140th – Chance Rovaeny, District Four
…
Sparrow has had a lot to fear in her life. Five years ago, her brother was Reaped, and she spent every moment in terror until he came home. She thought the fear would be over once he got home, but it only increased tenfold when they got the warning. Cypress mentioned to Larken that the relatives of Victors got Reaped all of the time. As soon as Sparrow heard it, it made sense. When she thought back to past Games, there were an unlikely amount of children and siblings of Victors.
So the terror didn't end. It increased. She was only twelve when Larken won. There were so many Reapings before her.
And here she is. Seventeen, two and a half weeks into the arena, staring down one final tribute before she goes home too. If she remembers correctly, she and Larken will be the second pair of Victor siblings. It will be a momentous occasion in the Capitol, but to Sparrow, all that matters is that they both survive.
She knows that somewhere, far beyond here, Larken is watching. He's trying to keep her safe. But he can't hold her hand anymore. There's nothing he can do to protect her, not like when they were kids.
It's up to Sparrow now. She has no other choice. She can't let Larken down.
Her final opponent is the boy from Four. He's younger than her, not even a volunteer. At this rate, District Seven is going to be a Career district before Four gets its shit together.
It won't be that hard. It can't be that hard. Sparrow has already fought her way through actual Careers, the ones with actual training who were a head taller than her. She's almost there, and Larken needs her to do this.
They have nothing but each other. Their parents have been dead for years, and Sparrow can't imagine leaving Larken behind. Larken didn't do it to her, so she can't do it to him. Neither of them deserves the Games, but they both deserve to survive.
(Maybe the boy from Four deserves to survive, too, but Sparrow can't think about that. She has to kill him.)
The fight takes no time at all. Sparrow swings her axe, and the Four boy swings his spear, and she wonders what Larken thinks right now. Their roles are switched now; where five years ago it was Sparrow watching in terror as Larken fought to the death, today it's the other way around.
The boy from Four's spear hits her shoulder, digging into the meat and drawing a cry from her. Sparrow stumbles backward, shaking her head. No. No, it can't end like this. Larken deserves better than this.
Sparrow bumps into a tree, and the Four boy's spear swipes across her throat. It's over. Blood starts to pour out of Sparrow's neck, despite her attempts to hold it in. The boy from Four just watches her silently. Sparrow rears forward, refusing to let it end like this, but everything goes dark before her hands even make contact.