PAY ATTENTION

So this is when the victor watches the recaps of the games. Should explain a lot.

They thought the costume was horrible. The capitol disagreed, but the victor squirmed depressively in the mock version of the clothes worn during the games. What a horrible thing to do, all the victor wanted was to just forget. To have died before and have someone else lounging in this perpetually soft chair. They couldn't even bring themselves to realize who they were in the games recap that flashed on the enormous screen. They weren't even sure if they wanted to know what had happened in those strange moments of confusion and uncertainty. But they could not come to admit, that it was they who was featured oh so much on the television, watched by the whole of Panem.

And so the video began. The tributes rose from the podiums, and you could see the look of distress that rippled through the weaker tributes as a veil of mist settled over arena. The careers captured the cornucopia quickly, it would be their home till the games end.

The crowd seemed to grin as Ember was surprised by Quake, and chased unknowingly to the edge of a misted crevice. The victor was sure that all of Panem would have been holding their breaths in the moments that followed.

Tributes where killed off fast. And in the beginning, there were few alliances, but as the day progressed and the next began, the first of the careers –Thales- had died. And as the camera swooped down to the cornucopia, the crowd laughed. They knew what was going on as the Thales mutation stepped out of the forest unhurt. He caused a considerable amount of damage to the careers before later being killed… again. As much of a blow as it was to the any tribute in an alliance, it was to the victor. But it was only a detail. Something so useless now, almost forgettable. And so as the reporters cameras zoomed in and out in front of the watching winner, excepting waterworks as the video progressed, all they received where blank stares. They disserved nothing more.

Although Ostrix was with the careers for the first day or two, he was tempted away by the district eleven girl. She had found the alliance of her own district partner. And so it seemed she had beef with him, or knew they were a threat. For she planned the ambush that night. And she planned it to her own well being, to kill of three tributes with one stone. And Ostrix failed to realize the faults.

Catch them off guard, kill Ostrix, catch them even more off guard, kill them. How wonderful. Sadly not so as she was impaled on the knife protruding from the cave ledge. Simply placed to hold the vines that then camouflaged it. Coincident? Probably yes.

There were many deaths by careers. And many killed off by the landscape. Because it was made to tempt, to tempt luck, to tempt your chances. Gruesome deaths as tributes plunged to their deaths or where slowly ravaged by the acidic berries. Many others too, and many falling after their allies. Because they weren't their allies. They where their mutations.

Some days of boredom where skipped. And so where many deaths. Clearly lots of bets had been placed on the careers. Opal the smartest, most cunning. Dazzle and Shimmer, beauty and the other beauty. Quake, powerfull. Even Tizen, fear of the pack. Joined near the end.

And many capitol citizens loved the scenic views from Rowin and Embers camp. How beautiful, not only the spraying water, dashing sunsets and wonders, but the deaths too. And how horrible to watch. Ember gone, Rowin stayed. And the camera was on him as he retrieved the flower from its little nook. The beautiful creamy snow, strawberry pink, petals. A flower found in the darks of the night before. A trek back from the ledge of falls. The perfect time for those magical three words that were never heard. Because just as he finally adjusted the little bow to perfection, his district token, the noises started. And he heard them, that was clear. And as the figure emerged from the trees, he released the arrow. Because it wasn't her. It was Tizen. And the arrow struck, he fell to the ground. Both knew the shot was nowhere near fatal, and Rowin had already strung the bow for the killing blow.

But luck was with the district seven boy that day. And the view switched to the jungle as two figures raced through the trees. Opal and the last of the ten year olds. Sad to have lasted so long only to be killed. And hated for the fact too. Because as their canon boomed, Rowin was just pulling back the bow string. Clearly the boy in front of him was dead. Or so he thought. And in doing the smart thing, he whipped around to search for accomplices, only to be taken down by Tizen, seemingly unaware of the arrow that almost took his life.

The next moments where too gruesome to watch. And much was taken out from the recap. But the events where clear. Slaughtered at the edge of the once beautiful waterfall. Blood flowing to join the plummet to the pool below. Fourteen teeth, fourteen years. Placed specially for Ember to find. Last, unanswered goodbyes, and a lonely flower dipped in Scarlet. Fed on the blood, unwilted for his ally to find. Or maybe ally would be the wrong word.

And so as Ember returned. What she found was never the same again. A clone, a lost chance, and a sentence to death.

Because in the last stand of the careers, the very concoction of the capitol ruined some of the fun. And the capitol citizens knew what would happen. The victor could only guess.

So after having each remaining tribute rounded onto the cornucopia island, the gamemakers decided to finish these games then. To make a grand finale, a battle of the gladiators. And so they trapped the five sole survivors on the cleft ledge, and in the tremor needed to split the gaping hole in the rivers bottom, something else happened. Shimmer, in charge of the billowing fire. Made a mistake. Of course she made a mistake. Mutts can never be human, and her own mutt was her at that moment. And so the fire raged out of control. Opal ran from her position guarding Ember, to gathering up her allies in the quest to keep their camp alive.

Useless really, and so they found out. Because fire is known to spread quickly, to jump away with the slightest breeze or the smallest provocation. Much faster than a human can run. And after toiling to keep their home intact, Opal was the first to have a realization.

Ember surely dead, all she had to do was kill the rest. A perfect opportunity in the moments that followed. Confusion and craze, the careers began to scatter. Tizen quickly turned back in useless pursuit of his victim, howling in misery when the chain around his ankle restrained him. And caused a horrible death once the fire reached him.

And now there were three. Dazzle killed by Opal, Tizen killed by fire. And the district one girl was sure there was only Quake left. Little did she know there was more.

And so the camera found Ember. Like a fish out of water, because that's what she was. Half dead and not even able to gasp for air. Trickles of scarlet blood flowing from the clefts edge into the deep crevice below. For why she clung to the brink of survival, only she knew.

And soon Quake was killed. Pleading for mercy and cowering from his murderer. And when she was finished, Opal stood and waited. Just ahead of the fire, she was ready for the hovercraft. Not scared by the crackling fire the rose behind her. Because she was sure to be the last, the hovercraft would be here any second now, popping out from the trees like magic. A helping hand to get back home. But the fire found her first, and she ran. But she knew she wouldn't make it. And as the inferno engulfed her, there was nothing left to do but wait. Just in case.

Two tributes left, both on the verge of death. Not even breathing any longer, neither knowing the perils of the other. And it was hard to say who died first. But of course the gamemakers knew. Because as Opal let out a last cry of defiance, the horrible death of a golden eagle it was. Ember had just flickered out. A lost flame with a sad smile shining across her face. She never really wanted to win, but luck has a horrible way of finding you. Or leaving you. And the smooth metal arm came down soon enough, picking the last to die, because there is always a winner in these games. And the body that rose from the fire entorching the place that started and ended these games, was a flame herself. An Ember.

Because she was the victor.

I am the victor.

Hope you liked it!

I know, I should have killed her. Really wanted to but couldn't resist the idea for this ending.

Any questions? mesage me. =)

Really exited to hear your opinions, PLEASE REVIEW EVEN IF YOU HAVE NEVER DONE SO BEFORE!

and a quick explanation just in case if I was being weird and unclear, Anyone killed in an alience is then replaced by a muttant copy of themselves. A copy which does no good, and often bad. Shimmer is one such copy during the third last chapter. So is Rowin after being killed =(.

Made me sad.

Make sure to visit my deviant art account at .

And I'll probably write one more chapter with Rowins point of view on certain things, Ember later on, and some background stuff (like why is there a pink ribbon.)