Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games! Only characters I own in this story is Rachel and Zapher(sadly). Congrats to the New York Giants for winning the Super Bowl! Yessss! I was soo happy! Hope you enjoy da chapta! Now READITH!
-Rachel:
You know how people say you don't know what you had until it's gone? Well it only takes me about three hours to realize how much I need Finnick. I walked down to breakfast this morning and saw him sitting at his table, I also saw all the peacekeepers in the room who will be watching in and if I make any interactions with him, he smiled at me. I quickly looked away from him, feeling the gazes of the peacekeepers glaring the life out of me.
I ate with my father, Chaff, Seeder, Ceier, and even Johanna joined us. We mostly talked about how we're glad the Games will be over soon, and how it looks like the boy from District Five will be the winner this year. Surprisingly he's not a Career, which I'm personally as happy as someone with my current life can be about that. Finnick had joined our table too, which, so I wouldn't be tempted to talk to him. I immediately stood up and dismissed myself, earning a grin from my father, and several confused looks from the others. Finnick looked hurt, it took all my strength not to cave and go hug him.
Once in the victor's room I did the only thing I could do, I turned my full attention to the Games. What's left of the Career pack is out hunting for the others, while the boy from five is happily hiding out in a cave he found. He somehow figured out how to catch the fish easier, so his cave is full of food. I heard the door open and Finnick walk in. I didn't even have to look; I know what Finnick's footsteps sound like. I heard him come closer, which usually, if I wasn't under the threat of if I interacted with him someone I loved would be beaten or killed, I would turn and run to him, but I didn't even flinch. I didn't even turn around or wave or do anything to show I knew he was there. But he knew I knew he was. I heard him sigh before he turned and walked off somewhere else.
So I still sit on the couch now, fixated on the Games. My eyes narrow as the ground by the cornucopia opens up. Then, I see ten big cats, I think their called tigers or something, come from the ground. They're not normal though; no cat stands almost five feet tall on four legs, or has razor sharp claws and teeth. No, they're mutations. And my bet is that each one is programmed to take down a certain tribute. My bet is confirmed when the camera close up's on the collars and the announcers explain that, in fact, they are each programmed to go after a certain tribute.
"This should be fun" I growl, I'm in a very pissy mood.
"Just what I thought too." I look over as Johanna sits next to me. We both watch in silence for the next hour as one of the tigers take out their tribute, the girl from nine. The tiger goes back to the cornucopia, the ground opens and it goes inside. Boom! The girl's cannon goes off of she takes her last breath.
"So, you and Finnick break up or something?" Johanna asks. I stiffen, Johanna and I, despite what others think, consider each other as friends. I take a breath.
"Let's just say I don't really get a say, and he doesn't know" there, she can figure that one out, she's smart.
"Oh, sorry kid" she means it too.
"Thanks" I grumble. We continue to watch the Games, most of the tributes don't know about the tigers yet, but they'll find out soon enough.
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That night I walk back into the tower. Tonight was horrid, a new man, a Capital man. Worst of all, a Gamemaker, who for a fact, I know he has a family back home. I shudder, trying to erase the night from my memory. I walk into the dining area towards the elevator and pull my jacket around me tighter. I wasn't hurt as much this time, my time with Finnick helped me figure out how not to get hurt so badly. But still, he hurt me; my new bruises can prove that.
I stop as I notice the figure watching me from the corner of the room. My eyes lock with the sea-foam green ones that watch me sadly, the expression in them. It makes me feel like a peacekeeper just shot me through my heart. I'd run to him now, but there's cameras. There's people watching those cameras, and there's people back home with whips prepared to use them on my friends if they see me say anything or hug Finnick in any way. But I can't be the first to pull out of our gazing at each other. His eyes ask the question for him without words. Why? Why are you avoiding me? What did I do wrong? I almost die right there, but instead I just shake my head slightly at him. No. It's not your fault. You did nothing wrong. He stands up, that's when I look to the floor, down to my feet, and run to the elevator. Leaving him alone, like I have all day, like I'll have to for I don't know how long. But I know it may kill me inside.
Instead of going to my room, which I know Finnick may check, I go to the victor's room. I'm the only one there, I'm glad about that. I take a seat on the couch in front of the main screen, I pull a nearby blanket over myself, but when I see the tributes onscreen I toss the blanket to the floor. They don't have one, why should I get one. I sit and think about my crappy life, I wish Peeta was here, he would know what to say, he would know what to do. Then a thought comes to mind.
