Last chapter…

I shall not say anything in fear of giving something away.

The song is Resolution by Jon Brion. It's instrumental, and I love instrumental. It's just really beautiful.

Beware: horribly short chapter ahead.

Enjoy the last performance.

District Five

Jace Leighton's POV

I never dreamt I could make it this far.

I never thought I would go too far. I'd accepted a long time ago that I would die, but now that I'm so close… I'm thinking that maybe I won't die. Maybe I will go home.

But the two others have to die before I can step foot on Five's ground again.

I try my best to steer away from that topic. I can't think about it. I don't want to think about it.

Though I do allow my mind to wander a bit, stopping on the question of how they're going to bring us together. They must have some trick up their sleeve; they always do.

But then I hear footsteps around the corner of the tower, travelling towards me speedily. I somehow push my fear to the side and ram myself into the tower, closing the doors behind me.

A sickening feeling flops around in my gut, but I ignore it. The Gamemakers wouldn't kill me themselves, not at this point. They want a fight, not a repeat of Jax's death. They want a show.

I hear the thump of someone's body hitting the tower.

Tentatively, I rest my head against the wall in an attempt to hear what's going on outside more clearly. I hear a shout, though I can't quite make out what the person said. Then they shout again, and I realize with a heavy heart that Willow is the person shouting. Willow has made it to the final three.

There's yet another thud against the tower.

And then there's silence.

It's that terrible silence that makes you forget there's sound in the world at all. The silence that's only there when something's gone wrong, or when something bad happened.

A cannon booms, and then I know I have to face whoever's out there.

Demurely, I open the door until it's wide enough for me to step through, clutching my knife as if it's my lifeline.

I inspect my opponent. Messy pale blonde hair, and even paler skin with little drops of blood in a few places. She's still small, still hauntingly childlike. She still looks like herself, standing over Lace's corpse with that blank expression. Yep, still Willow Lockett.

Omniscient POV

"Hi," the little girl speaks, her voice just as high-pitched and young as her appearance promises. She glances down at her disproportionately large feet, chucking them into the dirt softly, before returning her piercing stare to the boy.

"So it's just you and me," the boy, Jace, says, seeming a bit too jolted for his own good.

The girl nods, her ponytail bouncing up and down despite the disastrous state it's in.

A conflicted look emerges on Jace's face, but only for a few moments before returning to his poker face. He lets out a breathy sigh, glaring at the girl.

"So, Willow, aren't you going to kill me now?" he questions, his eyes fixated on her fingers curling around the bloodstained spear. She takes a moment to consider the question, or maybe just think of a clever response.

Then she shakes her head. "No, I don't think so."

Jace looks stunned, but the expression leaves quickly and changes to a confused look.

"What?"

"I've decided I don't really want to win." Willow announces, nibbling on her lip a little. "Because, realistically speaking… I don't care. I don't want to win. I don't want to lose. I'm… neutral, in a way."

"Neutral?" Jace repeats, blinking a few times.

"Yes."

"So… you want to die?"

"I'm neutral on just about everything, so… sort of, I guess." Willow responds, dropping the spear onto the ground and folding her hands together.

"Are you sure?" Jace asks, furrowing his eyebrows. In response, Willow nods, quite placidly, before she glances over at Lace's body.

Jace finds a question in this. "But then why did you kill Lace?"

"Because she attacked me first," Willow replies, "Plus, I wasn't finished thinking by the time she came along and cut me." She lifts up her sleeve a bit to reveal a little cut. Not very deep, but just enough to bleed some.

"You know, you should probably do something before they send something to get us." Willow says, glancing up at the sky for a moment before her eerie stare retreats back to Jace.

Jace doesn't say anything, but his nerves are blatant in the way he moves, so stiffly and trembling just enough to be noticeable.

Somewhat gently, he places his hands on both sides of Willow's head. And then, as she shuts her eyes, he hesitates. Most likely to the Gamemaker's relief, Jace's hesitation doesn't last too long. Quickly, he jerks the girl's head back, and hears the nauseating snap of her neck immediately followed by a cannon. Her body hits the ground, never to speak or breathe air again.

Lace Chandler

Willow Lockett

So Jace won. I don't think anybody expected him to win; most of you were expecting Lace to win.

These tributes were like my children. Especially, no offense to anybody, Willow. Though mostly everyone disliked her, I will always love Willow. She was my favorite throughout most of the story, and it was just so sad to see her go.

And, totally copying JabberjayHeart here, could you be ever so kind to answer these few questions?

Who was your favorite character?

What was your favorite chapter?

Which death was the most unexpected?

Which death was the saddest, to you?

Who did you think was going to win?

Are you happy with the results?

I love you all! Thank you so much to anyone who even read this, and anybody that submitted.

(Bee tee dubs, don't look at the blog. Like, ever. It's terrible. I'm hoping the one for Asylum will be better.)

Though, I do have one more question that doesn't have to do so much with the story as it does me:

What do you think I need to work on most?

As in, writing-wise. I'm always looking for ways to improve my writing, and I'm well aware that it isn't anywhere near perfect.

Stay beautiful, lovely human beings :)