Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games
I followed Katniss that day, following the Mockingjay. Her golden pin. The same pin that I had put my trust in for the short amount of time I had left. My family would have to watch me die, but I wasn't going without a fight.
Katniss was good. I noted her steady, slow footsteps and her confidence in handling the bow. Did they allow weapons in District 12? I doubted it, but she had never gone near the archery in training and her accuracy and confidence couldn't be natural. Katniss followed the stream, and I shadowed her through the trees. I didn't like these trees much, they were too tall and thin, the trees at home were fatter, and bore the fruit that we harvested. There wasn't much on these trees.
Katniss didn't stop until dusk, when she cleaned the rabbit, and what I think was a groosling. She seemed suspicious of it, but put it over her newly lit fire. Smart really, waiting for dusk. The smoke would be hidden more than at any other time.
I quietly climbed down from my tree, but when my foot hit the ground I froze. Stupid, stupid, stupid! I berated myself. Katniss had heard, and almost quicker then I could see she had turned and had an arrow ready and pointing at me. I pressed myself against the tree and hoped the trunk would hide me. Apparently it didn't, for I heard the District 12 girl speak.
"You know, they're not the only ones who can form alliances."
I thought about it. Did she really ask me to be her ally? I was the youngest in these games; sure I could move through the trees but so what? I would be of no use in a fight; I couldn't use any weapons apart from a slingshot. Maybe it was a trick to get me to show myself, but for some reason I doubted it. I put my trust in the golden bird on Katniss's shirt, took a breath and edged around the tree where I could see her.
"You want me for an ally?" I asked in confirmation.
"Why not? You saved me with those tracker jackers. You're smart enough to still be alive. And I can't seem to shake you anyway" Katniss said. I hesitated – all I had done was stay out the way, and nearly everyone in my District could move through the trees. Certainly everyone in my family could. For a moment I thought of Thresh, and wondered how he was going but I shook the thought of quickly.
"You hungry?" asked Katniss, bringing me back to the present. I swallowed involuntary. I hadn't had any sort of meat since entering the arena, and the grooslings were really good. My eyes drifted to the cooking meat before I snapped them back to Katniss's face.
"Come on then, I've had two kills today."
It wasn't fair, I mused, that I would get food and give nothing in return. I stepped out from the shelter of my tree before I could stop myself.
I saw the lumps on her face and neck. "I can fix your stings." I blurted out, nervous for some reason.
"Can you? How?" Katniss asked. She seemed eager, and I couldn't blame her. I had never felt the sting of the tracker jackers venom myself, but I had seen people under its influence before. Katniss had been lucky, and smart apparently, since she had taken out the stingers. I dug around in my pack and pulled out a handful of familiar leaves. I had nearly cried when I first saw them, they were a daily fixture of life back home.
I saw a flash of recognition cross Katniss's face. Had she seen these before?
"Where'd you find those?" She seemed curious.
"Just around. We all carry them when we work in the orchards. They left a lot of nests there." I paused for a second. "There are a lot here, too."
"That's right. You're District 11. Agriculture" she almost seemed to be talking to herself. "Orchards, huh? That must be how you can fly around the trees like you've got wings." I smiled. Moving through trees was one of the things I really loved, and my family all commented on how I was like a little bird.
"Well, come on, then. Fix me up" Katniss said, and sat down heavily beside the fire, rolling up her pant as she did so. I saw another sting on her knee and put the leaves in my mouth like I'd been taught. I chewed, laughing inwardly at the surprised look on her face.
When I felt the leaves were ready, I put the messy glob of chewed leaves on the sting. It wasn't the cleanest method but it worked. Apparently Katniss thought so too, for she groaned slightly. I giggled a bit. She reminded me of an older girl who I talked to on occasion, and who had been stung by a tracker jacker before.
Katniss was almost begging when she asked me to do her neck and cheek. I started chewing more leaves and Katniss was soon laughing.
She noticed the burn on my arm. I had almost forgotten about it, but she offered to help me. I was going to refuse, but Katniss was already rummaging through her bag and pulling out a small pot of ointment, which she smeared carefully over the inflamed area. The relief was instantaneous.
