Story [Hunger Games] Olympics Alternate Ending Challenge

For the Fanfic Olympics Alternate Ending Challenge

Authors: 2015 NSWFF Olympic Team (Nyota's Heart, Lazy K, Tarsier, Moonspun Dragon, Admiral Drabblar)

Fandom: The Hunger Games (first film)

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Never in all her days of struggle and hardships did Katniss ever consider capitulating or being something other than she was. She would never act with dishonor or do anything to bring shame or regret to her family. She hated the Tributes who stooped to deceit and treachery instead of just being resourceful to triumph. And then this was all compounded with the courage and surprising qualities of Rue. Her admiration for Rue was genuine.

When the final rule change was announced, Katniss felt a new resolve borne of many tangling emotions.

She sighed in frustration. Peeta was a confusing and irksome erstwhile ally. This whole star-crossed lovers ruse was paying off, in many respects, although how much of it was pretense on his end was beyond her. Peeta, despite their working together, was still an enigma to her. She didn’t know if he would agree with her idea or not.

“They have to have their victor,” Peeta insisted.

“No. They don’t,” Katniss said, adding to herself, This, all this, ends here. Things cannot continue indefinitely as they have. Doing the unexpected—throwing all into chaos and turmoil—that is absolutely the desired goal.

“Trust me,” she added. She dropped some of the nightlock berries she’d been carrying from her palm into Peeta’s. He took them a bit hesitantly. Katniss waited with baited breath.

Peeta’s consideration seemed to take an eternity, but he finally responded, “Together?”

Still, Katniss wondered if when it came down to it, he would back down. She knew in herself that she would not. “Together.”

His eyes upon her were burning things. “Okay.”

Don’t fail me in this, she urged silently.

“One,” he began with a look that said, Now who is faltering in trust?

She shrugged and then shot him a glance out of the corner of her eyes. “Two.”

If he thought she wasn’t looking, what would he do?

“Three.”

She ingested a handful of the dark berries and found that he had done the same.

As the moments stretched on, images and sensations started to coalesce and then dissipate, as Katniss started to feel the boundaries between reality and mental perceptions and self-awareness start to blur and dim. She hoped she hadn’t taken a false or a wrong step, but it was too late, for herself, at any rate. For the rest, for everyone else, it was a chance. She had no chance or thought to spare for any possible regrets as the world around her slipped away.

* * *​

“Hello everyone, and welcome back to Night Watch. We have received word that Peeta Mellark’s condition is stable, which should come as a relief to all you Hunger Games fans out there. I know I am. With me is Dr. Carl Hoffman, Assistant Head of the Department of Agriculture at CCU and an expert in botany. Thank you for coming, Doctor.

“If I may get straight to the point, I’d like to ask you a question that people have been asking ever since the two remaining tributes collapsed at the Cornucopia: just what did they swallow and where did they get it?”

“The berries are from a plant called nightlock. Although they resemble other edible berries that are found in the Arena, nightlock is highly toxic and can cause death immediately after ingestion.”

“It's a good thing the medical team arrived when they did, then.”

“A very good thing indeed, yes.”

“The word on the street is that Katniss tried to kill Peeta and failed. But we all saw both of them eating the berries which, as you say, are very poisonous. So is this rumor even possible, Doctor?"

“I can’t say anything about intent, of course, but as for it being possible, well—the toxicity of nightlock berries depend on quite a few variables, not the least of which is the soil that nurtures it. While nightlock grows in District Twelve and in the Arena, those found in the Arena are slightly less toxic. It’s not a good idea to eat them, in any case, but someone who was only familiar with the nightlock of District Twelve might misjudge the dosage.”

“Hold on, Doctor—if that's the case, why did Katniss die of what should have been a non-lethal dose?”

“I prefer not to speculate on matters without full data, but . . .”

“But?”

“The Hunger Games are often more a test of endurance rather than fighting prowess. And while Katniss did show herself to be quite competent in the wild, it’s simply a fact that Peeta is physically larger, and therefore more resilient.”

“So what you’re saying, Doctor, is that she might have tricked Peeta into thinking it was a double suicide when it was, in fact, a devious plot to kill him?”

“I’m not sure you could go so far as to say—”

“But you must admit it’s possible. She romances him, kills him, then basks in our sympathy. And—my god, this throws new light on her floral grave of that girl! And the riot in District Eleven that soon followed . . . could she have planned it all?”

“I think—”

“Yes, Doctor? What do you think?”

“I think . . . I think we should wait for the test results before jumping to conclusions.”

* * *​

Her vision was blurry, but Katniss could see the form of someone standing over her.

“Gale?” she breathed. It hurt to speak. Her mouth and throat were bone dry and a sickly sweet taste lingered on the back of her tongue.

“Afraid not.”

She blinked several times and her vision cleared for the most part. A tall, muscular man stood over her. He was strikingly handsome, his hair the color of bronze, his eyes a bright sea green.

“You’ve made the Capitol very angry.” His voice was harsh and she scrambled to sit upright. She found herself on a small cot in a dark, windowless room full of metal. She looked up at the man, ready to fight despite a pounding headache and a wave of nausea from her sudden movement.

He broke into a grin “Thank you.”

She relaxed slightly, her fear replaced by confusion. “Where am I?”

“District Thirteen.”

“District….Thirteen?”

“That’s right. Welcome to the Rebellion.”

“But….” District Thirteen was destroyed. And…

She remembered the last moments. Her decision not to let them win. The countdown. The taste of the berries… She gagged at the taste still stuck in her throat. She leaned forward, afraid she might be sick. Her stomach heaved, but nothing came up.

A new voice caught her attention.

“See? I told you I didn’t tell her. She doesn’t know. She got here by accident.”

