Waverly Shores 3: The Hunger

by Emeralddusk

The Russos are put on a game show, only this time, the world will be watching.

3. The Ashes

Wizards of Waverly Place

Waverly Shores 3: The Hunger

Part Three: The Ashes

The announcer continued to count down, each person focused on their own sites in the arena. "Fourteen, thirteen, twelve..."

One tribute, looked around fifteen, looked around, then ran and jumped off the pedestal. He landed on the ground, and the explosion from the mine knocked him in the air, and he was dead before he hit the ground.

Everybody looked, shocked, somewhat distracted. In the Gamamaker's headquarters, they were perplexed too. "Uh, should we use the cannon?" Asked a woman there.

"No, uh, just wait." Said Seneca, utterly confused.

All the tributes were shocked, out of order, except for Haymitch, smiling and holding back laughter, Alex tried to keep her composure too. "Six, five, four..." The tributes positioned themselves in running positions, with looks of determination, confidence, intensity, fear, nervousness, and anxiety. "Three, two, one." The announcer said. A long siren sounded, and all the tributes sprinted off their pedestals, well, the ones who weren't dead already. The inner District tributes made for the Cornucopia, and so did some outer District fools, and Haymitch. Max turned immediately and made for the forest. Theresa dissapeared back behind the Cornucopia, Jerry slipped, taking his time, into the western forest of the arena, everybody too pre-occupied to notice, Justin, however, slipped past the concentration of tributes fighting in the Cornucopia, and grabbed a bag off to the right side, near Haymitch. Peeta was running for the forest, then he stopped and peered at the Cornucopia, Justin looked, then threw him a bag, they nodded at one another, then Peeta took off, and so did Justin. Haymitch had stopped taking things to watch. Alex tried to get to the bow and arrow set, but the central slaughter was right around it, then she saw an orange back, and ran for it. She grabbed it, then a guy ran at her with a sword, but he was hit in the back with a knife first and died. When he fell the thrower stood, facing Alex, and she threw the knife. Alex blocked it with her bag, it caught, and she turned and ran into the forest. Meanwhile, tributes were being killed, cut open by Careers, beaten to death, necks broken, hit with knives.

A lower District tribute was trying to run with his earnings. "Krii Lun Aus!" Shouted one of the District 5 tributes, then a number of people ran up and started killing him.

Haymitch was reaching for a roll of something, but then a District 4 Career grabbed it. Haymitch grabbed him, and pushed him against the wall of the Cornucopia. "Ha, what do you think you're doing, you want this, hu!" He yelled as he slammed him into the wall. Then he grabbed a bat-looking weapon and started beating him in the face with it. Everyone else stopped to watch. "Ah, you!" Yelled Haymitch as he hit him, and when he collapsed on the ground, he continued to hit him in the face. "Ah!" Everyone quickly turned, with fear in their eyes, and ran as fast, and as far, from the Cornucopia as possible.

Alex ran into the forest, then collided with the fox-faced girl from 5, they both looked at each other, the girl looking very nervous, then they sprinted off in their separate directions.

A girl from District 8 was walking in the forest, looking concerned, then she turned and came face to face with a man, with a white head and face, not eyes or mouth, in a black suit, and tentacles on his back, meeting her eyes. "Gimme twenty dollars, gimme twenty dollars, no wifing in the club, gimme twenty dollars, gim..."

"Oh." Sighed the girl as she dropped dead, the man just stood there.

Alex was running through the forest, then she saw another tribute in the distance, and sprinted in the other direction, She pushed past the trees and shrubs, then came to a steep drop off on the land, and fell and rolled down it, until it leveled out. "Oh, uh, ah." She groaned as she got back up. She walked over and sat on a log on the ground, and opened the orange pack. She pulled out the knife the girl threw, and inside the pack she found a metal water container, she opened it, then turned it upside down, and nothing came out. "Uh." She sighed. Then she pulled out something that looked like a metal slinkie, put it aside, then pulled out some rope, and a sleeping bag that held in body heat.

It was then that a cannon went off. Caesar was announcing with Nero. "And, there is the traditional fire of the cannon." Said Caesar.

"Signifying another fallen tribute." Said Nero.

Alex counted the cannon fires. "Nine, ten, eleven, twelve..." She whispered, then it went quiet again. "Hu." She sighed.

Back at the Cornucopia, Haymitch was going through the things he'd taken. "Uh." He groaned as he threw around the sleeping bags, medical kits, entire tent sets, and a lot of food, not to mention all the weapons on the wall. Then he pulled up a bottle of wine and read the label. "Uh, '92 Chardonnay, disgusting!" He yelled as he threw the bottle, and it smashed against the wall of the Cornucopia. He finished putting the "necessities" into a back pack, then stood up. "Uh, forty-five left, which means thirty-eight more people to kill, well, depending on how many of them are dead yet, ugh." Groaned Haymitch as he walked off with an ax in his hand.

Max was walking in the forest, the day was ending, and he was looking for shelter. "Uh, what did Haymitch say, uh, fuck!" He groaned to himself. The weather was progressively getting colder as the sun went down. He walked around, looking for some loose wood of leaves to provide shelter, but couldn't find any. "Hu, oh." He groaned as he pulled his jacket shut and breathed on his hands.

Alex was stumbling through the forest, panting, giving up looking for water for the day. She used her knife to saw off some wood, then made a snare out of it, she cut the rope to see if it would work, then it hit her arm. "Oh, shit!" She shouted. It was nearing night, and she walked over to a tall tree, and climbed it, tied herself to the branch, and placed the sleeping bag around herself. "Hu, ah." She sighed as she laid her head against the trunk of the tree and relaxed. She looked off to her side, and saw a fire burning, with a District 9 girl sitting next to it, warming herself. "Phh." Said Alex as she looked away and rolled her eyes.

The girl sat by the fire, warming her hands, then she looked to her left and saw a group of four tributes standing over her. One pulled out a knife and smiled. "Ah!" She screamed.

Alex looked off into her direction, and heard the cannon fire. "And, that makes seventeen dead within the first ten hours." Said Nero, tapping his desk.

"Yes, and Nero, I think I see an alliance forming." Said Caesar.

Alex listened as the Careers passed her. "Oh, did you see the look on her face?" Asked one of the guys.

"Ya, then that whine, oh, don't kill me." Said one of the girls.

"Ha, ya, but that's not us, ha ha." Laughed the other guy as they walked off.

"Hu, uh." Sighed Alex as she tried to fall asleep.

It was night now, and the temperature had dropped significantly. Max was sitting on the ground, holding himself, trying to conserve heat. "Hu, oh, shit, uh, hu." He sighed. He gathered some loose sticks around, and rubbed them together until they started a fire, then warmed his hand on it. "Hu, hu." He sighed as he tried to warm himself.

Off in the distance, some people could be heard. "Ya, ha, there he is!" Yelled one of the girls.

"Hu." Said Max, shocked as he saw the people.

"Get him!" Yelled the girl.

"Uh!" Yelled another girl as she threw a knife at him.

"Ah!" Yelled Max as he dove out of the way, and the knife stuck in the tree.

"Get him!" Yelled one of the guys, then they started hollering like idiots.

"Uh, ah." Groaned Max as he pulled the knife out of the tree, and climbed up the branches.

"Ha, you think you can hide from us up there?" Yelled one of the guys.

"Ya, Cato, go get him." Said one of the girls.

"Kay." Said the blond guy as he handed off his sword and started up the tree.

"Hu, hu." Sighed Max as he climbed further up.

"Come on, get him Cato, get him!" Yelled the others.

"Uh, I'm gonna get ya." Said Cato, menacingly as he struggled to climb.

"Come on, kill him Cato!" Yelled the knife throwing girl.

"I'm coming for you!" Yelled Cato. He grabbed on to a branch, and it snapped, and he fell all the way to the ground. "Uh, ah!" He groaned.

Max positioned himself on a branch. "Ha, how do you feel?" He asked, mockingly, trying very hard to conceal his fear.

"Not half of what we're gonna do to you!" Yelled Cato.

"I'll do it, ha, lover boy." Said the other girl. Peeta then walked into the light. "Gimme the bow." She demanded, waving her hand.

"Kay." Said Peeta as he pulled it from his bag. Max looked down, shocked.

"Great." Said the girl as she put the arrow into the bow, then shot it at him.

"Ah." Said Max as the arrow just missed him.

"Fuck, gimme that." Said Cato as he took the bow, and shot an arrow, not even getting close.

"Uh, hu." Sighed Max.

"Ha, just wait him out." Said Peeta.

"What?" Asked the other guy.

"He's got to come down eventually, either that or starve to death or she comes." Said Peeta.

"...Alright, somebody start a fire." Said Cato. They walked off.

"You sure she'll come, and killing him will even matter?" Asked the other guy.

"Sure, she volunteered for him, he's dead she's got nothing to fight for." Said Peeta.

"You'd better be right." Said the guy as he walked off.

Max looked down at him, confused. Peeta looked up, his face unreadable, then walked off. Two people came back, and Max overheard their conversation. "Ha, are you sure we shouldn't just kill him now?" Asked one of the girls.

"No, he's our best chance to get to her, besides we need somebody to carry our gear." Said Cato.

"Right, get him later, come on." Said the girl, pushing him on.

Max looked back up. "Uh, hu." He sighed.

In the Gamemaker's HQ, one of the women pulled up a diagram on the Capitol Seal with her pen, and placed it in the sky of the arena.

As Alex sat in the tree, trying to sleep, she saw the Seal come up, and it flashed by images of each tribute who had died that day. Seventeen faces were shown. At the same time Max and Haymitch were watching, and by the end were assured that each person from 12 was still alive. "Hoo, hu." Sighed Alex as she leaned back and closed her eyes.

"Hm, hu." Said Haymitch as he walked off, surprised by what he saw.

Later in the night, near dawn, Max was sitting in the tree, just waking up, and was looking around, thinking of some way to get away from the Careers. "Psst." Whispered someone from his left. He looked over, and in another tree was Rue, the girl from District 11. He looked at her, and she pointed up above him. He turned to see what she was pointing at, and in a branch higher up in the tree was a large wasp's nest.

"Nero, am I mistaken, or are those tracker jackers?" Asked Caesar.

"Oh, yes, I believe so." Said Nero.

"For those of you who don't know, tracker jackers are genetically altered wasps, created during the Dark Days." Said Caesar.

"Yes, their stings cause violent reactions in the victims, including severe, burning pain, strong hallucinations, and in some cases, death." Said Nero, trying not to smile.

Max looked up at the nest, then back at Rue. She then pointed down below him, and looking, he saw the four Careers and Peeta lying right below the nest. She pointed at the nest again, then down at the tributes. Max nodded at her, she smiled, and she went for another tree, further away.

Max climbed up the tree, quietly and hesitantly, until he reached the branch that the nest was on. Below, the Careers had a fire burning, and the smoke put the tracker jackers at a sleep-induced ease. One up the tributes seemed to wake up, look around, then laid back down and closed her eyes. Max pulled out the knife he had taken out of the tree, and began sawing at the branch, going slowly as to not skake the nest. Max nervously used the bladed end of the knife to gradually widled into the branch. About half-way through, the sun began to come up, and the tracker jackers began to leave and encircle the nest. "Uh, hu, hu." Sighed Max as he wiped the sweat off his forehead and continued to saw at the branch. Some of the tracker jackers began to fly about the branch, and Max continued cutting the branch, more quickly now. The tracker jackers migrated towards his position, and he swatted several of them away. "Uh, hu, uh." He groaned, sweating heavily, sawing rapidly at the branch. One of the tracker jackers buzzed loudly and stung him on the neck. "Ah, uh!" He moaned, silently, trying not to wake the sleeping tributes. "Eh, uh, uh, uh." He groaned, sawing more into the branch, now a three quarters done. Another tracker jacker contacted his right hand, the one he was sawing with. "Ah, ah." He groaned. The tracker jackers began to grow in numbers outside the nest, swarming, trying to find the source of the disturbance. "Uh, ah, ah." Groaned Max as a tracker jacker stung the back of his other hand. "Uh, ah, oh." He groaned as another stung him on his right arm, and he almost dropped the knife. "Hu, hu, ah!" He moaned, rather loudly, a tracker jacker hitting his left arm. "Uh, uh, uh." He moaned as he sawed at the branch, struggling to maintain his footing. The branch began to tip, then a tracker jacker stung him on his neck, close to the other sting. "Ah!" He shouted.

The branch tipped more, then broke loose from the trunk. The branch fell, carrying the nest with it, and it landed right in the middle of the Career's camp. The nest broke open, and the tracker jackers swarmed over the tributes. "Ah!" Screamed the tributes as they quickly got up and ran away.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Screamed the girl from 1, not the one with the knives, who had tracker jackers all over her face. "Ah, help, ah!" She wailed as she struggled to run, the collapsed on the ground.

"Uh, oh, ah." Groaned Max as he tried to climb down the branches, then his hand slipped and he fell the rest of the way, catching and cutting himself on several branches. "Uh, oh, uh." He groaned as he got up, and all of his surroundings were glared with strange colors, and he had a convexity to his sight. He staggered forward and looked down to see the girl from 1, her face severely deformed, dead on the ground. Then he noticed the bow in her hand, and the sheath of arrows on her back. He walked over to her, trying to focus, and, with strength drained from his body, pried the arrow from her bloated hands. Then he tried to pull the sheath from under her, but she was heavy atop it. He heard the hovercraft coming to collect her body, and quickly turned her on her side, and took the sheath from under her. He held both the arrow and the sheath and staggered away, unsure of the regulations in the hovercraft collection. After a short while he heard someone sprinting towards him. "Hu, uh." He groaned, holding the unfamiliar weapon, and struggled to wrap his fingers around an arrow, but couldn't focus enough to do it. He tripped over his own feet and collapsed against a nearby tree. His vision went too hazed with green and white light to make out the oncoming person, but could hear an echoed shouting.

"Run, run, what're you doing, get out of here, they're coming, run!" Yelled the person, the voice too muffled for him to make out who it was.

Max struggled to pull himself off the tree, then he ran as quickly as he could, trying to maintain balance, barely keeping his eyes opened to stay off becoming disoriented. Out of nowhere in the forest, Caesar walked out, wearing a sparkly blue suit, holding a microphone. "Not only does a tracker jacker's sting cause severe pain and hallucinations, it also greatly decreased mobility, and can often result in prolonged blackouts, ha ha ha." He chuckled, menacingly.

"Uh, wha, ah." Groaned Max as he staggered onward, losing consciousness, stumbling and pushing past branches and shrubs. "Oh, uh." He sighed as his vision went black, and he tripped down a decline in the ground through more foliage, and passed out.

That same day, Alex was walking through the forest, desperately looking for water. "Uh, come on, uh." She groaned as she continued down the arena. It had been over a day since the Games began, and she had yet to find any water. She pushed past the trees, looking for high ground, or mud, or moss, but nothing showed up the further she went. "Oh, shit!" She groaned as she wiped her forehead from the heat and went on panting, heavily from dehydration. She traveled moving East, remembering the stream to the right of the Cornucopia, but the ground remained dry, the trees remained clear of vegetation, and the land stayed relatively level, with little hope of a river flowing down it. She kept trecking, stopping every so often to gather berries and rest, much more frequently as the day went on. When the sun started to go down, she gave up, and made camp in a tree, tying herself in, and putting on the sleeping bag. She sat there for a while, waiting for sleep to come. "Oh." She groaned, then looked up at the sky. "Are you fucking kidding me!" She yelled, seemingly at the spectators of the Games. "Uh, why is this happening, Haymitch must've gotten someone to sponsor us, unless, he told them not to help us unless we're dying, maybe I'm close, uh, bastard." Sighed Alex as she leaned back on the tree.

