Warning: questionable science, both in the sense that there may be some inaccuracies/exaggerations for dramatic purpose and you really shouldn't try the stunt Mirane pulls at home. Unless you want chlorine poisoning... then go ahead.

Day Twelve, Afternoon

Mirane Saffell, District 8, 17

I had cried for the tenth time today.

But I was fine. If Darius had taught me anything, it was that my emotions didn't make me weak. They were just a reminder that I was human. I'd tried to deny my humanity for a long time for so many reasons... Despite coming from a privileged background, I had felt lonely my whole life. I'd felt neglected, even. When you grew up like that, you couldn't afford to care, because if you cared you would slowly be driven insane. But I did care. I cared a lot. And the longer I denied it, the longer I was throwing myself on a rail track to death. I just couldn't let it consume me.

I wasn't going to be consumed by the grief and mourning. I knew people now viewed me as a part of Darius - we'd been together from the start, it would only be natural to view us as a duo. But as much as Darius meant to me, I could stand strong on my own; I was my own person. That was the initial plan. I'd been forced into Plan B, and I hated to admit it was successful, but it was. It got me into the Final Eight. Now I was forced out of Plan B and into Plan A; lets see how that went.

First thing was first: rummaging through my supplies. I had two knives, which was good. I had a gun with bullets, which was even better. Ammo was on the lower side, but it was enough to last a few fights. I reloaded said gun and searched through whatever else. There wasn't much at all. A firestarter, Willow's old toy, empty tins, a lot of bleach and other cleaning products, a few empty bottles of water and... a single lonely berry. I immediately flashed back to that night where I properly talked to Hadley for the first time. He was a sweet guy, and though I don't think I believed in an afterlife if there were one he deserved a first class ticket.

I sniffled, wiping snot on the torn material which was once the hem of my dress, and proceeded the munch on the single berry which had been forgotten and left in the backpack. It had been in the bag for a while, and didn't exactly taste nice. Considering it was a single berry, I very much doubted that it was nourishing too. But still, whatever, it was there. I stood up and wondered if there was anything I could do with the bleach I'd collected. I hoped Darius would find some chemical use for it, because I didn't have much idea what to do.

I could start a fire, at least. I just needed to hunt and find water. Then I'd be kind of set. If I ate a hearty meal sometime today or sometime tomorrow, and kept some water with me and drank that sparingly, I wouldn't need to eat for the rest of the Games. There were only a few days left. Two or three days more, at most. Although there was a chance it could be a tiny bit longer, or even a tiny bit shorter. It was weird to think I could be dead in a few days. I hoped that death was pleasant, not just for my sake, but for Darius'.

I walked along a broken corridor which was only supported by frail beams beneath. One side of the wall had been completed obliterated, showing what used to be rooms within the mansion. The other side supported me, and barely supported half of the ceiling above, though it had multiple punctures that gave me glimpses of the drizzly grounds outside. Beneath a mist of rain, I saw a building that stood tall and proud. It was domed. Maybe it would offer complete shelter; that would be pretty nifty.

When I turned a corner the corridor seemed a lot less destroyed. Sparks rained down from the ceiling occasionally (probably due to wiring that had been hidden within the frameworks of the Palace), the wallpaper had been peeled and the furniture destroyed, but I felt a lot more secure here. And warmer, actually. The cold of the oudoors hadn't quite crept in.

I noticed something I'd never seen before though: an elevator of sorts. The metallic doors that shielded the shaft from the corridor were tightly locked, though they suddenly slid open and revealed a somewhat cozy interior.

"Doors opening. Please step in."

That was Leein Malpin's voice, which already made me weary. But getting in that elevator did seem like an easy way to get into the grounds. Terrified the elevator doors would attempt to crush me, and fully aware the elevator could be a trap, I jumped into the interior. The buttons showed the few floors of the vast, wide Palace. Naturally, I nervously slammed my palm on the button that commanded the elevator to go down to the ground floor.

"Doors closing."

