Shine
Chapter 31
Day Seven: The Finale
Warning: This chapter contains violence and death. I do not own the rights to the Hunger Games.
A/N: This is it. This is the last day of the Games. There will be an epilogue after this. I'm going to say that I worked out what happens here based on what seemed most likely, without regard to favoritism or anything else. To four of you, I'm sorry. Your Tribute will not win. To one of you, you should be very happy. :) May the Odds be Ever in Your Favor. Enjoy the story.
Vallory 'Val' Stensland –16- -D7- POV
In the morning, we woke up and ate a silent breakfast. We said goodbye to the cabin that had been our home for the past week, packed up our supplies, and left for the Cornucopia. There was no friendly chitchat. We all knew that in a few hours, one of us might go home, and at least two of us wouldn't.
We arrive at the Cornucopia. On the other side of the clearing are two boys. We walk forward, into the center. The boys do the same. We all have our hands away from our weapons if it's practical. Serena is holding her sword, and so is Andrew, but they're down, at their sides. My ax is slung over my back, although I could easily grab it if I needed to. The boy that leads the way has a bow and quiver slung over his shoulder and is holding a sword in one hand, down and to his side. The other boy has a sword in his hand and a spear across his back. I know that Andrew has a pack of throwing knives in his backpack in easy reach. Everyone is highly armed. I take point for our group, walking forward and meeting the boy from the other group in the center. I take a look at him. He has light skin, jet black hair that stands out in contrast to his blue eyes, and is slightly shorter than me. I hold out my hand.
Kayne Lytch –13- -D10- POV
I consider the girl in front of me. She is slightly taller, with dark brown skin and hair. She has pretty amber eyes that sparkle at me. She's very fit, she could easily overpower someone physically. She holds out her hand to me.
"Vallory Stensland," she says. I shake her hand.
"Kayne Lytch," I say.
"I'm sorry for your loss. Emery, right?" She asks.
"Yes. Sorry for your loss. Falcon, if I remember correctly?" I reply.
"Yes," she says. There is silence for a second. "Can we talk over there," she gestures behind her, "for a second?"
"Of course," I say. "If we can talk over there," I point behind me, "for a second too."
"Of course," she says.
"Deal?" I ask, extending my hand again.
"Deal," she says. We shake. Then we both turn on our heel and lead our groups away.
Vallory 'Val' Stensland –16- -D7- POV
"Will that was intense," I say, looking back at where the two boys converse. "So what now?"
"Only one of us leaves," Serena says. "And I don't think it'll be me."
Serena Holden –16- -D5- POV
"What? Why is that?" Val asks.
"Because," I say. "I have something to say. I've been thinking about this for… a while. I don't know. For a long time, I tried to convince myself that I didn't care. That I would kill all of you so I could win. That I would show the people of my District that I could be a monster. But… but that's not me. I… I… I'm not a monster. I'm not Dermot. I can't just kill people. Especially not people I consider my friends. Especially not," I take a deep breath, "someone who I think I love. I do think I love you, Andrew. And I don't expect you to say anything back or feel the same way," I say, anticipating the shocked look on his face, "I know you don't have the same sort of emotions, at least not as quickly. I don't think you'd know romance if it hit you with your own leg brace. But I do love you. And I'm not a Monster. No one loves me, besides my parents, no one will love me back home. They'll just hate me even more. That's not a life. If I win, the one person I've loved will be dead. So I won't leave here," I say.
"Okay," Andrew says. "I guess neither will I."
Andrew Spayler –16- -D6- POV
"Why?" Serena asks.
"Because of what you said, Serena, somewhat. And I had always somewhat doubted it. I have no life back home. No one is my friend, much less loves me. Serena, you were the only person in a long time who has, and the only person in that way. And you'll be dead. So I have no one. Val, you have a family. I don't, they're all long ago dead. You have a chance at love. I don't. So it also won't be me."
Vallory 'Val' Stensland –16- -D7- POV
I'm floored by what Serena and Andrew have just said.
"Bu… bu… that means… that means. I mean, you two, just," pull yourself together, Val. I take a deep breath to calm myself. "Are you sure?"
"Yes," Serena says.
"Yes," Andrew says.
"O-o-okay," I say.
"I'll kill Andrew," Serena says. "For love, not for hate. Then we can talk."
