Hello readers! Let me just express how happy I am that you chose this fanfiction to read! This is a joint fanfic, written by me (Kate-The-Great-And-Powerful) and Jess (Wetstar), from a ton of different POVs! It is an AU, what would have happened if Marvel had won the 74th Hunger Games. Hope you enjoy reading it!

Chapter One: The Final Fight: Garnet Sulley

He's made it so far. Too far to fall in the final fight. Of course, Cato's family must be thinking the same thing about now. But this is different. He has to make it home.

Come on, Marvel. Just a little longer…

I watch my friend run across the screen, pursued by a pack of bloodthirsty muttations. Cato, the boy from District 2 and Marvel's former ally, runs a few yards ahead of him. In a moment, they reach the Cornucopia and begin struggling to climb to the top. When they are finally out of reach of the mutts, who can neither jump high enough nor get a hold on the smooth metal with their claws, Cato and Marvel catch their breath. Neither of them have enough strength, from running so hard for so long, to even stand without falling. Cato tries to get to his feet immediately, and ends up back on his knees, heaving over the side of the Cornucopia.

Get up…

Beside me, the other victors look to be in shock, their eyes glued to the screen. Sheen is muttering something under his breath, and Hyaline looks about as sick as Cato. Neither of them has ever paid more attention to the televised Games, whether we watched from Sheen's living room, as we do now, or mentored from the Capitol.

Hy's known Marvel since he was eleven. He was her mentor's son. He was one of the first people we met as victors. And he knew the Victors' Village better than any of us.

This is not the end.

He hasn't given up. Though Cato outmatches him in strength, Marvel has the skill to beat him, and he knows it. Both seem to regain their ability to stand at the same time, and start to fight each other on top of the golden horn.

Marvel, armed with only a knife, takes a swing at his former-ally's face with the blade. Cato reels backwards, and Marvel is able to kick his legs out from under him. The boy from District 2 hits the ground hard, slamming his head against the metal Cornucopia. For a moment he stares up at the sky, blinking rapidly, probably in an attempt to clear his vision. Marvel looks down to the knife in his hand, and then back to the weaponless, dazed tribute who was once his ally. He's hesitating.

"Kill him," growls Hy, as if Marvel can hear her through the screen, "Just kill him!"

He's too late. Cato has enough time to struggle to his feet and swing a punch. Marvel ducks under his arm, and looks down to find himself dangerously close to the Cornucopia's side. As he takes a step forward to avoid falling off, the boy from 2 throws another punch. Marvel stumbles backwards. I watch in horror as Cato grabs him by the front of his jacket and dangles him over the edge.

This isn't happening…

A long moment passes. Too long. The camera zooms in as Cato, who probably assumes he'll be victor, grins broadly. The left side of his face is relatively recognizable, but the right side is a bloody mess, torn by the muttations' claws and teeth. His smile is lopsided.

You acted like friends.

I don't know where that thought comes from. I don't have the right to think that way. Plenty of allies turn on each other. I turned on my ally…

After she turned on you!

Is this supposed to be my voice of reason? Because I am capable of thinking my own thoughts. I turn my attention back to the Games.

Marvel glances down at the mutts, who are jumping up to try and reach him. Suddenly, he pulls his knife up and stabs Cato in the hand.

"Ah!" The boy from 2 lets Marvel go. For a terrifying second, he falls, straight towards the ravenous wolf-mutts waiting for him on the ground. Then, he grabs hold of the Cornucopia's ridge, and pulls himself up. He's far enough away from the mutts, but not quite out of Cato's reach. The boy from 2 starts making his way towards him, being careful not to lose his footing on the horn's surface, slick with blood from their wounds. Marvel stares up at him, gripping his knife tightly. I try to figure out what he's thinking, but Marvel's always been good at hiding his emotions. No one who lives in the Victors' Village is an open book. Being their friend is an everlasting guessing game.

"You coming or what?" yells Marvel over the noise of the mutts. Cato stops abruptly, looking a combination of confused and annoyed. Once again, I can't read Marvel's expression.

What are you doing?

