Femme Fatale Chapter 14: Femme Fatale, a hunger games fanfic

Author's Note (Dec. 27, 2013) - This story is the 72nd Hunger Games. Yes, it used to be the 71st, until I realized Johanna won the 71st, which I'm surprised no one ever pointed out. So, wherever you see it mention the 71st, it's actually the 72nd. Thanks a lot! PS, if you're reading this, I'm still here. Reviews are always appreciated, just keep in mind, this was my first story ever, so be gentle!

Here she comes, you better watch your step
She's going to break your heart in two, it's true
It's not hard to realize
Just look into her false colored eyes
She builds you up to just put you down, what a clown

'Cause everybody knows, she's a femme fatale
The things she does to please, she's a femme fatale
She's just a little tease, she's a femme fatale

Harbor Aberdeen

"Greetings to the final five tributes of the Seventy First Annual Hunger Games. I have a very important message for you all. Tonight, right after the sun sets there will be a magnificent feast at the Cornucopia. We plan to serve immense amounts of delectable food, more than we have ever before served at a feast."

I scoff and roll my eyes before settling back into my sleeping bag, tucked away in a tiny crevice, completely out of sight.

"But wait, tributes. Before you decide that you are not hungry, listen very carefully to my next words. You will all be required to attend this feast. Yes, attendance is mandatory. Any tribute who fails to arrive at the Cornucopia at sunset will be greeted by some very unfriendly guests. I do not advise that you try to test your luck with this one, as you will surely regret it. We are looking forward to seeing you tonight, and may the odds be ever in your favor."

I sit up and cradle my head in my hands, horrible flashbacks are spinning around in my head and I can't make them stop no matter how hard I try.

Immense amounts of delectable food. My stomach grumbles as I am reminded that I finished the last package of crackers I had this morning. I lied to Celeste when I told her that I had taken enough food for a few days. In reality, I had only taken a small amount and left her the rest, knowing that she needed it to recover.

Attendance is mandatory. I think back to every feast I've ever seen. Every time it ends up being a smaller, but just as intense replica of the initial bloodbath at the Cornucopia. Reliving that is something I never wanted to have to do again. Even though I spent most of my time with Hana, transferring goods from the island to the cave that we claimed as our camp, I could not ignore the violence happening around me. The axe in the head of the boy from Nine. The way that the boy from Six slammed a mace into the boy from Twelve. Blood tainting the crystalline water of the pool. Bodies floating to the bottom, eyes still open and watching the gruesome scene above, faces twisted into the last emotion they ever felt; fear.

You will be greeted by some very unfriendly guests. My heart thumps against my chest as images of the terrible shark muttations flash through my mind. The sickening smell as they came from the water. The horrible way they snarled and gnashed their teeth together before they attacked. The pile of clean white bones and blood that were the only remnants of Daniel. I look down at my arm, which is still wrapped in gauze. It still hurts terribly though I try to ignore the pain. I didn't take any medicine from the supplies either, because I thought Celeste would need it more than me. Thinking back, I realize I probably should have taken a little bit, just for the pain. I hope Finnick is pleased with my noble acts of heroism as of late. Though in reality he is probably hitting his head against a wall at my stupidity. If I ever make it out of here I'll probably have two insane mentors instead of one.

"Perfect," I say to myself. "We'll all fit so nicely together. Crazy Cresta, Odair gone mad and the insane victor who has no sense of self preservation and talks to himself."

I wince at my words. I probably shouldn't be talking out loud to myself, I have no idea where Audrina headed off to and I'm positive that if she found me this time she wouldn't let me go so easily.

I realize that this is the first time I've been completely alone in the arena. I've had allies since day one. There was always someone to watch my back if something happened, always someone to talk to. Now more than ever I feel the fear sink in. I'm alone. No one is going to save me now. No one is going to help me fight back. If I run into Audrina at the feast, I'm dead. If I stay here, I receive the same fate. The cave seems to get colder and a chill runs down my spine. They're reminding us. They're telling us that it's time to go to the Cornucopia. I feel a gust of cold air on my face as I stand and bundle up my supplies. I'm not taking them with me, there's no need for them and they'll just weigh me down. I arm myself with as many weapons as I can effectively carry. I strap a few knives in my jacket, a dagger and a spare spear in my belt and I carry my other spear in my hands.

Blood starts to soak through the gauze and I am reminded of the searing pain that burns through my arm. It's been close to three days since the attack, and my arm hurts even more than it did when it first happened. I squeeze my eyes shut and begin to unwrap it.

When the gauze is off, I look down at it. The sight makes me want to vomit. The teeth marks have tripled in size and seem to be spreading. All of them are oozing a sickening mixture of blood and white pus. I know now that there was something in those mutts' teeth to infect the wound. To induce the terrible nightmares I've been having. To make it worse and worse instead of healing. The skin on my arm looks like it is melting off, and the pain is unbearable. Those sharks were meant to kill whatever got in their way, whether it was a quick death or a long one.

