Falcon Jacobs, 19, District Nine Mentor, Victor of the Fourth Hunger Games

I groan as I watch my screen go dark, the cannon still echoing into the wind of the arena. It's over. I've lost my second tribute. Harper is dead, and it's thanks to the girl from Twelve, Ashira.

I hadn't expected to get another victory this year. It had been much too soon for District Nine to get another, but Harper had come close. She had managed to hide throughout the Games, watching out for threats and hiding close to the hotel in order to sneak meals from their periodically. She had been close to victory. Until the flood. She had chosen the wrong tree to climb into, and it had led to her death by the crocodiles.

I walk out of my station, a sympathetic nod from Rosanna. She's just lost her tribute, the boy having been pushed off of the roof by the girl from Three. He had been smart throughout the Games, killing the boy from Three and managing to hide in the hotel without getting caught by the alliance that had converged on the hotel a few nights ago.

Or was it yesterday? I haven't slept in a while, and my head is aching from the pills I took to stay awake. I need a nice, long nap now. But no, I've got to go deal with my escort and send little notes to all of the sponsors of my kids, thanking them for their generous donations. I've learned plenty from the President and game makers on how to care for the sponsors. We need to butter them so that they'll return with more money next year, enjoying their newfound influence over the Games. After all, it's the first year the Capitol's truly participated in the Games. They've wanted to see that it's worth it.

I should do that soon. I don't need to forget it with the dozen other things I've got to do, including my memorial to Harper. Her parents deserve a donation from myself for her funeral. It's the least I can do for the tributes that I can't save.

But it won't hurt to watch the Games for a little longer.

Rosanna Gould, 20, District Five Mentor, Victor of the First Hunger Games

I walk over to Falcon, forcing myself to keep awake. I don't need to fall asleep yet. The Games are almost over, after all. The fun's just beginning.

The boy from Two roars as he stabs the girl from Seven in the side, sending her crashing back into the gravel. He stabs again and she falls still, her cannon booming through the room. Maddie gives a bark of frustration and walks over to us, her mood darkening by the second. Falcon looks over at me with a worried glance, and I calm him with a wink. He doesn't know what Maddie's like yet. He's still got to get used to her mood swings, to Clay's flashbacks, and to my nightmares. But he will. After all, he's a victor. And victors don't quit.

So I smile as Maddie stands next to me, her brow furrowed angrily. "How? How did that happen? I actually got someone who volunteered for the Hunger Games, and she goes and gets herself killed by the kid from Two. Dammit!"

I shrug my head, looking over at my darkened screen. "At least your kid didn't get pushed off of the roof by a tiny preteen. That girl's going far if she wins, you know."

Falcon looks over at the screen as Hallie falls into the water, the crocodile still clamped onto her leg as the cannon booms into the air. "So much for Hallie going far."

I shrug, looking at the mentor for Three. Grace walks out of her station and towards us with tears in her eyes, shaking my hand with a firm grip. "I'm sorry you lost your kid, Rosanna. You've been through it all. Only Pollux and Vannili have been here the whole time, and they didn't go into the Games. You deserve a victor."

I pat the ex-rebel on the back, drawing her closer to me. "You'll be alright. Your girl was good, but you can't anticipate things like that. You did the best you could with her."

Grace bursts into tears, looking down at the floor in sorrow. "She-she was such a nice girl - her and Emmett - she didn't deserve to die..."

Maddie nods, mouthing at Falcon and me to leave as she starts to speak to Grace. It's her turn to deal with the Capitolite mentors. I had to take care of the Eight mentors yesterday, and it had taken hours to calm her down. Capitolites could be so… so fragile.

Falcon smiles warmly at me, walking out of the door and into the hallway. "I'm ready for a drink. I'm so thirsty after tonight. Do you want to come? I'll pay."

I smile, squeezing his hand and turning towards him. "Sounds like a date, Falcon. You sure your parents are okay with dating an older woman?"

Falcon blushes, his hand going to the back of his neck. "Well- well, I guess… I guess it is… "

I laugh at him, walking into the hallway. "You'll be just fine. We better leave before Grace manages to get us back into the control room."

