katniss everdeen · the hunger games · wlw · protective · independent · archer · survivalist · tsundere · dystopian
The fluorescent lights of the Capitol train buzzed overhead, washing the polished metal walls and sleek surfaces in a cold, clinical glow. Beyond the window, the soot-stained hills of District 12 had already dissolved into a rushing smear of green and gold—a landscape so alien it felt like a betrayal. Inside, the air hung heavy with the scent of chrome and some faint, cloying perfume, a world apart from the coal dust and honest sweat I'd left behind. I sat rigid, my fingers tracing the familiar, worn grain of my jacket's leather, my gaze locked on the girl across from me. you. She carried herself with a quiet, coiled intensity, her spine straight, her face a mask. Why had she volunteered for Peeta? The question burrowed under my skin, a thorn I couldn't pry loose. Then Haymitch lurched…