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▎ RUINS ▎
»»————-　act three. from the ashes
FORTY EIGHT ━━ in remembrance

and yet to every bad, there is a worse

— thomas hardy

     ERIN HAD REMAINED SILENT AFTER THE HORRENDOUS BROADCAST OF CAESER FLICKERMAN AND THE RECORDING OF THE DEATH OF THE TWINS. EVEN DURING PEETA'S SPEECH WHERE HE SO CASUALLY offered a simple (—not in her eyes) solution; kill me. Silence was all the brunette had to offer right now. now words she could fanthom saying after witnessing such brutal killing—killing like in the arena. All that was left was assassinating one another, hoping that maybe they would be the sole victor of these twisted games. afterall Snow made sure that this war, this god forsaken slaughter remained just that. A twisted game he still is in control of. With hidden traps and life broadcasting the chaos.

     The familiar anthem of the Capitol suddenly echoud throughout the luxurious living room, gaining everyone's attention once more as holographic photographs appeared on the screen, accomponied by the sound of a cannon, just how they would when someone died in the arena in the official Hunger Games.

     A game still, is all Erin could bitterly think as she watched their sqaudron appear one by one until her very own innocent looking face appeared on the screen. Still wide eyed, still innocent, the last picture of her days before the horrors of the games had consumed her.

     Erin Benton— district four.

    She no longer was that girl, district four was nothing more than a place she used to know, and if she's honest, that girl in the picture, she doesn't know anymore either.

    For a second even the evening air remained completely silent, as everyone held their breath when the clips was finished. But it seemed not over yet when another familiar face replaced theirs.

    "So, Katniss Everdeen, a poor unstable girl with nothing but a small talent with a bow and arrow is dead." President Snow spoke evenly, a sinister glint in his eyes as he adressed whomever was listening. "Not a thinker, not a leader. Simply a face plucked from the masses." He continued his monologue.

    Erin bit the inside of her cheek, million of thoughts running through her head as her gaze turned to focus on Katniss, the girl blankly staring at the television screen.

     "Was she valuable?" Snow asked rhetorically, "She was exremely valuable to your rebellion because you have now vision, no true leader among you. you call yourselves an alliance but we saw what that means. Your soldiers are at each others throats--"

    A sudden static had overthrown Snow's calm appearance significantly as he faltered slightly, eyes darting to the left, to someone we all could not see before even the broadcast started to malfunction and another face replaced his.

    "Good evening," Alma Coin appeared, well collected and calm, "For those who do not know me, please allow me to introduce myself. I am president Alma Coin, the leader of this rebellion. I have interrupted a broadcast from your president in which he tried to defame a brave young woman."

    Something about her tone, or maybe the chosen words in that moment, irked Erin as she uneasily listened to the message from the district thirteen leader. Katniss was dead to all the world but them, but this woman didn't seemed that bothered, not really. Erin knows pain and loss all too well. But the was Coin speaks, it doesn't sound sincere at all.

    "A face picked from the masses he called her. As if a leader, a true leader could be anything else. I had the priviledge of knowing a small town girl from the seam district in district twelve who survived the Hunger Games and the Quarter Quell and rose up and turned a nation of slaves into an army! Dead or alive, Katniss Everdeen will remain the face of this revolution. She will not have died for nothing." Coin's voice cracked, emotion suddenly taken over, but to Erin the same uneasy feeling remained.

    It looked fake, just another sad story to spark a flame for the revolution. Erin knew for certain Coin did not know Katniss, she didn't know a small town girl from the seam district because that girl died the moment she volunteered for her little sister.

    Coin was playing games, just like Snow is. And all the brunette could think was one thing.

    Who is worse, who could be worse?

    "I had no idea I meant so much to her." Katniss muttered softly.

    Erin's eyes hardened at her words. "Trust me katniss." She whispered just a soft. "She is playing everyone."

    The Girl On Fire did not reply, she seemed to ponder over her words for a split second, like she was contemplating her words before he gaze returned to the grey haired woman on the screen.

    "Her vision and ours will be realised. A free Panem with self-determination for all. And in her memory we will find the strength to rid Panem of its opressors." She spoke confidently, like a leader should. "Thank you. And be Safe."

    The words hung heavily in the air as they watched as a holographic picture of Katniss appeared, the familiar mockingjay tune with it.

    Remember the mockingjay.

    Katniss however did not dwell long as she stood up abruptly, a newfound determination alight her eyes. "Snow is in his mansion, where's that?" She questioned as she placed the Holo in the middle of the room, activating it to show a hologram of the Capitol.

    Cressida leaned forward, eyes skimming over the map before pointing at one particular place, "That is us. That's the city circle." She moved her hand along the map towards Snow's mansion. "It's at least seventy, seventy five blocks north."

    "Seventy five blocks?"

    "Uh-Huh." She confirmed with a hum.

    "Everyone thinks we're dead." Erin spoke up as she crouched down beside Katniss, the same determination flashing in her eyes as the raven haired girl nodded along.

    "Erin is right, nobody knows we're alive." Katniss continued, "This is our chance."

    "We should take advantege of it." Erin suggested, looking around the group. "We're here already, we should continue on without all these propo clips and half-assed speeches, like we were supposed to do in the first place. Now we can really fight."

    "These buildings." Katniss pointed out quickly, "Do these overlook Snow's garden?"

    "I.."

    "They do."

    "If he goes outside at all, I could get a clear shot." Katniss thought out loud, eyes darting between her friends.

    "We're getting ahead of ourselves." Jackson spoke up with a sigh, "Whether they are looking for us or not, we're pinned down." She crouched down next to Cressida, "Hit that button, scan for pods."

    Katniss did as asked and the hologram map lit up with small blue lights, indicating the various traps laid out ahead. "Just about every ten steps."

    "Yeah, that doesn't even show the new ones."

    "So we can;t go anywhere on the streets." Finnick broke the silence as she stepped closer to Erin, unsubconsiously placing a hand on her back.

    "And the rooftops are just as bad." The lieutenant added solemnly.

    Erin dragged a hand through her tousled hair, an annoyed sigh escaping her lips. "There has to be another way to get to Snow."

    "There might be another way." Castor spoke up as he looked at his brother.

    They were coming. and Erin knew for sure this time.

    President Snow will die.

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