That night, the only face in the sky was Hollis's. I can't believe Devin survived Quaid's spear. Maybe they received medicine as well. These Games are never fair. As I slept in Quaid's arms, my dreams were filled with disturbing images. Faith with the knife in her back. Hollis, dead on the ground with my knife in her neck. Stiles, dead with seven others during the bloodbath. The dreams wouldn't stop. Will these memories ever go away?
The last picture in my mind is Jace. It happens so fast. Jace is reaped for the Hunger Games. He is dressed in a stupid cowboy outfit. He gets a six in training. His interview with Dusk makes him appear weak. He is slain by a tribute from District 2. His cannon is the first to fire. My mom, dad, Jetta, and I receive him in a wooden carton.
No! That won't happen. The only brother/sister pair who entered the Games were Gloss and Cashmere, and they won the Games back to back. The Caldwell's never get picked for the Games. Neither does Mayor Underbaker's children. Jace and Jetta will never go through the tortures of the Games like I did.
When I wake up, I am still in Quaid's protective arms. He's still asleep and holding onto me. The fire is nothing but embers and the sun is brightly shining. How long have we been asleep? I reach for my cheek, but I can't feel the wound. Has it vanished? The Capitol has some of the best doctors and researchers in medicine. They can make your scars vanish and wound close up.
Maybe that is why Devin is still alive. This medicine is a blessing and a curse.
Quaid stirs as his eyes open. "Morning, Cowgirl." He says, voice groggy.
"Morning, Gem Boy." I reply, sitting up. "How was your sleep?"
"Fine. How about yours?"
"I just kept thinking of the deaths that I caused. I killed four tributes."
"So? I remember one year, a boy from One or Two killed almost all the tributes himself."
"I know. Can you believe Devin is still alive? I thought he was dead."
"That medicine must be really high quality stuff. It could have closed the wound on Devin's stomach."
We eat our makeshift lunch, leftover turkey from Quaid's sponsor, blueberries, and beef jerky. We pack up a few necessities before heading out. We both know we can't stay in this cave forever. With only five (including us) tributes left, we can't simply wish for each tribute to die by themselves.
We walk the earth searching for anything. Quaid already suggested that he kills the next tribute we run into. Good. The images of Jae, Kade, Faith, and Hollis are already too much for me to handle, anyway. As we walked, we ignored every rabbit, chicken, and groosling that crossed our path. We were only looking for tributes.
Although it was only noon or one o'clock, the sun disappeared. The arena turned a shade of gray. My snapped to the right when I heard a male scream. "Malloy." I whisper.
BOOM!
"What's going on?" I ask Quaid. His eyes radiated understanding.
"Mutts." He says. "The Capitol released mutts. We have to run!" He pushed me in the direction of the Cornucopia. The situation reminded me of the 74th Hunger Games. Are they recycling their past Hunger Games? But, these mutts weren't wolves or dogs or whatever ate Cato over 100 years ago. These mutts had scales, large pointed teeth, and a thin tongue that hissed at us.
They were lizards.
We see the golden horn and we bolted for it. Behind us, a mutant lizard with gleaming eyes chases after us. A chain was around its neck, clanging around on his scales. His scales were a blond hue and I couldn't see his eyes. When Quaid and I climbed the horn of plenty, eighteen lizards flooded the arena. Each lizard had different colored scales and eyes. The chains on their neck had a number engraved on it. The lizard that chased us had gleaming blue eyes. His chain had the number 2 engraved on it. It's Lucifer! I say in my mind.
Each lizard has a number. I saw Flitter's lizard. It had her blond hair, gleaming green eyes, a chain with a 1 on it, and she was larger than some lizards. Stiles' lizard was tiny, had his light brown hair, gleaming dark eyes, and a 10 around his neck. Every lizard had a glimmer of hate in their eyes. I saw a brown lizard with hazel gleaming eyes. 4 was on her collar. Hollis! A little lizard with black scales had a 7 engraved on her collar. Faith. Every tribute was now a lizard, ready to seek revenge on the remaining tributes that killed them.
"Move faster! They'll eat you clean!" Camilla's voice screamed behind us.
"What do you think I am doing?" Devin's voice yelled back. A lone lizard marked with an 11 chased after her and Devin. Neal's mutt was chasing them. As they climbed the Cornucopia with difficulty, I started to throw knives at the lizards. I hit the one marked 6. It must have been Collin. He falls to the ground with a thud.