The next day, Alex gathered her things and put them in the orange back pack, and began throwing mud on it. "Hu, fucking florescent colors, assholes." She said as she replaced it on her shoulder. She hiked more and more in the same direction, gathering more food along the way, and after a few hours she just stopped and collapsed on the ground. "Uh, hu, fuck, fuck it!" She yelled as she threw some leaves on the ground. "Uh, h, put on that whole show and for what, so they'd watch us fall apart, and die from deprivation, no matter how good we are with, knives, arrows, still need them to keep us alive, uh, shit." She sighed as she rested her head on the ground. "Uh, Haymitch, face wasn't in the sky, he'll keep him alive, uh, or he'll try, or, Peeta, if they're even alive the next few days, after that, uh." She sighed as she grabbed on to the dirt. "Uh, mud, soft, good to cover scent, good for bee stings, uh, and cool on hot days, oh, fuck." She sighed as she laid back in the dirt. "...Hu, wait a minute, uh." She said as she scraped up more mud. "Hu, uh." She sighed as she got up, quickly and walked further in the same direction. Past a wall of trees, she came upon a small river. "Uh, yes, yes." She sighed as she put her head right in the water and drank more and more water. "Uh, hu, oh, thank you." She sighed, looking up, graciously. "Wait, what am I saying, fuck you." She said to Haymitch, wherever he was. She then filled up the metal water container with water. "Uh, I know it now, I don't need him, hu, I never needed him, ever." She said, drinking more water. "Uh, I don't need him to save them, I can do it on my own, I'll get through this, and next time I see him, I'm gonna kill him, ya, and he'll never see it coming, ha ha." Laughed Alex as she went on filling the container.

Later that afternoon, Haymitch was walking through the forest, holding his ax, and walked over to his snare and collected the rabbit he'd caught. From around the corner of a tree, Theresa peered out to see him. "Haymitch?" She said.

"Oh, Theresa, hi." He said, looking up.

"I didn't think I'd find you out here." She said.

"No, I was looking around and I couldn't find any of you, how'd you manage to camp the Cornucopia like this?" He asked.

"Nobody's come near it since the bloodbath, I'm not sure why, so I just stayed here." Said Theresa.

"That's odd, it's usually the central camp for the Careers, unless they've got something planned, can't be too good if they're giving up the Cornucopia though." He said.

"That's true, so what're you doing now?" Asked Theresa.

"I've been looking for one of the others, they're all still alive but I have know idea where they are, not sure how much longer it'll be before someone else finds them though." Said Haymitch, lowly.

"I know, ha, why don't I come with you, I don't have much to offer, but I can help you look for them, I need to know they're okay and I don't think I can travel by myself." Said Theresa.

"Hu, sure, always good to have an extra pair of eyes, and, if nothing else I can keep the two of us alive, just pay attention to what I say and don't do anything irrational." Said Haymitch.

"I won't, and thanks." Said Theresa, smiling at him.

"Don't mention it, now come on, it's too risky staying here and we should find a place to camp before nightfall." Said Haymitch, gathering his things.

"Okay, ha, shouldn't I have a weapon?" Asked Theresa.

"Ya, carry my backpack." Said Haymitch as he threw it to her.

"What can I do with this?" She asked.

"It's heavy, you can hit people with it." Said Haymitch.

"But, you have swords and axes, why do I get this?" Asked Theresa.

"Because, you won't be able to hurt yourself as badly with that." Said Haymitch.

"Uh, okay." Said Theresa as she walked off.

The next night, Alex was sitting in a tree within the vicinity of the stream, when she heard leaves rustling and people talking. "No, they'd expect us there." Said one of the people. Alex peered around the tree trunk to see the Careers walking.

"But why would he be out here?" Asked the other guy.

"The river bends East, out West there's nothing, no place to set up camp for two days." Said the first guy.

"Either way he'll come by us eventually, wouldn't be West, but even the Cornucopia won't give him water." Said the girl.

"And we went South, if we take to the North East river we're a barrier from him and Old Man Abernathy." Said the boy.

"Alright, now it's just a matter of time till we get him, then she'll come running, doubt she'll find him before he's blood on our hands." Said the girl as they walked off.

Alex just sat there, shocked, hearing their plan. A few hours later, at night, after they'd gone she gathered her things, put the pack on her shoulder, and started walking out East.

That night, Caesar and Nero were commentating on the day's activities. "So, four more died today of natural causes." Said Nero.

"Yes, uh, Cora Freyr, North West, Cale Weiss, Plains, uh, Tomolil, Tolmolil, l, lots of l's, just, full of l's." Said Caesar, throwing the paper.

"Yes, you know, I'm surprised that eight out of the twelve victors are already dead, by the end of day four." Said Caesar.

"I know, the only former victors remaining are Cashmere, from the South West, Brutus, from West Central, Chaff, from, South E, oh, wait, Chaff died too, and Haymitch, from North East District." Said Caesar.

"Ya, that really is a shame." Said Nero.

"Yes, but I feel, that the really pride, is that the new tributes are so well trained, over the four days by us, not outside training in their Districts, that they are thriving in the arena, ever over past victors." Said Caesar.

"Ya, just, too bad it's the year when they decided to bring back the victors, ya know." Said Nero.

"Yes..." Said Caesar. "And, the tributes are trained, by us, four days, so well in fact, that none of them have died from combat, in over twenty hours." Said Caesar.

"I know, it's a great feat, but not too entertaining for our audience thought, I'm sure things will heat up soon however." Said Nero.

"Yes, I'm sure they will." Said Caesar. The two just sat there. Caesar reached off screen and pulled in a bottle of wine, and started drinking it, while Nero sat there, trying to look casual.

The next day, Max awoke in a grassy field. "Uh, hu, oh." He groaned as he tried to get up. He looked, then noticed the leaves on the back on his hands, and on his neck. "Hu, uh." He groaned, laying down again.

"Hi." Said a girl.

"Hu?" Said Max as he lifted his head to see her.

"Good, you're okay." Said the girl, sitting on a log, eating something that looked like a chicken wing. It was Rue.

"Wha, Rue, uh, where am I?" He asked.

"You're safe, I found you here and took care of your wounds while you were out." Said Rue.

"Oh, thanks, uh." Groaned Max as he managed to pull himself up and sit in an upright position.

Rue looked over at him. "Hm, hm." She giggled quietly while blushing, pretending not to look at him.

"Uh, oh!" Said Max, looking down and seeing he wasn't wearing anything. He quickly covered himself with his hands. "Uh, I'm sorry." He said, blushing.

"That's okay." Said Rue as she went on eating.

"So, how long was I out?" Asked Max.

"Couple of days." Said Rue.

"Oh." Said Max, trying to focus.

"Mm, here." Said Rue as she tossed him one of her packs.

"Thanks." Said Max as he held it over his lap and walked over to sit down next to her.

"Here, it's Groosling." She said as she handed him some of the meat.

"Thanks." Said Max as he took the meat and ate it. "So, what happened while I was out?" He asked.

"A lot of them, I think, the girl from 1, and, the boy from 4, for sure." Said Rue.

"And, uh, anyone from 12?" He asked.

"No, they're all alive." Said Rue as she went on eating.

"Oh." Said Max, somewhat shocked, and relieved.

"I changed your leaves twice, the swelling should go down soon." She said.

"Thank you." Said Max. "..Um, now that I don't appreciate it, but, why did you help me?" He asked.

"Cus, I saw you in the training center, you're a nice guy, I know you wouldn't hurt anyone if you didn't have to." Said Rue.

"Hu, no, I wouldn't." Said Max. "...Thanks for helping me." He said.

"You're welcome." Said Rue.

"So, do you know where any of the others are?" He asked.

"Um, most of them are out by the river, most of them don't come out here since it's so far away." She said.

"Oh, okay." Said Max, thinking. "So, do you want me to stay with you, to help you out and stuff?" Asked Max.

"That's alright, I usually like to stay in the trees to watch them, besides, I'll be okay." Said Rue.

"Okay, are you sure?" Asked Max.

"Ya, besides, you seem like you have somewhere to be." Said Rue.

"Ya, I do, thanks." Said Max as he got up. "Um, do you know where my clothes are?" He asked.

"Here." Said Rue as she handed him a bag. "Some of it was too ripped up to save, so I just took the rest off the boy from 4, he's about your size."

"Oh, thanks." Said Max as he took the clothes out of the bag and started to dress.

Rue glanced over at him. "Ha, you're cute." She said, shyly.

"Oh, uh, thanks." Said Max, blushing heavily, as he quickly pulled his shorts on.

"Ha, don't forget this." Said Rue as she pulled up the bow and arrow sheath.

"Oh, uh, you can keep it." Said Max, still dressing.

"Are you sure?" Asked Rue.

"Ya, I'm sure." Said Max.

"Thanks." Said Rue.

"Don't mention it." Said Max, finishing dressing and putting the knife on his belt string. When he was dressed he started to leave. "Uh, thanks again Rue, for everything.

"You're welcome." She said. "Ha, stay safe." She said.

"Thanks, you too." Said Max, smiling as he left. Rue smiled to herself as he walked off.

That night, Haymitch and Theresa had a tent set up in the woods, a fire was going, and Theresa was asleep, for her watch turn was over. "So, uh, it's getting pretty cold out, I'm gonna head over to the pond, see what the ducks are doing." Said Haymitch, in an interview, and he was clearly drunk. Haymitch staggered over to the pond, right before he got there he tripped, dropped a record and it shattered, then he doubled over, threw up, tripped and fell into the pond.

The next day, Alex was walking East, looking around, searching for some trace of the tributes. In the Gamemaker's Hedquarters, a man was tracking her on his map. "Sir, sir." He called.

"What?" Said Seneca, walking in.

"She is almost at the edge, about two kilometers from the closest barrier." He said.

"Well, turn her around." Said Seneca.

"Okay." Said the guy.

Alex was strolling through a lightly forested area, then she stopped, stooped down to pick up some berries. "Hm." She said. She stood back up, and was knocked on the ground by a giant, speeding ball of fire. "Oh, uh, what the, uh!" She said. The forest was full of fire, and it was making its way in her direction. "Uh." She said as she began to run away from it. Another fire ball shot at her, but she dodged it.

"Okay, cuing another one, three, two." Said the Gamemaker.

"Uh, ah!" Screamed Alex as she collapsed on the ground to avoid another shot. "Hu, oh." She said as she went on running.

"She's headed for the right flank." Said another Gamemaker.

"Kay, can you give me a tree there?" Asked Seneca.

"Sure." Said a woman, placing a tree on the arena.

"Uh, oh!" Yelled Alex as a flaming tree collapsed right in front of her. "Ah!" She yelled as she ran into it. Another fire ball shot, and went directly in front of her. "Oh!" She screamed, collapsing on the ground. Her knee had been skinned by the fire, and was burnt and blistering. "Uh, ah!" She yelled, looking at it. She glanced up, and her eyes went wide, seeing the fire ball coming right at her. She dove out of the way just as it hit the tree and exploded. She ran, and tripped her way down a decline in the ground, the fire trailing, and her vision was completely obstructed by smoke. "Uh, cu cu, ah." She groaned, still running.

"She's almost there." Said the woman.

"Good, nice job." Said Seneca, patting her on the shoulder and leaving. The woman looked disgusted.

"Uh, oh." Sighed Alex as she ran and fell into the river. "Hu, hu, oh, hu." She gasped, trying to alleviate the pain in her leg. "Hu, hu, oh." She sighed. She remained in the river for about an hour, unsure of how to proceed, then she saw another tribute walking, in the distance, near the river. She recognized him as one of the Careers. She just sat there, motionless. He seemed to peer in her general direction, then turned around, carrying a large spear with him. "Hu, oh, hu." She sighed out, relieved.

She walked, staggering with her injured leg, carrying the brightly colored back pack. "Hu, hu, uh." She sighed, exhausted. She struggled to climb a tree, and made camp in a moderately high branch. "Hu, ah." She groaned, clutching her leg.

In some big fancy Capitol building, Effin was watching the Games, the feed was on Alex, sitting in the tree, sobbing in pain. Effin looked somewhat distressed.

"Uh, oh." Moaned Alex, pouring some water from her contained on her leg. "Ah, oh, ah." She moaned, tears running from her eyes. She tried to dab it off with her coat sleeve, but her hand shook too much to focus in. "Uh, oh." She moaned, leaning back, crying.

Effin looked on the verge of tears. Then she got up and walked out of the room. She was in a restaurant, having tea and some unusual kind of cakes with some other women, dressed so insane they made her look normal. She was gabbing with them, talking about Alex, some looked perplexed. After a time they shook hands, and she hugged two of them. That night Alex was sitting in the tree, trying to sleep, but couldn't get past the burning. Suddenly, she heard a beeping, and saw a blinking light, coming from a container on a parachute. It landed and rooted itself on a higher branch in the tree. Alex looked up at it, then, forcing herself to get up, climbed upward the tree to retrieve it. She opened the container, gently, and pulled out the container, with a note on it that read, "Apply gently, stay alive. -E." She looked at the note, perplexed, then she opened the container, and inside was a whitish cream. She put two of her fingers in it, and rubbed it on her leg. "Hu, oh." She sighed, the iciness turning into a soothing feel on the burn. "Oh, uh." She sighed applying some more and leaning back on the tree, looking up to the sky. "Thank you." She whispered, hoping the cameras allowed Effin to hear her.

The hologram was in the sky, flashing more pictures of dead tributes. The last tribute from 4, the boy from 5, and the last boy from 10, before ending. She leaned back, sighing to herself, taking in so much of what was going on.

The next day she awoke in the tree, and, peering down at her leg, saw that the burn had scabbed over. She touched it, only to feel a numbness about it. "Oh, hu." She breathed out. She was walking Southward, the knife in her belt holster. She was looking around, then came to a place in the arena that seemed to curve downward, almost immediately at a point and unnaturally, and about it was a humming. "Hu." She said, reaching her hand out. She could feel a light current at the edge, and knew that it was some kind of perimeter wall for the arena. "Hu, hm." She said, smirking somewhat, and turning around from it.

Nero, in his off time, was making small talk with one of the spectators, in the moderator's lounge. "This is unlike anything I've ever seen. It's seven days in, and the North East District hasn't lost a single tribute." He said.

"I know, we've had scrappers before, but never anything like this." Said the man he was with.

"Hm, I don't like it, I've got a bad feeling about this whole thing." Said Nero.

"Why's that?" Asked the man, who seemed very non-chalant about the whole thing, drinkin' his tea.

"Look at what we've got, seven tributes from 12, more than we've ever had, one of them a volunteer, victors from each District, nine of them dead, and over half the tributes dead, and 12 still has its entire entourage still out there, thriving almost." Said Nero.

"I know, it's peculiar." Said the man.

"We've seen things like this before, and if left unattended it could lead to a situation, which from experience, won't be easily pacified." Said Nero.

"I doubt there's that much at stake, five inner District tributes still alive, two of them former victors, they're more than a match for seven outliers, even if one of them's Abernathy, hear he's slipping in his age anyway." Said the man.

"Could be, might not, have Crane keep an eye it, just to assure the odds are kept in our favor, know what I mean." Said Nero as he got up and left.

"Alright." Said the man, sipping his tea. The waiter dropped the check on the table. The man set his eyes on it, confused.

Later that day, Haymitch was walking with Theresa, looking at the burnt trees and land. Haymitch reached down and picked up a handful of ashes. "Is there any sign of them?" She asked.

"No, we didn't see their faces in the sky, means they're alright." He said, standing up and dropping the ashes. "They don't pull something like this unless there's a problem, the perimeter must be near here." Said Haymitch.

"Do you think it was one of them?" Asked Theresa.

"Maybe, Alex, Max, I wouldn't doubt it, not many of the others would think to come this far, to test them." Said Haymitch.

"Where do you think they'd go?" Asked Theresa.

"Never make it further East, wouldn't make it South, they'd have gone directly West to the river, this might've been a ploy to drive them into the Careers, might not, but there's a good chance they're camping the river. Said Haymitch, looking to the West. "Doesn't help us find them, but it's good to know. Come on, we're not helping anyone standing here." He said, walking off.

"Okay." Said Theresa, putting his back pack on her shoulder, following him.

That evening, Alex was walking, deeper into the Western forest, looking around. "Hu?" She said, turning around, hearing a sound like a gust of wind, knowing it was someone behind her. "Hu, hm." Said Alex, turning back to her path, assured of who it was. She walked further on, then she heard a rustling in the leaves up ahead. "Hu." She gasped, quickly. She pulled her knife from the holster and help it in a striking position. She walked, slowly, toward the tree where she heard the sound. She peered around to see who was there, then she lowered her knife, seeing the person. She moved further behind the tree, not wanting to be seen. "Rue?" Said Alex. Rue peered her head around the trunk and looked at Alex. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt you." Said Alex, smiling. Rue peered at her, smiling.

They were sitting on a log, eating some strange looking lizzard thing. "So, where'd you learn to hunt?" Asked Rue.

