The Righteous and the Unrighteous | Finale

The blade sounded like thunder as it cracked through the air.

And the moment she had been waiting for seemed to appear out of nowhere.

She felt like she was infinite in this moment. That she was frozen in time and that she would never move again. She would never return home because she would stand there for the public to admire. A statue that never wanted to be. A piece of stone begging to be broken by the most pragmatic hammer. A slab of marble that was covered in the most eager of vines. She could break at any moment if Bette had willed it. All she had to do was think and Annie would have shattered into a mound of glitter that would have blown away in the wind. There would be nothing left of her, no place for her to go home too, just scattered around the already broken arena.

---

She thought about what her father mustve been thinking right now. About how proud he probably was that Annie had gotten to this point. How sick her stomach felt that she let herself get this far. She was not doing this for him, she was doing this for Angel Mer. That’s what she had to keep telling herself. At least a lie could keep her going. She never wanted to admit that she was doing this for herself as well. That was the most selfish thing she could realize here. That she wanted to go home for herself and not for the people that she left behind.

Angel Mer did mean that much to her, just like Dymas Nyx meant that much to him. She would never be Dymas, but she would always be his cousin, related by blood that they kind of shared.

But in order for her to even relish in the fact that she would go home, she had to strike down the girl from one.

She had to show her that she was willing to die for what she believed in after all.

That is what the capitol wanted right? They wanted her to bleed for them. Show them that she truly was human and not the god that they made her out to be. Leon and Glamour were probably at the edges of their love chair waiting to see Annie either fall or pull it all off. It truly was a matter of make it or break it. Annie could tell that they were close, both of them. Bette and her fought hard to prove that they were more than the animals that they portrayed them to be. But at the end of this, that’s what they were going to be remembered as. Because desperation attacked them like they were attacking each other. Viciously and vicariously.

And it would last until one of them disappeared into history.

---

Annie didn’t waste any words here, because now they were starting to become precious diamonds.

Diamonds were known to be sought after because of their beauty, and that is how Annie needed to treat her words now, because she was that close to death. She knew it, the blood seeping out of her body knew it, and as refreshing as it was to feel something, the idea of death did scare her.

It scared her enough to realize that talking at this point would mean nothing to Bette Subino. It would mean nothing to anyone that was listening because at the end of the day, they were going to kill each other. That was what was willed here, and if the bodies of Denali and Shy weren’t enough to prove that, then Annie didn’t know how else to prove that words did not mean anything here.

Words were diamonds were emptiness were nothing. That’s all Annie could think about.

---

And then the sound of what she thought was a cannon broke the frozen state of the arena.

Bette Subino had fallen to the ground, a gash on her right cheek the length of the blade, and when Annie realized it, she dropped the sword herself.

She waited for her to rise from the ground, just like she would because Annie knew that she was stronger than that. Bette proved it to her time and time again. Annie hated to think that a cut to the face was more than enough to take down the final titan in her way of going home. The sounds from Janet began to emanate the quietness of the arena, and Annie had no clue what to do now.

She just stared down at Bette, waiting for her to make the final move, because she was tired of it all.

She didn’t want to fame, the glory, the power, or the title.

She just wanted to be free of the obligations that came with being a career. The bloodshed. The sweat and tears. The cockiness and the confidence.

She just wanted the silence of a simple life where she could leave her past behind, take Angel and move on. She didn’t know how they would survive, but she would find a way because she was tenacious enough to do so.

She just wanted to be free.

And she knew that was too much to ask for, but she was going to do so until Bette finally killed her.

Then her soul could be released into the ether and she could find a way to make amends with the ones that she lost.

The visions of her friends played in her mind as she fell to her knees and bowed her head in sorrow. All of them died so she could make it this far, and she wasn’t sure if she was ready to win it for them. She wasn’t sure if she was worthy. She thought Bette was worthy of it all. The fame. The glory. The opportunity to live a life that was mostly free of confinement.

She had quickly become the queen that Annie wanted to be.

