Chapter 49:

Laurel Trenton, District Seven, Age 16

Victor of the 124th Hunger Games

As noon hit, Laurel looks around, holding up her hand to block the sun from blinding her. This is it… One in three chance of making it out of this arena as the victor. And a two in three chance of it being a victor for Seven… Just as long as they can take out a career.

Laurel glances over her shoulder at Haru, her District partner watching for Janika and her back. She doesn't want to see anything happen to them, not after over a week fighting together in this arena. The things they've gone through together…they both have saved each other's lives in fights, helped patch up injuries, stayed alive together. But now… Now it was all coming to an end.

But they made a promise to Stefan and she is going to fight like hell to make sure they keep it. She has her brothers to get home to and after losing their parents a few years ago, she can't let them lose her now. Not when she's so close to the end. As much as she doesn't want to see them die…who do they have to get home to? They don't have a family. Not like her. Yet…can she really fight them?

But she's getting ahead of herself. This is assuming they can take down a career.

"Hey Haru?" she asks quietly, turning back to watch her direction and gripping her axe tighter in her hands. She's not ready for this to end. She's terrified of dying.

"Yeah?" they ask, voice shaking a little and relieving her that she isn't alone in feeling scared.

"Still promise to get Stefan his first victor?" she asks them quietly. "Because I sure intend on holding up my end of it."

"To the end," Haru answers right away, no hesitation in their voice as they both turn at the sound coming from the side. Standing at the edge of the clearing stands Janika, the career twirling a spear in one hand and looking confident that she has victory locked down. And she very well might, but she hasn't met Laurel and Haru yet. "The end which seems to be now."

"But not the end for both of us," Laurel replies as Janika starts running towards them and they start walking to meet her, both hesitating just a little. Not like the first time they killed together but…well, it's the first time it's been a career and it's the final three. Never have the stakes been higher.

Laurel and Haru come at her from opposite sides, trying to hit her yet the career so easily blocks all of their swings, without even seeming to break a sweat. She tries not to let her growing fear show on her face as she gets tired quickly by the fight, but from Janika's renewed swings, it's clear she is aware. The career starts driving the two of them closer to each other, minimizing their room to move while giving her a wider target, and it's all Laurel can do to avoid getting stabbed, let alone injure the career.

She shares a panicked look with Haru, starting to fear that they really might not be able to keep up their promise to Stefan. How the hell did they think they were going to take out a career together?! They were so, so wrong.

"Don't you dare give up on me now!" Haru shouts at her and she stumbles over her step in surprise, letting Janika slice deep into the side of her arm. She cries out in pain and gets frozen in shock and fear, while staring down the career as she pulls back her spear, lining it up for a killing blow.

So this is it…this is how it is going to end. Maybe Haru can still beat her…it's better she goes this way instead of having to fight Haru…

She shuts her eyes, bracing for the impact of the spear piercing her. But the impact she feels is different and she opens her eyes as she hits the ground hard, axe getting knocked out of her hands. "NO!" she screams as she sees Haru standing in her place, spear deep in their stomach, and the two stand still for a moment.

"Nice try, Seven," Janika says, leaning closer to them with a smirk on her face that would haunt Laurel, if she actually had a chance of getting out of here alive. "But that victory is mine."

"I don't-" Haru stops to cough blood in her face and she sneers in disgust. Meanwhile, between their coughs, Haru starts laughing and when Janika tries to step back and yank her spear out, they hold onto it, getting pulled with it. "I won't let you win!"

"Let go of it bitch!" Janika screams at them, yanking on the spear and shaking Haru around, yet they refuse to let go. Laurel can just lay there watching in shock for a few seconds, wondering why she hasn't just dropped the spear to grab one of the knives on her waist, before realizing she's missing what could be her only shot.

Laurel quickly snatches up her axe and gets up in a crouch before jumping towards Janika's knees with a yell. She brings her axe down as hard as she can in her thigh and Janika lets out an awful guttural scream of pain, dropping her spear and letting Haru fall back. Janika collapses to the ground and brings Laurel with her, and she starts grabbing for the knives at her waist, slicing up her hands in the process, but finally gets one and just starts stabbing at her stomach. Janika tries to grab the knife from her and the knife goes through her hand, only for her to grab Laurel's wrist with the other and squeeze it so tightly she has to drop it. With her free hand, Laurel rips the axe out of her thigh and blood starts pouring out of the deep wound.

With one last yell she swings blindly with her axe and it lands in Janika's stomach, before she pushes herself away to get out of her reach. Yet despite screaming in pain, she still holds on to Laurel's wrist, so tightly until she can feel the bones pop and she cries out as she kicks her, right in the thigh wound. That makes the career curl in on herself and Laurel crawls away from her, clutching her wrist to her chest, and moving over to Haru. She flinches when her hand touches the pool of blood around them, but she doesn't take her gaze off the career. Haru puts their hand on her arm as they wait for the cannon…

Boom.

Laurel turns to clutch Haru's hand at the cannon, her eyes watering right away. "God, I never thought a cannon would sound so good," she says, but when she looks down at the spear still in their stomach and the blood around them…she knows she will hear one more cannon and this one will be the worst sound. "Why would you do that?"

Haru lets out a small laugh and shakes their head, but their eyes are watering from the pain. "We both know you have more to win for than I do. The orphanage wasn't a very loving place for me. But you…you have a family."

"You would have had Stefan," Laurel says, but she knows it's true.

"And now he'll be part of your family," Haru tells her, clutching her hand tightly. "Laurel…you did it."

"We did it," she corrects them as the tears start falling down her cheeks. "Proved them all that they shouldn't have looked down on Seven all these years. Look at us, the final two."

"And now victor," Haru says, smiling just a little up at her and she can feel their grip getting weaker. "Just…don't feel guilty about it. I made my choice and don't regret it. All I ask is…be there for him."

"I will," Laurel nods her head and holds in a sob. "He's going to get so tired of me annoying him every day."

Haru lets out a little laugh at that before their face twists in pain. "Good," they say, coughing a bit more. "Thank you for being…family…"

Boom.

Laurel freezes up at the cannon and shuts her eyes tightly, tears slipping out. She sits there for a moment, not wanting to move and make it all real. But then the fanfare starts and she lets out a sob as they announce her as the victor.

"I kept our promise, Stefan."

Alright look at me go not forgetting this week to update this! So there we have Laurel Trenton, victor of the 124th Hunger Games! And finally District Seven has gotten themselves a second victor. I knew it had to be because the pair stuck together to the end to win for Stefan.

Let's see, what's new to discuss... Well, this Friday is the Renegades bloodbath, so there's that! Idk, I don't have much else XD

Next week's victor truly needs no introduction. We've finally made it to the Fifth Quarter Quell!