"Oh, back in my District I'd sometimes sneak out through the fences and hunt in the Outlands, we don't have a lot of money or food in the North East, so sometimes it's necessary." Said Alex, eating.

"Mm, you're really good." Said Rue.

"Thanks, so, how've you kept alive all this time?" Asked Alex, interested.

"I'm good at climbing, I stay in the trees so they can't find me, I come down to gather berries and water when nobody's around." Said Rue.

"That's smart, I've seen you climb in the training center, you should've gotten more than a 7." Said Alex, smiling at her.

"I guess, but I'm not as good as you, you're all anyone's been talking about, our trainer told us to watch out for you, but I knew you weren't bad." Said Rue.

"Hm, no, I'm not." Said Alex, laughing.

"No." Said Rue as she went on eating. "That was a really nice thing you did, for your brother, I know everybody probably tells you it, but, I don't think I could've done something like that." Said Rue.

"Ah, sure you would, if you were in my position." Said Alex, patting her back.

"No, you're really brave, I'm glad we're partners." Said Rue, smiling.

"Me too, come here." Said Alex, putting her arm around Rue's shoulder. Rue learned on her and smiled. Alex smiled back at her. She looked and noticed the bow and arrow sheath Rue had with her. "Ha, where'd you get that?" Asked Alex.

"Oh, I got it from one of the boy tributes, can you shoot?" Asked Rue.

"Ya, I'm pretty good, it's how I catch most of my game." Said Alex.

"Here." Said Rue, handing it to her.

"Thanks." Said Alex, taking the bow and sheath and placing them on her back.

"Oh, and I got one of these, here." Said Rue handing her something that looked like sunglasses.

"Oh, thanks, I already have some of these, they don't work." Said Alex.

"Ya they do." Said Rue.

"No, I put them on and I couldn't see anything." Said Alex.

"Oh, these aren't sunglasses, they let you see at night." Said Rue.

"Oh, really?" Asked Alex.

"Ya, we use them a lot back in my District, usually during the Harvest when we have to work really late." Said Rue.

"Oh, I forgot District 11's agriculture, how is it there?" Asked Alex.

"Mm, it's okay sometimes, the Peacekeepers are really strict and mean, but it's alright it people follow the rules." Said Alex.

"Oh, we've never had trouble with Peacekeepers in my District." Said Alex.

"No, I think 11 is worse cause we're closer to the Capitol." Said Rue.

"Hu, I never thought about that." Said Alex, thinking. "So, you know how many are left?"

"I'm not sure, the girl from 1's gone, and the girl from 3, and I think everybody from 4 and 10, but everyone from 2's still alive, and the boy and the winner from 1 too, most of them are at the Cornucopia." Said Rue.

"And, uh, and the boy from my District, Peeta?" Asked Alex.

"Ya, I think he's okay, I think he went North to the river." Said Rue.

"Oh, okay." Said Alex.

"So, is all of that true?" Asked Rue.

"What?"

"You and him." Said Rue in a lovey-dovey voice, smiling.

"Hu, so what're the Careers up to, how're they surviving?" Asked Alex.

"They salvaged all the supplies that were left after the blood bath, they have them all stacked up in a pile just outside the Cornucopia." Said Rue.

"Oh, that sounds tempting." Said Alex.

"I wouldn't try it, they're pretty tough, everyone they find gets killed." Said Rue.

"Ya, they're pretty good, when it comes to guarding and fighting, but, coming from posh inner Districts, I bet they won't know how to hunt and scavenge out here, they'll starve just as quickly as we can kill them." Said Alex.

"But Alex, they're not hungry." Said Rue.

"No, so I guess we're going to have to change that." Said Alex, smiling. Rue smiled back, sensing her plan.

That night, Alex and Rue were sleeping in a makeshift bed of leaves. Rue was lying next to Alex, holding on to her. Alex looked over at her, smiled, and wrapped her arm around her shoulder, sighing out. The next day, Alex and Rue were carrying some branches to a pile. "Kay, this stuff's gonna burn fast, so as soon as you light it move on to the next pile, burn this one last." Said Alex.

"Okay." Said Rue, setting down the branches.

"They'll follow the smoke, try to stay in the shadows, and when you're done make for the trees, I'll destroy the stuff while they're chasing us and we'll meet up at the camp site." Said Alex.

"Okay, but we should have a signal, to let the other one know we're okay." Said Rue.

"Alright, like what?" Asked Alex.

"Watch this, ahah ahah." Chanted Rue, and some birds chirped back the four-note tune.

"Mockingjays, where'd you learn that?" Asked Alex.

"Back in my District we'd use it as a signal for the end of the work day, you try." Said Rue.

"Okay." Said Alex, whistling the four-note tune. The mockingjays repeated it.

"Alright, so if we hear that, it means we're alright, and we're safe." Said Rue.

"Okay." Said Alex, pulling the bow from her holster. "Ha, I'll see you for supper." Said Alex, patting her shoulder.

"Okay, good luck." Said Rue.

"You too." Said Alex, smiling and walking off.

Alex was crouching in the bushes outside the clearing for the Cornucopia, watching the Careers. There were four of them, Marvel, the guy from 1, Clover and Glimmer, from 2, and the boy with the injured leg from 3, apparently being used as a watch dog. She scouted the area, and saw the large pile, a massive pyramid made of dozens of first aid boxes, food packs, and water thermoses. She looked around for a way to destroy it. Suddenly, one of the tributes began talking. "Ha, guys, look at that." Yelled Marvel, pointing to the smoke off in the distance.

"We'll go check it out, you stay here, keep watch." Said Cato to the boy from 3, walking off. Alex smirked to herself.

Once they'd cleared out she further examined the pile, looking for some kind of opportunity. "Now, I want to see if she's going to figure out her trap." Said Caesar, commentating on the Games.

"Yes, it appears they'd replanted their pedestal mines around that large pile of goodies, it's going take a real talent to uncover that." Said Nero, trying not to laugh.

As she examined it, the fox-faced girl from 5 ran up to it, quickly and silent enough that the boy from 3 didn't notice her. She stopped at the dirt circle surrounding the pyramid, examined the ground, and began jumping and dancing around the circle, avoiding some small dirt bumps in the ground. "Well, she's certainly figured it out." Said Caesar, Nero just looked bored, and annoyed.

The fox-faced girl got to the pile, and unhooked a box from the pile, and carried it with her as she ran off, swiftly and silently. The boy from 3 looked behind him, just missing her, and, picking up a spear, walked off to see what it was.

Alex examined the pyramid, and noticed a short-stringed bag of oranges and apples. She pulled out an arrow, and placed it in her bow. "Hu, hu." She breathed out as she held the bow next to her head, aimed the arrow at the bag, pulled it back, and fired it. The arrow skimmed the top of the bag, causing a small and ineffective rip. "Hu." Sighed Alex. She looked around, and abandoned the bush for a closer position to the pyramid. She pulled out another arrow, put it in her bow, held it right next to her face, and pulled it back. "Hu, hu." She breathed, heavily, focusing closely on the bag, then she let go of the arrow, and it sailed, cutting a hole in the side of bag. Several of the fruits poured out, bouncing off the pyramid on to the ground. One of the apples landed on a dirt pile, which triggered a large explosion. The other mines went off after it, then they all went off at once, in a massive explosion, completely destroying and incinerating the pile. The explosion knocked Alex on her back, and all she could hear was a ringing sound. "Uh, ah." She sighed, rubbing her ear, and looking at the blood on her hand, as ashes and flaming degree flew around her. "Uh, ah." She moaned, holding her ear, until she saw, out of the corner of her eye, the tributes returning. She quickly pushed herself back into the woods.

They looked around, shocked. Cato walked up the boy from 3, and began yelling at him, Alex could make out little of what he said. "Ha, what the fuck happened here, y..." He trailed off in the ringing. The boy appeared to be trying to reason with him, then Cato grabbed his neck with both hands, twisted it, and he collapsed dead on the ground.

Alex looked terrified, and she staggered into the brush, and ran off into the woods. When she was a safe distance away from the Cornucopia circle, she looked around and began whistling the four-note tune. The mockingjays repeated the tune with their repeating chirps. Alex stood, silent, waiting for Rue's signal, then she whistled hers again. The mockingjays repeated it, chirping the tune several times before lowering their tone. Alex looked around as they lowered their tone, then saw the last pile of wood and brush, which haden't been lit. "Alex, Alex!" Screamed Rue from far off.

"Hu." Gasped Alex as she ran towards the voice.

"Alex!" Screamed Rue again. Alex ran even faster toward her voice. "Alex! Alex." She whined as Alex found her, lying on the ground, trapped under a net trap.

"Don't worry, I got it." Said Alex as she pulled out her knife and cut the ropes on the net, freeing her. "There, it's okay, you're okay." Said Alex, helping her up and hugging her.

From over her shoulder, Alex noticed the boy from, holding a spear in his hand. Alex quickly reached for her bow, dodging the spear he threw at her. She quickly set an arrow, and fired it at his chest, and he collapsed on the ground, dead. Alex smiled somewhat, then turned around, and her expression shifted rapidly from happiness to shock, fear, and pained, seeing the spear in Rue's abdomen. The wound was gaping, surrounded by blood. Rue grabbed the spear, and slowly pulled it out, then her expression went blank and she fell back.

Alex caught her under her arms, and lowered her on to the ground. Rue began moaning in pain. "It's okay, you're okay, you're okay." Said Alex, unable to conceal the sadness in her voice as tears rolled down her face.

Rue just laid there, her eyes on Alex, tears running from them. "Uh, did you blow up the food?" She asked, barely able to speak, struggling not to cry.

Alex tried to pull herself together to speak. "Eh, every bit of it." She said, completely broken up.

"Good." Rasped Rue. "...You can't let them win, you have to." She whispered. Alex looked down at her, shaking her head, then looked over at the dead tribute from 1, crying more than ever. "Can you sing?" Asked Rue, now crying conspicuously, her voice fading away.

"Hu, okay." Said Alex. She began stroking Rue's hair, and singing "Deep in the Meadow," which she'd heard so many times. "Deep in the meadow, under the willow..." She sang on.

Rue's eyes went to the treeline and the sky above. Alex's song comforted her as it all turned to a bright, blurring white light, then Alex's voice faded, and everything went silent and completely white.

Rue laid there, eyes open, motionless. Alex closed her eyelids with one hand. She stroked her hair one last time, then put her head down, softly on the ground. "Uh, hu, hu, uh." Sighed Alex, crying, tears running down her cheeks, quickly. She leaned down and kissed Rue. "Uh, I'm sorry, hu, I'm sorry, uh." She cried, holding her head. When she pulled herself together she zipped up Rue's jacket, and kissed her forehead again. She sat up, then anger came over her. She reached for the spear, and thrust it off into the distance. Then she grabbed her head with both hands, and bent over, crying intensely. "Uh, hu, uh." She cried.

She walked off, further into the forest, and gathered some flowers. She walked back, and placed the flowers in Rue's hands, closing her finger around them, giving her a proper burial. She kissed her on the forehead, got up, and walked off. Before getting too far away, she turned around, kissed her hand, and gave the three fingered salute to the cameras, meaning thank you, thank you for your life, your efforts, and good-bye.

In District 11, the citizens were watching Alex on the screen, and returned the signal to her. Then several people turned from the screen, and began attacking Peace Keepers, shoving them on the ground, then the whole town began rebelling. They began destroying offices, burning filing cabinets, dumping over massive tubs of grain, and knocking over Peace Keeper guard towers, and breaking down the walls dividing the sectors of District 11. Later on that day, hovercrafts began to fly in. Dozens of Peace Keepers walked in, with their clubs, and began beating the citizens. Then a hovercraft flew over, and shot out sulfur at the citizens. They screamed, hit the walls from the pressure, and fell on the ground.

At the Gamemaker's Center, Effin was talking to Seneca. "Oh, you can't kill them." Said Effin, upset.

"I'm afraid we have to, these things happen, you know they do." Said Seneca.

"But, if you kill them, if you kill Alex you'll just make a martyr." Said Effin.

"I'm afraid we've already got one, not just in 11, but 8, possibly 6..." Started Seneca.

"Seneca, Mr. Crane, there's a better solution to this, if you can't quell the Districts, give them something to root for." Said Effin, holding her hands together, in hope.

"Like what?" Asked Seneca.

Effin smiled. "Young love, family, compassion, you give that a chance, they'll put their hope right back into the Capitol." Said Effin.

"Uh, hm." Said Seneca.

Alex was sitting on a log, still crying heavily. "Uh, uh hu hu." She cried, holding her head.

The sky then filled with a narration. "Attention, attention tributes, there has been an alteration, the former rule, allowing for only one tribute to be crowned has been nullified, numerous tributes may be crowned, so long as they all originate from the same District, this will be the only announcement." Said Nero, turning off his intercom. "Ha, we are gonna save so many quarry worker from 2, yes." He said, closing his eyes and holding his fists in the air.

Alex looked up at the sky, her mind overloaded with what she'd just heard. She stood up, her thoughts turning instantly to Peeta, the bread he'd given her, the way he deterred her at the Cornucopia, the things he said in the interview. Then she thought about Max, and Justin, and her parents, then her mind went to Haymitch, and all the things he'd done for her, but Peeta seemed to overshadow them all. She set the bow on her back, and picked up her arrow, and ventured off into the woods, near the river.

That night, President Snow was sitting in his chair, in his bedroom, overlooking the rose garden in his mansion. He was sitting there, very calm, and Seneca climbed up into his windowsill. "Uh, uh, ha." He said.

"Hm." Said Snow, looking at him.

"Ha, your door was locked." Said Seneca.

"Oh, my apologies." Said Snow.

"Eh that's fine, you wanted to see me?" Asked Seneca.

"Yes, so Mr. Crane, I hear you've lightened up to the tributes from twelve, changing the rules of the Games so that all seven of them may leave the arena as champions?" Asked Snow.

"Well, to calm the riots over the girl from 11, everyone likes and underdog." Said Seneca, happily.

"I don't." Said Snow.

"Ooh." Said Seneca.

"Seneca, have you ever been there, to the Outer Districts, 10, 11, 12?" Askes Snow.

"Uh, no, not personally, ate their beef though..." Started Seneca.

"I have, lots of underdogs out there, make things we need, crops, eggs, meat, lots of coal, there are, lots of underdogs, and if you met them, you wouldn't root for them either." Said Snow.

"Alright, well, the odds that a tribute, let alone all the tributes from 12 will win, are slim, the odds are high on 2, they'll win, the Capitol keeps their trust and we save face by aiding 12's chances of re-unification." Said Seneca.

"You'd better hope so." Said Snow, looking at him, angrily. "I look you, Mr. Crane, be careful." Said Snow. Seneca nodded. "Now get out of my window." Said Snow, retiring his gaze to the wall.

"Kay." Said Seneca, turning to the outside of the window, and rolled out, landing hard on the ground. Snow did not return his gaze.

The next day, day nine of the Games, Alex was walking through the woods, looking for the river, keeping her path North the avoid contact with the vicinity of the Cornucopia. She looked around, seeking the river in the center of the arena. Then she saw the mudded area, and the river right by it. She strolled over to it, then she heard the cannon fire. "Hu, hu." She gasped out, thinking of Peeta, then of any of the others. She stood, frozen for a moment, then walked further on, following the river up North.

She walked along the river bank, keeping North, not wishing to near the Cornucopia in her path. Eventually the forest faded away, and the land turned to a rocky plain, with small rocky mountains. The river diminished in depth and width as the terrain changed to rock. Alex walked along, and found some blood on the rocks. She leaned down and rubbed her fingers in it, seeing that it was dry. She walked on, seeing more traces of blood, following the curves in the river, tracking her way with the blood lines. She looked around, holding her bow in hand. Out of nowhere, an arm reached out and grabbed her leg. "Ah!" She screamed, grabbing her leg and looking down, and seeing the face in the dirt. "Oh my god, Peeta!" She yelled, recognizing him.

"Uh, ha." He groaned, barely able to speak.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're okay." She said, pulling him out off the ground, the mud for camouflage still in his hair. She noticed the large, deep cut on his leg. "Oh my god, what happened?" She asked, biting her fingers in concern.

"Cato, he got me with a sword, it's bad, I know." He said.

"No, you're gonna be fine." Said Alex, lacking confidence in her voice.