I immediately felt enclosed when the doors slowly slid shut. Now I was trapped, waiting for the Gamemakers' mercy. When I felt the elevator descend I glanced around and looked for any warning signs of danger, and was pleasantly surprised to find there weren't any. Unlike the rest of the Palace, the inside of the elevator seemed okay. It was surrounded by mirrors, fancy red wallpaper and electrical lighting above. I didn't know my history that well, but I don't think electricity was something that was around in the time period the Gamemakers had sent us. I wasn't sure though; something about this elevator seemed anachronistic.

But I think it was safe. I'd been in this elevator for about a minute and there were no signs of danger, it was a smooth descent.

Just as I decided it was okay, my danger senses came back. The elevator screeched to a halt and the indoor lightning continued to flicker. I gripped onto the side of the elevator, tentative as I got snapshots of the area around me. A cold sweat crept around my skin as the lights flickered on but I seemed to be unmoving... Was this a Gamemaker plan to starve me? I looked up at the hatch above... Possibly not. It would be easy to get out of the elevator.

I reached above, leaning up on my tip-toes and gritting my teeth as I tentatively managed to shift the hatch aside. Afterwards, I gripped onto the top of the elevator and carried my own weight as I clambered, managing to get to the top of the elevator. The shaft was incredibly dark and metallic, though I could make out little else except for a stream of wet water dripping down from the top of the Palace, giving birth to a puddle of water at my feet.

I grabbed onto the strong, iron wiring that seemed to support the elevator. It was pretty thin. No wonder the machine could've broke so easily. The metal, however, was definitely strong enough to take my weight. I was no amazing climber, but I was pretty sure that I could force myself up it, then there would probably be some way into the corridor.

But I still felt a little uneasy with my plan. This was the Final Eight; things weren't going to be so easy any more. Just as my worries had escalated, the elevator itself had followed suite. It jarred into life, the force sending me stomach first onto the ground. I cried out and suddenly felt momentum hit me as it shot up the Palace, as quick as a bullet. But I was quicker. As soon as I saw the top of the shaft from my peripheral vision, and as soon as I knew the top of the elevator was going to crush me against it, I lurched into action and rolled over, falling down the elevator hatch.

The pain hit me, but it definitely wouldn't compare to the pain of being crushed. I slammed into the ground just as the elevator slammed into the top of the shaft, being throttled around slightly. My head was pretty darn bruised by this point. I lay there, groaning and shakily getting to my feet. I felt the elevator descend a floor or two as I regained my senses.

"Doors opening."

I would definitely be getting out of here. No more staying in this little metal box of death. As the elevator doors slipped open I immediately knew there would be no getting out. I looked eye to eye with two humanoid looking creatures. They were on all fours, but somehow managed to level to my height. They had manes, like lions, and had one eye that eclipsed their whole face. There was a second where they didn't act, but I did. Anything like that had to be dangerous.

Refusing to scream, I immediately slipped my gun out of my belt and raised it. I shot rounds into each creature's body and watched as they stumbled back. I knew that if there was a chance they got into this elevator, they would devour me or something. My bullets didn't kill them, which was terrifying, but the force of each shot created a barrier which prevented them from getting into the elevator. I continued firing rounds into them, watching them get forced back, and used my other hand to grip the hatch of the elevator. Hoping I'd kept my timing right, I winced as my single arm took my whole body weight. I lifted myself up as the weird creatures took their opportunity.

My scream was drowned out by their horrific caterwaul. They both leapt forwards and I kicked out my strong legs, slamming it into their faces and knocking them back.

'Doors closing.'

Fuck. I winced as once of their claws slid down my leg, leaving a reasonable gash. My flight or fight mode went into overdrive and I lifted myself up with one arm, desperately kicking the creatures as they mauled at my legs. I got to the top of the hatch and pushed it over the opening it had created, hopefully trapping whatever those things in the elevator were. My legs were bleeding pretty badly, but it was nothing life threatening.

The screeches of whatever those mutts were could be heard clearly, they bashed against the top of the elevator so harshly dents in the metal rose. I unzipped my backpack, knowing that I definitely was low on bullets at this point and removed two bottles of bleach. I was either doing something genius or something stupid. I hadn't taken enough chemistry lessons to know what happened when you lit bleach, but I had enough common sense to know that they were things that shouldn't mixed. I removed the long, thin gas lighter from the firestarting kit and felt my hands tremble as I lit each bottle of bleach I had collected.

