A/N: Ta-da! Here's chapter 9! This chapter explains Jack and Wayne's alliance, a bit about what's been happening in the Capitol back in Primrose's time and a bit of the epiphany is revealed! Enjoy!

Fair warning, there is one swear word in this, but when you read it you'll understand it's well within reason.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games or Rise of The Guardians (if anyone is still clinging onto the idea that I'm ripping off Jack Frost) :D

Chapter Nine-14- They're not the only ones

The frozen puddle shows me a reflection of myself. Ice blue eyes bore into me and snowy white skin glows. Silver hair falls over my face in the shape of that of an anime character. This is me now. For now anyway. I don't know when Mary Valceray dies. Zeb never said.

Jack, Wayne and I travelled far into the forest, snow falling in uniform drifts to the ground. We decided to rest by a pond with overhanging trees looming over it. I had put my hand into the water to wash my hands and accidently froze it over. That's how I ended up looking up at my own reflection in the water.

I wonder what Mary's life at home is like. Does she have a family? A boyfriend? All waiting for her to come home?

Jack is currently sitting on the high branch of a tree, swinging his legs back and forth while moving his staff around fluently, creating small snowflakes to dance around in the air in follow of the tip. Wayne still doesn't speak too much, only when nessicary. If Jack and Wayne made an alliance, why is there still so much tension between career and non-career?

Zeb sits beside me in the snow and looks at my reflection too.

"When does she die?" I ask him. He shakes his head at the question and avoids it with another question of his own. "How are you coping Prim?"

"As well as I probably can right now," I reply with a shrug, not bothering to push my primal question to him. "It's a bit awkward."

"What is?" Zeb asks.

"There's a kind of tension between Jack and Wayne," I answer. "And I feel like a third wheel."

Zeb laughs. "Well, you kind of are," he says.

"What?"

"The whole reason they made an alliance is because . . ." He pauses, biting his bottom lip as if mulling over what to say.

"Because . . . ?" I say.

"Cat and Newsey," Zeb states, averting his gaze from mine.

"What about them?"

"Cat and Newsey are open about their love for one and other. They don't care about the laws. They just want to be happy together," Zeb explains. "Some
people . . . aren't as accepting and open about who cupid decides to shoot in the ass for them."

"Where are you going with this Zeb?" I frown, looking at the spot in the ice where his reflection should be but all to be seen is the trees whistling in the wind behind.

"Wayne and Jack are both gay. Don't get me wrong, they're not homophobic, but they just can't admit to themselves that this is where their lives have went," Zeb explains. "They were able to deny it up until the point they met each other."

"Are . . . you saying they're . . . in love?" I ask.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying," Zeb says.

"I'm starting to feel a reoccuring theme," I say.

Amelia and Oswald. Will and Ionie. Now Jack and Wayne. Is this what the epiphany is about? Love?

"Partly," Zeb answers for me. I bite down the urge to tell him off for reading my thoughts again. "But not all."

"So, I've figured out one part of it then?" I ask. "Love?"

"Hidden Love. Your parents weren't the only ones to be 'star-crossed lovers.' They were just the only public ones. Nearly every single Games had a pivotal moment. A pivotal event," Zeb continues to explain. "Amelia dying ontop of her lover's body for example. Haymitch Abernathy tricking that girl at the very end of the Quarter Quell. Your parents and the nightlock berries. All pivotal, what all made that Games memorable."

"What is this Games' pivotal moment then?" I ask.

"Mary Valcery from District 12 bringing two boys together," Zeb answers. "And to finally admit their love for each other."

"Wh-what?!" I stammer, whipping my head round to look at him. "How can I do that?! They can barely look each other in the freakin' eye! Can't you just hit them with your arrow thing!?"

"No, not this time," Zeb replies with a shrug. "You have to do it."

"Why?!"

"Because that's what happens!" He sighs in exasperation. "Just go and use your amazing pursuaive skills to bring them together!"

"Because that's so easy!" I retort sarcastically.

