Bad at Love | Johanna Mason

prologue

72th annual Hunger games, three years until the third Quartel Quell.

My heart has never beat so loud. I could feel it beating in between my ears as i finally reached the top of the 1.0000 feet mountain that has been staring me in the face since day one.

I had no time to catch my breath because behind me was the other tribute from my district. We are the only ones left. It's now or never, one of us is going to die, one way or another, only one of us is taking the eternal glory home, the pride, the victory. I wasn't going to let my district down. I couldn't give in now, not when i'm this close to winning.

I start walking backwards as far as i can until i'm at the edge of the cliff. I pull out the Katana sword my mentor used to own, she gifted it to me when she tutored me back at the capitol.

"There's nowhere to go now huh Rissa? I always knew it was going to end like this. I knew this was going to end with my blade slicing your throat." He says with a wide grin on his face when speaking those last words.

As he's walking towards me, i feel the floor slowly crumbling beneath my feet.

"Don't humble yourself Marnix, we both know why you're here, standing infront of me. I saved your life back there, 11 was about to kill you."

At this point i regret saving his ass.

"Oh, so now you're suddenly the goodguy?"

"There are no goodguys in here Marnix! Can't you see that? Look at us, you think that if i win i'm automatically the good guy? Think about the amount of people i've killed just to get here."

"Well, looks like you're going to have to kill one more." He says before running towards me at high speed.

I act before thinking and duck to the left.
Marnix swings his blade at my face, leaving a cut from above my brow to my cheek, nearly cutting my eye. I swing my sword back at him, stabbing through his jacket, and cutting his upper arm.

"You, you're gonna pay for that." Marnix says.

Me?! Does he not see the huge scar on my face?

He grabs me by my neck, flooring me onto the deep snow. He grabs the wrist of the hand my sword is in and slams it against a nearby rock so that my sword falls out of my hand, leaving me unarmed and defenseless. I had no idea what to do. I thought: "This is it, i'm going to die now, and no one will remember me in a few years, they're just gonna remember me as the last victim of District 2 victor, Marnix Zendal. God, who would've thought I was gonna be his last kill, his own district mate? His fiancé. The one he so claimed to love most.

"One more kill, one more movement and i will be victorious. One last murder, and it's all over."

"You win Marnix, you did it, good job, is that what you wanted to hear? Don't you get it? It's never over, even after you kill me."
I squirm, trying to escape Marnix's grip, but he's too strong.

"I don't give a shit anymore, as long as i don't have to do this again."

After a long time trying to escape his firm grib, i finally find a weak spot. I headbud him and lift myself up from the ground. Marnix stumbles closer and closer to the edge.
Before he could fall, i grab him.

"You said it yourself Marnix, one more kill."

"You won't do it, you love me." He says.

"You're right." I say before pushing him off the cliff.

Marnix lets out the loudest scream while he falls into the deep.

"I did love you."

After i pushed him, i backed away as far from the edge as i could.
The floor finally crumbled and had fallen into the deep, causing an avalanche, in which he's caught.

I turn away until the avalanche was over. As soon as there was no loud noise left, i bent over to see if he was really gone.
Not long after that, the sound of the canon roamed the arena.

"May i present, the winner of the 72th annual hungergames, the tribute from District 2, Larissa Hawthorne." a loud voice said from over the announce microphone.

I did it. I survived. I immediately felt a heavy weight fall off my shoulders.

I pick up my sword as i tell myself: "I've won."