"You must have very good sponsors" I couldn't keep the longing out of my voice.
"Have you got anything yet?" asked Katniss. I shook my head; no one in their right mind would sponsor me, a twelve year old girl with about as much chance of winning the games as a beetle.
"You will, though. Watch. The closer we get to the end, the more people will realize how clever you are" she turned the meat over. I watched her, I didn't believe it, but I couldn't stop a small warmth blossom in my chest.
"You weren't joking, about wanting me for an ally?" I ask suddenly. The thought had been plaguing me since she had first offered it.
"No, I meant it" she assured me.
Suddenly confident, I hold out my hand. "OK" I say. "It's a deal." Even as we shook hands, we knew this couldn't last. But I pushed the thought away. For now, we were a team, and that was what mattered.
I handed over the roots that I had found and told Katniss about the bird, and a short story about the last flock that had come to the orchard. We had had a real feast that day, it was amazing. We stop talking, and I savor the taste of groosling meat.
"Hey Sis!"
I looked up, startled. For a moment I thought that I heard my little sister's voice, but there was only Katniss sitting around the fire. Katniss glanced over inquisitively. I sighed. "I've never had a whole leg to myself before" I told her.
It wasn't a lie – I really had never had a whole leg before. A sudden look of understanding flashed across her face.
"Take the other." The shock I felt at her words drove the voice out of my mind for a moment.
"Really?"
"Take whatever you want. Now that I've got a bow and arrows, I can get more. Plus, I've got snares. I can show you how to set them" she smiled. I looked at the leg. She had put the work into catching it, and I really didn't need more food but it looked so good…
"Oh, Take it" I heard Katniss say, and suddenly the leg was in my hands. One I was holding it, I couldn't resist anymore.
"It will only keep a few days anyway, and we've got the whole bird plus the rabbit." Katniss said as I dug into the drumstick.
"I'd have thought, in District Eleven, you'd have a bit more to eat then us. You know, since you grow the food" Katniss mused.
I felt my eyes widen, and I shuddered involuntarily. "Oh, no, we're not allowed to eat the crops." I told her quickly.
"They arrest you or something?" she asked. I wondered how different District 12 must be, if she had to ask stuff like this.
"They whip you and make everybody watch" It was horrible, last time it happened. It was only a few weeks before I was drawn in the reaping. I still have nightmares about the ruined flesh on his back. It was only one orange too. "The mayor's very strict about it."
I can see she's lost in thought. I had always been curious about the world outside our farms. I couldn't even imagine a place without the orchards and fields in the background, where everything wasn't arranged around harvest and planting times. I had never had the opportunity to ask questions, and I probably never would again. I took the risk.
"Do you get all the coal you want?" I asked.
"No. Just what we buy and what we track in on our boots." I would have thought they get at least some coal. I mean, we are allowed to keep a bit of food from the harvest, provided we get our quota for the day of course. But she had shared a bit about her life, so I felt I should tell her a bit more about me.
"They feed us a bit extra during harvest, so that people can keep going longer." This seemed to interest her. I suppose coal doesn't really have a season in which it grows, it's just there. I wonder if Katniss had ever been in the mines. I had heard that the children of District 12 didn't enter the mines until they turned 18, but maybe that was just a rumor.
"Don't you have to be in school?" she asked me.
"Not during harvest. Everyone works then" I answered. I enjoyed harvest time, school was boring. They said it was important, but I didn't know for what. We all worked in the trees or fields, and that's where we would grow up. I would much rather be out in the open sun then in the small classroom.
"Maybe we should check our food." I suggested. My mentor had told us to always plan ahead – I got the feeling that he was talking to Thresh more than me, but it was still good advice. Katniss agreed, and we spread out all the food and supplies. She seems impressed with the amount that I've gathered, and a bit unsure about the berries.
I reassured her, eating a handful myself to show her they were safe. Tentatively, she bit into one, and seemed to enjoy the taste.
I didn't have much, and I was a bit embarrassed to see the amount of supplies Katniss had collected. "It's not much, but I had to get away from the Cornucopia fast." I said quickly, hoping that after seeing the small amount I had collected Katniss would still want me for an ally. She was doing so well in these games. She even had a pair of night-vision glasses. I couldn't hold back my gasp when I saw them – she didn't seem to know what they were, telling me that they were useless in the sunlight.
