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▎ RUINS ▎
»»————-　act two. fan the flames
THIRTY EIGHT ━━ to love in darkness

and it is a warzone

— zayn malik

       HER HANDS ARE SHAKING SLIGHTLY AS THE LIGHTS FLICKER above her, every bomb that hit the surface of district thirteen shook the entire room where everyone was huddled together with the ones they loved. Maybe praying, muttering silent words of comfort, while other maybe hoped that the odds were in their favor.

       Erin sat motionless on one of the cots, her hands locked together as she rested her arms on her knees. Only her eyes shift ever so often as she watched people sit with their eyes shut, towels wrapped around their shivering bodies as shell after shell is dropped above them by the Capitol.

       Soft whispers echoing around, some concerns and others about Peeta.

      Sweet Peeta, Erin thought bitterly, the boy she had gotten to know was slowly turning into a shell of his former self and she loathed it. In her time she had seen so many different tributes, but for some reason Peeta stood out to her. His approach to the games was so different and she cherished his somewhat naive ways. Everyone in the games came out hollow, and maybe with others you could build yourself up again to how you were. But the brunette had noticed that no matter what, Peeta Mellark was selfless in the best ways and he brought out a side of Katniss no one knew existed, even Katniss herself.

      And now with the boy slowly turning into a puppet, Erin can do nothing but watch as Katniss falls apart in front of her.

      Dust falls from the ceiling as anoter bomb hits the ground, screams and cries follow right after it and Erin can feel Finnick wrap his arm around her, pulling her closer to him. The two sit huddled together, Alex in the cot across from them stares at his hands, he doesn't even flinch anymore and it concerns the district four woman.

       The alarm keeps blasting, causing a constant ringing in her ears but then the next shell hits the ground and they're all engulved in darkness.

       One by one, portable lights get turned and and Erin reaches for the one by her side and turns it on. Her wide hazel eyes turn towards Finnick who returns her gaze with the same kind of concern.

      From the corner if her eye, the brunette can see Katniss sitting with her little sister and her mother. Even the ginger cat is safely tucked away in Prim's arms and for a second Katniss and Erin make eye contact. They're afraid too, but they don't want to show it. They have to be strong for the others.

       It was the task of the mocking jay, to be the hope of the rebellion and the moment she shows fear, everyone will lose faith. And Erin has taken it upon herself to not let the district twelve girl face it alone. Everyone needs someone to rely on, and when you are the strong one, no one offers you a shoulder to lean on.

       So Erin was going to be that shoulder, no matter the cost.

       Erin takes note of her trembling fingers, but she isn't the only one as Finnick places his warm hands around hers, before pulling her even closer to her. "It's okay. We're okay." The blonde whispers softly in her ear and all she can do is nod.

       She wants it to be true, but she is never sure. Maybe the odds are in our favor. She silently thinks, she doesn't voice it however. Everytime someone says it, bad things happen. Mass chaos ensues and this time, this time Erin wants everything to turn out alright.

       So she squeezes Finnick hand, and she closes her eyes when another bomb hits the ground. But she knows that today is not the day she will die.

She was right, today was not the day anyone would die as the bombs had stopped and most people had fallen asleep. In the distant she could here some of the kids quietely laughing as they played with Prim's cat while Finnick and herself laid down in the cot, closely pressed against each other as they listened to the snores of the people around them.

After a moment, Erin could hear someone approach them and she lifted her head to see Katniss standing beside their bunk.

"Hey..." she whispered softly as the two of them sat up straight, still close beside one another.

"Hey." Erin softly replied, leaning her head against Finnick's shoulder.

"Can I sit?" Katniss asked, motioning to the empty spot next to Finnick.

"Yeah." He nods before the raven haired girl goes to sit down and they all look up across to see Alex sitting alone, staring at something in his hands.

Erin can't see his face clearly, but she knows her brother good enough to know how heartbroken he is. "I'm going over there." She announced quietly, quickly pressing a chaste kiss on Finnick's cheek and sends an encouraging smile towards Katniss.

The two watch as she leaves and a solemn look crosses Finnick's face. "That poem you told back in the Capitol," Katniss began unsure. "That was about Erin right? I mean I know it was, but I was just confused why you never told her before."

"My love, you have my heart for all eternity and if I die in that arena, my last thought will be of your lips." Finnick whispers softly, a small smile on his face as he thinks about it.

The blonde continued after a moment to answer Katniss' question, "I guess I was scared you know, we both had seen such horrors and I felt that if we were together it would only be a reminder of everything that happened to us."

"Well, I don't think you remind her of a terrible past, I actually think she sees you as a better future." Katniss states firmly. "What you two have, it's perfect. And you two deserve it."

"I wrote that poem because I was scared, scared to lose her to the games again but I still feel like we're in the arena, like she can die any minute." He confines, not tearing his eyes away from his girl across from him.

"Sometimes." Katniss begins. "Sometimes all we have is that one person anchoring us you know. Maybe that's all we need. That's how we're going to win this. Not because we got better guns or how we got better strategies. We're going to win because we have something Snow never had. True loyalty, people are the reason we're going to win."

Finnick nods in agreement. "I hope it."

Their is a pregnant pause before she continues, "And Erin, she is one of the people who keep me grounded and I know she is never going to give up, neither are you. And that tells me you're both going to come out alive."

Finnick smiles softly, taking in a shuddering breath before averting his gaze back to the Girl On Fire. "After your first Games I thought that the whole romance was an act. We all expected you continue that strategy. But it wasn't until Peeta's heart stopped and he nearly died that I knew I misjudged you. You love him."

Katniss doens't saw anything, she doesn't deny or confirm anything he says. She just listens and let him talk.

"I'm not saying in what way, maybe you don't even know yourself, but anyone paying attention can see it."

"How do you life with it?" Katniss whispered, eyes flickering from the Benton siblings and back to Finnick.

"I drag myself out of nightmares and I find there is no relief in waking up, but it is better not to give into it. Just look for some light in the darkness." His eyes flicker towards Erin before he turns to Katniss. "It takes ten times longer to put yourself back together then it does to fall apart."

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