Mailey's POV #13
"Mailey no!" Deanie grabs my shoulders. "Brody won't listen. All he cares about is winning. He won't even give us a chance to explain to him." I stare at her long. I know what Brody is like. I just didn't see it from the beginning. He would kill me the first opportunity he would get, but maybe there is a chance that his mind can change though. The more people to fight with the stronger we get. "He will not be afraid to kill you. He is as vicious as Snow is." I open my mouth to speak but I can't. The words won't come out.
"Did you hear that." I hear myself say. That's not me though. I didn't think it. I didn't say it. My feet begin to move. What is going on? I panic. I'm not in control of my body anymore.
"Mailey what are you doing?" She grabs the back of my shoulders. "I don't hear anything." I try to stop moving but can't. Deanie stands in front of me. She looks into my eyes but she can't see me. I begin to panic.
"You stay here while I go check it out." Again my voice but I didn't think it. My voice sounds distant. I push Deanie to the side and walk forward. Deanie grabs my hand to hold me back but I can't. No mater how hard I try I can't control my own body. A noise draws Deanie's attention from behind her. I feel her release my hand so I continue to walk. Mentally, I keep pulling at my body to stay but its like a never winning battle of tug of war. I feel weak.
I walk in the trees like a robot. Slow, controlled. Once I am in the jungle with the palm trees surrounding me it goes deathly quiet.
"Try to defy me now." I hear a voice in the distance. Not just any voice. I recognize it. "You can't defeat the undefeated." The voice belongs to President Snow. The bile in my stomach rises as I fight my body more and more. "You thought it would be easy. You were wrong. I'm going to make sure that Brody kid wins." I hear Deanie scream behind me. I push my body more.
"She needs our help." I scream, but my voice isn't projected out of my body. I keep walking further and further into the trees. I push my mind some more and envision me being in control again. My finger twitches at my side. Is that me?
"You nor Deanie will win these games." Snow continues but I ignore him. "Neither of you are strong enough." I feel me mentally smashing myself against the walls of my own prison. "I'm in control of you know. I always will be" A cannon screams in the distance.
"Deanie!" I scream as I give one more push. I hear my voice. I hear my command through my body. I don't hear Snow. I turn fast on my heal and run. My feet race through the bushes and I arrive at the volcano. I look down to see Brody on his stomach with Deanie's trident through his back. I search around quickly and see Deanie on the ground. "Deanie!" I scream as I run to her side. I sit down quickly and pull her head on my lap. I look down at her. She lays in a pool of her own blood. I look down at her ribs and see a huge dark hole through her shirt. "You are going to be alright." A tear rolls down my cheek.
"You can't give up on beating them." She tells me. "You won Mailey." I hug her head and let the tears fall.
"No!" I scream. "I can't do it on my own." I feel Deanie's head shake under mine. I lift up my head and look down at her. Her face lights up by the moonlight. She smiles even though she is dying.
"Show them what you got." I watch her lips mouth slowly as she says it. She gives a cough then her eyes lose focus of mine and look into the sky. I look at her face and start to panic.
"Deanie." I whisper. I touch her cheek. The cannon rings in my ears. "Deanie!" The screams scrapes my throat roughly. "Deanie." My voice lowers and I rest my head on Deanie's chest. There is no life on her chest. Its still and dead. My sobs move my body uncontrollably. I wasn't here to help her. I let her die. My eyes open slightly and see light. I bring my head up, its only just turned night. The gamemakers must want to announce my victory in the light. I stand up and look around me and go to pull my knife out. I grasp at nothing and look down. I used my only knife on the boy from 7. As I watch the sky carefully a voice booms over the arena.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I am pleased to present the victor of the 69th Hunger Games." He lets out a long pause. "Mailey Parner the tribute from district 2." I look up at the sky and fall on my knees beside Deanie's head. I hold my face in my hands and begin to cry. I have failed. Even the roar of the Capitol citizens over the speaker doesn't bring my atention. Its not over yet, I think. I look between my fingers and see Deanie's lifeless eyes looking up at the sky. A grin is plastered on her face, she had good thoughts before she left. I reach over at her and close her eyes. No one can hurt her now. I look over her body and see a piece of paper hanging out of her pocket. I quickly grab it and shove it in my pocket. I look up and see the stain on her shirt and cringe away.
