Raining Grey Chapter 19, a hunger games fanfic

Thank you for being patient with me this past week! I've been traveling lately with so many ideas edits to make and had no internet connection for the entire weekend! AHH!

Any who... This is the second to last chapter. I hope everyone likes the ending to this story! It has taken me over three years to put together fully, post and re-post after changing and organizing, and finally creating this into a solid plot line. All I can do is post and see what people think! Please when this is over, if any of you could post a review on what you thought, I would very much appreciate it as any author would!

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-Miche

Chapter 19: Day 11, Everyone Dies

A dinging noise brought us all to attention from smelling the cooling burnt rock from the north. A small silver box, bigger than a softball, floated towards us through the storm and wind. Its red light flashed and beeped four times before a break and repeating, signaling it as for District Four.

"Think it's for us?" Grey asked me, reaching in the higher tree to hand it to me. I looked at the others, them at me, all wondering what the token held within itself. Perhaps I did spark a few favouring sponsors to receive a gift. "Considering the current conditions are your name sake, I think it was meant as a suggestion." he smiled as I opened the sealed box.

The smell hit me before seeing what it was, and I even could feel the warmth of its freshness through the metal. It was seasoned baked bread from Home. The lemon juice and seaweed leaves filing the cool air with the smell of Four. Fish oil was also an ingredient given away from the aroma. I looked to see the green, fish shaped, seasoned bread sitting inside.

"Oh my gosh-"

"District Four!" Grey smiled reaching for the container. He held it in his hands just smelling the freshness of it, taking it all in how much we missed home. Coal was next and then Willow. I lastly broke up the pieces of the loaf, evenly giving each of is a quarter, all of us smelling and gorging ourselves on the feast given to us. We had only had a bit of food these past days, picking berries and nuts, and only catching two small fish a day for the six-five-four... of us.

It gave me confidence that Finnick had kept his word on helping me as best he could. I had forgotten until now, and that memory along with another of him surfaced once again.

April was playing outside like she always had on Sundays. I stayed in with mom and helped her make dinner, reminding her of her ingredients and order of instructions. She still had short term memory problems since I was five. Sometimes she forgot who I was at first and dad would have to remind her.

April had discovered a bird nest a day or two ago in our front yard. I told her she couldn't play with the bird because they needed to stay with their mom like she needed to sat with ours.

"Even though our mommy forgets about us?" It broke my heart knowing she was that attentive to the world around her to notice our mothers hindrance. She was only five years old.

"Yes, even though Momma forgets sometimes." I went back inside to talk more with my mom and tech her how to make the roast we were preparing for dinner. Sax had taught me once he learned how to cook, and now I had to re-teach our mother.

I glanced out the window where I knew I'd see April but didn't see the brown haired girl. She was gone from my sights. I told my mom to stay here and not to touch anything. She had the capacity to remember that so I was safe. I grabbed my coat and ran out to look for my sister.

Saxon had lost her once and found her chasing the bird a few years ago. She was two and we knew she would be an adventurer by then if she was running around so much. April always had questions and knew so much. She didn't know how dangerous the world can be unfortunately.

It took me almost all day to find her. I even searched all the way to Troy's house thinking she may have ran there. Everywhere was looked, except one I never thought I'd account for. Heading home, I looked past the victors village, seeing the sun setting, and there I saw her.

She had someone with her: a younger boy around my age, who spoke to her quietly and pointed at the birds. he could be anyone! He could have taken her! How dare he touch her!

"April!" I screamed at her. She turned with child's magic in her eyes as I ran over to her. The magic faded as soon as she saw me, but I snatched her in my arms in seconds. "What in the world! I looked all over for you!" I was upset.

"I told you the birds asked to play, and you were cooking, and Za-za (Saxon) was helping Daddy-" she rambled a little story about he birds for me, hoping it was enough. Hearing her made me look up at the boy who had her.

Finnick Odair: The capitol and country's favourite Victor these past two years ever since he won the 65th. I had only ever met him before once when he visited our family's fishing store (per my Dad's request) to speak about business and advertisement for it. I was twelve, socially awkward, and had a blue streak of colour in my hair. We didn't really get off on a good note.

To me, Finnick was every cute, mischievous, and cunning boy there ever was. He flirted his way into anything and got everything and anything he wanted just by winking or smiling. He was a lie and cheat, and I hated him because everyone loved him.

"And then they flew away! And I had to chase them-" While April explained her story, he saw me and turned on his sly smile.

"We're going home." My feet took me in the direction, but her small strength held me back, her arm struggling to loosen my grasp.