"Alex, I'm not stupid, uh." Groaned Peeta. "Look, us, maybe you should just..." He started.

"No, I'm not going to leave you." Said Alex with a serious look on her face. Then her eyes went to the cut, and concern filled her face.

Later, Alex was breaking down some plant leaves and putting them on his leg. "Uh, oh." Sighed Peeta, the leaves stinging and absorbing the blood.

"It's okay, it's to stop the swelling, it'll keep the bleeding down, too." Said Alex.

"Uh, are you sure?" Asked Peeta.

"I think so, I've seen my mom use them on cuts before, but..." Started Alex, trailing off.

"But not this serious." Said Peeta, wincing at the pain.

"No." Said Alex, silently. Later, she was pouring some water from her thermos on his leg. "Uh, oh." He moaned.

"It's okay, it's okay." She whispered, trying to hide the concern in her face, turning to sadness, and tears rolled down her cheek.

"Alex..." Started Peeta.

"Shh, shh." Said Alex, trying to sound soothing, but was more annoyed.

"...Alex..." Started Peeta.

"No, I'm not going to leave you, I won't do that." Said Alex, looking him right in the face.

"...Well why not?" Asked Peeta, in a voice with a combination of pain, seriousness, and some confusion and distress.

"...Cus, you wouldn't leave me." Said Alex, looking down. "...Never did." She said, quietly. Peeta looked up at her, confused.

"Uh, uh." Groaned Peeta as Alex walked with him, his arm on her shoulder, her practically carrying him, only having one good leg. They moved along, very slowly, Peeta hopping on his one good leg. "Uh, stop, I can't go any further." Groaned Peeta, laying on the ground in pain.

"Okay, just, just stay here, I'm gonna look for some food, you should be fine, I won't go far, okay?" Said Alex.

"Okay, uh." He sighed. Alex started to leave. "Alex, thanks." He said, trying to smile, but not working.

"...Don't mention it." Said Alex, trying to sound sweet and casual. Then she walked off.

"Peeta, means something to me, that I've never felt with anybody else, he, he helped me, gave me food, when my family was starving, when we barely even knew each other, and he never even said a word, he took to my family, helped them, just, because they were here, with him, he got Haymitch to accept us, to work with us, I don't understand how someone could be as selfless as him, I could live a thousand lifetimes, and never deserve someone like Peeta, and, now that I've found him, I can't let him go, I can never repay Peeta for everything he's done for me, for us, but, if I get him out of the arena, and back home, I can keep on trying." Said Alex, heartfeltly in an interview, trying not the cry.

Alex was walking in the woods, looking for some source of food, her bow in hand. In her line of sight she could see someone leaning against a tree. She set the arrow in her bow and walked towards the tree, slowly, drawing the arrow back slightly.

As she got closer, Max heard her footsteps, and, pulling his knife from the holster, without getting up, look around the corner of the tree. "Alex?" He asked, surprised.

"Max?" Said Alex, shocked. "Max is that you?"

"Ya, it's me, uh." Groaned Max as he grabbed his chest.

"I'm so glad to see you, I'm glad you're okay." Said Alex.

"Thanks, I'm glad you're okay, too, but I knew you would be." Said Max.

"So, what're you doing all the way up here?" She asked.

"Looking for one of you, somewhere safe to stay." Said Max.

Alex looked down and noticed the large cut on his leg. "Hu, oh god." She gasped.

"Ya, it didn't work out." Said Max, grasping his leg.

"Who did this?" She asked.

"Uh, Cashmere, the victor from 1, she got my leg when I wasn't looking, uh." Groaned Max as he forced himself to get up.

Alex noticed the large cut on his stomach, then the knife in his hand. "How'd you manage to kill her?" Asked Alex.

"I was quicker, I got behind her and was able to hit her neck." Said Max. "I took her knife and her blade, don't know how much good it'll do." Said Max, handing them to her.

"Thanks, can't believe you took down a Career with a knife, let alone a victor." Said Alex.

"Ya, well it didn't feel as great as you'd think." Said Max, dully.

"I know, did you see any of the others?" Asked Alex.

"No, not since the first day." Said Max.

"Oh, well at least we know we're okay, and Peeta..." Started Alex, readying to leave.

"Wait, Peeta?" Asked Max.

"Ya, he's back at the cam..." Started Alex.

"No, he's working with the Careers, he tried to kill me." Said Max, frantically.

"No, it was just a ploy Haymitch came up with, he told me." Said Alex.

"Oh, okay." Said Max, confused. "So how is he?"

"Not good, come on, let's get back to him." Said Alex. They were walking through the woods back to the river bank. "You've been up here longer, is there any game or berries?" She asked.

"No, I looked all over." Said Max. "They must be trying to keep us near the Cornucopia."

"I wouldn't doubt it, but we don't have the ability to take on three Careers." Said Alex.

"I know, we'd better..." Started Max, but he was interrupted by a continuous beeping. "Ha, I think there's a parachute up here." He said.

"Ya, come on." Said Alex. They found the parachute, stuck on a low branch of a tree.

"Who do you think it's from?" Asked Max.

"I don't know, my last one was from Effin." Said Alex, unhooking it from the tree. She opened the container, and inside was an entire loaf of bread. Alex looked at it, and her expression went low.

"Wow, who sent that?" Asked Max.

"There's no card, not sure." Said Alex, knowing it was from 11.

"Okay, come on, let's get back to Peeta." Said Max.

"Okay." Said Alex, looking up at the sky above her, shocked by the offering.

Back at the bank, Peeta was leaning on a large rock, clutching his leg, when Alex and Max came back. "Ha, we're back." Said Alex.

"Ha." Said Peeta, dully, then getting somewhat upbeat when he saw the two. "Ha Max, you're okay." Said Peeta.

"Ya, I'm fine." Said Max, their meeting seeming peculiar to them both.

"Good." Said Peeta.

"Ha, I got food." Said Alex, pulling out the loaf of bread.

"Where'd you get that?" Asked Peeta.

"From a sponsor, here." Said Alex, starting to break apart the loaf.

"No, I can't." Said Peeta.

"You have to, you're hurt, you musn't have eaten in days..." Started Alex.

"I can't, if I eat now I'll just throw it up, I'll eat later." Said Peeta, with pain in his eyes.

"Okay." Said Alex, sympathetically, quietly. "Max, here." Said Alex, handing him some bread.

"Thanks." Said Max, taking the piece and eating it.

"This is all we could find, Max thinks they're trying to push us back to the Cornucopia." Said Alex.

"So, that's their game, only question is how do we respond?" Asked Peeta, hopelessly.

"We'll make due." Said Alex.

"If they cut off the food supply up North the Careers won't think to search for us, they'll keep on the river near the Cornucopia." Said Max.

"Ya, and right now our biggest concern is the Careers, we don't have the strength to fight them." Said Alex.

"Right." Said Max, sitting down, then grabbing the cut on his stomach. "Uh, this is really starting to hurt." He groaned.

"Oh, it's getting infected, here, use the leaves." Said Alex.

"Alright, uh." Sighed Max as he took off his jacket and eased his shirt off, and Alex handed him the leaves. "Thanks." Said Max, then he looked at the cut on his leg. It went his lower hip down to his calf. "Uh." He groaned, grabbing his leg. "Ha, hand me that back pack." He said.

"What, why?" Asked Alex.

"I have to treat my leg and I need something for cover." He said.

"Okay, here." Said Alex, handing him the bag.

"Thanks." Said Max, starting to remove his pants.

"I don't think there's rules about nudity in the arena." Said Peeta.

"No, but they're bound to put the cameras on us." Said Alex.

"Nine days in, all seven of us from 12 still alive, they'll try anything to make us look bad." Said Max.

"He's right." Said Alex.

"...Well, what're we gonna do now, we can't just stay here." Said Peeta.

"We don't have a choice, we'll find some place to make camp near here." Said Alex.

"And then what, just wait for the others to die, or hope, by some miracle I get better?" Asked Peeta.

"Look, it'll be fine, we just need some time to think things out." Said Alex.

"Uh, you're wasting your time, you guys don't have to stay here with me." Said Peeta.

"Yes, we do." Said Alex.

"You're the one who got Haymitch to come around, if it weren't for you we'd all be dead." Said Max.

"I, alright." Sighed Peeta.

"Good, it's fine." Said Alex, looking down at Max's jacket. "Ha, where's you get a North West District jacket?" She asked.

"Oh, Rue got it off the boy from there, mine was too ripped up." Said Max, putting his pants back on.

"Wait, Rue?" Asked Alex, shocked.

"Ya, I passed out from tracker jacker stings and she took care of me while I was out." Said Max.

"Oh." Said Alex, speechless.

"Why, did you see her?" Asked Max, finishing dressing.

"Ya, I met her, we teamed up, and blew up the Career's supply stash." Said Alex, lowering her head. "I, I let her die." She said, trying not to cry.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Said Max, shocked and saddened himself.

"I'm sure it wasn't your fault Alex." Said Peeta, trying to console her.

"Ya, it was, I sent her off to distract the Careers, they caught her, and I freed her, but the boy from 1 still killed her before I could kill him, an, uh." Moaned Alex as she started crying.

"Alex, it's okay, you tried." Said Max.

"I know, but it wasn't good enough, uh, if it weren't for me she'd still be alive." Said Alex, still crying.

"That's not true Alex." Said Peeta, putting his hand on her. "Rue was killed by Marvel, not you, people are drying everyday in here, and just know with Rue, like the rest of them, that it's not our fault." Said Peeta.

Alex took in his words, Max too, thinking about what he meant. "...I know, it's not." Said Alex, sitting down.

"Not as long as we just try to survive, and refuse to play their game." Said Max.

"Ya, but I'm not sure how they're going to take it." Said Peeta.

"Me neither." Said Alex, thinking. "Come on, we need to find a camp."

"Okay, come on." Said Max, helping Peeta stand and holding him up while they walked.

"Uh, thanks." Said Peeta.

They arrived at a small cave, made from an indent in the rock wall. "Okay, it should stay warm in here, they won't find us." Said Alex as Max helped Peeta lie down.

"Uh, they already found us, all they have to do now is wait." Said Peeta.

"Peeta, shut up." Said Alex.

"Uh, what?" Said Peeta, shocked.

"You're going to be fine we'll find a way to help you." Said Max.

"That's right, so quit worrying so much." Said Alex, patting him on the shoulder.

"Alright, I'm sorry." Said Peeta.

"Don't be, if we were in your place we'd feel the same." Said Max.

"I guess." Said Peeta.

"Okay, I'm gonna watch the river, try to get some sleep." Said Alex, walking out, holding her bow.

Max sat there with Peeta, each feeling less awkward than before. "...You know, when the Careers found you in the forest, I didn't think the two of us would be meeting like this again." Said Peeta, laughing.

"Me too, although it was kind of the last thing on my mind at that point." Said Max, laughing as well.

"Ya, oh, that was some trick you pulled with the tracker jacker nest." Said Peeta.

"Thanks, I'm sorry, I didn't know..." Started Max.

"That's okay, there's no way you could have, it was my plan to tip you off and kill the Careers in their sleep, but I never got the chance." Said Peeta.

"I know, you didn't get hurt too bad did you?" Asked Max.

"No, not as bad as you." Said Peeta, smiling. "When I found you your eyes were swirling and you could barely keep yourself up."

"So, that was you, you're the one who told me to run from Cato." Said Max.

"Ya, it was me, didn't think you'd be able to see, but luckily you could hear." Said Peeta.

"Ya, thanks." Said Max, thinking. "Ha, you said Cato's the one who did that to your leg, uh, was, was tha..." Started Max.

"No, he found me later, he got me from behind a tree, I managed to run, he could've caught me if he wanted to, though." Said Peeta, looking at his leg.

"Oh, well don't worry, you're gonna be fine, we'll try to find some way to help you." Said Max, consolingly.

"I know you will, and thanks." Said Peeta.

"It's the least we can do, after all you've done for us." Said Max.

"I guess, but it won't matter if we die in here." Said Peeta, pulling the sleeping bag on.

"Sure it will, at least, if any of us get out, we'll know who was worth missing." Said Max, seriously.

"Ya, I guess you're right." Said Peeta, thinking hard.

There was a silence. "Thanks for having my back." Said Max, meaninfully.

"Ya, thanks for having mine." Said Peeta, touched.

"No problem." Said Max, getting into the other sleeping bag. "Good-night."

"Night." Said Peeta, smiling.

Alex was standing outside, watching the river for anyone who might come by, then the Capitol Anthem started playing, and she found the projection in the sky. The face of the victor from 1, Cashmere, was shown, then the last tribute from 8, a fourteen year old boy, was projected, and the sky went blank again. "Hu, hu." Sighed Alex, knowing the others were still alive.

The next day, Alex was looking at Peeta's leg. "Uh, hm." She said, examining the wound, the surrounding flesh on the leg becoming infected, and the wound turning black.

"Well?" Asked Peeta, who looked nervous, and in pain.

"Uh, it's, better, the bleeding's gone down." Said Alex, not looking him in the eyes.

"Alex, I know what blood poisoning is." Said Peeta. Alex just looked concerned. "Alex, it was nice of you and Max to try, but I..." Started Peeta.

"No, you're going to be fine, we're going to help you, in time, I promise." Said Alex, severely.

"Alex, I appreciate the effort, but there's nothing you can do to help me now." Said Peeta.

"You don't kno..." Started Alex.

"Yes, I do, look, you and your brother may know about plants, and some medicine, but there are no supplies in the arena that can stop the infection." Said Peeta, leaning back. "You're wasting your time, you two can still save yourselves, sitting with me, watching me die, isn't doing you any good, there's no food around, all you've found in the last two days is the bread that came from 11." Said Peeta, desperately.

"I know, but maybe that's the kind of thing we need for you." Said Alex, confidently.

"Alex, I don't get a lot of sponsors." Said Peeta.

"That's okay, we'll think of something." Said Alex.

"Like what?" Asked Peeta.

"...Don't know." Said Alex, leaning in near him. He looked somewhat shocked, but just laid there, and she leaned in and kissed him.

"Hu, hu." Sighed Peeta, shocked by the gesture, his spirits lifted. "...Thank you." He said, quietly.

"Ya, now get some rest." Said Alex.

"Okay." Sighed Peeta, leaning back in the sleeping bag.

Alex walked out and sat at the edge of the cave. Max walked up to her. "Ha." He said.

"Ha, find anything?" Asked Alex.

"No, there are no plants in the forest, and I didn't see any sign of game." Said Max.

"Oh, great." Muttered Alex.

"So, how's Peeta?" Asked Max, sitting beside her.

"Not good, he's getting worse, we don't have much time left." Said Alex.

"What's wrong?" Asked Max.

"Blood poisoning, his infection's spreading, plant won't do it, we'll need medicine to save him." Said Alex.

"Oh, what're we gonna do?" Asked Max.

"I don't know, I've got a plan, but I'm not sure it'll work, all we can do now is wait." Said Alex.

"Okay." Said Max, staring off in the distance, thinking.

"Ha, we're gonna be okay." Said Alex, putting her arm around him.

"Ya, maybe." Said Max. "Where do you think the others are?" Asked Max.

"I don't know, wherever they are they must be okay, none of them were in the sky last night." Said Alex.

"That's good." Said Max.

"Ya." Said Alex, sitting back. "Hu, I just wish we could leave, could go home, all of us, and pretend none of this ever happened." Said Alex.

"Me too." Said Max. "I don't know, maybe something good'll come out of all this." Said Max.

"Maybe, I just can't see what." Said Alex, thinking back to the past days in the arena. Max put his arm around her shoulder. "Thanks." She said, dully.

That night, Alex was sitting in the cave with Peeta, who was asleep, while Max was watching the river, when she heard the beeping. She looked up, then went outside to see where it was. The container was hanging from a branch by the parachute, she climbed up, detached it, and opened it. Inside was a metal container, with a small slip of paper that read, "You call that a kiss? picture of a heart Effin."

Alex looked at the card, somewhat surprised, but mainly satisfied. She walked back to the cave with it. "Ha, wake up, we got a parachute." She said.

"Uh, medicine?" Asked Peeta.

"No, soup, here." Said Alex, taking the lid off and taking the spoon.

"Alex, I..." Started Peeta.

"You have to, hear, eat." Said Alex, taking the spoon.

