— 𝐣𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐱 —

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I'd watched the night sky fade from onyx to navy to violet to an orange-pink hue. Neither Romulus nor I had spoken since the cannon echoed. We simply kept eye out focused on the sky and laid there in silence. If neither of us spoke, then we'd be trapped in a moment of eternal bliss and would never have to face the moment of dread looming just behind us.

"Juneaux..." he whispered my name.

I closed my eyes and shook my head.

"Juneaux," he repeated himself. "If we stay here much longer, the gamemakers are sure to move things along by their own hand."

He rose to his feet, then offered me his hand. I was hesitant to accept the gesture—desperate to deny the inevitable as long as I could—but I eventually I reached out and took his hand. He pulled me back to my feet and there we stood, staring into one another's eyes while simultaneously begging the other to wait.

The fingers of his free hand twitched, then pointed back to the cornucopia behind me. "We can wait for nightfall inside."

I nodded my head, following his step as he took the lead. I bit my lip, doubting the question that my mind begged me to vocalize. "And then what?"

"We decide how we're going to finish this," he replied, little hesitation in his response time. He must've seen the way my expression fell because he sighed with a look that matched my own. "We both know this can't last forever."

"Why not?" I asked, stopping in my tracks, forcing him to turn back to look at me.

"Because this world isn't real," Romulus's gentle tone tried to remind me, but it only patronized me.

"How is it any different than the world out there?" I asked, gesturing vaguely somewhere off to the right. "Both worlds are controlled by corruption and lead by twisted people who don't have our best interests at heart. At least here we know how to survive."

"Only because they've let us," Romulus contradicted. I tried to turn away, but he took me by the hand and pulled me back. The second my eyes met his, they began to water and silent tears slid down the sides of my face. "You have a family in district nine that needs you."

"And what if my father's not waiting for me?" I asked. "What if the stress of the games was too much. What if I go home and nothing is there for me?"

"And what if everything is there waiting for you?" Romulus countered. "Panem doesn't need another mutt that blindly follows corruption, but it could use a goddess and her blessings."

I held out my bloodstained hands. "And what kind of goddess am I now?"

Romulus lifted my hands to his lips, tenderly kissing each palm before looking into my eyes with adoration. "A goddess whose mercy is not to be taken advantage of."

He wiped away the tear stains on my face, but his hands lingered. My eyes drifted to his lips, a signal that I wanted to be close to him. That I needed to be close to him. His hands cupped my face and he leaned down, gently pressing his lips into mine.

I inhaled his earthy scent, soaked with blood and sweat. His hands drifted into my hair, pulling me closer while I wrapped my hands around the back of his neck. My thumbs brushed against the edge of his jaw while his left hand trailed down my back. Only after neither of us could breathe did we break away. Our chests lifted in synchronization.

And as if reading the other's mind—or simply just struck by paranoia from the raw, vulnerable moment—we pushed away from one another. I swiftly scooped my sickles from the ground while he retrieved his sword.

There was only ten feet between us. Ten feet that felt like miles. My breath was heavy and my lips were numb, but my heart was prepared to shatter. I simply wasn't ready for whatever was to happen next because I'd either have to take his life or question the authenticity of every moment we ever shared when he took mine.

"Can't we wait just one more day?" I pleaded.

He shook his head. He was too far for me to read his eyes to interpret his intentions, yet also too close for me to run. There was no escape and there was no more stalling.

"You have to finish this, Juneaux."

"Don't you see that I can't!" I cried out. I fervently shook my head and my trembling hands threw my sickles to the ground. Romulus's expression fell, but it was slowly replaced by a soft look of pride. The corner of my lip quivered between a soft smile. "I'm not going to kill you, Romulus."

"I know," he agreed, nodding his head only once. From the bittersweet smile that rested on his face, I knew the fight was over. He wasn't going to charge or wildly swing his sword in my direction. Nothing he could do would change my mind. So, we were stuck in a standstill... or at least I thought we were. "But I still have to die."

Romulus flicked his wrist, twisting his sword back on himself before thrusting the blade through his sternum. I gasped, covering my mouth as my eyes widened—struggling to process what I'd witnessed. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. His chest spasmed and his knees buckled. It was only after he collapsed that the world stopped moving in slow motion.

"Romulus!" I shrieked, sprinting the distance between us and sliding onto my knees as I reached his side.

His features twisted with pain. His eyes trembled, struggling to focus on me as I loomed overtop him. They occasionally drifted toward the sky, gazing at the sun as it rose into a new dawn. My hands twitched while my eyes stared at the sword protruding from his chest. I wanted more than anything to free the object, but I knew it wouldn't make a difference.

"Please..." I pleaded, tears slipping down the sides of my face.

He lifted up a trembling hand to caress the side of my face. I held it firm against my cheek, allowing my tears to cleanse the dirt that stained his fingertips. The corner of his lip twitched into an adoring smile as he stared into my eyes.

"... a goddess..."

He exhaled a final breath from his lungs and his eyelids flickered before closing. I tenderly pressed my forehead against his, allowing his hand to fall as I caressed his face—closing my eyes to keep what little composure I had left. The cannon echoed. I tilted my head back and released a bloodcurdling cry for the heavens.

"Ladies and gentleman," Claudius Templesmith's voice was accompanied by a chorus of triumphant trumpets, "May I present the winner of the seventy-second hunger games: Juneaux Kirchoff!"

I shook my head, slowly rising to my feet. My hands quivered and face flushed with a burning rage. I knew any minute the peacekeepers would be sent into the arena to retrieve me... I only had one shot at this. I sprinted away from the cornucopia, back to where I'd left my sickles.

My chest heaved with each breath, slowly only long enough for me to retrieve the golden blades. I lifted my chin upward, searching the skyline for the cameras that would accompany those the Capitol would claim were my saviors.

I pointed one sickle toward the sky and lifted the other just above my chest as if entering a battle-ready position. I took a breath then shouted so my message would be heard and received.

"If Olympus will not listen, then perhaps Tartarus will..." I pressed the blade against my throat and slashed it before I could think twice.

I choked as I felt the warm liquid of my own blood touch the outside of my skin where it did not belong. I fell to my knees as I grew lightheaded. The speaker system went insane, but I simply didn't have the cognizance to process what was and wasn't said. I slowly fell to my back and laid my head on the ground. I closed my eyes, embracing the warmth of the sun and the peace knowing that it was all over.

"You have to finish this, Juneaux."

"And so it is finished," I thought to myself as I slipped into unconsciousness.

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𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 | Before we head into the final chapter, I'd like to thank everyone who's taken the time to read, vote, or comment on any and all of these chapters. When readers are engaged in the story, it makes it so much more enjoyable to write! Anyway, thanks for reading and here we go!