Author's Note: When I first read Catching Fire, the scene where Katniss thanks Rue on her victory tour stood out as one of those defining scenes in the novel. And then, thinking about Rue (one of my favorite characters) and her family, I came up with this little piece. Hope you like it!
Disclaimer: Well, my name's not Suzanne... far from it actually...
The Girl Who Stared
I stared. I hoped my eyes bore into that girl's, daring her to say at least something in Rue's memory. My sister had died; the girl up there was her supposed ally, yet she had nothing to say? One month of their winnings wasn't going to bring Rue back or even honor her death. No, that girl, Katniss, had to say something, not just stand there, quietly, looking at the crowd. But the time has passed; the mayor just presented them with their flowers and plaques and they'll be off to the next district, there mind anywhere but on our sufferi- "Wait!"
My head whipped up. She was asking them to wait, to hear her out. I swore to myself that if she didn't pay homage to Rue, I would leap onto the platform and strangle the bitch. But she talked about her admiration for Thresh and his strength and courage. Near me, I saw Birch faintly smile at the mention of her grandson and Carma look away, her eyes full of tears. Katniss turned to us, to me. She looked me straight in the eye and told us how she sees Rue everyday, through yellow flowers, mockingjays, and even her little sister. She finished by thanking us, all of us, for the children, but more importantly, for our effort and our bread.
I heard the end-of-day tune somewhere in the crowd. Automatically, we all lifted our three fingers to our lips and extended them toward Katniss. My vision blurred with tears of bitter sweetness; my fallen sister would be remembered.
Yeah, this is probably pretty sappy and melodramatic, but oh well. Review please!