Don't own Hunger Games.


He's gone.

That's what I could think about.

The only thing I could think about.

Not district 13. Not the rebellion. Not Haymitch. Not Snow. Nothing. Nothing at all.

Only two words ever reached my mind. Two words that always seemed to hit me like a bomb.

Alto's dead...

I saw him die with my own eyes. Saw the missile that came from nowhere. Saw it strike his hovercraft, the explosion, and the remains of the hovercraft fall from the sky. And all I could do was watch as the most important man in my life was taken from this world and into the next.

And now here I am, in district 13, laying on a hospital bed, dead to the world around me. Still reeling from Haymitch's betrayal of both of us. I've just given up really. I failed in what I promised myself to do; protect Alto. I don't eat, don't drink, don't speak. Anyone who comes by I simply ignore until the pain medication kicks in and fixes that problem. Both of us are dead to everything around us.

Yes, I said both.

Flora was in the bed next to me, the same dead expression on her face, having lost what I have. She lost a brother, Bise, and her mother. From what little I remember, they sent a team to her house to find it burned to ash. In all respects, she's alone here. Just like I am.

Strange, how similar events can bring individuals together.

For Flora and I, we're all we have left in this changing world. And we'll cling onto that, even if we've just given up on everything. It's nice to have the company. No one should die alone.

We just lie in these beds, slowly wasting away. No one can help us through the pain we're going through. The only ones who visit are some of the people from thirteen, Haymitch, Plutarch Heavensbee, even Thirteen's president, Coin, drops by for a visit to try and get me to say one word, but saw just how useless it was. I only remember her last words before she walked out and the drugs took me back under.

"We should have saved the boy."

God, how much I wished they had.

Today was a particularly quite day, with only one visit. Only this person I couldn't ignore.

"Gale." I whisper.

"Hey, Catnip." He reaches down and pushes a strand of hair out of my eyes. One side of his face has been burned fairly recently. His arm is in a sling, and I can see bandages under his miner's shirt. Not a good sign.

It is not so much a question of forgetting Alto as remembering the others. All it takes is one look at Gale and they come surging into the present, demanding to be acknowledged.

"Prim?" I gasp.

He bows his head. "I'm sorry Katniss. I went to go find them. But the house was gone."

So I've lost just as much as Flora now.

My expression only returns to the lifelessness it had before. Really, what more can I do? Crying won't bring them back.

It's silent, none speaking, only me staring at my feet while Gale watches me. Flora is watching too.

"Katniss...I can't pretend I know what you're going through. So I can't say anything to make it better. I can only give this. It may be painful, but I hope you find peace it this." He takes my hand into his, but something's in it. He holds my hand for a few seconds before letting go, closing my hand for me.

"Get better." He says before he walks out of the room. Once he's out I stare at my hand, whatever he put in it still in my grip before I relax my hand and open it.

A ring.

My wedding ring.

I let out a shuddered breath and my body starts shaking a little as I look at the small piece of jewelry. It still amazed me, how such a small little rock could represent so much. Even when we were forced to marriage, Alto wanted it to be as special as he could make it. So he bought a small but significant diamond during our trip to two, went to one of the smiths, and helped in the creation of the ring. When he proposed that night in the Capitol, he mentioned he had a hand in creating it which, despite the situation and my dislike of jewelry, made my heart skip. He had gone out of his way to make sure this ring was created just for me. And since then, I wore it all the time; on hunts, in my home, I always had it one. I had taken it off when the Quarter Quell reaping began. I thought it gone, lost forever, but here it was.

"Katniss Everdeen. I have known that I have loved you for a long time. I have watched you, yearned for you. I have even tried to ignore you, amazingly, but realized all too quickly it was an impossible task. You consume me. I think of the forest and picture you. I think of laughter and picture you. I think of my favorite things, and I think of the things that frighten me; my past, my present, my future, and always, I picture you."

"The Games were are slice of luck for me, because without them I don't think that you and I would have ever had the chance to spend so much more time together then we did before, to learn to trust each other, to work so hard towards such an important goal. I realize it took you a bit longer for your heart to fall in line with mine." He lifts an eyebrow at me. "But when it did, it was the moment I felt utterly complete. It was the moment I knew I would never truly be happy again unless I was spending every minute of the rest of my life with you."

He drops to one knee, hand digging into his pocket as he pulls out a case, brings it to eye level, and opens it, showing me it's contents.

"The ring here was forged in district two. With my hands and a little outside help, I was also the creator of this ring. I could not see how this ring would represent anything if it didn't come from my hands. This is my declaration to you, Katniss. You are my entire world."

"So, sweet, beautiful, wonderful Katniss, will you do me the honor? Will you marry me?"

"I don't deserve you. Not at all."

"And now I have you by my side, always there for me; to have fun with, to cry with, to laugh with." He smiles. "To love with."

"Love you Katniss." He would always tell me after I would have particularly bad nightmares. "Always have, always will."

What am I doing?

I can't just give up like this. No one would want that; not the districts, not Fash, Peeta, Rue, Prim, mother, Alto, anyone. If I give up, the Capitol's already won. And...

"Katniss. You know we're going back into the Games. In there it won't be two people going home this time. One of two things will happen; one of us walks out, or neither of us do. I want you to promise me that if you end up walking out, that you will keep living. Okay? I know it'll be hard, but you still have a life outside of the Games. You can't just give up on everything if I'm gone. So promise me Katniss. Promise me you'll keep living. Please. For me?"

I said yes.

He gave me a chance at life again.

And I'll not let it go to waste.

"Katniss?" Flora says, seeing the change in my demeanor.

"Let's stop beating around the bush Flora." I say as I place the ring on my finger. "We need to get better."

'Thank you Alto... For everything... And I'll keep living; for you and everyone else.'

"That's the Katniss I know." I hear him reply.


"So we're stuck here?"

"Capitol forces are bogged down by rebel forces. They're spread to thinly, so we have to wait for something to free up."

"But this district is a damn war zone. We're fighting two rebel movements right now!"

"And we'll take care of it. For now, they want us to begin the first stage of the project. You still have it right?"

"Yeah."

The two individuals walk down the hall of the building they're in, said building a destroyed ruin of what it once was. Massive holes had been bore into the walls, some to the point that the outside world could be seen. Said building had been ransacked, with furniture thrown against most of the windows and doors. Peacekeepers patrolled the building, most having various forms of injury. The two individuals passed by a large room, this one filled with gravely injured peacekeepers that had been dragged out of the battle, some missing arms or legs, or massive tears in their chest or stomach. These two people kept walking, finally stoping in front of a door that was made of steel. They opened said door after undoing multiple locks, walking through and silently closing it behind them before putting their attention to the person tied to the chair before them.

"So, how was you're evening?" One asked.

"Bite my ass."

"I'll take that as good." The other responded.

"We have a very special present for you. Sadly, it's not baking, sorry." Person One said as he began opening the case he had in hand.

"I figured, bastard."

"It's just as much fun though." Person Two stated, person one passing him a needle.

"Anything that has to do with needles is generally a no go in my book."

"Don't worry so much." Person one said as he lifted the captive's sleeves. Person two came in with the needle, the syringe centimeters away from his forearm.

"This will only scar you."

The rest of the night was filled with screams.


END OF BOOK 2

Don't know when I'll post the next story. I'll just have I wait and see. Next and last story is The Fall.