The End... or is it? || Solo (2/2)
Location: District 7 (Settlement and Forest) and somewhere… far away, a happy place…
Time Frame: Home from the 75th Hunger Games
Word Count: 1846 (counted only new words)
NOTE: This is an alternate ending ,a happier ending to the end of the Hunger Games, for the real other ending, read this.
NOTE: The first section of this was copied from the other solo, please move towards the next section (after the bar) to continue.
If he had been wasting his life, no body could blame him. Even his mom had finished shouting at him but rather went with him to the forest to sit down on the branch. It was what they had always done as mother and son before. He was always a momma’s boy. His mother with raven black hair and dazzling golden eyes, or at least that is what it seemed to him. His mother who’s collection of things no other women of District 7 had, kept all in a secret place, his mother who had sarcastic wit, and an unsure life behind her past. A mother who was there for him. Who climbed trees with him when she was sick. Who let him lay down her head on her lap no matter what age he is.
His father had not yet given up on him, he was a survivor a traveller, but even he had his moments when he would sit at the base of the tree waiting for him to come down and go back to the Victor’s village to rest. It was him who would still teach him, talking to him as if his son was in a coma. Somehow, his parent’s words touched him in his head, making him want to try and wake up from this nightmare that he himself had trapped his own thoughts.
Something broke in his that day in the arena. Not just his bones, not just his heart, but he had also lost his mind. The faces of death he had seen, which he had seen a lot, from his own Games and now what meant more to him during the Quarter Quell… everyday in the morning he would be up, before sunrise and stay in the forest… he would swim in the lake, and would have let himself forever stay there if it wasn’t for his sister as well.
Lelia… now 15 …. now almost an adult and in a few years safe from the reaping, if ever Lelia was in, he was sure he would volunteer for her as well… although now…he was ashamed to see her, that much he had felt… if his mother and father’s words were not enough, Lelia’s face was too much. He loved his sister, and yet he cannot make himself lose the thought of Emma. He would want a better life for his sister, not to see him like that, broken beyond repair from the games… but he was spent, there was nothing he could do.
If not, them, Alistair would be there, the little bundle of dog that was old now, mom and father had always said that little Alistair was magical, that now he was probably fifteen years old or more, older than any dog they have known, and still as young and happy as he was so many years ago.
Jonathan felt that he had love everywhere, even from Old Wynnette and Ogren… even from the Eissicks that had tried, even from the village people who still cared for him. Nothing happened though, and slowly the villagers had mourned him, understood him to an extent. He was a happy boy, they knew, the troublesome boy… some of the older women who liked him as a boy had even cried, hoping to see the smiling face that appeared every time, hoping to see the helpful hand that he once was. He did not budge.
Almost had passed, he did not know what happened to Nathan, or maybe he did, but he felt as if he didn’t see him. His parents had not forgotten him, they still let him go around, but they mourned, and even then, even if he felt them sometimes, he could not see them anymore, the only time he would do anything other than nothing would be for Lelia, but even so it would be a heartbreak for him, a violent feeling in his gut. The only time when he was at peace was when he was alone of Alistair was with him, Alistair who was going to be 19 soon… older, definitely older than any dog.
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There was a time that he thought he would forever be haunted by the dreams and nightmares, and he was. One day though it suddenly ended, and he did not anymore feel the need to bask in his loneliness and in his despair. This day happened after two more years, Lelia was 17 now, the same age as him when he was reaped.
Unfortunately, the younger sister... was reaped as well.
He volunteered, he did. They did not allow him though, as the Hunger Games were still the same, and it was not a victor's reaping. He couldn't do anything but feel pain... and anger.
After a few months of solitude, he had become better, happier being able to live a good enough life in the Victors Village and strong enough to go the forest where sometimes he would stay on the branches and talk to Emma, sometimes, he believed that she talked back to him. It made sense... Him and Nathan were on good terms, the past had been finished and there was nothing he could do but move on. That was what Emma would want, that was what his friends would have wanted, his family too.
The horror though that gnawed at him that her sister was to be gone made him realize that he had enough. He would not lose a sister to such a game, and around him, people actually agreed, some were skeptic, and of course some thought of him as a fool, another rebellion? Wasn't that the reason this happened in the first place? But for some reason, many were there for him and helped him up. It was not enough though he needed more.
He found help from a pretty lady who was travelling on foot in his District, it wasn't as if District 7 was strict on that sort of thing, but Panem was, it was not easy to just go around Districts at your own liking, but here she was. Jonathan realized that this was the mentor of Tribute two, the one who had kissed him at the 75th Victor Party, the one who left after saying "thank you". For some reason she was there when murmurs began to spread, a rebellion, a thought, a chance of hope and to Jonathan, she seemed to be trustworthy enough, and he had seen how she was towards others... maybe it could happen.
She had said that many were angry at the games, that it was possible that the games once again would get not just any children, but anyone at all, add people at will, despite the age, or ruin promises of peace, many were tired, and many wanted to fight, even in her old District. To Jonathan it might have been a trap, to get him to say yes and get locked up. For some reason though, the same blue eyes looked at him, and he could feel Emma say go on.
He always felt Emma... especially now, now that he had embraced her death and thought to fight for it rather than wallow. It didn't take long... that a small revolution has started. With the woman's help he was able to get a few peacekeepers who were also tired and scared, he was able to get some people in power to lead. Of course, he was just a symbol, he was just a player in the game, but it was the thought that counted.
