𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬 ☘︎ 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐇𝐚𝐰𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞

𝐌𝐎𝐂𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐉𝐀𝐘 ☘︎ 3

I sit somewhere in the depths of Thirteen, fiddling with the pearl Austin gave me from the oyster in the games.

The door suddenly opens and in steps Gale, my older brother. He looks at me with a gaze that is nothing but sorry. I feel so small compared to him.

"There can't be a ceasefire," I eventually say, after sitting in silence. "Not after everything Snow's done."

"He could've done a lot of damage tonight."

"And?" I ask, my voice and my body rising. "You're not the one fighting for your life in the Capitol, Gale!"

"You're not the one that watched home get firebombed!"

"It's my home, too, stop using it as a way to win an argument! Austin has the worst deal and you know it!" I yell at my so-called brother.

"So why do you think he said that, Willow, huh? Why do you think he stood up there tonight and tried to protect himself and only himself?" Gale fires question upon question at me.

"I don't know!" I shout back. "But he wasn't protecting himself, he was protecting-"

"Who? Who, exactly, Willow? The only other person he would be protecting is you! Maybe he's made some little deal with Snow-"

He stops when I drop down, exhausted, tears in my eyes. I slowly utter out. "He's still playing the game."

And he is. He's still trying to protect me.

And I am.

Because I'm protecting him as we speak.

☘︎☘︎☘︎

I wake up screaming that night. A nightmare that I can't even remember has breached my brain. Crying a river, I never stop the noise.

Until Austin runs in.

"It's okay," I assure him whilst panting. "It's just a nightmare."

"It's fine," he assures me. "I get them too."

He goes to leave when I call his name. "Austin?"

He turns. "Yeah?"

I utter three words. "Stay with me."

He walks back towards me, getting into the bed. "Yeah sure."

It's not until he thinks I'm asleep that he says his last word. "Always."

That's when I wake up in my compartment, with no warmth, and no Austin to comfort me.

"Hey," I heard a voice sound from the other bed. "Can't sleep?" I look up and see Rory walking towards me. He pulls my covers up and envelopes himself in them, lying down so we're facing each other.

"Tell me what's going on. I'm good at keeping secrets, even from mum, Vick and Posy," he requests.

I sigh. He does deserve to know what's going on. But this is a fight I don't want my family in.

"No one hates the Capitol more than me," I whisper back. "And I know I should help, but I just keep thinking, what's going to happen to Austin? I mean, I know he's not safe there, but after all he said on camera he's definitely not safe here."

Rory closes his eyes. "You really love him, don't you?"

I avoid his gaze. "So much I can't even look at Katniss and Gale together... or you and Prim."

He avoids this as he speaks again. "I don't think you know how important you are to them. Anything you want, you just have to ask, and they have to agree to it, because they need you."