"These aren't for sun, they're for darkness!" I was very surprised that she didn't know this, I mean, everyone back home knew what they were. They also know not to take them. I sobered a little. I told her about Martin and she seemed horrified. That sort of thing must not happen in District 12. For a moment, I was slightly envious. It sounded very safe in the last district… I squashed the thought. Eleven was my home, and it was pointless thinking about it anyway.
"So what do these do?" Katniss asked me. She appeared to be thinking, turning them over in her hands.
"They let you see in complete darkness" I told her. They had saved me a couple of times, even with the torchlight people still fell out of trees, and I was higher up than they were. It was often hard to harvest at night, especially when you were tired, but being able to see helped. It tricked our eyes into believing that it was daytime, and helped keep up awake.
We exchange some supplies, and move upstream. As we walk, Katniss asks me about where I sleep. I tell her the truth – I've been sleeping high in the trees. It been cold at night, but the socks on my hands and the hood on my jacket really help.
Katniss offered to share her sleeping bag. I was shocked – I know we were allies, but I couldn't believe she trusted me so much. She had the pin on her shirt, that's why I trusted her, but she had nothing. Or did she…? I had to wonder, but agreed all the same. We settled in the fork of a tree, and had just finished when the anthem started. No one had died today - I hoped the audience wasn't bored already.
Katniss covered her mouth with her hand. Didn't she want the cameras to capture this conversation? "Rue, I only woke up today." She said. I know. I was watching. "How many nights did I miss?"
I copied her. "Two. The girls from District One and Four are dead. There are 10 of us left."
She digested this for a moment, but continued quickly. "Something strange happened. At least, I think it did. It might have been the tracker-jacker venom making me imagine things. You know the boy from my district? Peeta? I think he saved my life. But he was with the careers." She was rambling a bit, of course I knew them. All of Panem was talking about them.
"He's not with them now" I whispered back to her. "I've spied on their base camp by the lake. They made it back before they collapsed from the stingers. But he's not there. Maybe he did save you and had to run."
What little I could see of her face looked confused. I don't know if her next words came out a bit harsher then she meant them too, or if she meant them but either way they caught me off guard. "If he did, it was all probably part of his act. You know, to make people think he's in love with me."
"Oh." So that's what this is about. I was only young, but even I could see that Peeta had real feelings for her. No one was that good of an actor. "I don't think that was an act."
"Course it is." She replied immediately, almost as if she was trying to convince herself. "He worked it out with our mentor" Katniss continued as if that proved everything.
The blaring anthem cut off, and so did our serious conversation. "Let's try out these glasses."
She put them on and looked around. It was dark, but I could almost feel the shock rolling off her.
"I wonder who else has a pair of these" thought Katniss out loud.
"The careers have two pairs" I answered immediately. "But they've got everything down by the lake. And they're so strong…" I continued.
"We're strong too" shot back Katniss instantly. "Just in a different way."
"Youare. You can shoot." And she was amazing at it too. "What can I do?" It was something I had been wondering since before the games began. Sure I was good a moving through the trees and people said I was good at singing, but what use was that? The winners of the games were the ones who could fight, and handle a weapon or were incredibly smart and could trap the other tributes. Not the ones hiding in the tree tops, like I had been.
"You can feed yourself. Can they?" Food can't save you from the blade of a knife.
"They don't need too. They have all those supplies" I said gloomily. The careers wouldn't last a day without them, but it didn't matter.
"Say they didn't. Say the supplies were gone. How long would they last?" We all knew it wouldn't be long… "I mean it's the Hunger Games right?" I could see what she meant, but there was a big flaw in this plan.
"But, Katniss, they're not hungry" I pointed out.
"No, they're not. That's the problem. And I think we're going to have to fix that, Rue."
I felt a smile spread across my face. Katniss could do it. This time, the Careers were going down.
We stopped talking for the night, and I curled against Katniss reflexively. I felt her muscles tense, and then relax. Evidently she trusted me too.
