Hi!
IMPORTANT: Before I fanboy to you about how FREAKING EXCITED I am for this finale, LET ME LET YOU KNOW that I plan on writing some alternate endings! Since some of the tributes to this story were loved so much by all of you, I have put up a small poll on my profile asking you about how I should go about it (that will be explained more in the poll). If you want any tributes to be covered, then PM me or tell me in a review. I'm only going to do three or four, because I want to move on with Picking Up The Pieces! I hope you enjoy this chapter AND OH MY GOODNESS I CAN'T WAIT FOR YOU TO READ IT :)
Thank you to Mayasha-chan, AKLNxStories, Alecxias, BamItsTyler and fat necrosis who reviewed! :D
Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games in any way, shape or form. I only own the arena I've created.
"The amount of good luck coming your way depends on your willingness to act." ~Barbara Sher
Luke Coloss, Fifteen, District Twelve Male
Three left.
Me, and two other tributes.
I should feel happy that I'm nearly out of this place, but I feel almost empty inside. Vella's head lays on my lap, her chocolate brown curls fanned out and her eyes shut peacefully. The last remnants of foam drip off the base of her neck and into my lap. I don't move. I don't care.
I'm still in shock.
For a minute, I thought that everything was going to be okay. Both of us crashed into the clearing, safe from the plants, and seconds later, she was convulsing on the ground. Vella's internal torture is an image that I will never be able to get out of my head. Even now, I shut the images out. I can't think about it. The images have scarred me enough already; I don't want a replay. Dark moments like these make me think of home, a place that wasn't perfect exactly, but it was Twelve…it never means so much to me as it does now. I remember our small house with its dusty floors and cracked windows, mixed with the smell of hot cranberry pie. Thomas' favourite and a regular at the Head Peacekeeper's house. Maybe if I get out of here, I'll be able to see if I can make it from scratch. I let my imagination run free for a moment, lost in time.
I'm not sure if I'm ready to live the life of a victor just yet, even if I do manage to win this. I have no friends, and no-one who values me, other than Thomas of course. And he means the world to me. What do victors even do when they're not mentoring? How do they pass the time when they no longer have to work or steal for a living? And what will I do to prank people? There won't be much of a reason to anymore. I mean, if they cause trouble, then I'll still go back to my old ways, but most of the time Thomas and I were shouted at and beaten because of who we were. Would anyone be daring enough to hurt Thomas if they knew that his older brother was a victor?
I don't know.
There's too many thoughts and too many emotions to deal with right now.
There's three of us left. Just three. And it's time for a finale.
I might get out of here because Vella sacrificed her life. Maybe Mariel and Franz too, if I don't find myself fighting them. I pull out my three gadgets, made of wood and bound together by string and wire. A catapult, a slingshot, and a hand-sized crossbow. I know Vella never had much faith in what I made, but there a twinkle in her eyes when I showed her the crossbow. It was as if she thought it would be useful in some way.
Gently setting down Vella's body, I lean in and kiss her on the cheek.
She was amazing, and if things had been different maybe we could have been something. I know there was some kind of feeling inside of me that was close to her. Yet, the Games did not allow it. Fate destroyed that possibility long before either of us realised it. Leaving my catapult and slingshot beside Vella's body, I wipe away the tears from my eyes, smudging the dirt and grime from the past week over my cheeks.
To me, it's no longer dirt and grime.
It's war paint.
I lost my parents for this. I lost Vella for this. I lost my freedom for this. To die? To scream? To run from others? No. I refuse to die like this. Vella believed in me, as did Mariel and Franz. Maybe they still believe in me.
I saw Tiffany and Mariel head into the water, so I might as well search there first. It'll definitely give me some clues as to the whereabouts of any other tributes. This is no longer a time to hide from others. I have to stand and fight the best I can. If I'm lucky, the other tributes will be worn out. I approach the pool, water spraying into my face as the water crashes down into it. I try and look up to see how high the waterfall is, but all I get is water in my eye. To my left are some slippery stone steps that rise up and pass through the waterfall. Hm, I wonder what's behind it? Maybe there's something I can use? Or maybe there are other tributes this way.
