"After interest in the Games drops to an all time low, President Snow is determined to regain the once amazing popularity. Twelve tributes. One 'arena.' And one game-changing twist. Welcome to the 80th Hunger Games, the Rebirth."
~ The Rebirth Games ~
Chapter Twenty-Seven:
The Truth Hurts
Everything happens the way he explained it to me earlier today. The fight with Destiny down in the basement. Every single world he told me was true. Out the front of the house when he shot Obedience. That's not all that happened. He shot Crazy and Destiny too. The screen glows from the orange flames and his grinning face off to the side. His wicked smile. He's happy. Showing no grievance or mercy. He looks like he is smiling in the face of a slowly dying enemy of his. He looks pleasured as they die.
The truth always hurts. But I never thought the truth would hurt this much. I turn to look at him and his hand slips away from my shoulder. He coughs and continues to look up at the screen.
"Are.." I whisper.
He ignores me.
I should have known it. I should have known that he was lying. Not from the tone of his voice or anything like that. No. Because he never explained to me what happened to Livvy.
The screen flashes to life with an image of the damaged village. Smoke clouds pour off into the skies and dead bodies scatter in the snow. Are crawls out of a huge rubble pit, clawing at scraps of metal and soil to get a good grip. He stares across the terrain. That's when I see myself. Completely knocked out, body resting among the snow, crumbled rocks all around me. He calls out my name, then he hears another voice.
"Are?" Livvy calls out as she wriggles across the ground. Her clothes completely scorched black, her face plastered in dirt, arms and legs riddled with fleshy cuts and nasty burns. "What.. happened..?"
Suddenly, his face fills with an evil smile. He whips out a knife hidden up his sleeve and it clinks with a shiny glare. Livvy gasps and scrambles backwards. Are steps forward and latches onto her hair. He yanks her up and she squeals in terror as her cheeks flourish red. "Are, what are you doing?! Let me go! Stop! Please!" The blade of the knife rips through her throat and blood spurts out.
I can't look. Not even for another second. I never liked Livvy. She was always so irritating, but I can't watch this happen to her, let alone any human being. But what's worse was that smile. It's the one thing that stands out more than Livvy struggling to breathe. It's always there, every time he slaughters another of his victims. And yet I only see it in the best of times when smiling is appropriate.
The footage cuts to black. I hear Caesar's voice ramble on in the back of my head as the faint cheers of the audience ring in my ears. My eyes roam around the auditorium for the rest of the interview and I block out everything going on around me. Maybe that's why it only feels like a moment later that the interview is finally wrapped up.
I don't have even a second to speak to Are. A buff security man charges across the stage and pulls me down a flight of steps off to the side. We go out a side entrance and out into an empty alleyway. A black car sits outside and I take a seat inside. I shut the door behind me and the driver pulls off immediately. We arrive at the train station minutes later where I'm brought inside and shown to my room. I sit on the side of the bed for what feels like an hour. I have a nap and by the time I wake up it's completely dark out the window. I decide to head to the dining hall to get a glass of water, but when I go to open the door, it flings open and someone steps inside. "Before you get mad and ask me to leave-"
"Just get out, Finnick," I order. "I don't need to hear any sarcastic jokes in my face!"
"Listen, Danix, just listen.. You want to know the truth about everything? I'll let you in on it all."
"You've kept me in the dark for so long. It's about time you let me know everything." I sit back down on the edge of my bed and he sits on the wooden stool in the corner of the room. He sighs and runs his fingers through his hair.
"..Where do I begin..?"
"Maris," I interrupt. "Maris. Tell me about Maris right now."
"You really want to know the truth?"
"Yes. Tell me."
"Are you sure you want to know the truth?"
"Yes! Finnick, just spit it out!"
"Fine!" he exclaims. "There is no truth!" He throw his hands onto his knees and stares at me, almost as if he's waiting for a reply. But how do I reply when I get an answer like that? My brain struggles to understand what he just said.
"What are you talking about?"
"That's all that there is to know," he says. "Umbree kidnapped Maris and put her in that arena to die alongside Tren. They all thought it was a great idea from jealous Are.. The twin brother manages to eliminate his brother's best friend who keeps getting in the way.. I heard they threw Maris' parents in the village during the fighting to pick them off too."
"What the hell are you talking about?!" I yell. "What do you mean?!"
Finnick looks me in the eyes, and finally, I get all the details. "There was more to that story that Are told you in the arena earlier today.."
The iron door creeps open with a long squeak and an old woman steps inside the dark room. She twirls her long grey hair in her wrinkled fingers and walks up to the bed. "Are, you have a visitor.."
The young boy jumps up from his bed and stares across the room at the blonde in the doorway. Umbree.
"Are lied straight to your face today.." says Finnick. "He never got sent to a loving family like you during the war. There were only so many families that could take in babies and he never made it in time. He was one of the few Capitol children that were chucked in the orphanages.
"Good morning, Are," she whispers with a smile. "I have some very good news for you.."
"She let Are in on all her plans.. The Games. The twist. And of course, the Mockingjay."
As Umbree speaks on, the young boy's face fills with an eerie grin. Minutes later, Umbree holds his hand as they both walk outside. The wind from the hovercraft sends their hair blowing like mad and they both stagger up the ramp.
"All that anger.. All that rage. Torn apart from his brother. Rotting away in that dull orphanage in District Four.." Finnick continues. "It all built up inside him. Umbree let him unleash all that suffering in whatever way he wanted in the Games."
"Meaning?" I say.
"Meaning the Maris thing was his idea.. He wanted to make your reunion with him special. To him, if you had so much fear and terror struck into you, he'd have to love you once he finally took off that mask... Do you?"
