Here it is, the final chapter of the story! Also, thanks for over 300 reviews!

Victoria Mason, 18
Rebel

Panem was changing.

For the better? For the worse? I wasn't sure. But something had been set in motion, and it would keep turning until the Capitol rose to stop it. And they were trying. But by then, the motions kept going, the dust was kicked up, and the unrest began. By the time the 8th Hunger Games loomed near, the obvious was out.

Panem was changing and the Capitol could do nothing about it.

I sat in my room within our little makeshift bunker, located somewhere on the outskirts of 10. We were awaiting news from other spies planted within the Capitol and the districts. For now, I didn't know what our next move was, or if we were sitting back and watch the nation spark on its own. It wouldn't be long before everything went up in flames.

District 7 sparked first as they flew Everleigh's face in the sky, then 11 as they were swarmed by Peacekeepers. Surprisingly, 10 subtly joined their side not long afterwards, delaying Capitol shipments to send to other districts instead. 8 went on strike, 3 and 6 held riots, all of which were quickly subdued. Then 8 flared up again and I had to admit, the Capitol was slowly losing control. If things went the way they were going, each district would slowly break apart until they couldn't take it anymore and everything would go to hell.

But not District 2. Never District 2. The loyal little lapdog, too brave and honourable to fight. Strong and great, District 2 would never turn their backs.

I hoped my father was still alive.

I hoped he was safe.

There was a knock at the door.

"Come in," I muttered, flopping backwards onto my bed. It was Thames. Or Thomas. Or whatever his name was. he was carrying two mugs of hot chocolate. "Hey. Want a drink?"
"Sure. Why not?"

Thomas handed me a cup. "Apparently we're in a stalemate right now."
"How so?"

"Well, the Hunger Games Games are next week, so Peacekeeper forced has increased in preparation. Foxy has to be in the Capitol to mentor so he can't join us. 11's been subdued, 7 and 8 are on lockdown, and 10's overrun by Peacekeepers. As a matter of fact, 10's completely out."

"Shit."
"Yep."

Thomas sat down next to me. "We've probably gotta flee soon, Victoria. Someone traced Thames Williams all the way back to me, which is why the Capitol is so crazy about 10. You, me, my siblings, and my aunt. We've all gotta get out of here before we're arrested. Or else we'll die."
"Where do you want to go, then? We don't have a lot of options here."

"How about District 9?" Thomas asked. "Trains from 9 come here all the time, shipping grain to be used as animal feed. We can try stowing away on one of those trains and we can make it to 9. They haven't rebelled yet, they're still a little mad at Mark. So nobody there will be looking for us."

I quickly caught on. "And if we can start uprisings in 9, the Capitol will be too preoccupied with other districts to fully prepare."
"That's exactly what I was thinking! How did you know that?"

I just shrugged. "Well, with you, there's always more than what meets the eye."

Thomas giggled. "Are you talking about Thames or me?"
"I don't know who I'm talking to anymore."

Thomas giggled again. For a moment, I felt like I wasn't trapped in a bunker far away from home, with every white uniform in the country out to kill me. I felt cozy, like I was just sharing a drink with this annoying little kid who insisted on being with me.

It felt normal.

It felt good.

"We should leave at midnight," I suggested. "And bring all the money you can find. I don't want Peacekeepers searching the train, so maybe we should bribe the workers so they don't alert anyone. The second we're in 9, we get off the train and find shelter. Sound good?"

"Sounds better than anything I could come up with." Thomas gave me that signature little grin of his. "You're really good at this rebel stuff."
"Someone has to do it." I raised my cup in the air. Thomas did the same.

"Here's to the future, whatever it may bring. Here's to a future of a free Panem."

"Here's to Panem," I agreed as out cups clinked against each other. And we both drank.

Mark Giblet, 16
Victor of the 7th Hunger Games

The sheets felt cool when I woke up. I had gotten myself all tangled in them again.

As my eyes slowly adjusted, I felt someone beside me. That wasn't much of a surprise. He often insisted on being there, with a different excuse each time.

"Good morning."
"You can sleep in your own bed, you know."

Daniel yanked the covers off. "Yeah, but I like it in here."
"We have the same bed. It's literally the exact same model."
"It's different somehow."

"Oh please," I scoffed as Daniel cozied up next to me. "It's because you're here," he said.
I flicked him across the forehead. "I'm gonna take your room, then. We'll see how you like it."

Daniel laughed and so did I. He had been here for six months now. His presence became another normal thing about the household, especially as my sisters decided they wanted to move out and try different things. My parents said they were getting old and eventually, they wanted to downsize to make life easier. I wasn't ready to be alone, not just yet.

