Epilogue

There were too many people around for her liking. At that moment, all Alessandra wanted was to hide back in her hospital ward. There had been nobody there. Nobody to bother her. Nobody to torment her.

However, now it seemed unlikely that she would get any peace. Dressed in a long silky gown that did their job well of concealing her injuries, she walked towards Alissa and shook hands with the woman. And then there was Lorenzo standing nearby, glaring at her despite his wide smile. Looking at his angry face was of some comfort to her, however small.

She saw the President come towards her, two women brought in a tiara. Oh how she wanted to burn it! How she wanted to kill them all! She tried to smile when the President crowned her the victor, but it was more of a grimace. In the din of the applause she wanted to scream and wail and hurt all those people around her, just like she did in the Games…

At least she was spared the humiliation of giving a speech by a rather stern look from the tyrant. Somebody grabbed her roughly and dragged her away from the stage, out of the hall, away, away from them all.

She was almost glad when the person pushed her into the room and banged the door shut. Aly stood up shakily, and her eyes fell on the mirror. How pretty she looked! And how ugly she felt looking at her beautiful form! The first thing she did was to ruin her hairdo. Then she proceeded to wipe out the makeup. Throwing off the dress she slipped into the shabbiest clothes of her own during her Reapings, which had been kept into the cupboard. And then she stomped onto the extravagant dress with as much strength as she could muster, followed by screaming. The screams were loud, stretched out and demented and there suddenly felt a joy in smashing the mirror and using the glass to cut herself…

Just when she decided that she would do it after all, there was a knock on her door.

All she wanted to do now was to strangle whoever it was on the door. She stormed over to it and wrenched it open, ready to punch whoever it was but then stopped.

Her anger dissipated at once. In its place was a mixture of affection and sadness as she took in the figure standing in her doorway, his cheeks much hollow than they had been, eyes slightly bleak, and his frame much thinner than it should be.

"Bridge…"

The boy, much shorter than her, spread his arms wide and Aly embraced him, tears finally falling as the younger child stroked her messy hair gingerly.

"I forgot completely that you're, that you're alive!" Aly exclaimed, releasing him finally, her face lighting up.

"It came at a price Aly. A price I didn't want to pay," Bridge replied, "I-I already murdered my own dad before the Games. It was an accident. A mad accident. But- but now…"

He didn't have the strength to continue and Aly stared at him. Murdered his own father? And she thought he was her friend…

"You killed your own dad?" she whispered.

The boy lowered his gaze and nodded. Aly pushed him away.

"Go then," she said, "Leave. Don't meet me ever again."

"Aly-"

"WHAT DO YOU THINK?! MURDERING IS ALL RIGHT?! DON'T YOU FEEL- FEEL ANYTHING?! AND HERE I AM, SOBBING AND WEEPING AND THINKING ABOUT SUICIDE AND YOU COME IN CASUALLY TO SAY THAT YOU MURDERED YOUR DAD! IS IT A GAME, BRIDGE?! MURDERING PEOPLE?! IN THE GAMES WE HAD NO CHOICE BUT- BUT BEFORE THAT?! YOU DISGUST ME!"

Bridge didn't say anything at all even as Alessandra slammed the door shut in his face.

Why did she even think he was a friend? What did she know of him? But now she did. A guy who killed his father- no! Just no!

"AAHHH!" she cried, pulling at her hair when there was another knock.

"Go away!"

No reply.

Exasperated, she opened the door, and he barged in, jumping onto the bed.

"I killed people. You killed people. It's even," Bridge said as he glared at her.

"No it isn't," Aly growled.

"It is," the boy replied calmly, settling himself on the bed, and wiping his feet with the dress Aly had discarded.

"Ugh."

"You aren't going to wear that, are you?"

Aly pursed her lips at that and Bridge shrugged.

"What is it?" she asked finally.

"I have been assigned a home in the Capitol," Bridge said, "Want to stay with me?"

Aly narrowed her eyes.

"What?"

"Want to stay with me? I won't kill you, don't worry."

"And why would I want to do that?"

"Because I'm amazing."

"You're twelve."

"You're thirteen."

"I'll think about it."

Bridge grinned at her and then ran over to he, gave her a bear hug and then ran out. Aly rolled her eyes. Who would want to stay with such a monkey? And then she laughed.

"Hey Bridge, I know you're right here."

The boy poked his head into the doorway.

"I'll see if my family can come too. I'm not staying anywhere with you alone."

"Invite them then!"

"I will."

Bridge giggled and then ran down the corridor and Aly started laughing again. No, she wasn't going to live with him alone. At least not now. Suicide seemed a very wrong option now. How could she even think of something so irrational?

"Don't be so happy Bridge," she muttered gleefully, "The first thing I'm going to work on is your horrible songs."

I know. One and a half months and yet the worst epilogue you could get. Try to work out what this epilogue meant, for I don't know myself. I'm having exams now so it wasn't very good.

So, I hope you all enjoyed the story. Each character that you sent me was worth millions. I loved writing them a lot and although I know that there were a few who I messed up very badly, I still loved those characters as well. I know many of you were not happy with the victor, which is understandable, although the reason I chose her was very simple. She was affected by the Games in a very bad way, sort of went mad even. As I have never seen a victor who was driven mad by the Games, I had to do it. and I don't regret it.

This was an enjoyable journey and I thank each one of you for taking the time to read it. and my hearties thanks and gratitude to the submitters, without whom the story would have been incomplete.