Victor

Hours pass. Minutes go by. Seconds tick away. I don't move my position. I still sit in the cold rain holding Slade's lifeless body up to mine. I rock our bodies back and forth, humming a bedtime tune. Rocking Slade to sleep. I wonder if Slade is with Cato and Clove. Where is his soul? I never really believed in Heaven or Hell. But now, as I hold his cold body, I wonder where is spirit is.

I know that I should get up. I know that I should find a new shelter. I know that I should be on the look out for Falcon. But I'm not. I can't leave Slade. I know that the second I do, those flying machines are going to take Slade's body away. I can't be apart from his body. It's the only thing that is keeping me borderline sane.

More hours pass. I still rock Slade to sleep. I hear a strange mechanic noise coming towards me. I look up and see a small hovercraft come to me. The same hovercraft that brings tributes gifts from their sponsors. The machine comes towards me and gives me a white envelope. I take it and open it. Inside is a letter.

"Take him down. Come back to District 2. May the odds be ever so in your favor. You are in everyone's heart." At the bottom it was signed, all of District 2. This letter gives me a small spark of hope. I now have a solid object to hold and say that all of District 2 is rooting for me to come home to them. This was reassuring to me. I love knowing that an entire District wants me home.

I slowly get up. Carefully laying Slade's cold body on the wet ground. I gently press my lips against his. "Goodbye Slade. I'm doing this for you… and only you." I look up into the sky. There is bound to be a camera looking at me right now. And this is exactly what I want. "I'm sorry Poppy." I say. I know that the Gamemakers are going to cut this out, but it's the fact that I am saying this that makes me feel better. "I really tried to protect him." I look down at Slade. I look at his pale vacant face. It's the Capitol's fault why he is dead. I look back up into the sky. I bring my hand up, pointing the sky. Then I pull down all my figures except for my middle finger. "A personal message to the Gamemakers, and everyone at the Capitol. From Strom Crafter, female tribute of District 2." I know that that will also be cut out, but it doesn't matter. The Gamemakers will for sure see that.

After telling the Capitol and Gamemakers what I really think about them, I begin to walk away from Slade in pursuit to find my last competitor. I am not going to waste my time trying to find Falcon. I am going to call him to me, and make this end quickly. I want to go home.

"Falcon!" I yell as loud as I can. "Come and get me! I'm out here! Come and kill me you coward!" I wait, but he doesn't come. "Come on Falcon! Show the world what you're made of! Come and kill me!"

Falcon is no where near me. I begin to run around the entire arena. Making as much noise as I possibly can. I pass the spot where Kallen had fallen to Slade's blade. I pass the place where Nara fell to my hand. Where Tayo fell to the hand of Blaine, and where Blaine fell to the hand of Slade. I pass the area where Flora fell to my hand. Where Pane fell to my hand. I pass ever area where I killed, and where I watched the killed kill. All their faces come into my head. Their screams. Their cries for help. Everything that can haunt someone comes to me as I pass their resting area. I also see the face of Cato, and Clove, and Thresh. Faces that will never leave my mind. Ever. I know now how to cope with their faces. I don't care anymore. I am not alive anymore. I died the second that Slade did. I have no one anymore. No one at all. So I find no reason to live anymore. I am dead. But I will be sure to take down one more tribute before I fall silent.

I stop in an open meadow and look around. Flacon is no where in sight. He is no where to be found. God, what a coward. He can't even come and face me. He must be too frightened of me. He should be. Any normal person should be. I am so blinded by rage right now, I want to kill the first thing I lay my eyes on.

Night has fallen and I still haven't located Falcon. He is just showing everyone in Panem that he is a coward, and that he is afraid of a girl.

I look into the night sky as Slade's picture is displayed for me to see. I see his smiling face. His perfect white teeth, his pale skin, his blue eyes, his dirty blonde hair, I see everything that I fell in love with. I hate seeing him and not being able to touch him. I want them to hurry up and take down the picture. I don't want to see something I can't touch.

"It's so strange." I remembered Slade saying on the first night the tribute's faces were shown. "Seeing them smile, looking happy, even though they are far away from being happy."

"Are you actually sad that they're gone?" I said in a snobby tone.

"No. It's easier for me if less people are in this arena. But I don't like to think about what their parents are thinking. I mean, just imagine what they are going through. Having your son or daughter be brutally murdered by another child. Then having to have to watch it as it's broadcasted on live television. It just seems to be a horrible thing. I kind of feel bad for the parents of these kids."

"Showing pity in The Hunger Games gets you killed Slade."

"I'm not showing pity Storm. It's called sympathy. It's the little bit of human that I like to keep inside of me while I'm in The Hunger Games. I don't want to be a complete animal here. You should probably try it sometime."

"Well Slade." I say out loud. "I'm trying it. I feel the sympathy." I begin to ball. "And I don't like it." I cry heavily. I can't help but think about where Slade is, and what his parents are going through right now. God, how could Slade stand this feeling? I hate it. It makes me feel weak. It makes me feel vulnerable.