I woke up before Katniss did and wormed myself out of the bag, managing not to wake the older girl. I hopped from tree to tree in my search for breakfast. Eventually, the trees thinned out slightly. I cautiously climbed down from my tree into the slightly marshy area. I hunted around for a bit. There wasn't much fauna here, but there was quite a bit of mud and water scattered around that I had to be careful of.
After scouting around for a bit, I found an abandoned nest with two large eggs nestled inside. I felt a bit bad for the bird, but we needed to eat, so I took them anyway. I moved back to the more familiar trees and climbed up, being careful not to jolt the eggs. I hopped back to where Katniss was sleeping, and settled down to wait.
I had just begun to relax when the boom of a cannon firing made me jump. It woke Katniss too, and we made eye contact. I saw her glance towards by hands which were cradling the two eggs as we waited for any more cannon fire.
When none came I breathed a silent sigh of relief, then instantly berated myself. I might not want anyone to die, but they had to for these games to end. For a moment by thoughts strayed to my family. They would be awake by now, and probably settling down to breakfast. It was always an interesting event, with the six of us, and my parents. Katniss voice breaks me out of my thoughts.
"Who do you think that was?" she asked. I wondered if she was thinking of Peeta.
"I don't know. It could have been anyone of the others. I guess we'll know tonight." I wondered if I should have added the last part. We couldn't afford to be distracted in the arena.
"Who's left again?" She asked me. I had to think about it.
"The boy from District One. Both tributes from Two. The boy from Three. Thresh and Me. And you and Peeta." I paused for a second; mentally counting the tributes I had just listed. "That's eight. Wait, and the boy from Ten, the one with the bad leg." I felt sorry for him. He was only young, but must have had a hard life because of his leg, and then his name gets drawn in the reaping. It was one bad this after another. "He makes nine." I knew there was someone else, but I couldn't remember who it was and neither could Katniss.
"I wonder how the last one died." I don't think I really want to though, but I was really hoping that it was quick, even if that was unlikely if it was brought about by the careers.
"No telling. But it's good for us. A death should hold the crowd for a bit. Maybe we'll have time to do something before the Gamemakers decide things have been moving too slowly." It felt wrong to be talking about people's lives like that, and I could see Katniss felt the same way. But we had to do it.
"What's in your hands?" she asked, changing the topic and breaking the dark mood that had begun to settle over us.
"Breakfast" I replied, glad for the distraction. Katniss eyed them warily.
"What kind are those?"
"Not sure. There's a marshy area over that way" I gestured vaguely. "Some kind of water bird" I finished.
I had a suspicion that they would taste much nicer cooked, but we couldn't light a fire. We settled for sucking out the insides of our eggs and each taking a leg of rabbit for breakfast, finishing it off with a few berries each. I had only had rabbit a few times before, they were generally driven out of the farms, but I didn't mind the taste.
Katniss finished, and whipped her hands on her pants. She pulled her bright orange pack over her shoulders. "Ready to do it?" she asked me, with a slightly scary grin.
I bounced up. "Do what?" I asked. I may have decided to follow Katniss, but I still wanted to know what was going on.
"Today we're going to take out the Careers' food" she replied. I felt a small spark of excitement grow. Maybe I really could make an impact in these games. I couldn't win, but if we could take out the Career's life source then one of the Others would almost defiantly win.
"Really? How?"
"No idea. Come on, we'll figure out a plan while we hunt" she said, already beginning to climb down from the tree. It was soon apparent that Katniss wasn't really concentrating on any available food in the area. She was too busy grilling me for information on the Career's camp. I told her everything I could remember from when I was spying on them. She seemed surprised to hear that the boy from District Three was guarding the supplies. I was too, when I first saw him. He only had a spear, enough to hold of Katniss or me, but Thresh could easily take him down. I wondered how Thresh was doing. He was big, and strong. Our mentor had obviously been concentrating on him, believing that he was the one who would bring victory. He had more of a chance then me at least.
She was suspicious of the placement of the food. I was too – the Careers weren't stupid, they knew that leaving your only food source out in the open without a strong guard was suicide in the arena, especially for them.
