[the hunger games series: catching fire]
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        "You planning on sticking around?" Mitchell asked Cameron as they tried to exit the crowd, although the peacekeepers were making it very difficult to do so.

"I don't know," she answered honestly. "I don't really like to stick around in the town, but I feel like I should visit Jas. Haven't seen her in months."

"Do you want me to come with you?" he asked.

Cameron rolled her eyes lazily, "Mitch, I can go by myself," she reassured him. "I don't need a bodyguard."

"Trust me, I know," Mitch said, throwing up his hands in defense. "If anything you are my bodyguard."

Cameron raised her eyebrows. "I don't know if I like that insinuation," she noted the look that he was giving her, "But continue."

"It's just nice to have the company, Cam," Mitchell reminded.

Cameron gave a short exhale, "Fine, I'll allow you to come with me, happy?" she asked.

"Wow out of the goodness of her heart, Cameron Knight has allowed me to accompany her to Jasmine Avery's home, it's like a miracle."

Cameron scoffed, "The only miracle here is me not killing you for saying that," she hissed.

"Really, Cam, you're back to threatening me, in front of the peacekeepers," Mitchell feigned a voice of surprise. "I thought you were better than this," he expressed, as they made their way back onto the dirt road.

Jasmine's house was a little bit past the town square, in the opposite direction of Wilbur's, and now Cameron's home. Cameron's had vivid memories of sprinting down this same dirt path when she was younger, tripping over rocks and branches, scraping her knees on the dirt as she fell. But she didn't care about scraps and scratches back then, especially if she was going to Jasmine's house.

Jasmine was like her second family. If Cameron wasn't at her house, she was at Jasmine's, that didn't happen as much anymore, but before the games, that's where you could find Cameron. Now, a trip to Jasmine's house happened once in a blue moon. Cameron still loved Jasmine, she just didn't like to leave the confines of Wilbur's home. Cameron knew that Jasmine wouldn't hold a grudge against her for this, it wasn't Jasmine's style. But still, Cameron felt a twinge of guilt as she walked along that same path. She was one of the only people that had stuck with her after she won the games, one of the only people that didn't judge her for what she had to do to survive.

"Jas!" Cameron cried. It was a week after her victory and Cameron had finally found the strength to leave her parent's house. She was trying to avoid people as much as possible before her victory tour. Before she had to talk to people nonstop for two weeks straight.

"Cam!" Jasmine ran down the steps to meet her friends, pulling her into a tight embrace. "I can't believe it," she said, speaking into the crook on the ginger's neck. "I can't believe you made it out alive. I was so worried that you wouldn't."

Cameron bit her lip, trying to stop the tears from coming as Jasmine let go of her, placing her hands on top of Cameron's shoulders. "Cam, are you okay?" Jasmine asked, her dark brown eyes boring into Cameron's green ones.

"I just-" Cameron started, she felt like she was going to bring down at that exact moment. "I'm a monster, Jas."

Jasmine shook her head, "Cam, you're not a monster."

"Jas, I killed them," Cameron stated blankly. "The careers, I ambushed them. They were climbing up the side of the mountain. I knew it would be icy, camping out in the cave, I knew it would be hard for them to get to me. So I waited, I sat at the mouth of the cave with my crossbow, just waiting until I saw their hands. Then I shot them, straight at their hands, I wanted all of them to fall, then maybe it wouldn't be my fault directly. I wouldn't have to watch as they struggled to cling to the smallest bit of life they had. It worked for three of them, but one of them made it up the mountain. That damn tribute, it was just Carver all over again. I had to-" Cameron stopped talking, letting her tears overtake her.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey," Jasmine said quickly, consoling the girl. "That doesn't make you a monster, Cam."

"It does Jas," Cameron sniffled. "Only monsters do what I did. They're all dead because of me, because of my hands, my actions. It's my fault."