"What do we do?" I scream to Quaid. "I only have so many knives. We can't keep killing them!"
"I don't know! I don't know!" He repeats. I turn my attention to Camilla and Devin. Devin looked like he completely recovered from Quaid's spear and he is fighting off the lizard marked 3. It was Rahi's mutt. She had brown scales with a tint of black and green glowing eyes. It was definitely Rahi.
Camilla turned to me. The word on her hand was still there. It was faded, but it still read KILLER. She doesn't throw anything at me. I let my knife fly, cutting the air, and making its way towards my enemy. She ducks and it hits Devin's chest. The color drains from the boy's face as blood spills out on my weapon. His eyes flutter as he falls to his left, making a thud as he falls.
"Devin!" Camilla yells. A few lizards make their way to a food source.
BOOM!
Only three tributes left. One must die. Or, Quaid and I die and Camilla is the lone victor. But, we won't let that happen. I promised Hadley, Jace, Jetta, and my parents that I will return home safely. I am not breaking my promise to them.
"Daddy, I can't watch!"
"Close your eyes, Jetta. I'll tell you what happens."
"Okay, Daddy."
"Dad, will Jada live?"
"Yes. Your sister is a fighter. She took down anyone who stood in her way of coming home. She has the boy from One with her. They will survive and he will bring her home."
The lizards looked hungry for more bloodshed than just Devin. They wanted anyone else's blood. And, by my books, that blood should be Camilla's. As I looked at my enemy through the gray arena, she looked at me, ready to spill my blood. She's a killing machine. Nothing will satisfy her until my blood is stained on her hands. She needs my blood to survive.
I stood unsteadily on the horn of plenty. I broke my promise to myself. I killed another tribute without meaning to. It was meant for my biggest competition, not her partner. And now, she was ready to kill me. I won't go down without a fight.
"Come on, Ten. You should know by now you won't go home. The Capitol won't allow it. After what happened one hundred years ago with Katniss and Peeta, they won't let a double victory happen." She snarls at both of us.
"Shut up, Camilla!" I yell, kicking a lizard with the number 8 in the face.
"You don't know that! Maybe they want us to go home together. President Rector announced before we started training that two victors will be crowned. He has to live up to his announcement!" Quaid retorts, clutching his sponsored spear.
"He doesn't have to." Camilla replies. "He's the president. Maybe he wants another romantic show down like Snow wanted, but all he got was a threatened double suicide. And then the Second Rebellion, killing the little girl Katniss tried saving. Katniss and Peeta almost stopped the Hunger Games, a Panem tradition. You how wrong that is?"
"I can't believe Camilla would say such things. Maybe she's trying to distract her competition and kill them."
"I wouldn't be so sure, Chal. Quaid sure has a grip on his spear. Maybe he might strike her down before she can do anything about it."
"And, for all you folks at home, the Capitol is going nuts outside. They are screaming for their favorite tribute. Right now, Camilla's name is being shouted all over the Capitol. But, a few brave people are yelling Quaid and Jada's name."
"And they should. Quaid and Jada's chances are doubled, since Camilla lost her partner. I place my money on the tributes from One and Ten."
I kept staring Camilla down. I know she won't charge after us. If she does, she has the chance of 'running into' my knife and Quaid's spear. That's a risk she won't take. She looked poised to kill while the lizards hissed at us. I glanced at Quaid and he threw his sponsored spear. I threw two knives in a spilt second.
She dodged the spear, but one of my knives snagged her shoulder. Another one hit her in the leg. She let out a cry of pain and I knocked her over. I was on top of her with another knife in my hand, ready to end her life. She was the one person I didn't feel bad about her life ending at my hand. The five I killed were innocent people. She isn't.
"Now who's gonna home, dah-ling?" I say, mimicking every Capitol citizen I have ever heard speak. I move her over to the edge of the Cornucopia, letting her head dangle over the mutts. They hissed and reached for their pray. I pulled her up and down, making the hungry mutts reach for their food.
"Cut it out, Ten!" She screams.
"Not until you're dead!" I say with a snarl in my voice, the same snarl she used on Quaid and I a few minutes ago. I pull my knives out of her shoulder and leg. I pull her to her feet and throw her off of the horn of plenty. As soon as she hits the ground, the lizards ambush her.
