{this is the last chapter before the epilogue}
It's like a split second frozen in time. Emberly is turning towards President Snow, and staring into his snake like eyes and the affect is almost as painful as being shot by her own mother.
He's well groomed and finely dressed as ever, but weighed down by heavy manacles, ankle shackles, and tracking devices. In the bright light from above, his skin is a pale, sickly green. He holds a kerchief, spotted with blood in his left hand.
"I was hoping you'd find your way to my quarters." He says, voice simple but the message is as long and terrifying as Emberly's life's been so far in Panem. "There are so many things to discuss but I have a feeling your visit will be brief. So, first things, first."
He stops himself to cough into his kerchief, making more red spots stain it. Emberly silently watches him, thinking that this is all for show. He begins with a long inhale. "I wanted to tell you how very sorry I am for your brother."
Pain does two things to a person. The first way: they give up, forgetting what they're fighting for. Forget to stop living in the darkness that's swallowed them whole. Second: they get angry. A blind rage that forces them to act out irresponsibly.
Emberly feels both at the same time. It's two conflicting emotions, one of them makes her want to crumble to the floor and cry until Peeta finds her and whispers in her ear that everything is going to be alright. The second one, makes her want to jump onto President Snow and choke him until the life fades from the snake eyes he possesses.
"So wasteful, so unnecessary. Anyone could see the game was over by that point. In fact, I was just about to issue a surrender when they released those parachutes." President Snow continues, and he must sense her confusion because he starts speaking once more. "Well, you really didn't think I gave the order, did you? Forget the obvious fact I had a working hovercraft at my disposal, I'd have been using it to make an escape. But that aside, what purpose had it served? We both know I'm not above killing children, but I'm not wasteful. I take life for very specific reasons. And there was no reason for me to destroy a pen full of Capitol Children. None at all."
The next coughing fit, Emberly supposes, is a distraction so she can absorb the words he'd just spoke to her. Her mind is spiraling into paranoia, body not trusting anyone, not even herself. Peeta, Katniss, Gale, Noah, Johanna, Annie, everyone is now a suspect in her brain of being a traitor.
"However, I must concede it was a wonderful move on Coin's part. The idea I was bombing our own helpless children instantly snapped whatever frail alliance my people still felt towards me. Especially when you'd saved that little boy in front of them. There was no real resistance after that. Did you know it aired live? You can see Plutarch's hand there. And in the parachutes. Well, that's the sort of thinking that you look for in a head Gamemaker, isn't it? I'm sure he wasn't gunning Primrose Everdeen or Seth Sage, but these sort of things happen." President Snow informs, dabbing the blood from the corner of his mouth with the kerchief.
These sort of things happen.
The words make Emberly feel sick to her stomach. She thinks of all the children who'd died in the arena around her. The children before her that Noah, Johanna, and Finnick had to kill only to be killed by the very man who'd promised them freedom.
President Snow sighs amongst her stony silence. "My failure, however, was listening to your mother. Listening to her as she convinced me to let the district's destroy one another, and then step in to take the power with Thirteen barely scratched. Make no mistake, Lana was intending to take my place from the very beginning. I shouldn't have been surprised. It was, however, Thirteen that started a rebellion which caused the Dark Days and the grief that haunts you and your friends families now. But I wasn't watching Lana. I was watching you Emberly Hawke. The girl who actually believed her mother was a good guy. I'm afraid we have both been played for fools."
Emberly shakes her head, muttering a single sentence since Finnick and Bentley's funeral, since being shot by her mother, since spending weeks in a coma with only a 50% chance of living. "Cora Sage should've been President."
President Snow nods his head, before coking it to the side to look at her with a pondering expression on his face. "I believe, this is the first time you and me, Emberly Hawke, have ever agreed upon something."
<
"I've always admired your use of weapons." Peeta says, watching as Emberly stands before the gun cabinet in her tiny loft in President Snow's mansion. Emberly simply smiles to herself, twirling the daggers on her fingers before catching them by closing her palm over the handle.
"You know I love you, right?" Peeta asks, lifting himself from the chair in the corner. Emberly stops twirling the daggers on her fingers, looking in Peeta's direction.
"You've told me before. Though I-" Emberly stops herself, letting out a tiny breath and finally letting the words spill out. "I don't know why. I'm not the same girl I was in the Hunger Games arena Peeta, she's gone, she no longer exists outside of your memories, she'd died along with Marvel all that time ago."
