longer than his. It wasn't Justice, but someone that looked like him. Juniper felt an ache in her heart as she looked at the figure more. 

Oranges. Double-knot. Switching knives. 

Feathers. Dirt. Stars. 

What did they mean? Oranges, double-knot, switching knives. Feathers, dirt, and stars. She could remember the face, but couldn't seem to put her finger on where she had seen him. Juniper let out a low groan as she tried hard to not fall asleep. She didn't want to fall asleep despite being exhausted. 

She tried to block out oranges, double-knot, switching knives, feathers, dirt, and stars out of her mind as other words began to cloud her brain. Four weeks. It had been four weeks since Juniper and the others were taken. How long was Plutarch going to be? Now that it wasn't just the Hale woman in the Capitol, would he make it a bigger deal to rescue them? There were four Victors' in the Capitol, excluding Enobaria. Juniper Hale. Annie Cresta. Johanna Mason. Peeta Mellark. Surely, Plutarch Heavensbee would put all his efforts into getting them out. 

But four weeks. How long would it be? Were the rebels not that powerful enough yet? Where were they even located? Juniper felt her mind ache from the thoughts, but remembered what Plutarch had told her. 

("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.")

Had Plutarch planned for some Victors' to be caught by the Capitol when the arena blew up? He gave everyone varying degrees of information. Juniper wouldn't know what he told Johanna, Beetee, or any of the others and they wouldn't know what he told her. It was only luck that Juniper managed to figure out the actual plan in the arena. But four weeks. If Plutarch had planned it, expected it, wouldn't he have had a plan in place to get them out? 

Juniper didn't know and threw those thoughts out of her mind as she tried to focus on her breathing without causing pain in her chest, the sounds of Annie whimpering, Johanna grumbling under her breath, and Peeta muttering mutt echoing in the background. 

⇢ ˗ˏˋ matz 🎧 !

— june getting her shit beaten aint her main punishment 💗💗