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▎ RUINS ▎
»»————-　act three. from the ashes
FORTY ONE ━━ a gut feeling

half a woman, half a warrior.
delicate and strong

— r.h. sin

    THE ODDS ARE NEVER IN YOUR FAVOR— IT IS THE SAD TRUTH everyone has come to known from the Capitol despite their pretty lies and golden cages, because a cage is still just that— a cage.

     And standing beside Katniss, looking through a window and she sees reality. Peeta looked healthy on the television with Caesar, he sounded like he wasn't tortured or anything, but in reality, it was much worse.

    Brainwashed, hijacked whatever you wanted to call it, Peeta wasn't Peeta anymore, just a shell of his former self while the real Peeta was caged somewhere in the darkest and deepest corners of his mind.

    "Let her in." A buzzed sounded, breaking through the tense silence and a door to the right opens up.

    Little Prim, who isn't as little anymore as when she was reaped almost two years ago stepped inside, blonde hair in a neatly done braid that reminded Erin of Katniss.

    And speaking of the raven haired woman, Erin can feel her tense up besides her, and the brunette gently grabs a hold of her hand to try and sooth some nerves.

     It's like everyone—including Prim, is holding their breath as the young blonde approached Peeta's bed, almost no emtion is written on the boy's face as he looked up.

     "Hey..." Prim let's the words fall from her lips in a breathless whisper, afraid to bring the volume of her voice up even a little bit.

    "Prim." Peeta sounds slighy surprised as he turned his head to look at the girl who sits down at the edge of his bed.

     "How are you doing?"

     "She's too close." Haymitch turns towards Plutarch in concern, and from the corner of her eye, Erin noticed Katniss unwavering gaze, filled with worry and sorrow. It breaks her heart a little to see the strong woman be so shaken.

     Plutarch shakes his head, sparing the blonde man a feelting glance before looking back at the glass, "it's okay."

    "—we live in district thirteen now. It's a real place. The stories are true." Prim explains softly, a kind and innocent look in her eyes— one Erin hopes will never fade. "You were rescued."

    "My family hasn't come to see me?" He shakes his head a little in denial and there falls a silence over the room. "District twelve has been attacked." He comes to the realisation.

   "Yes."

    For the first time, Erin witnesses an emtion from Peeta she believes are his own when his voice cracks and his eyes glaze over. "My family?"

     Prim can't bring herself to say it out loud, her own eyes brimming with unshed tears. "The bakery didn't survive."

  Peeta let's out a shuddering breath and he turns away from Prim. But suddenly their is a change in his demeanor and his face contorts into a harsh frown. "It's Katniss." He mumbles, his voice growing louder. "It's because of Katniss.

     "That's not true." Prim replies calmly.

     "She told you to say that?" His eyes flicker back to Prim.

     "She didn't tell me anything."

    "She's a liar Prim." His voice grows stronger. "It's a trick."

    "Peeta." She breathes out. "What you're saying isn't real."

     The sandy haired man looks up at Prim with betrayel in his eyes. "She sent you here to talk to me. She knows you're here now.

       "It's okay."

    "You can't trust her!" Peeta breaks, full fledged anger seeping through and even Erin takes a step back surprised by his outburst. "She's a monster! A mutt send by the Capitol, created to destroy us."

    Prim takes a step back, a scared look on her face as Peeta continues to scream at the top of his lungs.

    "You have to kill her Prim! You have to kill her!"

   Erin takes matters in her own hands after Haymitch demands for Prim to get out and pulls Katniss away from the window and blocks her view from the trashing man. "Katniss, katniss— look at me."

   They can still hear the screaming and it's like the raven haired woman is in a trance. "Don't listen to him, it isn't him Katniss. Snap out of it please!"

     Finally her words get through to her and Katniss' eyes flicker to the comforting hazel eyes of Erin, tears brimming in her eyes.

      "We'll get him back alright, we'll get him back."

      WHEN THE EVENING ROLLS AROUND, KATNISS, GALE AND a couple others had left district thirteen to go to Two, the last obstacle between them and the Capitol. Erin has opted to stay behind, feeling like her place was at thirteen at the moment.

     The dinning hall was bustling with people as Erin and Finnick entered the large room hands intertewined. The two stepped in line behind other residence of thirteen to get some food, that looked and tasted as good as dirt. But she couldn't find it in herself to complain and neither could anyone else because it was a small and simple sacriffice if it meant winning the rebellion. Of course food wouldn't change a thing but it was the best way to ration and survive this war that could go on another months, year or even years.

With their trays finally in hand, the two former district four residents found Alex and Prim sitting at one of the table in the far corner of the room.

The young blonde was staring down at her plate, probably still thinking about her encounter with Peeta earlier that morning.

"Hey guys." Erin greets softly, a comforting smile on her face as she sat down on the grey bench, Finnick following like a shadow looming behind her.

"Hello." Prim returns the gesture with a small smile of her own before she goes back to poking at her food.

Erin sighed before looking over at her older brother who is shoveling what looks like some sort of meat inside his mouth, his mop of curls a mess, but his eyes look a bit brighter and she knows why. "Did you get to visit Annie yet?"

Alex shakes his head, but his lips turn up slightly, "The doctors said we can probably visit tomorrow, they're doing some final checks."

Erin nodds, turning to her own plate and shoveling some weird tasting vegetables down with a soft hum. Her free hand is still laced with Finnick's and it gives her a sense of comfort she didn't known she needed at the moment.

But she couldn't deny she was worried about everyone leaving to go to district two, to try and make the loyalists waver. They had been gone for a couple hours now but the brunette couldn't help but feel like something was wrong.

"How is your cat doing Prim?" Erin tries to make some light hearted conversation to distract the young girl.

"She's good actually!" Prim tells her brightly and launces into a story.

From beside her, Erin notices Finnick look at her with adoration and she feels herself blush slightly. "I love you." She whispers softly— so she won't interrupt Prim's fascinating story.

"I love you more." Finnick says with a bright smile, carefully not to talk too loud either.

Before they know it, more and more people start to leave the dinning hall as the hours pass by and Finnick and Erin decide to call it a night when Prim's mother also comes to whisk her youngest away.

The halls are already dark when Finnick and Erin walk towards their little room in silence, taking in the rare moment of peace they feel at the moment.

With their door in view, the two pick up their pace and Erin turns to look at Finnick, waiting for the man to unlock the door. But when she looks up at him, there is a look of contemplation on his face.

Confused, Erin reaches up to cup his face with one hand to turn his face to her. "Finn? Are you okay? Is something wrong?"

"No, no— actually everything is perfect." He smiles nervously at her before taking a deep breath. "There's just something I wanted to ask you."

"What is it?" The brunette wonders curiously.

"Will you m—"

"Katniss was shot!" It is Alex words cutting Finnick off that completing severs that peacefull moment.

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