𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯.

●・○・●・○・●

As soon as the time struck elven, Finnick made his way down the hallway. He usually got lost in District 13 quite often. Never remembering which way was which, but he knew the exact way to Juniper's hospital room without fail.

He noticed a few doctors leaving her room and before it closed, he pushed it open and closed it quietly. He hadn't been in here alone before, the three times he had visited, Prim had been with him.

He looked through the window, seeing her almost lifeless-looking body on the bed. There was more wires sticking out of her. He opened the door into the second room and sat in his usual spot. 

Her hair was a bit longer than it was in the games. He had wished she would open her eyes right then and there. It had been almost three weeks now. He wanted Juniper back. 

Finnick wondered what it would be like when she woke up, if she did. He lightly grabbed her hand. He wanted to speak, he opened his mouth to do so, but nothing came out. He just sighed, caressing the back of her hand with his thumb. 

"I don't know what to say." He admitted honestly, letting a small laugh escape. He didn't want to admit he missed her, but he did. He longed to hold her in his arms again, even if it was just a simple hug.

Finnick just began talking, the most he had ever done in three weeks. He talked about his daily schedule which he didn't follow. He talked about how he hated the doctors and how they expect her to become a symbol of revolution. He talked about everything that was on his mind.

"I miss you." Slipped out among his words, which made him pause, he got chills. "I miss you, Juniper. Please come back to me, we need you. I need you." 

"I miss your voice, the songs you sing. The way you played your guitar in the pub. I miss the snarky remarks you would always make at me, I miss the nicknames you always call me. I miss the glares you give me when I know I pissed you off." He laughed. "I love how honest you are, you never sugarcoat things. You always try to stand for what you think is right and try to protect the people you love. I love how you don't care what people think about you, you just go with it. I love everything about you. Your flaws, and you."

Finnick Odair realized what he had just said.

●・○・●・○・●

It was a nice day out, they were once again spending it on the beach. Not a cloud in sight. However, Juniper still seemed so cold. She felt like she was a puzzle, but was missing the middle pieces. Something wasn't right. 

Nina was gone, she hadn't seen her since that day. Her friends didn't mention it to her either. 

Suddenly, Juniper grew warm inside. She didn't know how, but she did. Laughter filled her ears, she looked out to her left. The group Nina was looking at before had appeared again, at the house just down the beach. 

She wanted to see them, she wanted to meet them, she wanted to wonder why every time they had appeared, she had felt something different turn in her.

She looked back out at the shore, Sierra and Colby were giving one another sea shells and Sawyer was throwing Sylvia into the ocean. 

Juniper looked at the her guitar next to her. She picked it up and closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath and playing a few chords.

"Please, open the door. Nothing is different, we've been here before."

"Pacing these halls, trying to talk over the silence."

"And pride sticks out its tongue. Laughs at the portrait that we become."

"Stuck in a frame, unable to change. I was wrong." 

When Juniper finished the line, she opened her eyes. She continued playing the song, but didn't sing any of the lyrics. Why did it seem so familiar? She wanted to hit herself over the head, something was in the back of her mind, but she couldn't grasp what it was.

"Time can make you blind, but I see you now."

"As we're laying in the darkness, did I wait too long to turn the lights back on?"

"I don't know why you ever doubted your abilities as a songwriter. It sounds amazing."

"Abuela?"

Juniper didn't want to turn around, something told her not to. But she did, she saw her grandmother. She was sitting on the steps of the house, watching Juniper as she played the guitar. She wasn't there before. Then again, Juniper didn't see her grandmother anywhere here. It was like she had disappeared from her mind.

"What are you doing here?" Juniper stood up, walking towards where her grandmother sat and sat down next to her. 

"I could ask the same thing to you, Juni." Her grandmother laughed, but Juniper grew more confused than she had ever been. Why was she not here before? Why was Juniper just now remembering that Kakalina was meant to be here?

"Well I don't-" Juniper paused, trying to find the words. "I don't- I'm here with my friends." Juniper pointed to her friends that were on the shoreline. Her grandmother shook her head. "I'm not?"

"You are. You're not supposed to be."

"What do you mean?" Juniper asked. Her grandmother seemed so calm and collected, yet Juniper was so pulled apart. She never understood how her grandmother was always this way, like she knew the answers to everything.

"I want to tell you something, Juni." Kakalina started. "When Lucy Gray sang her songs, it was when something needed to be said. She never let people use her for her musical talent."

"She sang when she had something to say." Juniper said. Kakalina nodded. 

"I sing when I have something to say, not because you tell me to do it." Juniper yelled.

"Juni, the world needs you." Her grandmother said. "The districts."

"What do you mean? I'm so confused." Juniper rubbed her head, a headache was starting to come on. "The districts are free, the games are over."

"That's what you want." Her grandmother turned to her. "That's not what has happened. The job isn't done yet. You escaped the arena, now you have to make sure it never happens again."

Juniper could feel her heartbeat in her ears, she rubbed her temples, trying to rid of the pain. 

"You need to remember what's real and what's fake."

"I don't know!" Juniper admitted, standing up and walking down the steps, standing in front of her grandmother. "I love it here, abuela. It's all I ever wanted. A happy life."

