Chapter Twenty One

A/N: Thank you to Becky6700 for reviewing the last chapter.

Wildly, desperately, Abby looked around. The final Career had fallen, so there was no danger to be had now, but a second cannon had boomed when only that one had remained. One of their own had fallen to the struggle, but they could not know which one.

The girl's first thought was of little Belle, who had run away when the fighting had become too terrible. True, she had been far away from the battle, but there were an untold amount of dangers lurking in these caves as well, and the Gamemakers could well have made her face all of them, as a punishment for what they would see as cowardice, but was actually great intelligence.

But then a flash of blonde caught the corner of her eye and for just a moment, Abby managed a smile. Isabelle was climbing over the edge of the cave. She must have heard the sounds of the fight come to a close and not wanted to be alone any longer. Quickly enough, the smile died once more. It had been one of them- it must have been one of them.

It took not even a second for Abby to whirl around and see Alex, lying in a bloody pool on the floor. Gasping with horror, she ran to him, pulling him into her lap and shaking him, trying to get him to wake up, if only for a moment. 'I never told him.' she realised, as tears streamed down her face. 'I never told him.'

But he did not wake, for he had been dead just as long as Coda, who had been the one to kill him, using his dying breath to bring his District pride. Just as that boy did in my mother's Games, Abby found herself recalling. Cato- another that Katniss dreamt often about.

The silence of the Arena was stifling, long after the sound of the cannon had died away. She could not even hear the tweeting of the birds, which could usually be heard at this time of day, a faint reminder of the homes they had come from to keep them from going mad with longing for their Districts.

With the silence came stillness, the Tributes frozen like a tableaux. Abby knelt crouched over Alex's body, as if that could protect him now, while Belle and Harry stood hand in hand, sadness weighing down their hearts, though just as much for the pain the loss caused their friend as for the dead boy, whom they had never known.

Eventually, Harry made his way over to Abby and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Then she snapped. Allowing Alex's body to roll gently from her lap onto the ground, the girl stood, staring defiantly into what she knew was a camera in the rocks opposite.

"Gamemakers, Peacekeepers, people of the Capitol. As you may recall, I am the daughter of Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen, who were the first to stand up to this horrific system. They started a Rebellion against the Capitol, twenty five years ago. That is why this Quarter Quell has been held a year in advance, because it is a reminder to all those who rebelled the first time of how little their actions came to in the end. It's a punishment for the leaders, whose children, nieces and nephews have been placed in this Arena to fight to the death between themselves. It's a punishment for those who followed, to know that it was all for nothing. Most of all, it's a punishment for us, who will never see our parents again, to ensure that we will not rebel in our turn."

Abby stepped forwards, until she was balanced right on the edge of the cave, staring down through the whistling wind at the ominous drop below.

"Twenty five years ago, my mother and father decided that if they could not win the Games in tandem, then they would not win at all. In their honour, that is the choice I give you now. We will win this Games together, the three of us, or we will jump from the edge of this cave and you will have only martyrs, not Victors. It is your decision to make, but know that we will stand strong, together, in whatever the outcome, just as they did."

Breathing deeply, Abby turned from the camera to face her friends. They wore identical expressions on their face, an equal quantity of shock, awe and fear. 'Why have I done this to them?' Abby thought, but saw the determination reflected in Harry's eyes and knew that she had made the right decision.

First, she embraced Belle. She felt the guilt heavy on her heart, as she remembered the pact they had made to end the Games before her twelfth birthday, so that it could end for good. Now, it seemed she would die a martyr before her twelfth birthday instead. But even so, Isabelle seemed to have a smile on her face. 'Perhaps she doesn't really understand.' Abby thought, with a heavy heart, but once again saw the truth in the girl's eyes.

Next, she embraced Harry. He had been her rock through the Games, the one who had kept her standing through death and violence and pain. He kept her standing then, when she collapsed into his arms, and stroking her hair soothingly, wishing to take away the agony that was tearing her in two.

Finally, Abby knelt down beside Alex. She stroked the hair back from his forehead and planted a kiss on his temple, allowing the tears to roll down from her cheeks onto his, giving the impression that he was crying even in death.

"I'll miss you." she whispered, quiet enough that no one else could hear. "And I'll never forget what you did for me."

Wiping the tears from her eyes and taking a deep shuddering breath, Abby returned to the cave-edge, with Belle holding her right hand and Harry her left. This is how they would be remembered, Abigail-Rue, Isabelle and Harrian, the martyrs of the 99th Hunger Games. But when they found out one of those martyrs was only eleven, they would be forced to end it completely. 'At least something good will come out of this,' Abby reminded herself. 'Even if we won't be here to see it.'

The trio cast a lingering look at the camera, all secretly hoping that the Gamemakers would do something to stop them. Eventually, they could wait no longer. They clasped their hands together tightly and shared a parting glance. To her right, Belle whistled a strange tune that Abby could have sworn she had heard before. They took a collective breath, held it...

And jumped.

A/N: Almost over, please review!