Hey all! I'm sorry I've been churning out chapters so slowly, but it's getting more complicated as I try to figure out exactly how I'm executing this story. I appreciate all the reviews and wanna thank all of you that are still sticking by. I promise that by the time Lilly gets in the arena ( which is about two chapters away), chapters will go up much faster.
Enough of my talk, read! And remember, everything happens for a purpose~
Juniper Lee was here.
Juniper Lee is here.
For heaven's sakes, Juniper Lee is here!
When I'm brought to the opposite side of the staging area, my team is waiting for me, somewhat apprehensive. Cashmere is the first to approach me and grabs my arm, smiling.
"Wouldn't have done it better," She said. I grin, and Cinna nods, agreeing.
"Not to shabby," He compliments, putting his hand on my shoulder, "A little hard core, but still good."
I suddenly start to shake. "I- I need to- my sister -"
"Look!" Cornelia shrieks, pointing to one of the many plasma screens lining the hallway, "It's Demetrius!"
Cashmere, Gloss, and Cornelia all gravitate towards the screen, but I grab Cinna's arm and lead him back. In a hushed tone, I bring him closer to me and let it out.
"Cinna, my sister is here. Why is she here?"
"I know," He answers, "This isn't good. Snow wouldn't allow this to happen for any other tribute-"
"But we're family," I say, "It can't count, can it?"
"You have a point."
We look over and see everyone watching as Demetrius flexes for the audience. Caesar and the crowd are in awe. Again, Cinna and I turn to each other.
"What have I done?" I say, panicking, "I just bought myself a slide on the memoriam slides in the arena!"
"Now, now, maybe it's like Caesar said. Maybe she's really here on business, but she snagged a ticket. They sell them, you know, it's not new."
I nod, trying to convince myself that that's it.
"Cinna, I just need to talk to her. Her face, it was-"
"And what about Lillianne?"
I freeze, no words escaping my mouth. Caesar Flickerman was talking about me now. I turned to the screen, not moving my position entirely, and saw as Demetrius chuckled, ruffling his hair.
"Lillianne? She's…well, she's my district partner."
The camera cuts to Caesar. "I don't believe it for a second, folks. Look at that smile!" The camera cuts to Demetrius, and he is, indeed, smiling. Back to Caesar, "There must be more. Tell me, is there…history?"
The crowd is curious now, making a loud "Oh" and drowning it out. Demetrius gives them a genuine smile.
"Well, we have known each other since she moved to One." He replies. That's true, I think to myself.
"Come on," Caesar urges, "Details! You two were very friendly with each other when the cameras were around!"
The crowd is getting anxious now and urge him to speak as well. Demetrius sighs.
"Well…Lillianne and I…Lillianne's more than a friend to me."
My body shuts down, and subconsciously I make my way to the television, joining my mentors and escort. My eyes are fixated on whatever else comes out of Demetrius's mouth.
"One could say that…" he pauses, "I really like her."
The crowd gasps. My eyes widen.
"And I know that it's going to be okay because…she likes me too."
Demetrius wasn't joking on the train. He had something up his sleeve.
And he was executing it now.
Caesar is surprised. "You sound awfully confident, Demetrius."
Demetrius gives him a mischievous smile. "Caesar, I'm more than sure. I've known for a while."
Another audible gasp. Caesar leans forward. "Has she…confided in you?"
"More than that," He explains. He pauses again. "She's my girlfriend."
I want to throw up. I want to punch the television. I want to just die.
That was the farthest thing from the truth anybody could ever say about us!
"Your girlfriend!" Caesar bellows, clearly surprised. "Now we're getting somewhere!"
The crowd applauds. Caesar continues.
"And what's it like? With Lillianne?"
"Lilly…she's brilliant. She's smart, she's funny, she's caring. She has her head and her heart in the right place. I love her with every fiber of my being. She's just…incredible."
But my heart starts to race, the last thing I want to happen.
"That little-"
The buzzer sounds. The crowd wants more. Caesar has to calm them down before he lets Demetrius go.
And then its over.
He bounds over to us from the stage, satisfied. Gloss claps in triumph.
"You did great!" He says, "Exactly like we planned it!"
