Chapter Twenty-Nine.
This should be easy.
Lucas almost smiled at the absurdity. Realistically, he was already dead. If anything else, standing here opposite Prosper and Aurelie, pretending he had a chance, was only delaying the inevitable. But maybe that was all he'd been doing since coming here. Delaying what would always be the outcome, ever since he'd been reaped.
Had he ever had a chance? He'd liked to believe he did. A Career from One to a kid from Twelve, everyone had an opportunity and Lucas had made the most of it. He'd done whatever had to be done. And now he was against two Careers.
If he was going to survive, he'd have to do things a different way. But maybe, with sheer luck and determination, he could pull it off.
There was only one way to find out.
Maybe I can survive… for her, for them… for me…
Prosper was scared. He was scared because if he wanted to make it out alive, Aurelie and Lucas would have to die. He didn't know Lucas any more than he knew the other two that had died minutes ago. But he knew what Lucas thought of him. On some level, he knew he'd fought against what he had to say, judging him for being a Career, because it made Prosper delude himself even further.
But he was past the point of thinking anything else. He was everything Lucas said. But that didn't mean he had never cared. He always had. And he really didn't want to kill him, not before this realization, and not anytime soon, now that he understood the way everything was in reality.
And then there was Aurelie. He'd liked her. He'd hated her. He'd wanted to kill her. And now he wanted to save her. But that was impossible. Trust, he might have towards her, knowing the change that had become of Aurelie. The will to die so she could live? He wasn't so sure. He wanted to live. But he didn't want her to die.
He had no idea what was going to happen.
There was only one way to find out.
And now the end begins.
Aurelie felt proud. She felt proud and she felt guilty, all her emotions wrapped up like a gift, a bow on top, buried just underneath the surface. No one had believed in her growing up. And to start with, she'd never believed in who she was either. And then she'd become the person that had ruined Prosper's life, Luella's life, and so many others.
Aurelie glanced at Prosper, who in turn was staring up the hill, eyes locked with Lucas. No one knew what to do, knowing the Games were about to end in one, five, ten or twenty minutes time. Aurelie had killed Ryon. As awful an action that might have been, it was needed so she could win. After all she'd done, all she'd hated about others and herself, and the new Aurelie that had emerged, she had to have what it took to survive this final leg in her journey.
The problem was Prosper. There had been a time where she'd wanted to kill him. Had almost driven her spear into his heart, a time where she could have easily moved on. Now, after the guilt practically being on par with her determination to succeed, she couldn't envisage, even now, the idea of killing Prosper any longer.
She had to be strong about it. She had to think about the end of this all and what she could manage outside this Arena. If she could piece together her emotions and make something better of herself, maybe she could force herself to kill him.
Maybe as a Victor, she could be a better person than she'd ever thought possible.
There was only one way to find out.
"Well then," Lucas arched an eyebrow, spear in hand.
"We've got quite the crowd," Aurelie replied.
"And we all know what they want," Prosper held his spear with as much courage as he could muster. Hadn't courage been everything to him, once upon a time? Now courage felt a laughable concept. There was only fear. The Arena wiped out everything else.
Aurelie didn't want to make the first move. Not just because it would label her as the one, out of the final three, ready to kill first. But mainly because something was holding her back. Disbelief that she'd made it this far? She doubted that very much.
If she was ever going to find out the answer to what had become her new self, she had to get this over and done with. Lucas had his eyes set on their every move, every trace of emotion, in their eyes and on their lips. Anything that would give their future actions away.
It just so happened, as Aurelie's lips slipped downwards into a frown, Lucas saw just what he needed. She raised her sword and took the first step, just as Lucas ran backwards, up the hill, maintaining his balance, and straight to the top.
I can't beat two Careers. Not unless there's a gun hiding behind one of those pedestals. That would be a rather boring end, for the Capitol, no doubt. Two bullets to the skull and the poor kid from Twelve would win over two fully-fledged Careers. What an ending!
He had no time for what-ifs. He could hear the two of them being forced into action, gaining speed and traction on the sand. Lucas observed the two of them from in front of the pedestal closest, where a tribute had once stood eight days ago, and didn't waste a single second.