"Okay." Said Peeta, sitting up as Alex put the spoon in his mouth. "Mm, that's good." Said Peeta, touched.

Alex put the spoon back in for more. "...You fed me once." She said, looking down.

"Oh, I didn't think you'd remember that." Said Peeta, confusedly.

"I couldn't forget." Said Alex, quietly.

"Hu, you know I think about that all the time, I should have gone to you..." Started Peeta.

"Peeta..." Started Alex.

"I should've gone out in the rain and handed it to you, I..." Started Peeta.

"Peeta, it's okay." Said Alex, putting her hand on his shoulder. "I could never ask more of you." She said, heartfeltly.

"I know, I, I ju..." Started Peeta.

"Shh, calm down." Said Alex, rubbing his shoulder.

"Okay." Said Peeta, quietly.

There was a long silence. "So, what you said in the interview, about how you watched me for years, did you mean it?" She asked.

"Ya, I did." Said Peeta, laughing a little. "I remember the first time I saw you, must've been ten years ago, you had your hair in two braids." Said Peeta.

"Peeta..." Started Alex, slightly scoldingly.

"We were in music class, the teacher asked if anyone knew the meadow song, and your hand shot straight up." Said Peeta, laughing out loud now. Alex looked at him, surprised, and touched, near the point of crying. "After that, I watched you going home from school every day." Said Peeta, looking at her. "Every day." Alex nodded her head, trying to keep herself together. "Well, say something." He said.

She shook her head, side to side. "I'm not good at saying something." She said, her voice rasping from holding back tears.

"Then come here, please." He said.

"Hm." She breathed in, then leaning in and kissing him, heavily. She grabbed on to his arms, and hugged him tight, laying beside him.

"Look, if I don't make it, I..." Started Peeta.

"Shh, don't." She said, embracing him, her eyes wide and wet.

The next day, Alex and Max were walking in the forest, Alex holding her bow and Max holding the blade. "Hu, this isn't good, we're almost out of food, nothing's here, and there's not way we can go further and leave Peeta." Said Alex.

"Well, one of us could go off into the woods, the other stays with Peeta." Suggested Max.

"No, it's too risky, we're the only tributes the Careers will be looking for, and the Gamemakers will try anything to kill us off at this point." Said Alex.

"You're right, but if the Gamemakers want us dead, why haven't they killed us yet?" Asked Max.

"They still need to put on a good show, if they just, kill off three tributes, camped miles from the others, everyone watching will suspect something, and it just makes them look weak." Said Alex.

"Good point, but if they force us together, they get their kills and save face." Said Max.

"That's right." Said Alex. "Well, I don't know, we could kill them, there's only three left, we managed to kill the other three, but if we leave and they find our camp Peeta's dead, but, if we stay here..." Started Alex.

"I know." Said Max, lowering his head. "Come on, let's get back to the cave." He said.

"Okay." Said Alex, walking back with him.

Peeta was lying one the ground, breathing heavily, when they returned. "Nothing?" He asked.

"No, nothing at all." Said Max, setting down his blade.

"We're down to the last of the loaf, and I'm not sure, but I think the river level is lowering." Said Alex, sitting beside him.

"Hu, look, I know you care, I know you want to help me, and I appreciate it, I really do, but if you stay here, we're all going to die." Said Peeta, desperately. "Look, there's no medicine, no tools, why don't you..." Started Peeta.

"No, we are not leaving you, we won't leave you to die." Said Alex.

"Look, I know I helped you guys, I know I did you some favors, but it's all for nothing if you just stay here and die with me, you won't be repaying me." Said Peeta.

"It's not about that Peeta, you put your life at risk for us, you saved my life, you helped our family get a chance out here, you cared about us, even though we never met before the Reaping." Said Max. "You're like family now, and that's why we can't leave you."

"Oh, I see." Said Peeta, thinking. "I appreciate that, that, you consider me part of your family, at some point I started to feel the same way, but, now I know." Said Peeta, smiling somewhat. "Look, we've done so much for each other, and I know how you feel, and you know how I feel, but I want you to promise, that if this jeopardizes your lives, that you will leave, find the others, and try to win." Said Peeta, painfully.

"When our lives are put at risk, and we're sure that there's no way we can help you, I promise we'll leave." Said Alex, strictly.

"Okay, thank you." Said Peeta.

"Ha, thank you." Said Max, patting him on the shoulder.

"For everything." Said Alex, smiling at him, he smiled back.

The Gamemakers were watching, very involved in the partnership, some had tears in their eyes, others were fighting it, then went back to their work.

Later that afternoon, Nero and Caesar were sitting at the large desk, waiting while nothing happened, Nero was smoking, Caesar was looking at his watch. Then Nero got up and left the studio. Caesar didn't even look at him.

The group was sitting in the cave, it was late afternoon, and were talking. "So, he bought the deer from me, and when I got to the Goat Man he said he'd already promised the dear to the butcher." Said Alex.

"So what happened?" Asked Peeta.

"Well, the butcher came in to buy the goat, but when he saw its leg he refused to take it." Said Alex.

"So the Goat Man sold it to Alex for half of what he asked before." Said Max.

"Ya, and then I brought it home that night, and I'd never seen you more surprised." Said Alex.

"Ya, I remember." Said Max, laughing.

"And that's how we got Lady." Said Alex.

"I love that story." Said Peeta.

"Ya, s..." Started Max. There was a beeping sound coming from outside.

"Ha, a parachute." Said Alex, shocked. "Come on." She said, pulling Max up with her.

They walked a short distance, and found the parachute, attached to a large container, sitting on the ground. "Oh god, look at this." Said Alex.

"Wonder what it is." Said Max.

"Ya." Said Alex, picking it up and walking back to the cave.

"Ha, what was it?" Asked Peeta.

"Not sure, it's huge." Said Max.

Alex set the container on the ground and opened it. "Oh my god, look at all this." Said Alex, observing all the food inside.

"What is it?" Asked Peeta.

"It's a feast." Said Alex.

"Ya, there's bread, rice, fish, stew." Said Max, looking at it in awe.

"This must've cost a fortune." Said Alex.

"Is there a card?" Asked Peeta.

"Ya, right here." Said Alex, picking up the card and reading it. "A small gift, to put the odds back in your favor, partake generously and politely, Effin." Said Alex, putting the card down.

"I guess we made an impression on someone." Said Max.

"Ya, I didn't know she had it in her." Said Peeta.

"Me either, come on, let's eat." Said Alex as she and Max starting dishing out the food.

Later, once they'd finished, Alex and Max were wrapping up the remains of the feast. "We should save the rest." Said Alex.

"Ya, don't know how long we'll be..." Started Max as he was interrupted by an announcer.

"Attention, attention tributes, commencing summons. There will be a feast tomorrow, at the Cornucopia..." Started Nero. The group looked up, all silent, listening in confusion. "Each of you needs something, desperately, and we plan to be of assistance, attendance is strongly advised, thank you." Said Nero as the sky went silent.

"Assistance." Said Max, shocked by the thought.

"It's your medicine, I'll leave at dawn..." Started Alex.

"Wait, you can't go alone." Said Max.

"Well Peeta can't walk, someone has to stay with him and I know the way..." Started Alex.

"No, you can't, it's a trap, you know it..." Started Peeta.

"You need it Peeta, this is our one chance, I have to." Said Alex.

"What if something happens to you, what then?" Asked Max.

"Then, go find the others, and try to stay alive, and just remember that that's all I wanted for you." Said Alex.

"No, I can't let you go, if something happened to you, because of me, I'd never be able to forgive myself." Said Peeta.

"You don't have a choice, I'll be fine..." Started Alex.

"Alex, please, don't leave." Said Peeta, his eyes tearing. "Please stay." He whispered.

Alex sat there, thinking. "Okay, I'll stay." She said, sitting next to Peeta, putting her arm around him.

"Thank you." Whispered Peeta.

Out in the forest, Haymitch and Theresa were walking along the river. "There's only three Careers left, one of them is a loner, they won't try to hold the river, the Capitol can't throw any traps at us that the water won't repel, and they wouldn't risk contaminating the only river in the arena." Said Haymitch, walking on.

Theresa nodded. "You're really smart, Haymitch." She said, impressed.

"Ya, well, I didn't win the Games by being stupid." Said Haymitch, gruffly and dully.

"...Haymitch, what really happened, back at your Games?" Asked Theresa.

Haymitch stopped, and sighed. "It was the 50th Games, and in all that time 12 had only had one winner, over thirty years ago, we were the laughing stock of the country, that year they decided to bring in twice as many tributes from each District, so I volunteered, the first and only volunteer from the North East until Alex, to show them that 12 wasn't a lost cause just because of its reach from the Capitol." Said Haymitch.

"So what happened?" Asked Theresa, pondering.

"What do you think happened, I won." Said Haymitch. "My District partners were slaughtered in the first two days, but I survived, I found my ground, and I outwitted and outlasted seventy-nine other tributes, but the Capitol wasn't happy." Said Haymitch, lowering his head and his tone.

"Why?" Asked Theresa.

"They thought it was a slap in the face, a citizen from 12 volunteers, then goes in the arena, and takes out twice as many tributes as always, thought it would weaken their trust, so they had my whole family executed, my mom, my younger brother, and my girl, and any pride I might've brought to 12 was squandered, so I've tried to forget, but I never can." He said, lowly and sadly.

"Haymitch, it's not your fault, there's no way you could have known that'd happen." Said Theresa.

"No, I guess not." Said Haymitch, pondering her words.

"And it wasn't for nothing, you made a difference, you took the skills you learned and you passed them on to our tributes." Said Theresa.

"Sure, and I've got scores of headstones to prove it." He said.

"Well, you passed them on to us, you gave us the opportunity to show the Capitol what 12 can do, and it's because of you that all of us are still alive." Said Theresa.

"Hu, ya." Said Haymitch, looking up at the sky, then at Theresa. "We can make a difference, the odds are stacked on our side, we just have to play it." Said Haymitch, taking up his weapon with confidence. "Come on, let's go." He said as they walked on.

That night, Alex was laying on the ground, trying to sleep, when she heard a beeping outside. She got up, walked out, and found another container attached to a parachute. She went back inside, opened it, and found a small syringe with some liquid in it. There was a note inside that read, "A long, soothing sleep for health and wellness, -E." She looked at it then she walked over and sat by Peeta, looked at his face as he slept. She looked back at the needle, then at the wound on his leg. She gently put the needle into his arm, injected the liquid, then got up, gathered her bow, and prepared to leave.

As she left, she looked back and saw Max awake, watching her. She met his eyes, he looked confused and concerned, then he just nodded at her and gave a small smile. She nodded back and met his smile, then left the cave.

At day break, Alex was crouching in the bushes outside the clearing, looking at the Cornucopia. All of the sudden, the ground opened up, and a table escalated right in front of the mouth of the horn, holding four bags. Alex made out the markings on them, in order were the numbers 2, 5, 11, and 12 on the far right side. She surveyed the surrounding area, then, with her bow in hand, started to make her way to the table. "Hu." She gasped, stopping suddenly when she heard footsteps. She saw the fox-faced girl sprint up to the table, and take the bag marked 5, then ran off into the woods as quickly as she'd come.

Alex breathed heavily, knowing she had to move now, otherwise one of the others would come and take the medicine. She sprinted towards the table, not even looking around, and stopped, grabbed the bag, then turned for the forest. As she turned, she made out a figure not too far off, and without even slowing her fast-paced walk, thrust a knife the sliced across Alex's forehead. "Ah!" She screamed, instinctively tossing the bag and grabbing the cut. The girl moved forward, Alex quickly grabbed her bow, and shot an arrow at her, but she had increased her speed, and jerked to the side to avoid it. Alex readied another arrow, but she was right on top of her, and the arrow missed entirely.

"Uh!" Yelled Clove as she threw Alex on the ground and pulled out her knife.

"Uh, ah!" Yelled Alex as she tried to push her off her, but she kept her position, stabbing and just missing Alex's face. Alex managed to wrestle her on to the ground, then got on top of her, but she threw Alex back on the ground and assumed her former stance on top of her. "Uh, ah!" Yelled Alex, forcing back her hand. They struggled a little longer, then Clove set Alex's hand down with her foot. "Uh, uh." She groaned, struggling hopelessly.

"So, where's lover boy?" She asked, holding her knife in front of Alex's face. "Oh I see, that's for him, you were gonna help him, so sweet." She said, mockingly, Alex writhing beneath her the whole time. "It's too bad you couldn't help that little girl, what was her name?" She asked, Alex's hand broke loose, then she caught it again. "Ya, you tried, but we killed her, and now..." She went on, pulling out a small knife and holding it to her throat. "We're gonna kill you." Said Clove, raising the knife to kill her, but her arm was grabbed, and she was pulled off Alex.

"Hu." Gasped Alex, looking up to see what happened.

"You killed her, you killed that girl?" Asked Thrash, holding her up to the Cornucopia.

"Uh, no..." Started Clove.

"You said her name, Rue, I heard you!" He yelled, furious.

"Cato, Cato!" Screamed Clove, her eyes closed in fear.

"Clove!" Yelled Cato, fearfully, from far off.

"Cato..." Started Clove, and Thresh slammed her into the Cornucopia. "Ah!" She screamed. He slammed her into the Cornucopia again, she let out a soft whine, then the third time her body went limp, and he dropped her on the ground.

"Hu, hm." Sighed Thrash, looking at Alex, who shook on the ground. "What'd she say, you tried to help Rue?" He demanded.

"Uh, ya, I met her in the woods, we destroyed their supply stash, she got stabbed, uh, I sang to her while she died." Said Alex, shaking and stuttering the whole time.

"Hu, hu." Sighed Thrash, thinking. "I'll let you go, but this is the one time Fire Girl." He said, pointing at her menacingly. She looked at him, shocked. "For Rue." He said, lowering his defences. Then he turned from her, grabbed the bags marked 2 and 11, and ran off into the woods.

"Hu, hu, uh." Sighed Alex, looking to where Thrash ran off, then feeling the scar on her forehead. After taking it in, she walked over, bent down, and grabbed the bag on the ground. "Hu." She sighed, turning around, and seeing Brutus, the victor from 2, running straight at her with a sword. "Uh, ah!" She screamed, looking around, realizing her bow was laying three yards in his direction.

"Ah!" Screamed Brutus as he raised his sword to strike her. She stood, motionless. He was right near the mouth of the Cornucopia, then an ax stabbed right into his bald head, and he collapsed immediately.

"Hu, uh." Said Alex, shocked. She turned around, and looking up, saw Haymitch standing on top of the Cornucopia, holding an ax in his hand.

"I guess I forgot to mention, always watch your back out here." Said Haymitch, sliding down the side of the Cornucopia, and helping Theresa down.

"Uh, how did you find me?" Asked Alex, confused.

"We heard the announcement last night." Said Theresa.

"I figured someone as hard headed as you would would actually fall for it, right sweet heart?" He asked, patting her shoulder.

"Uh, ya." Said Alex, quietly.

"So what is that?" Asked Haymitch.

"It's medicine, Peeta's back at our camp, he's dying of blood poisoning." Said Alex.

"Then we'd better hurry, come on." Said Haymitch, waving them on.

"What about the others, do you know where any of them are?" Asked Theresa.

"Ya, Max is at the camp with Peeta, the others are still alive, but I haven't seen any of them since the Games started." Said Alex, picking up her bow.

"Well, at least I know you guys are okay, I've been so worried." Said Theresa.

"We've been fine mom, Haymitch's advise really came in handy." Said Alex.

"I knew it would, that's why I wasn't worried at all." Said Haymitch, smuggly. "Come on, let's get Peeta his medicine." He said, following Alex's lead.

In the cave, Max and Peeta were talking. "How do you know she left for the feast?" Asked Peeta.

"She had her bow with her, and she nodded at me before she left." Said Max, timidly.

"You let her go! How could you?" Asked Peeta, furiously.

"Well, I, you need..." Started Max, trying not to seem scared.

Alex came back in. "Ha." She said.

"Alex." Sighed Max.

"Alex, what're you doing, you said you wouldn't go." Said Peeta, angrily.

"You got worse, I fo..." Started Alex.

"You lied to me, you knocked me out, what the fu..." Started Peeta, raving, when he saw Theresa and Haymitch in the entrance. "Oh, hi." He said, nervously.

"Hi Peeta, oh Max, you're okay." Said Theresa, relaxing.