"You think I care about any of that?" Peeta asks, stepping closer to Emberly and grabbing her softly by the waist so their chests are flushed together. "You're right. I'll always adore the girl who I met in the Hunger Games arena, but no matter what, I'll always love this version of you more. The one that, no matter what, fought to save me, her friends, and Panem."
"I love you." Emberly breathes, brushing her hand through Peeta's hair. "I don't know what kind of good deed I did in a past life to deserve someone to love me like you do."
Peeta simply smiles, pressing their foreheads together. "That's kind of ironic, since I think that every day about you."
A knock on the door makes them both turn, seeing Mika waiting with a knowing look on her face in the doorway. Emberly smiles softly, the thought of this women, the very one who'd stood by her side through everything and made her smile through her tears is the closest thing to a mother she's ever going to have. She looks at Mika for a few moments longer, seeing the way Mika's eyes are filled with love and pride when she looks upon Emberly, and finds herself okay with that idea.
Mika leads them towards the dressing rooms, where her and Peeta get changed together. Emberly ignoring the scars on her legs and just above the skin on her waist as she places on a pair of dark, thick thermal tights and a matching thick bullet proof vest and black button up jacket.
Then, Mika turns down a hallway and shows them into a grey room. Inside sit all of the people Emberly knows. Noah, Katniss, Johanna, Elijah, Haymitch, and Annie.
"Hello Emberly...Peeta." President Coin greets, making Katniss look up and motion them towards her direction. Noah doesn't look up, in fact he just shoves his face into the side of Johanna's neck and lets out a few calming breaths before looking back forwards.
"So, an alternative has been placed on the table. Since my colleagues and I come to no consensus, it has been agreed we'd let the victors decide. A majority of four will approve the plan. No one may abstain from the vote. What we've been proposed is that in lieu of eliminating the entire Capitol population, we have a final, symbolic Hunger Games, using children directly related to those who held the most power in the Capitol." President Coin says, making Emberly's blood run cold.
Every victor in the room speaks at the same time. "What?"
"We'll host another Hunger Games using Capitol children." Coin repeats, placing her laced hands onto the table in front of her.
"Are you joking?" Peeta practically growls, hand tightening around Emberly's.
"No. I should also tell you that if we do hold the Games, it will be known it was done with your approval, although the individual votes will be kept secret for your own security." Coins says, staring at the centuries of victors in front of her.
"Was this Plutarch's idea?" Emberly asks, President Snow's words echoing in her head at Plutarch being the one who'd sent down the parachute.
"It was mine." Coin says. "It seemed to balance the need for vengeance with the least loss of life. You may cast your votes."
"No!" Bursts Noah instantly from beside Johanna. "I vote no, of course! We can't have another Hunger Games!"
"Why not?" Johanna retorts, looking at Noah head on. "It seems very fair to me. Snow even has a granddaughter, I vote yes."
"That's just stupid." Noah spits, making Johanna let out a tiny sigh. Emberly tightens her lips together, being this is the first time she'd ever seen Noah and Johanna not on the same page about something. The two had always seemed in sync with each other, but Emberly assumes that this happens a lot behind closed doors because Johanna doesn't seemed phased with Noah disagreeing with her decision.
"So do I," Enoboria says, tone indifferent. "Let them have a taste of their own medicine."
"This is why we rebelled, remember?" Peeta says, before looking at the girl with the crazy mind across the table from him. "Annie?"
"I vote no with Peeta," Annie says, voice loud. "So would Finnick if he were here."
"But he isn't, because Emberly killed him off by feeding Snow's mutts." Johanna hisses, sending a nasty glare in Emberly's direction.
"She did not!" Annie shouts loudly, making everyone jump in surprise. Annie spares Emberly a glance, eyes wet. "I was wrong for blaming you. Finnick was your friend and Noah told me about how you tried to save him, please, I hope you find it in yourself to forgive me."
"Of course Annie." Emberly says, voice frail.
"No," Elijah says, speaking from the corner of the table. "It would set a bad precedent. We have to stop viewing each other has enemies. At this point, unity is essential for our survival. No."
"Were down to Katniss, Peeta, and Emberly." Coin says, tallying down their votes on a piece of notepaper in front of her. "You're the final three."
The final three.
"Yes," Katniss whispers softly. "For Prim."
"No," Peeta says, blue eyes focused on Emberly's face.
"What about me?" She asks, voice wobbly as she looks up at President Coin. "My mother was right alongside Snow this whole time. I'll have to go back into the arena again, along with the many other Capitol children, correct?"
President Coin purses her lips, before nodding her head. "It assumes so."
