Hunger Games, Gales POV (Everthorn)

The Victorious

The sound of a cannon woke me from my nightmares. I stared at my screen as my eyes struggled to focus on the body, but then I saw it. A snakes teeth deeply lodged in Thresh's neck, dead from the venom. My mind raced, two tributes were left. Katniss had one more person to outlast. By tomorrow, the games would be over. I tried to remember the timeline of the games in the past, it took about a week before the tribute was revealed to the public; they needed time to make them look human again. Then, the victors interview. After all that, they returned home. I'd see her within the week. I could feel it. Still, my heart pounded in my chest, knowing she could die at any moment in the games.

Katniss and Cato both knew today was the end. They grabbed only the essentials, eating and drinking as much as they could to prepare for the end. The moment the sun had fully risen, something was wrong. Their was a growling in the background that you couldn't quite place, Katniss could hear it to. Then, out of a cave, 22 wolf like creature began to run straight for Katniss. She ran heading straight for the center of the arena, the cornucopia. The wolves pushed Cato and Katniss together, them each trying to outrun the other. The moment they reached the cornucopia, they began to climb. Thankfully, the mutts could not climb. The remaining victors took a moment to look each other up and down. Katniss had ran holding her bow and a small pack, Cato had only enough time to grab a knife in his haste to run. Thresh had stolen his pack from the cornucopia which had held a invisible body armor, Cato had nothing but a knife. But, even with just a knife, Cato had deadly accuracy. The knife left his hand at the same moment the arrow left Katniss, both shifted in their movements, changing the target of their weapons. The knife lodged itself into Katniss' right shoulder, causing shooting to be almost impossible. The arrow hit Cato in his upper chest, to the right of his heart. They both knew they just had to outlast the other, each having limited skills left.

At that moment, Cato charged. Katniss fought back, trying to keep her footing upon the cornucopia. One foot fell over the edge, opening it to the wolves, eager for a taste of flesh. She pulled Cato down, giving herself leverage to climb back onto the cornucopia. But, immediately, Cato day on her just as Clove had. This time, Katniss didn't freeze though, I saw the amount of force she was using to fight back. In one solid motion, she bucked her hips, causing Cato to fall forward. I'm his brief moment of defeat, she pushed him over the edge into the wolves hungry mouths.

The games lasted for only a moment before the final cannon fired. Katniss was left standing on the cornucopia, shining in the sunlight. Then, the screen went black, displaying a final message, "Katniss Everdeen. The victor of the 74th Annual Hunger Games"

I was shocked. I had known she'd win, but I never imagined how calm I'd feel when she did. My shoulders still weighed heavy with fear, holding me down onto the couch. But, when I rose, I felt better then I had in days; I knew that my best friend was safe. I walked with my family out into the street, all around everyone hurried to the city center. Our first victor in my lifetime. We joined the party, dancing with the rest of our district. Prim fought through the crowd into my arms, holding me tightly. I could feel as her tears slowly wetted my shirt. She whispered the words that made the scene around me feel real, "Katniss is a victor."

The capitol sent twelve a feast, leaving our usually starving district with full stomachs for the first time. The party continued through the night, no one wanting to forget what it felt like to have a victor in district twelve. The laughter echoed throughout the district, it was the first time I'd seen many of these people smile. I watched as kids, who had never seen enough food before, ran around with their pockets filled with treats.

I stepped back from the action, standing against one of the merchants stores. In that moment, I thanked everyone who had saved Katniss. Haymitch with the sponsors gifts, Peeta by telling her to run, Rue by giving her hope, and Thresh by letting her live. My mother's voice rang in my head with a quote she always had used, "It takes a village."

For the first time, I understood what she meant. Katniss may be the the victor, but she did it with the help of everyone around her. I looked around at those around me. The people who had helped me, those who had supported me, and those who had loved me; my village. Prim could barely stand and Posy had been asleep in my mother's arms for hours; it was time for the celebration to end. I picked up Prim in my arms and carried her safely to her bed, knowing she'd be dreaming of her sister. As I left their house, I walked slowly through the town, noticing the scene around me. Families were walking home, the party having ended, neighbors spoke more then they ever had before, people looked happy. The more I saw, the more I hated the world around me. The only reason people were smiling was due to one of our own killing until they were the last one standing, all for a far off capitol's entertainment.

When I wandered into my house, I saw that my mother had already reassembled my bed in the room with my brothers. I settled into bed, hoping that no bad dreams could reach me, she was safe.
————————————————————————
Haymitch

I sat in the remake center alone. I was supposed to be wandering the town, stopping at every party I could find, but every place I went they congratulated me. I couldn't stand their happiness, twenty three innocent children had just died. I thought back to the long nights in the games, knowing that those are what had kept her alive. I had sat talking to sponsors day and night, never having a partner to switch off with, sleeping with my head against the control table.

Usually, I'd go back to the hotel and sleep, but this time I had known she had the ability to win. I couldn't let her down. We communicated effortlessly throughout the games, she could read what I was saying without so much as a note. She was the tribute I was supposed to be dreaming of. But, the more I watched, the more I wanted to scream. She had a family to support at home, but instead she was had to entertain the capitol. Every rebel had approached me during the games, wanting us to make her the face of the rebellion. They showed me footage of the districts, elevens reaction to Rue's death and how Katniss had honored her. The girl on fire had been just a spark, now I had to decide if I was going to help that spark catch fire.