Tears well in my eyes and suddenly all I want to do is cry.

I have seen the effects of the arena on everyone else. Bravo decapitated three young children, and brutally beat a twelve year old to his death. Celeste went numb after seeing her allies die, and she worsened after Daniel. Audrina went completely insane after losing Crisis and carved out Noah's heart just so she could have the satisfaction of cutting it into a million pieces.

We're just kids. We're kids who did nothing wrong. We're kids being punished for something that happened long before our time. We're being punished for something that we have absolutely nothing to do with.

All I wanted to do is go home. That's all any of us ever wanted. We wanted it so badly that we were willing to go to extreme measures to get it. And for what? So we can spend the rest of our lives as a Capitol plaything? So we can return to the Capitol every year and relive our worst memories as we send other innocent children to their brutal and imminent deaths?

Suddenly, I'm not so sure if home is even worth it.

Aphrodite Gleam

Roman and I are heading back down to the caves when we hear it. Honestly, I was waiting for it to happen. I knew it was only a matter of time. It had been over two days since the last death. I know the Gamemakers probably let it slide because so many deaths happened at once. But it would not satiate their bloodlust for very long.

Sure enough, as we are silently stalking the caves in pursuit of any of the three remaining tributes, we hear Claudius Templesmith's voice echo throughout the cavern.

"Roman did you hear that? We get to go to a party!"

"A party?" Roman asks, her eyes shining.

So we're required to attend. It surprises me, but it makes sense. They are bored. They want their grand finale, and they want it to be over.

A sly smile spreads across my lips, and Roman's face mirrors my own.

"A party." I confirm.

We immediately change direction and head toward the Cornucopia, a plan already spinning its gears in my head. We have the element of surprise on our side, that much is certain. I have not seen any of the other tributes since we were dropped in, and if Roman has, they are surely dead. They know we are alive, and that is it. Most of them have probably written us off as already dead or close to it.

Oh, but they couldn't be more wrong.

Of course we aren't hungry. There is nothing at the feast we absolutely need. We show up and hide, that way we avoid being attacked by whatever sadistic muttations the Gamemakers threatened to send our way, and we wait until the other three hash it out. It occurs to me that this could all end today. My smile widens at the thought. To finally be done with this nightmare. To finally go home.

We arrive at the Cornucopia before sunset, the last few sheds of light shine down through the holes in the ceiling that we were dropped into. Roman and I find a small crevice that looks out onto the entire scene and sit down. We can see them, but they cannot see us.

"We wait?" Roman whispers.

I give her a small smile and nod, "Now we wait."

She seems satisfied with this answer and returns to biting her fingernails and making her little clicking noises. I look around the wide open space, my eye catching on a tent and pile of supplies tucked away into a small corner. Hidden, yes, but not very well.

I tap Roman's shoulder and point to the tent, nodding. We both stand up and noiselessly make our way to it, weapons in hand. The sun is just beginning to set, and I know that we do not have much time.

We reach the tent and I peek inside, knife ready to kill whoever thought they could hide away in it. No one is there. I exit the tent and realize that Roman is staring off into the distance. I direct my gaze to follow hers. Sure enough, an elaborate gold table filled with every kind of food imaginable has risen from the ground, no more than twenty yards from us.

I look from the knife in my hand back to Roman. She is so mesmerized by the beauty of the table, so distracted. It would be so easy, and almost completely painless. She had to have known she could never come out of this thing alive. A mad girl like her? She had absolutely no chance. I make my decision and take a few steps closer to her, knife prepared to slit her throat.

But before my foot even touches the ground, she whips around and sends an arrow straight at my throat. I fall to the ground and my hands clasp at my neck as I struggle for air.

Roman smirks at me from above, notching another arrow.

"I don't think so."

With that, she aims for my heart.

Roman Caulder

The sound of the cannon makes the table shake.

Finally. One more dead.

It's funny that she never saw it coming. It's even more funny that she thought she could kill me first.

I laugh and take a step back as the silver claw reaches down for the body.

I probably should have done it days ago. But it was so nice having a friend.

I reach for my hair and touch the braided halo of grass that sits on top of it. I feel a pang of sadness and regret that Aphrodite is dead, but it is quickly replaced by rage.

She tried to kill me. She deserved it.

Her body is finally gone, so I sit next to the small pool of blood and prepare to watch madness ensue. I dip my fingertips into it and swirl them around, making pretty designs on the cave floor.

I write out my name in blood.

Still, no one is here. I wonder where they are. Haven't they heard the announcement? Don't they know that they'll be killed either way?

I continue to retrace my name with the blood until finally it is all dried up.