"Just give it a go Mary," Zeb insists. He looks at me pleadinly.

I think for a moment, thinking up a way to be able to do this. "Zeb, what's Mary's life at home like? Is there anyone back there that she would miss deeply?"

"Yeah," Zeb says, confused by the question. "Her big sister Maybelle mainly. Her parents died of starvation and they both live with their grandfather. They aren't close to their grandfather really so it's mainly Maybelle she'd miss."

"Ok, right," I muse. "I think I can do this."

"Go ahead then," Zeb says. "I can't wait to see this."

"Wait to you see this for acting Zeb," I grin. "Get your Oscar ready."

I crawl round the frozen pond and huddle up beside a tree a couple metres away from the one Jack and Wayne are seaten at.

I need to cry. Pretend I'm missing Maybelle. Show them that they should hold onto whatever they've got before it disappears on them.

Making myself cry though isn't as simple as I first anitcipated though. I try thinking of the positon I'm in but that doesn't work. What can I think of?

I'm suddenly thinking of Maurice. My Maurice. Suffering the same fate as his father just because he looks like him. It's not fair. Nothing's fair. I miss holding him, hugging him, kissing him, telling him I love him . . . I just want to be in his arms again.

My eyes blur.

Kaliana. Oh poor Kaliana. Lynn told her in excruiating detail about Zeb's death. She recorded the reaction and sent it to all the Capitol updater's as if it was some joke to be laughed at.

~xXx~

I was sitting on a bench in District 7 with Johanna when they sent it. The updater beeped in my pocket and flashed red. I pulled it out and opened up the video Lynn sent out.

The video plays and shows Kaliana sitting in a room, persumably in the Capitol., with her head hanging low and her red hair covering her face. She's not strapped down or tied up or restricted in any way. She's just sitting there. Her stomach is quite round now and the baby bump is very notciable. Lynn then comes into view, flanked by two peacekeepers.

"Aah Kaliana, how are you today?" She asked her. Kaliana gave her a glare that could crack a mirror. "Aw, cat got your tongue?" Lynn teased. The glare deepened. "Well, I just thought I should give you my condolences anyway so you don't need to speak to me."

Kaliana raised her head. "Condolences?" she asked. Her voice was weak and tired, but her eyes were still strong, showing she still had a spark of fight left in her.

"Oh, haven't you heard?" Lynn asked, a grin spreading across her face. "About
your. . . friend?"

"Primrose?" Kaliana asked, her eyes widening in worry.

"Oh, no, no, no," Lynn said, shaking her head. "Your. . .what did Aliya call him? Your darling Zeb?"

Kaliana's whole posture straightens up at the sound of his name. "What about him?" she nearly growled.

"So sad," Lynn mused. "So much talent and life."

"What's happened?" Kaliana asked in a panic.

"I guess it was going to happen at one point," Lynn continued, ignoring Kaliana completely.

"What has fucking happened?!" Kaliana shouted at her.

The swearing caught me off just as much as it did Lynn. The President looked shocked for a moment before she shook her head and sighed. "Heart Failure, so sad. The Cancer finally got the better of him."

Kaliana held a steely look for a moment, not even blinking. "Your lying," she stated.

"Tragically, no, I'm not," Lynn shrugged. "Young Zeb is dead."

"Your lying," Kaliana repeated.

"Little Gale has stopped sending Chemotherapy and because of that Zeb's heart gave out," Lynn explained.

"YOUR LYING!" Kaliana screamed, standing up and kicking the chair over. "HE'S NOT GONE! HE CAN'T BE GONE!" She covered her face with her hands and screamed into them. "NO!"

Slowly sinking to the ground she began to sob, her body shaking and her tears pooling on the ground.

Lynn stood over her and watched on with a grin on her face. "In the basement of the house of Beetra Teatry in District 5, a day after you and your friends were taken into the custody of the Capitol, Zeb Walls died."

"He's not dead," Kaliana whispered, the tears seeping through her hands and soaking her skin.

"Of something so simple too. A tired heart. So sad. So tragic," Lynn mused.