And Annie was accepting of that.

---

But then the real cannon sounded, and Annie looked up to see the sun set and the sky turn dark as it played the last three faces in the sky for her to see.

Shy Aubergine.

Denali Lyons.

Bette Subino.

All of them plastered in the sky, looking down on her as she realized that she was the sole survivor of this hell. And soon tears fell down her eyes and started to smear the blood that was on her cheeks. But her head did not stay up for long, instead, it bowed again, trying to figure out of this was some trick that her mind was playing on her.

That Bette and Denali and Shy were all going to rise and show their faces to her and then kill her in retaliation for what she did to them.

She counted slowly.

One…

Two…

Three…

But that didn’t happen.

Her worst nightmares did not come true, and Annie was starting to think that it wasn’t going to happen.

Annie truly was the one that was going home.

She had played her cards right, gotten as far as she could, and ended up swinging with her final breaths was more than enough to signify her claim to the throne.

Anatalia Morrisen was now going to go down in the history books as alive and well.

The victor of the 80th hunger games.

---

And so she stood and looked up at the sky, which changed from night to day again rather quickly, the sunrise in the distance as the RLS trolley problem stood as the centerpiece for it. She didn’t know what to do, say, or think. IT was all just here for her to take in, and even though the smell of burnt flesh was still permeating the air, she still inhaled as deeply as she could. She was in pain, but now, the pain was worth it.

She claimed the camera case from Bette.

She turned Janet off and carried it with her.

And she looked back on the scene that was behind her.

She could hear a hovercraft in the distance, and she knew that was her ticket out of here.

She looked forward towards the sunrise for a moment, thankful that she gets to continue living.

For all of them, even though none of them probably would want that for them, she was going to do it anyway.

The hovercraft neared her, and she looked back to Bette, Denali, and Shy.

Replaying all the words that were shared in this now boneyard vineyard and she could only think of one thing to say.

”I’m sorry.” She said as she waited to ascend to the life that she now earned.

And now she had to hope that even in death, they could accept it for what it was.

Just like Annie had..

Where do I even begin? This experience has been nothing short of amazing. To think that after my third games I would wind up with a victor and one that I love with all of my heart. Not only that, but to have gotten closer to so many people who rooted and cheered for me as the days got harder. I would be remised to not thank the people who really made this games the experience it was for me.

Baby Wessex d9b [earthling] and [nyte] for hosting a wonderful and unique games experience that challenged me to get even more creative then I did before. You guys did an amazing job with the arena and answering any of my albeit silly questions and the support you guys gave not just be, but everyone, I am sure will be appreciated for years to come. I thank you both from the bottom of my heart for letting me experience this arena and letting me really make this experience a stellar one.

shrimp Ill do these separately. Thank you for being an amazing writing partner throughout the whole games, and not just the finale. The days we were up against each other were tough days but you tackled everything with a certain amount of joy and whimsy that I could not even begin to replicate. You truly are a class act and I am so happy I got to share this experience with you. Bette by far was one of my favorite characters and definitely will always be remembered by Annie as the girl who did not stand for her bull. I hope we get to write more in the future.

L△LIA Thank you for bringing so much personality to Denali. Another stunning tribute that took everything in stride all the way to the end. I love your writing so much and the fact that you were able to add it to this finale just makes me that much happier. You and aya were absolutely amazing together and the fact that you both were so willing to make any sort of idea try to happen while we were in the arena made this games feel so special. A true camaraderie here that I will be forever grateful for.

uwu Thank you for Shy. Him and Annie shared a lot of similarities during the final fight, and I for one was very happy to see him make it as far as the finale. His story was one of my favorites to read and I hope you continue to write your heart out like you did here. I can tell you put a lot of thought and effort into your posts and they really showed as the games went on. It really made this finale stand out.