If it went to plan, there would be a period of time where the plastic bottle is set alight before the heat gets to the bleach. I fumbled desperately, lifting the hatch open as little as possible and letting the lit bottles fall into the elevator. The creatures below paused, as if they weren't quite sure what the hell had happened, but they suddenly screeched as I had hit the jackpot. From the multiple bottles that lay in the dangerous elevator, fumes rose and began to consume the elevator in an explosion of smog. I quickly reached for the elevator hatches and slammed them back into place as the creatures inside choked and released agonised howls.

I still had it in me. I smiled to myself. I was a badass. A science-y badass.

I knew I had to climb up the cord that the elevator used to travel, but knew the Gamemakers could try to crush me again. And if they tried that, I didn't have the option to roll back into the elevator unless I wanted to be poisoned. I took a moment to rest, trying to ignore the throbbing in my cut legs as I collected all my supplies and stuffed them into my pack before slinging it over my shoulders and slipping my gun into my belt.

As the creatures' howls grew into a muffled silence, I gripped the metallic chords and began to climb up it tentatively, my legs flailing slightly as I struggled. I leant backwards and removed my dagger, hesitantly sawing into the wire above. It took a while, and I watched as the wire grew thinner and thinner.

Eventually it snapped. The elevator below plummeted until it was consumed by the darkness beneath and a loud crash was heard. I looked down, eyes wide. That was that. And I was still alive. I exhaled and inhaled deeply and began to clamber up the elevator shaft slowly.

I would be okay. I had this.

Honora Cashmere Flloyd, District 4, 18

"Hello tributes! Final Six, how are you all feeling?"

I looked up, barely able to speak due to the fact there was a chunk of apple in my mouth. I had been relaxing in one of the Palace's courtyards, thankfully this one was one of the few that hadn't been destroyed by explosion or hurricane. I was surrounded by pretty rose bushes, and there was a pond that was covered by lilies too. Considering the fact I had been catapulted in constant action, it was kind of nice to catch a break. To just sit on a wooden bench, surrounded by nature. To think about the past... Or my situation in the present... Or the future...

And I concluded I was okay.

I couldn't deny the Games had been problematic. The Gamemakers seemed to get a kick off me being humiliated. I had the upper hand in every single battle, but I'd been hit by curveball after curveball; betrayal, voodoo, ambushes, explosions... The list was endless, really. But I still had a twelve, and despite the repeated punches to my confidence I survived. I'd liked to think I proved how I got a perfect score. So the Gamemakers, the rats and Pullox could throw all their punches. But I was destined to survive. I was certainly resourceful enough.

Leein continued:

"Now, you've all been very entertaining, which is why day twelve is going to be a rest day," I folded my arms. A rest day from what? I was still going to slaughter any malnourished weasels I got my hands on. "Now, feel free to kill all you want, but after the events of the previous day the Gamemakers are going to take a small break... But don't worry, children! There'll be fun and Games soon enough." An ominous silence, followed by more talking: "Tomorrow, at about this point, if you so choose to join in and spill more blood there will be a feast tomorrow. It will take place in the Central Courtyard. You will be locked into said courtyard and get only get out once blood has been spilled."

I liked that concept. I needed to get rid of more tributes, especially the formidable ones. The Gamemakers were now going to present them to me, and I would show Panem just how good I was.

"Of course, this feast, unlike the past few, is entirely optional. But if you attend you may be pleasantly surprised by what we have to offer." Leein immediately answered my next question: "And don't worry about finding it; it'll be very obvious. Good luck tributes, and congratulations for surviving this long!"

Great. So it looked like there was a feast, and though it was optional I feel like Leein's promise was enough to lure the rest of the rats to it. All I needed was the promise of tributes, that was enough for me to attend their stupid feast. But surely there was something every tribute needed? I pondered what that was... Although it didn't matter, really. Very few of them would be getting what they wanted, especially Lexie and Pullox. I cracked my knuckles and rummaged through my supplies for food that was more substantial with a smile on my face.

