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KILL FOR YOUR LOVE.

act three.

(chapter eighty-one, what makes this fragile world go 'round?)

command / the collective / the presidential mansion, 75 ADD.

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TWO BURLY SOLDIERS FLANKED either side of Juniper Hale's and Johanna Mason's beings, escorting them towards Command. It was silent except for the thudding of their boots and a sense of seriousness flashed across their faces as the two men marched through the hallways of District Thirteen, the Victors' following slightly behind them. 

Juniper had been discharged that morning, but still remained under the watchful eye of Dr. Aurelius and the nurses. They were intent on extending her sessions with the former, who looked even more exhausted than ever before, and they had instructed Johanna Mason to care for her. But Johanna Mason had the ghosts of tears streaking down her cheeks to even begin looking out for her. 

But as they walked to Command, the woman from Seven seemed to stare at her face. She too had tears running down her cheeks and looked wildly dishevelled, hair knotted from tossing and turning throughout the night and eyes bloodshot. Johanna looked the same. 

The two weren't told why they were being marched to Command. No-one went to Command. Plutarch, Coin, and Orion Hale had barricaded themselves within the high-tech room the minute Finnick Odair's death went public. Whispers of the war turning to the tide of the rebels spread through the district like wildfire. People were getting their hopes up whilst others decided to bury themselves in their schedules to ignore the looming sensation that the rebellion brought onto them. 

But when Dr. Aurelius rushed into Juniper's hospital room, Johanna sitting in the plastic chair, something was different. The man had obviously been running due to him panting heavily, clutching his heart. Something had happened. The air was different. Something had happened in the Capitol. 

Finnick was dead. Finnick was dead. Finnick was dead.

"President Coin," one of the soldiers said as they entered Command. "They're here." 

Juniper tried to examine the computerised talking walls, the electronic maps showing troop movement, and the giant rectangular table with the control panels to ignore the mantras that waltzed around her hollow head. 

Finnick was dead. Finnick was dead. Finnick was dead. 

Annie was pregnant. Annie was pregnant. Annie was pregnant. 

"What's this?" Johanna croaked out, causing Juniper to snap back to reality.

"Ah, Miss Mason... Miss Hale..." Coin greeted. Both Victors' felt their guts recoil with anger at the sight of the middle-aged woman. 

The leader of the rebellion was not looking well. She too looked dishevelled. Not as bad as the two Victors', but the war had taken a toll on her too. There were bags underneath her eyes, looking as if they were carved by a knife, and she looked more soulless than she usually did. But there was a sense of relief within her. Juniper felt her fingers twitch. 

Off to the side, sitting at the rectangular table, was Plutarch and Orion Hale. The former looked to be jacked up on coffee as he was near bouncing in his seat, hair a mess with his eyes wide. And then the latter looked sick. Orion Hale appeared to be green, the scars down his face hideous as wrinkles sliced through his skin. His head of hair was nearly all grey. 

"It is so good to see you two..." Coin tried to say as she gestured to the table. "Please, take a seat." 

Johanna and Juniper stared at each other before hesitantly obliging. They were the only ones in Command. All the officials had left and even the guards except for the two at the door that had escorted the Victors' to the room. 

"I would like to begin by giving you two my condolences," the woman said, walking back to her seat at the head of the table. "Soldier Odair was a brilliant asset and I assume a great friend to you two... his sacrifice to the cause will be greatly appreciated—" 

"He didn't sacrifice himself," Johanna was quick to snap. Juniper winced. "He got unlucky. Katniss had to mercy-kill him, for crying out loud..." 

"Either way." Coin narrowed her eyes at the woman. "He was a magnificent strength both to us and The Mockingjay. Soldier Odair will be sorely missed." 

"Why are we here?" Juniper managed to say, her voice breaking near the end of her sentence. 

"Well... a lot has happened in the past day," Plutarch said as he readjusted himself in his seat. He was trying hard to keep himself from smiling. "We won't get too deep into it, but..." 

"But what?" Johanna pressed. 

There was a pause. 