"Okay," I say. I'm still stunned. I had mentally prepared myself to die, and now there's a good chance I might live. I only have to worry about the boys now.
Serena Holden POV
I lead Andrew a bit away.
"Are you sure about this?" I ask him.
"Yes," he says. He reaches into his backpack and grabs a knife, handing it to me.
"Okay," I say. There isn't more to say. I lean forward and kiss him, and for the first time, he kisses me back. I put one arm around him, pulling him close to me. This feels like a real kiss, a true kiss. A loving kiss. Then I move the knife gently across his throat. I keep kissing him until I taste metal and he stops moving. Then I gently lower his body to the ground and close his eyes. I move his arms over his chest. No cannon. I guess there's no need to scare everyone. I walk back to Val.
"Hey, Val," I say.
"Hi, Serena," she says.
"Look," I say, holding out the knife. "I don't want to ask you to do this, but… I don't believe in suicide. If you could be so kind as to…" I don't finish the thought. I don't need to.
"Of course," Val says. "Don't expect me to kiss you though."
"I didn't expect you to," I say with a chuckle. "Thanks, Val. You could always make me laugh."
"No problem," she says. She hugs me.
Val Stensland POV
I hug Serena, tasting bile in my throat. It's what she wants, I remind myself.
"Vallory?" A choked voice calls out from the other side of the Cornucopia. I release Serena and turn around, grateful to be spared from my task for even a minute.
Tontu Heinburg POV
Kayne leads me away again. I pull out a piece of paper I had a feeling I'd need and kneel on the ground.
Kayne,
I'm not going to walk out of this and I think we both know it. Finish reading before you protest. I wrote this last night after you fell asleep. Look, you have more of a life ahead of you than I do. You have a brother and a girl who loves you and essentially a little brother. I have a mother who resents me and Noami. And I do love Noami, but… you have more life ahead of you by a few years. And you have more people who love you. You told your family you would be the brave one and live, so I can't let you kill yourself. It has to be me.
Tontu.
P.S. Give Noami this notebook and the letters I'm about to hand you. They're for her.
I hand Kayne the aforementioned notebook and letters.
"But, Tontu, you can't-" Kayne says. I hold up my hand to stop him. I raise up my sword and plant it in front of me on the ground. I fall forward and feel a sharp pain in my chest. "Tontu!" Kayne shouts.
Kayne Lytch POV
I'm shocked. Tontu just killed himself. For me. But I might not even live. It depends on what the other three – I look over at where they are. I only see the two girls, and Vallory is hugging the other one.
"Vallory?" I call out to her. She releases the other girl, seeming relieved.
"Yeah, Kayne?" She asks. I walk over to her, starting to cry.
"Just, just, just," I try to pull myself together. "Just… Tontu is dead. For me. And… I'm sorry. I don't know what I mean."
"It's alright," she says. "Just give me and Serena a moment. Don't look at us. We're not going to kill you, I promise. No ranged weapons," she says.
"Sure," I say, turning and walking away.
Val Stensland POV
"So, where were we?" I ask Serena.
"You were about to kill me," she says. "Please, Val."
"Okay," I say. I hug her again. I pull her close and slide the knife across her throat. I gently lower her to the ground as she did with Andrew. I close her eyes and cross her arms. Then I stand up and look over at where Kayne is. He's crying still. I walk over to him and sit down next to him.
"Hey, Kayne," I say.
"Hey, Vallory," he says.
"Tell me about yourself, Kayne," I say.
"Uh, okay," he says, "I'm Kayne Lytch, from Ten. I'm thirteen. I, uh… I'm in love with a girl called Kylie Mino. She's a year older and she apparently loves me back. I have a good friend, sort of like a little brother, called Jose. I have a real older brother called Alix. He's in jail in the Capitol, but… maybe if I win they'll let me see him again. Wait, why am I telling you all this?"
"Because I asked," I say. "Look at me, Kayne, will you?" He looks at me, his young face streaked with tears. He's so young. I mean, he's seen a lot, for sure. He's mature, for sure. But compared to me, he's still a kid.
"Wait," he says, looking around. "Are we the only two left? Shouldn't you be killing me? I mean… you easily could have. I'm just here, crying and pathetic because Tontu died and now I'm scared of dying. You should just kill me now. I clearly don't deserve to live. The first real danger and I'm crying like a little kid."
