It was the final four, and all of Panem was holding their breath. Who would win? Certainly no one thought it was going to be me, not the girl who hadn't killed anyone.

I look down, and I see three boys, Careers, circling around the tree I'm hiding in. "We know you're up there little girl. Why don't you come down and play?" they call, taunting me. I can't take it. They've been at it all night. I'm not sure how much longer I can handle it, being stuck up here with nothing to do but wait.

I'm not even sure what I'm waiting for. A miracle, perhaps? My salvation? But who, but what? It's the final four, and we're all here. And none of them are coming up to help me anytime soon.

I know they can't climb trees, but that's still little consolation. I'm going to need water and food soon. Waiting up here is tortuous. I'm almost certain that I'm going to die. Why not get it over with? Why not cut out the suffering? Except I know that they will torture me when they catch me. Make me pay for all of the time they wasted circling around this damn tree.

They'll kill me together, and then each other. It disgusts me, which is why I haven't taken a single soul throughout these Games. It's a miracle, really, that I've made it this far. Coming this far without killing anyone is unheard of. I just think killing is so wrong, and I refuse to do it.

But it's truly hopeless. Even if I make it out of this tree alive, I'll have to fight someone. No one escapes the final duel; it's the Hunger Games tradition.

Looking down, I want to cry. But I won't. I will stay strong until the end. No one can break me, not even death itself. I try to block out their voices but I can't. "We're not going to hurt you," one of them coos, and they all laugh.

I can't stand it anymore; I'm going to try to escape. I crawl closer to the end of a branch, judging the distance towards the next tree. It's only a couple of feet, but the thought of jumping terrifies me. I look down, and I notice that they've moved. No longer are they circling the base of the tree, but now they're standing around a fire, and I'm right over their heads.

"Oh look Valentine," one of them pokes another in the back, pointing upwards, "The little birdie's trying to fly away." They begin laughing again, and the anger inside me builds, tinted with fear. I'm more seriously considering jumping towards the nearby tree when I hear a crack.

They all look up, just in time to see me fall. I'm sprawling through the air. This is it; this is the end. At least I won't die at their vile hands.

I close my eyes and brace myself for impact. All of a sudden it feels as if my entire body has shattered. But I can feel it. I'm not dead. All of a sudden, screams pierce the air and force my eyes open.

I realize that I'm lying on top of one of them. My eyes shift to the left, and I see that the boy next to me has a knife in his back and that there's a figure writhing in the fire.

I put the pieces together and realize what must have happened. When I fell, I landed on a boy under my head. He collapsed onto the boy next to him, and since he had a knife in his hand, he stabbed him. The boy who was stabbed must have slumped into the third boy, pushing him into the fire.

Slowly the screams turn to moans, which turn to whimpers, and then to silence. I'm lying there, waiting for death to happen, when I hear a chorus of cannons. I count them, one, two, three. It means they're dead; It means I've won.

I vaguely hear the trumpets and the announcement of my victory, but I'm drifting into an unconscious state. My eyelids are like lead; they're falling, falling, falling. I feel myself being pulled into a hovercraft, but it seems as if I am floating away on a cloud.

I guess this was the final duel. I guess you can escape the Hunger Games by doing nothing wrong.

(A/N): Probably complete, but I'm open to continuing. Reviews are much appreciated.