napoleon, d2m ₊⊹ 🐁 ɢʀɪғғɪɴ. my love, my friend, my buddy. Annie killing Angel was hard for me, truly. I almost didnt want to write anymore once it happened but you came in and told me to snap out of it in a heartbeat. I am so happy I got to align with you this games and you never disappointed when it came to plots. Angel was a beautiful tribute and ever chance I got to read your writing I always had a smile on my face. You are a star and I love you so so so much. Also, thank you for this amazing table? like my god is it beautiful. I hope we get to align in future games <3. 10/10 would do again.

thompson harvard - d2b - arc HI!! Hellion? Iconic. I loved her so much, and even though you claimed she was your shit post character you still gave her so much more than that. Hellion was a gem, and the fact that you on the spot created a plot for her and Annie had me screaming. I loved every minute of reading your posts from start to finish and they all left me choked up a bit on the inside. You are amazing and I am so happy I got to experience most of the games with you!

d6a georgie cham 🍓🐢 frankel Parson is a daddy. There, I said it. Anyway, thank you for being a cheerleader for me thru and thru. Parson dying was another hard blow for Annie, but one that gave me so many ideas of where to take her from there. You were more than willing to give me tons of ideas that made me so happy to explore and all the plotting we did on the side was never for naught. You were an amazing alliance member and friend throughout this experience. And I so appreciate you for that.

WT WT. WANDER LIVES. omg, I was so happy when I saw this. Thank you so much for being so open and willing to plot these two, because they are probably one of my favorite district partner pairings. Both of them cared about each other so much and even though they didnt travel in the same circle, they still got chances to share their feelings with each other and I just cant with these two. Im so happy they will get a chance to see each other again, and I cant wait to see what the future holds for them.

Tom TOMMMMM. HIIIIII. Tom you are amazing through and through. I could always come to you when I was feeling down about something and you would find a way to make me smile and think about it in a different way. Of course our tribs did not get a chance to interact this games, but maybe another time they can now that Carter lives!! I appreciate you always checking in on me to make sure that I am doing well and that I dont have much on my mind and then if I do, letting me vent when I need too. It keeps me more sane than you know.

sbeeg Temple was a joy to read and truly did D10 (my first home) proud. She was so great to read and as much as the fact that she caused the death of Hellion, it gave Annie so much to go off of, so for that, I am so appreciative of you. Also, out of games, you always offered me encouragement, and helped me come up with ideas, or even just calmed my nerves in our wine wed TC's and for that I cant tell you how thankful I am for that.

Sunrise Rainier D2 // [Thundy] Eve was a joy. So simple. So pure. Yet there were so many layers beyond just that. She was another character that I couldnt wait to read posts from, and the fact that you were able to take her so far was nothing short of amazing. You too were a wonderful Cheerleader when I was freaking out over everything over the last couple of games. Wine Wed TC's are always my go to spot to vent when i need to do so, and I am so happy you are always apart of them.

* thank you so much for being a wonderful friend throughout this whole experience. Since I started on this site you have done nothing but cheer me on, and through all the games we have been in together, I am happy to say that your cheering has helped me get to this point. You are a true joy to have as a friend. And i am so happy we have been friends since the start. A friendship I will cherish for a long time.

kap , Knuckles , Cameo {RIP Charlie} , Arrows , mat thank you all for being my little family throughout my time here on the site. I know the games have been hard, but I am so happy to have people to fall back on when I have a lot going on. People who I can rely on to have an honest conversation with and will offer all the encouragement in the world to me. I am so happy I have met you guys, and I am so happy I get the chance to write and talk to you guys. You are all stars!!

To everyone in the games, thank you all for your amazing writing that you have shared with the site. All of your characters are amazing and I am so happy that you all get to keep them as the twist. Truly, this was an experience that I will remember for a lifetime, and you all are just so special to me.

I think for now this should come to a close because wow this is messy af. I just have a lot of feelings. This year has been so crazy, and I was certain that I was not going to have a victor by the end of the year, but here I am with a victor that I love more than ever. So thank you all so much for believing in me. Okay, time to end this. Ryan out <3.