Edited 7/27/14
Chapter 29: A Life to be Remembered
I am the first to take watch that night. It's surprisingly peaceful, and the air is the perfect temperature. Everyone manages to fall asleep, but that easiness does not last long. It's the Hunger Games, after all.
Bong! Bong! Bong!
A sharp ringing is heard in the otherwise silent night, waking Katniss up immediately. She looks around attentively, with a confused expression on her face. Finally, the sound stops, as if nothing ever happened.
"I counted twelve," I say, although I'm not sure if that even matters.
"Mean anything, do you think?" Katniss asks.
"No idea."
Neither of us speaks for a while, then Katniss tells me to get some sleep. I hesitate, and then slide up against a tree. I didn't even know I fell asleep until someone screams, "Run! Run!"
My eyes fly open. I leap to my feet and grab my trident, frantically searching for whoever is attacking us, but all I see is a cloud of thick fog. The harsh blisters on Katniss' body tell me it's poisonous, and I toss Mags over my back before taking off, with Katniss and Peeta hot on my tail. The pain of the fog burns like scalding chemicals, but I keep going. By this time, Mags is awake, and whimpers as her skin is seared. It isn't long before I realize Katniss and Peeta are falling behind. I stop for a moment and turn my body towards them.
"Come on!" I shout. "You can do it! Keep going."
Peeta trips and falls to the ground. Katniss pulls him up, but he just stumbles again. I run back to them, and help Katniss drag him along, but to no avail.
"It's no good," I sigh. "I'll have to carry him. Can you take Mags?"
"Yes," Katniss replies, but she doesn't sound too sure. Still, I pass Mags onto her and fling Peeta over my back. We press on as far as we can, but our muscles grow weak from the acidic poison. My arms soon grow numb and stiff, and I can barely hold on to Peeta. Katniss keeps slipping, and the third time she falls, she can't get back up.
"It's no use," Katniss says, her voice full of desperation. "Can you take them both? Go on ahead, I'll catch up."
As much as I want to, there's no way I can. My arms jerk uncontrollably. From, the ground, Mags stares up at me with love and understanding in her eyes. She's trying to tell me something; I can feel it, though I don't exactly know how. Let me go, her eyes say, and I don't think I have a choice about whether or not I listen to her.
"No, I can't carry them both," I sorrowfully look into my mentor's eyes, trying to make her understand how sorry I am, and how hard this is for me to do. My eyes start to tear up, but I know there's nothing I can do for her. I am forced to say the unthinkable. "I'm sorry, Mags. I can't do it."
Mags hauls herself to her feet, and kisses me tenderly. She then slowly but purposefully stumbles into the fog. Immediately, she falls to the ground and is engulfed by the thick cloud. In shock, Katniss takes a step towards her, but it is too late. Mags cannon goes off. My valiant, intelligent, kind mentor is gone.
"Finnick?" Katniss calls hoarsely, but I have already turned around, not wanted her to see my tears. I almost want to just give up, but I know I must keep fighting, for both Annie and for Mags. Finally, I cannot go on any longer, and collapse to the ground, with Peeta falling on top of me. I'm sure we're all going to die now, but suddenly the fog just stops, and rises upward, as if an invisible wall keeps it from proceeding.
For a minute we just lie there, gasping for breath. Our muscles twitch uncontrollably. Suddenly, Peeta points up to the trees. "Mon-hees."
I look up to see little monkeys sitting in the trees. Most likely, they're mutts. As soon as we can, we begin to crawl down the hill. We make our way to the beach. I back away from the water as Katniss and Peeta cleanse their wounds, and lie face down in the sand, not wanting to ever move again. I'm too in pain to do anything more. I can't even think clearly. The next thing I know, I'm soaking in the water. Finally, I am able to raise my arm, and Katniss and Peeta smile at each other in relief. They help me sit up, but my throat is still too raw to speak. After a while, I start to feel better and begin to swim, dive, roll, and do somersaults in the water. I go underwater and stay there for as long as I can.
"Don't do that," Katniss says sternly when I come up.
"What? Come up or stay under?"
"Either. Neither. Whatever. Just soak in the water and behave. Or if you feel this good, go help Peeta."
Just then, the two of us spot the monkey-mutts sitting in the trees, watching us. Peeta moves quietly towards us, but he looks up to the monkeys for a second, and that's enough to trigger them into attack, and soon Peeta is covered with the orange, furry creatures.
"Mutts!" Katniss cries and we run to help him. Katniss shoots arrow after arrow, and I spear them with my trident. Then, out of nowhere comes the woman from Six, and a monkey sinks it's fangs into her chest. After the monkeys retreat, Peeta carries her to the beach, and it isn't long before her cannon fires.
Suddenly, everything starts to sink in. Mags. She's really gone. How could I have done that to her? I know she wanted it, but…
"Why don't you two get some rest?" Katniss says to Peeta and me. "I'll watch for a while."
I force myself to keep the tears back. I don't think I could sleep if I tried. "No, Katniss, I'd rather."
I sit down against a tree and let the tears come as soon as Katniss lies down. Mags was like a second mother to me, and I lost her. I run through her life in my head. She's told me tales of her life so much that I feel as though I was there. Mags won the eleventh games at age sixteen, back when the One-Two-Four alliance was just starting to be called "careers" She married a man her age named Tyde, but sadly, although they tried, the could not have kids. Maybe that was why Mags took her mentoring to heart and treated them like her own children. She could have retired from mentoring, but she stayed with it. She said to me once that despite the pain of losing so many children, she felt like it was her destiny to mentor, and that there was nothing else she wanted to do with her life. She felt good doing something beneficial for others. I've had a good life, she had said when she decided to volunteer for Annie, and I realize she was right. It was a good life, as good as a victor's could be anyway, and it was a life that is worth remembering. And that is what I intend to do.
I begin to sob as Mags walks into the fog. For the first time, I am actually upset with Finnick. How could he let Mags die like that, for people he barely even knows? I don't understand. Why? Mags is – was – a strong, valiant woman, and now she's gone. Anger turns to fear for Finnick's life as he lies helpless on the beach. As Katniss and Peeta help him with his wounds, I get even more confused. Why are they helping each other when their own lives are at stake? Even I wouldn't do that, and I'm the "mad girl".
To distract myself, I grab a piece of paper and a pen and write Finnick a letter.
Dear Finnick,
It's me, Annie. But you know that. I just saw Mags die. Why did you let her die to save someone you barely know? I don't understand. Why? Mags doesn't deserve that. I know you must have your reasons, but I don't get it. Maybe it's the same as Mags volunteering for me. I don't understand that either. I wish you were still here with me. I need to help me understand. Mostly though, I just want you to be okay. I miss you so much, and it hurts me to see you in pain. Stay safe and come home soon.
Love,
Annie
When the Capitol goes back to Finnick's alliance again, Finnick is leaning against a tree, keeping watch, and tears are streaming down his face. I know he is crying for Mags, and I wish I could comfort him. But I can't even do that.
I shed my own tears for Mags. I hope she's in heaven. She really deserves it, because from what I've heard, it's pretty nice there. She'll get to join her husband. Of course, despite it being nice, that's one place I don't want Finnick to go to just yet. I want him here with me, not in a paradise without me where I won't see him again for another however many years, as selfish as that sounds. The only way I can avoid that is if he comes home. He has to come home, because I don't know what I'll do if he doesn't.
Author's Note: Updates two days in a row! Yay! I wasn't expecting to accomplish that. And this one's a tiny bit longer than the last couple too!
Next Chapter: Our alliance runs into Johanna, Beetee and Wiress.