"You love it here because it's in your head, Juniper!" Her grandmother raised her voice, making Juniper take a step back. "You are losing the ability to tell the truth from a lie because you're losing yourself!" 

Juniper was silent. The waves had gotten quieter, the birds flying in the sky were gone. 

"Your sister is in trouble, while you sit here and do nothing!" 

A sister? Juniper didn't have a sister.

"I know you try your best for Lilo. You try giving her the best life, but you try hiding her from the world so she doesn't have to know its horrors."

Who was that? No, that's right, his voice was right. She did have a sister. Lilo. Where was she?

A lot of things had started coming back to her. The 69th games, the snakes, the songs, President Snow. He wasn't dead, he was still alive. Juniper turned to see her friends in the water. They had grown quiet, they were just talking with one another. She turned back to face her grandmother.

She remembered Lennox. She remembered her performances in the Capitol, the songs she didn't want to write. The people she didn't want to kill, the people she had to silence.

"Abuela, I've made so many mistakes. I don't think I can go back there." Juniper couldn't meet her grandmothers eyes, only the ground beneath her feet. "The world won't see me for who I am, they see me as a Capitol mutt, a Serpent. They are better off without me, they have their Mockingjay."

"I don't think I have to be the one to tell you, someone as already told you." Juniper met her grandmothers eye.

"I know your flaws, but you never let them define you as a person. I won't let you, even if you do." 

There it is, the same voice from before. But where was it coming from?  Finnick. It was Finnick's voice. Where was he? Juniper needed him.

Juniper wanted to scream, there was so many things happening. The only thing she could do was run up to her grandmother and hug her. Tears escaped her eyes.

"You can save what you still have, not what you already lost."

When her grandmother wrapped her arms around Juniper, she felt warmth again. It was something she never felt in this world. But then, it was gone. The house in front of her disappeared. The entire area in front of her was void.

"Hey, Juni." A female voice said next. With the blink of her eyes, another person appeared.

"Marina..?" Juniper's voice cracked. "What's going on? Can't it just stay the same!" Juniper yelled into the void. 

"Hey, it's alright." Marina grabbed Juniper's hand. Juniper let more tears escape her eyes. She started apologizing profusely to the girl in front of her, for everything, for her death. "There's nothing you could do."

"Can you just stay here?" Juniper pleaded. Marina smiled, but she shook her head. 

"You belong out there." Marina pointed to the void behind her. Juniper noticed a white light, but it was extremely far. "Not here. The people out there need you."

Marina moved to the side, still hanging on to Juniper's hand as she looked out in the void. This all seemed unreal. This had to be one big nightmare. This cannot be happening.

"Come with me." Juniper said, holding onto Marinas hand tighter.

"I don't belong there anymore, I belong here." Marina looked out behind Juniper. Juniper turned around. The beach was there. So were all of her friends. "It's your choice, Juniper."

Juniper's hand went cold, Marina was gone. A storm had emerged over the ocean. The riptide picked up, her friends were screaming for help.

"No." Juniper yelled. She started running towards the ocean. She reached her hand out to her friends. She saw their faces. Sierra was scared. Sylvia was dunked under the water, a wave trampled over Wade and Sawyer. Colby was fighting to stay afloat.

"You can save what you still have, not what you already lost." 

"I miss you, Juniper. Please come back to me, we need you. I need you." 

Juniper stopped running. She looked at the void behind her. The white light had grown closer. She walked closer to it, squinting her eyes. Finnick?

Juniper saw herself in a hospital bed. Finnick was crying.

She turned to the ocean, it was getting closer to her. The water was at her feet, it was trying to pull her in. She started running into the void, towards the light- towards Finnick.

Her fear of reality had started weight her down, the waves were getting closer and bigger. She couldn't let go now. She heard the yelling of her friends behind her, but she kept running.

I'm sorry Sierra. I'm sorry Wade. I'm sorry Sylvia, Colby, Sawyer. I'm sorry Mamá, Papá.

Thank you, Marina and Abuela.

Juniper knew where she needed to be. She needed to be in her reality, not a fake one she had created in her mind to bear her guilt. No matter how much she wanted that life, it wasn't her future. She would never have it.

Juniper almost got swept up by the water a few times, but she kept running. She reached her hand out, getting closer to Finnick.

"They would be so proud of who've you become, darling. I promise."

"How do you know?" Juniper's own voice echoed through her head.

"Because I know you." 

Juniper touched the hand that Finnick held.

"What are you doing in here?" Someone yelled behind Finnick. Finnick stood up, putting himself in the corner of the room.

Three doctors barged into the room, Prim following. Suddenly, they all stopped as Juniper's heart monitor started going off the charts.

"Get him out of here!" One of them yelled. A doctor pulled at Finnick's arm, dragging him out of the room.

"No!" Finnick yelled repeatedly. Finnick couldn't see Juniper when he was pushed out the door, but he heard the heart monitor go flat.

●・○・●・○・●

poor bbs they just need to reunite already

also, marked the story as mature. just felt right. also, idk if i want to write nsfw or not lowkey... maybe one or two ... but they will have dedicated chapters to them so warnings will be put in at the start of the chapter. you do not need to read them if you dont want to. this wont be for a lil bit tho.