"I pass on that question," I spit out after a few seconds of silence.
"Well you're going to have to answer it soon," Finnick replies. "You've got interviews. The Victory Tour.. You're a victor now. This is the rest of your life!"
"You knew this all along and you never told me a thing!" I yell. Finnick goes silent and tilts his head down. I continue to scream at him. "You knew that Are was my brother when we were all lined up for the Tribute Parade! Him and Celia acted out all that crap just for me and you let it slide!"
"But if I spoke up, Snow or Umbree would have killed me!" he interrupts. "How was I supposed to tell you the truth? Then you would have to act like you knew nothing while Are was acting to you.. It would have slipped out eventually."
"What about in the launch room? Why did you laugh as I was being sent up into the arena?"
"Make your guess... I was told to do it. Confusing you was what they wanted all along. It was all a big game before you even got to the Games.. It's still a big game. Umbree and Are's plans are to keep you in the dark forever, that way you'll always fall back to Are for love and protection. I'm not even supposed to be telling you any of this right now. Did I forget to mention that the music boxes were his idea?"
"How could it be his idea?!" I yell. "He loved Tren just as much as I loved her!"
"Not when I spoke to him.." Finnick replies. "He hated her so much. He thought that she was splitting your friendship with him apart, so then along came his fresh idea of the boxes to Umbree."
"What about Johanna? Why are you escorting Are everywhere but not her?" I ask.
He shrugs. "Johanna fell into a downward spiral ever since last year. She's probably drowning in her own drool back in Seven while she sips on a fresh bottle of wine.. Umbree and Are never even let her in on all the secrets. She'd probably accidentally spill to the media that Are was the Mockingjay after five minutes.. Just remember that no matter how bad you think Are is, your parents are just as bad."
"Well, how delightful to say to someone that their parents are crappy."
"Danix!" he suddenly snaps. "I want you to understand all these and beat those idiots at their own game! Your parents are Gamemakers and thought that doing this to you all along was a good idea!"
I bounce up from the bed and stare him straight in the eyes. The anger finally releases, and slowly I speak my next words. "You might not have thought it was a good idea to do it, but you certainly did what my parents did too."
I open the door, and just before I slam the door shut, he asks one final question.
"What can I do to make it up to you?"
I answer, but not in the way that he would have wanted.
"Goodbye Finnick."
The air helps. And no, not Are. The 'air.'
I stand out on the small cart at the back of the train, staring out at the beautiful views. My hand grips onto the low railing and I admire the lovely ocean. The train zips past a mountain, through the tight valleys and back out over the gorgeous sea. Then I spot District Two. Just like on the Reaping day, I stood here and watched them set of fireworks. And now they are setting off fireworks again just like that night. All except one difference: Tren isn't here. But soon enough, after a few minutes, someone walks out and stands beside me to replace her.
"It's stunning," he says. "Obedience would have been proud that his own district is celebrating his life."
Oh, the irony. I stop myself from laughing and then I say my thoughts without the sarcastic tone. "Yeah. But you killed him."
"I know.. But remember," he whispers. "Umbree made me do it."
Do I continue to play with him or just start yelling straight away? It's so funny. Lying to my face right now and he doesn't even know that I know the truth. Finally, I decide to let the cat out of the bag.
"Are, I know Umbree didn't force you to do anything. Did you forget I was sitting beside you earlier today when I saw you kill him during the interviews?"
"What- what are you talking about?" he stutters in shock. I refuse to turn. Refuse to look at him. I won't dare look at him in the eyes.
"Solly.. Igneous. Tren. Destiny. Crazy. Obedience. Livvy. What do they all have in common? You killed them."
"I didn't-" he tries to say, but I talk over him.
"Forget killing them. You murdered them."
"I didn't murder them! It was Celia!" he exclaims. "I promise, Danix!" An idea pops into my brain.
"Really?" I ask. Finally, I turn around and stare at him, watching as a single tear streams down his cheek. "Are you promising me?"
He startles for a moment, then finally loses it. "I'm sorry, Danix! I killed them and I- I just.. I'm sorry! I spent my whole life with no mother, no father, then my brother was discovered and-"
"It's fine," I say bitterly. "I forgive you."
He tilts his head up and wipes away his tear. "Really?"
"No."
Then I shove him over the side of the railing.
Author's Note:
O_O O_O O_O :OOOO
OMGGGGG! WHAT?!
Hello everyone.. Welcome to Chapter Twenty-Seven of The Rebirth Games: The Truth Hurts! This title is probably the most fitting title of this entire story. Damn.. That ending though! What the heck?!
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe most questions should be answered by now.. So what are your thoughts on all of this? It's getting so crazy! :P
Also, I want to say that I'm sorry. I said that I would have the story finished by Sunday.. It's not finished and it's Monday. LOL. I have exams right now so I was struggling to publish chapters, but I'm somewhat happy and sad that the next chapter is the FINAL chapter.
All I am going to say is that there's not going to be really anything shocking, but it's more of a chapter to wrap things up with a nice ribbon. :)
That cliffhanger... Bruh. That cliffhanger. That has been in my head since I first posted the first chapter. Isn't that insane? I went all these months without revealing the Games all while knowing who the Mockingjay was all while knowing that this cliffhanger was going to come eventually.. Wow. Isn't it all so fascinating? For me, at least, it is. It's interesting because when you first started reading the prologue, you were totally oblivious that by the time the story was going to end, the main focus would be on Danix shoving some character you have never heard of before over a train railing... LOL. Funny. What were your original predictions about the story? ;P
And also, what are your final predictions for the last chapter?
It's pretty sad to say this, but stay tuned for the LAST chapter of The Rebirth Games. c':
Thank you all so much for reading, byeeeeee! :D