Victory
(Stirling)
Her head rolled a few feet away. It only took a few moments for the final cannon to fire. I took a deep breath. I had done it. I had won.
I heard Claudius's voice boom through the arena. "Ladies and gentlemen, I present the victor of the 59th annual Hunger Games, District 1's male tribute, Stirling Pine!"
I closed my eyes and pumped my fist into the air. All those years of training paid off. I was a victor. I would go down in Panem history.
I thought about my father, mother, all of District 1. They would be celebrating right now. This was just as much their victory as it was mine.
A rope ladder dropped down. It was then I first noticed the pain in my thigh. I knew she had hit me, but I hadn't registered the pain until then. I grabbed the first rung and held on. As they pulled me up, I took one last look at the arena. My arena.
Carbon's dead body was in a pool of blood. I saw her camp and all the traps she had set. She really was smart. Maybe she was my biggest competition after all. Not that it mattered anymore.
I was greeted by Capital doctors who immediately set to work on my thigh. I knew it wasn't bad, but it was bad enough to require attention. The examined the rest of my body and seemed surprised at how well I had managed. They gave me food and water, and then left me to get some sleep.
When I woke up, Tren, my mentor, was there to greet me, along with Ursula, District 1's escort.
"Great job, kid," Tren smiled. "One of the best performances I've ever seen in the Games. The doctors said you were the most well-off winner they've ever dealt with."
"There really wasn't any question about it," Ursula said. "Some people put bets on the girl from 4, but deep down everyone knew you were going to win."
This made me smile. I had Capital support. That was incredible. But, I thought, did they really have any other option? I had just won the Hunger Games.
I, Stirling Pine, was the victor of the 59th Annual Hunger Games.