Emilia POV

Rue, my sister, runs through the woods. She's fulfilling a plan with Katniss Everdeen, the girl on fire. She's dangerous, with the highest training score. I'm glad she trusts Rue. It just might make Rue the Victor.

Rue runs into a trap. I'm praying to myself that she will get out or that whoever set the trap doesn't notice they have caught something. But we have no such luck. The district 1 boy steps out from behind a tree. As soon as Rue sees him, her eyes widen. She starts screaming, "Katniss! Katniss! Help, Katniss!" But I know deep in my heart Girl on Fire won't make it in time.

Katniss runs into the clearing. She saws off Rue's bindings, and my stomach unclenches, but just barely. Then, right after she hugs Rue tightly, Marvel throws the spear. Katniss ducks her head and narrowly avoids the weapon, but Rue isn't so lucky. The spearhead burrows itself into Rue's stomach.

Katniss whips around and sees Rue's condition. She tries not to cry as she gently cradles Rue's head in her lap. "Did you blow up the food?" Rue asks. Her eyes are already starting to glaze over. Katniss sniffs and replies, "Every last bit,"

Rue says, barely above a whisper,"You have to win," Katniss nods and says, "I will. I'll win for both of us now."

"What? Rue, you have to win. Please…None of us can survive without you." I whisper. I start crying, salty tears running down my cheeks when Rue asks, "Sing?" Katniss nods, and a few tears fall from her eyes. She starts to sing, and her voice is lovely, but a bit scratchy from the crying.

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,

Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true,

Here is the place where I love you.

Rue's cannon fires.

I'm crying. Rue. 12 years old. Dead. Any hope of her coming home to us has just vanished. Never again will she sing at the dinner table, just because she felt like it. Never again would she take us to the Orchards just so she can teach us how to climb to the very tops of the trees. Never again would I see her jump from tree to tree, trying to get away from the bullies she would tell Mama and Papa about when she thought we weren't listening. No more of her bring home tiny yellow flowers and saying, 'They're Rue flowers. Here,' and then put one behind my ear.

She's not coming home.

Papa lets out an untamed yell. He pushes over a grain basin. After it tips, he takes off with the rest of my family towards my small shack of a house. But I stay for a moment.

"This better not be for nothing, Girl on Fire," I say. With that, I put up three fingers. Then I take off to catch up with the rest of my family.