"No!"

"We. Are. Going. Home!"

"NO!" She screamed back, pulling and begging.

"Hey...Ma'am..." He was following us. "It's okay if she wants to watch the birds with me-"

"You aren't her family or friend, so how can I trust you?"

"You just do."

"Trust isn't given, it's built-"

"And earned. Through practice." He stopped me by standing mere inches away. I vaguely smelt the ocean on him, but shoved it away along with him.

"Get away from me, Stay away from her, and if I catch you speaking to her again, I wont be as lenient." That was a warning.

Since that day, we never spoke again. I did see him sometimes walking in Four, however he would see me or April, and I would walk the other way, not giving him a choice. He seemed to respect that order of mine, but he still would sometimes look at me, not winking or smiling. That was what made me frustrated and confused even more so.

Now, being in the Hunger Games and having days left to live, I only wished we had gotten to know each other. We were in a good zone after finally sitting down and talking to each other. I knew more about him and that he hadn't a choice, and he knew me and just how stubborn I can be at times. Tears threatened to sting my eyes, but I blinked them from thought.

I saw a flash of white in the box as well and felt in it to find a small, rolled up, white piece of paper tied with a silver string. Opening it, I knew what it meant. It was a poem, my favorite and one I remember reciting in tenth grade for our Literature and Arts day.

"I hurl my heart to halt his pace
to quench his thirst I squander block,
he eats, and still his need seeks food,
compels a total sacrifice..."
Know where your heart is and what you're willing to sacrifice.
-F

Finnick was telling me something, warning me, of what was coming. I know none of us but one would live. I would die and Grey or the other two would live. It was my goal to make sure none of the their careers would survive this. They would die and my hands if necessary.

I knew where my heart was, or so I thought, and knew I'd sacrifice myself, but was that what he meant? was there something else coming that I didn't know about but he did? However he was able to figure it out, he made me start to listen to his teachings. He made me listen to his words and study them.

"What's it say?" Grey asked me, enjoying his bread, but curious just as much.

"Just a peom from Finnick."

"Oooh." he smiled and I punched his arm.

That night I fell asleep deciding where my heart was and if it was what I was sacrificing.

This wasn't supposed to happen. I was dead, wasn't I? I remembered seeing Zyre stab his sword through my chest and everything going black. If I was dead, why was Finnick here with me? Was he dead, too?

He stretched his hand out, which I took, and lead me towards the cornucopia. It was on fire and everyone I loved was inside. this didn't make any sense I thought I was dead. I told him that and he looked afraid, similar to the day I was reaped. he screamed at me to run, but I couldn't move my legs, or turn my head, but I felt as though something was behind me.

Another knife came out my chest and I heard Zyre whisper, "Rain, wake up."

Grey shook me awake as my eyes shot open. I jolted slightly and almost fell from my ties position in the tree we slept. Everything came back slowly, but the fear still remained. Grey looked to steady me, he noticed how afraid I was.

"You okay?" was what he whispered. Willow and Coal were both still near us in another tree, I was alive still and in the games, Finnick was outside of all this witnessing it all, and Zyre was who knows where. I was safe by Grey. I was safe for now.

"Yeah." came out a shaky sigh.

"How's your head?" Grey looked to it, seeing the scabbing taking place nicely.

"It's okay, I guess. I don't really feel any different, but it still is sore to touch." Where I'd hit my head, a scab had formed on my scalp. It was a bit sensitive when pressure was applied from leaning on the tree or itching it. I had no real way of seeing it, so guessed its visual damage by the feeling.

We'd kept a torn piece of clothing wrapped around it to keep it clean and covered. The cloth was from Maple's old jacket we'd had with us by after she died. It had been accidentally packed with our things that night of her sacrifice. However now it slowly had deteriorated from us using pieces of it as the days passed, and I used a part of her hood for my head, seeing it formed rather nicely.

"how about we look at that?" Grey checked over it, helping to clean it, and apply new bandaging, after which we had breakfast with the other girls. They'd woken upon my initial yelp when Grey touched the sore spot the first time. We both calmed them, showing we were only attending to my head before checking to see if Zyre was nearby. Coal relaxed and finished untying herself, while Willow just sighed and jumped down still shaken.

Why had it always been nightmares? Every time I was exhausted beyond recognition, I always woke up from a nightmare. During my first few weeks of training in Four, My father would find me muttering in my sleep and I'd wake thinking I had been reaped and killed someone. They went away after a few weeks, but came back when I was fifteen, for obvious reasons.

