𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮.

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Juniper was holding Sierras hand, walking the market of District Four. Usually it was boasting with people, but it seemed pretty quiet today. Only a few people Juniper didn't recognize walked the streets.

They picked up food for dinner. Juniper felt as if she didn't have a good meal in ages. She was hungry. 

"Juni... You know, my birthday is coming up." Sierra hinted. Juniper looked down at the redhead, acting as if she wasn't asking for anything. Juniper laughed.

"What do you want?"

"You'll really get me a gift?" Sierra wondered, holding tightly onto Junipers hand. Juniper nodded. "I want it to be a surprise."

"Sure, okay."

The two continued walking to the house and the moment they walked in the front door, Sierra placed the bags down on the counter.

Time seemed to jump ahead in Junipers eyes, and she was back at the start of the market. She looked around confused, seeing Nina and Wade walking ahead of her. 

"Juniper, you good?" Wade asked, turning to see Juniper's hesitance. She blinked a few times. Maybe she was just imagining things. 

"Yeah."

Nina looked worrisome at her friend but pushed it away. The three walked through the market together, it was packed as ever. So many people walking about with their children and families.

"I got Sierra a golden bracelet." Said Wade. "She's had her eye on it for a while, so I snagged it the other day. What are you going to get her."

Juniper's head seemed to be running, but it eventually came to a stop when they arrived in front of a music stand. They had smaller instruments. Juniper looked through them, seeing a ukelele. She had never owned one before, but she handed some money to the shopkeeper and took it.

"A ukulele?" Wade asked.

"She seemed interested in music whenever I play, maybe she can learn herself." Juniper smiled, holding the ukulele and making sure it was tuned correctly. Juniper fixed it slightly and smiled.

"Juni!"  A blurry had run up to her. "Is that your new instrument?"

Juniper felt the ukulele in her hands. She looked down at it and another scene played in her head.

 "No, it's for you. Happy birthday." The blurry figure muttered so many thank you's and ran off.

"Have I gotten this for Sierra before?" Juniper asked, looking between Nina and Wade- looking for an answer. Nina shrugged, looking to Wade who had the same answer. "Maybe I'm seeing things."

Juniper didn't recognize what scene had just played out in front of her. The person was too blurry. Maybe it was Sierra? 

Juniper shook her head and kept walking through the market with her two friends.

"Hey, isn't that the guitar your parents got you?" Wade pointed into the window of a store. Juniper recognized the brown and green guitar. It was the same exact one.

"I really want that!" A young voice, it sounded like her.

"Maybe you can get it for your birthday, mija."

"Yeah, they got it for my birthday." Juniper remembered. Walking in the market seemed weird, her mind seemed to be playing tricks on her, a sense of deja vu. 

"Maybe we can go back to the house and hang by the beach?" Nina suggested, putting a hand on Junipers back which made her flinch. Her spine felt some pain, which was weird. 

"Yeah, let's go." Wade yawned. "I'm feeling like laying down on the sand, relaxing, and sleeping."

Juniper shook her head as the two girls followed Wade down the market streets. Many people were gone, she had wondered where they had went. It was eerily quiet.

Making it back to the house, Sierra was sitting on the sand with Sylvia while Sawyer and Colby were dunking one another under the water repeatedly. Sylvia eventually ran in to help Colby, Sawyer was teamed up on. 

"I'm going to go on a walk." Nina sighed. Leaving quickly. Juniper looked at where Nina disappeared to. Down the beach to her left. There were a few figures standing where she was walking towards, she didn't know who they were.

"I got this for you, happy early birthday." Juniper smiled, handing the ukulele to Sierra who's face lit up with a smile. She audibly gasped and examined it. She shot up, hugging Juniper. 

"Thank you! I love it." 

"I can teach you to play it later, maybe you can play with them in the ocean for now before the sun goes down." Juniper suggested. Sierra nodded, putting the ukulele on the porch and running into the water.

Juniper watched as their friends splashed around. Wade stood next to her, his hands on his hips. While looking out at the ocean, Juniper still felt like she was missing something. She had her parents and her friends. What more did she need?

She looked to her left, noticing Nina people watching. Juniper put a hand on Wade's arm, assuring him that she would be back. 

Juniper slowly walked to Nina. She had her knees to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs. Her head rested between her knees. 

"Are you okay?" Juniper asked, getting Nina's attention. She just nodded. Juniper looked at the group she was looking at. It was 2 girls with black hair, one had some white tips in the front of her face. Then, there was two men. One had a beard and brown hair, the other had a clean face and bronze hair. They seemed familiar to Juniper, but she couldn't pinpoint why.