Alexandria Tarsus, District 1, 15

I had just gotten back to the main part of the Palace when Leein Malpin announced that there was a feast. Great, if anybody had the arrogance to run into a feast it was Honora. Maybe I wouldn't try to break out of the arena again, because deep inside the main thing I wanted was to make her suffer for what she had done to Lia. I'd almost managed to break out of the arena... Almost... A little more power, a little more time and a little more concentration would mean that I would be able to fly out of here. And the Gamemakers wouldn't be able to stop me.

My stylist told me that the head of the tracking device was what contained the electrical impulses that tracked us and that allowed the Gamemakers to execute us with the touch of a button. Thankfully, it wasn't something that influenced by powers. I could still fly, I could still be the strongest person in the arena. I was a little drained after having put all my energy into trying to destroy the arena's forcefield, and I kept getting recurring nosebleeds, but I knew that I was still strong.

I approached the Palace and raised my arms to my side like they were wings. Immediately I shot up into the air, my hair floating around me majestically as I found myself perched onto the roof in seconds. The roof had definitely taken a beating since I was last here with Lia well over a week ago. Part of the roof had caved in, tiles had been stripped and gargoyles left mutilated or destroyed completely.

"Lexie, come and get me..."

I turned around, looking for the source of the voice. It seemed to be loud and booming, but I couldn't identify it until I heard it again.

"Come on, bitch," Honora laughed. "We've both wanted to kill each other for a long time. Try me."

It seemed to be coming from the distance. I glanced emptily towards a clocktower which rose above the whole arena. I hadn't noticed it before, but often I had heard it chime out the time occasionally. I didn't feel rage; only coldness towards Honora. It was like I was on a mission to kill. My face completely emotionlessly, I kicked off the ground and floated up towards the clocktower. I glanced at it and wondered if that was where Honora was - I couldn't see any way in.

"You chicken, Lexie?"

She'd regret provoking me.

I flicked out my palm and watched indifferently as the copper and tin that made the exterior of the clocktower peeled away, strip by strip, falling into a courtyard below until there was a gaping hole. I perched in said hole and looked inside. It was dark, minus the beams of light that shot from behind me. I could smell the stench of dust and look at the shadowy, moving figures of multiple cogs.

There was something not so right about this. Honora's laugh suddenly rang out and seemed to be coming from all sides of me. I stopped floating and walked closer into the vast inside of the tower, manoeuvring around the moving cogs. If this were Honora she'd have shown her face by now. She'd be taunting me. And Honora would've used worse words than 'bitch' (which was certainly a tame word in her vocabulary) to evoke a reaction from me.

I turned around and immediately held out my palm, knowing what was coming. It was a close brush, and a volley of bullets was frozen in front of me, creating a wall. I jumped behind a cog when I saw a laser align itself with my forehead, and more shots quickly rang out and created flashes of light in the distance. That wasn't Honora. It wasn't a tribute, even. This was the evil Capitol trying to get rid of me.

"That's the best you can do to kill me?" I taunted, smirking. I heard more bullets fire and ping against the metal I hid behind. "I bet they sent the best Capitolian soldiers after me, haven't they?"

No response.

"Well, be glad you're not airing this," I knew they wouldn't; they wouldn't want to show the audience that one of the tributes had been executed by the Capitol. They'd probably clean up my corpse and show me on the camera for two seconds, they'll try to pass my death off as me digesting something poisonous or contracting a disease or something. I knew how the Capitol worked. They weren't just evil, but they were the worst brand of evil: the cowardly brand. They were worse than Honora. "Because the Capitol's best soldiers are going to get their asses kicked until they're black and blue. By a fifteen year old."

I gasped when the cog I was pressed against suddenly went into action. It seemed to move faster, catching onto my dress. I cried out, removing my knife and tearing at what little fabric was left of my dress. I stumbled back and realised the Gamemakers were also joining in on this hunt. They'd use the environment around me to kill me, if need be. I glanced around desperately, and when I saw a shadowy figure on the beams above I realised this fight required more than magic; it needed wits.