"Ya, so are you." Said Max, happily.

"I am, thanks to Haymitch." Said Theresa, smiling at Haymitch.

"So what happened Peeta?" Asked Haymitch, looking at his wound.

"Cato, the guy from 2, did you see him?" He asked.

"No, he's hiding in the wounds, here." Said Alex, pulling out the container.

"Oh my god, what happened to you?" He asked, seeing her scar.

"The girl from 2 threw a knife, I'm fine." Said Alex, readying the suave.

"I knew you shouldn't have gone, I..." Started Peeta, getting frantic.

"Shh, here." Said Alex, applying the suave to his leg.

"Ah, ha, hu." Gasped Peeta, the medicine stinging.

"There, you'll be fine." Said Alex, assured now.

"Uh, you need some of that too." Said Peeta.

"No, I'm okay." Said Alex, applying more. "There." She said.

"Okay, now you." Said Peeta.

"Alright, here." Said Alex, quietly, handing Peeta the container.

"Okay, hu." Sighed Peeta, taking some of the suave, and, using his index finger, applying it to Alex's forehead. More blood came out, but the scar seemed to dissipate. She smiled at him, and he smiled back. The others watched, silently, and Haymitch got up and walked outside.

In a large metal room, President Snow was standing with three other guards, and Nero was there too, all looking impatient. Then, the door opened, and Seneca walked in, accompanied by a Peace Keeper. "Mr. President, hello." Said Seneca, formally, lowly, confused, somewhat timid.

"Seneca, you fool..." Started Snow, walking over to him. "The victor from 2 is dead, the only group that remains is 12, there are uprising in nearly every District now, and it's all because of you." Said President Snow, furiously.

"Mr. President, I know our plans didn't go as expected, but, with the family from 12..." Started Seneca.

"It doesn't matter! They overcame the Capitol's top soldiers, they showed that the Districts don't need us to thrive, and moreover the former victor, Abernathy, is at the head of the whole thing, you've dug our nation into a hole, and now we're in too deep to get out." Said Snow, angrily.

"President Snow, I tried to help our cause, I just underestimated the..." Started Seneca.

"No, you overestimated the influence the outerlying District can have on us, their function is nothing more than the imports we receive from them, but you refused to see that." Said Snow, vindictively.

"Vied for a coal miner, shot an apple near your head." Said Nero, casually sipping some wine.

"If only she'd finished the job there." Said Snow, deeply.

"Mr. President, this wasn't my intent, I..." Started Seneca.

"Sure it was, you fell for the family we brought here, you put family, love, and compassion before our great Capitol, you were weak, they've always been weak, haven't they?" Asked Snow, taking a paper.

"No." Said Seneca, crying.

"Oh admit it Mr. Crane, Eve was weak, Eve was weak." Said Snow, hitting Seneca on the head with the paper.

"No, no." Said Seneca, crying.

"Alright." Said Snow, setting the paper on a silver platter, and the Avox holding it took it away. "So, Mr. Crane, you're an advocate of coal are you?" Asked Snow.

"Uh, h..." Started Seneca.

"Tell me Seneca, what do we do with the coal they produce?" Asked Snow, keeping a mellow tone.

"Uh, break it down into diamonds?" Said Seneca, curiously.

"No, we burn it, men!" Called Snow. Two men walked up, and white, flame retardant suits, with fire helmets containing a number 451 on them. "Dispose of this nuisance." He said.

The firemen held out their flamethrowers, and shot fire at Seneca. "No, ah, ah, oh!" Screamed Seneca as he writhed on the floor.

"This has gone on long enough, too many years have we been defied and disrespected." Said Snow, harshly.

"Here's to that..." Started one of the Peace Keepers.

"I want them gone, I want the Russo girl dead, and her family, the boy, and that Abernathy fool." Said Snow.

"Sir." Said one of the Gamemakers, writing down notes.

"And not just that, I want all the traitors dead, I want Taggard, Hawthorne, Marx, Smith, Montag, Faber..." Snow went on, counting on his fingers.

"Uh Mr. President, are you okay?" Asked Nero, confused.

"Yes, these fumes are getting to me, carry on, sweep up the ashes when you're done." He said, walking out of the room, holding his head.

"Alright." Said Nero, satisfied, following him.

The group was sitting in the cave, talking quietly while Peeta slept. "Everyone from 1's gone, and they've showed all the tributes from 4..." Started Haymitch.

"The last one from 3 died four days ago, and everyone from 6, 8, and 10 are dead." Said Alex.

"And I saw the last of 7 and 9 in the sky two nights ago." Said Max.

"All of the victors are out..." Started Theresa.

"That just leaves 11, the seven of us, the boys from 2 and 11, and the two girls from 5." Said Haymitch.

"Wow, that's it." Said Theresa, shocked.

"So what do we do next?" Asked Max.

"We find the others, whatever they have to offer, we're stronger as a group." Said Haymitch.

"We can't leave until Peeta's better." Said Alex.

"I know, he should be okay by tomorrow, then we'll head out." Said Haymitch.

"Haymitch, do you really think we can do this?" Asked Max.

"Well, the odds are with us, we've got numbers, the others are strong though." Said Haymitch.

"Oh." Said Theresa, looking down.

"But let me tell you this, we're in this together, I'll do everything I can to assure you all make it home, and if any of us don't make it, it'll be me who goes first." Said Haymitch, very seriously.

There was a silence. "Thank you Haymitch, for helping us." Said Alex.

"Ya, well, I should say thank you, for all you've done for me." Said Haymitch, looking off into the distance. They all looked at him. "Head back in, I'll keep watch." He said, not even looking away from the sky. They all headed back in, and Haymitch's mind went to the past weeks in the Capitol.

The next day, Alex woke up, laying next to Peeta. They opened their eyes, and she gave him a small smile, which he returned. "Oh my god, you look so much better." He said, excitedly, looking at the now superficial scar.

"Hu, oh my god Peeta." Said Alex looking at the matching mark on his leg.

"Hu, I can hardly feel a thing." Said Peeta, almost laughing.

Alex just looked at him, smiling for a minute. "We can go home, you know, we're the only ones left." She said, happily.

"We can go home, hu." Said Peeta, practically tearing up, the two laughing together.

Later that morning, Haymitch walked in, holding his ax. "Alright, it's time to head out, you sure you can make it Peeta?" He asked.

"Ya, I'm fine." Said Peeta.

"Good, everybody take a weapon, something you can at least carry, stay with the group, and don't do anything rash." Said Haymitch.

"Alright, here." Said Alex, handing Peeta Brutus's sword while Max took the blade, and Theresa took one of the knives.

"Alright, let's head out." Said Haymitch, taking one of the packs.

"Okay." Said Max, heading for the entrance.

"Come on." Said Theresa, taking Peeta's arm and helping him up.

"Thanks." Said Peeta, getting up and following the rest.

"It's hard to believe, I mean, when I saw her at the Reaping, I didn't think she'd even recognize me, never thought we'd get the chance to be civil with each other, but, she found me, and she took me in, and she saved my life. Now, there's a chance, for them, for us, and I've never been more determined to live until now." Said Peeta, almost crying with joy, in an interview.

The group had been walking all day, the night was falling, and they set up their camp in a thickly forested area. "Feel free to start a fire, the sooner we lure them in the better." Said Haymitch.

"Well, Thrash took off to the East, Fox-Face could be anywhere." Said Alex.

"Cato will be by the Cornucopia, he won't go somewhere he doesn't know." Said Peeta.

"And we have no clue on the other girl from 5, I guess we'll see." Said Max.

"I wonder how Jerry and Justin kept alive so long, according to the Gamemakers their chances out here are slim." Said Theresa.

"Who knows, most years the Careers just ignore the outliers and they die off on their own." Said Haymitch. They all looked at him, shocked. "Uh, but I mean that in the best way possible." Said Haymitch.

"Good save." Said Alex.

"No it wasn't." Said Theresa.

"Alright, let's get some rest, we'll have another long day tomorrow, Alex, take the left side, Theresa, the right. If anybody comes, scream." Said Haymitch.

"Okay." Said Theresa, unenthusiastically.

"Great, night." Said Haymitch, going into the tent.

"Good-night." Said Max and Peeta, following him.

"Night, hu." Sighed Alex, sitting on a stump, thinking. The sky lit up with the projection and the Capitol Anthem. There was only one picture, the other girl from 5, then it went dark again. Alex went back to her watch.

The next day, the group was walking further West, and the forest was lessening. "We've never been over here before." Said Theresa.

"Ya, we must be near the wall, but at this point they won't care." Said Haymitch.

"Wish that'd applied sooner." Said Alex.

"Ha, I've been here, the Careers never came here because it's so far from the river." Said Max.

"Ya, but I hope the others didn't think like that." Said Peeta.

"He's right, this far from the water source, nobody'd be stupid enough to make camp all the way out here." Said Haymitch, the group now in a wide grove, the forest out of sight.

"Ha guys." Said Jerry, waving at them.

"Jerry?" Said Theresa, shocked and ecstatic at the same time.

"Dad, what're you doing here?" Asked Max.

"I found this place on the first day, nice isn't it?" He asked.

"How did you survive out here?" Asked Haymitch, absolutely baffled.

"Nobody ever came, don't know why, don't really care." Said Jerry.

"What about food, and water?" Asked Peeta.

"Oh, the edge of the grove is full of fruit trees, and there's a pond down South." Said Jerry.

"And they'd never think to start a fire, there's no forest to burn." Said Alex.

"That's what I thought, so you guys are all okay?" He asked.

"Ya, we're fine, we had no idea how you'd be." Said Theresa.

"I'm sorry, I wanted to let you know about this place, but it didn't look too safe back at the Cornucopia." Said Jerry.

"Eh, that's okay." Said Haymitch. Alex, Max, and Peeta all glared at him.

"So where's Justin at?" Asked Jerry.

"We don't know." Said Max.

"We're going to look for him next." Said Peeta.

"Okay, ha, who's he?" Asked Jerry.

"Um, it's Peeta." Said Alex.

"Who?" Asked Jerry.

"The boy from our District, the one who said he loved Alex." Said Theresa, trying to keep quiet.

"Hu." Sighed Peeta.

"Oh ya, slipped my mind, so how are you?" Asked Jerry.

"Good, I got stabbed in the leg and almost died, but Alex and Max found me, got medicine, and saved my life, so now I'm fine." Said Peeta.

"Oh, that's good." Said Jerry, getting up. "So, should we go?" He asked.

"Alright, oh, you'll need a weapon." Said Alex.

"Here, take this club, don't even know why it's here." Said Haymitch, handing it to him.

"Thanks." Said Jerry, taking the club.

"Ya, let's go." Said Haymitch, taking his ax and walking off, the others following him.

"So, do we kill him and the boy before the others, or after?" Asked Jerry.

"No dad, they changed the rules, all of us can win if we're the last ones left." Said Max.

"Oh, wait why?" Asked Jerry.

"Cus we're from the same District." Said Max.

"Oh, okay, forget I said that." Said Jerry.

"Alright dad." Said Max, confused.

That afternoon, the group was walking through the forest, heading East. "Alright, my bets are that Justin's hiding in a hole somewhere, eating grass and dirt, and dying of dehydration." Said Alex.

"I don't know, he's pretty smart, if he's not dead yet he must've figured something out." Said Peeta.

"Peeta, it's nice that you're trying to comfort them, but you're not convincing anyone." Said Haymitch.

"Wha, I'm not comforting, that's seriously what I think." Said Peeta.

"I know, being in the arena this long can do things to your mind, why do you think I'm the way I am now?" Asked Haymitch.

"Cus you get drunk all the time and hate life?" Asked Max.

"And you never take responsibility for anything." Said Theresa.

"Okay, that might be it." Said Haymitch, frustrated.

"Ha, he's the one who helped us survive all this time." Said Jerry.

"Ya, I was just trying to make a point." Said Haymitch.

"Which is?" Asked Alex.

"That Peeta's crazy and Justin's almost dead." Said Max.

"Well, ya, at least someone listened." Said Haymitch, admittingly.

"It's really nice of you to help us Haymitch, you know with regrouping and finding Justin." Said Jerry.

"Ya, you're welcome, but you'd probably do just fine without me." Said Haymitch.

"Probably, but the thought is nice." Said Alex.

"Ha, if it weren't for me you'd be dead right now, remember that." Said Haymitch.

"What's he mean, what'd you do?" Asked Peeta.

"When she went to the Cornucopia the victor from 2, Brutus, snook up on her with a sword when she was unarmed, and I killed him with an ax before he could get to her." Said Haymitch.

"Oh, good, you killed the victor from 2?" Asked Peeta, surprised.

"Well, ya, no big deal, didn't want to brag." Said Haymitch, humbly.

"I killed the victor and another girl from 1 with just a knife." Said Max, matter of factly.

"Oh, well, nevermind." Said Haymitch, surprised, defeated.

"And I killed the guy from 1..." Started Alex.

"Ya, well, was he a victor, no, he wasn't." Said Haymitch, sassily.

"Well, anyway, thank you for that." Said Alex.

"You're welcome." Said Haymitch.

"So, what makes you think he'll be this way?" Asked Theresa.

"Cus, the river's this way, most people camp near the river." Said Haymitch.

"I didn't camp near the river." Said Jerry.

"Shut up!" Yelled Haymitch.

"Ya, neither did we." Said Theresa.

"Hu." Sighed Haymitch.

"Well, if Haymitch is wrong, at least all of us will be safe." Said Alex.

"That may have been good enough for me before, but not now." Said Haymitch.

"Will you do anything about it?" Asked Max.

"No, but at least I'll regret it." Said Haymitch.

"Ya, but it'd be nice if we could find him." Said Theresa, rashly.

"Theresa, he already found you four people, it would be good if we found Justin, but we should appreciate the effort regardless." Said Jerry.

"...I guess." Said Theresa.

"Good, thanks, whatever your name is." Said Haymitch.

"Ya, even though it doesn't come across that way, we really do appreciate all you've done Haymitch." Said Max.

"There's no way we could've gotten this far without you help." Said Peeta.

"I know, and you're welcome, and even though it may not seem like it, I really do care about getting you out, and I believe that all us, together, can make a difference, the only reason I don't show it, is because I really don't care what anybody thinks." Said Haymitch.

"Understood." Said Theresa.

"Okay, there's the river, where do we go now?" Asked Alex.

"Let's keep heading East, that's where he went during the slaughter." Said Peeta.

"I'm with Peeta, but only because I have no other ideas." Said Haymitch as the group walked on.

It was late afternoon, and the group was walking in some deeply forested area. "Well, looks like you were wrong, there's no sign of anyone here." Said Jerry.

"Well, we're not that far from the river, he could still be near here." Said Peeta.

"Honestly, I think we're to a point where there's no denying it, you were wrong Peeta." Said Haymitch.

"Well, I trust him." Said Max.

"Ya, he knows what he's doing." Said Alex.

"Are you sure?" Asked Alex.

"Ya, he got stabbed and almost died, who knows how many more of us he'll almost get killed?" Asked Haymitch. A spear sailed right by Haymitch, but he moved just in time to miss is. "Hu, hu." He gasped, taking out his bottle of whisky and sipping from it.

"Everyone, ready." Said Alex, the group taking out their weapons.

"Kill whatever you see." Said Haymitch.

"Guys, is that you?" Asked Justin.

"Justin?" Said Alex.

"Ah!" Yelled Haymitch, throwin an ax, and hitting the ground four feet away. "Sorry, a little shocked, can't focus." Said Haymitch.

"Nice shot by the way." Said Theresa, sarcastically.

"I was wondering where you guys were." Said Justin.

"We were looking for you all day, you never thought to come find us?" Asked Theresa.

"No, it's just me, and you guys have six people." Said Justin.

"...That's a pretty good point." Said Peeta, shying back.

"Justin, have you been here the whole time?" Asked Max.

"Ya, pretty nice isn't it?" Asked Justin. They were in a forested area, no shelter, long grass, and little sunlight. "Well, ya know."

"How'd you survive, you're so close to the river, didn't they look for you?" Asked Jerry.

"Sure, but I was right, in the training center they're dangerously aware, but when they get out here they never even think to look up, which most of the time wouldn't have done them any good." Said Justin.

"What do you mean?" Asked Alex.

