Mockingjay - My predictions on the death toll and injured list

Like me, you've probably been inundated lately with a dearth of Mockingjay predictions and talk. But you haven't heard my thoughts yet! Here's who I think will fall - or come close - on August 24th.

(Note: This is all in good fun. Though, I do think that I make a pretty convincing argument for the demise of Gale . . .)

The Close Calls

Everyone - It's a time of upheaval! This means battles, assassinations, accidents, you name it. But I'm guessing you're looking for specifics, huh? Well, how about . . .

Katniss - Obviously.

Cinna - He's already in the Capitol's clutches suffering untold horrors. Who knows? He may be a hairsbreadth from becoming one of those creepy wolf muttations when Katniss and crew finally ride to the rescue!

Haymitch - He may be wily, but he's old and alcohol has taken a toll on his system. He's a great strategist/mentor/liar, but I wouldn't want him literally at my back during a fight.

Peeta - They've got him stashed somewhere, probably torturing him into giving up Katniss. But he can't die because . . . well . . . he's Peeta! And Katniss needs to realize just how much she'll be missing out without him in her life.

Prim - For shock value and the heartache. She'll pull through though . . . maybe.

The Exterminated

Countless Capitol citizens - The Districts are rising up and they have no tolerance for the shiny folks that put them through hell for decades. Those shallow, pampered and clueless Capitol denizens better grab their glitter and run!

Plenty of residents of the 12 districts - For the same reasons as above. The Capitol, though, has a working infrastructure already in place - leaders, chain of command, weapons at the ready, muttations . . .

President Snow - He pretty much represents the ultimate evil. Seriously, the man smells like blood - he can't be allowed to live! (Unless Collins is going for a bleak ending or comes at us with a surprise book 4! I know, I know - wishful thinking . . .) He'll probably be one of the last - if not the last - to go down (at the hands of Katniss herself, of course!) representing the end of the oppressive Panem as everyone knows it.

Mrs. Everdeen - Sure, she's not as oblivious as she once was but she's definitely not the head of their household. Since Katniss has assumed this role, their relationship has remained strained (though it's mended somewhat since the beginning of The Hunger Games). I'm envisioning a bittersweet end for Mrs. Everdeen. One in which Katniss is finally assured of the strength of her mother's love when she sacrifices herself for Katniss's survival

Gale - Come on, you had to have seen this coming since The Hunger Games. Gale's a hothead (even more so than Katniss). Exhibit A:

Gale knows his anger at Madge is misdirected. On other days, deep in the woods, I’ve listened to him rant about how the tesserae are just another tool to cause misery in our district. A way to plant hatred between the starving workers of the Seam and those who can generally count on supper and thereby ensure we will never trust one another. “It’s to the Capitol’s advantage to have us divided among ourselves,” he might say if there were no ears to hear but mine. If it wasn’t reaping day. If a girl with a gold pin and no tesserae had not made what I’m sure she thought was a harmless comment.

As we walk, I glance over at Gale’s face, still smoldering underneath his stony expression. His rages seem pointless to me, although I never say so. It’s not that I don’t agree with him. I do. But what good is yelling about the Capitol in the middle of the woods? It doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t make things fair. It doesn’t fill our stomachs. In fact, it scares off the nearby game. I let him yell though. Better he does it in the woods than in the district.

The Hunger Games, pgs. 13 - 14

We all know what happens to hotheads - they let their emotions get the best of them. Their judgment clouded, they fail to attack/defend properly. Then, they die. Now that he's finally got his fight, he's bound to get himself offed! Poor, Gale. He should really take a few notes from Peeta's book.

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