There was something that had been nagging at the back of my mind for a while now, and I voiced my concerns.
"Katniss, even if you could get to the food, how would you get rid of it?"
It seemed that this thought had occurred to her too, and she replied quickly. "Burn it. Dump it in the lake. Soak it in fuel." She poked me in the belly, just like what I did to my younger sister. I giggled. "Eat it."
Katniss became slightly more serious. "Don't worry, I'll think of something. Destroying things is much easier than making them."
We turned our attention to foraging, and talked while we did. I told her about my younger siblings, and how I looked after them. She asked me what I loved most, and my unhesitating reply was Music. It may seem strange, but music was something that everyone loved in District 11. Katniss reply was skeptical though.
"Music?" she questioned. "You have a lot of time for that?"
"We sing at home. At work, too. That's why I love your pin." I said pointing to the golden bird with its wings spread. Katniss glanced down in surprise, she must have forgotten about it.
"You have mockingjays?" she asked. Didn't they have any in Twelve?
"Oh, yes. I have a few that are my special friends. We can sing back and forth for hours. They carry messages for me."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm usually up highest, so I'm the first to see the flag that signifies quitting time." I explained. "There's a special little song I do." I was a little apprehensive about singing the tune in this strange place, but I did it anyway. The four-note rhythm calmed me a bit, and for a second I thought I saw a flash of orchards around me. But then it was gone, replaced by the pine trees again.
"And the mockingjays spread it around the orchard. That's how everyone knows to knock off. They can be dangerous though, if you get too near their nests. But you can't blame them for that" I concluded.
Katniss unclasped her pin, holding it out to me. "Here, you take it. It has more meaning for you than me." I was surprised, but gently curled her fingers around the gold.
"Oh, no. I like to see it on you" I took a deep breath. "It's how I decided I could trust you." I wondered what she thought of me for that; trusting someone in this free-for-all because of a trinket. "Besides, I have this." I showed her the woven grass necklace and wooden charm that my sister and I had made as good luck charms before the reaping. When my name was drawn, she had tearfully begged me to wear it in the arena, even if it hadn't kept me safe in the draw. "It's a good-luck charm" I explained to Katniss, tucking the necklace back under my top.
"Well it's worked so far." I smiled a bit sadly, but she didn't see it. "Maybe you should just stick with that." She pinned the mockingjay back on her shirt.
Katniss lapsed into silence until lunch, when she announced her plan. I was a little shocked that she trusted me with so much, and with such an important job. We had a quick lunch, and when the sun began to pass into the other side of the sky, started our preparations.
Katniss came with me, helping to collect and set the wood for 2 of our 3 campfires. I would have time to set the third one by myself, it didn't take that long. After a short discussion, we agreed to meet where we had a first meal together. I was a little apprehensive about going back there, after all that was where I thought I heard my sibling's voice. But it was the most logical spot to meet, so I agreed.
The District 12 girl checked my supply of food and matches, and practically shoved the heat-reflecting sleeping bag into my hands. I was shocked. Warmth was a difficult thing to come by at night in this arena, and it was only getting worse as time went on.
"What about you? Won't you be cold?" I asked her, torn between making sure Katniss was warm and my own needs.
"Not if I pick up another bag down by the lake." She grinned at me. "You know, stealing isn't illegal here." I wasn't sure if there was more to the joke that I wasn't getting, but I smiled all the same.
Then I frowned. There was something missing in this plan. I trailed behind, trying to think of what it was. When it came to me, I felt like slapping myself in the head – it was so obvious! We needed a way to communicate! We were going to separate soon, there wasn't much time to agree on a signal. The only thing that came to mind was my end-of-day tune. Well, now it would have a new meaning.
Katniss was a surprisingly quick learner, and she soon had the short tune memorized.
"It might not work. But if you hear the mockingjays singing it, you'll know that I'm OK, only I can't get back right away." I told her.
"Are there many mockingjays here?"
"Haven't you seen them? They've got nests everywhere," I said, and I saw her looking around. She looked a tiny bit ashamed, maybe because she hadn't noticed them. I don't know.
"OK, then. If all goes according to plan, I'll see you for dinner." I had a sudden bad feeling. This was the Hunger Games, it wouldn't go exactly to plan. That, I was sure of.
