The next day, all four victors sat agitated as they watched on, more anxious than usual. Today was the day. The day this was going to end. It took no brainer to figure this out. There were only three tributes left, it didn't make sense if they didn't end this today. But what was more nerve-wracking was that the ending was up to the Gamemakers, and that was never a good sign.

Haymitch and Cashmere took turns holding Heather's hands so they could stop her from eating out her nails. A nervous habit of hers that never came out unless she was really stressed.

Morning passed by uneventfully and nothing happened, but that did nothing to calm them down. They knew the reason for this was because the Gamemakers were giving people a chance to place their final bets. Finally, when Peeta and Katniss finished eating their food, they headed to the stream. Or, at least, what used to be the stream as it was a bone-dry bed. Katniss put her hand on to feel it.

"Not even a little damp. They must have drained it while we slept," Katniss said.

"The lake," Peeta said. "That's where they want us to go."

"Maybe the ponds still have some," Katniss claimed hopefully.

"Doubt it," muttered Finnick. Haymitch nodded unconsciously.

"We can check," he said, humouring her. When they returned to the pond where she soaked her leg. A dusty, gaping mouth of a hole was what they discovered.

"You're right. They're driving us to the lake," Katniss finally admitted. Where there was no cover. Where the Capitol citizens were guaranteed a bloody fight to the death with nothing to block their view. "Do you want to go straight away or wait until the water's tapped out?"

"Let's go now, while we've had food and rest. Let's just go end this thing," he said.

Katniss nodded.

Peeta's arms wrapped around her. "Two against one. Should be a piece of cake."

"Next time we eat, it will be in the Capitol," Katniss said.

"You bet it will," he said.

None of the four victors liked what the two tributes said. Sure, it was good to be optimistic, for the sake of family. But it was never a good move to let one's guard down. Everything that would happen in the arena was unpredictable in a way that one second one would be breathing and the next, death would be knocking on their door.

Katniss and Peeta stopped to rest for a few moments under the tree. Heather recognized it as the one where the Careers trapped Katniss. The husk of the tracker jacker nest, beaten to a pulp by the heavy rains and dried in the burning sun, confirmed the location. Katniss touched it with the tip of her boot, and it dissolved into dust that was quickly carried off by the breeze. She looked at Cashmere, hoping that the woman forgot the place. But the sadness in Cashmere's olive eyes confirmed that she remembered it. Wordlessly, Heather reached her hand and placed it on her friend's hand. A second later, Cashmere squeezed and held her hand back.

"Let's move on," Katniss said, not uncomfortable in this setting.

It was early evening when they reached the plain. But, there was no sign of Cato. No sign of anything except the gold Cornucopia glowing in the slanting sun rays. They circled the Cornucopia to make sure it's empty. Then they crossed to the lake and filled their water containers. Heather got a weird feeling in her stomach. She sensed that something ominous would happen.

Katniss frowned at the shrinking sun. "We don't want to fight him after dark. There's only the one pair of glasses."

Peeta carefully squeezed drops of iodine into the water. "Maybe that's what he's waiting for. What do you want to do? Go back to the cave?"

"Either that or find a tree. But let's give him another half an hour or so. Then we'll take cover."

They sat by the lake, in full sight. There was no point in hiding now. In the trees at the edge of the plain, the mockingjays were flitting about. Bouncing melodies back and forth between them like brightly coloured balls. As always, their songs brought some comfort to Heather.

Katniss opened her mouth and sang out Rue's four-note run. They paused curiously at the sound of her voice, listening for more. She repeated the notes in the silence. First one mockingjay trilled the tune back, then another. Then the whole world came alive with the sound.

"Just like your father," Peeta said.

Katniss's fingers find the pin on her shirt. "That's Rue's song," Katniss told him. "I think they remember it."

The music swelled. As the notes overlapped, they complemented one another, forming a lovely, unearthly harmony.

Then something began to disrupt the music. Heather's relaxed state was cut like a piece of threat. The mockingjays' voices rose up in a shrieking cry of alarm.

Immediately, Katniss and Peeta were on their feet. Peeta wielded his knife and Katniss was poised to shoot when Cato smashed through the trees and beared down on them. He had no spear. In fact, his hands were empty, yet he ran straight for them. Heather sat up, her posture straight. Something was out of place, something else was going on.

An arrow hit his chest and inexplicably fell aside.

"He's got some kind of body armor!" Katniss shouted to Peeta.