"No, no, no," Kaliana whimperd.

"In your own home district too," Lynn sighed.

Kaliana slowly dragged her hands down her face and pushed herself off of the floor. "Your not going to break me," she hissed, her hand resting on her stomach. "Your not going to make me fall apart. I'm going to stay strong for our baby. He would want that. Whether your telling the turth or not, I'am going to stay strong." Her voice wobbled and cracked but she still held her ground.

Lynn laughed and nudged a Peacekeeper. The man nodded and walked over to Kaliana and grabbed her arms and pinned them behind her back. "I guess your right," Lynn said with an evil grin. "You'll mourn, you'll weep. But what if I took the one thing you have left?"

"What are you talking about?" Kaliana hissed, struggling to get out of the Peacekeeper's grip. Lynn's eyes fall upon Kaliana's rounded stomach and chuckled. Kaliana follows her gaze and screams, struggling even harder. Lynn turned round and went to the cell door just as a dozen Capitol Doctors poured in. "Iniciate Project Infant," she told the head Doctor. Kaliana screamed even louder as a syringe was stuck into her arm and she dropped unconcious.

And the video went to static.

~xXx~

A single tear drips down my eye and I sniffle, wiping my nose with the back of my hand. They've done something to the baby. Zeb and Kaliana's baby. And I don't know what. I suddenly worry that Zeb has heard me thinking about that but when I look to see if he has, I notice that he's not even sitting by the pond anymore.

My eyes then move and rest upon Jack and Wayne, who are still not even meeting each other's gaze. Zeb said that they're the oppisote of Cat and Newsey. Cat screamed at me that she had a girlfriend when she was trying to prove to me that she didn't do what she did to Zeb by her own free will. There wasn't a hint of shame or disgust in her voice when she did so. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that Cat is proud of her relationship with Newsey. I hope someday I'll get to meet Newsey. If I can ever figure out this epiphany and end this seeminly endless war.

Mum. Dad. Gale. The thought of them alone brings a waterfall of tears that I can't stop. And once I've started I can't end it. I put my hands over my eyes and take deep breaths that end up being short and wobbly. I gasp for air but it doesn't help as I see mum laughing, dad baking, Gale grinning the grin that he only had on when he had gotten away with something bad. I never realized how much I'd missed them when I was spending all that time in District 7 with Johanna until now. Oh my god I miss them so much!

"Mary? Mary are you alright?" A voice suddenly asks. I keep up the act and let out an 'uncontrollable' sob. "Oh Mary!" I'm suddenly enclosed in cold arms. "Everything's going to be OK." It sounds like Jack. It's probably Jack.

"I miss her so much," I cry, clutching onto his hoodie.

"Miss who?" Jack asks.

"May-Maybelle," I whisper. "My sister. I'm never going to see her again!"

"Hey, you don't know that," Jack replies. "You could win!"

I laugh and wipe a stray tear. "Sure Jack, I'll win!" I reply sarcastically.

"You could do," Jack insists. "Your smart. You did stand up to Saph in the training center."

I open my mouth to ask 'did I?' but then I close it again because that would be stupid.

"Mary was never known for patience," Zeb explains in my head. "Saph pushed her too far on the second day of training and she threw an axe at her head. It missed her ear by inches."

"Brave," I think.

"Mary actually was. That's why she's known as the bravest District 12 tribute. Remember?"

"Oh yeah."

"I also miss Maurice," I say as Mary.

"Who's Maurice?" Jack asks.

"Prim, what are you doing?"

"My boyfriend," I whisper. The danger of lying like this is that there probably isn't anyone in District 12 called Maurice. "He's from the Merchant part of town."

I hope Jack isn't a Merchant.

"You've gotten lucky Prim, Jack's from the Seam," Zeb answers for me.

Well that's a relief.

"I wish I could just see him one more time," I whisper sadly. "Tell him I love him one more time. Show him that no matter what I always will. Now I can't."

Jack sighs and pats my back. "I'm sorry Mary."