It's not like I have much of a choice in this matter after all. Those wretched flowers are nearby, so any escaping will probably end with a painful death. It's obvious that everyone has been driven to one area for the final event. Taking a deep breath, I load my hand crossbow, the sharp sticks lined up in my pocket. I make sure they all stick out a little, so I can access them if I need a distraction or something. I'm not entirely sure how much damage this will do, since I've never shot this, and the workmanship is not very advanced. Add that to the list of things I'll probably do if I ever get myself out of here.
I put everything down and wrench off my poncho, leaving the tight fitted coat underneath. I don't want something like a waterproof poncho getting in the way of a fight. There's no point in having it now, especially when the last two tributes are beyond the curtain of water ahead of me. I open my bag and take a quick few bites of dried fruit. It's not much, but it's something. Maybe it'll give me some extra energy.
I look down into the pool as I get up. My crossbow hangs over my shoulder attached to a vine, and my sword is in my hands. I can see a body in the pool, motionless and dead, but the water is too dark for me to tell who it is. I hold my sword in both hands and proceed slowly, ignoring the icy touch of the water against my skin as I passed through the water in front of me.
The cave I arrive in is beautiful…and vaguely reminiscent of the crystal cave with white sand I stayed in some time ago. I remember hurting someone with one of my traps, but unlike the last cave, this one has far more crystals. A fleeting thought makes me wonder if any of the crystals will fall on us, and I tense up at the thought of getting impaled by something so mesmerising. I'm grateful for my boots. They have good grip, considering I'm walking on smooth and slippery stone.
"It's nice of you to join us."
A firm, yet quiet voice echoes throughout the cavern, and my attention is drawn to the other two tributes in the room. Tiffany, the girl from District One, is sitting next to a horribly mutilated body, knife in hand. I identify the body as Mariel. My stomach tightens in both fury and fear. Part of me wants to strike out at Tiffany, but another part of me hurts for her. She looks broken. Defeated, almost. Tiffany looks at me, and then looks at another figure, standing on the other side of the cave. It's Derek, the quiet and elusive boy from District Nine. If anything, this is definitely the biggest surprise for me. He never seemed like the type to be a fighter. Maybe I thought wrong. He is here after all. I run through the list of tributes in my head. Steven, Kleska, Karina, Vella, Mariel and Franz. They all died today. Six deaths. And even now, two more tributes are about to die. I try not to think about that.
The cavern is filled with an awkward silence, a quiet that makes me more uncomfortable than I expected. Maybe Vella's constant presence has opened me up more than I thought it did. I know for a fact it's brought out my more comedic side, a side I tend to tone down a bit more. That's mostly because I don't have any friends my age, but still…
"So…" I say. "What's up?"
It's a pathetic excuse to lighten the mood and dispel the awkwardness in the air. My echoing voice distorts my tone, making it sound far more unwelcoming than I expected. Or maybe that was just me.
"I'm surprised you two made it this far," Tiffany comments simply. "I was expecting someone like Steven or Kleska."
"Steven exploded," Derek tells us numbly. "Kleska lost her legs because of it. Karina killed her. I killed Karina."
I take in this news. Derek certainly sounds like more of a threat with a kill under his belt. I've obviously underestimated him.
"That's nice," Tiffany replies, standing up and grabbing one of her spears. "But it doesn't matter who we've killed. Not anymore. We're the only three left. One of us is going home."
"That's true," Derek agrees. "But we mustn't forget who we are. Even if all of us have done some terrible things during the Games, or if we've done nothing at all, we've all been strong enough to get here."
"So, we fight." I mutter.
Tiffany nods.
"And so we fight."
