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KILL FOR YOUR LOVE.

act three.

(chapter sixty-four, the sixty-seventh hunger games)

the justice building, 67 ADD.

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THE SOUND OF DEAFENING wind echoed around the makeshift house. The thunderous clouds rolled over the district. The pouring rain heaved down on anything it could. Lighting struck the sky painfully. 

"Do we have to go out in this?" Justice Hale asked quietly, submerged underneath the thin blanket of his bed. 

"I think so..." Juniper Hale, the oldest out of the twins, whispered back. 

The two twelve-year-olds stared outside of the boarded windows with fear set into their eyes. They could see the pouring rain coming down in sheets, mixing with the mud that infected the district. It looked horrendous and both of the twins became terrified. If they went out in that weather, they would be soaked right to the bone.

But they knew they couldn't avoid it. The Reaping was mandatory. You could only miss out on it if you were knocking on death's door. But the twins weren't. They were perfectly capable of going to the Justice Building and wait for two names to be called out. They wouldn't even cancel it because of the storm. 

At twelve-years-old, it would be Justice and Juniper's first Reaping. The first out of many until they turned nineteen. And the first one was always the worst. Twelve-year-olds seemed to have the worst luck out of any age group within District Ten. Last year, for the Sixty-Sixth, a twelve-year-old was picked and died straight away. And then the year before that as well. They were never lucky. 

The door to the bedroom creaked open and both of the twins lifted their heads up to see Orion Hale standing in the frame and with one study from Juniper, she noticed that his hands were fidgety. Tremors seemed to ripple through his body as he couldn't stop shaking. Fear had settled into his eyes. Sending their kids off to the Reaping wasn't something any parent looked forward to. 

"You're going to have to get ready soon..." Orion, their father, said sorrowfully. He seemed to dread what was about to happen. 

"You're not serious, are you?" Justice scoffed. "We really have to go out in that weather?" 

"I'm afraid so, Just." Orion nodded his head. He hadn't stopped twitching. "It'll only be for a bit then we can come back." 

Justice let out a groan as Juniper, slowly, swung her legs over onto the floor. She didn't want to go to the Reaping. She didn't want to go out into that weather. But she had to. Every child in District Ten had to. There was no point in complaining about it. 

"Go on, get out, Just," Juniper said. "I need to get dressed." 

Her younger brother narrowed his eyes slightly before obeying, exiting the room with his father and closing the door. Juniper let out a sigh as she pinched the bridge of her nose. The Reaping was today. Her first Reaping. What if she was chosen? Or worse, what if Justice was chosen?

Trying hard to not worry about something that hadn't happened yet, the Hale girl made her way over to a small box in the corner of the room that held all of their clothes. They were too poor to own a simple wardrobe and it wasn't like they could get one anyway and so, it took Juniper some time to dig out the Reaping attire her father had got last week from a shipment that came from Eight. It was a simple blue cardigan with a white blouse and a black skirt.

Juniper got rid of the scrappy clothing she was already wearing and shrugged into the Reaping attire. It wasn't flattering and nor was it comfortable. The black skirt hung on her hips rather than hugged. The cardigan was too big with the white blouse too tight. It itched and tugged despite the girl trying to adjust it. And as she did, she caught a glance of herself in the mirror. 

She was only twelve, but even for that age, she was too small, too skinny. Red patches were beginning to pop up on her skin as she grew into adolescence with deep, violet bags residing underneath her eyes. She was only twelve, but she was already a mess. If she were to be chosen, if, the Capitol would take pleasure in harassing her for it. 

But she was only twelve. 

"June, come on!" 

Juniper clenched her jaw at the sound of her brother calling out from behind the door and so, she hurriedly tied her hair up and exited the room. The two boys were sitting by the makeshift table, Orion having his head in his hands whilst Justice stared up at a leak in the roof. 

"I'm finished," Juniper grumbled as she sat down next to Justice, who got up with a groan. 

When the youngest Hale disappeared behind the door, Juniper couldn't help but stare at her father. The man hadn't been getting any sleep and he looked as exhausted as she did. He was also still fidgety with his fingertips shaking. His eyes seemed to always glance at the door. 

"Are you all right, Pa?" Juniper asked as she shuffled around in her chair. The blouse was extremely itchy. 