"They don't think in the arena, people came here, looking for me, but I got them before they could find me with poison barries, snare traps, or just the spear when they had their backs turned." Said Justin.

"Wha, hu, how many people did you kill?" Asked Haymitch, breathlessly astounded.

"Eight, most of them in the first four days, and the girl from 6 yesterday." Said Justin.

"But, how did you know to do that?" Asked Theresa.

"I watched them, saw their techniques, and I made sure they watched me, they see an incompetent person with not special skills they won't be looking out for traps, it was my plan from day one." Said Justin.

"That's impressive." Said Max.

"Thanks." Said Justin.

"Ha, I have to admit, I didn't think you had it in you to survive." Said Alex.

"Well, I knew all along." Said Haymitch.

"...No you didn't." Said Peeta.

"No." Admitted Haymitch.

"So, what've you guys been doing?" Asked Justin.

"I found a grove to the West." Said Jerry.

"I got away from the Careers and killed one of the victors." Said Max.

"I tricked the Careers and helped Max kill one of the girls from 1." Said Peeta.

"I blew up the Career's food stash and escaped a forest fire." Said Alex.

"...I teamed up with Haymitch." Said Theresa.

"I kept here alive and killed the victor from 2 to save Alex." Said Haymitch.

"Great, so what do we do now?" Asked Justin.

"We go after the others." Said Alex.

"What?" Said Theresa.

"Ya, the sooner we get out of here, the better." Said Haymitch.

"So, you wanna just throw morals to the wind, start killing everyone?" Asked Peeta.

"We don't have a choice." Said Max.

"Trust me Peeta, if we get out of here, we'll be helping a lot more people than we hurt." Said Haymitch.

"Uh, I guess." Said Jerry.

"Okay, tomorrow we head South, the closer to the Cornucopia, the better." Said Haymitch.

The next day, the group was walking South, along the river. "We can't risk straying from the river, we're in the last ten, they'll be pushing it now more than ever." Said Haymitch.

"What are you talking about, why would they be after us?" Asked Justin.

"The field's almost cleared, all seven of us from 12 are still alive, if we all take the crown break the Capitol's standards down to a fraction." Said Haymitch.

"They deserve every bit of it, after all they've done." Said Alex, hatefully.

"I have to admit, they're vile, the killing." Said Theresa.

"The tricks." Said Peeta.

"The executions." Said Haymitch, lowly.

"The lies." Said Jerry.

"The prostitution." Said Max.

"Ya, you know they really try to keep that one under wraps." Said Haymitch, matter of factly.

"How do you know about that?" Asked Justin.

"Uh, well, uh..." Started Max, nervously.

"The point is, they set themselves up for this, and it's up to us to take the toll." Said Haymitch.

"If we make it out, whether this works or not, at least we break even." Said Peeta.

"Forget that, the only way we're breaking even is if I'm dead." Said Alex, roughly.

"I could arrange that." Said Justin, quietly.

"Justin, is this really the time?" Asked Theresa.

"Why do you keep calling us 12, and why does it matter if we're by the river?" Asked Jerry.

"I don't have time to explain." Said Haymitch, frustrated.

"But..." Started Jerry.

"Ha, you're the one who wanted to stay in the grove." Said Alex.

"Ya, that's true." Said Jerry.

"Uh, it's getting dark, let's set up camp, Max, Justin, you keep watch." Said Haymitch, dropping his bag.

"What, why doesn't Peeta have to?" Asked Justin.

"Uh, fine, whatever, as long as I don't have to sit in the cold all night." Said Haymitch.

"Ha!" Yelled Justin, pointing at Peeta, who just looked confused.

"Now nobody'd better wake me up tonight, I've had a long day of walking and carrying this bag." Said Haymitch.

"Ha, we've walked and carried bags just as much as you." Said Theresa.

"Well I'm old, okay?" Asked Haymitch, going into the tent.

"Ha Justin, I wanted to say thanks, for throwing that bag to me..." Started Peeta.

"Ya, don't tell anyone about it okay." Said Justin, quickly.

"Uh, okay, but why not?" Asked Peeta.

"Cus, they'll think I'm going soft it they know I gave you something, especially since I threw it to you." Said Justin.

"Uh, um, okay." Said Peeta, stuttering, confused.

"Eh, you don't understand, night bread boy." Said Justin, going into the tent.

"...You can call me Peeta." Said Peeta, casually.

In the tent, Haymitch was putting out his sleeping bag. "Uh, shit." He said, reaching into his bag and pulling out a bottle of whiskey.

"I'm getting tired of this place." Said Alex.

"I know, it's awful, besides the grove." Said Jerry, quickly.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I wish we were back in New York." Said Theresa.

"At least when we get back, we'll know we never have to come back here, right, right?" Asked Justin, desperately.

"I don't know, I won and I'm back in here." Said Haymitch.

"Ugh." Sighed Justin.

"Don't worry, when we get out of here, this country's going to change, I don't know what, but I do know how, when, and why." Said Haymitch.

"I hope so." Said Theresa.

"And none of this would be possible if it weren't for you, all of you, we've done more in the past fourteen days than anyone else in the past seventy-four years." Said Haymitch.

"So what exactly will we change, will there still be Districts, Peace Keepers, Games?" Asked Alex.

"Not sure, it we make it out of here, we'll see as it goes." Said Haymitch.

"Okay, well, night." Said Jerry.

"Ya, be ready for tomorrow, there's going to be hell." Said Haymitch, grabbing a liter of whiskey in his arm and laying back.

"Hu." Sighed Justin.

Peeta was sitting on a log, looking up into the stars, thinking. Max walked up to him. "Ha, how're you doing?" Asked Max.

"Oh, good, I'm really glad we got your family back together." Said Peeta.

"Ya, me too, thanks for helping us, not just now, but through this whole thing." Said Max.

"You're welcome, I mean, we're all in here, together, and you're all really nice people, I don't know." Said Peeta.

"What do you mean you don't know, you're a nice person Peeta, you're selfless, considerate, you'd do anything to help someone in need." Said Max. "I wish there were more people like you."

"Hu, thanks." Said Peeta, laughing, flattered, then he went serious, thinking. "I don't know, I lived my whole life outside the Seam, most of us aren't poor, usually have plenty to eat, but I always saw the people on the other side, working the mines, struggling to make end's meet, and, most of the people in the wealthier part of 12 just turn aways from them, don't see how much harder some people have it, not just in 12, I always wished I could do something to change it." Said Peeta.

"That's good, you know, you've gotten to know our family pretty well, but you've never told us about yours, what's your family like?" Asked Max.

"Hu, I don't know, my dad's a really quiet guy, he's really sweet though, neither of my older brothers work in the bakery, never really spent that much time with them anyway, and my mom, I don't know, she's never been warm to any of us, I'm surprised she even came to see me after the Reaping, just not in her nature, never help anyone if it didn't mean something for us." Said Peeta, depressed.

"Oh." Said Max, surprised, feeling empathy for him. "...Alex told me about what you did, with the bread." Said Max.

"Oh, she did?" Asked Peeta, caught off guard.

"Ya, that was really nice of you, our family was starving, there aren't too many people who would've done something like that." Said Peeta.

"Ya, I guess." Said Peeta. "Sometimes I wonder why I've done things like that, I don't know, sometimes I think I'm just, selfish, whether I did it because I really wanted to help, or if I just did it for Alex." Said Peeta.

"You really like her don't you, it wasn't an act, for the Games?" Asked Max.

"No, I wouldn't do that, I've watched Alex for so many years, seen how caring, genuine she is, I always hoped she would notice me, and, even now, I'm not sure." Said Peeta.

"You're a good person, after everything you've done in the arena, treated us like we're your own family, don't doubt yourself." Said Max.

"Okay, thanks, hu, I just wanna go home, sure nothing might happen, but if anything else, I just can't bear the thought of one of us dying." Said Peeta.

"Don't worry, we'll make it out, it'll all be okay." Said Max.

"Ya, I really think they will be." Said Peeta, looking up at the sky.

There was a silence. "Good-night Peeta." Said Max.

"Night Max." Said Peeta, nodding at him, and he nodded back, then he went back to the sky.

The next day, the group was walking further down the river. "We're almost there, keep your heads up, now's as good a time as any to find someone." Said Haymitch.

"Ha, we should probably hunt, we're out of food." Said Alex.

"Okay, Max, Justin, and I will watch the river, don't stray too far into the woods." Said Haymitch.

"Okay, here, I'll take the bow." Said Peeta, walking up to Alex.

"What?" Asked Alex, greatly confused.

"I'm just kidding." Said Peeta, laughing.

Alex hit him lightly with the bow. "Fuck you." She said, laughing, as she walked off.

Alex was walking in the woods, looking around, her bow holstered, then she saw a hawk in the tree. She lined up her shot, pulled the bow back, and was about to let it go when the cannon fired. "Hu, uh, Peeta, Peeta." She called, quietly, running in his direction. She got further in the woods, looking for him. "Peeta, Peeta?" She said, seeing his coat, with some berries on it. She picked them up, examined them, then here eyes went wide, and she jumped up. "Peeta! Peeta!" She screamed, running off frantically. "Peeta!"

"Whoa, what?" Asked Peeta as she ran into him.

"I, I heard the cannon fire, I thought you were dead." Said Alex.

"No, I'm fine." Said Peeta.

"I didn't know, hu?" She said, looking at the berries in his hand.

"I just picked some berries, you want some?" Asked Peeta, casually going to put one in his mouth.

"That's Nightlock Peeta, you'll be dead in a minute!" She yelled, slapping them from his hands. "Oh, goddamn you!" She yelled, slapping his chest.

"Okay." Said Peeta, quietly. Jerry then walked over. "Mr. Russo, Alex yelled at me." Said Peeta, childishly.

"Alex, don't yell at him, he almost died a few days ago." Said Jerry.

"You were talking about killing him." Said Theresa, walking in.

"Ha, shh, don't talk about that." Said Jerry. Alex and Peeta both stared at them.

They found the fox-faced girl, dead on the ground, with the berry juice on her lips. "Didn't even know she was following me." Said Peeta.

"She's clever." Said Alex.

"Too clever for her own good, that just leaves two." Said Haymitch.

"Okay, let's go." Said Justin.

"Alright." Said Alex, taking some of the berries.

"Ha, what're you doing?" Asked Max.

"Who knows, maybe Cato likes berries too." Said Alex, smirking. Max smiled back and gathered some as well.

A little later, the group was walking, and the arena was growing dark, and the sun was going down. "What time is it?" Asked Theresa, signaling to Haymitch.

"...I don't know!" Yelled Haymitch, putting his arms in the air.

"Too bad Plutarch isn't here." Said Alex, sadly.

Justin stopped walking. "Who?!" He demanded, confused.

"He's, the gu, nevermind." Said Alex.

"I think it's just after noon." Said Jerry.

"Then why's it getting so dark?" Asked Peeta.

"Must be in a hurry to end it." Said Max.

In the Gamemaker's Center, one of the Gamemakers was lowering the light level by a small dial. "Alright people, we're on the clock." Said Nero, walking through the Center. "Is it ready Lucia?" He asked.

"Oh, right here sir." She said, showing him a diagram she made.

"Yes, that's nice, put that in the center." He said, sinistrly.

"Yessir." She said, dragging the diagram, Nero laughing meniachally, walking out of the room.

It was as dark as night, Alex and Peeta had on the night vision goggles, and were looking around. They heard a rustling, and Alex pointed her arrow in the direction. "Hu." She said. They walked along, looking around cautiously.

"Ah, ah!" Screamed someone in the distance. They all looked in the direction of the scream. Then the cannon fired. The hologram appeared in the sky, and flashed pictures of Fox-Face and Thrash, then went out.

"What was that?" Asked Theresa.

"The finally." Whispered Haymitch, looking in the horizon.

They kept on moving, and heard more rustling, keeping their weapons out, looking in every direction. Then they stopped for a moment. "Ah!" They heard a loud, powerful scream.

"Ready!" Yelled Peeta, the group pulled out their weapons.

"Ah!" Screamed the voice again. Then Cato came barreling out of the forest, and ran right past them, moving at a break neck pace, not even slowing down.

"Oh shit." Said Justin.

They turned their attention to the forest, and coming right for them was a large, white creature. "Oh fuck." Said Theresa.

"Run!" Yelled Jerry.

The group turned, and followed Cato's path, making for the clearing. Alex turned her head to see the hideous creature, it looked like a combination of a lizzard and a person, only it was about seven feet tall, and had huge claws. "Uh." She moaned, running on.

They made it to the clearing, and the creatures were right on top of them. "Hold position." Said Haymitch. They stood in a circle, weapons out, Haymitch threw one of his axes, hitting one of them square in the head, it roared and collapsed on the ground.

"Uh!" Yelled Alex, shooting arrow after arrow, taking down more.

One of the creatures ran straight for Alex and Haymitch. "Ah!" Yelled Max, jumping in front of it and slashing its neck with the blade. It hissed and collapsed on the ground.

"Uh, ra!" Yelled Peeta, slashing the creatures with his sword, cutting their throats, stabbing them in the chest, pulling them off him.

"There's too many!" Yelled Alex.

"Get to the horn!" Yelled Haymitch.

The group sprinted to the Cornucopia, and began to climb up on to it. "Come on, come on!" Yelled Theresa and Haymitch, pulling them on. Peeta made it last, and Alex pulled him up, but the lizzards began clawing at his legs.

"Ah, ah!" Yelled Peeta, cringing in pain.

"Come on, uh." Said Alex, pulling him on to the horn. "Oh!" She yelled as she was pulled off Peeta.

"Uh!" Yelled Cato, throwing Alex on to the roof of the horn, trying to stab her with his sword.

"Uh, ah!" Yelled Alex forcing his hand back.

"Ha!" Yelled Haymitch, running for them.

"Ah!" Yelled Cato, shoving him aside, nearly knocking him into the pool of creatures below.

"Ra!" Yelled Cato, throwing Alex down, on the edge of the horn, and started choking her.

"Hu, hu, uh, hu." Gasped Alex, trying to breath, the lizzards reaching for her below. "Hu!" She gasped, loudly.

"Ah!" Yelled Peeta, pulling Cato off Alex, and punching him in the face.

"Ah, ra!" Yelled Cato, punching at Peeta, who blocked it, then kicking him in the side of the leg, and punching him to the ground.

"Oh, ah!" Moaned Peeta, laying on the metal roof.

"Hu, hu." Gasped Cato, pulling up his sword, readying to stab and kill Peeta.

"No!" Yelled Max, slashing Cato across the face with his blade.

"Ah, fuck, ra!" Yelled Cato, swinging the sword at Max, who blocked it with his blade. "Ah!" Yelled Cato, swinging again, and it was too quick to block, and cut Max, long across the leg.

"Ah!" Screamed Max, collapsing on the ground, holding his leg.

"Hu, ah!" Yelled Peeta, running to pull Cato off Max.

"Hu, uh, hu." Gasped Alex, pulling herself up, and readying her bow to fire. She turned, and saw Cato, his arm around Peeta's neck, standing at the edge of the Cornucopia. "Hu, hu." Sighed Alex, realizing his plan, Haymitch and Justin, weapons at the ready, seeing the same thing.

"Go ahead, shoot, then we both go down and you win." Said Cato. Justin and Haymitch scowled at him, but Alex, Jerry, and Theresa, comforting Max, looked worried. "Come one, do it!" He yelled, desperately, bleeding heavily from his face. They all stood, perplexed. "It's no surprise, they meant it like this all along." He said, almost laughing. Then he backed up, closer to the edge, and looked at the sky. "Is this what you want, hu!" He yelled, seemingly at the Capitol. Alex pulled back her arrow. "Hu, no, I can still do this, one more kill to my name, to bring pride, to my District." He said, laughing, insanely. "It's all I ever knew, just like the rest." He said, shaking now. Then he started shaking his head. "Not like it matters."

Alex adjusted her aim, then shot an arrow straight at his hand. "Ah, oh!" He yelled, pulling his grip off Peeta, and clutching his hand.

"Ah!" Yelled Peeta, punching him, sending him off the Cornucopia, and into the swarm of creatures below.

"Ah, ah!" Screamed Cato, not visible to the group, for he was completely surrounded by the creatures. They tore into him with their large claws and their teeth. Alex and Peeta walked over to the edge, watched, listened. He wasn't dead yet, they knew he had some sort of body armor on. Alex reached behind her and pulled out an arrow from the sheath. Then she set it in the bow, and aimed down, trying to see him through the infestation of the monstrous things, she took her aim, and shot the arrow. His screams went silent. A few seconds later the cannon fired, and the two of them looked up at the sky, relieved. The lizzard creatures all ran away, as it by command.

