Clair Mushroom- District Seven female (17)

Alysanne went still. A cannon boomed. I looked down at her body, all pale and slick with blood. It was horrible. But I looked at it for a long time. I looked down at it because I knew what would happen when I looked away. Oaken huddled next to me, equally rapt on something less horrible than the alternative.

At last I looked up. Oaken's eyes met mine. They mirrored the horror and panic and dread I'd been trying to avoid. His face was drawn and pale like Alysanne's.

"What are we going to do?" I asked.

Oaken Mushroom- District Seven male (17)

It was like trying to hide from the Grim Reaper. All this time I'd blocked it from my mind. I'd chased it from my thoughts like a junkyard dog driving away intruders. It grew nearer and nearer and I'd put my fingers in my ears and I'd turned away to look anywhere else. But at last it had found me. Clair and I were the final two.

"What are we going to do?" Clair's voice was frail. She sounded so much younger than she was. It was a voice I hadn't heard since she was six years old asking to sleep in my bed since she'd heard something scratching at the window. I'd protected her then but what was I going to do now?

I had no answer.

Clair wound her fingers in the sleeves of my shirt and pulled me close. She nuzzled her face into my shoulder and cried. I cradled her head and stroked her hair and cried too. We clung to each other and cried at letting go.

Some minutes later I jostled Clair when I started to stand. She stood with me, looking at me with confusion. She leaned against me a little at the obvious pain in the leg Alysanne had injured.

"Let's get out of here, anyway," I said. Whatever we did, I wanted to be away from Alysanne's body. Clair put a hand to her cheek and I noticed her bandage was moist with seeping blood.

I didn't remember walking down the hallway until we found a room with a first aid kit. The time passed in a haze of near-catatonic shock. My hands went through robotic motions of helping Clair peel off her bandage, rewipe her seeping wound, and rebinding it. And when we were done our last excuse was ripped away.

"We're the last two," I said, as if I was a small child and I was explaining it to myself.

"They're not gonna let two people win," Clair said in the same tone. She stared at me with the expression of someone crawling in the desert who knows the oasis they see is a mirage.

"I'd rather die than kill you," I said.

"I'd rather die than kill you," Clair said.

I flinched like she'd hit me. "Don't say that!" I said.

"You just said it to me," Clair's voice and eyes hardened. She was readying herself to cut me off if I said what she knew I wanted to say.

I couldn't argue with her. I understood now what people meant when they said they 'didn't have the heart'. My body was overwhelmed with waves of dread so that just sitting and trying to think was all I could conceive of doing. I wanted to lie down and never move again.

"What if we just don't?" Clair asked. "The Gamemakers will send something eventually but at least it won't be us."

But what if it's you? I couldn't think about it. I couldn't think. I saw Clair sitting opposite me. The sun-highlights in her hair. Her eyes like the sky reflected in amber. Her face, her shape, her love, her light, her fragility, her wonder. My sister, my twin, half of me. To lose her was to look in a mirror and have no reflection. Let me die, Clair. Let my lose my life before my soul.

Clair Mushroom- District Seven female (17)

Oaken wanted to die for me. He'd always thought of himself as my protector. He thought I had so much to give the world and I'd do great things. But brother, the greatest thing anyone can do is die for someone else. Oaken was so busy with protecting me he couldn't see he was worthy of being protected. That I loved him as burning and faithful as he loved me.

"They'll come for us," I said. The Capitol would have its blood. The Capitol would have its Victor. All we could pray is that they saw our gesture as denial caused by love and not rebellion. I didn't want to rebel. I had neither the courage nor the hope to oppose them. I just wanted time with my brother.

"They'll come for us," I repeated. "But not right away. They're gracious benefactors." My voice went bitter and my mouth curled, more on one side than the other- half my face had been numb and stiff since Alysanne hit where Flint had cut. "They'll give us some time. Twenty-four hours, maybe. We have twenty-four hours."

