Running With The Careers- A Hunger Games Fanfiction

Chapter 16- The Victor

"Run!" I yell, running as fast as I can towards the boys. A look of shock passes over Marvel's face, and then a look of determination. He starts running towards me, Cato at heels.

"Grab my hand, Aaliya!" He yells. I lunge for it. My fingertips reach his hand right as a mutt clamps it's jaw down on my ankle. I grimace in pain as Marvel pulls me onto his back.

"Get to the cornucopia!" Cato yells, taking out his sword. "You go in front of me, I'll hold them off!"

Marvel takes off in the direction of the cornucopia. "Your dead Glimmer dog!" Cato yells from behind us.

A few minutes later Marvel and I reach the cornucopia. "Get on my shoulders," Marvel says. "We don't have much time." So I climb into Marvel's shoulders and hoist myself up onto the cornucopia. "Pull me up," Marvel says from down below me. I grab his hand and pull him up, ignoring the pain in my ankle.

When I turn around I see the exact thing I've been dreading. "Looks like we have company," I sneer.

"Thought you would be happy to see me," Katniss says. "Guess not." She loads her bow and pulls the string back. "Drop your weapons."

I look at Marvel and give a short nod. He drops his spear and I drop my trident at my feet. "Thanks for listening. Now it's time to die." She realices and her arrow bounces off my armor. I pull out one of Clove's knives from my pocket and throw it at her chest. The knife hits it's target.

"You didn't see that coming?" I ask.

Katniss drops to her knees and removes the knife from her chest. "Aaliya, if you don't mind, I'd like to finish her off." Cato says, jumping up beside me.

"Go ahead."

Cato hovers over her with his sword pointing at her neck. "I never liked you," he says. "Actually I take that back. I hate you." He thrusts his sword into her neck and a cannon instantley booms. I kick her body off the cornucopia. The mutts will enjoy her.

"Argh," Someone yells from behind me. Peeta. Marvel takes his spear out of Peeta's stomach and smirks. I had been too busy with Katniss to see what Marvel was up to.

"Peeta!" I yell running over to him. Peeta grabs my arm as he falls to his knees and I drop down beside him. "Marvel what did you do!"

"I helped us win!"

"Ignore him, Peeta. He's an idiot."

"I don't want to die," Peeta says. He grabs my hand. "Not like this."

"It's okay, Peeta. Everythings going to be okay," I whisper as tears roll down my cheeks. "Look up at the stars. Aren't they beautiful?" Peeta looks up and smiles. I planned on him dying while looking up at the stars and holding my hand, except he begins to speak again.

"I don't want to die like this," he whispers. "I don't want to be murdered by him."

"Peeta-"

"You kill me, Aaliya."

"Why would I do that?"

"Because I want a friend to kill me."

"You said you didn't want to die!"

"Please Aaliya!"

"Okay," I whisper, but I don't move.

"Aaliya, I only have a few minutes left please," he whispers. He reaches up and grabs my elbows. Slowly I lower my right hand over his mouth and my left hand over his nose. Peeta starts struggling under me, but he keeps his hands planted on my elbows. Not long after he stops struggling and a cannon booms.

Still crying, I remove my hands from his face and lay his hands at his sides. I zip up his jacket so you can't see the wound Marvel gave him and close his eyes so he looks like he's sleeping. "You're in a better place now, my friend," I murmur and softley kiss his cheek.

"Whoa! Finally three baby!" Cato shouts.

"How could you two be celebrating right now," I say, standing up to face him. "I just killed my friend."

"Because we survived. Marvel, if the plan's still a go, I think it's time before she gets suspicious," Cato says.

Marvel nods and I stare at them blankley. Marvel walks over to me and plants a kiss on my lips and stares into my eyes. "I'm sorry I have to do this, Aaliya. It's to protect you. I love you Aaliya. Promise me you'll always remember that."

"I promise. But what are you two talking about? What are you going to do Marvel?" He just smiles and walks back to Cato. Before my brain can focus on what's happening Cato cuts the straps off his armor and it falls to the side. They both grab their weapons and aim them straight at their chests. "3...2...1..."

"Stop!" I yell, realizing what they're up to. Marvel halts for a second but Cato doesn't. He drives the sword straight into his chest.

"It's okay," Cato says weakley. He drops to the ground and a cannon booms.

"No!" I yell, tears pour down my cheeks. Marvel just looks at me.

"You lied to me!" I yell. "You said you would protect me."

"I would apologize," he says, moving a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "But I am protecting you."

"We can do this together." I sobb."Please don't leave me."

"I don't have a choice, baby. You are by far the greatest thing that ever happened to me. I'll get to die knowing that I'm in love. You, Aaliya Camron, made my life important."

I shake my head and fall to my knees, sobbing still. "I love you, Aaliya."

"Please," I sobb. "Please. Please stay with me."

"Good-bye." He smiles and a tear rolls down his cheek. I close my eyes.

A cannon booms.

"No," I sobb, opening my eyes.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," a voice booms overhead. "The victor of the 74th Hunger Games, Aaliya Camron, District 4!"

"No!" I cry. "I hate you people for doing this to me! Why? Why would you do this to me?" I drop down to the hard surface of the cornucopia and cry. This is officially the lamest victory of the Hunger Games.

I hear a helicopter drop a ladder down a ladder but I don't move towards it. A few minutes later someone drops down onto the cornucopia beside me. "Aaliya."

It was Finnick.

"Finnick!" I yell, running over and hugging him. "How could he do this to me?" I sobb. "How?"

"He saved you Aaliya," Finnick whispers. "Hey, look at me," he says, and I look him in the eye. "Hold your head up high. You won. Be proud." I nod. "Come on. Everyone's waiting for you. Let's go home okay?"

"Let's go home," I whisper. Then we climb up the ladder. As the ladder starts to pull us up, I look at my friends. Peeta. Cato. I think about Clove. Glimmer. Brady. I'll treasure my friendship with them forever. I look back at Marvel. I'll treasure my love for him the most. I'm glad the careers decided to take me in. Someday I'll join them again. I'll see Marvel again. He'll kiss me and everything will go back to how it was.

I will never forget my time with the careers. I am a career. Right here, at this moment I know, I'll always be running with the careers.

A/N: I really hope you enjoyed this chapter.  So, I know many of you probably like Katniss, I do too.  I'm sorry I killed her the way I did, but I think it fits the storyline.  I really hope you all enjoyed this book!  

Also when Aaliya and Marvel say their goodbyes, they are not all my words.  They were taken from Elena and Damon's goodbyes in The Vampire Diaries season 5 finale.