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KILL FOR YOUR LOVE.

act three.

(chapter eighty-nine, then what do you want?)

johanna mason's cabin, 76 ADD.

SOMEHOW, JUNIPER HAD MANAGED to fall asleep, draped over the red, thick, crochet quilts. When she woke up, her limbs felt as if they were on fire with her bones popping, muscles tensioning. Her hair was knotted, stuck to her skin, and her clothes were still damp.

Groaning, the woman managed to pick herself up before burying her head in her hands. The faint smell of cinnamon and apples still manipulated her senses, causing her to be more wide awake than she normally ever would be. And because of this, she could see that there was a bright light that had an urge to enter the room, but was blocked by the cotton curtains that were shut. 

Feeling her joints ache and groan, Juniper slowly got to her feet and thudded along to the window. She draped the curtains back to see the forest of Seven. Tall trees shadowed everything. Redwoods. Pines. Orange and red leaves were falling to the grassy, weedy floor. The sun was high in the sky, just visible over the branches. But what was also visible was the back porch of the house, which consisted of two sun lounges and one person. 

Johanna. 

And whilst Juniper had an urge to go running down the stairs and out towards her, she suddenly remembered her damp clothes. If she went anywhere near Johanna Mason with a drop of water on her, the woman would go far away from her. And so, with haste, she looked around for clothes she could wear and remembered the cardigan and slacks in the open wardrobe. 

Clenching her jaw, Juniper rid her jacket, shimmied out of her bottoms, threw her top off, and started to put on the green cardigan and black slacks. She had nothing to tie her hair with and so, she tucked it behind her ears and allowed it to fall behind her back. She didn't want to scare Johanna. Especially not with what she had gone through. 

And so, hesitantly and after making sure not a water droplet was to be found on her, Juniper opened the crimson door and went into the hallway. There was a strong smell of caffeine that spread out through the house and it nearly made Juniper gag as she made her way down the squeaky stairs, bracing herself on the railings. The house downstairs looked much like it did the day before, however all of the curtains were wide open, allowing bright sun rays to beam onto any surface it could find. There wasn't even a hint of rain outside. 

Juniper perked a brow, but decided to ignore it. She was about to turn to go towards the sliding door that was on the other end of the cabin when suddenly, she caught a glance of the singular photograph that was on the mantle. Juniper had realised the house was bare of personal possessions that Johanna might have harboured and so, the small photograph perked her interest. 

Looking around, the Hale woman made sure Johanna was still outside before slowly and quietly making her way over to the mantle. She realised, as she neared the frame, that the photo looked cheap and lacked vibrant colours. It was a tan colour and seemed to have turned yellow with age. However, the faces in the photo were still visible and even then, did Juniper clench her jaw. 

Within the photograph, there were five people. A family. There were two figures who were presumably the mother and father. The former had her brunette hair tied up into an intricate bun atop her head with a crimson scarf wrapped around her neck. Her face was narrow and harboured many freckles. And then the father was tall and looked strong with a prickly beard that ran down his cheeks and neck. He, too, had freckles and had wood-coloured hair, but had vivid green eyes that differed from his wife's honey-like ones and curls that seemed to have Juniper in a trance. They both looked solemn as they stared at the camera. 

Then there were three children. Two boys, one girl. The tallest boy, who appeared to be the eldest, mirrored his mother with brown, fluffy hair and honey eyes. His jaw was clenched with his brows furrowed and his hands were folded before him. Then the middle-child, another boy, was a mix of both of his parents. Curly hair. Honey eyes. Tall, but not taller than his older brother. It looked to be a stereotypical family in District Seven. But it was the girl that caught Juniper's attention. 

She was standing in-front of her father, whose hands were softly grasping her shoulders. She had curly hair that fell down past her chest, bangs covering her forehead. A narrow, pale face filled with freckles that dotted across her nose. Vivid green eyes. Innocent. Wide. Young. Barely ten-years-old. 

Juniper allowed her lips to part slightly before backing away, feeling as if she had invaded a personal part of Johanna's life by simply staring at the photograph. Was that her? Was she the little girl? Was that her mother, father, and brothers?

Thoughts attacked the Hale woman's hollow mind as she slowly moved out of the living room, heading towards the kitchen and sliding door. And in doing so, she got a better view of Johanna. She was sitting on the edge of one of the sun lounges with her legs crossed, hands cupping a steaming mug. She was looking out into the woods, curls floating slightly in the wind. 

Curls. Narrow, pale face. Vivid green eyes. Johanna looked to be an older version of the girl in the photograph. 

When Juniper opened the sliding door, stepping out onto the patio and allowing herself to bask in the sun's rays, Johanna jumped slightly and studied her with wide eyes, body tense. It took a moment before letting her shoulders relax, before she returned to gazing at the woods. 

"It was pouring yesterday..." Juniper murmured as she took another step onto the patio. There was a slight breeze, but also a slight warmth. The perfect temperature. "How come it's so sunny?" 

"Weather here in Seven is bipolar," she responded lightly. "It could snow in an hour for all I know..."