I was less sure when I threw my arms around Katniss. I felt her tense and hesitate for a moment, but then she returned the embrace. I felt warmth spreading through me.
"You be careful" I told her. I didn't want to lose the only friend I had found since this whole nightmare started.
"You, too" Katniss replied. Her arms tightened for a brief moment before she released me, and headed back in the opposite direction. Only when I could no longer hear her footsteps did I scale the nearest tree and begin my own task. The fires needed to be lit, or all of this would be for nothing. I travel fast. I would not let Katniss down. The fires would be lit, or I would die trying. That too, I was sure of.
The first thing I needed to do was set the third fire. It was the furthest from our meeting point, but setting it after lighting the first two would be suicide. By that time, the Career's would be in the forest and hunting. I would have to work fast to even get a pre-prepared fire lit.
I reached the clearing and instantly began to look for suitable wood. We would need sturdy branches, but they had to be small enough for me to be able to break and set. It would have to be green wood, so I couldn't use much of what was on the ground. Maybe just enough to ensure the flames would catch. I looked around. There! That was perfect. I smiled to myself and began the task of building a fire. I was glad that I visited the training station now, at the time I wasn't sure what use it would be.
In no time at all it was set and ready to go. The wood was arranged neatly, allowing for air to flow through and the dry wood to light the green wood, just like I had been told. I went back to the trees. There was still much to do before I could go to the meeting place.
I made it back to the first site without any problems. After a quick check of the surrounding area, I descended to the ground. The green wood didn't seem to want to burn, and it took a couple of matches to start it off. It had been my idea to use the green wood, there was more chance of the smoke being spotted from the Career's camp if there was more smoke. I climbed the tree again, and watched for long enough to make sure that the fire really had caught before moving on to the next site. Katniss had warned me against waiting, for the Careers wouldn't take long to travel through the forest but I had to check. Force of habit I guess.
For a moment I wondered if the boy from District 3 would be with them. If he was, he would annoy the Careers, so they probably left him behind like before. But if he did stay then Katniss might have a harder time sabotaging the pyramid of supplies constructed by the lake. For our sake, I hoped they had had a change of heart and taken the smaller boy with them. Although, in the end it wouldn't matter. We all had to die before this was over. All except one. And even though it was Thresh who would provide the most for my family, even though he was from my district, I found myself hoping that it was Katniss that would win -that the Girl on Fire would be the one to go home.
I remembered the reaping of District 12, even if the others had never really stuck in my mind. I remember the girl – Primrose – being called, and the small 12 year old moving slowly from her place at the back of the square. Everyone was silent. Then, we all heard Katniss scream her sister's name, and run though the crowd. They didn't stop her, forming an opening for her wordlessly. Katniss pushed the younger girl behind her, as if protecting her from the reaping. She volunteered, and Primrose grabbed her sister from behind, trying to stop her from climbing the stage with her thin little arms. An older boy had whispered something to Katniss, and taken the crying girl to her mother. Katniss didn't cry, but she wasn't doing much else either. It looked like she was auto-pilot for the remainder of the ceremony. But when the crowd refused to applaud, choosing to salute her instead, it was obvious that she was struggling to keep her emotions in check. I was too, when we watched the replays. I remember thinking at the time that Katniss would be a good ally, but it wasn't until I saw her wearing the golden pin in the arena that I decided to trust her. I put my faith in the mockingjay, and it hadn't let me down.
Shaking my head to clear it of these thoughts, I noticed that I was close to the next clearing where we had set a fire. I checked the clearing for any other disturbances. There were none that I could see, but I felt like something was wrong. I checked again. Nothing was out of place, so I cautiously made my way to the ground. This fire seemed even harder to light than the previous one, and my hands were shaking slightly when I lit the match. To my relief, it caught quickly. The green wood must have dried out a bit since we set the fire.
The feeling still hadn't gone away. I wasn't sure what it was exactly, it was just there. And telling me something was wrong. I kept moving anyway, hopping lightly from tree to tree. This was something I enjoyed. I had been told before that I looked like a bird, especially when I was in the trees. I didn't feel like a bird though, particularly not now. Birds were free. I wasn't. I envied them.
