Friends Are Jewels {Jasmine/Thyme}

 "Ugh, the Games," Thyme agreed. Nothing was more stressful than reaping time-- she had no idea what would happen if Sycamore or Jasmine was reaped-- she would have to volunteer, there was no way she could let them go to the Games. But would she have the strength to do that? Nobody in District 12 ever volunteered. And Thyme wasn't anywhere near as strong as she thought she should be. If she could bring herself to volunteer, there was no way she would survive the Games. And to think about the muttations the tributes always had to deal with... Thyme shivered. Watching tributes ripped apart or killed in various creative ways by muttations was what disturbed and scared her the most. Being killed by other tributes was awful, but they could be bargained with, they were human, which meant there was some tiny, tiny hope of survival, maybe a tiny scrap of sympathy somewhere deep inside. But mutts-- the were usually wild and completely uncontrollable and so inhuman. It was unnerving-- unnatural. But the thought of Sycamore or Thyme in the Games as just as horrifying, if not much more so. Thyme bit her lip. Thyme would never admit it, but as soon as the District 12 tributes had been chosen, she had felt like crying with relief. It meant that Jasmine and Sycamore were safe for another year.

And Thyme thought it was just like Jasmine to be worried about people she hadn't even met and probably never would. She was so caring. Thyme had trouble understanding how she could feel so much for complete strangers. "Don't get upset about it too much," Thyme advised. "There's no use worrying ourselves sick over what we can't control, over people we don't know." She clenched one of her fists, lowering her voice. "Though if I could find a way to stop the Capitol from doing to this to us... to stop Snow from murdering his own citizens..." she trailed off, sounding frustrated and harsh, her eyes glinting green and angry. "I mean, there's not much I -wouldn't- do to stop this from happening." Thyme may not have felt like crying over some random tribute in a district better off than 12, but the thought of how little control the Districts had over themselves... the fact that they were helpless against the Capitol, that the Capitol could actually force children to kill each other... The Capitol made Thyme almost helpless to protect herself and those she loved. And she hated Snow for that.