Disclaimer: I don't own Hunger Games.
Chapter 1:
Rue's POV
I run to light the third fire. The Careers will be here soon and I need to be on my way by then. Too late. Before I know it I am entangled in a net. I shriek. "Katniss!" I scream. "Katniss!" I thrash around in the net that I am entrapped in, looking wildly around for my captor.
"Rue!" I hear a faint voice in the distance. "Rue! Rue! I'm coming!"
I hear footsteps and out came Katniss. She grasps my hand.
"Katniss," I say again.
"Rue," she gasps. She pulls out her knife and begins to cut the net. "Rue where are they? Who did this?" She is angry now, I have never seen her like this.
"I-I don't know," I start shakily. "I was running to light the second fire and got stuck in this net."
She loads her bow and points it around the clearing as a warning. "We need to be on guard. Whoever put this here might still be closeby."
As if on cue, I see a head pop up behind the bushes next to Katniss. It rises and I recognize the boy from District 1. He has a spear in his hand. "Katniss! Behind you!" I shout frantically.
She has just enough time to whirl around and shoot the boy with her ready bow. I hear the cannon instantly. She looks terrified after, and I realize that this may be her first kill. I hope I never have to make one. "It's okay Katniss. It was only self-defence."
"But- He was my first kill," was all she managed to stammer out.
"Katniss." I say firmly. "He was trying to kill you. He was a bloodthirsty career. He wouldn't be regretting this if he killed you. She still doesn't look convinced. I sigh. "We better get safe for the night. It's getting-"
"Package!" Katniss says with delight, the District 1 boy forgotten.
The silver parachute drops on the ground and we rush over. Katniss opens the package to reveal a loaf of bread. I recognize this bread. It's from District 11. Much better than that tesserae stuff that we sometimes have. This bread was in a crescent shape made with dark ration grain and sprinkled with seeds. I sigh and look up to the night sky. Who would've put together enough money to give me this. It couldn't be one person alone. I close my eyes. Mama, Papa, are you out there? Did you help? What about Sage? Jay? Violet? Willow? Or even little Ivy? Are you still looking after me?
"Let's go, we don't want to get caught," I say, as Katniss picks up the bread and the parachute.
"I guess." Katniss looks up at the sky. "They'll be showing the dead tributes soon." She looks around and finds a sturdy tree. "Let's go."
I follow her up the tree and we settle on a branch high enough that we'll be safe from the Careers, but low enough that we won't have to worry about the branch breaking under our weight. She sets up our sleeping bag and wraps a rope around us to secure us.
The anthem plays and the seal appears. We finish the bread while watching. I see the boy from District 1. No more tributes dead. Another night when I live. I can't imagine what Mama must be thinking at home. And all my little siblings. Violet, my ten year old sister would be holding her breath. Eight-year old Willow would be watching the TV screen wide-eyed. They were still gullible enough to think I would survive. They all were. They wouldn't be able to bear the loss of their little girl. I thought of them, five year old Sage, and seven year old Jay, and little baby Ivy. My parents would be putting her to sleep now and she would be wondering why her big sister wasn't here to sing her to sleep.
"Rue, are you alright?" Katniss jerks me out of my daze. The concern on her face almost brings me to tears. Being the oldest, I never had anyone to look after me. Mama and Papa were too busy working and I had to help out even more. I sang baby Ivy to sleep, I comforted Willow when she had nightmares of being reaped. No one would look after me. But Katniss would.
"Yeah, I'm fine," I say. But, I know that she knows that I'm not fine. She says nothing though, just leaves me off to drown in my thoughts until finally sleep overcomes me.