"The war is over." 

In. In. Out. Out. 

In. In. Out. Out. 

In. In. Out. Out.

Juniper blinked once as she let the news process in her hollow head. The war was over? How could the war be over? The Hale woman had heard the nurses say that it could be weeks before the rebels captured the Capitol, even a month if conditions were that bad. But now the war was over? How was the war over? 

"What?" Juniper scoffed. Her shattered heart was laying on the floor, trying to beat, but it simply couldn't. "What do you mean the war is over?" 

"The war is over," Plutarch repeated as he laughed. "We won!" 

Both Juniper and Johanna looked over at each other, brows raised before glancing back at the three individuals that sat in-front of them. How could the war be over? How was the war over? 

"I know," Coin said, as if she had any idea what was running through the Victors's heads. "It is confusing... and it is a win, but a devastating one. The war may be over, but many lives were lost... the last few moments were... terrible." 

"What do you mean terrible?" Johanna questioned. 

Coin looked over at Plutarch, who looked over at Orion, who responded, "Show them the video... it will be better than explaining it." 

Juniper could feel her jaw clench at the sound of her father's voice when suddenly, the screens in-front of her and Johanna came to life. The image on the small televisions seemed to be showcasing the City Circle with the presidential mansion in the background, ringed by grand buildings.

The Circle was filled with refugees who were milling around, wailing,  or just sitting and letting the winter snow pile up around them. Juniper furrowed her brows as she caught sight of something that seemed to be a concrete barricade about four-feet-high and extended in a large rectangle in-front of the mansion. And it was filled with children. 

Before Juniper could even become disgusted or question why there was a pen of children, there was a commotion and the crowd of people surged to the left. Bodies crushed against bodies as shouts of, "the rebels! The rebels!" echoed around the Circle and Command. Juniper had to clench her jaw as she saw the rebel army pour into the area, driving the refugees back onto the avenues. 

Johanna had a look of confusion on her face as Juniper glanced up at her, but she returned her attention back to the screen as she noticed a hovercraft marked with the Capitol's seal materialised directly over the barricaded children. Scores of silver parachutes began to rain down on them and even with the chaos, everyone knew what silver parachutes contained. Food. Medicine. Gifts. And they eagerly scoop them up, frozen fingers struggling with the strings. Once the hovercraft vanished and five seconds passed, about twenty parachutes simultaneously exploded. 

As Juniper and Johanna both jumped, brows extending high into their foreheads, the echo of wails coming from the crowd bounced off the walls of Command. The snow was red and littered with small body parts. Some of the children died immediately whilst others laid in agony on the ground. Others staggered around mutely, staring at the remaining silver parachute in their hands and it was obvious the Peacekeepers' didn't know the attack was coming as they yanked away the barricades, making a path to the children. 

And then another flock of white uniforms swept into the opening. Medics. Rebel medics. They swarmed among the children, wielding medical kits and Juniper felt her stomach twist as she began to remember that Prim was sent to the Capitol. Was she there? Was she attending to the little children? No. She couldn't be. They might have sent her to a war-zone, but they wouldn't send her out onto the front lines. 

When the rest of the parachutes went off, burning and killing those in any proximity, Juniper closed her eyes as the screens turned off. 

"The Capitol fell the minute the parachutes went off," Coin explained as Juniper felt herself become sick. "And we've sent troops out to put down the small remaining pockets of Capitol resistance..." 

"So the war is really over?" Johanna scoffed. "Snow exploded a couple of kids and that's it?" 

"The last remaining guards of President Snow turned on him," Coin said. "He's now in custody until his trial as is his associates, who we are rounding up now... but, of course, there is still much to do." 

"So the war is over..." Juniper muttered as she stared at the black screen in-front of her. The explosions seemed to have rattled her eardrums. 

"Yes." Plutarch nodded, smirking. "We won." 

("Until one wins..." Aurelius nodded. "But really, does one ever win in war?")

"So what happens now?" Johanna scoffed. "If everything is actually finished?" 