I was about halfway between the second and third fires when I heard it. The explosion shook the whole arena, and I was glad that I wasn't closer. I wondered how Katniss had managed that – there were no explosives in the supplies, and she wouldn't have had time to make some. Even if she did, there was still the problem of getting them close enough, and getting herself far enough away without falling into any traps or meeting any Careers. We had both agreed that there was some sort of hidden trap guarding the food.
Wait. Hidden – there were land mines hidden around the launching pads to stop the tributes from moving straight away. But they were deactivated after 60 seconds was up. The boy from District Three! Suddenly it all made sense. District Three made electronics; evidently he had offered the Careers a way of protecting their food. It was a brilliant plan. But it had backfired – surely he would know to put the mines so close that they would destroy the food if detonated? Unless… unless that was his plan! Oh, now it was all clear. District Three's plan was to destroy the food, just like ours was. That was unprecedented in the Hunger Games. I almost felt bad for his family, to see such a clever plan would have given them hope, only to be destroyed again. These games were horrible. At that moment, I wished for nothing more than the Hunger Games to be stopped forever, for the slaughter to simply STOP.
The sun was starting to set, and apart from the earlier explosion, there was no sign of Katniss. I admired her for doing what she was. She hadn't accepted defeat, and was going to keep going until the end. I truly believed that the Career's would fail this year, and this plan would be the cause of their downfall. I tried to keep this positive thought in my head while I looked for a suitable place to spend the night. I soon found a good tree, and settled in for the night. I ate a small meal with some roots, berries and nuts. I didn't feel like meat tonight.
The anthem played as I was preparing to sleep. The boy from District 10 and Three were dead. District 3's death was saddening, but not really surprising. Not with my earlier realization. I wondered if he had gotten caught up in the explosion or if the Careers had killed him themselves, after the destruction of their precious supplies. I didn't want to think about this now. I focused instead on my current situation, perched in a tree and extremely thankful for the sleeping bag.
"The nights must be getting colder" I thought. I wondered how Katniss was doing. She had said she would get another sleeping bag from the supplies by the lake, but what if she hadn't managed to? She would be spending the night curled up somewhere, and here jacket was practically wrecked. The trees might even be too cold for her now. My last thought before I slipped into sleep was "I hope she's safe."
I woke up at dawn the following morning, and realized that I had forgotten to signal the "OK." Hastily, I sang the melody and packed up my little camp. Once everything was stored neatly, I took out a few berries for breakfast. I gulped them down, and nearly choked a few times. When I was done, I took a quick drink and started back to the meeting point.
It was mid-morning when I reached the clearing. It was too wide to go through, and the trees on either side formed an impassable barrier. I had never seen this clearing before – had I gone off my path? It was possible, but I was still travelling in the same direction I knew, so it shouldn't matter too much.
While I was considering what to do about this clearing, I felt something move under my foot. I looked down, and had to stifle a scream. Close to my left foot was a tree snake. Ordinarily, they were pretty much harmless, but this was the Hunger Games. Nothing is as it seems.
Slowly, I looked around. The trees in this area were crawling with the green-bodied reptiles. I climbed out of the branches, being careful to avoid the snakes. I didn't like travelling on the ground, I preferred the trees, but right not this was my only option.
I decided to whistle the OK to Katniss. I had only just finished the tune when I felt a movement above me. I looked up, and a heavy, rope net fell on me, knocking me to the ground and the world went black.
When I came around, my current situation didn't immediately register. When it did, I started to struggle, but I couldn't get free. Panic started to creep through my bones, and I struggled more, panting hard from the adrenaline.
This was it. I was certain I was going to die, I could feel it. Somehow, that thought calmed me. I don't know how – I was still the most scared I had been since the opening gong had sounded, but I could think. I had almost forgotten about the pursuit of the Careers when I had woken up that morning. The threat had been in the back of my mind for so long that highly-increased level of danger didn't register.
I stopped my pointless struggling, and tried to come up with a plan. If I could get to my pack, I still had the sharp stone that I used as a knife in the early days of the competition. I tried twisting my body to free the small bag, but I had no luck in retrieving the rock. All I was doing was getting my body tangled further in the thick fibers.
