Small story about Rue and her last day in district 11.
Samuel was a tall boy. His hair was fawny brown and his eyes were a gentle green. And Rue Miller thought he was the most amazing boy she'd ever met. Most of the guys in the orchard were jerks and sometimes mocked her whistling but he'd always stood up for her. He was a year older but it didn't matter to her.
The day of the reaping came much too quickly for District 11. Her mother was fussing about her seeing as it was her first reaping and she was terrified of hearing her name called out by Isobel Marters.
Her mother made her a dress for her 'big day'. It was a frilly white dress covered with small little flowers of every different colour. Blues, pinks, yellows, greens and purples. She fell in love with it immediately as her mother fitted it on her. It almost made the reaping bearable. Almost. She wore her dress with some of her mother's white shoes and a lilac cardigan. Her dark hair was braided at the back and her little sister, Martha, placed flowers in her hair.
She walked towards the square alone. She was pretty early so she decided to walk by the orchards just to say goodbye if she wasn't coming back for a while or at all.
The trees looked lonely. The swayed in the breeze as though they were puppets and someone was merely pulling them right and left. She breathed in the fresh air and found that she would miss the orchard.
"Rue?"
His voice called her from the left. She turned immediately.
"Samuel."
He nodded.
"What are you doing here?" He voice was demanding, merely curious and she shrugged.
"Just wanted to see them in case it was my last day."
"It won't be."
"You don't know that. No one does."
"You look beautiful, Rue."
He moved slightly closer to her and she inhaled gently. He reached over to the side of her head and played with a small flower in her hair. After a few seconds he stopped and spoke carefully.
"We should probably be going. We might be late." He dropped his hand and looked at his shoes. She shivered a bit.
"Are you cold?" He asked.
She shook her head. He smiled and reached over to take her hand in his. They started walking slowly towards the square, hand in hand.
They reached the square basically on time and they separated but gave each other one last warm smile before departing.
Ms. Marters stood up to the podium and smiled brilliantly at them. No one returned her smile but if she noticed, she didn't care.
"My, my, what lovely children you are! Let's get started, shall we? No time like the present!"
Her carefully moisturised hands reached over to the boy's name.
"Thresh Mineton! Well done! Come up here!"
Thresh was a stocky boy and he stumbled over to the podium. His face was irritated but Isobel leaned over and gave him a hug.
"Ladies next!"
Her hand reached over to the girls pile and she choose one. She gave one last smile before she sentenced some poor girl to death.
"Rue Miller."
The room was bright enough as she sat glumly in a chair opposite the door. Her mother had been in and they had both cried gently together, Rue sinking into her mother's arms.
Her father had been in too. Rue had never been as close to her father as she had with her mother but she ran into her father's arms as he opened the door.
Paulie, Martha, Jeshua, Marcus and Lilith cried with her as she hugged them goodbye.
He came after them. He entered the door as she desperately tried to wipe her tears but he didn't mind. His face was glum. He opened his arms to her and for a brief moment she considered kissing him but instead she threw her arms around him and sobbed quietly.
"It'll be okay. Everything will be okay, Rue. You'll be fine. You're the best climber I know." His comforting words had no effect on her but she wanted him to think that they did.
"Thank you, Samuel."
"Sam."
"Thank you, Sam."
His eyes lit up as she said his name.
"Thank you." She repeated.
She stared up at him and he stared down on her. Before she knew what else was happening, he leant down to her and their lips met in a gentle kiss. Her hand went to base of his neck as he held her on his lap. They broke apart but their eyes remained on each other.
"You look beautiful, Rue. You always do."
They were his last words to her. They took him away after that. She was bound for the Capitol.
In her mind the only words she could hear were his and they were all she ever wanted to hear. And even the Capitol couldn't take that away from her.