As if on cue, someone steps through the shadows. I narrow my eyes at him. Why would he step out of his hiding place when he sees me?

I rise to my feet and notch another arrow. Slowly, with wide eyes, I make my way to him, until I am only a few feet away.

Still, he does not move away from me. I look him over from head to toe, my eyes resting on his arm. It is red, mangled and festering flesh. The skin and muscle looks like it has detached itself from the bone, exposing the pure white underneath.

"Pretty gross, isn't it?" He whispers with pain in his voice.

"It doesn't bother me." I answer. I think my high pitched voice surprises him. I doubt he has ever heard me speak before.

He laughs dryly.

"Of course not, you're the crazy one, aren't you?"

He nods his head toward my bloody hands.

"All of this excites you. You like the blood, and the death. It's amusing to you. It really is a game."

"Of course it's a game. Haven't you all figured that out?"

He nods his head sadly.

"I know I'm not going to win. I don't even think I want to anymore. This bite is going to kill me anyways, I'll never make it home alive."

His eyes are fixated on my bow, "But I still want to go home. I want to go home now."

I don't question the meaning of his words. I raise my bow and aim at his chest. He squeezes his eyes shut. I pull the string back and the arrow hits its target. He falls to the ground, and after a few seconds a cannon sounds.

"Harbor!" I whip around to face the voice. The girl from Eight is standing at the other side of the golden table with her hands clamped over her mouth and her eyes wide with shock and fear. I smile to myself and reach for another arrow.

Well, this is easier than I thought it would be. They're all begging to be killed.

Celeste DeWynter

My eyes widen as I watch Harbor nod his head at Roman. Everything feels like it is happening in slow motion, and she sends an arrow into his chest. He falls to the ground.

"Harbor!" I run from my hiding spot and clamp my hands over my mouth immediately.

It's too late, Harbor's cannon explodes and Roman turns around to face me, pulling another arrow from the quiver on her back. She notches it and prepares to shoot when a knife comes flying out of thin air and knocks the bow from Roman's hands. It clatters to the floor with a pang.

Startled, we both turn our heads to see Audrina stepping from the shadows. Her clothes, skin and hair are all stained with blood. I shudder, remembering what Harbor said about Noah.

"Well well well," Audrina snarls taking small steps toward the table until she stops. We are all at an equal distance from each other, with Audrina at the tip of the triangle.

Roman follows her every move with wide, childlike eyes. She doesn't look so terrifyingly demented anymore. She just looks scared. My heart pangs as I realize just how young she is. And Audrina. Even me. We're just children. Children with blood on our hands, fire in our eyes and ice in our hearts. All of it was put there by the Capitol.

"So it's down to the three crazies." Audrina drawls out, before laughing hysterically.

"I wonder how much of that was staged by the Gamemakers. I bet they had it down to the three of us from the beginning. We're not the lucky three. We're the ones that would give them the biggest show.

"In the left corner, we have Celeste from District Eight. The heartsick girl who never wanted to hurt a fly. Oh but she did. And their families are mourning their losses all the same."

Audrina turns to glare in my direction and I feel tears streaming down my face. She's right. I never meant to hurt anyone. I just wanted to go home. And now so many are dead, and it's my fault.

"In the right corner, we have Roman from District Nine. Roman excels at flying under the radar, but she knows how to work the audience even better than the rest of us. Oh the insane one? She doesn't even know why she's here. She's not stable enough to understand a thing.' You understand though, Roman. Don't you? You understand it better than any of us.

"And then we have Audrina Prescott, District Two. The girl who was given nothing but a set of knives for her fifth birthday. The girl who wasn't allowed to eat until she hit every target her father laid out for her. The girl who never misses."

I swallow the huge lump in my throat and look between Audrina and Roman. My heart is beating rapidly and I have never been more scared in my entire life.

"Who's it gonna be then?" In one swift motion, Audrina pulls two knives from her belt throws them in both directions.

I drop to the ground and roll away from it, but it catches on my leg anyways. I yell out in pain and yank the knife from my calf. I stumble to my feet and throw it back at Audrina's head, but she moves at the last second.

"Dammit."

I frantically run toward the lake, but when I get there I realize that there's nothing I can do. I am unarmed and Audrina can swim just as well as I can. I glance toward Roman and see that the knife missed her as well. She is wielding two knives now, her bow completely forgotten.

I watch in horror as Audrina tackles Roman to the floor. One knife flies out of her hand and the other is now stabbed into Audrina's stomach. I take a few steps forward and grab the knife that Roman dropped before diving into the lake and swimming to the Cornucopia. From here I can at least keep a safe distance, and if they want to kill me, they'll have to swim over here, which gives me the advantage because I can kill them while they are in the water.