A hovercraft materializes in the sky above me. I wish Bear was here. A ladder descends from the hovercraft and I grab hold of it and wrap my arms and legs around it. I am lifter a foot off the ground when an electric wave goes through the rope and my body is frozen in place. I'm grateful for that because I don't think I can hold on much longer without it, I feel dizzy just a few feet off the ground. Although they freeze my body they can't freeze my mind, as I look down at Deanie all I can think of is President Snow. If he hadn't interfered she wouldn't of been dead. I could of saved her. Maybe even Brody would be alive, maybe he would of helped us beat the Capitol. Snow wanted us both dead though. Deanie ruined his plan by killing Brody. I didn't break free of Snow's control, he let me go because there has to be a winner.
As the ladder gets closer to the hovercraft I feel anger. I feel hatred. I want President Snow dead. I feel that my body is released from its electronic prison as I enter a pitch black room. I stand up immediately and try to search around me but I can't even see my hand in front of my face. Are they planning a round two of these games? They are going to kill me, I think. My breath begins to race and I spin around faster in the room.
"Good job Mailey." I hear his voice. I hear the vile hiss of his voice. I reach for the knife at my belt and realize its gone. No way of protection. Unless Snow is by himself which is very unlikely. He knows that I am his worst enemy right now. He wouldn't chance it. The lights flicker all around me and I am blinded by the reflective surface of the room. I shield my eyes with my hand and look around. Standing in front of me in the corner is President Snow. He has a watch in his hand. "You made such a good show."
"I'm going to kill you!" I scream as I lunge towards him. He gives me a wicked smile as he steps to the side and the wall slides open. Whatever is behind there is not going to like what happens to them. I ignore Snow for a moment and barge forward with my hands extended and bring a peacekeeper to the ground with me. I feel the peacekeeper beneath me struggle, but I give him no chance so I pin his arms to the ground like the boy from district 7 did to me. I rip the helmet off his head and grab his brown hair. I look into his eyes and picture him as the peacekeeper who set that house on fire in district 2. The one that killed Cleasy. Tears come to my eyes as his head comes in contact with the floor with repeated smacks. The peacekeeper is long knocked out, but I can't find myself to stop hitting his head against the ground over, and over, and over again. A click at my temple stops me from giving the final smash on the ground.
"Mailey." I slowly turn my head look over to my left and see down the barrel of a gun. A gun that is controlled by President Snow. "You can't possibly beat me." I raise my hands above my head and hold them there as I stay on top of the peacekeeper. "That's a good girl. You are never going to be in control of yourself, or the others around you." I look into his black eyes and see only hatred. I see weakness. In a quick motion I bring my hand to the gun and rip it out of his hand and aim it at him. I slowly walk back wards in the center of the room with the gun still aimed at him.
"This was crafted in my district." I aim it at the center of his forehead with a steady hand. "I know how to use it." The smile fades from his face and he raises his hands shakily. I shake my head and add little pressure on the trigger. Before I can apply enough pressure on the trigger a prick to my neck sends my body to the ground. My head smacks hard on the steal floor as I land in an awkward position sideways. I try to fix can't fix myself out of the position but I feel too numb to move. My eyes become heavy but I force myself to keep them open. President Snow doesn't loose his focus on me. I look around me and see the peacekeeper being dragged from the door jam. I look above me through unfocused eyes and see a man dressed in a white lab coat. His brown hair and blue eyes remind me of Bear. "Bear." Is the last thing I say before my eyes close and my mind goes empty.