He had a knife clipped to his belt. He supposed it would have been too good to be true for it to hit its target on the first try. When it whistled past Aurelie's ear, slicing open the tiniest trace of skin, Lucas carried along the top and started to move for the bottom.
Coward! Stand and fight! How did he make it this far?! He could practically hear the rage festering within the Capitol. But he'd played it smart ever since coming here. If they thought he would charge into Prosper and Aurelie with hope and optimism as his way of believing he would survive, then they didn't know him very well.
"He's not going to give us a straight up fight," Aurelie followed him along the summit of the hill, with Prosper tagging behind, "he wants us to throw our weapons at him, and then if they miss, he'll have one and we won't."
Prosper had his entire mind so in tune to what was going on around him, he barely even heard what Aurelie had to offer on Lucas' actions. There were two ways this would end. With Prosper dead, everything he'd grown up as, everything he'd done here, and everything he'd become, turning into irrelevance and forgotten memories.
The thought scared him more than death.
But then there was the idea of winning. And for that, the girl in front of him, jogging steadily, with her sword in hand, would have to die. For half their time in the Arena, he'd wanted to be the one to see the life drain from her eyes. He had been the monster in those stories, the monsters heroes would triumph over and come out victorious.
Only now, Prosper had managed to build a bridge between who he was before, and who he was now. No one said that he couldn't care and regret and tear himself up with guilt over his actions, but still play the part of the Career. He could love others and still be their Victor.
But Aurelie had to die.
On the very end of the sand hill, Lucas finally took a right and made his way down the decline, towards the level ground where the Cornucopia was centred. Aurelie silently praised his actions. Way back when, he'd have been nothing more than a fearless roach under her shoe, scattering away because he couldn't stand and fight.
Now he was a tribute, using the only thing he could against two Careers. Distance would keep him alive. But he couldn't stay alive forever. Not if she hoped in something after this Arena. Where her wrongs could be made right, on whatever level she could create.
"Move further down, cut him off before he reaches the Cornucopia!" Her voice reached a volume that mirrored the Aurelie in control after the bloodbath. An Aurelie she didn't want to return to. Still, she had power, power that would never go away, and Prosper blinked from his thoughts and nodded.
As the boy from One did as he was commanded, Aurelie maintaining the chase to the end of the hill, Lucas' heart started to prickle with fear as Prosper came closer and closer to the bottom. If he didn't close the gap between where he was and the Cornucopia, Prosper would bar his way towards the supplies and back the way he'd ran.
His stamina was fading. But the stitch and pain anyone else might have felt became nothing with adrenaline and fear for his life pushing him onwards. Lucas sprinted as fast as he could, spear going up and down in his hand, slashing the air, as he tried to close the distance.
Prosper reached the bottom. Lucas lashed out before he could control the situation. His fist weakly smacked against Prosper's cheek. It distracted him enough for Lucas to curve away from his first attack with his spear, and then towards the golden horn.
He had space between where he was, the villagers forming a deathly quiet crowd behind them, and the direction back up the hill where the chase could continue on and on.
But it can't forever…
He tried to stomach the pessimism. The negativity. Those realizations that had become second nature with Lucas, from the moment he'd realised the truth about Twelve and the world, to the boy that had survived to the finale of the Hunger Games.
"I wouldn't step too far back," Prosper warned, holding his bruised cheek where Lucas' fist had hit, "they might get you."
"Better them than you."
Prosper laughed, a sad, sorrowful sound. "You don't really believe that. Better a quick death than a-" He cut himself off.
Better a quick death? Really…? There was no better about it. Death was death. The end was the end. And he'd given that to Varity and Garner. He'd seen it happen to other people he'd cared for, more than the world itself.
"Can't even finish a sentence?" Lucas tried to maintain a sense of calm, but he could see Aurelie bridging the gap from where she had been following him. "I'd rather not give you the satisfaction of killing me."
Before Prosper could reply, Lucas darted forwards and brought the point of his spear towards his face. Prosper jumped back, swiftly deflected one more attack with his own spear, and twirled it round his arm and smacked Lucas round the cheek with the wooden end.
His entire face exploded with pain. Through the daze, he saw Aurelie getting closer and closer. Lucas tried to shake his eyes clear, the agony like knives in his skin.
