I'm not sure if I'll live. But I've made it too far to just lose. And I don't want Katniss to be alone. She already lost Prim.

While I'm thinking, Cato caught up. He grabbed me from behind, but I'm quick to get him off. I roll onto my back with him still there, and elbow his ribs. He cries out, loosening his grip. I get up to shove him over the side, but he's already off of that spot.

He hooks his leg with mine and pulls me down. He's on top of me. He punches me in the jaw. So I kick him where the sun don't shine. He collapses in pain and I shove him off of me. He's on his knees, and I push him down with my foot. But that won't stop him.

He's up in a flash and gripping me from behind. He has me in a headlock. But I get him off. I elbow his stomach and push him down.

But he won't give up that easily. He stands up and shoves me with so much force that I fall off the edge. But I have a grip on the side. I think about Rue. I can't let her die. Cato will not win!

Cato approaches me and steps on the fingers of my hand. And I fall. But not alone. I grab his foot and we fall to the beasts.

They toy with us. There's two groups of them. One for me, and one for Cato. Cato tries to escape, but he's not fast enough. But that's what they want. The capitol. They want us to run, to play this little game. But I won't have it. Rue will win this, and I will die.

The mutts rip at our flesh, but don't kill us. Not yet.

It hurts. I won't play their game, but that doesn't stop me from screaming. I want to die. Just to make this end.

I just hope Rue is okay.

Rue's POV

I can here the screams. It's not just Cato. Gale too. They're suffering. It never ends. I know I'll win, but I don't want to. I don't want to live with the memory of this.

It keeps going on. I think a whole day passes of their agony. It just keeps going on and on and on.

BOOM!

One of them's dead. The other isn't as lucky. I hope the first cannon was for Gale. I don't want him to suffer anymore. I don't particularly want Cato to suffer either, but...

It's not Gale. The anthem plays and it shows Cato's face. And then it's gone. In a flash.

I can't take it anymore. I start to cry. "IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT?" I yell to the sky to no one in particular. I know it is. I'm sobbing by now.

I will win. But the hunger games will never end for me. After this, I'll be interviewed for it, and have to rewatch everything. Then there's the victory tour. After that, I will be a mentor until another tribute from my district wins. I've seen our previous victors. Most of them are drunks because they can't take it. The rest were never quite right. And that goes for all the districts.

Finally, after another agonizing 3 hours, there's a boom of the cannon. The trumpets blast throughout the arena.

"Ladies and gentleman. Our 74th anual hunger games victor!"

I'm shoved on stage in my white flower dress that goes down to my knees. I sit in the chair next to Ceasar Flickerman.

The interview starts with a video. It shows all of the tributes in their costumes, but it zooms in on me for most of it. I'm not noticed by the audience, though. They were all focused on Prim and Gale. Oh, I miss them.

Then it shows my interview and all that, but then we get to the games. It's hard to watch. It's a combination of what I was doing, and all of the deaths. The bloodbath was HORRIBLE.

It shows Prim, Gale, and I throughout the forest. Prim was beautiful. They play all the deaths and it shows the girl from district 5 taking berries from our camp.

When we get to Prim's death, it's unbearable and I start to cry. She was beautiful even with the spear in her stomach.

But the end of the video was most gruesome. They take turns showing bits being ripped off of Gale and Cato, and they show my face, crying and screaming.

By then, I'm bawling. Ceasar actually comes over and gives me a hug. But it doesn't help.

Most of the interview was just about how I felt in the woods, and how I felt when Gale and Prim died. At that part, I knew I had to say something.

"I need to say something about Katniss Everdeen. She's lost so much, and you don't know how sorry I feel for her. Katniss, I know you're watching, and I just want to say that I'm sorry. Gale and Prim were good people. I'm sorry," I say again through tears.

Katniss's POV

I'm curled up with Peeta on the couch. He's actually a good person. I've spent most of my time with him while I watch the games. I was watching the interview and Rue's shoutout really meant something.

I can't get Gale and Prim back, but her apology made me feel better. But I was still crying throughout the video.

At the end, I was still crying. That was when Peeta lifted my head and... kissed me. He's a nice guy, and maybe I'm starting to fall for him. I close my eyes and kiss him back.

Rue's POV

Cato's coming after me and Prim. He throws one of his swords at Prim. She falls to the ground. Cato aims the other one at me and tosses it. "Goodbye world!" I say. Everything goes black...

I wake up from my nightmare, screaming. My sister is there, and hugs me. Her name was Rose Maybeam. (Sorry, don't know her sisters' names. Made it up.) She was 11, and probably the sibling I was closest to. Wait, she was 11. That means her name goes in the reaping ball next year! What if she gets picked? God, I'm worrying myself too much. She will be fine.

...

...

...

One Year Later

I watch the reapings from the side with my mother. She hugs me close. I look at all the scared boys and girls. A lot of them stare at me. This just makes me feel nervous, and I hide behind my mom. As the name on the paper slip is drawn, I hold my breath. I quickly make eye contact with my sister and nod at her. It will be okay.

The paper slip is unfolded and the name is read.

"Rose Maybeam!"

The Hunger Games have begun!