But it's not Grace who beckons us back into the room. It's the hundreds of animals that spill onto the roof of the hotel and off of the sides.

Maddie Fey, 19, District Seven Mentor, Victor of the Third Hunger Games

I step away from Grace, looking at the hundreds of animals spilling into the water. If you look closely at the screen, you can see the glazed-over look in their eyes. That's when I realize that none of them are real. They're all just programmed by the game makers to die.

Falcon and Rosanna edge back into the room to see the spectacle, Falcon gasping as the lion cubs charge into the air alongside their parents. "Oh, the poor things!"

Rosanna's busy watching the two remaining tributes, both standing still and watching the animals. "The game makers want a big fight, and they don't want any animals getting in the way. The entrance down will be shut any minute now. They don't want Sidney or Ashira escaping."

Seconds later, the metallic clang of the door closing makes us all jump. It's only Sidney and Ashira left on the roof. And they move slowly towards one another, both of them nodding before pausing. I look past them to Adira's corpse and grimace, looking at the peaceful expression on my former tribute's face. She could have gone so far. If it wasn't for Alexis, she'd have won the whole Games. She would have. It had been Two and Three who had messed her chances up from the start. Sidney had blown up the supplies, Hallie had stopped the girls from killing the pair from Three, and Alexis had betrayed Adira in the end.

But I couldn't blame Clay, the poor dear. The man was still in his booth, nervously eating the cookies that Rosanna had made for him after he had confessed that he hadn't left his booth to eat for half a day. He was perhaps the most dedicated of us all to his tributes. After all, we all regretted their deaths and remembered them in our own little rituals, but he had worked the hardest by far to get sponsors for his tributes. Even if the Capitol had been hesitant to sponsor the boy from Two, Clay had managed to get him painkillers for his leg after spending hours on the phone. No wonder the man hadn't eaten anything. He had no time in the day to do so.

Clay shifts in his booth and watches the tributes charge at one another, and I draw my eyes back to the screen. Sidney is currently throwing his spear at Ashira, but Ashira dodges and grabs the ax out of Adira's hands. I smile slightly, watching the lithe girl swing the weapon at Sidney. May she put it to good use.

Sidney gets slightly slashed by the girl and attacks back, punching her in the side before scrambling for his spear. He succeeds, grabbing the weapon and slashing at Ashira. Her pant leg is ripped and her thigh starts to bleed, the blood falling into the gravel. But Ashira doesn't stop, swinging the ax back and forth. It strikes him in the chest and the wound bleeds shallowly, seeping into his shirt.

I smirk, watching the ax back and forth. The boy doesn't know what he's in for. Because from what I can see, Ashira Marlstone has more fight in her than anyone's realized.

Clay Wolfe, 21, District Two Mentor, Victor of the Second Hunger Games

I open my eyes as I watch Sidney's attacked by Ashira once more, sending him sprawling into the gravel of the rooftop. She's found her groove in this battle now, swinging the ax back and forth with confidence and not dropping her focus for an instant. And when Sidney kicks her in the leg as she advances, she falls and moves away from him, regaining her defensive position and waiting for him to attack. The girl knows when to let go. And right now, that's the most important thing she can use.

But Sidney's still going strong, his spear clipping her in the shoulder with his next swing. She's got a few large cuts from the spear by now, and you can see in her eyes that she's feeling the blood loss. If she loses much more blood, she might go into shock.

And if she does, I'll have another victor to take home.

Sidney continues to fight back against Ashira, his spear expertly attacking the girl. He keeps getting small stabs at her before attacking again, his attacks short and sweet. He knows that he can't go for the kill strike yet. He has to weaken her first. And Ashira is starting to weaken, her face turning pale as she stumbles away from him. It's almost over. It's almost over.

Sidney smiles slightly as he hurries towards her, drawing in near to her before he prepares for another strike. But before he can manage to stab, Ashira doubles back and swings her ax into his side.

I groan as Sidney collapses to the ground, his side bleeding heavily as he tries to regain his stance. Ashira's hurried away from him, tearing off a strip of her shirt and tying it around her arm to stop the bleeding. It's a simple yet effective tourniquet, shutting down the possibility that her biggest wound could impede her ability to fight.

