rabbit in the snare trap | sigrid & umber [jb]

As soon as the second name is called and both tributes begin the process of being escorted to the Justice Building, Sigrid nods to her friends and rushes to her family. First she goes to Roslyn, "Go with Mom and Dad. Be there for them." She pulls the younger girl in for a quick hug, as if some unseen force will try and steal her away, too.

"I'll be right behind you." She rushes to find Terrence in the crowd, and she eventually comes across him in a similar state she had been in. But he can't seem to break out of it, not even when his peers try to shake him, snapping fingers in his face. "Hey, I'm here," she says gently, stepping close and placing her hands on his shoulders. "Look at me. Terrence?" She gives a little push, waiting and watching for his eyes to come into focus. She tries and fails to make him stir for all of five minutes before she realizes that if she continues to linger, Umber is down two siblings that he needs the support of.

"I'll be back," she promises, helpless and overwhelmed and with no means to help her brother as he is gripped by shock. She asks a few stragglers to keep watch, to make sure he doesn't faint or become ill, and she rushes to the Justice Building. By the time she arrives, the tributes have already been ushered inside. When she announces herself as Umber's sister, she is lead to a door where she can hear her parents and Roslyn inside, talking to her little brother. She takes this moment to press her fingers to her temples, trying her best to steady her breathing. It only takes a few minutes, but it feels like centuries.

It feels like time that none of them has to spare.

When her family exits the room, her mother pulls her into a hug and her father pats her shoulder. Roslyn seems to be putting on the strongest face of any of them, still red-eyed and devastated, but she's on her feet. Sigrid updates them on Terrence, and Dad tells her to worry about Umber for now. Nodding in agreement, she steps into the holding space and closes the door behind her. Her little brother is sitting there, curly haired and fatigued, as if he's been locked in detention for half the school day.

She approaches him and pulls him into a hug, allowing her actions to begin the conversation where her words seem to fail her. This moment isn't about her, but a part of her feels as if she should fall to her knees and beg for forgiveness. What kind of big sister is she? "I love you more than anything in this world," she says this calmly and evenly, even as she feels the sting of tears in her eyes. The knowledge that this moment could be the final thing she ever says to him is almost enough to break her resolution.

"I love your stupid pranks, and I love when you stay up past midnight playing the guitar, and I love that you're fearless." He hardly seems it in this moment, small and tired and emotionally drained, but his actions are not lost on her. "You're going to come home, and you're going to be a legend to all your friends. The first kid from Twelve to give the Keepers a fight. That's you, Umber." She gently lifts his chin so that he's staring into her eyes, her voice ringing with conviction.

"Don't ever underestimate how clever you are."