"Hm?" Orion asked as he snapped his head up. Tears seemed to be glossed over his eyes. "What did you say?"

"I said are you all right?" Juniper winced, but when her father sighed, she quickly grabbed ahold of his hand and tried to give him a smile. "Our names are only in there once... it can't be us."

Her father clenched his jaw and squinted his eyes to look at the leak from the roof before saying, "Of course... only once... it can't be you or Just." 

Whatever it was in his voice, it made twelve-year-old Juniper Hale shudder as she continued grasping his hand, only letting go once Justice exited the bedroom. He was wearing a simple white shirt with black slacks, dark hair slicked back as neatly as he could. He did not seem happy as he kept glancing towards the boarded window. 

"Let's just get this over and done with, hey?" Justice murmured as he tried to smile. 

Juniper reciprocated it as she went over to his side, their father going over to the door. And with a slight sigh, he opened it to reveal the rain gushing down as the mud seemed to wash down the slight hill. There were kids and parents walking through it and every single one of them were soaked right to their core. Both Juniper and Justice gulped.

"Just try and get there as fast as you can, okay?" Orion had to yell over the rain, holding onto the door tightly in fear the wind would rip it off its hinges. 

And so, with a groan and grasping onto each other's hands, the Hale twins stepped out of their house, allowing the rain to soak them. But the minute they exited it, they nearly fell over from the pressure of the wind. And the moment they stepped out, Juniper shuddered at the feeling of her becoming soaking wet, the rain seeping into her clothes. The coldness of the storm rippled across her flesh. The rain pounded and thrashed against her skin, harshly hissing against her. 

The twins only started to speed-walk when their father clamped two strong hands on their shoulders, ushering them to move. And whilst they tried to walk as quick as possible, the water mixed with the mud made it nearly impossible. Juniper watched as some kids fell face-first into it, but she tried to ignore them as she saw a cohort of Peacekeepers' charging through the soaked crowd, guns raised as they began to herd them towards the Justice Building. 

With their heads down as the storm harassed them, thunder bellowing up in the sky as lightning illuminated all of them, the Hale family tried to hurry as fast as they could. They managed to pass the housing section where they lived and to the Breeders, which was a massive shed that was surrounded by fences that enclosed the 'green' paddock. The cows and calves were safe and dry in their stables and it caused their moos to become louder as if they were teasing all of the shivering and wet people that passed them. They would be sent to the Barn of Death in a few years, making Juniper smirk. 

But it dropped the moment they passed the Breeders, climbing through the houses because a whistle echoed around. It caused chills to run up and down Juniper's spine and they weren't because of the storm they were all stuck in. She could feel herself becoming faint and she had to clutch onto her father's hand, which held her shoulder, to stop herself from falling from fear. The whistle announced that the Reaping was to begin.

They all hurried towards the Justice Building and Juniper immediately felt more sick as she caught sight of the camera crews perched on the rooftops, decked in plastic to stop the rain from ruining their cameras. She then glanced at the soaked decorations on the Building.

"June... Just..." Orion shouted over the rain. Water droplets from his hair were making their way into his eyes. "I'll be by the boundaries, okay? Now, they're going to prick your finger, but it's only a little. It won't hurt much, okay?"

"Okay." The twins nodded in unison. Their teeth were chattering from the storm and cold. 

"Listen... I love you both," Orion whispered. "Whatever anyone says... whatever happens... I love you both." 

With that, the man swiftly left as he hurried over to a group of men that worked at the Milking Station, who all patted each other on the backs and huddled together as if that would stop the rain. They all had kids in the Reaping. 

"This is a real shitty first Reaping..." Justice grumbled as he quickly embraced Juniper. He was shaking underneath her fingertips and was covered in rain with his trousers all muddy. 

"I think every Reaping is going to be shitty, Just." 

The Hale twins had no idea what to do. It was their first Reaping. No-one told them what to do and so, they just looked at each other with fear in their eyes, following a group of twelve-year-olds they knew. They were all lined up and so, the twins followed. 

But severe anxiety began to fill Juniper up as she craned her neck to see a Peacekeeper sitting at a desk, taking a girl's finger and pricking it with some type of needle. She watched as they smeared the blood on the paper before scanning it with a device. Her father said it won't hurt much. He said it was only a little. But Juniper's vision was becoming blurry from the rain and she couldn't see properly, causing her heart rate to rocket.