He tried to snipe me from above, but his bullets were immediately deflected when I glared in his direction. He was fast, as I'd expect, rolling out of the way. But judging by the bullets I had stopped earlier he wasn't alone. I waved my arm, the cogs around me being twisted away and forming a citadel around me as bullets came from the ceiling above in a completely opposite direction. The sound of metal clipping metal was heard once again before I threw out my hands, sending large cogs in both soldiers' direction. One of them rolled out of the way, the other found themselves screaming as they fell from the ceiling above.

"You're going to have to do better than that," was all I said, turning to face the soldier than had fallen. He lay on the floor, only bruised and humiliated from his loss. I considered killing him there and then, but I wanted to show the Capitol - or the Gamemakers - just who they were dealing with. I held my knife in one palm and strolled towards him lightly.

"B-Burn in hell bitch," I barely saw the metallic ball in his hand and I raised two fingers, watching as the explosion he had tried to create was formed and froze in midair. I watched the flames with fascination, amazed at my own power before deflecting the blast towards my aggressor. He leapt aside, narrowly avoiding the flames but he was unable to dodge the force of the blast. He was throttled forwards, being knocked out of the hole in the tower I created earlier. I heard him scream as he fell to a bloody and grisly end.

As I walked towards the hole to ensure that he had died I lazily flicked my hand and two cogs which were twice my size were flung, forming a wall behind me which stopped another barrage of bullets. It was almost like they weren't trying. If they were trying to catch me by surprise, they were failing substantially.

A smirk flickered across my face and I peered out of the hole, glancing at the smudge of blood and guts lying a hundred or so feet beneath.

"You're next," I said, turning around.

This time the room I had entered was different. It had been trashed, with large cogs lying on the floor and the mechanics of the clocktower's interior left in disarray. I stepped over a graveyard of machinery and smirked when I saw that the second and last soldier wasn't even going to be any fun. He was pinned against the copper wall, his hand completely crushed by a still cog that had completely destroyed bone and pinned him down.

But he was trained, and he wasn't going to give up. He had a pistol in his hand, but by flickering my eyes it was flipped aside and he was no longer able to reach it. He used his free hand to grapple for another of the many weapons he probably had in his belt, but he roared in shock as I controlled his hand - as I controlled him. The invisible force I could create pinned it to the wall.

"If you don't want to die like your friend, you better talk," I said as I strolled towards him, removing a knife and watching it glint in the faded sunlight.

"Fuck you!" He snarled, thrashing his legs around. "Long live the-"

He roared in pain when I plunged my knife into his leg. I twisted it, watching blood squelch out. Using more mental force, I magically kept him pressed to the floor so the only thing the soldier could move was his eyes, which were wide with terror. I twisted the knife around in his thigh and watched a more blood squirted out. He whimpered and screamed which sounded like music to my ears. I eventually carved into his leg so violently I could see bone jutting out.

"Are you going to talk?" I said. "Next time, it'll be your neck. Do you want to end up like your pal?"

"T-The Capitol wants you dead, isn't that obvious?" He howled.

"There's nothing else you have to tell me?"

He glared up at me, but the stern look quickly turned into agony as he began talking. "We were a last r-resort. They've tried to kill you with cyclones, with mutts, with your execution device, with u-us," he looked down at his leg with some horror, but I guessed he had been trained to be stoic. He was very quiet for someone who had virtually lost a hand and a leg. "But they'll find a way to stop you. The Capitol gave you your gifts, they'll take it away somehow," he spat in my direction and I glared at him. He was wrong. The Capitol had given me some kind of gift, but they'd given me a key that had freed me from their chains. They could never chain me again.

"You're going to be no use," I said, standing up. "You know nothing. Thank you, though."

I curled my fist up and the oblivious man barely had time to say anything before his stomach exploded. Blood splattered everywhere, and a fragment of his small intestine flew past my cheek. He immediately wilted and I looked down at him curiously. I had promised I wouldn't give him the same fate as his friend, but an exploded stomach counted as a different fate from falling to your death, right?

He'd only confirmed what I had already known. I had put the Capitol in a very precarious position. Wonderful. Now all I needed to do was get out of the arena and liberate the other tributes in the process... Except Pullox and Honora... I had my own plan for them. I wandered towards the hole in the clocktower, surveying around the grounds before leaping and flying through the air quickly. The Capitol had only had a preview of what I could do. When I had the Careers together for the feast tomorrow, then their psychopathic audience at home would really have a treat.

