Taylor's Writing

Alternative Ending to the Hunger Games

I wrote this as a part of my literacy homework. I am proud of it because I worked really hard on it and it turned out really great.

I somehow manage to get Peeta to the lake. We have just sat down when we hear the familiar sound of the trumpets.

“We won Peeta, we won!” I say, hugging him.

But then we hear Claudius Templesmith’s voice saying something else.

“I’m sorry, but we have been told that we have to go back to the original rules. There can be only one victor. Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favour,” Claudius says

Peeta has a horrified look on his face, and I know I must look the same.

“We should have known Katniss,” Peeta says sadly, but he pulls out his knife.

I instinctively position my bow, pointing at his heart. He raises an eyebrow and drops his knife in the lake. I drop mine too, and we just stand there looking at each other.

“It’s alright Katniss, you can kill me. Your family needs you. No one needs me,” he says.

But he’s wrong.

“No. I need you,” I say, and we stand there.

I’m wondering what to do when a thought strikes me. We can’t both die because they need a winner. Without one the games would blow up in the Capitol’s face. So if we were both to die, or they thought we were, surely they would change the rules again. My hand goes down to my pocket and I pull out the pouch of berries.

“No Katniss, you can’t kill yourself,” Peeta says.

“Yes Peeta,” I say, and hand him a few.

“On the count of three then,” he says.

But first I pull him into my arms and gently kiss his lips.

“I love you Peeta,” I tell him. And I mean it.

“I love you too Katniss,” he takes a deep breath. “One,” he looks at the lake, then at me. “Two,” I’m shaking now, and I don’t dare take my eyes off him. “Three,” We lift our hands to our mouth, but I’m shaking so bad that the berries spill from my hands. I see Peeta’s fall into his mouth, and he collapses to the ground. I scream, and I’m about to quickly put the berries in my mouth when I feel a sharp pain and fall unconscious.

I wake up in what must be one of the Capitol’s high-tech hospitals. I look around to see Haymitch sitting by my bed with sad look on his face. I’m about to ask him about Peeta, but he’s already started talking.

“Katniss,” he says slowly. “Peeta, he, Peeta died. It was almost as soon as he put the berries in his mouth, I didn’t realise he would die so quick. I would’ve tried to help you save him, but they knocked you unconscious, knowing you would try and eat the berries,”. He’s still talking but I start crying and don’t hear anything. I feel a liquid flow into my arm and I fall into a deep sleep, filled with the worst things I could dream about. It was just like what the tracker jacker venom did to me, except this time it's worse, because this time Peeta was in them. I watched him get killed by Cato, the mutts, Rue, but worst of all, me. I watched myself kill him so many times that when I woke up I was nearly convinced it actually was me that killed him. And then I realise it was. Because I handed him those berries, because I was shaking so hard that I dropped mine, because I was stupid enough to think that it would all work and they would change the rules. But once again the Capitol have won, and now Peeta is dead. And it’s all my fault.

I get out of my bed and walk around looking for Effie or Haymitch, maybe even Cinna. I just want someone to talk to. A glass door opens that I wouldn’t have seen if it didn’t move. I walk through and see a long narrow hallway. I spot an elevator and step inside, finding it strangely familiar. I realise I’m in the training center, so I push the number twelve and hope they are up there. The doors open and I walk out, finding them all talking in low voices around the table where we sat leading up to the Games. They come over to me and give me a hug one by one, first Haymitch, then Cinna, then Effie. We sit down at the table and they offer me some lunch, but I’m not hungry.

“You need to eat something Katniss,” Cinna says, so I sip on a hot chocolate. What was once a deliciously rich cup of warm chocolate milk is now just a hot, flavourless liquid that feels like it could come back up any second.

“Katniss, you don’t have to worry about anything. We’ve cancelled all of your interviews. You can go back home to your family and you don’t have to do anything else that you don’t want to do. We’ll take you back on the train tomorrow,” Haymitch says, but I don’t feel any better.

“Peeta’s my family too,” I mumble, but no one seems to hear. We go to the couch where it’s a little more comfortable, and I fall asleep almost straight away. Haymitch carries me back to my room and tucks me in bed. I miss the warmth of Peeta’s body that should be next to mine.

The next morning I’m surprised when I wake up and find that Effie has let me sleep, so I lie in bed for a while savouring the moment. Eventually I decide to get up. Even though Peeta isn’t back home, the rest of my family is, and I need them more than ever. The train is ready as soon as we get there. We get in and I go straight to my room. I sleep again, but for the most part I just lie in bed until Effie comes and knocks on the door, telling me that it’s dinner time. Because I haven’t eaten anything for about a day, my appetite has come back a little bit, so I decide that I might as well go and see what food there is. The lamb stew sits on the table, with a bowl of wild rice next to it. My spirits lift, and I spoon a small serving onto my plate. The plate has flowers that remind me of the meadow back home. The stew tastes even better than back in the cave with Peeta, so I take another small helping, but soon find myself eating a third and then a fourth. When we finish I go back to sleep in my room.

When I wake up I see only blackness outside the windows, and realise that we must be in the tunnel leading to District 12. I quickly dress and braid my hair back, feeling the best I have felt since being back in the cave. I think of Peeta but then another image slips into my head, this time it’s Gale. I realise how much I’ve missed him, especially since Peeta died. I can’t wait to finally get to hug him, and bury my head in his chest, blocking out everything else and just breathing in his scent. I think of the last time I saw him. We were sitting together on that velvet couch in the Justice Building, and then he was being dragged out by Peacekeepers. But then I’m thinking of Peeta again and my head finds the pillow on my bed as the tears start dripping out of my eyes. The train starts slowing so I wash my face and I go to find Haymitch and Effie. Effie gives me a big hug and we say our goodbyes. I thank her for everything she’s done for me, and because she’s Effie, but mostly I think because she probably has too, she says “Thanks to you I wouldn’t be at all surprised if I get promoted to a decent district next year!”.

Haymitch and I step off the train to find my mother, Prim, Gale, and Hazelle with all of the kids. I hug Prim and then run into Gale’s arms.

“Hey Catnip, you did it,” he whispers in my ear.

I turn to my mother and hug her too. And then all of a sudden it’s like all of these emotions I’ve been feeling since the games explode inside me and I burst into tears. Gale pulls me into him and we stand there for what must be ten minutes, although I only feel better once Haymitch has given me a hug too. We go back to the new house in the Victor’s Village just as a recap of the games comes on the TV. It’s mandatory viewing, but we all just go to bed. Hazelle sleeps in the spare room and Gale and the kids can all fit in the living room and kitchen. We all just want to be together tonight.