Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins.

Once Remembered - Finale

It will never again be forgotten.

Part Three – The Hunger Games

Chapter Ten

Theo was quiet when we returned to the hub. He walked along the wall and turned the light on despite the sunlight shining though the window.

"What are you doing, Theo?" I questioned.

"Melanie. Let's just sit for a little bit." Theo suggested.

I didn't want to. I felt like going out there and slaughtering Malphite and Rinsh that very instant. I wanted the games to end, but for some reason I felt compelled to listen to Theo. Perhaps it was the defeat in his voice. We were in the calm before the storm. I walked over and sat down with Theo, we stared at the sky past the window.

"Enerem won't live long without food or water." I murmured. She was going to die by the worst possible death. I wondered if she would try to kill herself before that.

Theo didn't answer. He was just as aware as I on how cruel it was to leave the poor girl there. She would indefinitely suffer before her life ended. For the rest of the day we just sat idly, doing nothing but thinking about life itself. It was so odd facing such tranquility in the hunger games. My head fell onto Theo's shoulder and he stroked my hair.

His hand was gentle, full of kindness and love. We were best friends for life.

"Why did you come in the games?" I murmured.

"The same reason you did Melanie."

That wasn't true. I was coming by word of my father. The only family I had, I was giving everything up for him. "Theo, I miss District Four." I said, changing the topic.

"Me too. I guess we won't ever play on the beach like we used to huh? Remember that time you buried yourself and that dog pied on you?"

I laughed, I hated that memory.

"Remember that hole you dug and fell asleep in? When the tide came you almost drowned." I countered.

He laughed too. "We were such cute children then. What happened to us?"

It was a foolish question. We both knew what happened. The capitol stole the innocence of our youth and turned us into cold blooded killers sitting side by side. We would need to kill one another sooner or later.

"What was your favorite part of District Four?" Theo asked randomly.

"The days when I'd go swimming in the ocean, where there was no one for miles and miles but me. Then I can look at the blue sky, the sky that's never changed through all the pain, suffering, happiness, and joys. I can see myself in a different world when it's like that."

"One without the Games eh?" Theo snickered. He was border lining proclaims against the Capitol. I quickly tossed it aside.

"What was your favorite part?"

Theo opened his mouth to say something but then stopped. His eyes shifted. "I have something for you." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a fist, covering something inside. "From each District we're allowed to bring one token from our homeland." Theo opened his fist.

I stared at his palm, in the center was a small pearl. It was infinitesimal, the pearl was no bigger than a grain of rice. It was just like that pearl that I couldn't give him that day in the sea. Was it the same pearl? What did it mean that it was being returned to me now? I reached for it and then held it with my fingers. I tried to hold it to the light but then I saw that my hand was shaking. I didn't want Theo to see so I closed my hand around it.

I held it to my heart, closed my eyes and made a silent prayer. "Thank you." I said as I opened my eyes. I slipped it into my pocket, and my hand lingered at my side. "Theo…" I cocked the gun and pointed it to him. Point blank. "How am I supposed to kill you now?"

He didn't look surprised at the gun. "Like how you always planned to, Melanie."

"Only one of us can make it out of the games, Theo. How can I kill you?"

Theo sighed and turned to the gun. "You pull the trigger."

I swallowed. "Aren't you going to fight me?"

"If I kill you now, I'm dead anyways. I can't take Malphite and Rinsh alone." He paused. "Neither can you."

I lowered the gun, and slipped the safety back on. I held it with both hands like the dangerous weapon it was. "We're going to need to kill one another sooner or later."

Theo placed a hand on the gun between my hands. "Then let it be later. For now, let's rest."

Sitting beside Theo, I fell asleep more easily than I should have been able to. I reminded myself again that Theo was my enemy, that I could never wake up to see the sun again because of him. But that didn't make me feel any less safe there. Why? Slumber embraced me and nightmares were kept at bay.

Theo and I ate the last of the food the next day, and we rested another night. Why wasn't the Capitol interfering? Where were Malphite and Rinsh? All I wanted was peace, but I knew that things weren't going to remain quiet for long.

It was the morning of the fourth day that the light began to flicker. Theo was staring at it, mesmerized. I was only waking up. "It looks like it's finally working. I thought Enerem had failed for a second."

"What did Enerem do?" I asked dispassionately.

Theo turned on the flashlight and it began flickering on par with the light. "A total blackout." He said softly. "She's worked the electromagnetic fields so that there won't be any power in the city."

I didn't understand why that was anything to behold. I rubbed my eyes trying to wake myself up. I saw Theo pointing a gun at me when I finished. I reached for my gun but it was gone.

"In a few minutes even the Capitol will be blind to what I'm going to do." Theo said softly.

"You need me." I said weakly.

Theo shook his head and shot my waist. I squealed. "No Melanie. Not anymore. You were just another pawn for me. Now that Enerem's little thing is working, I don't need you. I can take out Malphite and Rinsh easy."

He shot at my other side, he was toying with me. I began to scramble away, bleeding the entire way, crawling to the door. Theo didn't try to stop me, instead he followed slowly behind me knowing there was no escape.

"Only one of us was serious I suppose." Theo mused as he paced behind my crawl. "I'll kill you! You said when we were on national television, but you had your chance didn't you? You should have shot me then, Melanie. But you're just as stupid as all those fools you killed."

"Theo please…"I begged, I was losing too much blood.

"No Melanie, I'm not talking about the other tributes anymore. Don't you remember? That boat? The one with your mother, the one with my parents? All those people who died because of you. Do you regret it? You cried so long for your mother, but you knew exactly what happened didn't you?" Theo deliberated. "So now Melanie, let me tell you why I came after you in the Hunger Games. It was to kill you. This is the only damn place where I can kill you, and torture you and people will even be cheering. I wasn't going to let anyone else kill you but me. I want you to suffer Melanie."

The flashlight he held in his other hand went out. All the power in the city was cut off, the electromagnetic wave Enerem had died to make was working.

It was difficult to remember how exactly I made it out to the streets, but I did. I turned myself around and lay on the rubble looking back to Theo's sorry face. Theo came to me and took out a syringe from the first aid kit. "This is the poison I retrieved from the mutts that had attacked us earlier. I messed around with the compounds with the supplies in the first aid box. This will make it stop." Theo said softly. I didn't move as he jabbed the needle into my chest and pushed the liquid in. "It's going to take a few minutes to get around your system."

Theo broke the syringe apart then and threw it as far as he could.

"Hey Theo," I said weakly as I felt my heartbeat slowing.

He turned to me. "Yes?"

"Just one more question… What did you do to get that 11?"

Theo blushed as walked over to sit beside me. "Do you remember back when we you didn't know how to swim? You almost drowned in the water that one time and your mom saved you. You cried for the longest time."

"Yes… And you made me stop crying…"

"Yes. Do you remember how?"

I choked out a laugh. "You sang Theo."

He nodded as I closed my eyes. My heart stopped seconds later.

Author's Note

Hold on guys! The story isn't finished yet! I've just decided to split part two of the story into a separate story. It's pretty distinctively separate from this story which makes it possible for me to split. The sequel is going to be called "Once Again". It will be the true story on how the rebellion was sparked so long ago by one girl's torment and suffering. Tune in for the answers to all the plot twist and revelations. Keep reading!

-creativename