"I mean, we barely even held hands! We were both too scared to actknowledge our feelings for each other!" I sob. "Now I wish I did. The oppurtunity has slipped through my hands!"

Through my fuzzy vision and misty eyes I make out Wayne looking at me curiously, a frown of deep thought and confusion engraved on his face.

"I'll never get to show him how I feel," I mumble, quieter this time.

"Maybe he's watching," Jack says.

"Oh yeah and this is how I wanted him to find out!" I snap, shaking myself free of his embrace. "Trapped in the Hunger Games with no way out with stupid frosty powers like Jack friggin' FROST!"

"We're all going through this you know," Jack says, his eyes saddening.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure you all are!" I snap back.

"It's not easy you know," Wayne says, startling us both with his sudden vocal apperance in the conversation.

"Oh and I'm sure you'd know," I hiss acidly. "A career that got reaped? Oh poor diddums got his dream come true!"

I'm walking on a tiperope now, in danger of snapping the string and making myself fall. The only way I can get to them both is to be mean like this though.

"I didn't want to get reaped!" Wayne snaps. "It happens to us all! No-one seemed to have the guts to volunteer this time! Or do you think it's maybe because they knew I didn't want to go in and decided to get rid of me when they could?"

"You wanted to get reaped," I wave off, my tears drying up in the cool air.

"No I didn't!" Wayne replies. "Why would I want to get reaped?!"

"Your from 4!" I reply.

"That doesn't mean we're all bloodthirsty people who want to get reaped every year!" Wayne retorts back.

"You'll survive then," I say. "The careers always do!"

"No I won't!" Wayne sighs. "I can't."

"And why not?" I snap. "No girl back home to go back to? I bet you don't even know what love feels like!"

"Yes I do!" Wayne yells. "You think your having it bad, having left your love back home? I've been shoved into the Games with mine!"

"Oh please!" I faux laugh. "I don't think your in love with Saph!"

"It's not Saph! Lord no!" Wayne replies.

"Who then?" I challenge.

"I can't say."

"Then they don't exist," I conclude.

"You can't just make that assumption!" Wayne protests.

"Watch me! They don't exist! I bet they're like an imaginary friend or something!" I say.

Wayne bursts out laughing. "Your one to talk! You've got District 12 fever! You talk to your imaginary friends all the time!"

"They're not imaginary friends!" I snap.

"Are you trying to say they're real people?" Wayne replies.

"Yes! No! Wait . . . what?"

"Thought so," Wayne says.

"OK, that's it," I sigh, giving up on the sublte attempt. "Just admit it!"

"Admit what?" Wayne frowns, confused.

"You too!" I say, turning and pointing at Jack.

"What?" Jack asks, a frown of his own forming on his face.

"I'm sick of the tension," I moan. "Just . . . you know. . . admit you love each other!"

Both boys look stunned for a moment.

"You're . . . you're derranged!" Jack manages in splutter out unconvincinly.

"Am I?" I ask, turning to look Wayne in the eye.

The look is Wayne's eyes could stop a clock. It's directed right at me and he knows that I know it. In his eyes I can see that he knows that I know he loves Jack.

Jack's eyes ping pong between us both in confusion. He's the one who has no idea what so ever of what's happening.

"There's nothing wrong with it," I say. "Your in the Games now. If there's even the tiniest chance that I'am right, act on it. Before it's too late. No matter what, only one person can survive in the end."

I'm speaking sense. I know I'am. Wayne knows I'am and if Jack knew what was happening, he'd probably know I'am too.

Speaking of Jack, he's just stood up and is walking away into the forest. I silently panic and look back at Wayne, whose still staring at me.

"Go to him," I mouth at him.

Wayne seems to be mulling it over for a moment while Jack gets further and further away. I've almost given up hope when he jumps to his feet and marches off in the same direction as Jack.

I spin round on the spot and watch as Wayne goes up to Jack, grabs him by the shoulder and spins him round. I squint as they talk silently for a moment to each other before Wayne grabs Jack by his hoodie and kisses him.