Derek Schtuze, Sixteen, District Nine Male
Nobody moves a muscle, not even the career girl. The boy from Twelve looks awkward, biting the inside of his cheek nervously. The career girl just looks between us, waiting for one of us to pounce. I heft my scythe. The weight is more familiar to me than it was before, but I'm worried that it might slow me down a bit. It's awkward to lug around, so if I dodge, I often wonder if I'm going to be the type of person to trip over my own weapon. That would be an embarrassing move.
It's strange to think that I've gotten so far. Ever since this morning, the arena was quiet. I needed a few moments to myself to calm down after I killed Karina. Even the thought of being a murderer makes me shiver with a sense of guilt and condemnation. I don't know how many the other two have killed, or if they've killed at all, but the feeling is definitely an uncomfortable one. It's not to say that I can't deal with it, but the guilt of taking someone's life makes me feel bad enough as it is. I've tried to convince myself that I had to do what I had to do, but is that even a reasonable excuse?
I try not to imagine what Alexis, Sarah and Josh will think of me. They probably saw what I did. Sarah's young enough not to understand properly. Better yet, if my parents were their usual selves, they might have stopped her from watching the hourly recaps. That still leaves Josh and Alexis. I'm positive that Josh won't resent me for what I did. I saved his life after all, and he knew the cost of my actions. He knew I'd have to kill. But Alexis…I don't know if she'd cope with seeing me do something so monstrous, something so unethical. I'd do anything to show my friends that I'm not a monster, but how can I do that when the evidence is so clearly recorded on screen?
I can't express how many times I've thought of hugging Josh or confessing my feelings to Alexis. I've thought about becoming a victor, but I never thought that I'd even have a chance. But now all I have between me and a possible victory is a broken career and an awkward outlier. Are those odds I want to toy with, or am I becoming too overconfident? I became close with so many people in this arena…to the point that maybe I would have sacrificed myself for them, and yet all I've ever done is stand by and watch. I watched as Charlotte and Nicolo walked away and never returned. I watched Kleska die, and I watched myself kill Karina. Do I really deserve this? Do I really deserve victory when I've failed to remain loyal to the allies that have put me here in the first place?
"I want to know," career girl says finally. "I want to know your names. Believe it or not, I'm not entirely heartless. I'm Tiffany."
"Luke." the boy from Twelve replies with a small smile.
"Derek," I say. "So, who's fighting each other first? Or are we all just going to try and kill each other?"
Luke shrugs.
"It might be wiser for you and I to team up," he offers, looking at me. "We're against a career. Nice or not, Tiffany killed Mariel and Franz. I knew them before they died. They were decent people."
Luke's statement seems pretty genuine, but before I can answer, Tiffany replies.
"Everyone in this arena has good and bad inside of them," she points out. "They were decent people from what you saw of them. But you don't know if they've done anything bad that they never told you about. All of us have done something wrong, and all of us have done something right. But right and wrong doesn't matter anymore. Luke, Derek, we're people. We have to see each other as tributes. Two of us have to die, regardless."
I remain silent for a second, thinking everything over.
"Luke…" I say. "You and me?"
He nods grimly.
"Good luck," I tell Tiffany. "I'm sure you know why we're teaming up."
Tiffany shrugs, looking somewhat saddened.
"I'm not surprised," she tells me. "I expected this."
She adopts a small smirk.
"You'll be the ones needing the luck by the way."
I smile, and Luke chuckles lowly. It's obvious that all three of us are just done with fighting for our own survival. Everyone just wants to go home. Yet at the same time, there's a sense of finality about this. We all know that we have to do this, or we face those weird flowers outside.
"Prepare yourselves." Tiffany says simply, taking a fighting stance.
Luke looks at me, and nods. I nod back.
With a small smile to myself, I run into the arms of potential death.
Tiffany Splendour, Seventeen, District One Female
Derek and Luke both run towards me, armed and ready to fight. Before they arrived, I'd wiped away my tears and told myself to get a grip. I know that part of my exaggerated emotions are from the pregnancy, but also from the tense situation. The fight with Mariel and Franz scored a kick to my stomach, and I'm worried that they might have hurt the baby. Still, I know the Capitol technology is good enough to help my baby if it is in any trouble, but I'm still worried about it. I'll just have to wait and see.
