if there was, Elena Rogers would be an expert at it. In fact, she probably would never be able to cry again and yet, here she is, sobbing her heart out as her brother tries his hardest to calm her. It's been a little over an hour now since Snow had given his announcement and he still has not been able to get her to stop crying. Jace was completely hopeless and had no idea how to stop them.

"Elena!" A voice calls as their front door opens, Finnick rushing in to see the girl in tears. He had to check up on Annie before he could come here to see the teenage girl who he knows would be distraught. Annie doesn't have anybody else to be with her whilst, Elena has Jace.

Jace looks up at the man with a grateful look simmering in his eyes as the blonde clutches onto him. Elena slowly moves her gaze to her former mentor and sniffles, the older man sitting down on her other side and holding her free hand. The blonde lets go of her brother so that she can then move to hug Finnick, holding him tighter than ever before.

"I don't want to go back, I don't want go back," Elena repeats over and over. "Finnick, don't let me go back,"

"I know, Lena. I know," Finnick tries to soothe as he looks at her brother, pain evident in his eyes. Neither Finnick or Jace can do anything but try to calm her down because neither of them can be certain that she will not be going back into the games — either way Finnick is going to have to protect somebody he loves.

Finnick simply sits there for what seems like hours, holding the girl tightly as she continues to let her emotions roam free — thoughts flying around her mind at a million miles an hour with absolutely no hope of stopping. Her death, Finnick's death but more than anything, the idea of one of them dying alone. She couldn't handle taking her final breaths alone, without somebody to hold her before she fades away. It's terrifying, the thought absolutely terrifies her to to point where she wants to stick by Finnick's side and never leave.

The following morning was a difficult one, Jace struggling to motivate his little sister out of bed as she clutched onto her pillow. When Finnick had left last night, Elena had moved straight to her room where she no doubt cried herself to sleep. He cannot blame her in the slightest as he knows it's weighing down on her mind, and truthfully his as well, that she may never come home. This could be her last day in District Four and she's going to spend it in front of Capitol cameras, being paraded around like a prize pony for their amusement. It kills him.

"If I don't go, they can't pick me," Elena says as she now sits at their dining table, a bowl of bland cereal in front of her. Jace sighs at her words and sits down beside her, his hand moving to take hers.

"There's no guarantee you will get picked anyway. There are three of you, Rosie. It's not just you," He desperately tries to assure as her leg bounces up and down nervously. "You have to remember that,"

"Maybe so but Finnick is the only one. He's going back in no matter what. I'm so selfish, sitting here and thinking about myself when he has to go in anyway," Her voice is a broken whisper.

"There is nothing selfish about being scared. Finnick will not hold that against you, you know that. I think what he wants more than anything is for you to be okay," Jace responds gently, as his eyes slowly move over to the clock that's up on the wall. He closes his eyes and sighs, causing her gaze to move over to it as well.

"I-I-" Elena stutters as her eyes once again fill with tears, feeling more vulnerable than ever before as she watches the seconds tick by. "W-we have to go,"

"Yeah, yeah we do. I'll be with you right up until you have to go on that stage, okay? You show them that they don't affect you, that you're not afraid. Can you do that?" Jace uses the softest tone he can muster as he watches her and she hesitantly nods her head at his words. She will be as brave as she can, it's all she can do. "Good. We have to go,"

Elena stands up and takes one last look around her large home, the silly pictures that rest along the wall of them from their childhood and the one of their parents. Jace sees what she's staring at and walks over, taking the frame down and pulling out the photo of all four of them, handing it to her. The blonde grabs the photo with shaky hands, her finger gently running over the faces of her parents — all of them with wide smiles as they sit in the field outside their home. Her field.

"They would be so proud of you," Jace mummers as he looks down at the photo of his family, fear beginning to fill his own body as he realises that he could end up the only one left. "Come on, kid,"

The Rogers siblings step outside of their home, the eldest of the two closing the door and locking it behind them. When he turns back around, Elena latches her hand onto his own as they walk into the town square. The District has already begun to gather, Annie Cresta and Finnick Odair both already on the stage.

