Hunger Games short stories/headcannons

Foxface (Juniper) Two

Nitch and I parted ways, him into the boy's line, and me into the girl's. I felt strange without him. It had been a year since we had parted ways like this, unsure if the next time we would see the other person was in a visitation room. I didn't feel like that could happen. I didn't feel like anything could touch me, even the Hunger Games.

"Juniper Brant."

I was dead wrong.

They always do this. When you feel like your safe the Capitol finds a way to push you back down again. If you have enough food, suddenly the tesserae is smaller. If you have enough sleep, you suddenly need to work at night. It's always something. This time I felt indestructable, and they were sending me to a place where I would die.

Typical. 

I try to find Nitch's face in the crowd, but he is no where, so I walk up the stairs without a reassuring gaze. Then I stand on the stage, and it is suddenly much easier to find him, staring up at me, not looking as strong as he usually does. My heart pangs. But I will not cry.

He hold my gaze, and I don't hear the boy name get called, and I don't see him as I shake his hand. All I see is myself, in the Hunger Games. 

I'm not strong. I'm not talented. I'm not a fighter. But I am a strategist. Maybe if I can just figure it out. I shake my head. There is no way I can figure this out now, without knowing what the arena looks like.

I find myself in the visitation room with Nitch's arms around me. I feel his heartbeating against mine. But we are silent for what seems like hours. It seems to him that I am cold, bitter even, but in reality my heart is shattering. We were so close to happiness and now I'm going to die.

"You are not going to die."

"What?" I say, then realizing I said the last part out loud I blush.

"You are not going to die. You are the smartest person I know, you will find a way out."

"There is no way out, without killing." 

"Make them forget you," he says, "Make them fight eachother down until there is only one, and he will think your gone and that is when you can kill someone."

"Sounds like your the smart one to me"

He rolls his eyes. "Maybe I am."

"No you're not."

"We don't have this." He says, but his voice is amused.

"I don't want to kill anyone."

"Well, to get out you'll have to kill at least one person. And you are getting out. Otherwise I won't survive, in here" He holds his hand over his heart.

I nod. I will do it, for him. For my brother, who is already gone, and for my mother and father that will miss me.

I will win, and I will only kill one person.