Luke and Derek both seem like interesting characters in their own right. Derek's scythe obviously came from the feast, and with a kill, he's definitely not somebody that I should underestimate. As for Luke, I may know less about him, but he may have a kill or two as well, so I should be wary of him. I have to focus on what I want out of this. I have to get back home, and that's what I'm going to do.
My father forced me into this, with a baby in my stomach and a mentor at my knees. So many people are relying on me to survive, but what if I don't? What will Essence do without me to be around her? How can I teach her to be herself if she has nobody to learn from? And Velvet…she'll lose a friend that's close to her. Don't even get me started on Royce. So many people are relying on me to come back, but what if I can't?
I have no time to think, because my two opponents are upon me.
Flicking my hair out of my brown eyes, I twirl my spear and duck under Luke's first swipe, and jump back from Derek's scythe. Derek immediately comes back with a counterattack, but a jab with my spear clashes with his scythe. The screeching sound of metal on metal and the force of the attack sends the both of us stumbling to the side. Luke jumps in with a swipe of his sword, but I easily block it and smack him in the cheekbone with the butt of my spear. I go in to impale him, but Derek blocks the attack and throws me off balance.
I retreat a few steps, more defensive now. It's obvious that these two aren't as poorly skilled as I was hoping they'd be. Derek and Luke size me up warily, knowing that one wrong move could seriously hurt them.
Luke goes in again with his sword, but I bat his attack away. Derek comes at me from the left, his scythe making a low whistling sound as he aims to take my legs out from underneath me. I jump over his weapon and attack him again. He's lucky enough to block me with the long handle of his scythe. Pausing for a second, I smirk, and then quickly twist, smacking him in the nose with the butt of my spear. He grunts and reels back, his nose now bleeding. Luke stands in front of him, shielding him from me. I smirk again. Smart.
I send a series of jabs to Luke, but he jumps to the side, lunging forward in the hopes that he can stop me. I simply move backwards out of his reach and parry his attacks. Derek then charged forwards, pushing me further into a corner of the cave. With a slow panic, I realise that they've somehow managed to surround me without me realising it. Maybe Steven was right when he was going on about brains over brawn.
I growl, parrying, stabbing, jabbing and leaping wherever I can to try and push my opponents back, but to no avail. My last battle with Mariel and Franz was gruelling enough, and with the wound in my arm, I'm certainly not at full strength, especially against two opponents with more skill than I expected. With all my might, I swing at Luke, and he blocks me. Derek swoops in and catches the head of my spear in the corner between the scythe blade and its handle. He pulls away from me, ripping my weapon straight out of my hands, and onto the slippery rock behind him.
I'm defenceless.
There's a sinking feeling in my stomach that releases the tension I'm been feeling for so long. It's my turn to fall. It's my turn to fail those that want me to return so desperately. With this grim realisation, I look down.
"Do it," I tell them. "End me."
"I'll make it quick, I promise." Derek says.
Guilt floods me as I remember what I told Mariel not so long ago.
I'm going to kill you Mariel. I'm going to kill you and you're going to feel every second of it. We're going to go nice and slowly.
How ironic that it all had to end like this.
I wish I could scream to the heavens and ask for help, or for some kind of guidance. But nobody is helping me now, not even Royce, who is probably watching this with tears in his eyes or anger in his heart. Nothing can prepare me for the pain he is about to feel.
I wish I could give him something. A message. A memento of some kind. Maybe even my baby's name. Is it a boy, or is it a girl? Part of me doesn't care anymore.
As Derek's scythe swings towards my neck, I shout out a random name, one of the many names that I've been considering for the child I will most likely lose.
Roxanne.