Sidney gets back up slowly, but I can see that he's still ready to fight. He's not going to give up just yet, especially when he can still win. His wound is bleeding heavily, but the teen is pushing past his pain to attack once more. He's found his inner strength.

And that can make all the difference in this battle.

Pollux Corrinius, 29, District Twelve Mentor

I curse at Ashira as Sidney gets back up, advancing on her and readying himself for another blow. Why can't she realize that she needs to fight! She could have killed him, but she had retreated! The fool didn't know a chance to win when she saw one. And because of that, I was going to lose my tenth tribute.

Twelve had never done this well in the Hunger Games. The first year, the two shivering, snotty tributes had died early, and the second and fourth had followed the same pattern of Seam children dying early in the Games. A merchant child in the third Games had managed to make it to the top five, killing three tributes and fighting madly with the other tributes in the giant stadium. But she had died in the end, a collapse of a part of the roof burying her with one of the other remaining tributes.

Ashira had said things about her heritage during her time in the Capitol, but I hadn't really cared. If she was half Seam, half merchant, she was still half starving. And I didn't want to waste my time on the girl. Granted, she had shown her worth in the Games tonight, but she had fallen from her heights of strength in this battle. Already, she was starting to crack under the pressure once more, fleeing from the situation instead of standing her own ground.

Sidney attacks again, his spear slamming into the concrete of the door to the stairwell. Ashira wanted to flee back down there, there was no doubt about that. But the game makers would never let her leave now. They wanted blood. Her blood.

Ashira throws her ax at the boy from Two, sinking the blade into his arm. The boy howls in pain and yanks it out, the deep wound bleeding rapidly. She's managed to sink her ax into his bicep.

I look away from the screen, my face turning green. I grab a wastebasket before it's too late, heaving the contents of my stomach into the trash. The wound's too much for me. I can't look at that. Why would the Capitol even air it on screen?

But the boy still fights, the spear remaining in his untouched arm. And he's still swinging just as strong as he has before, nipping Ashira on her side.

I should face it. I'm losing another tribute tonight.

Maddie Fey, 19, District Seven Mentor, Victor of the Third Hunger Games

Rosanna and Falcon are whispering quietly to themselves, darting glances up to the screen every-so-often as they continue to confer. I walk back over to the pair and cough loudly, causing Falcon to jump. "What's so interesting that you don't want me to hear?"

Rosanna laughs, looking back up at the duelling Sidney and Ashira. Sidney's fighting through the pain of his bicep wound, and he's just managed to sink his spear deep into her leg. Ashira's screaming, crying in pain right now as he wrenches it back out, the spear stained with blood. Ashira's blood. "Oh, we're just talking about a date tonight."

I raise my eyebrows, looking at the pair. Falcon blushes again and Rosanna smiles, stepping towards Falcon. "You? Together? Are you pressuring me hooking up with Clay or what?"

Falcon barks in laughter, the water that he was sipping spraying onto the floor of the control room. "Clay's too focused for you. You need someone spicy, Maddie."

I laugh, looking back up at the screen. "Maybe Pollux can heal my needs for a man."

It's Rosanna who can't contain her laughter this time, leaning down towards her knees as she struggles to regain her composure. "The man couldn't love a fly!"

I smirk as Ashira swings her ax again, clipping Sidney in the right shoulder. "I'm probably better off alone. Have fun, lovebirds."

The two smile before focusing on the screen again, Rosanna shaking her head sadly as Ashira is knocked off of her feet and into the wall. "So much violence in these Games. They don't have to fight like this. It could be so much more peaceful."

I open my mouth to protest before remembering Rosanna's Games. Only seventeen hours of mayhem, Rosanna had worked with her ally to fight off other opponents before quietly killing the last remaining tribute, the boy from One. A short Games was all she knew. But Falcon and I knew more. I can see him shivering as he looks up at the screen. He remembers. And so do I.

Sidney yells as Ashira catches him in the shoulder once more, stepping away before attacking again. The two are close to finishing now, both of them panting heavily as they struggle to breathe. The blood seems to be flowing freely from their wounds, trickling down their bodies and into the gravel. The rain has vanished into thin air, leaving only the dark clouds and the raging water beneath the hotel. There's nothing left to distract the viewers from this battle.