Jasmine smiled sadly, "Cam, that doesn't make you a monster, that makes you a survivor. If you were a monster do you think I would be standing here with you, right now?"

Cameron wiped the tears off her face, "No?"

"No is right," Jasmine said, nodding. "Now come inside, my parents steeped a batch of that tea you like."

"The Chamomile one?"

"Yes, the Chamomile one," Jasmine giggled.

"Cameron?" Mitchell asked, waking her out of her daydream. "We're here," he told her.

Cameron blinked, letting her eyes adjust to the bright light around her. Mitchell was right, the two of them were standing in front of Jasmine's home. It was very different from Wilbur's, mainly because he had spent a majority of his winnings from the games on designing his, whereas Jasmine's parents did not have those types of funds.

The home was simple and quaint, a single-story home reinforced with a concrete base with dark oak plank walls with bricks lining the corners and the roof of the home. There were some similarities to Wilbur's home, both of them were secluded in the woods, but Jasmine's was close to the town square and more connected to the houses nearby. Whereas Wilbur's was fairly tucked away, not that Cameron minded, ever since the games, she enjoyed leaving in the woods. Mitchell liked to poke fun at her because of this, but she knew he enjoyed it too, even if he was going to be a dick about it.

"You gonna knock or what?" Mitchell asked, nudging her up the stairs to the front door.

"You gonna stop pushing me?" Cameron responded, looking back at him with an annoyed look.

"I dunno, are you gonna knock on the door?" he repeated.

Cameron scoffed, shaking her head, letting some of her blonde hair fall out of her bun. "If it matters so much to you, why don't you know on the door?"

"It's your friend, not me," Mitchell insisted.

"So you just insist on being an asshole?" Cameron teased him.

"I'm not gonna knock on a stranger's door Cam, that's weird, they'll probably throw me out, or slam the door in my face."

"Jas' parents wouldn't do that," Cameron said, striding up to the front door. She knocked about three times, lightly tapping her knuckles to the door. She didn't want to make too much noise in case they were busy.

Cameron was met with the face of Jasmine's mother, who smiled warmly once she spotted the blonde woman standing on the other side of the door. "Cameron, come in, come in," Karina spoke, ushering the woman into her home. "Oh, and you to sweetie, don't be shy," she added, pointing to Mitchell, who was awkwardly standing behind Cameron.

"Please, please, have a seat," Karina instructed, leading the two young adults to the living room. Which was exactly the same as Cameron remembered it. A few wooden chairs, which were made by Jasmine's father when they were both extremely little, with a cream-colored, weaved rug in the middle of the room. There were also a few woven cushions set around the small wooden table. "I'll let Jasmine know you're here dear," Karina said, rushing off to find her daughter.

"Didn't know I would be coming in with you," Mitchell admitted, taking a seat on one of the woven cushions by the table.

"Did you think you were just gonna stand outside awkwardly waiting for me?" she asked incredulously.

"Well yeah," Mitchell said, defending himself. "It's a reasonable assumption Cam!"

Cameron shook her head, not wanting to respond to her friends' stupidity.

"Yeah, yeah, you just shake your head," Mitchell grumbled, crossing his arms.

"What do you want me to lie and say that was a good assumption you just made?" she asked.

"I would make me feel better."

"And when have I done anything to make you feel better, Mitch? Come on, use your head."

"Harsh," a voice said behind the pair. "I'm happy you don't talk to me like that."

Cameron turned around, a huge smile plastered on her face, she knew who was speaking before she even looked at her face. "Jas!" she exclaimed, letting the woman hug her from behind.

"Cam, now why has it taken you so long to visit me, huh?" Jasmine asked, spinning the blonde around so that she was facing her.

Cameron bit her lip, "I've been busy," she said simply.

Mitchell coughed into his elbow, "Lame excuse," he said.

Cameron tutted, "Care to repeat what you said Mitch, I couldn't quite hear you there."