Massai Puna, Twelve years old, District ElevenMale – Stabbed to death by Hans Schmittling. Placed 24th
Florescent Neista, Fourteen years old, District Five Female – Stabbed to death by Hans Schmittling. Placed 23rd
Rachelle McKenzie, Fifteen years old, District Three Female - Stabbed in the heart by Kleska Giori. Placed 22nd
Adelaide "Addie" Plum, Twelve years old, District Nine Female – Neck broken by Taser Shock. Placed 21st
Ali Combs, Seventeen years old, District Eight Female – Beaten to death by Taser Shock. Placed 20th
Skyla Truce, Sixteen year old, District Ten Female – Speared to death by Tiffany Splendour. Placed 19th
Hans Schmittling, Eighteen years old, District One Male – Throat slit by Kleska Giori. Placed 18th
Kip Lightcomb, Sixteen years old, District Ten Male – Mauled by mutts. Placed 17th
Zest Churna, Thirteen years old, District Six Female – Bludgeoned to death by Taser Shock. Placed 16th
Sedan Bristol, Seventeen years old, District Six Male – Impaled by Nicolo Boone. Placed 15th
Charlotte Moore, Sixteen years old, District Twelve Female – Bled out from a sustained injury. Placed 14th
Nicolo Boone, Fourteen years old, District Eight Male – Stabbed in the heart by Luke Coloss. Placed 13th
Shaune Greyson, Eighteen years old, District Five Male – Blown up by Steven "Spray" Krane. Placed 12th
David Peterson, Seventeen years old, District Seven Male – Stabbed in the throat by Kleska Giori. Placed 11th
Taser Shock, Eighteen years old, District Four Male – Speared in the chest by Tiffany Splendour. Placed 10th
Steven "Spray" Krane, Seventeen years old, District Two Male – Stabbed in the eye by Kleska Giori. Placed 9th
Kleska Giori, Fifteen years old, District Two Female – Stabbed in the heart by Karina "Kari" Faust. Placed 8th
Karina "Kari" Faust, Fifteen years old, District Seven Female – Impaled with a scythe by Derek Schutze. Placed 7th
Vella Contessa, Fifteen years old, District Eleven Female – Poisoned. Placed 6th
Franz Wight, Twelve years old, District Three Male – Stabbed in the neck with a spear, courtesy of Tiffany Splendour. Placed 5th
Mariel Tide, Eighteen years old, District Four Female – Stabbed repeatedly by Tiffany Splendour. Placed 4th
Tiffany Splendour, Seventeen years old, District One Female: Tiffany was honestly such a wonderful character who I feel I have developed really well during this story. Of course, I could have made her win and let her have her baby with Royce, but I decided that this would not be the case. Do not fear though, there will be a small twist to do with Royce fairly soon, so there will be more of this storyline throughout this series. Like everyone in the top six, I did picture Tiffany as my victor at some point in time, but she eventually placed here. I loved how snarky she could be…she was the anti-hero that so many readers loved, yet she had another side to her that just made her beautifully three dimensional. She was a great tribute, and I will genuinely miss writing her. Still, at least we will have more feels with Royce in the sequel to this story, so at least she lives on in his memory. Thank you to BamItsTyler for sending her in, congratulations on 3rd! Decapitated by Derek Schutze. Placed 3rd
Damn, only two tributes left; Luke and Derek. Who do you think is going to win? How did you feel about Tiffany's death? Are you going to miss her? And what do you think about the name she could have called her baby? I know it's a girls name, but I assure you, she probably had some male names in mind as well ;-;
I'm so happy with myself for finally bringing this to a close. It's been a long time coming and I'm so happy to have proved to myself that I can finish an SYOT! I know it's taken a long time, but I'm sure that my next story will not take as long.
So next we have the last finale chapter, a catch up with Luca, and then the victors and mentors homecoming. So three chapters left of this story effectively! If I'm fast enough with writing, then I might upload twice a week. If not, I will do my best to upload as soon as possible :D
Over and out!
~Mental