"This can't be the first real danger," I say.
"I guess not. There was that one fight with Athena and Isaiah," Kayne says. "Oh, and Giselle."
"See?" I say. "And even if this was, there's nothing wrong with crying at the thought of your death. It's natural."
"Okay. But why aren't you killing me?" Kayne asks.
"Because," I sigh, "you have a girl who loves you. You have a brother and a life in front of you. You're a good person. Have you even killed anyone?" He nods his head. "Really?" He nods again. "How many?"
"Just one," he says. "She attacked us."
"Ah," I say. "You're still pure. You have life and love. I made one connection with someone and he died. I don't know if I'm ever going to find someone again. I don't think more than one person can truly love you. So do two things for me: First, tell me, are you and this girl really in love?"
"I think so," he says. "I know I love her."
"Okay. Second," I say, "make me a promise. Tell me that you'll take care of my family and my friends. Meena, Whisper. Can you do that?"
"Of course," he says. "But, Vallory -"
"Call me Val," I say.
"Val, I shouldn't die just because I was crying, just because I broke down at the thought of my own death. I know that's why you don't want to kill me. You think I'm just a scared kid and you can't take the thought of killing a kid. But you should. I'm weak. Maybe I don't deserve to live." He's right. About some of that. I don't want to kill him because he's young. But I also don't want to kill him because he has more of a chance of being happy than me. He hasn't done anything that will haunt him for the rest of his life. And he can be with the girl he loves, whereas the boy who loved me… will… I don't know. I could probably find love if I wanted. But then I think of Jennifer, the girl from One who can't find anyone who loves her. Maybe I don't need to be with someone. I probably don't. I was happy without someone who loved me. I could still be. But Kayne can be with someone he loves. If I die, two people can be happy.
"Just promise me that, okay?" I ask.
"Fine, Val. But I'm not going to win," he says, "so it doesn't matter. I should make sure you take care of Kylie and Jose."
"Kayne, you're not going to die," I say. "I've made my decision." I look at the knife in my hand. "I don't want you to do this, but… but… I can't. Kill me."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"I have two siblings. I could do this all day," I say.
"I can't win, can I?"
"On the contrary, you can't lose."
"Screw you, Val."
"Just kill me already," I say. I hand him the knife.
"I could kill myself with this," he says.
"But would you?" I ask. "Would Kylie like that?"
"Fine," he says. He takes the knife. "How?"
"Across the throat. It's popular today," I say.
"Fine," he says. I lean over and hug him. I feel a hot pain across my throat and fall back into his arms.
Kayne Lytch –13- -D10V- POV
Vallory falls into my arms. I hold her and I start to cry again. She's heavy though and I can't hold her. She drops to the ground. I hear the four cannons fire, and then the announcer's voice.
"Congratulations to Kayne Lytch, Victor of the Seventy-First Hunger Games!"
The hovercraft comes, bathing me in a spotlight. Peacekeepers grab the bodies as I walk up the victory ramp.
Boom
Boom
Boom
Boom
Four cannon shots are the last sounds heard in the Arena. Before the team of Gamemakers comes to redesign it for the next year, that is…
Andrew: Andrew was a good guy and a fun character. He was probably the smartest of our characters this year, and I enjoyed writing about him and his inventive designs. It was also fun to have an engineer character, as I'm an engineer myself (student, sort of. You know what I mean.). But he had no one to go home to. As he stated, the only person who had loved him in a long time would have been dead if he had won, and Val and possibly the other two had a chance at love and happier lives than he did, so that's why he decided to sacrifice himself. He was a good man. RIP Andrew.
Serena: Serena was a sweet girl who had been through a lot that hardened her. Her childhood innocence was taken away in probably the worst way possible and no one helped her through that. I felt bad for Serena, but she was a fun character to write because of that and with her biting sarcasm and attitude. As she said though, the one person in her life she loved or felt would love her, would be dead if she won. What life would she really be going back to? In her mind, Val would have a much better life at home than she would've. She was a good woman. RIP Serena.
