***This is the ending that Annabelle described. Click here for a list of the bits I’m skipping! Hope you enjoy***
One minute the sky was clear and kind-of sunny. The next minute the sky was raging and storming.
Distant rumbles of the thunder echoed across the vast green field of wet and slippery grass. Large raindrops fell from the sky rapidly, almost like a running tap. If Jonathan and I hadn’t found and hid in a small, sheltered animal pen, we would’ve died from the cold winds and heavy rain.
I wasn’t all so confident, with 5 tributes left in the arena. I bet that deadly girl from District 2 was happy, she was the best fighter left in the arena. She was trained for this sort of thing, being in the Career district. She was born for this.
The tall boy from District 8 wasn’t such a good fighter, but he was fast and athletic, which is something over the other tributes. Quincy could use a spear, plus he was super-smart – he was the type of tribute to stalk another, then ambush and kill them. Jonathan, who was sleeping next to me, was a good climber, and could find food in the wilderness without problem. And what could I do?
You can do everything Jonathan can do, and you can throw knives! whispered a small voice in my head. I still had doubts, like the fact that I only had 5 knives left. But I think this is something else. There was something nagging at me, as though I’d forgotten something important, and was on the verge of remembering it.
Instinctively, I walked out of the pen and out into the open. Cold fresh air cleared my mind, rain rinsing my face. I looked around the green field, tiny strips of moonlight dancing across the sweet-smelling grass.
And then something bright and blue appeared just in front of me. I shrieked and stumbled back, holding up my knife to protect me. I looked at the blue thing. It was a hologram of – President Snow?
Jonathan burst out, holding his pointy stick that he found back in the District 7 section. ‘Wait!’ I said. ‘I think it’s a hologram sent by the Capitol.’ Jonathan didn’t look all that reassured, but lowered his stick anyway.
‘Hello, Leila Hummingbird and Jonathan Brownley’ Hologram Snow said. ‘I would like to congratulate you on making it to the top 5 of the 70th Hunger Games!’ Jonathan and I glanced at each other, each as equally mystified. The hologram probably didn’t want to just say congratulations, there was most likely something else that President Snow wanted to say.
‘Now, as you so cleverly figured out, each section represents a different district’ complemented Hologram Snow. But President Snow usually never complimented someone, especially a petty little tribute in their Games. ‘It is unsafe for a tribute to walk into their own district’s sec-‘ ‘LEILA!’
Jonathan’s yell reached my ears just as I turned. A ginormous grey beast knocked into me, pushing me to the ground. Another extremely heavy grey monster pounded on me, hitting my arm and causing me to scream, blood leaking from my left arm. Another beast, another blow, to my stomach, my face, my legs, my chest. I cried and screamed in pain, I could barely breathe. Why wasn’t I dead, why wasn’t my body lying as lifeless and unmoving as a rag doll, with my red blood staining the grass? Something pounded on my nose, and dark spots were dancing in my eyes, and my nose was bleeding, blood streaming over my painful and raw face, and I couldn’t bear it any longer as another heavy blow hit my chest. With another loose scream, the world went black and fuzzy.
A pack of enormous elephant mutts.
I realised at the last second that the hologram was a trap, a distraction. I dived out of the way, and rolled on the soft grass. ‘LEILA!’ My cry was too late – the massive grey beasts had began to pound on her. Screams and crys of immense and terrible pain left her mouth, as the herd of about 10 elephant mutts squashed her to death, her dark red blood pooling out onto the grass. I ran, ran as fast as I could to the nearest grassy green hill. The elephant mutts would find me, I knew, but I had to try and hide. As Leila’s horrible screams abruptly stopped, and a loud rumbling noise thundered further and further away, I ran back to Leila. Her bloody and still body lay unmoving upon the grass. I kneeled down next to her, sadness welling up inside me. My district partner, and ally, was dead.
But as the cannon sounded, I realised that Leila was just another tribute; just another tribute in the Hunger Games. She wasn’t my friend, I didn’t know her before the reaping. Leila could have been planning to kill me, for all I know.
Suddenly the sadness for Leila’s death turned to determination for becoming victor. I grabbed Leila’s knives and backpack, then turned away, walking from her body, without looking back at Leila, without a second thought of Leila Hummingbird
***Jonathan becomes victor!!!***