A shiver goes down my spine. "You…knew?"
Gloss nods, patting Demetrius on the back. "Of course. It was, though, Demetrius's idea."
I turn to the liar himself, furious. He smiles sheepishly.
"Hey, babe."
"You lied about me, about us. To the entire country!" I got closer to him, "You've made me your fake girlfriend for sponsors? Who the hell do you think you are! Finnick Odair!"
"Hey, I'm only telling my side of the story, remember?" He emphasizes on his last word, to make it clear that its part of some motive.
"Now, now, let's go back to the room to watch the rest of the interviews," Cornelia interjects, seeing the growing tension "A commercial is about to go on, and we can go." The mentors agree, talking amongst each other. Cinna eyes me cautiously, trying to decipher me. Demetrius takes my hand before we embark back to the Tribute Apartments.
"Hey," He says quietly. I take my hand back.
"What are you doing?" I whisper furiously.
"What I have to do to keep you alive." He whispers back quickly. I scoff.
"Alive? Please, you're only helping yourself, making me your personal idiot!"
"That's not true!" He replies, putting his hands on my shoulder.
"It is! You know very well it is, and I have every right to- MM!"
Demetrius crashes his lips onto mine, and my eyes widen, not really sure what's going on. I look in front to see Demetrius kissing me now, the second time we've been in the Capitol, the second time in - well, ever. Gaining my senses back and remembering I was ranting at him for what he's doing to me at the moment, I slap his arm and push him away from me.
"What- why did you do that!" I say loudly. He sighs.
"Don't you get it! I meant every word I said up there!" Demetrius replies. I laugh.
"Last time I checked, I wasn't your girlfriend. You don't - or didn't, I don't know - like me!"
"Trust me, please." He urges, trying to lace his fingers into mine. I bite my lip.
"Why should I trust you?" I ask.
"Because I trust you." He answered.
"Lillianne?"
Our heads turn to the person calling my name. Cornelia's back, only with a different look in her face.
"Yeah?" I ask, taking my hand back again.
She looks behind me, and I turn as well to see two large men in black suits and guns in their belts.
"Your…the president has allowed you an audience with your sister." Cornelia answers.
Being led like a prisoner with two security guards at my side, we wove through the underground tunnels of the arena we did our interviews in for a good ten minutes. I'm missing the interviews, but somehow it doesn't really matter to me. At the moment, I just want to see my sister.
And to apologize for whatever else is going to happen that's probably my fault.
I'm shoved into a room that's fairly similar to beauty base zero, back when I first got to the capitol, only it has a television screen with the interview on, a fluffily rug in the center, and two rounded couches facing each other.
The door closes behind me, but I know the guards are still here when they ask another person outside for clearance.
I shuffle to the center of the room, feeling the weight of my dress for the first time, the back fabric dragging until I reached the center. I look to the screen and saw District 6's girl tribute, as the title on the bottom of the screen suggested. She's in a short silver dress, a bit too tight for her, and her name is Agatha. The title said she was 13.
Thirteen.
"Make it quick, Snow."
The door closes as quickly as I hear those words, and I see my sister. She's wide- eyed and shaking, her knees turned inward and visible by her short white dress of lace. She's tired, I can see that- even the questionable amount of coverup under her eyes was a dead giveaway. We stare at each other for a little while, not sure what to say.
"June?"
"Lilly!"
We crash into eachother's arms, and I bury my face into her shoulder, not caring if my make up is smearing or that I'm getting blue dye on her white dress.
"Lilly - I - I can't believe -" Juniper's balling, and I feel her tears fall onto my bare shoulder.
"June, what' going on?" I quickly say, trying to not cry. I had to stay strong, for now. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I'm just happy - Happy to-" She stops and cries more. I sigh, pulling away. With a scan of her face, I shake my head.
"You and I both know that's not it." I say, gripping her shoulders. Even if I had heels on, my sister was taller - with heels as well - and her head hung down.
"They told me not to tell you." She whispered. I bit my lip.
"I'm your sister. It's okay."
She shakes her head slowly. I sigh again.
"Did you get fired?" I ask.
She shakes her head.
"Did someone die?"
She shakes her head again.