"What were you dreaming about?" He asked me, chewing on the last of the nuts we picked. Was I going to tell him I had died twice? well I would probably soon, so...

"Zyre had found me and killed me. The cornucopia was burning down and my family was inside." He was surprised I told him I was dead, and then Zyre killed me again.

"I didn't think you cared about your family that much." he joked.

"Yeah." What happened between Finnick and I flashed in my mind when he spoke of caring. This may bring more sponsors for us to win if I told him. "Finnick kissed me." Grey stopped thinking and looking elsewhere to turn and look at me "Before watching me leave." No change in the shocked expression as he sat. "Then he told me not to care about him once I was here. I'm guessing it was so he wouldn't feel as though he blamed himself, but-"

"Do you? Care about him, I mean."

"I've been asking myself that for a while now." My laugh was terribly fake.

There wasn't much action the rest of the day, just the occasional rustle of the leaves making us all flinching and ready. it would only be a small animal or just water falling from the upper canopy. We had a lunch of sorts from more fruits we found in nearby trees and water from the melted snow.

"So, what will you do if you win these things?" I got talking again with Coal about if one of us were the victor. "Do you think you will be the same?"

"Well, I think I'd still be me. I would be losing Grey so that would be difficult, but I believe I could slowly heal from losing him. Winning the games is an honour for anyone who's strong enough to win." That was what Finnick would have wanted me to say.

"Would you go to Finnick?" I had almost forgotten she also knew about him and I, and it wasn't a secret.

"I think he would be able to help me, with the victor part of it. I don't know if anything would progress into what people think it would," at that moment I thought of him and what he would be saying to me right then 'control your situation by giving them a show' and then of when he kissed me. "But you never know. I know i'm not going to win."

"You have more of a chance than the rest of us."

"That's not true, plus, if I was meant to win, I would have had no conscience going into this. I would have killed you the first day, but I couldn't. I'm not a killer, I don't want to be."

"Its kill or be killed here. Guess you have to choose in the end." she had killed Diamonde, so she knows how I felt after I killed the red headed boy. She knew the internal struggle of whether it was right or not, and being in these fast paced situations, she had no real time to cope from all of it.

"Are you okay with what you had to do? With Diamond back there?" she nodded, but one tear escaped her eyes.

"Yeah, it was either her death or Willow's." she sniffed. "I'm fine though. I didn't like making that decision, but I'm fine-" another yell erupted from our left, I dropped with Coal to the ground and behind a close tree. With her in front of me, her arrow knocked, we waited for any further noise. We were still stationed near the edge of where the forest met the volatile side of the island, so if anything were to happen, we could easily transition to one terrain or the other.

It wasn't until sunset that we heard what sounded like the cannon, go off. The others relaxed knowing only one career was left and looked to Grey for guidance, but I was left unsure with what that was. Yes it sounded like the cannon, but it was almost too close. The cannon for a death was more resonant and booming. The noise made just now was more of an explosion or man-made sound. Maybe I was hearing things...

The group followed Grey more to the edge of the wood, and we slowly made our way onto the northeastern land. When looking south at the mountainous, smoking cone, I saw it hadn't stopped erupting since that night Lockwood and Diamonde died. it was still billowing mushroom clouds of black smoke in the atmosphere, and the glowing honey like substance trailing down all sides but ours. Was this the ending? Where things slowly burning around us to bring us together so we'd all die? kill or be killed.

Another scream from closer, came running out of the forest and at us, I dropped behind a boulder as I saw who it was. Through what light remained before the sun was completely down, her hair was matted, clothes ripped and bloodied, and black dirt covered her face and arms in areas. She ran towards Grey, his spear ready. She wasn't armed and appeared afraid. That is what confused him.

"Please, help me!" she yelled running into his arms. "I didn't mean to... h-he jumped at me a-and... and i had no choice!" Grey pushed her off and aimed his sword at her, coal following with her arrows.

"Back up, back up! Don't come any closer. What happened?"

"Solar and I were just walking along, looking for food, when He attacked me out of no where. I thought we were allies, but he only brought me away from Zyre because he wanted to kill me. I defended myself and-" she struggled to breath from her panicking. "A-and I killed him." Grey looked to the other girls, looking for me at the same time.

"That's who the cannon was for." she nodded. Ginger was a lying, dirty, murderer who didn't deserve to be alive. I wouldn't let her kill any of them like she killed Titan.