Six days have passed since Slade's death… six. This is so ridiculous! I am at the point where I don't care anymore. I am so tempted to just kill myself. At least that way this will all be over. But I know that I can't. I promised Slade that I would win this. If I kill myself I will just disappoint Cato, Clove, Carsh, my parents, Slade, and all of District 2. I can't go out like this. If I kill myself I won't prove anything to Cortex. I'll show him that I am weak. I deserve to go out kicking and screaming… no… I'm not leaving this arena dead. I am going to win. I am going to be the victor. I will stop at nothing to get that title.

I stand in the middle of another clearing. I believe that it is the same clearing where the other tribute lured the Careers for the big battle. This is the place that I left the Careers. This is the place where I threw a knife at Slade. God damn it! I should have killed Falcon when I had the chance! Slade wouldn't have died if I killed Falcon when I had the chance. I had two chances to kill him… and I didn't kill him. God, I am such a stupid imbecile. Stupid, stupid, stupid girl!!! How could I be so careless?

After a few hours of yelling at myself for being so stupid, I begin to walk around the arena in hopes to attract Falcon's attention and get him to come near me for a fight. I am tired. My feet have sours on them and I probably have trench foot from all this walking in murky water. I just want this all to be over. I am losing my mind in this God Forsaken place. I take out the letter that District 2 gave me. It is the only thing that keeps me from going insane. It's the only thing that reminds me that someone out there cares about me. That they are not all dead.

I turn my head to the side and read the letter. "Take him down. Come back to District 2. May the odds be ever so in your favor. You are in everyone's --" Before I can finish reading the letter, something whistles past my head and rips the letter into half. I look down at the ground to see an arrow right in front of me. My heart races. You finally came for me.

I slowly turn around to see Falcon with his bow and arrow, ready to strike me down at any moment. I look at his hands. He is trembling violently. He is scared. I simply look at him. He hasn't stricken me down yet. Something is holding him back. I put my hands behind my back and wait for him to do or say something.

"Storm." He says in a pleading tone, as if I am the one pointing the weapon at him. "I'm sorry for killing him." His voice is frantic and scared. He must have seen how much fury he cased me once he killed Slade. I keep up a bored look on my face. "You understand where I was coming from don't you?" I have no pity for this begging creature. He smirked at Slade before he killed him. I could tell in Falcon's eyes that he enjoyed killing Slade. It's only the fear of what I am going to do to him that is compelling him to apologize to me. I will never accept his apology. "If it were any other situation, I wouldn't have killed him."

"Don't give that bastard an open window to attack." I hear Slade's voice say inside my head. Slade is right. This is all just an act to get my guard down. Sadly Falcon, it won't work.

"Save it Falcon." I simply say. I charge at Falcon with Slade's sword. When I reach Falcon he grabs my wrist and bends it backwards. I yell at the pain, and unwillingly drop the sword. He picks up the sword and throws it far away from me.

"I didn't want to kill him Storm." Falcon says, looking down at me.

"Why are you begging for your life?!" I yell in anger.

"I don't want to die the way Flora did." He says quietly. What a coward! He is afraid of me torturing him.

I jump on op of Falcon and pin him down to the ground. "Then fight back!" I yell with pure rage.

"Fine." He says quietly. "You asked for it." Falcon pulls out an arrow and stabs the side of my left leg. We now find ourselves erupt into a large and bloody fight. Falcon manages to cut shallow gashes all over my arms and legs. I take out one of my knives and to the same to him.

The fight manages to go on forever and ever. Falcon is putting up a good fight and is by far the strongest and most powerful tribute I have fought. I feel painful sharp pinches fill my entire body. Nothing too serious. Nothing that would kill me, but still painful. It seems like I am doing the same thing with Falcon; making small insignificant cuts that won't harm or kill him. I need to end this now. No matter how much I want Falcon to suffer for what he did to Slade. I need to end this now. I can't take this any longer.

I manage to get my knee in-between my body and Falcon's, and push Falcon off of me. I quickly back away from Falcon and wait until he gets up. He is breathing heavily and looks exhausted. I put my hands behind my back and look at Falcon. He looks at me for I split second and then charges at me. Then I throw the last eight of my knifes that I hid behind my back at Falcon. Falcon stops in his tracks as all the knifes pierce his neck, and upper torso. Falcon stands there for a while trying to breath, but is chocking on his own blood. Eventually, he will fall dead from chocking on his own blood. Or bleeding to death. I walk up to the dieing Falcon. He is seconds away from death, but I know that he can hear me.

"That was for Slade." I simply say. Then, I walk away from Falcon. Not looking back to see the cannon shoot up.

"I did it Clove. I won. I won this for you… and for you Slade." I say quietly.

I walk for a few minutes away from Falcon's body and to an open meadow. I stop and wait a while, no one is coming for me. "Take me home!" I yell. And soon after, I am taken away. Back to the Capitol. And soon… home.