"See Zeb, I knew I could do it!" I say truimphantly.

"Oh yeah, now you say you knew you could do it," Zeb says as he comes out of the trees to my right.

"Well, I did," I reply.

"Primrose, I can read your thoughts, remember?"

"Oh shut up!" I snap. "So, are we one step closer?"

"One . . . baby step closer," Zeb concludes.

"Oh yes, that certainly brings my spirit up," I scoff. "You could have just said yes!"

"But then I would have been lying," Zeb shrugs. "You need to discover the point of the love part of the epiphany if you want to take the full step."

"The point of it?"

"Yes, the point of it."

"How?"

"Use that brain that I know you have!"

" . . . "

"You and I both know it's there so think!" Zeb says. "Oh, and you might as well think out loud because I'll hear you anyway."

"Uh . . . OK," I frown. "Love, love, love. . ."

"Yeah, you know, some real I will always love yoooouu! stuff," Zeb helps.

Hey, he's not that bad a singer.

"Thank you," Zeb grins.

"Your . . . welcome?" I reply. Urgh, I'll never get used to this!

"It'll get easier," Zeb shrugs.

"Shut up!" I say, putting my hands over my ears. "La La La La La La LAAAAA!"

"You know, doing that just means you can't hear me, doesn't mean I can't hear you!"

I drop my hands and glare at him. "Just let me mull this over for a moment without you listening in!"

"Ok, I'll compromise," Zeb sighs. "I can't not listen in because that's impossible. When you think something it rings in my ears as if you said it out loud, so, I'll go for a while, I'll come back, and you tell me what you've come up with. OK?"

"OK," I mumble.

"OK, good," Zeb says. "I'll see you later." With that, he's gone.

Ok, now I have some room to think.

Love. People loved each other in the games? The way the Capitol got on you'd think my parents were the first star crossed lovers of the Hunger Games. Is this all because these tributes of the Games aren't remembered by the people of my era? Or my parents era? Is that why they thought that my parents were so special being the star-crossed lovers of District 12? They couldn't remember Amelia and Oswald and Will and Ionie from Games 31 or Wayne and Jack from here?

Hold on, no. That's not it. Zeb said that these were pivotal moments. The people knew they were all in love. Did they make my parents famous for the love because they survived? No-one who I've seen so far in love have survived the Games.

"Publicity Prim," Zeb says, once again appearing beside me.

"What?" I ask.

"The Capitol only notices what's big and fancy and glittering. Made public into something big and important. They chose not to remember Amelia or Oswald. Will and Ionie not even considered worth remembering. They probably have completely forgotten Jack and Wayne. Your parents are remembered because they were the next big celebrity couple."

"That's . . . awful," I reply. "All these people. These people who loved each other are forgotten just because they were said not to be worth it?!"

"Yes," Zeb replies. "Amelia and Oswald are forgotten. Will and Ionie are forgotten. Jack and Wayne are forgotten. Kaliana and I will be forgotten."

I see the sadness in his eyes and I know what he's thinking. "Zeb, she's going to be alright."

"You keep saying that," Zeb replies. "And yet there's a Project Infant?"

"You heard that?" I whisper.

"Of course I heard it," Zeb mutters. "You should get some sleep Primrose."

"But-"

"You'll be needing it."

I study his face for a moment and I realize he needs some time alone. "OK Zeb."

Lying on my back in the grass, the cool strands of grass tickling my skin, I think of the happy times. The times when I believed everything was OK and that there was nothing corrupted about the world around me. That I was truely safe.

And that is where sleep finds me.

A/N: I know, I know, fluffly, sad and dramatic rolled into one. I wanted to put a warning for homophobes at the start but I thought that would give Jack and Wayne's alliance away. Plus, if you read the previous fic and stuck around through Cat and Newsey then why wouldn't you root for Jack and Wayne then as well?

Anyway, they've discovered one part of the epiphany, what's next? Will Prim/Mary die or survive? What is Project Infant? Stick around to find out ;)

Reviewers get cupcakes! :D