Nathan didn't want to join him at that point, the fact that he had lost two siblings made Jonathan think that his friend had given up, but maybe that didn' thave to be the case. Jonathan had to move higher, and make better decisions. He had to try his best to do this all - for Emma, for their friends, the people he met, the people he saw died during all those games. At least he could try.
Overthrowing the Capitol was not easy, despite every and all possible solutions, it turned out to be a long ending war. He had to be on his toes as mercenaries, bandits and everything else that can be mixed have been placed in the blurred lines of justice. There was slaughter and mass murder everywhere. Such as it had to be for a revolution.
But he was not alone. He had Nathan, he was able to prove it to him that he could. He had District 7 behind him, especially District 6, some of District 8, District 3, District 11, District 12.... and most importantly a few on District two that was able to tip the scales of balance in their favour.
It was hard, and they had to change places, be fast, cut off the Capitol slowly, have peacekeepers exchanged, it would have been impossible or at least improbable if they did not have District 2, but they did, at least it made a good difference. They were able to cut off the grain, the livestock, the coal, the lumber, the textiles and technology from the Capitol, rather than pour all amenities to them, it came to his side.
Jonathan was able to build a power that could greatly help the tides, he would be stronger, he would be able to still bring hope to the people. Especially now that the Hunger Games have been too disliked, too dangerous....
It was a long and grueling war, it took years because it was a slow revolution, it was slow - bit it was steady, he wasn't the only one who was the symbol now, there were more symbols that were with him, Victors of the hunger games, the younger ones, the older ones, the children and the people. They had all build a symbol of hope for themselves. That they could survive without him.
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He did now know when it happened. Or how, but he knew he was floating, somewhere... where was Amanda? She should have been there waking him up so they could plan. Nathan as well, with Valentina too - he was able to get them and so much more. Jonathan moved outside of his room, a better looking one, as they had all tried to move somewhere, some other island that the Capitol had now yet known, it was their place of planning - their place of creation. Their place of freedom.
He looked outside and saw that everything was silent, everything was... peaceful. He went downstairs, his family was there. As usual since he was a young boy, he did his rituals - he loved his family, and will continue to love them. Outside he saw the Eissick family, tending to their own business.
He continued on, he wanted to know how they were in their new settlement, a settlement that they had all contributed to. His was relatively surprised to see Amanda. "Hey, you didn't call me?" she smiled, he had to smile too, she was still pretty, albeit older. "Don't be silly you've been dreaming again." she said pinching his cheek, she always did that, insufferable woman. "Honestly, how many times do I have to tell you that we've won?" he shook his head, unsure but still he was smiling, he trusted the woman, after all those years of rebellion.
"Anyway, the other's are ready for you, so just do what you need to do, I'd be here... making tea, painting, boring stuff, I do wish I had to do things again." he laughed at that, suddenly a foggy memory in his brain came. "You should have taken the Capitol head position," he spoke "You would have done well." she shook his head in reply. "Silly boy, just shoo away now. We can talk more later." she smiled, walking along the area.
He smirked in return and shook his head. Walking ... somewhere he wasn't sure. In a way... he saw a puppy, it looked just like Alistair... but for some reason he couldn't believe it was him, since for one, Alistair was sleeping in his bedroom just a while ago. He followed the puppy anyway, Running throughout the island with him on the puppy's heels. He continued running, the images blurry in his eyes even if he could see the puppy clearly. He was able to see people he was familiar with, and even if it seemed surreal, his mind was giving him bridges that they were truly real.
He saw Cambria and Jason together in a gazebo by the forest, Rachel and Nathan were by the base of a tree, Maya and Valentina were by the rocks near the lake - even the dreaded Jane and her brother Darcy were on the top of the waterfall. He could see some other people he could not fully remember, Jennifer, from District two, arguing with someone his mind said was David,- he could see other people too, most from his childhood games. He couldn't understand why, but he thought it was right to go to them.
He could see that this forest was haven of sorts, for some reason, despite him wanting to say that this wasn't real that they were all dead, he couldn't this mind told him that it was real, it was. Suddenly he felt a poke behind him, he turned around. "Tag... you're it." said a smirking girl with light brown hazel eyes and brown hair. She was smiling at him he smiled back, remembering. "Emmie." he touched her cheek and she noticed an orange ring in his hand... and she touched his hand as well, a blue one on hers. Behind her, she could see William, a bit blurry, she couldn't remember his face that much, but he was there, wiping his forehead. "We ready Jona?" he spoke.
He was flabbergasted, "For what?"... Amanda appeared, it seemed as if she was just by the tree, wasn't that weird? But still it felt like it made sense. "We're going to start again you know?" she laughed, she was always happy, despite their closeness and him knowing her deepest secrets. He turned to look back at Emma, he just couldn't help but smile.
Emma held his hand, the feeling of her fingers wrapped into his own, they fit perfectly, probably since because they were young, their hands were always linked together. "Come on, we've got lots of catching up to do." she said walking towards a Crayple tree and ready to climb it. Without a second thought, he climbed up to it as well. At the top of the tree he looked down, they were happy, all of them, he could see it. His face was wretched away from there though, when at the top of the crayple tree, Emma touched his face, and with a smile, he gave in and kissed her, feeling as if it was the true peace he sought. A kiss with the girl he had been friends with, in love with, in a promise with. A kiss made in a new life, with old and new friends, on top of the crayple tree in the start of a growing sunrise.
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Whatever happened to the rebellion.... however long it must have been, or if it still was moving. The first symbol of it all had been a hope, and with him, as he knew that they were winning, even if slow. He believed what his mind told him, that they were happy, they were free.