"What, me?" Mitchell said, pretending as if he didn't say anything. "You must be hearing things Cam because I haven't said a single word since I got here," he crossed one of his legs over the other, placing his hand under his chin.

Jasmine's eyes fluttered over to him, "This is the Mitchell I've heard about?" she asked Cameron.

"Yep that's Mitch," Cameron answered shaking her head.

Mitchell laughed a little, "You've talked about me, probably all good things, right?" he asked. "I mean, there's nothing bad to say about me. I'm all good."

Cameron rolled her eyes, "You want me to lie to you again?" she questioned, sitting down on the floor next to Jasmine.

Mitchell scowled, sending a glare Cameron's way. "She's mean, you know?" Mitchell said to Jasmine. "Why are you friends with such a mean person?"

Jasmine ignored his comment, "Were you all at the victory tour speech?" she asked them, effectively changing the subject. "I didn't have the chance to go into the town to watch it, but the Capitol streamed it because everyone's obsessed with the whole love story. Kinda crazy how they got away with that."

Cameron nodded, "Yeah, we were there," she answered. "Unfortunately," she added.

Jasmine raised her eyebrow, "Not a fan, Cam?" she asked.

Cameron tilted her head, "Eh, the speech was just so clunky, kinda boring."

"Same old rehearsed Capitol bullshit," Mitchell chimed in. "At least it will give them something to talk about. They can gush over the starcrossed lovers, at least they'll leave us alone."

Jasmine nodded, "Very true. No more Golden Girl, Cam. They're all about the archer and the baker now," she said, elbowing Cameron in the side.

"Jas, you know I hate the nickname," Cameron said rolling her eyes. "Plus they were all done with the Golden Girl thing a year ago. Thank god, I didn't know how much more I could take of it," she expressed.

"Oh trust me, I noticed," Jasmine said. "Every time Caesar would call you that, I could practically see the steam coming out of your ears. You looked like you could kill him, right then and there. Isn't wasn't like a big thing, my parents couldn't see it. All they could do was gush on and on about how beautiful you looked on our television screen. They couldn't tell you hated it, clearly, the Capitol couldn't tell either. You're a great actress."

"Oh yeah, a great actress when she threatens to kill me as well," Mitchell chimed in.

"Really, Mitch, really?" Cameron asked, crossing her arms. "You still holding a grudge against me for that?"

"Seeing as which you threaten me basically every day? Yes, yes I am," Mitchell retorted.

"I thought you all could use something to drink," Karina said, carrying a tray of drinks into the room. "I know how you love the Chamomile tea, Cam," she said, placing a small mug in front of the blonde woman. "I may or may not have slipped some extra sweetener into there," she said winking.

Jasmine scoffed lightly, "Mom, please tell me you did not put alcohol in there," she said, gracefully taking her mug off of the tray.

"A mother never reveals her secret, darling you know that," her mom said sauntering away from the group.

The three of them exchanged worried glances before taking a sip of their drinks. "Oh, she definitely spiked this," Cameron said, feeling the burning sensation in her throat. She didn't mind though, because, for a small moment in her life, Cameron was happy, she was genuinely happy.

---

"Mitch, what the hell are you doing?" Cameron asked him as he paced up and down Wilbur's living room.

It was a few months later and Cameron was lying on top of the couch in the living room. She wanted to take a small nap, but she couldn't get herself to fall asleep. So instead she was staring up at the ceiling, watching Mitchell walk up and down the room in her peripheral vision.

"Cam, do you know what day it is today?" Mitchell asked her, twiddling his thumbs nervously, stopping his pacing to stare at her intently.

Cameron turned to her side so she could fully view what Mitchell was doing, "No, should I?" she asked.

"Yes, Cam you should care because President Snow has some big announcement today," Mitchell started.

Cameron rolled her eyes, "Probably just something to do with the 75th games, nothing to worry about."

"Cam, what if he talks about the riots?" Mitchell asked seriously.

