CHAPTER SEVEN ; THE SIXTY EIGHTH HUNGER GAMES
"this world is so hard on you because angels were not mean to live on earth."
— bridgett devoue
JUNIPER COULD NOT SLEEP, AND NEITHER COULD FINNICK. that was the reason the district four victor aimlessly wandered onto the district eight floor at eleven o'clock that night.
finnick stood outside juniper's door, his knuckles softly rapping against the wood. only moments later, the door was slowly opened to reveal the only girl he wanted to see. almost immediately, she stepped to the side to let him in. finnick walked straight to the bed, flinging himself onto the mattress with an exasperated sigh. juniper followed, moving to lay beside him. the tribute stared at the ceiling, breathing shakily.
finnick turned to face her on his side, propping his head up with his hand. his eyes scanned across her features, taking in her distraught expression. "you need to sleep." he spoke, voice raspy with tiredness. juniper quickly glanced at him before looking back to the ceiling. "i don't believe that's possible." she whispered, attempting to clear the scared tone from her words. he sighed in response, shutting his eyes momentarily.
"just try, okay? i wanted to come check on you, to see you before the — the games." he explained, sitting up. "i'll leave you be, juniper. please get some rest. remember, you've gotta come back. you need to win." he pressed goodbye kisses to both of her cheekbones before standing. "good luck."
as he advanced towards the door with heavy footsteps and a heavy heart, juniper spoke up. "please stay." she stared at him with pleading eyes, beginning to scratch the skin of her wrist. finnick's expression immediately softened and he was quick to join her back in the bed. his hands grasped her own, lacing their fingers together. he rested beside her, pulling the soft duvet over their bodies.
juniper curled into his side — needing some form of comfort. finnick responded by wrapping his arms tightly around her shaking form, whispering sweet nothings and words of encouragement in her ear. soon, they were both silent. juniper listened to the pounding of finnick's heart, her eyes shut tightly.
"i've grown attached to you, juniper rose." finnick whispered, a small laugh following. "in just a few short days, you've captured every one of my senses — i have one hundred thoughts and you are ninety nine of them." he confessed, stroking her hair. juniper relaxed against his chest. "and what's the final thought?" she inquired, her eyes peeking up at him. finnick sighed, staring back down at her. "it's about the arena — what it will look like and what it will hold." juniper didn't reply.
eventually, juniper drifted into a much needed sleep — the first peaceful sleep she had experienced since the reaping. finnick admired her relaxed features, fingertips brushing across her face and neck — leaving delicate touches. "win for me."
—
when juniper awoke the following morning, finnick was absent from her room. instead, porsha was ripping the blanket from her body and hermes was entering the room. juniper rubbed the sleepiness from her eyes, glancing up at the two capitol citizens in her room. it was game day.
the morning breakfast flew by too fast. juniper ate a healthy amount, making sure she was full and fueled. maddox, however, couldn't keep anything down. she pitied the small boy. in what felt like minutes, juniper and maddox were being taken to their prep rooms.
juniper sat on the metal table, staring at the tube that she would soon be inside of — the contraption moving her body up and into the arena. it taunted and terrified her. the door opened, and hermes walked inside. he held multiple articles of clothing, juniper shuddering. slowly, she dressed herself with the help of hermes.
she wore khaki colored pants and a long sleeved shirt that was navy in color. a black windbreaker with a red fleece lining was slid onto her body, along with black combat boots. hermes braided a few pieces of her hair back, leaving the rest down. he stood in front of her once finishing. "you've got this, juniper. i believe in you." although his words were kind, they didn't sound entirely sincere. after offering juniper a small smile, he left the room.
the door opened once again, cecelia entering — finnick behind her. his face fell at the sight of juniper in the arena outfit, his breath hitching. cecelia walked to the tribute, pulling her into a tight hug. "just keep fighting." she whispered, giving juniper a sad smile. looking between the male victor and tribute, cecelia sighed. "i'll leave you two alone for a moment."
after cecelia cleared out of the room, finnick rushed over to juniper. he pulled the brunette girl into his arms, letting out strangled breaths. holding her close, he kissed her head. juniper remained frozen in his arms, shock filling her senses. finnick moved his hands to her face, tilting her head up towards him. the first countdown began. "tributes — please enter the capsule. tributes — please enter the capsule." the automated voice repeated.
juniper finally met finnick's gaze, swallowing hard. she placed her hands on top of his, forcing herself to calm down. "i'll see you soon." finnick stated with the strongest voice he could muster, helping juniper off the metal table and towards the tube of doom. juniper weakly smiled in response, melting into his embrace for the final time. "goodbye, finnick." she whispered, pressing her hand against his heart. soon enough, cecelia and hermes were back inside the room. the female victor pulled finnick away, hermes helping juniper into the tube.
"good luck." cecelia said, juniper's eyes locked with finnick's. "don't break the promise, finnick." juniper spoke. before he could reply, the first countdown had ended and juniper was being lifted into the arena. the air left her lungs.
juniper immediately started scanning the area, breathing heavily as she did so. the ground was covered in dirt and grass, a few rocks and twigs here and there. the cornucopia was in the center of the circular clearing, full of weapons and supplies. backpacks and sleeping bags littered the ground leading to the cornucopia. the clearing ended where the thick, towering trees started. everything was green. the air was crisp and fresh.
juniper immediately looked around at the other tributes, letting out a sigh of relief when spotting alice to her left, only a pedestal away — the district ten male tribute between them. on her right was the district one female, a sickening grin on her face as she prepared to spill blood. it made juniper shiver.
a voice echoed throughout the arena, forcing juniper to realize how real her situation was. "ladies and gentleman, let the sixty eighth hunger games begin — and may the odds be ever in your favor!" the timer started to count down from ten.
ten — juniper looked for any nearby supplies.
nine — she eyed the position of her nearby opponents.
eight — breathe, breathe, breathe. just keep breathing.
seven — her eyes landed on a collection of knives and a backpack to her left.
six — juniper shifted her gaze over to alice.
five — she swallowed the thick lump in her throat.
four — her fists clenched at her sides, eyebrows furrowing.
three — alice.
two — finnick.
one — run.
juniper jumped from the pedestal and she ran.
—
seventh chapter ; completed and edited!
word count ; 1,260
let the games begin! i hope you liked this chapter, i'm super excited to right about the games. please vote, comment, and share! happy hunger games!
xx — criesinlahey