"What's he doing?" asks Sheen, practically reading my mind, as always. Hy shrugs, still looking miffed that Marvel missed his chance earlier. I turn back to the screen, where both tributes are standing on the ridge. Cato has started trying to knock Marvel over the side again. Marvel just barely dodges a swing, turns around, and grabs Cato's arm. The boy from 2 starts to yank his arm away, but Marvel is already shoving him off the golden horn.

"Sorry." The camera barely perceives Marvel's apology, which is almost drowned out by Cato's yell as he falls through the air. The moment he hits the ground, the mutts all jump to attack him. I cover my eyes, but nothing can drown out the boy from 2's agony as he's torn apart.

What must Marvel be feeling now?

It's probably a thousand times worse for him. I glance to the side, at the other victors. Sheen grimaces as he watches. There's a force behind Hyaline's expression as she stares at the screen, as if she's willing the boy from 2 to die. Suddenly, Cato goes silent, and one final cannon blast echoes through the arena, and through Sheen's house.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the victor of the seventy-fourth Hunger Games, Marvel Ryans! I give you, the tribute from District One!"

I look up. Marvel sighs in relief and leans against the Cornucopia. I hear shouts from next to me; Hyaline and Sheen are cheering like mad. I join in, grinning, as the hovercraft appears to finally take Marvel out of the arena.

Through the nearly incoherent shouting of the other victors, I get a play-by-play description of the last moments in the 74th Hunger Games. Marvel threw his knife to kill his final opponent. The door opens, and Marvel's ten-year-old sister, Crystal, runs in.

"He did it!" she exclaims over the noise.

"He did it!" I nod, still smiling. Crystal hugs me.

"Group hug!" declares Sheen a moment later, throwing his arms around us both. I laugh. Hy, never an overly sentimental person, stands by the television and pretends to be interested in Caesar Flickerman's remarks on what an exciting year this was. Crystal grabs her arm and pulls her into the group hug.

"Whoa!" she shouts. Everyone laughs, all of us relieved that Marvel will be coming back.

"How long until he's home?" asks Crystal.

"A few days," says Hyaline with a shrug, "He's not hurt so bad. They take some time to make you look like you again before presenting you to the public." Hy would know. By the time her Games ended, she was almost as bad as Cato. Even today, her face is marred with scars from the arena. She doesn't seem to mind it, usually. Of course not. She's Hy. Marvel's injuries weren't extreme, as Cato's would have been if he had somehow managed to win, so he won't need to stay very long before they let him come home.

"I'll see him again in just a few days!" says Crystal, beaming. Hy gives Crystal one of her rare smiles.

"Yep," she says, "Now let me go!" Sheen and I laugh and let go, but Crystal keeps hugging her tightly.

"Nope!"

"Um…Please?" asks Hyaline, looking uncomfortable.

"Fine," sighs Crystal, releasing her. Hy grins.

"He's coming back!" exclaims Crystal, grinning back at her.

"I know!" says Hy.

"I knew he could do it!" says Sheen.

"Of course he could!" says Crystal with a laugh. I smile and sit down on the couch, next to Sheen.

"I'm going to go see Orion! I'll see you later!" With that, she runs off to go see Marvel's best friend.

"You know, I'd say I couldn't believe it, but that'd be a lie," says Sheen. I laugh.

"That was terrifying. It's so hard to watch people go through it…"

"Hard as it is to go through it yourself?" asks Hy.

"No," I say, "But it's horrible, seeing someone you care about on the screen and knowing there's nothing you can do to help them." I hear only silence from Hyaline and Sheen, which is about as rare as both District 12 tributes making it to the final seven. Both of these incidents happened in the same week.

The reason for my depressingly true statement is that this is the first year after my victory that I have watched the Games from home. Last year, I was a mentor. The year before, I was a tribute. Now, I am a victor, and it's so much worse when you already know what it's like. When Sheen watches the Games, I can practically see his own arena flashing in front of his eyes. When Hy does, she concentrates so intently on the images, you'd think she was there herself.

I wonder if the Games will change Marvel as much as they changed the three of us.

Suzanne Collins owns the Hunger Games, Hyaline, Sheen, and Garnet are mine, and Orion and Crystal are Jess's :)

Please review!