"Come on." Said Alex, patting Peeta on the chest, keeping a serious expression as she slid down the side of the metal horn and helped him down. The others followed, sliding down the side, Jerry helped Theresa down, and Alex helped Max down the side, and walked him over to the others, barely able to stand, his leg bleeding badly.

They all stood in a cirlce in the clearing, Alex lowered Max down, and he sat on his side on the ground, holding his leg, gasping for breath. "Uh, uh, it hurts!" He gasped through his tears, which were all over his face.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine soon." Said Alex, looking up at the sky, confused.

"Where are they, heard the cannon." Said Peeta.

I don't kn..." Started Haymitch, still clutching his ax tight.

Suddenly the sky filled with noise. "Attention tributes, attention..." Started Nero, on the intercom. Alex looked around, pulling an arrow back in the bow. "There has been a slight, rule change, the former revision, allowing for numerous tributes to be crowned, upon further inspection of the rules, has been, revoked." He said, chucking quietly. "Only one tribute may be named the victor. Good luck, and may the odds, be ever in your favor." The sky went silent.

Alex stood there, looking up at the sky, her face full of awe, and shock. Then she looked around at the others, having similar looks, looked at Peeta, who looked not so much shocked, but sad, and disheartened, and he met her eyes, not needing to say anything.

Haymitch's face filled with anger, looking up at the sky. "You can't do this, we survived, we're the only ones left!" He screamed, his teeth gritted, holding the ax furiously in his hand. He kept his pose a second, scowling at the sky, then dropped his ax, and hung his head down, in disbelief, thinking hard.

They all looked around, unsure of what to do, Max sat there, still sobbing, but less so now. Peeta turned to Alex, trying to stay calm. "Go ahead, do it." He said, softly.

"What?" She said, looking right at him, still crushed.

"I said do it, it's fine, go ahead." Said Peeta, holding back tears.

"No, uh, why..." Started Alex, breaking up.

"You have to." Said Max, pulling himself together. Alex looked down at him, he looked over at her, still cringing from pain, trying to give an assuring look. "One of us should go home, uh." He groaned, clutching his leg again.

Alex, Haymitch, and Justin looked around, holding their weapons. "Come on, the rest of us need to die, they need to have their winner." Said Peeta, desperately. Alex looked at him, and noticed that his sword was on the ground. Then she looked at his face, an defeated, approving look on it.

Her expression went serious, then to anger. "No, they don't." She said, throwing down her sword, walking towards him. "Why should they?" She asked.

"Alex..." Started Peeta.

"There's nothing we can do, they called it, they make the rules." Said Theresa, despairingly.

Alex stood there, thinking, looking around at the group, then her expression went calm, and cold. "I guess so, we came this far, all of us, doesn't mean we can't celebrate." Said Alex.

"What?" Said Jerry, confused.

"Haymitch, here." Said Alex, waving him over.

"What?" Said Haymitch, walking over to her. "What're you..." He started.

"Take it out, the bottle." Said Alex.

"Okay." Said Haymitch, still confused, pulling out the liter.

"Thanks." Said Alex, opening the bottle. "The last seven tributes, all from 12, calls for something special." She said. Then she pulled out the berries, clasped them in her hands over the bottle. The juice poured all over her palm, and fell into the whiskey, turning it dark blue. "Don't you think?" She asked. Haymitch gave a small, discreet smile.

"Alex, no, what're you?" Started Peeta.

"Trust me." Said Alex, taking his hand. "Trust me."

Haymitch took the bottle, and pulled out some cups. "Here, everyone, gather around." He said.

They all walked over, confused. "Haymitch, wh, what are you..." Started Theresa. Haymitch just winked at her, and she stood, more confused than ever. "Here, everyone, take a glass." Said Haymitch, pouring out the liquid. "Jerry." He said.

"Uh, thanks." Said Jerry, still clueless.

"Justin, here." Said Haymitch. Justin looked over at Alex, confused, she just looked at him, confidently.

"Alright, Peeta." Said Haymitch, handing a glass to Peeta. "Max, here." Said Haymitch, lowering down and giving him the glass. Max took it, still unable to stand, clutching his wound with the other.

Alex took the bottle, the rest of the liquid in it, smiling a little. "A toast to us, the tributes from 12, made it so far together, to the end." Said Haymitch, holding up his glass.

They all stood, speechless. Peeta held up his glass. "To all the fallen, from past, and present." He said, more lively now, holding up his glass.

Jerry held his glass in the air. "To the District workers, who suffer and starve each day, for the Capitol."

"To our humanity, still alive somewhere in all of us." Said Theresa, raising her glass.

"To all the people who help us thrive in these dark days." Said Justin, putting the glass in the air.

Max held up his glass, his composure set. "To the hope, we keep alive through our actions." Said Max, emotionally.

"To 12." Said Haymitch, proudly holding his glass up.

"And to our country, soon to be reformed, for the people." She said, holding up the bottle.

Peeta looked over at her. "Now?" He asked.

She nodded at him, neither leaving each other's eyes. "Now." She said, quietly.

Nero looked at the feed in the Gamemaker's Center, shocked. They all raised their glasses, and hesitantly went to drink, Alex and Peeta still keeping at each other's eyes. "Stop! Stop!" Yelled Nero. They all stopped, put their glasses down, and looked at the sky. "Ladies and Gentlement, may I present the winners, of the 74th annual Hunger Games." Said Nero, reluctantly.

Alex looked up, in relief, Peeta looked at her, and they walked over, and embraced each other. Haymitch looked satisfied, relieved as well, as did all the others, some too confused to see it though. Haymitch walked over, and helped Max up as the hovercraft came in, making a shadow over their heads. Alex and Peeta looked up, not letting go of each other.

"They're not happy with you." Said Haymitch.

"Phh, fuck them." Said Alex, on the balcony of their apartment, drinking some wine.

"I mean it, the Authorities found me themselves." Said Haymitch.

"Oh why, because we didn't die, cu..." Started Alex.

"No, because you showed them up, because of what of what you did with the berries." Said Haymitch.

"Well excuse me, they threaten us after their promise, and I turn the tables..." Started Alex.

"Alex, they don't take these things lightly, their grasp is very strong here." He said, seriously. She just looked out, finally thinking. "But I thought you should know, once we're gone, it won't matter." Said Haymitch, looking out, satisfied. Alex matched his smile.

Max was in his room, changing his clothes, when the girl walked in. "Ha, my favorite guy." She said, jubilantly.

"Oh, uh, hi." Said Max, confused.

"Oh, I knew you'd make it, I'm so proud of you." She said, walking up, holding him.

"Oh, uh, thanks, uh..." He started.

"I'm so sorry about that girl, and your leg, but you're fine now, and I'm gonna make you so much happier." She said, pushing him on the bed.

"Uh, okay..." Started Max as she climbed on the bed with him. "Uh, wait..." Started Max.

"Don't worry, I'll watch your leg." She said, crawling on top of his and kissing him.

"Uh, kay, uh." Said Max, grabbing her shoulders, kissing her back.

Caesar sat in his chair, and it turned around, and he stood up, and waved to the audience. "Hello, hello!" He called out.

"Now, if they ask, you tell them, you were so in love, with him, that, you couldn't stand to think of life without him, and, the others..." Started Haymitch.

"Ya, I got it." Said Alex, who had on a large, white dress, and sparkly eyeliner and eyeshadow.

"Good." Said Haymitch, patting her on the shoulder.

Caesar was interviewing them, all on a large couch, talking to him. Haymitch was drinking from a shot glass, Max had a metal brace on his leg, and they were all dressed in the fanciest attire. "So, Alex, when you found him, by the river, what went through your head?" Asked Caesar, leaning, enthused.

"...I felt like the happiest person in the world." Said Alex, looking at Peeta. "I couldn't imagine life without him."

"Oh." Sighed Caesar, and the whole crowd. "And Peeta, what about you?" Asked Caesar.

"I mean, she saved my life, in more ways than one." Said Peeta.

"We saved each other." Said Alex.

"Ah." Said Caesar, and the crowd matched him. Alex took Peeta's hand, and they leaned into each other. "So, Theresa, how do you feel, now that you know about their feelings for each other?" Asked Caesar.

"Well, I think it's great, but, I don't feel Alex is old enough to have a boyfriend yet." Said Theresa, giving a fake glare at Peeta, and the crowd laughed.

"So, Maxwell, after all this time since the Reaping, how do you feel being in the arena with Alex has turned out?" Asked Caesar.

"It, it was so much more than I thought, we learned a lot, about each other, I think it's really going to make things better." Said Max.

"Oh, I see, and Haymitch, any last words on this whole thing?" Asked Caesar.

"Well, there's not much left to say, after all that, but I can definitely say, meeting all of them, it's really sparked something in me, and I dare say, we've sparked something in this whole country." Said Haymitch, smiling, proud.

"Well, I must agree with you, ladies and gentlemen, the winners, of the 74th annual, Hunger Games!" Yelled Caesar, and the crowd cheered, the group clapping for each other.

That night, the group was at a bar, in some kind of after party, and were socializing with others. "Ha, all those kills, it was nothing, just a lot of quick thinking." Said Justin, smugly.

"Oh good, I'm gonna get some wings." Said Jerry, walking off.

"That was something, the way you shot him in the hand, I never thought..." Started Peeta, laughing.

"Thanks, um, listen, when we get back, I want to get to know you, be together, like we were, but without the chance that we'll ever be torn apart." Said Alex.

"Are you sure, what made you change your mind?" Asked Peeta.

"I don't know, maybe I didn't, when you saved me at the Cornucopia, when Cato had you on the ledge, when we held knives to each other's throats, it just made me see, that, without you I have nothing to fight for, there's nothing out there as good as you, you know." Said Alex.

"Ya, of course I know, I've felt the same way all these years." Said Peeta.

"Oh, thank you." Said Alex, hugging him.

"No, thank you." Said Peeta.

"Oh, you two, I'm so happy, I'm speechless, look, I'm tearing up, oh, let's take a picture, here, smile." Said Effin, running up between them, holding up her camera, smiling big.

"Uh, okay." Said the two, smiling, awkwardly, but happily, as she flashed the picture.

"Attention, everyone, I wanna make a toast, to the Russos, and to Peeta, the best tributes I've ever had the pleasure of training, and who, I'm proud to say, I'll be going home with." Announced Haymitch, holding up his glass.

"Ya!" Cheered the crowd, holding up their glasses.

"Thanks Haymitch, and, I wanted to say thank you, for everything you've done for us." Said Max.

"Ha, don't mention it Max, it was the least I could do, after all, you guys did so much for me." Said Haymitch, meaningfully.

"What do you mean?" Asked Max.

"Well, you all helped me in some way, let me see that there's a purpose I can serve, and not just training tributes to die." Said Haymitch.

"Oh, I'm glad we could help, you deserve it." Said Max.

"Thanks." Said Haymitch.

"Oh, Haymitch, I wanted to catch you." Said Theresa.

"I'm really not that hard to catch." Said Haymitch, drinking.

"I wanted to say thanks, for helping me in the arena, if it weren't for you I wouldn't have made it five days." Said Theresa.

"Ha, it was no problem." Said Haymitch.

"No problem, you saved our family, and that boy, I can never repay you for that." Said Theresa.

"You already have, but if you're still looking to, I could think of something." Said Haymitch, as he went on drinking.

"So, all clanking glasses, wrap party of your new lives hu?" Asked Nero, walking in.

"Nero?" Said Theresa, surprised.

"What are you doing here?" Asked Haymitch.

"Just enjoying the irony, the two volunteers from 12 get together, defy the odds and the Capitol to make it out, and yet it matters for nothing." Said Nero.

"What're you talking about?" Asked Max.

"Oh, you think getting these miners back to their dust will cause a revelation in the world, even in yours, but it didn't, you'll get home, and just go back to brushing up the next batch in twelve months." Said Nero.

The group was gathered around now. "Now you listen, these people, made a difference in me, they taught me to care again, I have faith in them, and they showed me, that, together, we can make a difference." Said Haymitch, harshly.

"Well, you can have you dellusions, but it means nothing, wheel are set in motion, and by the tour, nobody will remember any of this." Said Nero, turning around.

"No, you will remember me, and my District!" Yelled Haymitch, smashing a bottle, and when Nero turned around, he slashed him across the face with it.

"Ah, my face, uh!" Yelled Nero, pulling out a gun and pointing it at Haymitch.

"Uh, ah!" Yelled Effin as she punched Nero in the face, and knocked him on the ground.

"Whoa." Said Max.

"Effin." Said Alex.

"Well, I never liked that man, and, nobody threatens my tributes, um, my friends, I'm so happy for all of you, it'll be a shame to see you go." Said Effin, sadly.

"Ha, we'll miss you too." Said Peeta, putting his arm around her.

"Oh, Peeta." She said, patting his back.

"No, you don't have to." Said Haymitch.

"What?" Said Justin.

"You don't have to stay here." Said Haymitch.

"What're you..." Started Jerry.

"Come back, come with us, back to 12." Said Haymitch.

"Well, I, I can't ju..." Started Effin, confused.

"Really, come with us." Said Haymitch.

"What's here for you anyway, if we're gone?" Asked Theresa.

"Oh, um, well..." Started Effin, speechless.

"Guys, great job." Said Cinna, walking up.

"Thanks Cinna." Said Alex, patting him on the back.

"No problem, sorry about your leg Max." Said Cinna.

"Ha, I'm fine." Said Max.

"And Alex, I'm sorry, cus of me they pulled that whole, Girl on Fire thing." Said Cinna.

"Ha, that's the price of beauty." Said Alex, jockingly.

"Ha, how're my favorite people, all, winners, and, great, oh, I, I just gotta, uh." Said Portia, walking up, and collapsing on the ground.

"Uh, okay." Said the group, walking away.

The next day, they were on a large stage, on the balcony of President Snow's mansion, facing the mountains, and the massive crowd, being crowned, wearing the most beautiful clothes. Alex stood up, and President Snow grabbed one of the crowns, and placed it on her head. "Congradulations." He said, humbly.

"Thank you." Said Alex, quietly, gratefully. The others smiled, and so did the whole crowd. Cray was in the audience, tears running down his face. Caesar watched, emotional, from his spectator's box, as did Effin, Cinna, and Portia, well.

He moved her hair, and saw the Mockingjay pin. "What a lovely pin." He said.

"Thank you, it's from my District." Said Alex.

"They must be very proud of you." Said Snow, turning away.

Peeta smiled at her she met it.

That evening, the group was walking out of the city to the train station, accompanied by Cinna and Effin. "I can't believe all that's happened, after what they told us." Said Theresa.

"Ya, you never know, when you have people like this around." Said Jerry.

"Mm hm." Said Cinna.

"Damn right." Said Plutarch, pulling open the train door.

"When they pulled my name, I never thought it'd mean anything, let alone something like this." Said Justin.

"Me neither, and, I'm glad you tried to help me Alex, but, I'm glad I came." Said Max.

"Me too, after this, I don't things will ever be the same." Said Alex, meaningfully.

"So, what happens when we get back, we just, forget it all?" Asked Peeta.

"No, I'll never forget, forget this, or us, or you, boy with the bread." Said Alex, holding his arm.

"No, I don't wanna forget." Said Peeta, smiling.

"Oh, I'm so glad I came, with all of you, it'll be wonderful, a fresh start, an all new beginning, won't it be great?" Asked Effin.

"Yes, it sure will." Said Haymitch, holding up a button, then pushing it, and the Capitol city exploded, as they got on the train back home, back to 12.

The explosion could be seen on the screen, in the studio, full of ash, with Caesar announcing on T.V. "So, the Capitol finally fell yesterday, reduced to ash in a great burst of fire, what comes next, nobody knows, rumors of government in the North Central District have surfaced, with all the Districts in union, anything could happen, after an enthralling three weeks, we finally come to a close, sending you off on the 74th annual Hunger Games, this is Caesar Fleckerman, stay icy!" He said, pointing at the screen, smiling, as the music played him off. "Gimme $20, gimme $20, no wifin' in the club, gimme $20, gim..."

THE END