("... I thought we were starting to like each other..." Johanna whispered, her smirk faltering slightly as she stared at Juniper)

Juniper felt her shattered heart throb slightly as she studied the woman, but shook her hollow head as she moved to sit opposite of her on the other sun lounge. She crossed her ankles as she did and eyed Johanna. She looked much better than what she did months ago. Good. Great. 

"What happened in Ten?" Johanna mumbled as she took a sip of her coffee, its intoxicating smell nearly making the other woman gag. 

"What do you mean?" 

"What happened in Ten?" Johanna repeated more firmly. "You didn't come running here to Seven because you missed me." 

"Maybe I did." Juniper tried to give a lopsided smile, but at the look of Johanna's solemn face, she added, "My father came back... and I couldn't stay there anymore. I had no-one."

("But you need it." Orion gasped for air. "You need help. You're not well. You're alone and you're upset... it's understandable—")

"What about Lucy?" Johanna questioned.  

(But as the redhead got onto the train with a small suitcase, a smile dancing upon her mouth, Juniper knew it would be the last time she ever saw Lucy)

"She left to go to Twelve," Juniper told her. "She went to go be with Haymitch." 

The meaning of her words seemed to have not struck Johanna as she furrowed her brows, grumbling, "And she didn't ask you to go with her?" 

"She did." Juniper nodded. "But I couldn't go to Twelve... not after what happened..." 

Those words seemed to have caused some sense in Johanna as she softly nodded her head, taking another sip of her coffee. And as an uncomfortable silence filled them, Juniper Hale couldn't seem to snatch her eyes off of Johanna. She looked peaceful, solemn, and ethereal as she sat cross-legged on the sun lounge, a mug in her hands, curls flying lightly with the wind. 

Juniper had always thought Johanna Mason to be a pretty woman. There was no denying about it. But Johanna Mason wasn't someone she would be interested in. The idea of being interested in a person never struck Juniper. Not with her history. But, sitting in the sun with the breeze, she couldn't help but stare at Johanna. 

Soft. Pretty. Solemn. 

The Mason woman looked as if she was a statue, frozen, looked as if she was drawn carefully by a professional artist that only had an eye for beautiful creatures. Juniper had only ever seen her as a murderous tribute or a tortured Victor. Blood, bruises, or cuts always seemed to litter her flesh whenever Juniper saw her, but now, she was free from such injuries. There was not a scratch on her body, except for the scars that lingered, and she looked beautiful. So beautiful that it nearly made Juniper forget about everything that had happened.

(And blood coated her chest as an axe was lodged into it, her eyes soulless as she looked up at the rosy sky. An axe. Blood. Soulless)

But not fully. 

"But why did you choose Seven?" Johanna pondered. "There's nine other districts. You could have gone to Four to be with Annie. Or Three with Beetee. Or even Two to Enobaria if you're that desperate... why did you pick me?" 

There was a moment of silence.

"Because I thought we liked each other." 

("I suppose it's right." Juniper tried to smile slightly. Lie. "To never see each other again... we never really liked each other anyway.")

("... I thought we were starting to like each other..." Johanna whispered, her smirk faltering slightly as she stared at Juniper)

Johanna scoffed briefly before shaking her head, telling her, "Aren't you the one that said it was right to never see each other again? That we didn't really like each other?"

"I did." Juniper nodded before adding, "But that doesn't mean I meant it." 

Johanna stared at her and something flickered. "You tend to say a lot of things you don't mean." 

"What does that mean?" 

The woman took a breath before telling her, "It was dumb for you to come here... District Seven doesn't like you... but I figured you already knew that." 

Juniper let her lips part slightly, feeling her shattered heart twinge as she said, "Of course I know that. But it wasn't dumb to come here." 

"Why?" 

"Because it feels right." 

Johanna let out a breathy laugh. "A lot of things might feel right. Doesn't mean they actually are." 

In. Out. 

In. Out. 

In. Out. 

"So what?" Juniper scoffed. "Do you want me to leave here, then?"

"No." 

"Then what do you want, Johanna?" 

Her head perked up at the usage of her first name and she stared at Juniper with wide eyes. There had been many points where they had addressed each other by Johanna and Juniper, but something felt different. Everything was different. 

The Mason woman took a moment before standing up, mug in one hand as she extended the other to Juniper. "I want to make you a sandwich." 

"What?" 

"You're too skinny, Hale," Johanna admitted. "And I know you were starving yourself in Ten so come on. I don't need another person dropping dead on me." 

Juniper eyed her stretched out palm and went over their entire conversation in the last few minutes. It was filled with tension and uncomfortableness and yet, Johanna Mason was requesting to make her a sandwich. She was bewildered at how easily the woman changed the air of the conversation. 

"You're not going to poison me, are you?" Juniper eyed her as she grasped her palm, lifting herself up from the sun lounge. 

"Didn't you just hear me?" Johanna dropped her hand as she began to walk towards the open sliding door. "I said I don't need another person dropping dead on me."

Juniper furrowed her brows tightly before following the woman inside the cabin, turning left into the open kitchen. Crimson red and brown of wood was a common colour with the fridge, countertops, and even the toaster being the former. The walls, draws, cupboards the latter. 