I slump my shoulders down. What could be bothering my sister so much? And why couldn't she tell me? And who said she couldn't?
"It's dad."
I look up at her to see her now distant eyes staring at the wall. I shake her to look at me.
"What about dad, June?" I question, my voice shaking a bit.
"He…he took the bag."
I tensed.
"What bag?" I ask cautiously.
Her eyes meet mine again. "The bag."
My throat goes dry. He took the bag.
It was a few years ago. Juniper had just gotten her start at stardom as a model in the Capitol. Mom's business was at it's all time high. Dad had just signed a deal with District Three and District Six to make a new subway system for the city. And I had finally gotten my parents to let me run in track for school.
But it wasn't what it seemed.
Mom and Dad were starting to hit patches in their marriage, and it went downhill when Dad cheated on Mom. The worst part was that I knew beforehand what was going on.
And I didn't tell mom.
Besides that, after his infidelity, mom and dad didn't want to be near each other. My mother worked as did my dad, and while we lived together, my dad threatened to leave with a bag at the door, full of papers and important documents that he might need, as well as clothes and items he used. It's been there ever since.
And now it wasn't, along with my father.
"Maybe - Maybe he went on an emergency business trip, June." I quickly answer. "He - he wouldn't take the bag."
"That's not all, Lilly." She says quietly. A tear escapes her eye. "Mom's gone too."
I stumble back a bit. "Wait…what?"
She rubs her elbow. "I - I don't know, they had this argument after the reaping and then PeaceKeepers came to the house and they started shouting so I went downstairs and they grabbed me and then they sat us all down n the dining room and they started to question us about 'treason' and 'teaming up' and 'rebellion' and a bunch of other words that I don't know and then they left and mom lost it - like LOST IT - and dad got a phone call and just left! Mom had another breakdown and grabbed her stuff and left too, and she just left me alone, no warning, no explanation - nothing! Before she got in the car I yelled at her, I was like "What about Lillianne!" And she just started to cry and left!"
Somewhere in the middle of her breathless story, my mouth dropped open. When she finished, it took me a while to let it sink in.
Rebellion? Treason? Peacekeepers? Left? Gone?
This was my fault. This was all my fault.
"June - I'm so sorry!" I hug her again. She sniffles and wriggles a bit under my embrace.
"Sorry? You were gone, what could you have done?"
"It's all my fault, the peacekeepers, the rebellion, you being here- all because I got brave!" I cried, "I'm sorry, maybe if I just die in the Cornucopia they'll get off your back, and mom and dad can come back and-"
"You- what did you do?" She says, "You've done nothing wrong!"
I pull back, grabbing her shoulders. "Don't you see? Open your eyes, Juniper! Me getting reaped is the cause of this! All of it! And grandfather could care less, what with his stupid obsession over-"
"Lilly!" Juniper shouts, appaled.
"He wouldn't help me, June!" I shout at her. "He wants me to die to calm down this rebellion!"
She's silent. The doorknob jiggles frantically, and a surly security guard comes in.
"That's it. Reunion's over!" He grabs June, her eyes wide, and she gets it. She finally gets it.
"No!" She shouts, grabbing her arm back. The man starts to grab her from the waist as she struggles.
"June, calm down!" I shout, trying to grab her, but another guard runs in and grabs me from the waist. "No, let me down! I'm just trying to-"
"You two are some really brave girls," One of the guards remarks, "Especially you, District One. Talking about rebellion. Bah."
"Lillianne-" Juniper shouts, kicking and wriggling in the guard's arms. "Please - be careful! Win! Please! Don't die!"
"June!" I shout, but the door is slammed shut. The guard is still holding me.
"June! June! JUNE! AHHHH!" I screamed in frustration. "Let me go, let me go, LET ME GO!"
"Calm down Snow," The guard responds, and starts leading me to the door.
"I will not calm down! Wait 'till my grandfather hears about this!" I shout, instantly noticing how spoiled that sounded. The guard laughs.
"Sweetie, your grandfather sent us."
With another laugh, we exit the room and he personally escorts me back to the tribute quarters, leaving me with more worries outside of the arena.
Review, please! And remember, everything happens for a reason.
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