Emberly chokes back the shake in her voice. "Yes, my vote is yes."
"This is crazy!" Peeta shouts, anger making his face pink. "She shouldn't be punished for something she didn't know or couldn't control."
"I need to do this." Emberly says, grabbing onto his arm, and forcing him to look into her eyes. "For all the deaths I've caused, intentionally and un-intentionally."
"You'll risk dying." Peeta whispers, voice broken.
"When have I not?" Emberly asks back, wiping a tear that escapes her eye. She looks back up at Coin, placing a fake smile on her face. "Are we done here? Mika wanted me back early so she could get me ready for President Snow's execution, and now...a reaping."
President Coin nods her head, letting Emberly leave the room and is thankful that Peeta decides not to follow her as she rushes in the direction of her assigned room.
"Dad?" Emberly calls, entering the assigned loft, sobs echoing from her throat.
Her father appears in seconds, taking in her shattered face and instantly is wrapping his arms around her shaking frame. "What's wrong? What did they do to you?"
"I did something that you aren't going to like but you have to trust that this is a decision I made all by myself. Something that needs to be done in order to deal with my sins." Emberly hiccups, pulling away from her father. "I just wanted to give you one last hug before I go back into the arena."
"The arena? Em, honey, I'm not following." Her father says, shaking his head as Emberly simply chokes back her sobs.
"That-That's okay, I didn't expect you to." Emberly says, before she's grabbing her father's face in her palms. "I just wanted to tell you that I love you and now matter how much mom screwed up, you were always the best parent I could've asked for, okay?"
"Ember-"
"Okay?" Emberly asks, cutting him off.
Her father's face is lined with an inner battle. "Okay."
Emberly smiles gently. Removing her hands from her fathers face and stepping back and nodding her head as she does so. "Okay. I have to go see Mika now. I love you."
"I love you too." Her father answers back quickly.
Emberly smiles at him one last time, before heading towards the door, pushing it open and taking 76 long and painful steps towards the front door of Mika's room.
<
The City Circle spills over with people. Some down the side streets. The others take their places outside, watching with curious eyes. Guards. Officials. Rebel leaders. Victors. Emberly hears cheers which inform her that Coin has appeared in front of the crowd and she pushes down the dread building in her stomach.
She's dressed in a black leather shirt and matching black leather pants. A black and red checkered jacket on her shoulders in a contrast that goes along with her bright red boots.
When they march Snow out the door, everyone goes insane. Katniss, Noah, Peeta, Johanna, Annie, Enoboria all step out onto the stage behind President Coin. She can hear a few people asking about her, where she could be, but the victors on the stage and her father standing next to her are the only ones who know the truth of why she's not standing amongst the victors.
She's a Capitol child.
They secure President Snow's hand behind him on a post, which Emberly finds useless since he has no chance of escaping anyways. He coughs and blood dribbles down his chin, he licks his puffy lips and Emberly searches for any sign of anything, fear, remorse, anger, but finds nothing but a blank canvas.
President Coin is in the middle of giving a speech, when Emberly see's Noah lifting his hand into the air, and the target of a black pistol pointing towards the back of President Coin's head.
In a span of seconds with President Coin's dead body falling to the ground and Noah getting seized by the Capitol guards, Emberly realizes that everything she once thought is crumbling into pieces around her and she doesn't know how to catch them fast enough.
Noah doesn't look sad, in fact he looks in her direction amongst the people in the crowd and he smiles. It's not a sinister smile. Noah wouldn't be able to posses that type of bitterness when killing someone, but instead it's the smile of a boy with an excelling plan and by her fellow victors not being surprised beside him, Emberly knows Noah and the others had planned this not long after she'd volunteered to enter the Capitol Hunger Games.
It takes Emberly a few seconds to understand what's happening. Noah Sage, the boy with the crazy mind had just assassinated the president so she wouldn't have to go back into the arena. He'd risked his freedom, his life, for her, because he knew that there was only one president suited for ruling Panem and she was a women who wouldn't even bring up the idea of the Hunger Games again.
President Coin, just like President Snow, had been tainted by power. Starting a Hunger Games only for Capitol children was just recreating the ruins that'd destroyed many lives.
In the end, Emberly knows that Noah won't get executed. He'd taken the duty of killing President Coin because everyone would blame it on his schizophrenia, and now, it was just up to her and the rest of her friends to help him in court.
Noah had just made a daring move on the chessboard.
Now it was up to the rest of them, to make sure it was a checkmate.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
comment,
vote, &
follow me on Wattpad.