Ruth Pierce, Deputy Head Gamemaker

Usually I used a chauffeur to navigate around the Capitol, but upon learning of the arrest of my daughter from a measly Junior Gamemaker I immediately got into my car and made my way to the Capitol's largest prison. The streets were as busy as ever during the Hunger Games season; some streets were cordoned off completely for Parades, whereas those that were available were often clogged by pedestrians. I sighed as I waited around in a traffic jam. Outside my window, bright faced Capitolites sat in an expensive looking restaurant and ate as they watched the Games, which thankfully seemed uneventful.

My mobile pod immediately rang, playing a classical Pre-Panem song as flashes of red and blue illuminated the interior of my car. I pressed down with my well manicured nail, immediately hearing Tobias:

"Ruth, we really, really need you right now."

"I'm busy right now," I snapped back. Tobias had the power in theory, but I always held a strong leash over him. "Can you not call me back at a more appropriate time? I don't know if you've been caught up on the news, but my daughter who has been missing for almost half a decade has suddenly been exposed as a rebel who has been hiding under my nose for years. Do you not see how serious this is?"

"The Games are serious, you signed a contract! No leaving Gamemaker HQ during the Games, ever!"

"Please Tobias, like I haven't had to cover you when you had to solve petty dramas with Destiny," I retorted. Tobias was immediately silenced as I drove round a corner, slowly making my way down Capitolian roads. I was beginning to think taking the Capitol's metro system or a hovercraft would've been quicker. "My daughter has been arrested and is suspected - suspected with pretty good evidence, I dare say - of being a rebel," my voice cracked with emotion, though I kept a blank face. "You do know how serious that is, right? I'm only asking you cover me for two hours."

Tobias paused. "Yes," he said, sounding a little shaken. "I'm sorry Ruth. It's just that we have serious problems back here. Is Olga okay?"

"I don't know yet," I said curtly. "What's the problem?"

"Well, Lexie..." He paused. "Since Lia died she's gotten a little AWOL. Think super villain with super powers beyond anyone's control. Except she's not against the other tributes, she's against us."

I pursed my lips and exhaled. "Then execute her Tobias. You know the protocol."

"You think we haven't tried that? It didn't work."

"What?" I almost slammed into a purple faced teenager who tried rushing across the road to greet a friend. Braking and skidding slightly, I held in a curse. "What do you mean it didn't work?"

"I... I don't know," Tobias admitted.

"Bring in someone to execute her if she's a threat to the Games or the Capitol!"

"Yeah, tried that too," Tobias said, almost as if he were more amused than defeated. "Lets just say Panem has lost two soldiers."

Wow. That held some serious implications. What a bad time to rush away from work. I suddenly found myself feeling a plethora of negative emotions. My daughter was in prison and my job would be in shambles unless I could think of something to save it. "Can you not do it again?"

"She's more powerful than a group of soldiers. I mean, we can send in a legion or something," Tobias paused. "But that'll disrupt the Games. And the President is going to want someone hanging from a noose if that happens," he paused. "But Ruth, she actually managed to break the forcefield." This felt like bad news after bad news. I looked out of the windscreen blankly, leaving a break of silence. "I genuinely think if we don't act she'll destroy it. Hell, if she goes stronger she's going to be a threat to the Capitol, especially with all this war stuff..."

"I... I don't know," I confessed.

"We'll try and think of something, we're hoping that if we alter the chemical balance in her body she'll stop," Tobias said. "Just get back soon. We're making sure the cameras are off Lexie for now, but we'll keep it up with the mutts and the events. The feast is tomorrow. Get back soon."

He abruptly hung up and I exhaled. How I had managed to keep sane despite everything that popped up in my life was beyond me. I somehow managed to break out of traffic and I cruised down a Capitolian highway for about twenty minutes, until I was on the outskirts of the Capitol. Surrounding me were mountains and other scenery, and behind me the large buildings and Capitolian skyline was visible behind the afternoon sun.

