The Hunger Games: Book Four - How it Might Have Been ... Gale.

Page Forty-Nine

Panem

The citizens watch, mouths agape, as the Tributes circle each other, not scary and fierce as they once looked long ago, but scared and frightened, no bloodlust at all. Panem can't understand why this is happening - the Mockingjay freed them of this, so, so long ago.

Oenothera Mellark flashes up on the screen, along with the image of a young girl only people in District 12 recognise for sure. But everyone can see it, the resemblance, the mixture of the two heroes of the Rebellion. This is the descendant of Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen - it has to be.

But why is she in the New Hunger Games? Shouldn't she be fighting back, defying the Capitol, as her mother once did? Maybe it's an impossible wish - determination and rebelliousness cannot be inherited.

But no - wait! - she is. She is defying the Capitol. She is setting up her bow to face her, like a snare, and standing in front of it. She's going to kill herself, defy the Capitol. This is not what they want. They want her dead, but not in a way that is voluntary. They want the Districts of this nation to ruin each other, kill each other's members. But Panem is a whole now, since the Rebellion. 

The nation watch with baited breath as the arrow shakes unsteadily and young Oenothera lifts her arms, determination on her face.

Suddenly, there is an explosion. Mothers cry out, seeing their children launched into the air of the Arena, smacking into the rubble. No one was expecting this. Is it the Capitol that have done this? Are they wiping out all the Tributes in one go? Will they wipe out Panem in the same way?

The cameras flicker, and it is clear that the Capitol have not planned this. No one is controlling the Games anyway. They must have been on the hovercraft? But who crashed it? A rebel inside the ship, a secret traitor? Only one camera is working now - the rest were blown to pieces - and the audience strain to see the Tributes' fate, especially Oenothera's. She was far enough away to escape the explosion, but surely the arrow had flown at the force?

All Panem can see is the burning ship, an aerial view of it, and figures moving, slowly. People climb from the debris and collapse, and the nations' eyes are strained to see who. No one can make out who it is. The camera zooms a bit, but it's not a manual function. No one is controlling the cameras anymore. This is all happening, right now. A figure with blond hair emerges, then white. They grab one another - are they fighting? The white-haired figure falls, and the blonde one runs. The camera zooms more, momentarily, before zooming out. 

Peeta Mellark!

But sure he is dead? Obviously not! He runs across the Arena, towards Oenothera, his daughter, but she cannot be seen. The camera zooms out fully now, and a black-clad figure is seen where Oenothera once stood, waiting for the bow.

The Tributes' bodies litter the rubble, some unmoving, but many are moving, though their limbs are in awkward positions. Suddenly, a hundred people emerge from a hole in the ground - a door? A door to District Thirteen! It's underground - of course!

These grey-clad figures seem to be allies of the Tributes - they rush to their aid. Some rush towards the still burning hovercraft, but it does not look like their are rushing to the aid of those who were on board. 

The camera is still zooming in, in, in, and out again, in, in, in, and out again, and Panem is entranced.

Suddenly, there is an explosion, a bomb, and the camera goes black.