Just in time, because Cato was upon them. Katniss and Peeta braced themselves for the incoming impact, but he ran off right between us with no attempt to stop. He wasn't heading towards them but escaping from something. But what was it?

Heather got her answer as a creature leaped onto the plain. Later, another half dozen join it. Quickly, Peeta and Katniss stumbled, following Cato's instinct as fast as possible.

"I knew it," Finnick said out loud, probably not on purpose. He must've thought of this possibility before. Heather wished he shared this with them earlier but then again, none of them share their thoughts out of loud.

Mutations. No question about it. These mutations resembled huge wolves. However, these wolves were different. They were able to land and balance easily on their hind legs. What was also unusual is when a wolf waved the rest of the pack forward with its front paw as though it had a wrist. Undoubtedly, they were genetically made in the lab.

Cato made a beeline for the Cornucopia. Katniss and Peeta followed him. Due to his broken leg, Peeta wasn't able to run as fast as Peeta. Katniss reached the Cornucopia when she noticed that Peeta was about fifteen yards behind, hobbling as fast as he could, but the mutts were closing in on him fast. She sent an arrow into the pack and one fell down, but there were plenty to take its place.

Peeta was waving her up the horn, "Go, Katniss! Go!"

Katniss realized that she couldn't protect either of them on the ground. She climbed, wincing as the metal was hot under her bare hands. Heather's heartbeat sped up as she silently urged Katniss to hurry and save Peeta.

Cato laid on his side at the very top of the horn, twenty feet above the ground, gasping to catch his breath. Katniss was about to send an arrow his way before she heard Peeta cry out. He reached the tail, and the mutts were right on his heels.

"Climb!" Katniss yelled. Peeta started up hampered by not only the leg but the knife in his hand. Katniss shot an arrow down the throat of the first mutt that placed its paws on the metal. As it died the creature lashed out, inadvertently opening gashes on a few of its companions with its razor-sharp claws.

Reaching her, Katniss grabbed Peeta's arm and pulled him along. Heather calmed down a bit (emphasis on a bit) and glanced at Cato and saw him doubled over with cramps, more preoccupied with the mutts than Katniss and Peeta.

"What?" Katniss shouted at Cato when he said something unintelligent.

"He said, 'Can they climb it?'" Peeta answered. The mutts were assembling. As they joined together, they raised up again to stand easily on their back legs giving them an eerily human quality. Each had a thick coat, some with fur that was straight and sleek, others curly, and the colors vary from jet black to blond. There was something else about them, but Heather couldn't put her finger on it.

They put their snouts on the horn, sniffing and tasting the metal, scraping paws over the surface and then making high-pitched yipping sounds to one another. They must've been communicating because the pack backed up as if to make room. Then one of them, a mutt with silky waves of blond fur took a running start and leapt onto the horn. Its back legs were powerful because it landed a mere ten feet below them.

Heather jumped back, feeling as if her heart could come out of her chest when Cashmere suddenly gasped. Her body trembled and she looked so scared. With a shaking finger, she pointed to the blonde mutt and muttered, "It's Glimmer."

Haymitch, Heather, and Finnick observed the mutt and sure enough, the collar with the number 1 inlaid with jewels, the blonde hair, the green eyes. It was Glimmer.

Katniss seemed to realize the same thing as a shriek escaped her, unable to hold the arrow in place. After spotting his own tributes, Finnick took a sharp intake and it was only seconds before he ran down to the bathroom, sounds of him retching soon followed.

Cashmere went after him, whether to comfort him or to shield herself from this horrid sight, Heather didn't know. She was too busy processing this reality. Her nerves were all over the place to the point where she almost forgot how to breathe.

Gamemakers were cruel, she knew that. But she's never thought, never even imagined, that they'd stoop down to this level. To take genetic information from dead children, who they were responsible for their death in the first place, and install them into monsters so they'd resemble them in order to bring out fear and trauma from the other children was beyond words.

The word shock couldn't even begin to explain how she was feeling. She wanted to feel anger and hatred but all there was emptiness. She had lost her empathy and sympathy towards the ones responsible for this. Heather didn't even hate them anymore. She just felt… pity and emptiness. It was hard to describe.

Heather felt Haymitch wrap his arms around her. It took her a moment to notice that he was shivering in fear. There were rare times when Heather had seen Haymitch afraid and this was one of them. She didn't pause to take the peculiar sight and immediately went to comfort him.