The Hive was the Capitol's main prison complex, though in exceptional circumstances they did send District citizens there. It was extremely high security, unnavigatable to all except a lucky few (hence it being named 'The Hive'). Most petty criminals were sent to small prisons in the city centre, but serious prisoners and political prisoners would be sent to The Hive. Going to The Hive was a major punishment. You would either spend the rest of your life there or be executed there. Very few people left, and when they did they were often changed people.

The Prison gates opened once a facial recognition scan swept through my windscreen. I was considered an extremely important person within the Capitol, for obvious reasons, so got immediate access. After struggling to find a place to park and trying to ignore the intimidating Peacekeepers that seemed omnipresent, I got out of my car and hesitantly made my way into one of the many lobbies of the Hive.

I wasn't surprised to find that there were people waiting for me. Once my arrival had been announced, they had probably sent important Peacekeepers my way. These two had chrome coloured helmets, which distinguished them from the surrounding replicas. I forced an air of confidence and walked along the stone lobby towards the Peacekeepers. They surveyed by face for two seconds.

"Unusual to see you here, Mrs. Pierce," he said monotonously. "During the Games and all."

"I think we both know why I'm here."

There was an uncomfortable silence. Reception music played, filling the void as I stared firmly at the Peacekeepers' visor. Then he turned, his cape swinging behind him as he stormed out of the lobby. I followed behind tentatively as he mumbled into a walkie talkie for direction. The Hive seemed to be completely made out of stone, and once we left one of the receptions behind we were in narrow corridors that were only lit mildly. There were hundreds of doors to my left and to my right. I could certainly see why they found this place so hard to navigate.

Eventually, we entered one of the doors, walked down another corridor, walked into another room, then another corridor. I felt like I had travelled miles before we finally reached a comfortable looking room. I almost jumped, not expecting to see the President standing there. He stared at me expectantly, his still bodyguards at either side of him.

"President," I bowed slightly.

"You're looking for your daughter?" The President paused, his eyes sweeping over me. "When you told me there was a rebel spy in the Gamemaker HQ I was not expecting it to be Olga."

"I... She told me she was," I admitted. "I didn't believe her." I didn't, not since Fi-Fi told me that my daughter couldn't love me, couldn't plead to me like Olga did last year. But it had turned out to be true. To think I had been talking to the daughter I longed for all these years so obliviously. It was no secret Olga had sympathies for the rebels, but I still just wanted to see her. "Where is she?"

"She's been punished."

"Without trial?" I paused. "Surely she deserves a trial? The constitution guarantees every Capitol citizen-"

"She is not a Capitol citizen," the President hissed furiously, making me flinch as his bodyguards removed multiple knives which they held neatly between their fingers. For a second I was worried I too would be punished, but the President grew calmer (yet somehow more terrifying). "She lost her Capitolian rights when she ran away from the Capitol, when she sympathised with District scum. And she confessed to her crimes, anyway." I just nodded timidly. "You know how it works here Ruth, she disobeyed. Surely you understand that?"

'Y-Yes," I felt so pathetic for feeling tears well in my eyes. Thankfully, I don't think the President noticed as I tried to keep my tone polite and stable. "Of course I understand."

"Good, because I've sent off too many people to be executed today. It'd be a shame if my most loyal subject followed in their path," I wasn't sure if the President was being sarcastic when he called me loyal. I knew I was loyal to the Capitol, and the President had called me loyal before, but suddenly there was something in his tone that made me uncertain. "You can see your daughter now. You can see what the rebels did to her," the President walked away, accompanied by his bodyguards as he left the room. Soon it was just me in a bland room with a chrome helmeted Peacekeeper besides me.

"You sure you want to see this?"

She was in a prison cell. I wasn't going to break down.

"Of course," I nodded.

The Peacekeeper marched to the door which the President had once blocked and slowly opened it. I couldn't see anything except the bright white room that followed. Holding a breath, I slowly made my way into the room. Everything was white; white ceiling, white floor, white walls and white lights that bounced off the surface. It kind of looked like I had died and gone to heaven. When I wandered in slightly, my eyes trailed down to the only thing that wasn't white in the room.

And my heart dropped.