I push myself up onto the island and take cover inside the golden horn. I watch as Audrina pulls two knives from her belt and stabs them into each of Roman's forearms, pinning her to the ground. Roman screams in agony and I have to look away. I turn my attention to my bleeding leg. I move closer to the edge of the island and lower my leg into the water. A few seconds pass and I feel a small, but painful bite on my ankle. I pull my leg from the water and stand up. In the water are several tiny fish with thousands of razor sharp teeth. They make the same terrible sound as the shark muttations did as they all swarm to the blood in the water. In a matter of seconds, the entire pool is filled with them. I panic and look back to Audrina, who is standing directly across from me on the other side of the lake, a sadistic smirk on her lips. I stare at her in confusion until I realize what she's doing.

She pulls the last knife from her jacket and throws it toward me with record speed. I am so paralyzed with fear that I cannot make myself move.

They say your life flashes before eyes right before you die. I don't know how anyone lived to tell the tale, but whoever said it is right. Small cottages. Tall textile factories. My father telling me old fairytales before bed. The pretty dresses that my mother made me. My first day of school. Rainy days. Building snowmen during Christmas. The day my sister was born. My father's funeral. Grandmother's cookies made with our tessera grain. They weren't very sweet, but they were home.

I feel a sharp pain as the knife hits it's mark and I lose my footing, falling into the water. Oddly enough, I do not feel the bites as the fish tear me to pieces. I do not see the roof of the arena. I do not smell blood and saltwater.

I feel warmth. I see light. I smell my grandmother's cookies.

Then it is over.

Audrina Prescott

I feel nauseous as the piranhas tear Celeste's body apart. Pieces of flesh float to the surface of the water and the disgusting fish start biting each other as they fight over it. She is not screaming though, which means my knife hit exactly where it was supposed to, rendering her a virtually painless death.

I swallow and turn back to Roman, who is pinned to the floor with my knives. Tears stream down her pale face. She is losing blood quickly. It is only a matter of time now.

I have multiple knife wounds in my stomach. There is no doubt in my mind that Roman damaged several vital organs. On second thought, it could really go either way now. I collapse to the floor next to her and wrap my arms around my body thinking that maybe if I apply pressure the bleeding will stop, but my efforts are futile.

"Looks like it's just you and me, crazy girl."

I reach to pull the knives from Roman's wrists so that the blood will flow faster. She sits up and glares at me. I open my mouth to apologize when a deep rumbling sound catches my attention. We both look upward to see that the roof is caving in. Rocks and dirt are falling toward us.

We both scramble to our feet and run out of the way just before a huge rock lands where I was just sitting. We are both pressed against the cave wall as piranhas swarm the lake and boulders rain down from the sky.

"Of course they couldn't just let us peacefully bleed to death. They have to have their finale."

I take one more glance at Roman. Her face is deathly pale. Blood streams from her wrists and her eyes are slowly closing. All of the fire and life in her is extinct.

Fine. If it takes a huge show to end this then so be it. Without another thought, push Roman onto the floor. I was hoping that her neck would break on the way down, but there is no cannon. I reach down to pick up the biggest rock I can find. Still no cannon.

I take one more look at Roman. Her lips are blue and her eyes are closed. She already looks dead. I'm sure she already is, but they won't sound her cannon. It is not enough. I raise the rock over my head and with every last ounce of energy, send it crashing down onto Roman's skull.

Finally, her cannon goes off. The sky calms, and all of the falling rocks halt in their place, floating in mid air. Roman's skull is cracked open, and blood and brain matter spew everywhere. For the first time in my entire life, the sight of such gore makes me vomit.

In a matter of seconds, the remains of Roman's body are gone, floating toward the sky in the cold metal arms of the claw.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is my great pleasure to announce the victor of the Seventy First Annual Hunger Games, Audrina Prescott!"

And everything turns to black.

Ladies and gentlemen, your victor. :) Please don't send me hate reviews or come to my door with torches and pitchforks if it wasn't who you wanted! I'm happy with my choice, and I'm happy with the ending. It wasn't as violent as some of you may have wanted, but I think with the final three tributes being all broken, insane young girls, there was really no need for brutal violence. We got enough of that with Bravo. Also, I am aware that the POVs in this chapter vary in length. I wrote what I believed was appropriate to tell the story in the best way possible.

So before you click the next button, there's one more thing I want you to do. (Or you can read the directions, go read the next chapter and then come back and do this.)

Leave a review for this chapter, telling me what you think:

-Who you thought would win.

-Are you happy with who won?

-The most shocking death of the entire story.

-The most jaw dropping moment of the entire story.

-Your favorite quote from the story.

-Your favorite chapter from the story.

If you do all of these, I will give 100 bonus points to your tribute in You Better Run, and if you don't have a tribute I'll give the 100 points to whatever tribute you want! :)

Thank you guys for reading, and enjoy the final chapter and the epilogue!