Blaine and I were silent most of the morning. We walked I don't know how far until the forest cleared and we were standing at the base of a small mountain. Then Blaine let me rest for a bit. We figured Quinn would find us sooner or later so we might as well stop running and get our rest.

"You okay?" Blaine looked at me concerned. My feet were so tired from all the walking and running I had done in the games. I felt as if my legs were about to just stop working.

"Yeah. But I really just want to lie down for a while." Blaine nodded and started watching for any signs of Quinn in the distance.

Apparently the gamemakers didn't want me to lie down for a bit. We heard loud rumbling behind us and started running straight back into the forest after we discovered the "Mountain" we had been resting at the base of was actually a volcano. I started spewing ash and lava and we couldn't have run faster to get away from it.

If the gamemakers plan was to make Quinn find us, it worked. We soon saw her in the distance though a thick patch of trees. Adrenaline surged through us as we ran faster to escape both the still incoming hot lava and Quinn. I glanced behind us as we ran. Quinn had the same look on her face as she did right before she killed Miles but it had more rage behind it. The lava slowed down after a couple minutes of running and eventually it was just Quinn we were running from.

"Mercilli! Follow me!" Blaine suddenly swerved to the right and motioned for me to get behind him. We were both exhausted and could barely move yet we managed to get into fighting positions and Quinn got nearer.

"Aw it's so cute. Protecting her? Well I have news buddy-"Suddenly Blaine surged forward with no warning and stabbed Quinn through the chest. She fell to the ground gasping in pain. She hadn't been expecting his attack. After only a moment or two, Quinn was dead. Blaine turned around to face me. I wasn't sure if he was about to kill me or not.

"I told you I wouldn't break my promise."

"But I did nothing brave! I just sat there and let everyone die while I watched. You were brave and protected me. You should go home."

"Bravery? Is that what you call it? I sure don't. It's like Bennet said that last night. This isn't how you should win. I killed innocent people whose only motives were wanting to return home. I have to admit. At first I planned on just letting you die and getting out of here in the end. Once it came to the final 8 though, I knew I had to save you. Sloanne understood this. She fought hard knowing that I would let you win if it came down to it." I listened to Blaine's words in shock. He had tears starting to stream down his face. "I couldn't live with myself if I went home Mercilli. You have to understand this."

"But I can't leave without feeling guilty that I let you die!" I had starting crying by this point because I had a bad feeling that I wasn't going to win this argument.

"I'm sorry it had to end this way Mercilli. But I have to do this." Then, before I could say or do anything, Blaine had taken his own spear and plunged it through him. I screamed and try to remove the spear but I was too late. I sat there in silence. Moments later, a loud voice with a capitol accent rang out.

"Congratulations to Mercilli Grant! The winner of the 46th Annual Hunger Games!" A helicopter appeared in the sky landed on the ground where Blain's dead body still remained, and Peacekeepers exited the helicopter and escorted me inside. I didn't remember much that happened after. I vaguely remembered medics examining me and giving me plenty of food and water to eat but that was about it before I fell asleep.

Eventually I was woken up by none other than Adelaide and Bennett who as soon as they saw my open eyes, scooped me into a hug and wept with me. We wept for Blaine, for my dead friends, and all the other dead tributes. After I don't know how long, we managed to subdue our tears and the two of them explained what would happen next.

I would get a day of rest and then tomorrow I would meet my prep team who would fix me up for my post-games interview. Then there would be a crowning ceremony where I would get a fancy party in my honor, and then I could go home. I couldn't wait to see my family. I wonder how to will react to my arrival. Will they still love me? Or will they despise me for letting all those people die?

I slept most of my day off and before I knew it, my prep team and Mason were dressing me up for my interview while saying things like,

"We are so proud!"

"I'm so glad you won over Quinn."

"I know you mourn your friends now but it will wear off soon." I was really starting to be annoyed with these people.

At the interview, they showed different clips of my "best moments" from the games. There were things like escaping Quinn right after she had killed Miles and moments with Blaine, but I didn't really pay attention. I said what needed to be said for the cameras as instructed by Adelaide and only felt like screaming twice during the interview.

That evening at the crowning ceremony, I met the president and did my best to smile and be polite and she congratulated me. I really wanted to say that she was a horrid person for letting the games take place but I told her that she looked lovely and it was an honor to win. Adelaide and Bennett let me leave as soon as I could and within the hour I was on a train on my way to District 4. I had said a quick goodbye to Sealle at the ceremony but I'm pretty sure she had been too drunk to know who I was.

A couple hours and a couple nightmares later, we pulled into the station in District 4. I was nervous to see my family. I was scared they would hate me. The doors to the train opened and my fears disappeared. There was my family, crying tears of joy at seeing my face. I saw other friends, including Ally in the welcoming crowd and I started running to greet them. I ran over to my family and they engulfed me in a huge hug. "You don't hate me?" my voice shook as I spoke.

"Merci, we will never hate you. How could we. You did everything you could in that arena but its all in the past now. We are always going to love and be here for you." My mother's soothing words assured me and for the first time since I had won The Hunger Games, I felt like everything was going to be okay.

The End

*Author's Note*

I hope everyone enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! Funny enough... One of my reviewers suggested I had Blaine kill himself so Mercilli could win, and I had already written this chapter! What a coincidence! As always... review!

~AvidReader3752