Having someone there made sleeping at night an easier task. Ever since Daniel moved in, the nightmares had gradually subsided. They were still there, but I felt braver to face them, knowing I wouldn't wake up alone. And as much as I pretended to feel annoyed by it, waking up to see him down gave me enough courage to go back asleep.

You're not real, I'd say to myself as hellish shadows of the tributes swirled around my head. You're not real. You don't exist and I can push you away. You'll never be able to hurt me.

"Do you have to leave tomorrow?" Daniel whined, kicking his feet up in the air. "Why can't you stay with me?"
"Well, if the district wants another Victor..."
"Mentoring is such a strange job."

"Someone has to do it," I said and I suddenly felt doubtful. Tomorrow were the Games, and for the first time, I was not a kid in the crowd. I was a kid up on the stage, and it was my job to bring more like me home. The bar had been set high and I was nervous.

What if I fail?

"You'll be good at it," Daniel told me. He reached out and patted my face. "You'll bring lots of tributes home and build up your own little victor army."
"It's not an army."

"It could be. Come on, you're a Victor! You've got to bend the rules a little! What's stopping you?"
"I've already bent the rules! I'm not allowed to share the house with anyone outside of family or guardians."

"You think I'm family?" Daniel asked and I wanted to tell him that I did, but I stopped myself. He sounded a little upset with the question.
"Daniel, what do you think of me as?"
"Well, do you think I'm family or not?"

"Hey, I asked you first," I told him. "So you answer me."

"I'm not sure, because you've been a good friend, doing all of this for me. But I haven't done anything to deserve it. It feels like I'm just mooching off you. But that's what friends do, right? They look out for each other and they keep each other safe. We're friends, which is why you're doing this all for me. But I can't repay any of it."

"I don't want you to repay it."
"But I want to. I don't have a big house or bed, so I'm going to offer something else."

"Daniel, just listen to me-" I was cut off by Daniel waving his hand in my face. "Can we be more than friends, Mark? I really want to be more than just friends. I honestly don't know how to describe it, but it's what I want. But...only if you're up for it."

"Well...are you up for it? It doesn't seem fair if you don't feel like you want to be in this relationship."
"I'm all for it! I really want to be with you! It's not me repaying you or anything! I mean it, from the bottom of my heart, I want to be Mark Giblet's boyfriend."

"If that's the case, then I want you to be my boyfriend too."

The words came out before I even realized what I had just said. But Daniel looked so happy, I knew I'd never change my mind. What I said was true. I wasn't sure if I could see myself dating him, let alone anyone else. But when I thought about it, I really wanted it.

Daniel tackled me and we were almost knocked off the bed. I was halfway over the edge, with him on top of me. "Holy shit, I didn't think you'd actually say yes! I knew it! I knew you liked me!"
"Okay, okay! Yes I do! Yes! Now get off me!"
"Can I kiss you?"

"Um..."
Daniel pulled himself off me. "Sorry. We're going a bit too fast, aren't we?"
"Yeah, that's not a good idea. Also, I've got to leave for the Capitol tomorrow."

Daniel pouted. "That's not fair! Why can't I go with you? Or you stay with me?"
"I wish I could. Honestly. But I'll see you afterwards, okay? And then we can go on a romantic date evening. Just the two of us."

"That sounds really good!" Daniel licked his lips. "Can we get pasta?"
"Whatever you want."

"I want pasta!" Daniel whined. I just laughed and he gave me a hug. "But you'll do great tomorrow, okay? You'll be the best mentor District 3 has."
"I don't want either of my tributes dying on me."
"I know. And it sucks that the Hunger Games are a thing. But you'll bring home so many Victors, I just know it."

"I hope I do. I love you, Daniel."
"I know."

And there we go, wrapping up OLS's story! I originally planned for this to end several years into the future, but I thought this worked a lot better. Well, the tales of Mark and Victoria and all the other tributes may be over for now, we'll still see a lot of these characters in TMH!

It feels like I've been writing this story since forever and in a way, I'm glad it's finally over. I've had a lot of ups and down since November of 2017 when this was originally published and it's crazy how so much has changed since then. This story has gone through a lot of changes too, to become what it finally is now and I'm happy with it. I feel like I've grown as a writer and I've pinpointed my strengths and weaknesses, and worked on improving things. I've grown as a person too and there's no denying that.

Thanks to everyone who submitted to the story! I hope you all enjoyed the crazy ride we've been on that is sure to continue in TMH!

-Vr