People stare at her as she walks by them, many of them having not seen her in months due to the fact she would rather keep to her own company. Whilst her right hand clutches Jace's, her other holds their family photo — her parents right there with her as she readies herself to face one of the hardest days of her life.

When they reach the steps, Elena turns around and practically throws herself into the arms of her older brother for some last minute comfort. They hug for a few moments before she's told she must join the rest of them on the stage.

"I love you. Be brave," Jace whispers in her ear as she pulls away, his hands gently grasping the sides of her head. He kisses her forehead softly. "You're so brave, Rosie,"

"I love you," She manages to get out before a peacekeeper grabs her arm and forces her onto the stage to stand between Mags and Annie. The older woman lays a supportive hand on her shoulder.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the reaping for the 75th annual Hunger Games. This year, due to it being a Quarter Quell, we have a special stipulation. The district's victors will have the opportunity to find themselves back into the arena. How exciting!" District Four's escort, Emerald, exclaims although there is a serious lack of enthusiasm in her voice. Over the years, she's grown to love these tributes, her friends they've become.

"We will start with the boys first!" The woman says as she walks over to the large bowl which contains only one slip of paper. Finnick already looks as if he's ready to go, having stepped forward slightly. "District Four's male tribute, Finnick Odair!"

Finnick moves to the front of the stage and looks out at the crowd of people who all look less than impressed with the situation that has occurred. How eyes flicker to his left for just a second to see all three female victors standing together, almost in their own huddle for protection. His heart aches slightly as he thinks about the fact that one of them will have to face this again — Mags who is a lot older now and then Annie and Elena, both of who are nowhere near okay.

"And now for the girls," Emerald speaks softly as she walks over to the glass bowl with three slips of paper. The time it takes for her to lower her hand in is almost agonising, Elena now visibly shaking on the stage.

Be brave. Be brave.

Not even the words of her brother can calm her down this time as Emerald moves back over to the microphone. Said brother can be seen in the front row, his eyes staring at the redheaded woman intensely as he awaits her words.

"Our female tribute for District Four... Elena Rogers,"

A small sob escapes her mouth as she closes her eyes tightly. Jace finds his eyes welling up with tears as she opens her own, connecting her's with his. Elena takes a shaky breath and walks forward, shaking her head slightly at Mags who looks like she's about to move forward for her — the idea of somebody dying for her almost as terrifying as dying herself. Mags deserves to live the rest of her life peacefully, it's what a good woman like her deserves.

The blonde slowly moves to stand beside Finnick who instantly grabs her hand for support. Elena cannot stop looking at her brother who looks as if he's about to burst into tears in the front row, something rare for the older boy who usually has a hold on his emotions. Elena, however, freely allows her tears to flow. Her heart is beating erratically as she stands there, the words of Emerald drowned out by its constant pumping.

When a hand clamps down on her arm, she turns to see a peacekeeper who moves to drag her away. The girl cries out for her brother who is being blocked from saying goodbye to her. Her screams are loud and the people of the District, her brother included, flinch at the amount of pain that is emitted from her. Her cries are painful, full of emotion and yet nobody can help stop them as Finnick is taken away himself, his head turning back to her as he tries to calm her down.

Elena's sobs have gotten to the point where they're physically hurting her, the fact she didn't get to say a proper goodbye to Jace making her even worse. The photo of their family is still in her hand, becoming slightly crumbled at the grip she has on it. This may be the last thing she has of her brother before she dies - they last photo of her family she will see.

As she's pushed onto the train, she finds herself in the arms of her former mentor as she continues to cry, not being able to stop — no matter how much it hurts.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for stopping by and reading!!

(Ignore the fact it's trash pls, I'm learning 🥺)

— Ally!