Hey Guys! I know we haven't uploaded for a while, and we're really reeeeeeeeeaaally sorry, we'll try to post more often but stuff has been going on y'know? Anyway, enjoy!
Chapter 7: Game Over
She huddled next to Peeta, her expression contrite and slightly annoyed. He was still lecturing her about her feast stunt, but she thought she got away okay! Besides the whole Clove part...She felt a frown crossing her face as she remembered the boy who had saved her, Thresh, had died yesterday. It was only them now, Vixen the girl from five, and Cato from 2.
"-And you're on punishment when we get home." It was that right there that jostled her out of her thoughts, and she gazed at him wide eyed.
"What do you mean I'm on punishment? What type of bull-shi"
"Veriska!" Peeta cut her off and they continued bickering, taking no notice of the pouring rain as it slowly came to a stop.
"Aren't they just adorable?" Caesar remarked to Templesmith, hearing their Capitol audience agree in response. The camera was on Veriska and Peeta, Veriska was standing her arms folded across her chest, and she was glaring at him with a new scar above her right eyebrow. Peeta on the other hand was staring blankly at him, and finally threw out the trump card.
"Just wait until Tyree and Rye get a hold of you." Veriska's face turned pale and she pouted fully, tilting her head so her hair covered her face. The Capitol audience laughed loudly as Veriska muttered softly
"You win."
"Damn right she better be afraid!" Tyree snarled, glaring at the screen. "I ought to-"
"I call dibs first." Katniss said blankly, and Tyree nodded noticing her look.
"She's going to win, isn't she Katniss?" Prim gazed up at her older sister with a look of pure hope on her face, and it shattered the hearts of those around her.
"She is. Her and Peeta both." Rye spoke up from the corner he was sitting in, sticking a piece of bread into the fire to toast it. Everyone turned to look at him, and he flushed red looking wide eyed at them. "What? Never seen a guy toast bread?" They shake their head exasperatedly, their heads snapping towards the screen when they heard the announcer speaking
"This will be the last night in the arena, someone is coming home a victor."
"The rain stopped." Veriska noted, looking towards Peeta who was gathering their stuff together. "What are you doing?" Peeta said nothing for a few minutes, and Veriska muttered something about him needing a haircut, which he did. His blonde locks had gotten so long in the past week or how long they've been here that they fell past his eyes. He never let them get that long at home.
"We're leaving, look at the pond." Veriska peeked her head out, and noticed it was barren and dry.
"It just had water in it yesterday!" Her eyes widened in disbelief but Peeta didn't say anything back in response, handing her a bag and he took her hand.
"Come on, we need to go find some food. You up for hunting?" She nodded, and they were walking. A half hour later they stopped in a clearing, and waited for an animal to walk by.
"You go get some berries, I'll get the animal." She whispered to him, knowing his loud feet scared the animals away. He nodded and wandered off.
15 minutes later, Veriska had a small rabbit and she was walking along with it cradled in her arms even though she didn't kill it, she couldn't kill it, it was so fluffy!
"Peeta look what I-" She paused and looked around for him, absently scratching the rabbit's ears. She didn't see him, but she saw his jacket with a pile of berries on top of it. She knelt down to get a closer look, and just as she saw what it was a cannon went off.
"That right there is very dangerous, it is a berry called night lock. When ingested, the victim dies exactly 10 seconds after it has entered their mouths."
Katniss stood stalk still, staring at the screen with a stoic look. Prim rested a hand on Katniss's arm, whispering quickly and quietly
"Peeta knows better than to just eat strange berries without letting Veriska see them first Katniss, it might have been that Vixen girl." Katniss let out a breath but nodded, looking back at the screen.
"I hope you're right little duck."
"Oh don't worry," Prim smiled at her widely, "I'm always right!"
"You fucking idiot! What the fuck Peeta! Why the fuck would you collect them in the first fucking place? The fuck Peeta!" She was on a roll, not even aware she was cursing every two seconds until Peeta smacked her on the side of the head, lightly as to night reopen the wound above her eyebrow.
"Watch your mouth first of all, and I'm not the one that ate them so why are you yelling at me!" Veriska didn't say anything, glaring daggers at him while glancing at the girl who had helped her. Walking past Peeta, she grabbed a bunch of leaves and walked over to the girl and weaved them into a braid on the girl's head. She closed the girl's eyes and whispered something softly, standing up and looking at Peeta with regret but excitement in her eyes.
"We can go home now." He smiled back at her, but his smile quickly turned into an expression of fear,
"Run!"
He was currently being chased by mutts, 21 of them it seemed, with his foul mouthed baby sister running behind him.
"Where are we going?!" The 12 year old girl shouted to him, and he pointed towards the direction of the cornucopia. They were almost there when Cato streamed past them, and Peeta knew he would regret it later but he shouted to Veriska
"Climb! It's either that or die!" Veriska gave him a solemn look and nodded but not without whispering
"It's death either way."
She was right, as soon as they both made it onto the cornucopia, but not without a mutt fastening its teeth around his leg, Cato wrapped his arms around Veriska's throat and the small girl flailed around, gasping for air as Cato laughed helplessly.
"We don't win either way, but I can do this. I can have one last kill, and that would make it okay...Right?" He tilted his arm some as if he was about to snap her neck and Peeta's eyes widened in a alarm.
"Don't! Please, not her...Not my little sister." Cato gave him a grim smile, and his arm let go of Veriska's neck only to throw her over the side. It happened in slow motion, she flew backwards but her arm snagged itself around his leg, taking him down with her. Cato fell backwards, and both he and Veriska disappeared. A scream tore itself from Peeta's throat as he rushed forward, only to see a hand clinging to the edge of the cornucopia, while the male screaming started. He let out a sigh of relief, pulling Veriska up from the edge and he clung to her, covering her ears as the screaming continued until the finally whispered
"Let me end it Peeta"
She gazed over the edge of the cornucopia and gave Cato a small sad smile, her left hand flashing and the knife buried itself into his school 3 seconds later, and then there was the sound of a cannon. It was over, finally over...
"Tributes there has been a change of plans! Only one may be crowned victor, and may the odds be ever in your favor!" As soon as they said that Veriska already had a knife to her throat, and Peeta had the berries in his hand.
"I'm not letting you die Peeta." Veriska said calmly, her voice wavering slightly.
"And I have no intentions of letting you leave this arena in a box Veriska."
"Those bastards!" Haymitch snarled, punching the wall while glaring at the computer screen. Finnick placed a hand on Haymitch's shoulder shaking his head as Effie let out a sob and left the room.
"Haymitch, calm down."
"Calm down? They set those two up! They knew when it comes down to it they would rather die than kill the other!"
"And maybe that's what they wanted." Both men sat in silence watching the screen as Peeta popped the berries in his mouth and Veriska closed her eyes, the hand holding the knife tensing as she prepared to drag it across when all of a sudden a voice cried out
"Stop! Stop! I give you the Victors of the 74th Annual Hunger Games! Veriska Temple and Peeta Mellark!