"I only have beef," Johanna stated as she placed her mug in the sink. "Or is that too close to home?" 

"Um... whatever is fine." Juniper squinted her eyes as she watched the woman bustle around the kitchen. "Why are you doing this?" 

"So you don't—" 

"Drop dead. Yeah, I got that part," she interrupted. "But why? Weren't we just arguing before?" 

"That wasn't arguing—" 

"A heated discussion. We were having a heated discussion." Juniper slid onto one of the stools, leaning her elbows onto the counter. "And now you're making me a sandwich. Why?" 

Johanna merely shrugged. "I realised something." 

"You realised something?" Juniper repeated. "You realised something in that discussion? Like what?" 

She shrugged again as she got a plate out. "That's for me to know." 

"And for me not to know?" 

Johanna didn't reply. Instead, she continued making Juniper and herself a sandwich that consisted of beef, cheese, and some red sauce from the cupboard. But even as the woman set the plate in-front of her, Juniper still couldn't shake their conversation from her hollow head. 

"So... you're letting me stay here, then?" Juniper asked as she picked up the sandwich with no intention of eating it. "You're not gonna kick me out and tell me to go to the other nine districts?" 

"I don't care what you do, Hale." 

"That's not helpful." Juniper could feel the sauce dripping onto her palms. "Do you want me here or not? Because if not, then I'll—" 

"What? Leave?" Johanna scoffed. "Even if I didn't want you here, Hale, you'll still stay. That's the type of person you are... and I wouldn't mind." 

Juniper dropped the sandwich onto the plate, shattered heart thudding on the wooden floors. "You wouldn't?" 

"No. I wouldn't." Johanna took a bite of her food. "I'd... like to have you here." 

Juniper let her eyes gaze over the woman's face, staring deep into her soul as she did. She tried to find some hints of sarcasm or vileness, but couldn't find any. It only confirmed that something was different. The air was different. 

Everything was different. 

Sighing, the Hale woman looked over her shoulder, twisting her body to view the mantle and the singular photograph in the distance. She could barely see the faces from where she sat, but the memory of her looking at them were engraved in her hollow head. 

(Curls. Narrow, pale face. Vivid green eyes)

"Who are the people in the photograph?" Juniper twisted back to face Johanna, who was already halfway through her sandwich. 

"Hm?" 

"The photograph on the mantle," Juniper pressed. "Who are the people in it?" 

Suddenly, it was like Johanna had frozen because she did not move for moments. The sandwich was stuck halfway towards her mouth, the red sauce dribbling out. Her green eyes were slightly widened. Her fingertips twitched. And then suddenly, she dropped the meal back onto the plate, wiped her mouth, and turned around. 

"No-one of importance," she mumbled as she went to wipe her hands on a cloth that was hanging on the handle of a drawer. 

"They must be..." Juniper said before adding, "Since they're the only people whose picture is up." 

Johanna remained silent and tried to busy herself in the kitchen. 

"It's your family, isn't it?" 

In. Out. 

In. Out. 

In. Out. 

"So what if they are?" Johanna huffed. "What does that have anything to do with you?" 

"I was just... wondering..." Juniper drawled. "You don't have to talk about it—" 

"I'm not going to talk about it—" 

"But I'm here," Juniper was quick to interrupt. "If you want to talk... I'm here... it's only fair since you're letting me stay here." 

Johanna remained silent for a few minutes before grumbling, "Are you going to eat that or did I just waste my time making a sandwich for you?" 

"What?" 

"Eat up." Johanna tapped the porcelain plate. "You're too skinny, Hale. You've been starved enough in your life. Don't do it now." 

And so, whilst the Mason woman began to put things away in shelves and cupboards, Juniper slowly ate the beef and cheese sandwich she was given. The thought of the photograph on the mantle and their conversation weighed Juniper's hollow mind, but she tried to ignore it, especially as she watched Johanna.

(Soft. Pretty. Solemn)

("No." Aurelius shook his head as he dropped his hand. "Live freely. Live contentedly. And live peacefully... that's all I ask of you... happiness is something you must find yourself. Something I mustn't ask of you. Something you must ask and find.")

("Because I thought we liked each other.")

(And she too dropped her head down onto Juniper's)

(She was holding Juniper's hand gingerly, the look on her face twisted with uncertainty as if it was the wrong thing to do)

Juniper couldn't help but smile. She didn't know why, but she just was. Especially as she stared at Johanna Mason, who bustled around the red and brown kitchen. And in that moment, Juniper Hale knew that the other woman was wrong. This felt right. It was just right and the Victor from Ten couldn't explain it. It was right. It felt right and it was right. At least, Juniper hoped so. 

(Johanna let out a breathy laugh. "A lot of things might feel right. Doesn't mean they actually are.")

But as she sat on the stool, finishing her sandwich that Johanna Mason had made for her, watching the said woman, her hollow head started to become at ease. Her shattered heart tickled. The aches and pains that tortured her were trickling down to the tip of her toes. And Juniper Hale couldn't explain why.

⇢ ˗ˏˋ matz 🎧 !

— we have four chapters left and two of them are epilogues 😭