Oaken looked up at the clock on the wall. It was 10:48 at night. One sunrise. One day. One sunset. Then judgment day.

"That's so short," Oaken said like a man bereaved. I knew he was holding back. He was pretending to agree and even was agreeing, sort of, but he still wanted to be the one to die. He held that in his heart and refused to let it from his grasp.

"So what do we do?" I asked, almost feeling something like giddiness. "What do we do on our last day on Earth?" I could have said our last day together, I suppose. But what I had said wasn't wrong. It was our last day on Earth.

Oaken's face went distant. He seemed to look into something that couldn't be seen with the eyes. "We were always going to have a last day, weren't we? All families do. It's just most of them don't know it when it happens."

I forced a smile. "This is already dark enough. How about something sillier? We have a whole day in a big, empty Arena to do whatever we want."

"Right. Let's do some stupid silly things," Oaken said. "But one serious thing let's get out of the way."

Oaken Mushroom- District Seven male

Clair Mushroom, Seventeen years old

My worldly wealth I leave to Alma Worden toward the free medical care she provides from her herbalist practice.

My brother Oaken Mushroom is to have first pick of my worldly possessions. Those he does not wish to keep will be passed to my parents, Fisher and Ivy Mushroom, who may retain any sentimental items they so choose and may distribute the rest to the children of Seven. In exception, my collection of foraged stones I leave to Lilac Marone, who always admired them.

I entrust the care and love of my hawk Juniper to my brother. If she has become feral in my absence he need not make any attempt to retame her.

I wish for my remains to be scattered on the top of Potem Falls. My parents and Oaken are entitled to preserve a portion for themselves and may display or inter it as they please.

My own will was a little more verbose. Clair was happiest in her own company but I had a lot of friends and connections. Neither of wills needed be very complicated. Whichever of us lived would fill in the gaps in the other party's will.

Oaken Mushroom, Seventeen years old

My worldly wealth I leave to the District Seven public school for purchase of musical instruments. My flute I leave to Aster Grayling and my drums I leave to Mariposa Deen.

To Hickory Sewell I leave an apology for throwing a walnut at him and running away. I did not think it would hit him right in the head.

To Robin Hook I leave my obsidian arrowhead.

Clair can pick through all my other things and then my parents Fisher and Ivy can. Any toys and books that are left I leave to the Ladies of Mercy Children's Home. They can have all the furniture and things too if they want.

This isn't exactly a bequeath but Clair should use some of her fabulous winnings to plant a tree by her waterfall. Maybe she can name it after me if she wants.

You all can do whatever you want with my remains but please put a little bit (either some ashes or some hair or something) into a little locket and put it as high as you can into the tallest tree you can. In a knothole so it stays stuck.

We both signed our wills and signed each other's as witness. Clair held hers up toward the walls and turned in a circle.

"There. Wherever the cameras are you saw it. Our witnesses are all of Panem," she said. I did the same with mine. After the presentation we waited for a bit. If the Capitol was going to have a change of heart and let us both win this would be the moment.

A parachute fell from the air vent above us.

Loki Saberhagen- District Seven mentor

It happening like this was the cruelest blessing I could imagine. I was going to bring home my first Tribute at the same moment I watched my Tribute die. Clair and Oaken were writing wills. I was watching two teenagers write their wills.

On the camera Clair straightened and held her will up for the audience to see. Oaken did the same. They stood with their wills clutched to their chests and looked at cameras they couldn't see.

They're hoping, I realized. Though they knew it couldn't happen they were still wishing for the Capitol to show a soul. They would have to wait a long, long time. I pulled up my paltry sponsor funds- most of it sent by the Mushrooms' families- and made a selection. Clair and Oaken didn't need anything. Nothing I could send could help them. I sent something- two little maple syrup candies- so I could attach a note and stop their useless waiting. Oaken grabbed the parachute and Clair took out the note.

My heart breaks for both of you.

The District Six epitaphs and stuff will come next chapter since I didn't want to break the flow.