●・○・●・○・●

"Katniss." Juniper opened her door to reveal Katniss on the other side. She seemed a bit antsy and quiet. 

"Hey, can I come in?" Juniper looked around the room and opened the door a bit more. Juniper closed it after Katniss entered and the two sat in the living room Finnick and her had in their own bedroom- which was weird. Every single Capitol room seemed to be deluxe in some way. 

"I visited Snow." Katniss said. "He's in the garden." Juniper's breath hitched, she had still yet to visit Snow. She didn't know when she wanted to, but it would like be very soon. His execution is tomorrow. The days flew by pretty quickly.

"What happened?"

"He called my sisters death wasteful and unnecessary. He said Coin thought of the plan, with the parachutes and all." Katniss took a deep breath. "Boggs told me something too, before he died. He told me not to trust them, but he didn't say who. But I trust you, you've been with me since the beginning through everything, and I need help."

Juniper interlocked her hands together and put the side of them to her forehead, thinking through things in her head. Katniss turned her gaze to somewhere out the window in the silence. Juniper finally decided to speak up.

"I'm not sure this is true, but Katniss." Katniss directed her gaze to Juniper. "We knew the Capitol had limited air force, that ship that dropped the parachutes came out of nowhere. And as much as I hate to say it, I think Snow might not be lying."

"He told me he would never lie to me." Katniss's voice whispered, Juniper nodded.

"He makes those promises, and he keeps them. He would never kill all those children for no reason, there's a reason he loved continuing the games so much. Coin did it to turn the last of the men against him, and it worked."

The two girls were at a loss. The two symbols of rebellion, the Mockingjay and the Songbird-, no. The Serpent. Which was it? Juniper didn't know at that point. She was always told she was the Songbird in this rebellion, but she was just used again- just like Snow had used her. 

"We were played for fools." Juniper laughed. Katniss narrowed her eyes at the girl, trying to come up with something.

"I have an idea, but you have to trust me." Katniss spoke. 

"Yeah, of course."

Most of the people Katniss had trusted were dead. However, she wasn't sure who she could trust anymore, after recalling something Gale had said to her before his passing. The only people Katniss had left to trust were Finnick and Juniper. She counted Peeta slightly, though wasn't quite sure.

Lilo came into the room next, she looked a bit scared. Juniper and Katniss looked concerned, and she joined them.

"I overheard people talking." Lilo whispered. "The bombs, we made them. Beetee made them, Gale." She gave an apologetic look to Katniss, mentioning her deceased friend.

Katniss stood up and left the room a few minutes later, saying bye to them. Lilo couldn't help but sit herself next to her sister and hug her. 

"What's wrong?" Juniper wondered.

"They want me to become a doctor here, like, stay here." Lilo said. Juniper frowned, she didn't want to be separated from her sister. "I said no."

"Why?"

"I want to go home."

"Me too." Juniper admitted. Lilo smiled, standing up and taking a deep breath.

"I need to check on Johanna and make sure she's doing fine, but I wanted to stop to see you before I did." Lilo said, Juniper stood up and hugged her sister again. 

"I'll see you soon."

A day later, a meeting between victors was held in the morning. Coin was at the table for some reason, but not counting her, out of 75 Hunger Games held, only 10.

Beetee Latier, Cashmere Nicholo, Katniss Everdeen, Haymitch Abernathy, Peeta Mellark, Annie Cresta, Mags Flanagan, Johanna Mason, and finally, Juniper and Finnick Plinth-Odair. Juniper couldn't help but picture the people they had all lost. Lennox, Nina, they should be sitting at this table with them.

 They all sat around a round table, facing one another, Coin led the conversation.

"I have invited you all here for several reasons but first, an announcement. I have taken on the burden and the honor of declaring myself Interim President of Panem." Finnick's hand made its way to Juniper's under the table, and her eye twitched when Coin had announced her position. 

Haymitch laughed. "Interim? Exactly how long is that interim?"

"We have no way of knowing for certain. But the nation is far too emotional to make a rational choice. We'll plan an election when the time is right." The silent that sat in the room was unbearable, everyone just wanting to see what this was about. "I have called you here for a far more important vote."

What could possibly be more important than declaring yourself President of a nation?

"I've asked everyone here to help settle a debate. Today, we will execute Snow. Hundreds of accomplices in Panem also await their own deaths. Many people are calling for a complete annihilation of those who held Capitol citizenship. However to maintain a steady and sustainable population, we decided not to do that."

"An alternative has been placed on the table. However, we all agreed to let the victors decide. A symbolic vote. The thirst for blood is a difficult urge to satisfy, once we begin, it'll be hard for the people to want to stop. Majority may approve it, we hold a symbolic Hunger Games.

A what?

Juniper glanced at at Finnick, then to Katniss, then back to Finnick and at Coin. Johanna begins laughing to herself in her seat.

"You want to have another Hunger Games with the Capitol's children?" Johanna asked. Coin nodded.

"This is a joke." Peeta said, Coin moved her cold gaze to him.

"I can assure you, it's not." She answered.

"Was this Plutarch's idea?" Haymitch put down his drink. 

"It was mine." Coin looked between Juniper and Katniss, who sat next to one another. The two pairs of eyes just staring at Alma Coin. "It balances the need for revenge, with the least loss of human life. You may cast your votes."

"No!" An immediate answer was given from Peeta. "This is crazy, obviously not." 

"I think it's more than fair, Snow has a granddaughter." Johanna leaned forward. "I vote yes."

"So do I, let them have a taste of it." Cashmere said, a smirk on her face. 

"Guys, this way of thinking is what started these uprisings in the first place. This is why we rebelled in the first place!" Peeta yelled. 