They eat away at her, making sure nothing is left of her but a hunk of meat. Before long, her cannon fires and the mutts run into the forest. Faith's mutt looks at me, hisses, and meets up with the other mutts. The arena loses its gray hue and changes into a sunny day. The Games are over, with me and Quaid the victors.
We slide off the Cornucopia and touch the ground. Quaid's eyes light up as he looks at me. "We won! We're going home!" He picks me up off of the ground and spins me around.
"I'm coming home!" I yell to the sky.
"Mommy! Jada won the Hunger Games! She's coming home!"
"I knew she would win! Come here, Jace!"
When Quaid puts me down, I expected the hovercraft to come and pick us up. We waited in silence, waiting for the trumpets to announce our victory. Nothing was heard except the birds.
"What's going on?" I ask.
"Was Camilla right? Was President Rector going to revoke the double victory?" Quaid answers me with a question.
Static feedback fills the air. Chal's voice meets my ears. "Hello, Quaid and Jada. The previous rule has been revoked. The double victory that happened one hundred years ago proved too costly. There can only be one victor. Good luck, remaining tributes." Chal's voice floats away with the wind.
One victor? One victor? Why only one? We went through everything together and now we must kill one another. I can't kill the boy I worked with and…fell in love with. I turn to the golden hair boy who stood out to me at the Reaping and let the tears fall. I can't kill him.
I can't kill her. She has a family to return to. I have nothing. I couldn't live with myself if I kill her. I just can't let her die. She loves District 10 and she can't end her life in a crappy arena. She will go home, whether she likes it or not.
He gave me a knife that the sponsor gave me. He placed it in my palm and wrapped my fingers around it. "What? I can't…" He cuts me off.
"You have to. Please. I have nothing to return to. You have everything. Jace. Jetta. Your parents. Locomotion. Philomena. What do I have? A whole district laughing at me because of my Academy score. My parents are long gone and I live in the District One foster home. Please?" He pleads. He kisses my forehead with such a gentle nature. The butterfly kisses returned. More clear tears fell from my eyes.
"Okay, Gem Boy." I reply, moving back a few feet. I look at the boy I love, ready to embrace his death. He closes his eyes and I raise the knife above my head. My mind flashes me memories of him. When he told me we were going to get rid of Lucifer. When he stole my knives to get a groosling for dinner. When we swam in the clear water. When we kissed. I can't let that slip from me.
Please, Jada. You must go home. I can live with you, not without you. You have to do this for your family. Plunge that knife into my chest. Please.
"Is she going to kill him? Is she going to do it, Daddy?"
"I don't know. Please, don't kill him!"
I dropped the knife in the grass. My feet carried me to my love. My arms wrapped themselves around him. My lips met his. I couldn't let him die. His arms encircled me, holding me tight. He returned my kiss, picking me up off the ground in the process.
Oh, Cowgirl. You made this ten times harder on yourself. And me. I can't leave you. I love you. I know you love me too. That should be enough of an excuse to let you live. President Rector knows your family. He should let you live.
"Now, look at that. The commitment from these teenagers to each other. This is making my eyes water."
"Don't smear your make-up, Dusk. Let's see the Capitol's reaction…Oh my! It's worse than yours. People are kneeling on the floor, crying at the sight of the lovers who can't be. What do you think about this?"
"The president should let them live. They care for one another deeply and they should go home together. He shouldn't force them to kill one another."
"Thank you, ma'am. And you sir?"
"All I have to say is I wonder what their families are saying."
"Me too, sir."
Quaid forced me to let go. He placed the knife with the purple tinted handle (his favorite color) in my hand. His eyes are also filled with tears and he hands me his death.
"No! Jada, don't kill him! Don't kill him!"
"Jace, she can't hear you."
"She shouldn't have to kill him! He loves her! She loves him! Why do they have to do this? They were made for each other! President Rector doesn't know what he just did!"
"Please, calm down."
The knife is poised to kill. As it is raised over my head again, more tears spill.
Do it, Jada. Do it for me. Do it for your family. Do it for…
"STOP! Stop! Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the victors of the Seventh Quarter Quell. Quaid Ethers and Jada Caldwell!"
A/N: That was longer than I expected, but I hope you enjoyed. But, with the Games over, the story is drawing to a close. I am sad, too. I loved this story so much like Jada loves Quaid. :( Read and review on, guys.