She gently stroked his hair as his head cuddled her neck. Heather softly hummed to him to distract him from the screeching sound coming from the screens. She kissed him on the head and pulled him closer to her warmth. A second later, they heard a loud thud. Katniss probably shot one of them dead.

It was ironic. Days ago, Haymitch was the one consoling Heather and her emotional needs as her anxiety levels were up in the sky. But here she was. Holding Haymitch as she soothed him. Heather noticed how comforting him made her forget about her worries.

It got her thinking. Was this why Haymitch was always there to console her? So he could forget all about his worries by consoling her? Heather had no doubt he loved and cared for her and that he genuinely wanted to uplift her but she didn't want to neglect his own emotional needs.

"Katniss?" Heather heard Peeta say.

"It's her!" Katniss cried out.

"Who?" Peeta asked.

Katniss stayed quiet. Heather wanted to turn and see what was happening (she was facing the wall), but the thought was thrown out of the window as Haymitch was her number one priority at the moment.

"What is it, Katniss?" Peeta continued to ask her.

"It's them. It's all of them. The others. Rue and Foxface and. all of the other tributes," Katniss choked out.

Peeta gasped of recognition. "What did they do to them? You don't think. those could be their real eyes?"

Haymitch gently pushed her away, releasing her hold on him. Heather still sat on his lap to stay close to him. She looked up and spotted his swollen eyes first. A frown etched at her lips as she reached a hand to rub the dried tears on his cheeks. Haymitch smiled softly at her and took her hand to kiss it, making her feel slightly better.

This was her Haymitch. He wasn't the grumpy unreasonable inconsiderate man people perceive him to be. He was a vulnerable man who was haunted by the trauma that he was brought up to when he was only a teenager. And he cared, more than he'd let on, Heather knew.

Heather scrutinized his face for a few seconds before deeming him to be alright. She slipped out of his lap but still kept close to him and cuddled into his chest. Taking a deep breath, Heather brought her attention back to the screen.

The mutts began a new assault on the horn. They've split into two groups at the sides of the horn and used their powerful hindquarters to launch themselves at them. A pair of teeth got close to Katniss's hand. Peeta cried out as he was also yanked. He gripped Katniss's arm, and if it wasn't for her trying to keep them up, he'd be on the ground.

"Kill it, Peeta! Kill it!" Katniss shouted an order at him. Without hesitation, he stabbed the mutt. Katniss hauled him back onto the horn and they dragged themselves toward the top. Heather could hear her heart racing through her ear and she tightly held onto Haymitch's arm.

Hesitantly, her eyes shifted over to Cato. He still didn't regain his feet, but his breathing was slowing. Soon, he would be recovered enough to come for Peeta and Katniss and hurled them over the side. Katniss armed her bow and the arrow took out a mutt that could only be Thresh. However, a mutt was able to injury Peeta's calf

Heather watched in horror as Cato grabbed Peeta. Unfortunately, Katniss didn't notice him being jerked from her side. He held Peeta in some kind of headlock, cutting off his air. Peeta weakly clawed at Cato's arm.

Heather didn't know what came over here but the next thing she knew, she was screaming out her friends' names. "Finnick! Cashmere! Come here!"

Both of them came running over. Each agitated by Heather's frantic screams, fearing the worst. Although what awaited them wasn't good, they were relieved that neither Katniss nor Peeta was on the brink of death.

Katniss aimed one of her last two arrows at Cato's head, knowing it'll have no effect on his trunk or limbs because of his body armor from the Capitol.

Cato laughed. "Shoot me and he goes down with me."

Katniss wavered a bit. She couldn't shoot Cato without killing Peeta, too. Her teeth clenched and the mutts were eerily silent. Heather had a feeling that their silence wasn't a coincidence.

Peeta's lips were turning blue. If Katniss doesn't do something quickly, he would die of asphyxiation. Cato smiled triumphantly, thinking that he already won.

Then, Peeta raised his fingers, dripping with blood from his leg, up to Cato's arm. Instead of trying to wrestle his way free, his forefinger veered off and made a deliberate X on the back of Cato's hand. Cato realized this a little late as Katniss's arrow pierced his hand. His smile dropped and he cried out, reflexively releasing Peeta who slammed back against him. Heather wanted to breathe out a sigh of relief but she knew the danger wasn't out yet.

Katniss caught a hold of Peeta before he could fall over and follow Cato who lost his footing on the blood-slick horn and plumbed to the ground.

