CHAPTER FIFTEEN!

FATE.

HER BODY ACHES UNLIKE IT EVER HAS BEFORE and yet she feels numb at the same time. She can see the spear sticking out of her stomach and she hears a canon at the same time, her eyes moving over to Johanna who has struck Brutus down. She cries out slightly at the that but it hurts as she does so. Katniss has scampered over to her side, slowly pulling the spear out as she tries to ignore the girl's cries. The girl from Twelve puts pressure on the wound with her hands to try and keep her from bleeding out.

"Funny isn't it? I came here to kill you and now I'm going to die for you," Emori croaks as her hand rests over Katniss' and the wound on her stomach, her eyes looking up at the shocked girl.

"W-why would you do this? I killed your brother," Katniss speaks and for some odd reason, she feels her eyes becoming wet with tears. This girl was going to kill her, she wanted to end her life and yet here she is dying because of her. The whole idea both confuses her and evokes more guilt than ever.

"This is so much bigger than me and my brother, Katniss. My brother is gone, I can't bring him back and I see that now. Killing you won't do it. He would be proud of me regardless," she breathes and Katniss sees the girl shed a tear, the pain obviously becoming too much.

Katniss helps the girl as she stumbles to her feet, catching her as she falls forward. The blonde is now openly crying, her entire body aching in protest as she moves. The adrenaline has well and truly run low, all she feels in pain. She's suffering.

"I-I want to see Reed. I need to say goodbye," Emori cries and Katniss feels pity in her heart, nodding as she throws the girl's arm over her shoulder so that she can walk with her. The two of them walk slowly through the thick foliage and when they reach the group of people, Emori drops to the ground, no longer able to stay upright even with Katniss' help.

"Mori?" The familiar voice speaks painfully, the brunette boy rushing over to kneel by her side. Emori smiles up at him as she's placed in his lap, her hand moving up to caress his cheek which has blood splattered along its surface.

"I'm sorry, Reed. I'm so sorry," The girl sobs as he clutches her close to him. The boy directs a glare up to Katniss who is standing beside a clearly shocked Peeta and an emotional Finnick.

"You were supposed to keep her safe!" Reed hisses in her direction, a tear sliding down his cheek. Katniss flinches at his tone and Peeta places his hand on her shoulder gently.

"It was my fault, Reed. I did this for them, for your sister, for all those other children so they'll never have to go through this," She slurs, her words becoming slower and less understandable.

Reed looks back at her form and brings his forehead down to hers. Their lips meet for a few seconds as he cradles her face between his hands.

"I love you," Reed says to her for the first time, his body literally shaking with emotion.

"I love you too," She responds quietly.

Her eyes move to the sky as the world around her starts to become blurry, faces now unrecognisable, the trees looking like only a giant stroke of green. However, small lights shine through, twinkling amongst the sea of trees. The stars — where she is going.

She can only slightly hear the loud sobs of he boy who clutches onto her as if it is enough to keep her alive. The girl is completely unaware of the fact Finnick has one of her hands in a tight grasp, kissing the skin as a way to say goodbye.

"Cato?" She breathes and everybody looks to the sky to see nothing but clouds and stars. "I'm sorry Cato. It wasn't the tight thing to do. I hope you forgive me," she manages to spit out, referring the fact she didn't avenge his death.

They're unaware that she can see the faces of her family all around her now, none of them can see the tall teenage boy who is watching her nor can they see her parents standing beside him with their hands in each other's.

"He's here, Reed. They're all here. In the stars, just like he told me," She mumbles to the boy who only continues to cry as he holds her.

"They'll take care of you now," Reed sobs quietly, his eyes closing when he sees her eyes completely glaze over, her chest no longer moving up and down to signify that she's breathing. She's gone. The canon fires around them.

For a few moments he simply holds her close and tries to memorise every single thing about her. He lays her back on the ground and grabs his sword off the floor, heading straight for Katniss. The brunette teenager is shoved behind a fast moving Johanna who seemingly appeared from out of nowhere, holding her axe up ready to defend if she has to.

"That's two Hadleys you've killed now. She may not have got to avenge her brother but I can avenge them both," Reed hisses, shaking off Finnick's hand as he tries to pull him away. "She wasn't supposed to die,"

Beetee and Finnick look at each other, well aware that midnight is approaching and the lighting is about to strike that tree. The latter's eyes move back to the ground where he sees the blonde staring up at the sky. He crouches beside her and gently closes her eyes.

"We have to move," Beetee mummers in a low tone. "We will all die if we don't go now,"

Reed is still clutching his sword tightly as President Snow watches from the large room. He's called for hovercrafts to be sent in to the arena and grab the tributes so that he can put an end to the rebellion — eliminate the threat and it will all be over. However, Reed might do it for him, the boy's rage evident to everybody.

Reed lunges and Johanna knocks him down, giving Katniss and Peeta the opportunity to flee as the lighting starts to crack above them. Beetee starts to move as Finnick grabs the fallen boy from District Ten and drags him away from the tree leaving Johanna to flee by herself. Reed tries to protest as they leave the blonde's body behind, the girl alone in the arena but not in death — reunited with the family she had lost.

"Reed come on. Remember what we have to do. Think of your sister. Think of what this has done to Emori and her family. Think of how many people we will be saving," Finnick says to his friend who has become more hysterical with each passing second.

"For Emori," Reed whispers just before the two of them are thrown backwards due to the force of an explosion. One Katniss has caused when she went back to the cut wire, the very same explosion that has broken the games.

The very explosion that has truly started the rebellion.

NOTE!

Hi everybody! I really hope you enjoyed this story — I am going to write an epilogue over the next few hours hopefully. I planned for Emori to die from the beginning and for it to be for Katniss, I thought it would be a good way to show that she finally understands that revenge isn't something that they can focus on in a time like this.

Thank you all so much for dropping by for this story and for the support you've shown, it means so much to me!