Clay breathes sharply from his booth as Sidney shudders, his face covered in blood from his wounds. He's smeared it onto his skin from when he had wiped the rain away, leaving the fearsome marks. He looks a proper warrior.

But Ashira's still fighting, swinging her ax back and forth and moving away from the spot where she had been pinned by Sidney. She's fighting back. I turn to Falcon and Rosanna, snapping them out of their trance. "Bets on our victor?"

"Sidney!"

"Ashira!"

The two look at one another and laugh, Falcon mockingly drawing away from Rosanna. "How could you root for the tribute of Pollux? Shame on you, Rosanna, shame on you!"

Rosanna giggles, looking back up at the screen. "I guess I just like her eyes. I don't know, the girl just has spirit."

"And we want a majority alliance around here. No room for Y chromosomes," I say, and the two laugh. "But seriously, I don't care. As long as they aren't too messed up."

But then Sidney grabs Ashira by the collar and slams her against the cement wall.

Pollux Corrinius, 29, District Twelve Mentor

I gasp in horror as my tribute smashes against the cement wall, her shoulder buckling from the force of the throw. The girl falls onto the ground and Sidney steps away, his eyes gleaming in triumph. But he crumbles to the ground soon after, another wave of pain washing through his body. He's out of commission for the moment.

Ashira's still motionless on the ground, her shoulder starting to bruise already. It looks broken. It's the end for my girl.

I shake my head and look away, watching Clay's reaction in his own booth. He looks surprised as he watches the screen, his hands clinging tightly to each other as Sidney continues to yell aloud. All the boy has to do is get up and stab Ashira, and he'll win. He'll win.

But maybe, just maybe, if Ashira has any chance, she might get up and stab him before he has a chance.

I see her opening her eyes slowly, screaming in pain as she attempts to move her arm. It must be broken, it must! The boy had hit her too hard for it not to hurt her. But she's got to get past the pain.

She reaches for her knife slowly, biting her lip so hard that it starts to bleed as she draws it out from her shirt. She can still make it. The boy is still spasming on the ground, attempting to get up. But he does, standing tall in front of Ashira and readying his blow. It's over.

And as he prepares to strike…

Ashira throws the knife, the blade spiraling through the air and towards his neck. It hits directly in the centre, and Sidney falls back before crashing into the gravel. His cannon booms and trumpets blare in the arena as a medical crew races through the doorway to the fallen victor.

A perfect shot.

Clay Wolfe, 21, District Two Mentor, Victor of the Second Hunger Games

I shake my head slowly and walk out of my booth, clenching my fists tightly. It's over. It's over. It's over.

And I've lost another tribute.

I walk towards the rest of the victors, smiling ruefully. "Guess I'm not getting any rest next year."

Rosanna laughs, patting me on the back and bringing me into the circle. "It's okay, Clay. We're all still alone."

"But we've got another now," points out Falcon. "Another one is good."

Rosanna looks up at the screen, watching Ashira being carried out by the medics and away to the hovercraft waiting at the edge of the hotel. "Do you think she'll be okay? That wound looked pretty nasty. I think the bone broke through her skin when she threw that knife into Sidney's throat. It's going to take a while to recover."

A wild screech of triumph comes from the District Twelve booth, and Pollux comes out with a wild, crazed, ecstatic grin. "Yes!"

We all burst out laughing and welcome an ecstatic Pollux into the circle, chatting about the new victor. Ashira was a good addition. Even if she had killed Sidney, she was still good. We all saw what she was able to do. She had earned her place at our circle.

I smile at the rest of the group, squeezing Rosanna's hand as we walk out of the control and into the empty hallway. "Next year, Rosie. Next year."

Rosanna smiles back, punching me playfully. "You'll get one sooner than I will. I haven't gotten any strong tributes yet, even though they're just the sweetest things."

"But when Five gets a good tribute, they get a good one." I wink at her and walk away, letting her walk behind to talk to Falcon. It's almost time for the press conference, and us victors and mentors will all have to face the vicious, excited photographers and reporters, eagerly awaiting a scoop. And this year, Pollux will get the most press surrounding him. It's a bittersweet feeling, watching another smile in delight as they're relieved of their duties, free to move on to other things, while I'm stuck with another death.