Tontu: He was a really fun character. I probably could have developed his backstory more, but I like the way it played out. His relationship with Noami was really sweet and cute. I felt bad for him, being Reaped on his last Reaping. Tontu saw though that although he would have Noami at home, Kayne had Kylie, Jose, and maybe Alix. He also remembered Kayne's promise to his family to be the one to stay alive and didn't want him to have to break it. Also, he, as Val did, regards Kayne as being younger, and would find it hard to kill a kid. He was a good man. RIP Tontu.
Vallory: Val was a fun person. Her whole storyline with Falcon was one I really enjoyed, and I like her very determined, no-nonsense personality. In the end, she could have easily been a Victor if someone besides Kayne had been the other person left alive. With Kayne, she realized a few things: First, that the only romantic attachment she had ever had, even if she didn't feel as strongly for him as he did about her, was dead, and second, that although his death would mean she lived, hers would make both Kayne and Kylie happy. She also couldn't bear to kill someone she saw as a child (good thing she didn't run into any twelve-year-olds, Clear's storyline could have been very different if she had run into Val instead), so for her, killing Kayne was never really an option. Val was a beautiful person with outstanding morals. RIP Vallory.
The Fallen:
24th: Kayra Dawnbreeze, 13F, D10. Killed by a sword through the side from Ares Moretti.
23rd: Camelia Lloha, 12F, D12. Killed by a sword through the heart from Giselle Serpentine.
22nd: Char Alfand, 14M, D12. Killed by a knife through the heart thrown by Silk Daisly.
21st: Isaiah Lemont, 15M, D9. Sacrifice. Killed by a spear through the heart thrown by Tontu Heinburg.
20th: Brianna 'Bri' Tribiani, 16F, D11. Killed by knives through her heart and stomach thrown by Diamond Knowles.
19th: Diamond Knowles, 18F, D1. Mercy Kill. Killed by having her throat slit by Aster Ochs.
18th: Aster Ochs, 16M, D7. Killed by a partial beheading by Giselle Serpentine.
17th: Lustero Aldor, 17M, D1. Killed by swords through the side and heart by Giselle Serpentine and Ares Moretti.
16th: Ares Moretti, 18M, D2. Killed by choking by Giselle Serpentine.
15th: Becquerel 'Bec' Grey, 15M, D3. Sacrifice. Killed by tracker after transferring his Shine moment to his step-sister, Clear Palatino. Killed by the Capitol.
14th: Athena Rye, 14F, D9. Killed by being ripped apart by a Capitol mutt. Killed by the Capitol.
13th: Rhylee Kaski, 16F, D8. Killed by being ripped apart by a Capitol mutt. Target and killed by the Capitol for inciting a rebellion.
12th: Thia Zollis, 16F, D4. Killed by being ripped apart by a Capitol mutt. Killed by the Capitol.
11th: Silk Daisly, 16M, D8. Killed by a sword the chest and being beheaded by Serena Holden and Vallory Stensland respectively.
10th: Falcon Lockdust, 17M, D4. Killed by an infection resulting from a wound incurred in a fight with Silk Daisly.
9th: Clear Palatino, 12F, D3. Killed by electrocution from tracker. Killed by President Snow.
8th: Harper Satin, 16F, D6. Killed by a sword through the stomach by Serena Holden.
7th: Emery Colt, 17M, D5. Killed by having his throat slit by Giselle Serpentine.
6th: Giselle Serpentine, 16F, D2. Killed by an arrow through the heart from Kayne Lytch.
5th: Andrew Spayler, 16M, D6. Sacrifice. Killed by having his throat slit by Serena Holden.
4th: Tontu Heinburg, 18M, D11. Sacrifice. Killed by impaling himself on his sword.
3rd: Serena Holden, 16F, D5. Sacrifice. Killed by having her throat slit by Vallory Stensland.
2nd: Vallory 'Val' Stensland, 16F, D7. Sacrifice. Killed by having her throat slit by Kayne Lytch.
Winner: Kayne Lytch, 13M, D10.
A/N: Welp, I'm choked up now. I hope that you're not too angry with me. I feel like I did my best, and I hope you guys enjoyed it. Sorry for all of you who didn't win, nothing personal, it's just the way the Hunger Games are. Ironically, if you submit a horrible person, you know they're not going to win, but all of the characters who died today died because they were too good, and couldn't just fight it out. :) There will be an epilogue, so stay tuned for that and tell me what you thought of the finale. Until next time. – JStar14H
