I had always admired Katniss Everdeen. From the moment I saw her I knew that she was amazing. She could recognize the edible berries, and she mastered every skill quickly. Her training score of 11 only made me admire her even more. Other than the Careers, she had the best chance of winning the Hunger Games. And now I'm teaming up with her. We're allies.

We have a plan. I'll create fires to distract the Careers and bring them after me, while Katniss gets rid of their food. Simple. We split up all the food down the middle just in case we aren't able to meet up for a while. Then, just as we're about to split, I teach her my four-note song. The one that means the workday is over back home. If for some reason we can't meet up, one of us will sing the four notes so the other knows she's all right. We split up, Katniss to the Career camp, and me to find plenty of green wood.

I wander over to the first site of my fires. I strike a match and light up the wood. I scurry up a tree to make sure the Careers don't see me. Once I see Cato barging through the trees, I continue on to my next destination. Fire number two. Again, I light the wood and climb a tree to wait. When I hear the Careers approaching, I quickly leave again. At the third site, I set up the wood for the fire, but just as I'm about to light it, I hear footsteps. The Careers. I hurry up a tree just in time. Cato looks around, directly into the tree I'm sitting in. My breath catches in my throat. Adrenaline pulses through me. But he doesn't see me. "There's nothing here!" he shouts to the others, and they make their way back to the camp. I stay in my tree for a little longer.

Suddenly, I hear a cannon go off. Katniss? No, please don't let it be Katniss. But I have to wait until tonight to see.

I wait in my tree until the sun almost sets. Then I start moving again, heading to where Katniss and I were supposed to meet. Eventually, the adrenaline disappears, leaving me drained. I'm exhausted, so I settle down in a tree. I sing the four notes to the mockingjays so Katniss knows I'm fine. If she's still alive. I hear the anthem, and stare into the sky. There's two peoplein the sky. Neither is Katniss. I breath a sigh of relief and sleep.

In the morning, I get up and start moving immediately. I sing to the mockingjays, again so Katniss knows I'm fine. Then I'm lying flat on my back, a net around me. I shriek wordlessly and thrash around, which only makes it worse. But I can't help it. "Katniss! Katniss!" I scream, praying that she's near enough to hear me.

"Rue!" Katniss shouts. "Rue! I'm coming!"

But it's too late. The boy from District 1 is already here. Katniss breaks into the clearing and I'm about to say her name when the spear goes through my stomach. That's when I know. I'm not living to see another sunrise. I'm not living to see another sunset. But neither is the boy. Katniss's arrow goes through his neck, and he yanks it out. He's dead quickly. Katniss frees me from the net and asks me if there are more. I say no repeatedly before she understands.

"You blew up the food?" I whisper.

"Every last bit."

"You have to win," I tell her.

"I'm going to. Going to win for both of us now," she promises.

A cannon goes off and she looks up.

"Don't go," I beg, gripping her hand.

"Course not. Staying right here," she says and brushes my hair behind my ear.

"Sing," I say, so quietly I'm not sure she hears.

But she does. She coughs and begins her song.

"Deep in the meadow, under the willow

A bed of grass, a soft green pillow

Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes

And when again they open, the sun will rise.

Here it's safe, here it's warm

Here the daisies guard you from every harm"

My eyes shut and I can barely hear her. I can't speak. I can barely breathe. But I can die happy, because I know Katniss will win for us.