"And now Zyre's after me," she was tricking us again into thinking she was defenseless. Just as she had with Titan! "He thinks I killed him in cold blood and wants to kill me now-"

"LIAR!" I screamed at her, throwing my only knife to get her away from Grey. I didn't throw it to kill her, that I wished to do with my own hands. She and he jumped back from the other. Grey pushed Coal and Willow away, and was shocked Ginger bare. "Not to them! You WILL NOT kill them!"

"Rain!" She yelled seeing my attack. She dodged and avoided some of my hits, but in the end ended beneath me. "Rain please-!"

"You will NOT KILL them!" I pushed my arms down, holding my trident above her face. she forced back and it was just a battle of strength whether who would live.

"Rain! I'm not lying this time-!"

"Yes! You are! That's all you ever do!" with each word, I tried striking her. She was able to force me off her, but didn't get far until I grabbed her leg and pulled her in. My adrenaline was raging through me.

"Rain stop it! She could be telling the truth-!" Grey tried stopping me.

"NO!" It didn't work. I would never let Ginger hurt anyone ever again, and if it cost me my life, I'd make sure she was going down with me.
"I swear- AH - I SWEAR!"

"Drop your knives then!" I had pinned her down after breaking her arm to release the last knife she had, and kept the handle against her neck. The others watched as I took all her knives out of her belt and pockets, throwing them over the cliff nearly three feet from us.

As we had walked the border, we came closer to where the cornucopia originally would be. The closer we got, the more narrow the rocky land and the higher it got from the water surface, forming into a good thirty foot drop right into the jagged ocean. I knew Coal had only two arrows remaining in her quiver, so i didn't expect her to help at all, but Willow had her rope.

"Rain!" She spoke, throwing her only weapon towards me. "just to keep her in line until we figure out what to do." I caught it and instantly knew what to do. I had the rope tied into a Surgeon's end knot. With nothing around to use as a post, I tied one end of the rope to myself with climbers knot to keep it tight. I would put it

"Fugly bitch." Suddenly she punched me in the face, freeing her good arm out of where I sat on her. My head buzzed again when she took Diamonde's move to headbutt me. "Thought I'd at least give you that for making me lose all my defenses."

Things shifted around me, my head feeling a slight pressure and warmth. It wasn't completely healed from when Lock pulled me off the ledge and I fell. I saw doubles as Grey came closer to me. He must have known what I was planning because he grabbed onto me as I regained control.

The loop I had made (for snail leaders) was known for its strength and simplicity. After twisting from the hit, My feet were near her head and made it easy for me to kick her in the face. Now in her own confusion, my hands found their way to throwing it over her head, before she could react.

"I gave you a chance. I gave you more than that. You deserve this, you murderous bitch." One last shove with my other foot to her chest, and off the side of the cliff she slipped.

Grey kept his grip on me by jumping on top, helping in weighing me down so I wouldn't follow her. We both slid a few feet as her body pulled the rope. Her scream was silenced by a crack i felt through the line, and was followed by a real cannon. Grey cut the line from my waist and I relaxed more knowing she was dead.

I wouldn't relax long. Our bodies tensed once more when the whole volcano erupted in a giant explosion sending plasma everywhere towards us.

"Grey, she was going to kill you-" I watched the orange glow before looking at it reflecting in his eyes.

"She was defending herself-"

"SHE WAS GOING TO KILL YOU!" I shouted, tears blocking my judgement and all. She would have if I hadn't killed her first. "All of you..." Willow was terrified of what happened; Coal the same.

Was... Was I wrong? Was it my own volent opinion of her that made me think she was lying? If she had been telling the truth-

"No. No... She had done this before, to Titan before they killed him. She did the exact same thing." The firey embers rained around us. "She lied."

I wish it wouldn't end like this. If only I had another way of making things progress so none of us would die a fiery and torturous death. Ginger was now dead, and there was nothing left to do, but go the opposite way of the path of the lava. Zyre was sure to show up eventually, otherwise he would die, and it would be us four left. If none of us were willing to kill the other, then the capital would do it for us. Seneca Crane would be forced to kill us all. The lava would take us one by one until there was only one left.

This was it. This was the big finale.

One more dawn,
One more week,
ONE CHAPTER MORE!

(Okay now I'm sad... Only one chapter left...)

And I dont know if you guys agree with how I killed Ginger (I previously wrote it as if she revealed she was lying and there was another battle), but I thought it would be interesting for Rain to be in just one mindset to kill her. It may not be morally right or whateves, but I felt it was what she would do to protect her friends and allies.

Please leave me a review to what you think it will end like or who you want to live in the end! :)

-Miche