"Do you find one of them cute?" Juniper smiled, kneeling next to Nina. Nina cracked a smile and shook her head. "Please, which one? The lumberjack looking one?"

Nina turned her head to Juniper with slightly widened eyes. Juniper tilted her head in confusion. 

"Yeah, him."

"So! Go talk to him." Juniper pushed her shoulder lightly. Nina laughed.

"I don't belong over there." Nina said. She seemed so sad, Juniper didn't understand. They seemed like nice people.

"What if I go get him for you?" Juniper wondered. Nina shrugged, not answering. Juniper cleared her throat, standing up and walking over to them. A force seemed to be pulling her back, she was determined to try and make it over there.

She recognized some of the people, but she couldn't put her finger on why. The one who seemed connected to the ocean had a force pulling Juniper towards him, she wanted to know what it was. She had seen him sitting on the sand the other day.

Suddenly, the sun set fast. "Juni?" Juniper turned and saw Sierra. She seemed upset. 

"Sierra, what's wrong?"

"Where are you going?"

"Oh, I'm just setting Nina-" Juniper turned to where Nina last was, but she was gone. She turned to the group and they were also gone. It was just Juniper and Sierra on the beach. Weird.

"Can you teach me the ukulele?" Sierra questioned, holding the instrument in her hand.

"Sure, let's go." 

The further Juniper walked from the other house, a weight seemed to be slowly lifted off of her. She didn't understand why, but those people seemed so familiar. That house, too.

●・○・●・○・●

Finnick, Katniss, and Cashmere were at a table in the corner of the cafeteria. They had all not eaten, but agreed to meet up to talk about Juniper. 

Katniss didn't really talk to Cashmere. This was one of their very first interactions besides in the arena. She didn't know if she wanted to trust Cashmere or not at the moment.

"At least you were able to see her, Finnick." Katniss put her hand on top of his. Finnick rested his head in his arms. He shook his head. Katniss and Cashmere shared a look of despair, not knowing how much they could really help him.

Finnick had finally opened up slightly to Cashmere and Katniss. However, it wasn't much. He had just admitted he missed Juniper- which both Cashmere and Katniss were slightly surprised to here. 

"Did you at least talk to her?" Cashmere asked. Finnick picked up his head, slowly shaking it. "Why?"

"I didn't know what to say." 

"You don't have to say a certain thing, you just talk." said the blonde. "Even if it's just saying their name, or that you miss them. She might be able to hear you."

"That's what Prim said." Finnick confirmed.

"So, visit again tonight. Or whenever you can." Katniss said. "I think we are all missing Juniper, we need her back. We're miserable without her." 

Katniss laughed and Cashmere laughed as well, nodding her head. Finnick cracked a small smile that the girls didn't see, but he put his head down again. 

"How are you three holding up?" A deeper voice entered the conversation, joining their table. Haymitch Abernathy.

"Fine." Cashmere blankly answered. The girl hadn't really opened up to anybody- or talked to anybody the past few days besides Finnick. She didn't feel welcomed, she didn't want to push anything.

"What's wrong?" Katniss asked Haymitch, who seemed a bit on edge.

"Juniper had another incident." Haymitch said, eyeing Finnick. But he kept his head down. "He heart rate keeps spiking or getting too low. She's stable again."

Katniss had spoken with Beetee the other day, it was one of the first times she saw him since the arena exploded. He was working on weapons for some of the soldiers. Even a bow for Katniss, though she hadn't agreed to become the Mockingjay yet.

"He's having concentration problems." Katniss said, looking at a few of the arrows Beetee had created. Examining them and putting them back on the table.

"Concentration problems, eh?" Beetee smiled, taking a deep breath. "If you knew what Finnick's been through the last few years, you'd know how remarkable it is that he's still with us all. Tell him I've been working on a new trident for him, will you? Something to distract him."

Katniss hadn't known what Finnick had been through. He had always seemed like a confident guy drowning in the riches of the Capitol. However, everything seemed different now. 

"You know, I think the doctors have a meeting tonight at around eleven." Haymitch coughed, standing up from the table, earning the attention of the three again. "It would be unfortunate if someone were to sneak in her room if the door was left unlocked."

Katniss and Cashmere narrowed their eyes at the older man, who shrugged and winked, walking away. Finnick knew what he was doing tonight.

"Well, I guess you have plans now." Katniss smiled. 

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