Disclaimer: I own nothing from the Hunger Games. It was written by Suzanne Collins.
Author's Note: There's no real plot, but I think it's sweet, and a little sad. Please review!
Song of a Mockingjay
I know I'm dreaming. I'm not sure how I know, but I know that I am. I know this place, but I've never been here. I've only seen it on television. This is the arena where the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games took place. My sister, Katniss, was in the games that year. She won, along with Peeta Mellark.
That's when I see the girl. I know her, too, though I've never met her personally. She's another thing I've only seen on my old, broken television. Now, she sits in a clearing next to a lake shimmering in the starlight. Her face is wreathed with flowers that are also braided into her hair. Her name is Rue. She looks a lot like me, except for her skin. She was my sister's ally in the games. I truly believe that Katniss owes her life to this girl. In a way, I do too.
I approach her carefully. "Are you Rue?" I ask.
She's startled. "Um, yes. Who are you?"
I smile. "My name is Primrose, but everyone calls me Prim." She still looks confused. "Katniss is my older sister," I say.
A grin spreads across her face. "Oh, you're Katniss' sister." She looks at me intently. "You look alike."
This surprises me. "No," I say. "Everyone in District Twelve looks alike except me and Katniss."
Her smile is softer this time, more thoughtful. "There's something though. Your eyes are alike, even though your eyes aren't the same color as hers. Something about your mouth too..."
She looks down quietly. "Does... does Katniss still remember me? Does she ever talk about me?"
I look down too, pretending to be very interested in the leaf in front of my shoe. "I think she does remember you and think about you, but she doesn't mention you very often. She'd probably cry if she did. She doesn't like crying." I pause. "We both owe a lot to you Rue. You helped her. If it weren't for you..." I stop. I'm close to crying myself.
She takes my hand gently. "Let's not think about that. You're here for a reason. You wanted to meet me. Let me show you everything here." I'm not sure that I'm really here for a reason, but I nod anyway.
She grabs my hand and we are suddenly above the trees. I gasp. The forest looks beautiful from this high. A small cluster of mockingjays are singing in the nearby trees. One sings a few notes, then another one repeats a slightly different version of those notes.
I sigh. "I wish I could have met you in real life," I whisper to Rue. "I think we'd be great friends."
She nods sadly. "Me too."
We fly around the arena for a while before landing in the clearing where we first saw each other. We sit in silence for a few minutes, unsure of what to say. Suddenly, a tear falls onto the ground next to Rue. "I miss home," she murmurs.
I smile, but tears appear in my eyes as well. "I think I know how you feel. My dad died when I was seven. My mom, she sort of... disappeared after that for a while. Katniss hasn't been the same since then either. She doesn't sing anymore, not very often. She's been even worse since those dreaded games."
There's a pause. Then Rue says, "She sang for me."
A mockingjay appears in a tree nearby. It starts whistling a lullaby from our district. An old song that I love. It's the same song that Katniss sang to Rue before she died. Before we can stop ourselves, Rue and I are in each other's arms, sobbing. We cry for our families, our homes, our siblings that we know love us and loved us, even if they don't or didn't always show it the way they should. We cry about the Hunger Games, and the rebellion so many years ago. We cry because we're twelve. What twelve year old had to think about these things before the dark days and the war?
After a couple of minutes, Rue laughs. "Look at us," she whispers, wiping her eyes.
I smile. Then, I can sense a light at the edge of my mind. It's almost morning. I'll wake up soon. Suddenly, I feel like I need to do something for Rue, give her a gift. Something to show how much she means to me, and to Katniss. I take a handkerchief from the pocket of my dress. There's a rose embroidered on it. Perfect. I give it to Rue. She smiles, then reaches towards her neck. A thin necklace comes off. Attached to it is a small five-point charm. I can't decide if it's a star or a flower, but either way, it's beautiful. She places it around my neck, then smiles.
"We can be friends, Prim," she says, as she stands up and takes a few steps away from me. "Just keep dreaming."
I can feel consciousness coming towards me, but there's something I need to do before I wake up. "I promise I will, Rue," I whisper. I press the three middle fingers of my left hand to my lips and hold them out to her. She repeats the gesture to me. Then, without another word, she's gone. There's a small black and white bird in her place.
It's a mockingjay.
When I open my eyes, the sun is beating down on me. I smile. After last night's dream, I can't help feeling good. I feel like I've done something worthwhile. I thanked Rue in the way nobody else could.
Katniss is standing next to the bed. "I'm going hunting, Prim," she says in a gentle but cold voice before leaving. I nod and slide out of bed to milk Lady, my goat. By the time I'm finished, all that remains of my dream is the feel of the necklace with the wooden charm on my neck and the song of a mockingjay tickling my ears.