I got to my feet at the first traces of dawn. What a long night. I put out the campfire with some snow and prepared to travel. I remembered that I hadn't eaten anything or drank yet. I melted some snow into water and drank it. Then I hunted and killed a rabbit. After I cooked and I ate it, I was back on the move.
Including me, there were only four tributes left. I heard fighting in the distance. I scrambled down to the lowest spot I could find on the mountain. All three of the others were fighting below. A cannon went off and one of the careers fell. The boy.
I slid down the mountain, hurrying to join the fight. I reached them just as the career killed the other tribute, who fell to the ground with blood leaking through the body's lips. The cannon went off. Now it was just me versus the last career.
I aimed my trident at her. She held a pair of sais. She held them, battle ready as well. I grinned. "Hello, last career."
"Hello, four." She snarled. "Ready to die yet?"
"Never." I spat back. "What about you?"
She showed a face of hatred, but did not answer.
"Let's do this." I braced myself, charging at her.
I shoved her to the ground and knocked one of her sais away. She did her best to fight back with the other one. She ended up putting a deep cut in my left foot. When she threw it at my throat, I blocked the attack with my trident and it flew back, hitting her in the center of the forehead.
I tumbled back as the cannon went off and the blood began to pour out. I looked away in disgust of the sight and amazed of what I just did. I stabbed the trident into the ground and stood up to my fill height, grinning.
I had just one the 65th Annual Hunger Games at the youngest age ever.
I looked up to see a hovercraft fly over me. I climbed the rope ladder that hung out of it. We flew off as soon as I was aboard.
*X*
When we got back to the capitol, they stitched and cleaned up my injuries. Mags hugged me and congratulated me.
She wrote, "I am so glad you are alright, Finnick."
I grinned back, "So am I, Mags."
Then I was dressed up and hurried to an interview with Caesar. I went onstage and sat down in a chair.
"So, Finnick, how did it feel when you found Hazel?" Caesar began.
He sighed at her being mentioned. "I was overjoyed and glad that I wasn't alone. But the next morning when the careers killed her, I was really angry. She was my best friend back in District 4 and now she's gone."
"Do you think your family will be proud that you won?"
"Heck no. They never cared much about me." I answered.
"How did it feel when you killed the last tribute?"
"When I killed that career, I felt disgusted at the sight of it, but I was really happy that I won. Happy I lived to be around a few more years."
Caesar just nodded. We stood up. And I walked backstage, concluding the interview. I hugged Mags tightly. Then we went to the tributes center and got ready to go back to District 4. To go home again. To live in the Victor's Village.
We got in the train. President Snow let me keep the trident because I had fought so well with it. I put it in my room on the train. I ate some of the food and then sat back to relax for once on the long ride.
*X*
The train pulled to a stop. I hurriedly grabbed my trident from my train room and ran back to the door.
It opened and I was greeted with cheers and congratulations. I waved at the people and grinned. I walked through the crowd, heading home.
A few hours later, I had moved all of my stuff into my new house in Victor's Village. I kept the trident leaning up in a corner of my bedroom.
My house was right next door to Mags' house. The houses weren't too pretty, but they were better than all of the older houses. I planted sea plants in the front yard and watered them, putting the watering can on the porch so that I remembered to water them tomorrow and forever on.
I went back to fishing about noon. I went back to town with a large trout and a small cod. I traded them in for some beef. I went home and cooked it, putting it in the fridge for dinner.
Then, I spent a few hours just sitting on the porch deck in a rocking chair. About 5 o'clock, I went inside and ate the whole piece of beef. Then I went back and sat in the chair again.
It started raining around six, but I still didn't move. Mostly because there was an awning over the deck, but I didn't feel like moving either.
Four hours later, I finally went back inside. I climbed into the bed and fell asleep almost immediately. I had nightmares. Nightmares of what happened in the arena. I twisted and turned in my sleep.
I opened my eyes and bolted straight upright at 2 A.M. I got up and went out to the porch. It was still raining. Most of the dirt was now mud. I walked into town. No one else was up, by the looks of it. I walked to the pond and went for an early morning swim.
At 4 A.M. I got out of the water and walked through town, back towards the house. I heard footsteps behind me. I turned.
"Hello, Mags." I said blankly.
She waved to me. She did sign language that asked if I was alright.
"Yeah, just fine." I answered. "Just need some time to get used to it all again."
She nodded, understandingly.
We walked back to Victor's Village, side by side. Then we went into our own homes.
Nothing was ever going to be the same again. Never going to be the same as it once was.
