Woodbine Chance stood in the crowd, his thoughts drifting back to his father, Marlow, a man whose reckless nature had cost the family dearly. Marlow’s gambling, his carefree attitude—those traits had been passed down to Woodbine, for better or worse. He never really knew his father, but he knew enough to feel the weight of his loss. Marlow had been taken too young, just like every other man in their family, consumed by their own mistakes and the Capitol’s unrelenting hand.

His heart was heavy. There, in front of him, was the gallows. His sister—his younger sister, Wisteria—stood defiantly, head held high as the Peacekeepers placed the noose around her neck. She looked out at the crowd, her eyes burning with the fire of rebellion, her gaze never wavering. She wasn’t afraid. She never had been.

Woodbine’s gaze flickered to the rest of his family who stood at the edges of the crowd, their faces masked in stoic silence, yet he could feel the weight of their grief and helplessness. His brother Burnet was close by, his normally calm demeanor a shattered mask of quiet anger. Burnet didn’t speak, his eyes fixed on Wisteria, his fists clenched at his sides. But nothing he did could stop what was about to happen.

Woodbine’s mind wandered back to the family he had been born into, a family fractured by rebellion, loss, and the insatiable hunger of the Capitol.

Woodbine Chance stood in the crowd, his thoughts drifting back to his father, Marlow, a man whose reckless nature had cost the family dearly. Marlow’s gambling, his carefree attitude—those traits had been passed down to Woodbine, for better or worse. He never really knew his father, but he knew enough to feel the weight of his loss. Marlow had been taken too young, just like every other man in their family, consumed by their own mistakes and the Capitol’s unrelenting hand.

Then there was Reed, his older brother, a man who fought back against the Capitol’s cruelty. Reed’s defiance had been a symbol of resistance, but it had cost him his life. Woodbine had never understood why Reed had fought so fiercely, but he had always respected him for it.

Now, looking at his siblings—Wisteria and Arabel—he knew that this was the end for them. Wisteria, standing defiantly on the gallows, had never feared the Capitol. She had always walked the line between rebellion and self-destruction, and today, it had caught up with her.

As the wind stirred the crowd, Woodbine could feel the eyes of the Peacekeepers on him, sensing that he too was a target, waiting to slip up. His brothers, Burnet and Jem, were no strangers to trouble, each one carrying their own burdens. And Clay, their older brother, had already paid the price.

Your voice broke through his thoughts. “Woodbine,” he growled, “we can’t let this happen.”

Woodbine clenched his jaw. “There’s nothing we can do,” he muttered, the reality settling in. “This is the Capitol’s justice. We can’t stop it.”