"I agree with Peeta, I say no." Annie cut in.

"No." Beetee said. The stare between him and Coin could destroy the room, as if something had been betrayed between them. "We must stop viewing one another as enemies, it's essential for our survival."

The room got silent and everyone looked to the four on the end of the table, Finnick, Juniper, Katniss, and Haymitch.

"I get to kill Snow." Katniss stared directly into Coin's soul, watching her every movement. Juniper remembered the conversation they had a day prior, she knew Coin had killed Prim. 

"I expect no less of you." Coin smiled.

"Then I vote yes, for Prim." Katniss slowly turned to face Haymitch, who was trying to figure her out. But he pointed at Katniss and put his hand on the table.

"I'm with the Mockingjay.

The vote was tied four to four. It was up to Finnick and Juniper now, and they would be voting the same. Whatever one did, the other would follow. Juniper looked at Katniss who sat next to her.

"I have an idea, but you have to trust me." 

"I vote yes." Juniper said, looking at Katniss. When she gave the answer, she looked to Coin. Finnick hesitated, but Juniper squeezed his hand.

"I also say yes."

"Excellent, we'll announce the games tonight after the execution." Coin said. Everyone stood up and started leaving the room. When Coin made her exit, Juniper whispered to Finnick.

"I need to talk to Snow, I'll see you?" Juniper smiled at Finnick, who nodded. They gave one another a quick goodbye kiss and Juniper rushed out of the room to follow Katniss.

"Katniss." Juniper ran to her and the two faced each other, Juniper tried reading what was going on in her head. "If you won't, I will."

Katniss nodded and continued walking away and Juniper turned down another hall, making her way to the gardens outside. Paylor allowed her entrance to see Snow, but he was being transported shortly to meet his fate. 

She sat outside for a little while, taking a few moments to herself before the doors opened for her and she was let inside. She made her way through the garden, looking at some of the white roses around. 

"Juniper." A hoarse voice called her name, she turned to see Snow sitting on a bench next to a garden. "I was waiting for you, I thought you would never show." He smiled, wiping a napkin against his mouth. Juniper noticed some blood on his lips.

Juniper sat on a bench across from him, but she was tense. Not knowing how to start this conversation.

"You're a smart girl, I'm sure you've figured out Coins master plan, haven't you?" 

"I've known for a little while." Juniper admitted. "She reminds me of you, using people for power. She played Katniss and I. She even played you."

"Indeed she did." Snow nodded. "I know you're not here to talk about Coin though, are you?"

Juniper shook her head. "What happened to Lucy Gray?" Snow tilted his head and shifted in his seat a little, but stayed silent. "If you can't answer that, why did you erase her games from existence?"

"Lucy Gray and I ran away together when we were peacekeepers in Twelve. She ran away from me, I've never seen her again." He admitted. "After that, we permanently erased her memory from everywhere because her games. It wasn't just me, someone by the name of Volumnia Gaul went through with it."

"Why?" Juniper bugged him. There was no point in holding back the information anymore.

"I cheated." Snow smirked to himself. "When I found out Volumnia was going to release snakes into the arena, I knew they wouldn't attack the scent they were used to. I snuck through and put gave the mutts her scent. They killed everyone except her."

"So you did the same thing with me, why?" Juniper laughed. "Do you think I'll forgive you for everything you've done just for not killing me?" Snow shook his head, but he didn't answer. He didn't know why he did it. 

"I loved Lucy Gray," Snow admitted, which he had never done before. "After her erasure, I was happy. But that doesn't mean her memory doesn't haunt me. You remind me of her."

Juniper shook her head. "No, you didn't love her. You're incapable of loving someone. You loved the idea of being able to control her, and the moment you realized you couldn't, she was already gone. You wanted to control me like you did to her."

Silence sat among the two after Juniper's small outburst of emotion. However, she was right.

"You remind me of your grandfather. The propos you did, congratulations to you, Miss Plinth. You've truly outdone yourself." He wiped another part of the napkin against his lips when he began coughing again. 

"What was he like?" Juniper asked, knowing it was a weird question to be asking the man that killed him. Her abuela would always tell stories of the two, but she would usually get emotional and couldn't bring herself to tell any past a certain point.

"He was from District Two, he and his family moved to the Capitol after the first rebellion. He was given a chance of a new life, but he never cared for his family wealth. He never wanted to obey the Capitol rules, he was too pure."

As Snow talked about her grandfather, she sat and listened. She never thought she would be sitting in the same room with Snow, having a semi-casual conversation with him. But, he no longer had control of her. He couldn't use anything against her. 

Juniper felt something at her ankle, she looked down and saw a snake. It was rainbow, like the ones from her games. She noticed a small heart on its head, it wasn't perfect, but nothing seemed to be.

She picked up the snake, recognizing the symbol on the top of its head. It wasn't the same one, but it was very similar. She knew it wasn't the same one because this one was much smaller, like it had just been born. Juniper wondered why it didn't attack her.

Snow examined the snake in her hand, he wanted to say something, but didn't. She took a deep breath, standing up and walking towards him. She glared down at him, grabbing his wrist and bringing it up to the snake.

The snake didn't bite him at first, but then it snapped. Snow pulled his hand back. Snake bites were now in his hand. The guards came in just a few seconds later.

"You'll be dead before the execution even goes through." Juniper said. "I think you'll be thankful." Snow looked up at her with an expression of fear, something she'd never seen in his eyes before. His hands were put behind his back and he was dragged out of the garden. Juniper smiled, putting the snake down and following after them.

Snow would be dead soon, there was only one more person to take care of.

●・○・●・○・●