There was an influx of riots across Panem following Katniss and Peeta's victory tour, the Capitol and Peacekeepers had been trying to contain it, but even with the limited coverage, things spread fast, especially when you have the connections that Wilbur had. The riots hadn't spread to district nine yet, but it was only a matter of time. The citizens were fed up, and everyone could tell.

Cameron sighed, "Snow wouldn't want to bring attention to it. Trust me, it's probably nothing."

Mitchell looked like he wanted to argue some more, but he was cut off by a sudden stream of knocking on their front down.

"Cam! Mitchell!" she heard Jasmine calls through the door. "Is anyone home! Ugh! Come on, answer the damn door!"

Cameron got up, rushing to the door. "Jas?" she asked, looking at her friend. Jasmine looked extremely disheveled, her brown hair was whipped around her face, some stuck to her forehead, other chunks flying around in the wind. Her tan skin was drenched in sweat, her eyes were practically bouncing out of her face. "What- what's wrong. Did you run all the way here?"

"Yes," Jasmine heaved, "But that's beside the point. You need to turn on the television right now!" she snapped at Mitchell.

Mitchell didn't hesitate to listen to the woman. There was a small buzz, and Snow's face appeared on their television screen.

"Jas, you're scaring me," Cameron started. "What's going on."

"SHHH!" Jasmine said, holding up her hands. "Just listen."

Cameron turned her attention to the television where Snow had begun to speak. "When the laws for the Games were laid, they dictated that every twenty-five years would be marked by a Quarter Quell. On the twenty-fifth anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that their children were dying because of their choice to initiate violence, every district was made to hold an election a vote on the tributes who would represent it."

"What, is this some sort of history lesson?" Mitchell asked.

"Shh, shh, shut up, shut up," Jasmine said quickly. "Just listen.

Snow continued, "On the fiftieth anniversary as a reminder that two rebels died for each Capitol citizen, every district was required to send twice as many tributes."

Cameron wasn't sure where Snow was growing with this, but with the look on Jasmine's face, she was growing increasingly wary of this speech. She didn't like where he was going.

"And now we honor our third Quarter Quell," Snow said calmly as a little boy handed him a golden envelope with a large '75' written on the front. "On the seventy-fifth anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that even the strongest among them cannot overcome the power of the Capitol, the male and female tributes will be reaped from the existing pool of victors."

Cameron felt her breath stop as she gapped at the television screen, her mind began to race. 'This isn't possible. No, no, Snow can't do this. I can't go back. I can't, I can't. I fucking can't.' Cameron's legs began to shake, as she tried to hold in the sobs that she knew were gonna come. "No, no, no," she said slowly. "This- no. He can't, Mitch, he can't do this," she said turning to him.

"Cam, he's the president, I think he can do whatever he pleases," Mitchell answered sadly.

Cameron bit her lip, "No, I can't believe it. I- no, this isn't happening," she said quickly, burying her face in her hands.

"Why has this girl just barged into our home?" Wilbur asked, staring at Jasmine, who still had her hand covering her mouth. Cameron wasn't sure how long he had been standing there, she didn't know if he had heard the news or not.

"Will, the next set of tributes is gonna be reaped from the existing victors," Mitchell said. "We might have to go back in."

"What, the fuck?"

Say you'll remember me,
standing in a nice dress, staring at the sunset,
babe ☁︎

Grace talks ig: Jasmine Avery, my beloved <3, sorry I just love her so much already. She's the best! Also, I have to include some fun moments before it gets hella dark when they get back to the Games, so enjoy the (mostly) lighthearted banter between my new favorite trio! Also, we get Cameron and Finnick interactions next chapter, I hope are all excited because I am!! I literally cannot wait to write them because I have so much shit planned. AHHH okay, thanks for the love on this story so far, I am so grateful for that!!
Anyways I'm gonna go because it's very late for me, don't forget to vote and comment if you liked this chapter. BYEEE <3