He hit the ground, the air leaving his body on impact, and then the mutts attacked him. Peeta and Katniss held on to each other, waiting for the cannon, waiting for the competition to end, waiting to be released. But it didn't happen. This was the climax of the Hunger Games, and the audience expected a show.

Finnick's shoulders slumped and he looked away from the screens. Cashmere glared down at the floor. Anyone who gazed into her eyes at the moment would be able to make out the hatred engraved in them. Heather covered her face as she silently sobbed. Haymitch was the only one who continued to look on. Out of all the victors, he saw the most of the many cruel acts the Capitol has committed. He wanted to remember those horrible deeds so when the day comes, he can remind them about their countless crimes against humanity.

Sounds snarls, growls, howls of pain from both human and beast as Cato took on the mutt pack. The mutts weren't able to weaken Cato fast as his body armor protected him. He tried to escape as he killed some of the mutts using his sword to kill some of them but he was overpowered.

An hour passed when Cato hit the ground and the mutts dragged him back into the Cornucopia. Now they would finish him off, but there was still no cannon.

Night fell, the anthem played and there was no picture of Cato in the sky. Faint moans were coming from inside the Cornucopia. It seemed to be cold as Heather watched Katniss shivering in the harsh weather.

Peeta's leg was bleeding as badly as ever. All their supplies remained down by the lake where they abandoned them during their flight from the mutts. They didn't have anything to staunch the flow of blood from his calf.

Katniss removed her jacket, her teeth clattering uncontrollably as it was still cold, and made Peeta lay down. She probed his wound and warm, slippery blood ran over her fingers. Katniss attempted to make a tourniquet as she cut a sleeve from her shirt and wrapped it twice around his leg, tying a half knot.

Since she didn't have a stick, she used her remaining arrow and inserted it in the knot, twisting it as tightly as necessarily. She then bandaged the wound with the rest of her shirt and laid down with him. At that moment, Heather felt proud of her for her fast thinking.

"Don't go to sleep," Katniss told him.

"Are you cold?" he asked. He didn't wait for an answer as he unzipped his jacket. She pressed against him as he fastened it around her. They remained huddled up together as they shared body heat.

"Cato may win this thing yet," Katniss whispered to Peeta.

"Don't you believe it," he said, pulling up her hood, though he was shaking harder than she was.

Heather yawned and she fought against her sleepiness. The fact that she was crying earlier didn't help as she was always slightly sleeping after a good cry. Yet another big yawn escaped her mouth this time. She dozingly leaned against Haymitch's arm and before she knew it, she fell asleep.

The next time Heather opened her eyes was in the morning. Just like a few days ago, she woke up to the sound of a cannon firing. She sat up quickly, startled at the all familiar ominous sound. It was a bad move since her body was still rigid and stiff. She grimaced at the feeling of her tensed muscles.

She tried to ignore the uncomfortable pain and looked around. Haymitch moved from her side to sit in the armchair. Next to her was Cashmere. She too was starting to wake up from her sleep. Heather was about to search for Finnick but the sound of Peeta's voice stopped her.

"Then we won, Katniss," he said hollowly.

"Hurray for us," Katniss declared, but there was no joy of victory in her voice.

Heather was confused for a second before she realized that Cato was now dead. A glance at Peeta's bare calf told her that Katniss must've taken the arrow out to shoot him since she didn't have any other arrows left. A mere moment later, a hole opened in the plain and as if on cue, the remaining mutts bound into it, disappearing as the earth closed above them.

Heather waited for the hovercraft to take Cato's remains, for the trumpets of victory that should follow, but nothing happened.

"Hey!" Katniss shouted into the air. "What's going on?"

The only response was the chatter of waking birds. Heather's heart fell as she stared at the hound. The chances of her earlier prediction of the rules changing again being true were higher than ever.

"Maybe it's the body. Maybe we have to move away from it," Peeta said.

"Okay. Think you could make it to the lake?" Katniss asked.

"Think I better try," Peeta said. They inched down to the tail of the horn and fell to the ground. Katniss appeared to be stiff as she stood up, swinging and bending her arms and legs. She helped him walk to the lake. There, she scooped up a handful of water for Peeta and brought a second to herself.

A mockingjay let out a long, low whistle, as the hovercraft appeared and took Cato's body away. But again there was no response to Peeta and Katniss.

