chapter thirty-five

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—— FIRE ON FIRE
chapter thirty-five: prisoners

     LILIA WOKE WITH A sharp gasp, her eyes snapping open to complete darkness

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LILIA WOKE WITH A sharp gasp, her eyes snapping open to complete darkness. Panic quickly rushed through her as she tried to make sense of her surroundings. The air was cold, filling with the scent of mold and something metallic. Her hands reached out instinctively, feeling rough stone walls on either side of her.

The girl tried to sit up, but her body felt weak, her muscles aching as if they hadn't moved in days. Slowly, she rolled onto her side, trying her best to gather her strength.

"You're awake," a voice called from the darkness.  "Took you long enough."

Lilia stiffened, recognizing the voice immediately. Johanna Mason. She felt a surge of anger rush through her, the memory of their last encounter still fresh. Johanna had attacked her during the Games, leaving her for dead.

"Johanna, what the hell is going on?" Lilia demanded. "Where are we?"

Johanna stepped forward into the dim light, her face pale, her hair shaved down to nearly nothing. She looked beaten, but a small smirk appeared on her face.

"Capitol cells," Johanna replied. "In case you didn't notice, they're not treating us to the luxury suites anymore..."

The girl trailed off, studying Lilia's appearance before continuing, "You've been out for a while. They don't bother telling you how long. But judging by how they dragged you in here, must've been a good few days."

The words hit Lilia like a punch to the gut. Days. The Capitol. She remembered the arena collapsing, but everything after that was a blur.

"What did you do?" Lilia finally asked.

Johanna raised an eyebrow, clearly offended by the question.

"Me?" Johanna spat. "You think this is my fault?"

"You attacked me!" Lilia snapped, forcing herself up onto shaky legs. "You knocked me out, and now I'm stuck in a cell because of you!"

"I was keeping you alive, sweetheart," Johanna defended, rolling her eyes. "You weren't supposed to know about the rebellion."

Lilia's breath caught in her throat.

"Rebellion?" Lilia asked. "What rebellion?"

Johanna sighed, leaning back against the wall.

"Figures no one told you. You were too focused on surviving the Games to notice what was really going on. The Capitol's cracking down because there's a full-blown war going on out there. District 13, the rebels, they're trying to take down Snow. And you, well, you were just a pawn in their game, like the rest of us."

Lilia stared at Johanna, her anger slowly changing into disbelief.

"A rebellion? You attacked me because of a rebellion? I could've died!"

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