The final chapter!

Raeden Raicho - District 5 Female - 17 - Victor of the 248th Hunger Games

My eyes opened, taking in the bright, white light. I blinked many times until the room came into focus, and the Capitol hospital faded in around me. Looking down, I saw that I was wearing a thin, paper robe that covered the faint scars left by Valerie's knife. I shuddered, remembering the end of the games. Valerie's blood dripping down my arm as my head spun. The cat running towards me as I dizzily made my way to the ladder dropping down from the hovercraft. Everything.

"Ah, I see you are awake. How are you feeling?" A gentle and semi-normal-looking woman in white came into the room.

"Oh, I guess I'm okay," I said weakly.

"Good, good." She said absentmindedly, checking my temperature and shining a light in my eyes. "Any questions?" She asked.

"Um, not right now… oh, wait," I said.

"Yes, dear?"

"What happened to the cat that I brought with me?" I asked, worried.

"The guard cat? You do know that the Gamemakers were the ones who created that, right?" She said, looking concerned for my sanity.

"Yes, I know. But where is it?" I asked, insistent.

"I suppose I could ask," She mused. "I'll be back in a moment. Wait here, please." She walked out of the room, her heels clicking. I sat and waited for her to come back. After a few minutes, the doors creaked open again and she came back in, holding a squirming cat.

"Here you are, dear. I'm afraid he's rather keen to get away from me, though. He must really love you." She said, smiling slightly.

"Oh, well, it seems so." The cat was sitting on my lap, purring, and rubbing its face on me. "Wait, did you say he?" I asked.

"Yes, this is a male guard cat. He will protect you if someone or something attacks." She said, looking down at her clipboard.

"Wow," I said, unsure of what else to say.

"What will you name him?" She asked. I wasn't sure. Then, the name came to me.

"Kutsa," I whispered. "I'll call him Kutsa."

…

"I present to you… Raeden Raicho! Your Victor of the 248th Hunger Games!"

District 5 erupted into applause as I walked out. My stylist had dressed me in the same clothes I wore most days at home, just a little cleaner and softer. My long, black hair was pushed to the side and I had very minimal makeup on. They wanted to present me as the same person that I walked into the games as.

But I know that I am not.

I have learned things, like friendship, pain, hurt, fear, and the rush of adrenaline when you are forced to make a decision on something no one should ever do. The feeling you get when you murder someone. Everyone else in that arena was just trying to get home. We are all just children. We are all just doing what we're told.

As I walked down into the crowd with Kutsa twirling around my legs, someone ran into me and gave me a huge hug.

"Raeden!" She cried, bursting into tears.

"Lana!" I hugged her back, crying as well.

"I missed you so much!" She said, hugging me tighter.

"Me too!" I smiled. "But I'm home now, aren't I," She nodded, squeezing me again.

"I love you forever" I whispered, remembering what I said to her before I left. "And I always will."

Davina Chase - District 3 Female - 17

It was pitch-black. I could see nothing. Suddenly, bright sunlight streamed into my vision, and I looked around, squinting. I felt very weak as if I had been not moving for days. In fact, that probably was the case. I remembered drinking the water and realizing it was poisoned. How am I alive, then?

The only logical solution is that the poison wasn't strong enough to kill me, just to slow my heartbeat just enough so that the cannon went off and I was pronounced dead. They shipped me in a hard box back to District 3, to add to the graveyard of dead tributes.

"Dad?" I asked, seeing him. He turned around and pinched himself, probably thinking that he was imagining things. "Dad?" I ran towards him. "It's me! I'm alive!" I hugged him, and he hugged me back.

"How…?" He asked, bewildered. I told him my story, and as the rest of District 3 found out the news, we began to party and have food.

I have survived the Hunger Games.

A bit of a surprise there! Yes, Davina managed to escape the Games. Not as a recognized victor, but just because the Capitol messed up on the poison. What do you think of the ending?

Thank you so much for reading this story, I am glad for the support I got, as this is my first one. The sequel to this will be starting later (The 249th Games), but I hope you enjoyed it!

Have a great day, and as the Capitol says:

May the odds be ever in your favor!