My daughter was lying on a metallic slab. At first it looked like she was merely staring out into space. But I was quick to realise that it was so much more sinister than that. She was dead. The blankness in her eyes and the drained tone of her skin made her almost seem to blend into the room. There were no visible injuries, but there was something in her face that made her look dead. Knowing what was to come, the Peacekeeper closed the door behind me and left me feeling alone and isolated.

When I was told my husband had died many years ago I didn't cry until three months after the incident. Shock had hit me as hard as a drunk driver had hit my husband's vehicle. This felt kind of similar, a numbness spread through me and I moved towards my daughter neutrally. She had maintained a disguise with shallow genetic manipulation; but it had faded in death. Her hair and eyes were dark like mine, her lips thinner, her face so much more warm and familiar. I brushed my hand across her cheeks, shocked to find they were cold. There were no distinguishable marks that told me how she had died.

... But this was the Capitol. They had probably made it painful. They had probably electrocuted her internally or worse. But how could she be dead when she looked peaceful, almost as if she were sleeping? I was reacting like she were sleeping, stroking through her hair and looking at her blankly as I tried to process what the hell I was looking at.

And then I realised what this meant. I was alone. Everyone I had ever loved was gone...

I thought I could deal with that. I had thought of my daughter as possibly dead for a long time. I thought I had prepared for this. But I hadn't. I realised this was hurting, and hurting so much more than losing my husband - something I never thought possible. I tried to keep strong but after a lone tear fought through my emotional defenses, the dam burst and I found myself screaming and trembling. I gripped onto the side of the slab to support myself as I shook my daughter, begging her to wake up. Begging her to not condemn me to the loneliness I had experienced for years.

But she didn't wake up. Soon the sadness inside turned into rage. I raged against the rebels for doing this to me. They had plucked her when she was emotionally vulnerable after her father's death and transformed her from a normal girl into a violent rebel. They had stolen her from my life and now, after being executed, she was lying there in a morgue. And it was all their fault. As I sobbed and collapsed, holding her head to my chest, I hoped to god that every rebel suffered forever. I hoped they would feel the pain I was now going to live every day.

Not much to say right now, but I DO want to thank you all for reviewing this story. I also greatly enjoy seeing you discuss it with each other, whether you're talking about who you hate or who you love, or what you think is going to happen and other random stuff. It all makes me smile, even if I may not chip into the conversation (to those who want to join in the discussion, go on my profile, click on the In Memorium forum link, and there's a thread called the 'Toxicverse' where you can share opinions, thoughts and feelings).

Oh, and more late eulogies!

Carlie: Contrary to what many believe, I don't see you as a villain. Like many before you, you were just doing whatever it took to get home and see the people you loved again (unlike many before you, you didn't get absorbed into it; you always retained some dignity and humanity throughout). I most admire you for actually gaining self confidence in the Games, too, and realising you didn't have to use your sexuality to be a strong person. Sadly, you were paired up with Pullox, who is the last person you'd want to go to if you're trying to use deceit as your ticket to victory. You can't trick a trickster.

Lia: You were first introduced to a super positive reaction. Which I loved. Then people kind of began to lose the love, which I was sad about *sad trumpet* but I also understood. I mean, you did do some screwed up crap: you repeatedly lied to Lexie, tried to kill Lexie even when she was innocent, put your interests above Lexie's and didn't show the growth everyone else did. But I always had some respect for you deep down. You gave up your life to save your brother, and you actually succeeded! So I think, despite everything, I gave you a good ending, and I think when people look at you in retrospect they'll come to appreciate you.

Darius: You were such a painful death to write, and even though romance has always made me quite sick, I will actually miss writing you and Dirrane. I'm definitely under the belief that romance in the Hunger Games is hard to achieve (as reflected in my previous stories; the most people have ever got is a spark) but I felt it was real with you guys. But not all of it was sunshine and butterflies, I felt with such a romance came dependence, inner conflict, a lot of outer conflict and (because this story is a little less PG than the original HG...) lots of sexual attraction. I kind of tried making something real. I think I succeeded? And beyond that you were also such a sweet guy. I think you were so brave in your final moments, and you knew it was your time to go and you really embraced that. I'll always admire that.

~Toxic

P.S - Just pointing out that Mirane's sloth can be seen in chapter 50, for those who enjoy reading things in retrospect and going 'ohhh.'