Katniss hadn’t seen or heard the girl enter, but she now stood an arm’s length away, looking curiously down at Katniss.

“You’re…” Katniss shook her head. Her eyes must be deceiving her. She could swear the girl before her was Foxface.

“You ate the berries…without knowing?” Bronzehair asked.

“Knowing what?” She glanced at Bronzehair, but her eyes were drawn back to Foxface. It had to be her. But how?

“Wow, that was really…really… What were you thinking?”

When Katniss didn’t respond, he continued, “Well, if you don’t already know, I suppose we might as well tell you. The nightlock berries in the Arena are not deadly—they only appear to be. They’re how we gather allies and information from the outside.

“Once consumed, the toxins from the berries will slow your metabolism to almost imperceptible levels. Slow enough that the Gamemakers will declare you dead and send a hovercraft to collect you.

“Funny…the Gamemakers insist on controlling every last detail…until you stop breathing. Then, they don’t much care what happens to your body.”

That explained how Katniss was still alive, and Foxface too. And if they’d survived eating nightlock… “Where’s Peeta?”

Bronzehair and Foxface exchanged an uncomfortable look. “The Capitol has him.”

“But he’s still alive? The berries aren’t deadly, right?”

“Well, the berries wouldn’t have killed him, but…”

“But what?”

“But who knows what the Capitol has done with him. They would have wanted to keep him alive, but if they don’t know about the nightlock…like I said, they aren’t real careful after you’ve stopped breathing.”

Peeta… He had followed through after all. And now he might be gone, while she was still alive?

“We have to save him.”

Bronzehair shook his head. “We can’t. No way can we get to him now. And even if we could, it’s probably too late.”

“You said this was a Rebellion, right? So let’s go. Storm the Capitol. Whatever we have to do.”

“We aren’t ready for that. We have to wait for the right moment.”

Katniss's tone was sharp when she asked, “Why didn’t you save him when you saved me?”

“We’ve only got one covert hovercraft pilot in the Capitol. We were lucky to get you.”

Katniss shook her head. No, this couldn’t be right.

It surprised her, just how much it hurt. She’d never intended to hurt Peeta, but she’d also never meant it, never felt anything during their forced displays of affection. But now, to think that he was gone…she couldn’t stand it.

“Then it’s time you get ready. Capitol has reigned long enough.”

 

I love the blend we ended up with: emotions and strategizing by Katniss & Peeta; the commentary and theorizing about survival; and Katniss being in the covert Rebellion & having a realization about Peeta.

 

Very interesting twist!! I really believed that Katniss had died from the berries, but I love the way District 13 maneuvered things.

Wonderful job! And congratulations on an amazing challenge entry If you all ever decide to continue the story, I can't wait to see it!

 

Another interesting twist! Like the others, I thought that Katniss had actually died. The blending of your guys' styles was flawless. I really enjoyed it!

 

NYCitygurl Mira_Jade Briannakin Thank you for the comments, and for hosting an awesome challenge!

Thanks! If anyone wants to continue this story they have my blessing, but I don't think I'm going to.

 

Oookay, I watched The Hunger Games a couple of days ago (yes, I'm one of those lame people who don't keep up with important stuff) and now I'm back to read your story. I haven't watched the second and third movies yet, but I took a peek on Wikipedia and I love what you guys and gals did here!

First of all I loved your expansion on the nightlock berry scene in the Arena. It's one of those scenes I felt were slightly rushed in the film and I thought you did a great job at elaborating on what was going on through Katniss's and Peeta's minds during this passage. I wonder if the novels develop on that, has anyone read them?

The TV broadcast was perfect. It had this ultimate Hunger Games feel to it, with a bit of conspiracy theory thrown in for good measure. I could just hear the voice of the anchor and imagine the doctor squirming in his chair, trying to avoid to say what they want him to say.

And the last segment was just, wow. Foxface coming back? That was a smart way to leave the Arena in a single piece! As I said, I haven't watched the sequels yet, but your alternate ending seems like a rather smooth way to segue into part III without going through part II. Plus, "to think that he was gone…she couldn’t stand it" was a nice reference to the end of the first film.

Lastly, I don't spend quite enough time on the NSWFF boards to know your individual writing styles, but I would never have guessed that this was written by more than one person

Thanks for writing this and for motivating me to discover another great fandom!

 

Chyntuck Thanks so much for reading and commenting! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

Now that the voting is over, I wanted to reply to this, since I was primarily responsible for the third part. I actually haven't read or watched the sequels either so I don't really have any details in mind, but I've done a bit of research and that's pretty much what I was going for - setting it up to skip the second book and go straight to the revolution. (Bronzehair is supposed to be Finnick Odair, an important character in the second and third books/movies.)

During my research I came across a number of people questioning why Foxface would have eaten the berries - she's portrayed as very clever and is even shown flying through a plant identification test in the movie - so I liked being able to provide an explanation.

 

Pretty cool! I do really like the twist and I got super excited when Finnick showed up (he's one of my favourites). Also appreciated that Katniss calls him "Bronzehair". And part of me just wants to have a giggle about how you brilliantly cut to the chase and basically made the events of Catching Fire unnecessary. This is an excellent group piece, wonderfully blended together. Congrats!

Oh--and I do like that you did something with Foxface... I agree with Tarsier that it feels a little out of place that she would misidentify the nightlock berries.

 

Idrelle_Miocovani Thanks for reading and commenting! "Bronzehair" - Pretty much every description of Finnick I came across mentioned his bronze hair and sea-green eyes, so it seemed like as good a nickname as any. Glad you liked it! Also glad you agree about Foxface - she was an interesting character I wish we could have seen more of.