"I will make an announcement to the entirety of Thirteen," Coin said. "Then to the other districts. And then we plan to ship you two out to the Capitol... we don't want you to miss the celebrations." 

And whilst the two women should have been celebrating that the war was over, which seemed to be impossible to them, they were not going to, especially as Juniper Hale asked, "Celebrate? Do you know how many people died because of this war?"

"People sacrificed themselves, Miss Hale," Coin said. "And because of those sacrifices, we can stand here today and say we won the war." 

"But does anyone ever really win a war?"

("Until one wins..." Aurelius nodded. "But really, does one ever win in war?")

Coin dismissed the two women in order for her to prepare for her speech to the entirety of Thirteen and as Johanna and Juniper walked out of Command, they were in a state of shock and confusion. 

"So..." Johanna mumbled. "The war is over." 

"Doesn't feel real..." Juniper swallowed a lump in her throat. "I thought I'd be more happier than... this." 

"Yeah..." Johanna nodded. "I don't really feel like celebrating, to be honest." 

Finnick was dead. Finnick was dead. Finnick was dead.

Annie was pregnant. Annie was pregnant. Annie was pregnant.

Johanna and Juniper shuffled back to their compartments and stayed there all day, ignoring the schedules they should have gotten tattooed on their forearms. They didn't want to do anything they didn't have to do. The war was over. Hadn't they done enough to the cause? 

By evening, they were forced to leave the safety of their compartments and trudge down to where the assembly was being held. The entire population, even those that were needed for essential jobs, were required to attend and so, the hallways were crowded as Johanna and Juniper shimmied their ways through the throng. Where they were attending the assembly, it was called the Collective, which was a huge room that easily held the thousands who showed up. Juniper caught sight of Coin standing at the podium that was at the front of the room, glancing over her statement. 

And as they all waited for the assembly to begin, the tension in the air had disappeared. Some people had started to figure out what the meeting was for, especially as Plutarch twitched happily in his seat. And whilst others were slapping their friends on the back, smiling joyously, the two female Victors' didn't. 

The war was over, but at what cost? Finnick was still dead. Everyone who had died in the battle were still dead. Johanna, Juniper, Annie, and Peeta had still been kidnapped by the Capitol, taken hostage. All of those murdered in the Games were still dead. Yara and Nadine had still been assassinated. Orion Hale still lied. 

("It was psychological torture... and, oh, did it work.")

(No-one prepared for her to lurch forward, rage emitting off of her in waves as she raked her nails down his face)

("You sick bastard!" Juniper screeched. Blood was gushing down Orion Hale's face as he stumbled backwards, holding his eye)

("... how did you find out about that?")

("Yes, your punishment. Miss Mason's was being electrocuted in water. Mr. Mellark's... well, you'll find out eventually. And Miss Cresta's was being away from Mr. Odair," Clampitt explained. "But yours... my task, your punishment, was to break you.")

(And Juniper could feel her heart rate skyrocket as she felt the Peacekeeper take ahold of her bicep roughly, grasping her)

("So?" Johanna laughed. "Maybe she is, maybe she isn't. No point in moping about something you can't change.")

(But the sigh of relief turned into one of confusion as she walked further into the makeshift house, seeing her father sat in a small chair next to a boarded window, peering through the cracks gently as a piece of paper was crumpled up in his grasp)

(His grip on the paper became tighter, but the girl didn't question it)

("June, no," her father told her harshly, lifting up her head and grasping her cheeks with his big hands. "Don't you dare apologise... this is Snow's fault. This is my fault.")

(But he was riddled with guilt and regret)

(He couldn't look at Juniper without wincing. Every time he looked at her, he felt nauseous. He had to look away whenever he glanced at her eyes)

("Can we agree to not lie to each other, Miss Hale? If I do not lie, you do not lie. It will make things much simpler and much more understandable.")

Their 'victory' didn't feel real, even as Coin began her speech. 

"Good evening, members of District Thirteen," she greeted, speaking into the microphone. Her face was highlighted on nearly every screen that littered the walls. "Words shall not be wasted tonight as many of you might already know... but I only have four main words to tell you all... The Capitol has fallen!" 