Next, I tried to find the edge of the netting, but it was so twisted that that was impossible. The only way out would be if I, or Katniss cut through the mesh. Speaking of Katniss… she was my last hope to get out of here. I wished now more than ever that we had more than one signal – and that signal meant OK. But I had no other options.
I opened my mouth, and sang the tune once. A mockingjay flew down beside me, and tilted its head on the side almost as if it was asking a question. I repeated the phrase. The bird opened its beak and mirrored me perfectly. I repeated it over and over, and soon the all the mockingjays had taken up the tune and it was being spread throughout the forest. Surely, Katniss would hear, and follow them back to me.
I tilted my head to look at the sky, and that simple action sent a jolt through my head. Ow. I tried to focus on the clouds to distract myself from the pain, and it seemed to work a bit. Suddenly, I heard the snap of a branch breaking, and I twisted my head so fast that it cracked. And then I screamed.
I couldn't help it, the panic came back in full force. I was vaguely aware of screaming Katniss name and the rope digging into my flesh. Then I heard her yelling "Rue! I'm coming!" I could hear her crashing through the underbrush, not bothering to be quiet. The boy from District One could hear her too. He was ready to throw his spear when Katniss appeared. I was stretching out my hand, trying to warn her when pain erupted over my stomach and my vision faded again.
"Are there more? Are there more?"
The world slowly appeared in a fuzzy mess of colour. It took me several tries to talk, but I managed to croak out "no." Katniss kept yelling - she didn't hear me speak. I had to repeat myself a few times before she did hear.
I realized I had rolled onto my side, cradling my stomach as best I could. I had the vague impression of Katniss cutting and pulling the net away, and pushing the body away from me. She crouched by my side, and didn't seem to know what to do.
I wanted to comfort her; I was never going to survive these games, I knew it from the start. I stretched my hand out to her. There was a few seconds delay before my arm moved but she held my in a death grip. It was getting harder to see. My lower half seemed to be going numb. I couldn't last much longer, but there was something I needed to know.
"You blew up the food?" I barely managed to whisper.
"Every last bit" She assured me.
"You have to win" I needed her to win these games, even if I couldn't.
"I'm going to. Going to win for both of us now." A cannon fired, and for a second, I thought it was mine. 'But I'm still alive' I thought. I felt Katniss shift slightly. She couldn't leave now!
"Don't go" I breathed. I tried to tighten my grip on her hand. I'm not sure if it worked.
"Course not. Staying right here." I felt my head move, and felt her gently stroke my hair. It felt nice… I closed my eyes.
"Please sing" I wasn't sure if she heard but I hoped she had. I wanted to hear music one last time before I was gone.
She heard. I felt more then heard her cough and I opened my eyes.
Deep in the meadow, under a willow
Meadow… like home…
A bed of grass, a soft green pillow
I have a soft pillow…
Lay down your head, close your sleepy eyes
I closed my eyes
And when again they open, the sun will rise.
I opened them again.
Here it's safe, here it's warm
I saw my family
Here the daisies guard you from every harm
They smiled and my sister pressed a single flower into my hand.
Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true
She pulled me into a hug
Here's the place where I love you.
"Don't forget us. I love you" the words were mixing together.
Deep in the meadow, hidden far away
My family shifted. I saw where I was.
A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray
District 11. But the watchtowers were gone.
Forget your woes and let your troubles lay
Everyone was laughing.
And when it's tomorrow, they'll wash away
They already have.
Here it's safe, here it's warm
We stood up
Here the daisies guard you from every harm
And joined hands
Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true
We stood in a circle
Here's the place where I love you.
And spoke together
"I love you"
The world faded to black.
This was written as part of a school assignment, due on Wednesday. I could really use feedback for it :) Most of the dialouge is taken directly from the book (the task was to re-write a scence from the perspective of a different character). I think this is the longest story I've ever written. It covers 11 1/2 pages in word (17 with the anilising part of the assignment). Enjoy :)
PS. If anyone is reading my crossover, sorry. I should get to that next weekend.