What if? What if I just disappeared? Just left, like, when I get back to District Twelve, just leave. I could do it, go off, and live in the woods, by myself. But what would happen to Haymitch, and Gale, and Katniss, and Peeta's family. And Finnick, what would they all do? Haymitch would stay, the Capital wouldn't do anything to him, me being gone would be enough for him. Gale and Katniss, I don't know what I would do with them, maybe they could come too? It would take convincing, but I could get Haymitch to keep their families fed; we have more than enough food. But still, Gale wouldn't leave Vick, or Rory, or Posy, at least not without a cause. And Katniss wouldn't leave Prim, never. I could go off, see if I could start a rebellion, to stop the Games, to get rid of Snow. Gale would come for that, I'm sure he would. But there are too many things the Capital could do if I do that. We could get caught, certain execution then. They could kill our families, we would come back, again, certain execution. I push the wonderful thoughts from my head, one day, one day, maybe when Haymitch is gone, when Gale and Katniss don't have to feed their families. Than we can start a rebellion, than we will.
With these happy thoughts of a dead Snow, a dead Capital, in my head, I drift off to sleep.
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-Finnick:
Crunch! My fist collides with the wall of my room. What did I do wrong! Something's wrong, that's very clear, Rachel didn't say anything to me, she avoided me. Almost like she's afraid of me now. Why would she be? I know it's not because of last night, than she told me she would see me soon. After her visit with Snow, that changed. But it's my fault, I'm sure it is. Johanna knows whats going on; I could tell by the smug smile she gave me after she talked with Rachel in the victor's room. Where is she now anyways? I checked her room, she wasn't there. Victor's room? Maybe, I'll check.
Sure enough, I see her there on the couch. I go and stand in front of her, she's sleeping. Too bad, I have to talk to her, I need too. I shake her gently until she wakes up. Immediately she recoils when she sees me, glancing around frantically. Her eyes lock on a camera in the room, she doesn't say a word but uses her toes to try and gently push me away.
"No! What's going on?" I demand. She shakes her head and points to the door. She wants me to leave! She's biting her lips together, like she doesn't want me to touch them, or doesn't want to talk, or both?
"You want me to leave!" I ask shocked, slowly she nods; I see her lip starts to bleed as she bites her lips harder, holding in whatever she wants to say.
"Don't you love me?" I whisper, she closes her eyes now and looks away from me. She nods, than points back to the door. "Then why are you doing this?" I ask her softly. She just glares at me and points at the doors again, she pushes me towards them. Go! Leave me alone now! Her eyes yell at me. But there's sadness in them too. "Okay." I sigh, than I leave, more confused than ever.
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-Rachel:
"Congratulations to the final three of the seventy third Hunger Games!" Claudius Templesmith booms throughout the arena to the final three tributes.
It's been three day's since Finnick came to see me that night in the victor's room. Luckily I had been good and not said a word, so none of my friends had been punished. But I felt more depressed than ever, I hadn't talked to Finnick, had barely even looked at Finnick, for the past four days. It was killing me. I didn't eat much, neither did he by what I heard. Haymitch was happy I didn't hang out with him anymore though, that's one plus side, the only plus side.
The other six tributes had been killed by their tigers. Now only the boy from Five, the girl from Two, and the boy from Nine remained. The Five boy had been driven from his cave when he encountered his tiger for the first time, luckily he managed to get up a tree, than the gamemakers let him live longer and called the mutt off.
The Games end today, everyone knows it, and everyone can feel it. The tributes want it to end too; one by one it shows them all come out from their hiding places. No one knows where the tigers are; only the gamemakers at this point, my bet is they're stalking the tribute until they get to the cornucopia, which is where the three are heading.
I tense on the couch that I sit on, wedged between Haymitch and Chaff, as all three enter the grassy plain that the horn sits on from different directions. Immediately the two boys go into battle with each other. One wielding a knife, the other an axe. Within seconds the cannon that symbolizes the death of the District Nine boy goes off. Than the last two tributes clash together. Then the tigers come out to play.
Right as the tributes clash the tigers rush out as a pack. Creating some offensive formation as they barrel down upon the tributes. The girl tribute's mouth drops open as she points, the boy looks and sees the tigers. They quickly take off as one; now the winner will be the faster of the two. I'm on my feet now.
"Run! Run dammit! Go faster!" I scream at the television, they're the first words I've said in two days.
It happens too fast, way too fast. The tigers overcome both tributes at the same time. Two pounce on the girl, her screams fill the room, she screams until her head is snapped off of her body. But it doesn't end there, the tigers don't go away. They turn on the boy who is running for his life, the boy who is rightfully the victor.
"HE WON DAMMIT! HE ALREADY WON!" my screams are echoed by the other victors, we're all screaming our heads off. The tigers pounce on the boy; they toss him around like a ragdoll. And then, they kill him. I feel my knees give out as I fall to the floor. The whole room is quiet, no correction, the whole nation is quiet. The Hunger Games don't have a victor. There is no victor. They just murdered all twenty-four tributes, no one won. Nobody got to come out alive. Winning means fame and fortune, loosing means certain death. Yeah, unless no one wins.
Hoped you liked it! Now everyone gets to go back home :] but no until the next day.