Trying to blink away the water droplets as the line became shorter, her spot moving further up with Justice behind her, Juniper began to focus on something else rather than the needle. She looked onto the stage, which was flooded with water, and began to study it. It was heavily guarded by Peacekeepers' with three chairs and two glass bowls, which had covers on them to stop the rain from pouring in, that was filled to the brim with paper slips. Juniper chewed her gums as she stared at them. Her name was only in there once. Justice's name were only in there once. 

"Next." 

Juniper felt herself swallow a lump in her throat before hurrying forwards, wincing slightly as she closed her eyes. She allowed the Peacekeeper to grasp her index finger, pricking it harshly, causing the girl to jump, as they smeared it down onto a piece of paper. When Juniper heard the beep of the device and the Peacekeeper telling her to move on, she swiftly left as she held her finger. She could feel puke rising.

But she tried to keep it down as she walked through the entrance, finding a herd of twelve-year-old girls at the back row. Juniper knew the older children were at the very first row with the youngest in the back and since she was part of the latter, she squished into the crowd of girls. 

People were still being signed in and Juniper could barely see Justice and her father with the storm. She could feel herself beginning to pant, but she tried to calm herself as she stared back up at the three chairs on the stage, raising her hand above her eyes to stop the water droplets falling into them. One chair would be for the mayor, another for the escort, and then the final seat would be for the only living Victor of Ten. Lucy Stevens. 

Lucy Stevens was a strange person, but a soft soul. She was naturally beautiful with her flowing red hair and her gentle freckles. She had won six-years-ago and yet still hadn't turned to alcohol or morphling to help her pain. She was distant, as if she was in another world, but sane. However, no-one saw the twenty-two-year-old as she resorted to hiding in Victors' Village after winning the Sixty-First and her mentor died. People only ever saw her when she was dragged out to train tributes. 

"Is that her?" 

Juniper looked to her right to see a group of soaked girls hissing at each other, pointing at someone on the stage. Glancing at it, the oldest Hale twin nearly scoffed at the sight of the escort, Nadine Groves. She was perhaps the most tallest woman Juniper had ever laid her eyes on and yet she was utterly gorgeous despite the plastic surgery that filled her face.

She wore a pink suit jacket with a scarf wrapped around her neck, a skirt of the similar shade hugging her hips with the tallest pair of heels strapped onto her feet. She held an umbrella and was completely dry of any rain, her blonde wig that had tousled curls safe. She was gorgeous. 

And then there was the mayor. He was a short, skinny man who had no body hair whatsoever, something Justice always teased about. And he didn't hold an umbrella. He was soaked the minute he left the Justice Building. 

But he did not sit down like Nadine Groves did. Instead, he walked to the microphone with nearly every child groaning. It may have been Juniper's first Reaping, but she had watched enough of them to know that the mayor always opened with the Treaty of Treason and the reason for the creation of the Hunger Games. Juniper clenched her jaw as she ducked her head down. The rain was thundering down more roughly and barely anyone could hear him. 

He described the origin of the Hunger Games and its existence despite this. He explained how thirteen districts rebelled against the Capitol and how they managed to regain them, completely destroying District Thirteen. And due to the death the Capitol underwent during the Dark Ages, as punishment, they invented the Hunger Games where one boy and one girl from each district from the ages of twelve-to-eighteen were to be chosen to fight until there was one remaining. But everyone knew it. They were taught it the minute they were born. 

When the man finished, he then began to read a list of all the surviving Victors' from Ten. But it wasn't a list. It was only a single name and Lucy Stevens, at twenty-two, stepped out of the Justice Building and got immediately soaked, nearly being swept over from the wind. She was shivering as she sat down beside the escort, who swiftly got up, fiddling with her umbrella. 

The mayor introduced her, even though everyone knew who she was, what she was about to do, and sat down in his seat. Nadine Groves took his place at the microphone as a fake, exuberant smile danced upon her painted lips. 

"Well, hello!" Nadine laughed as she stared at all of the soaking children. It was surprising she could even see through the sheets of rain that poured down. "Look at you all, you're all soaked! This storm isn't doing any of you good... anywho, it is an absolute pleasure to represent the Capitol in District Ten! As always, ladies first." 

