SHE HAD GALAXIES IN HER EYES,
AND ELECTRICITY CRACKLED WITHIN HER.
[finnick odair x oc
i do not own the hunger games.
tw ; blood, death, depression, mentions of suicide, sexual themes]
CHAPTER ELEVEN ; THE GIRL FROM DISTRICT FIVE "pain shapes a woman into a warrior." — r.h. sin
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THE SECOND DAY SLOWLY PASSED. soon enough, it was nightfall. juniper and alice hadn't moved camp, but managed to catch a rabbit for dinner and made a small fire. another cannon sounded that afternoon, only ten tributes left.
juniper ate the meat from the bone, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. once finished, she placed the bone in a pile with the others — letting out a small sigh. the girl was exhausted, she had been awake for nearly seventy two hours. she knew she wouldn't make it much longer — and alice could tell. "you should sleep, juniper." alice spoke softly, smiling at the girl.
"only for a little while, wake me up if anything alarms you." with that, juniper closed her eyes and was out like a light. she had a horrible dream.
juniper was facing the district ten tributes, staring at their backs. soon enough, the blade embedded itself in the girl's skull. suddenly, juniper was holding the male tribute down, slitting his throat. however, when she looked down at her victims face — finnick stared up at her with lifeless eyes.
she gasped for air as she awoke an hour later, clutching her chest as she struggled to catch her breath. alice quickly looked over, jumping from the sudden movements and sounds created by the brunette girl. juniper licked her lips, trying to sort out her troublesome thoughts. "i'm alright, alice." she whispered, shutting her eyes tightly. "it was just a bad dream." alice didn't question it any further.
the two girls sat in silence under the starry skies. juniper held a dagger in her hand with a tight grip, the small fire crackling only a few feet away. alice was drawing in the mud with a stick, the two tributes unable to sleep any longer. juniper's head quickly turned to the side from an alarming noise, eyes scanning the area. she immediately extinguished the fire, looking to alice. "we need to move again, okay?" juniper said, standing up. alice followed, copying her movements.
the fire they had extinguished suddenly lit once again, juniper's eyes widening. she quickly picked up the pack, throwing it over her shoulder. she pushed alice away from the blaze, watching as the fire began to spread. "run, alice. run!" the blonde turned, sprinting in the opposite direction. juniper followed after her, the flames licking at her heels. she let out a scream in agony, fighting the pain from the burns as best as she could. she needed to be strong.
"keep going, go go go." juniper shouted, turning her head to peek behind her. the flames enveloped the surrounding trees, branches beginning to fall. juniper covered her head and neck as she ran, small twigs snapping off of the trees and crashing down onto the girls. her calves ached and lungs heaved, but she didn't stop running. alice was only a few yards ahead, the young blonde swiftly moving along the forest ground.
juniper was sweating from the closeness of the flame, beads of sweat dripping down her face and neck. her throat burned from the smoke, eyes red and squinted. thankfully, only fifty yards in the distance, the familiar river was visible. juniper quickened her pace, moving as fast as she possibly could. alice stormed into the river first, taking cover from the burning trees that were tumbling. juniper stumbled into the water, the coolness of the liquid soothing the burns on her legs.
she turned her head, watching as the fire refused to cross over the river. her face was illuminated with an amber glow, a shocked look on her face. she continued to stand in the river, managing to tear her eyes away from the disaster before her. juniper focused on her calves, the fabric of her pants melted and red, charred skin staring back at her. she let out shaky breaths, the adrenaline fading from her senses. all she could feel was pain.
juniper held back her tears, small whimpers of discomfort leaving her chapped lips. she submerged her legs further into the water, leaning down to splash the soot off of her face. alice joined her in the water, the girls cleaning the ash from their skin and clothes. juniper pulled out the extra coat from her pack, cutting strips out of the fabric. she loosely wrapped her calves after exiting the water, taking deep breaths as the angry burn reacted negatively to the touch of her hands and fabric.
juniper slowly sat down, the moon illuminating her surroundings. the flames disappeared just as quick as they ignited, the only proof of a fire being the charred trees. alice walked over, sitting beside juniper. the young blonde coughed, her lungs irritated from the smoke. with her chest heaving, juniper stared up at the moon. "make it through the night, juniper." she whispered, alice looking over. the younger tribute furrowed her eyebrows, leaning her head on juniper's shoulder in exhaustion. without warning, both girls slipped into a slumber.
juniper woke to the sound of cannons — two of them. eight tributes left. the career pack being the majority of them. she quickly rubbed her eyes, looking around in worry. she shook alice awake before standing, her legs unbelievably sore and her neck cramped. juniper stretched her limbs, looking down at the burns she had received. walking to the river, she soaked them once again before replacing the makeshift bandage.
alice drank from the water, looking up at juniper. "what's the plan for today?" the blonde asked, juniper glancing over. "surviving." she whispered, gulping. "let's head this way." she motioned in the direction towards the cornucopia — hoping to figure out where the career pack was camping. alice agreed and the two girls began their hike.
juniper ran her fingers along the tops of another patch of wildflowers, alice a few yards behind her. she looked around in wonder, continuing to be shocked by the arena she found herself in. she smiled to herself at the sight of a butterfly, the small creature landing on her finger.
juniper was captivated by the bug's beauty, abruptly turning around to show alice what she had discovered. the air escaped her lungs and the butterfly flew from her hand. the district five female tribute pulled her sword from alice's torso, a sick grin on her face as she held eye contact with juniper. a look of terror was displayed on alice's features, her frail body dropping to the ground.
juniper narrowly dodged the sword flying through the air, anger and grief filling her senses. she was tackled to the ground by the district five tribute, her face receiving punch after punch. juniper's eyes were on alice, and then she snapped.
juniper flipped the attacker onto her back with a strength she wasn't aware she possessed. she began to hit the girl as hard as she could, rage clouding her thoughts and judgement. after the tenth blow, juniper grabbed the tributes shirt and pulled her up. suddenly, juniper placed her hands on the girl's neck and twisted. the sound of a crack and the echo of a cannon confirmed the death of alice's murderer.
juniper immediately turned to alice, crawling over. the hot tears began to fall, mixing with blood and dirt on her face. alice was struggling to breath, her beautiful eyes staring up at the sky. juniper immediately pulled alice's head into her lap, staring down at her with a quivering lip.
"alice . . ."
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eleventh chapter completed & edited! word count ; 1,276