Thunderous screams, applause, and sobs echoed around the Collective as a war-cry began to emit from everyone's throats. Everyone except Johanna Mason and Juniper Hale, who both stood quietly amongst the cheering crowd.

"The rebels have won! The war is over! We have won!" Coin shouted. "This is a moment for the history books, a moment where all thirteen districts united to take down the Capitol. This is a day that we should all be proud of, a day that shall be remembered until the end of Panem. But whilst we emerge victorious, we must remember the fallen soldiers, our fallen soldiers. Without their sacrifice, none of us would be standing here today. And today... we live in a free Panem!" 

The war-cry was a guttural sound that echoed around the Collective, the cheers and screams of everyone making Juniper's ears ring. And whilst the civilians from Thirteen began to jump up and down, celebrating the end of the war, the women from Ten and Seven didn't.  

("Until one wins..." Aurelius nodded. "But really, does one ever win in war?")

Before the true celebrations could even begin, Juniper and Johanna were suddenly whisked away by the same burly soldiers from earlier in the day. They were taken out of the Collective and were escorted down the hallways of Thirteen. Everything was a blur as Juniper turned her hollow head off, but within a blink of an eye, she was in-front of a hovercraft with Johanna, being pushed on as rapid orders were being shouted throughout the docks. 

"Oh, look... it's them," a sickening voice drawled. Juniper looked to see Haymitch Abernathy sitting in a seat, yellow and unsmiling. "Glad you two could make it..." 

The Hale woman narrowed her eyes at the former drunk before looking around the hovercraft. Lucy Stevens sat next to the man, appearing rightly exhausted as wrinkles looked to be softly caressing her skin. Juniper was sure grey was starting to seep into her vibrant red hair. 

"Lucy, Haymitch," Johanna greeted as she sat down opposite them. "I guess you two are being carted off to the Capitol as well?" 

"Everyone is," the Victor of the Sixty-First replied. "All the Victors'... all the officials..." 

"Where's Annie?" Juniper murmured. 

Annie was pregnant. Annie was pregnant. Annie was pregnant.

"They're taking her separately," Haymitch explained. "After what happened... well... you know... and Coin, Plutarch, and your father are taking a different hovercraft later. You two are stuck with us." 

"So the war really is over..." Juniper mumbled. 

"Yeah." Lucy nodded. "The war really is over..." 

No-one else entered the hovercraft and the warning of takeoff was almost instant and so, Juniper strapped herself in a seat opposite the two older Victors', beside Johanna. The craft glided through a maze of tunnels that opened out onto a platform before an elevator machine lifted them slowly up through the levels. And soon, they were outside in a large field surrounded by the woods, taking off towards the Capitol. 

And whilst Haymitch fell asleep, Lucy staring out of the window, and Johanna up at the ceiling, Juniper looked directly in-front of her as thoughts rattled her hollow mind. 

She wondered what the Capitol would be like. Would it be war-torn? Was fighting still happening? Would they see the City Circle? Juniper tried to close her eyes as she swallowed a lump in her throat. She didn't want to go back to the Capitol, but she never had a choice when it came to the rebellion. Deep down, she never had a choice. 

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

The flight to the Capitol took a few hours and everyone slept on the way there. When they landed, they had descended down onto the snowy backyard of the presidential mansion, the night sky twinkling down on them as they exited the hovercraft. It flew off once they all stood on the lawn. 

"Well... this is it." Haymitch took in a sigh. "Now... we don't know the conditions of what happened—" 

"Then what are we doing here?" Johanna snapped as she wrapped her bony arms around herself, shivering in the cold wind. 

"We'll find out in the morning, I reckon," Lucy assured them as a group of soldiers began to walk towards them. "For now... just go with it." 

And so, as Juniper and the others followed the group of District Thirteen soldiers into the warmth of the mansion, there was just one thing on the Hale woman's mind. 

It didn't feel like the war was over just yet.