Juniper could feel herself become sick from both the rain and the sound of Nadine's heels clicking towards the first glass bowl. She swore she could feel her organs stopping as the cover on the ball came off so Nadine could pick a slip. 

Her name was only in there once. It was her first year. It couldn't be her. But there was always a chance. Twelve-year-olds were always unlucky in Ten. There was always a risk. Always a chance. And Orion Hale seemed sure there was a chance with the way he spoke back at the house. 

"The female tribute to represent District Ten in the Sixty-Seventh Annual Hunger Games is..." Nadine began to say as she went back to the microphone. Juniper was sure she was going to faint. "Meeka Compton." 

Juniper and all the other girls around her let out a huge sigh of relief. No-one had heard of Meeka Compton. No-one could even match a face to it. And so, no-one shed a tear as a seventeen-year-old began to move out of her row. Juniper survived. She survived her first Reaping. Her name wasn't called. She was safe. Her organs were beginning to work again. 

"Miss Meeka Compton!" Nadine giggled as the girl nearly slipped on the flooded stage. It was only when the escort grasped her that she stood properly. She was shaking. "Well, you're soaked! How old are you, dear?" 

"Seventeen," Meeka responded, but no-one could hear her over the rain. It looked as if she was crying, but it could also just be the rain droplets.

"Lovely!" Nadine said. "Now, for the boys." 

But then Juniper's internal organs started to shut down again. If she wasn't picked, then there was a chance Justice wasn't picked. But there was always a chance. Always a risk. And what would she do if Justice was called out by Nadine? No-one would volunteer for him, even if he was just twelve. And he would surely die. No. No, he had a possibility. He could run fast, that was something Juniper knew— 

"Robert Gunn!"

And then her internal organs started working again. Her heart was pumping. Blood was circulating around her body. Justice was not chosen. He had survived his first Reaping. He was not chosen. His name was not called. The Hale twins lived to see another day.

"Hello, hello!" Nadine grinned as she grasped onto Robert Gunn, a boy who couldn't be older than fourteen. He looked terrified as he shivered underneath the escort's touch. "Mr. Gunn, how old are you?"

"F-Fourteen..." 

With that, everyone stared at the two tributes for the Sixty-Seventh with pity, but selfish relief. Nadine said a few more words, the rain dying down slightly, and then she closed the Reaping. Everyone was free to go as Robert Gunn and Meeka Compton were led into the Justice Building. 

With the rain disappearing slightly, Juniper had a clear enough vision to see her father waiting near the entrance. His shakes were gone and he had a wide smile on his face that he tried to contain. Juniper watched as her brother sped over to him, her walking towards them. And the minute she reached them, Orion Hale wrapped both of his arms around his children and embraced them.

"You're okay... oh, you're okay," Orion whispered as he held them tight. He was no longer trembling. "You're both okay." 

"Like I said, only once." Juniper nodded. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw two families sobbing near the boundaries. Meeka Compton's and Robert Gunn's relatives. 

"Did you actually think we were going to get picked?" Justice couldn't help but laugh. "It's only our first year." 

"I know... I know..." Orion sighed. "I love you both... like I said... no matter what anyone says... no matter what happens. I love you both. Never forget that." 

As the three Hale members embraced each other tightly within the rain, Juniper felt herself smile against her father's chest. Whatever anyone said, whatever happened in their lives, they always had each other. Even in their darkest moments, even in the most horrible times, they had each other. 

They would always have each other.

⇢ ˗ˏˋ matz 🎧 !

— these flashbacks are very important. as clampitt said in the last chapter, her task was to break juniper and these flashbacks represent that. the people in them go up by order of importance to juniper. 

the first one was brent, which symbolises that she wasn't broken then bc she didn't give a toss about him. but then this, the very last one, has orion and justice. they are the most closest to her and the people she cherishes the most. her having flashbacks about them symbolises that clampitt has truly gotten to her and she is broken

the order of flashbacks went brent, gloss, blight, beetee, haymitch, raymond carmine, cashmere, lucy, finnick & annie, and then orion & justice. you can see they go up in order of importance to juniper.