Finally, the finale Is here! Thank you so much for reading!
That evening two faces appeared in the sky: Peeta and Thresh, the boy from 11. I had heard a cannon earlier, after Peeta's, but I hadn't known who it was for. It's down to the final three now, and honestly, I'm surprised that I have made it this far, especially without killing anyone. I know I will have to eventually, in order to win. After all, in these games it's kill or be killed.
I woke the next morning looking up at the branches of the tree I had slept in. I noticed something silvery glinting in the morning sunlight. At first I thought I was still dreaming, but as my eyes focused on it, I realized it was a sponsor parachute, snagged in the tree branches. I scaled the tree to retrieve it, wondering what a sponsor could have possibly sent me. When I grabbed the container attached to the silvery fabric, I concluded that it was an old parachute, as the canister was empty. I sighed, disappointed. The games are almost over, and I haven't gotten a single gift. I bet Katniss and Cato have gotten dozens of these things. That's when an idea dawned on me. I just had to find Cato.
It didn't take very long. He was sitting at the mouth of the cornucopia, probably just waiting for Katniss or me to emerge from the woods. I slunk around the perimeter of the clearing, to the back of the cornucopia. Carefully and quietly, I scaled the metal structure. Once on top, I pulled out the nightlock from my pocket and put them in the parachute container. I crawled to the edge of the horn, right above Cato, and held my breath as I dropped the chute. He wouldn't know any better, he'd think it was yet another sponsor sending food. I ducked, paranoid that he would look up in the direction the chute had come from, and the next thing I knew, the 22nd cannon of the games went off.
Immediately after, the sky became significantly darker. The sun was setting, though I could've sworn it was just noon. The game makers are probably trying to speed things up, or create a more dramatic setting for the grand finale.
I leaped down from the cornucopia and snatched a knife from Cato's bag. I contemplated taking his sword, or one of the larger weapons, but they were too heavy, and I too inexperienced. Now was not the time for stupid mistakes.
I scurried to the edge of the clearing as the hovercraft approached to take Cato's body. As it was leaving, I heard howling and barking in the distance. I readied my knives, one in each hand. Within minutes, Katniss sprinted from the woods, closely followed by some kind of muttation wolves. Before they disappeared into thin air, I noticed their unique appearances: a brown one that was rather small, but with an extremely vicious look in its deep brown eyes. Another, smaller than the first, with dark brown fur and eyes, lingered near the back of the pack. They were all led by a large, muscular wolf, with blue eyes and blond fur. They also had tags with numbers on them, hanging from their collars; numbers 1 through 12. Of course, these wouldn't be any normal wolves, but they created them to look like the deceased tributes. Because they haven't already messed with our minds enough.
Once the mutts disappeared, Katniss spotted me across the field, immediately notching an arrow and aiming it directly at my heart. Next thing I knew, it was flying towards me, but I dodged it in time, so that it only grazed my upper arm. Desperate, I flung a knife in her direction. It looked as if it was going to miss its mark, but at the last second it swerved, as if blown by a strong gust of wind, and sliced the string on her precious bow.
Outraged, she threw the useless bow and empty quiver to the ground, before sprinting towards me, knife in hand. I landed on my back with a thud as she pinned me to the ground, holding her knife to my throat.
"Do you really want to do this?" I whispered. This seemed to throw her off guard a bit. The fury in her eyes dimmed.
"I'm sorry" she replied. "I have to. It's the only way. I promised I would win. For Prim, for Gale, for Rue, Peeta-" she pressed the blade harder against my throat, tearing up when I interrupted.
"You just don't get it, do you? Your not the only one. Everyone promises they will win. Everyone has family and friends they miss, and promise to return to. And every year, twenty-three of them have to break that promise. I'm no different. I have a family I love, and a life to get back to. What makes you so special, girl on fire? Because you volunteered? Because your from an outlying district? Enlighten me with your flames, Everdeen."
She appears startled by my little speech, and just blinks a few times, before jumping up, and running towards the forest. Before I really know what's going on, I fling my last knife at her retreating back, surprised when it embeds itself directly between her shoulder blades. I race towards her, appalled by what I have just done. She will certainly be dead within a few minutes. I kneel next to her dying body, nearly sobbing, when she whispers something, so low that no one watching at home could have heard it.
"This has to end" she chokes out. "The games- they can't-" she pauses, closes her eyes, and takes a deep breath.
"Free Panem Foxface." She presses something cold and round into my hand: her district token, a mockingjay pin. Boom, her cannon sounds.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Finch Weasley, winner of the 74th annual hunger games!"
"I'm so sorry." I whisper as I shakily stand up. I performed the three-fingered salute I had seen at her reaping, before a hovercraft descended to take me away.
A/N- So, what'd ya think? I'm particularly proud of this chapter, even though I had to kill Katniss. Sorry 'bout that...
Also, do you think I should post the sequel/part two here, or as a separate story? Either way, it won't be updated as often as this one was, since I haven't actually written all of it.