Prosper didn't do anything as he started to curve round, back towards the hill where they'd started the confrontation. Aurelie placed a hand on Prosper's shoulder, a split second gesture he noticed all the same, and watched her give pursuit and stop when she picked up a knife from the sand.
A knife coated with Rell's blood.
"I'm sorry," Aurelie threw it towards Lucas, fleeing up the hill. "This is the way it has to go."
It hit him straight in the shoulder, somewhere above the ribs, and Lucas went down in a screech of pain. He tried to make it back onto his legs, but the pain was almost totally consuming, wiping out everything as his eyes dimmed, then brightened, then dimmed again.
Aurelie didn't move. Prosper didn't move. They watched the poor boy twist and turn as he tried to piece himself back together. On some level, the two Careers hoped he would. It would be like putting down a wounded dog if he didn't, whimpering in pain as it tried to continue its fight.
They stood, Prosper behind Aurelie, waiting for something.
Each had a desire to live. Each had something holding them back. Aurelie had the girl of her past, haunting her in the shadows. Prosper had the boy he had been, the boy he hated, but the new boy he always wanted to continue as even after the Games had corrupted him. And then Lucas, fighting for his life, doing everything that had to be done, but knowing after it all, something would go wrong.
Nothing had happened to him yet. Which would only make the end so much worse.
Prosper made a decision first. The worst kind of decision. My life, or theirs. He had Luella, circling in front of his eyes. He had Darina, Belarius and Ivo. He had Varity and Garner, ghosts that would never leave him. And he had himself, at the centre of it all.
If he died, they became nothing.
Lucas was smart. Aurelie was smart. But Prosper could be smart too. The boy from Twelve was on the verge of unconsciousness. When he died, he would have to fight Aurelie, tiring, but still ready for a fight.
And then he would die.
But not if I… His eyes lit up with tears when his own hand moved for her shoulder. Aurelie relaxed into it, the roles reversed, hatred from the beginning turning to trust for the boy she had condemned with her actions. She cared for him. Like he cared for her.
And then the spear went through her back, out from her stomach, and all of that became nothing.
Lucas watched with terror and agony in his eyes as Aurelie's lips opened, her eyes went wide, and she tried to turn to face Prosper.
The boy from One held her when she fell. He said nothing as the biggest enemy to anyone, the biggest threat, the girl to beat in the Games, died in Prosper's arms. When her cannon shot through the sky, Prosper stood up and wiped the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand.
"It was…"
Lucas coughed up blood and smirked. "Kill her, you get an easy kill. Let her kill me, you die. Smart."
Prosper started to walk towards Lucas.
"And now I guess you want to me to lie down and…" He was up before Prosper could close the distance. A final, last minute burst of defiance went straight through Lucas, from head to toe, compelling everything that made him who he was to not go down. Not now. Not after everything.
District Twelve had a chance. People like him, people that knew reality for what it was, were willing to do the things others would back away from… they deserved to live. He had to live. Otherwise… otherwise he became… I can't just become another one… another fallen tribute… forgotten…
He charged towards Prosper, ducked under his spear blow, blood pouring profusely from the wound in his shoulder, and headed straight for the villagers.
Prosper continued to run after him. He'd killed Aurelie. He'd betrayed a friend. But that didn't mean he could die now. Not… not after…
He saw their faces, somewhere at the front of his mind, and used their support and what they'd left behind in life, to move him towards Lucas. He was faster than the wounded boy from Twelve. And when he realised what Lucas was trying to do, Prosper let it happen.
Because the Gamemakers would never let a finale end without me, or Lucas, getting the last kill.
Lucas moved to the right just as Prosper neared him. He fell into the rotten arms of the villagers. But instead of pulling him under, ripping him apart, stabbing and killing him, the very thing Lucas had hoped for. Instead of that, they pushed him back towards Lucas with as much energy as they could muster.
Lucas charged with his own spear, a dead weight in his hands. Fighting until the end, even on the brink of collapse. Prosper charged with his spear, the memories of everyone pushing him on, and the hope for a better life afterwards. A killer, a Victor, but a good person. Where a life like that was possible.
Lucas' spear cut into Prosper's arm, tearing the flesh from the muscle.
Prosper's spear pierced Lucas' heart, killing him instantly.
