The Feast
I waited for the perfect night. I checked the screens. Thresh was in the golden wheat. Cato and Clove were scourging the ground for other Tributes. Mindy Crawford was following slyly behind Cato and Clove, ducking behind trees with every look back. Peeta was resting in the cave and Katniss was standing just outside. I pressed the golden button and trumpets blared.
Claudius Templesmith read off a prompt that an Avox was holding in front of him. He invited the Tributes to a special feast, with something each District pair and or sole Tribute needed most.
There was silence on the screens, then motion on a screen caught my eye. It was Mindy Crawford. Using the distraction of Cato and Clove, Mindy was now darting through the trees. She burst out of the trees and flew across the field, making her way inside the Cornucopia. What a clever little girl.
A silver parachute plummeted down Katniss's screen landing in front of the cave. When Katniss finished arguing with Peeta and opened it, she discovered sleep syrup. Ahhhh...now I understood.
As the screens grew dark with night, I went down to the underground tracks and waited at the edge. The Avoxs would be arriving with the Tributary Feast items.
A light appeared against the long, black corridor. I squinted and could just make out a cart arriving, the first of 4.
SQUEEAAALL!
The cart came screeching to a halt. A very tall, thin Avox handed me a gigantic, empty yellow bag marked 2. Then he reached down and heaved a great pile of indestructible armor into it. With that he carried it into the main room and marched back to the cart, which squealed away.
Another came with a short, muscular Avox who pulled out a bluish green bag marked 4. It had a large screen that detected heat in it.
A fatter Avox arrived with a red bag full of food marked 5.
Finally, the final cart arrived and my mouth fell open, a gasp escaping my lips.
"Solena!" I yelled, a shocked hand flew to my mouth, stifling my outcry.
It was my redheaded Avox, and she had a small orange backpack marked 12, holding an injection of Pandoramine, the best medicine in the Capitol. As the cart pulled away, Solena looked back and mouthed "Mockingjay!" I understood. She wanted both Katniss and Peeta to win.
You and me both, I thought, but as President Snow said, there can only be one. If only...
The Gamemakers appeared and I pushed the traitorous thoughts from my mind. Back in the Main Room, the hologram table had been cleared. The 4 bags had been placed on it and Avoxs were sliding it up the long path of stairs that ended in the ceiling that had been closed ever since I had come in. The muscular Avoxs huddled underneath the table. Then we waited.
On the screens, the Tributes were also waiting...
Thresh had left the wheat field, armed with a large rock, was now waiting behind a tree.
Cato was high up in another tree, Clove waiting at the base.
Mindy was in the far back of the golden Cornucopia.
Katniss was in her bushy hiding spot.
With the first streatch of dawn, I slammed down a red button and bellowed...
" NOW!!!"
The ceiling mouth opened. With perfect precision the Avoxs lifted the Table up throwing it into the air. I slammed down the red button and the ceiling closed once again. Perfect.
Another, slightly smaller hologram table was ruched in and I took my seat and watched the bloodshed.
Mindy Crawford darted out of the Cornucopia, grabbed her bag and vanished into the trees, unscathed. I turned to another screen to see Katniss flying across the field. With another turn I saw Clove, unsheathing her knives, sharpening them a moment, and then running after Katniss. Katniss dodges a knife, grabs her bag and swivels around......
Scarlet blood spurts out of Katniss's face as the knife burrows into it.
"BELL!" I cry, the other Gamemakers turning to me shocked. " I mean, stupid Katniss, I wanted her to win."
Then I see Thresh's screen. He's running forward to kill them both, then stops when he hears Clove mention Rue. He picks her up and hurls her into the ground. Releasing Katniss, he drives the great jagged rock into Clove's face. Crimson floods out of Clove's face, dousing the grass in a pool of blood.
" Clove, I'm coming!" Cato falls out of the tree and yelps as he hits the ground on his back, a branch slicing across his face. Recovering he runs after her, as Katniss almost is at the woods. I hear the EKG flatline and hit the Cannon, Clove's screen going black. Thresh grabs both remaining backpacks and runs into the wheat, Cato hot on his heels.
Maybe this Feast had been overkill, but that is exactly what President Snow had wanted.