But we have another victor!

Ashira Marlstone, 16, Victor of the Fifth Hunger Games

I don't wake up until the sun seems to get into my eyes.

It's so bright in this hospital bed, especially compared to the darkness of that last day in the arena. It's almost too bright.

I look at the room with groggy eyes, the tiring feeling of drugs weighing my eyelids down, and there's nothing I want to do more then fall back asleep.

But as I see sullen Pollux sitting in his chair next to our excited escort, I remember what happened.

I was in the Hunger Games.

I fought in the Hunger Games.

And I won the Hunger Games.

A delicious smile comes to my lips, and I strain to get out of my bed. That's when I realize that I've got a cast on my neck.

Pollux realizes that I've awoken, and he smiles as he walks over to my bed. "Welcome to the land of the living! I knew you could do it, my dear."

I resist the urge to burst out laughing at Pollux, settling for a content smile. My dear indeed! Pollux is happy to have used the phrase 'my dear'. "So… I broke my neck?"

Pollux shakes his head, pointing to the cast. "No, you broke your collarbone. Now don't whine about it, you're lucky to get out. You know, your actions in the final fight almost cost you your arm. The doctors worked day and night for weeks to fix up the skin. You should feel only a slight pain in it."

I look over at my left arm, and, sure enough, a bulky cast decorates the length of it. Signatures from what seem to be the four victors and several mentors adorn the cast, with a tidy little sling attaching it around my neck. Great. Just great.

I try to sit up, but the bed holds me back and I feel a sharp pain in my back. "I guess I'm in here for a while."

"Six weeks, three of which have already been spent in here," Pollux states calmly.

Three weeks? I've been out for three weeks?

Man, Sidney really did me a number.

But I'm alive.

I'm free.

And I'm a victor.

And in the end, that's all I can ask for.

"Thank you, Pollux. Could you close the curtains? I'm feeling drowsy," I state, and Pollux obliges. He leaves the room with our excited escort, letting me float away into my dreams.

But they're not dreams.

They're nightmares.

I FINISHED THE FINALE WOOOOHOOOOOOO!

First of all, thank you all for your extraordinary patience. I took a long break during July and most of August for work, and it really helped with mental health about writing and so on and so forth blah blah blah let's focus on the victors eeeeeeeeeeeeee!

I'm high on sugar from my little brother's birthday cake, as you can tell XD

2nd: Sidney Fawkes, District Two Male, killed by Ashira Marlstone

Victor: Ashira Marlstone, District Twelve Female, Two Kills

Sidney - RoadieMcRoadface, I'm so sorry. Sidney was such a great character with a complex background, and he was a very good monologuer for me. Unfortunately, both my canon and this story could not see him as a victor, so he instead became a big threat and one of the bigger storylines in this story. I'm so sorry I couldn't make him a victor, but I guess you can't please everyone. I do hope you enjoyed his arc, and I hope I executed him the best I could. If you ever submit to my stories again, I'll be waiting with open arms ;)))

Ashira - goldie, goldie, goldie. 7 years on this site, and not one victor you had managed to earn. When you first subbed Ashira, I was unaware of this fact, but I really enjoyed Ashira for her complex background. I therefore resolved to do the best I could to complete her story arc, and soon enough, around the train rides actually, I decided that she was my victor! It hadn't changed since then, so you have the satisfaction of knowing I've been building up to her victory for a long time now! I aimed to make her take control of her background and unite her identity, letting her take not one side, but both. I hope this showed in the arena, and it'll definitely show up more in the last chapter.

Well, that's a victor for all of us! Congratulations to goldie, and my condolences to RoadieMcRoadface with one of my favourite characters here. I hope this story has met your expectations, and we've only got one more chapter to go! Woohoo! Let's see if I can't finish it and upload it tomorrow lol XD

Well, I guess that's it. I hope you enjoyed this finale and the arena, and prepare for the finishing touches on Ashira's tale! Until then, TheAmazingJAJ