When his body fell, Prosper fell with it. On the ground, looking up at the darkened sky, the faces of Luella, Belarius, Aurelie, Ivo, Darina, Varity, Garner and even Lucas, dead next to him, became the stars in the night. The moon had gone. The light had gone. Everything tried to replace his world with darkness.
But the memories of his friends and the fallen would forever be a part of him. Because that was who Prosper had to be. Not someone who broke apart. But someone who was made whole. No more impossible Prosper. No more hurt Prosper. No more Prosper the monster. Not even Prosper the hero – an impossible delusion.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present the Victor of the Sixtieth Hunger Games. Prosper Livingston – the tribute of District One!"
He was this Prosper.
And maybe, now that he was alive, nothing could be worse.
He was Prosper the Victor.
Aurelie Bauden, District Two Female.
Lucas Roux, District Twelve Male.
Megan. Aurelie. Babe. Honestly, it was really hard to kill her. Even before she became a better person, the girl that had a pre-reaping POV, basically tore apart the Careers, and created so much conflict, made it up to my favourites. I loved the fact that yes, she wasn't a nice person, but underneath it all she was always vulnerable and there was always a need to be strong. The alternative was impossible to live with for Aurelie. And then this Aurelie that started to develop, she was still strong, she still was proud, she still wanted to survive, but she was realising the errors of her way and that's why she came this far. Megan, you always provide me with such complex tributes that can go through so much development, Aurelie was a brilliant example. Sad to see her go!
Jalen. Another babe. I don't just like the tributes that come into the Arena far from the ideal candidate for making it too long in the Games, but I love those that understand how things have to go and fight through their own morality and emotions for the sake of surviving. That's who Lucas was. Sure, he was a bit judgmental, a little uptight, not the easiest person to deal with. But through his journey, I got to experience a guy who was a real game changer, the way he dealt not only with the idea of a friend in Adrina, but what he had to do for himself and fight against. It would have been hard for him against two Careers, and even with another part of him that stood out, his intelligence, giving him a plan against them, it would have been hard for him to make it past both Aurelie and Prosper. Still, this proves not all District Twelve tributes have to be cast off as bloodbaths straight away. Thank you for submitting him!
Sofia. can't really call him deadston anymore ;/ he is very much LIVINGston now, so yay go Prosper! In all seriousness, though, I'm really pleased I settled on him as victor. It was such a hard decision, this time round. I really wanted a male victor for Lonely Hour, but then there was Aurelie who I adored. And obviously Lucas who I kept going between. But in the end, it had to be Prosper. Based alone on what he's had to go through in the Arena, he deserved to make it out alive. But alongside all of that, he's had some really great development without ever totally losing who he was. He's gone between different sides of himself, but with every single transition, it always showed the true Prosper underneath it all. A decent human being who cared about other people. He's had some of the best dynamics with other tributes, not just Luella, but with Aurelie, the other Careers, even the tributes he killed, there was always something in Prosper that shone. Deluded as hell from the beginning, I knew he would change, but the main thing about development is that it doesn't totally wipe clean the original idea behind a tribute, and in my opinion, that's what I love about this new Prosper. He's not deluded, but he's still that guy. I love him, I love you Sofia for sending in him, and I love the fact I chose him to make it to the end. He's been through hell, but here he is, alive! Thank you so much ;*
Are you happy with who won in the end?
Overall, taking everything into consideration, who was your favourite tribute in this story?
Favourite alliance?
Favourite death scene?
Aaand that's it, the finale for Lonely Hour!
It feels weird, seeing the back of these Games. I've loved this, so so much. The change in format was probably the best decision I could have made, writing wise. Even though my Games are always around 11-12 chapters, I got to do so much more with these tributes because I wasn't confined to a strict POV count.
Yeah, I hope you all enjoyed the fact I changed things up this time round. I think it paid off!
Congratulations, again, to Prosper for winning. And of course, felicitea/Sofia for submitting him to this story! He'll be a mentor in Hideaway, so maybe you'll get to see him again after this story's conclusion :D
One more chapter to go, then that'll be it! Let me know your thoughts. I've loved writing these Games and the tributes. From Prosper to Acacia, they were all great, all had their own story to tell, and all deserved their place in Lonely Hour. It's sad to see all but one gone.
Thanks for reading!