"What are they waiting for?" Peeta said weakly. Between the loss of the tourniquet and the effort it took to get to the lake, his wound opened up again.

Heather felt the couch she sat at dip slightly. A muscular arm wrapped around her shoulder. She leaned her head against Finnick's broad chest and breathed in his scent. She wished that she was sad, angry, or anything in general. But she was empty. Tired. She was short on the energy to feel emotions.

"I don't know," Katniss said, looking anxiously at his leg. She got up, probably to find something she could use to help him. She came across the arrow that bounced off Cato's body armor earlier. As she stooped to pick it up, Claudius Templesmith's voice boomed into the arena.

"Greetings to the final contestants of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games. The earlier revision has been revoked. Closer examination of the rule book has disclosed that only one winner may be allowed," he announced. "Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor."

Katniss and Peeta started at each other in disbelief as the truth sank in. They never intended to let them both live. This was all devised by the Gamemakers to guarantee the most dramatic showdown in history. Heather was right.

And no one was happy about it. From the corner of her eye, Heather saw Haymitch pinching his nose in defeat. Cashmere hugged her from behind, joining Finnick in his endeavour to comfort her.

"If you think about it, it's not that surprising," he said softly as he painfully made it to his feet. Then he walked toward her, as if in slow motion, his hand was pulling the knife from his belt -

Katniss loaded her bow with the arrow pointed straight at his heart. Peeta raised his eyebrows as he threw the knife to the lake where it splashed in the water. Katniss dropped her weapons and took a step back, her face burning in shame.

Heather wanted to run away and hide from this. But something in her forced her to stay. To continue to watch this… torment. A slight piece of hope remained in her heart. And she wanted to believe it, she really did. But she was tired of constantly losing. She was tired of the pain that accompanied loss. She wanted to keep on hoping but she wasn't sure if she could take it, if her heart could take it. She didn't want to be strong. She was done being strong.

"No," he said. "Do it." Peeta limped toward her and thrust the weapons back in her hands.

"I can't, Katniss said before firmly adding. "I won't."

"Do it. Before they send those mutts back or something. I don't want to die like Cato," he said.

"Then you shoot me," Katniss said furiously, shoving the weapons back at him. "You shoot me and go home and live with it!"

"You know I can't," Peeta said, discarding the weapons. "Fine, I'll go first anyway." He leaned down and ripped the bandage off his leg, eliminating the final barrier between his blood and the earth.

"No, you can't kill yourself," Katniss yelled, getting on her knees to desperately plaster the bandage back onto his wound. With every moment, Heather could feel her heartbreaking more and more

"Katniss," he said. "It's what I want."

"You're not leaving me here alone," Katniss said

"Listen," he said, pulling her to her feet. "We both know they have to have a victor. It can only be one of us. Please, take it. For me." And he went on about how he loves her, what life would be without her but Katniss didn't seem to be listening to him.

Suddenly, Katniss began to fumble with the pouch on her belt, the one that held the nightlocks. Peeta saw this and his hand clamped on her wrist. "No, I won't let you."

"Trust me," Katniss whispered. He held her gaze for a long moment then let go. She loosened the top of the pouch and poured a few spoonfuls of berries into his palm. Then she filled her own. "On the count of three?"

Heather's jaw dropped open. She didn't even want to imagine how outrageous Snow must be at the moment. To others who were ignorant, they might've thought that this was a romantic situation. That this was an act of love. But Heather knew better. This was an act of rebellion. Katniss may not realize it now but she was making a big mistake.

Yet Heather couldn't bring herself to yell at the screen to tell Katniss she couldn't do it. Not because she knew it was pointless, but because she wanted her to do it. She wanted Katniss to show Snow that he couldn't control her. Finnick and Cashmere didn't say anything but she knew that they were stunned into silence. A glance at Haymitch showed her that she was watching this intently as she was doing. No hint of emotion visible on his face.

Peeta leaned down and kissed her once, very gently. "The count of three," he agreed.

They stood with their backs pressed together, their empty hands locked tight.

"Hold them out. I want everyone to see," he said.

Katniss obliged and let the dark berries glisten in the sun. She squeezed Peeta's hand and they began counting. "One."

"Two."

"Three!"

They lifted their hands to their mouth, the berries barely passed their lips when the trumpets began to blare.

The frantic voice of Claudius Templesmith shouted above them. "Stop! Stop! Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present the victors of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark! I give you - the tributes of District Twelve!"

One more chapter left for Part 1 :)