The Girl in the Treetops
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There was always something special about Rue Goncalves, something I couldn't put my finger on. No, it wasn't because it was something. Merely that it was a multitude of things, so endless that I couldn't possibly name them all.
Sometimes it was her smile - she always did have a pretty smile. Straight white teeth that contrasted so much against her deeply tanned skin, and small pink lips that spread ever so slightly. It was a beautiful sight, even if I had never seen it up close.
Other times it was the way she sang. I had loved to hear her sing, waited for it every night. Even though she was always at the topmost branches of the trees, bounding gracefully through the thick green leaves, I could always hear her from my spot near the bottom. She had such a clear, sweet voice. It rang with promise and hope for better days.
Her kindness came up often, too. She was probably the kindest person I had ever met, yet she didn't seem to know it. She always put others before herself; always gave, never taking. It was almost painful to watch her give, because she would give it all. Sometimes I would think, in the most secretive corners of my mind, that if she kept giving, there would be nothing left. The Girl in the Treetops would be gone, and there wouldn't be anything left for me to watch, to admire.
So I guess it shouldn't have come as a surprise when she was Reaped - there it was, the last thing she could give. Her life would be forcefully taken away in front of all of Panem, everything that made Rue Rue stripped from her as the Capitol cheered her killer on.
But I guess it was also fate that I was chosen along with her. I knew that I needed to protect her, or at least help her get through this.
At least, that was the ideal. I had never had a way with words - I was a watcher, not a talker. Admiring Rue from afar was one thing - actually getting to talk to her, getting to know her personally, was something totally different.
It happened abruptly - on the train. It had been just us in the room, our mentor and escort off discussing our chances for death and whatnot, leaving us alone to "Be a good boy and girl and play nice," as my escort put it. I was left moodily spooning at the disgustingly rich soup in front of me, only daring to sneak glances at the beautiful girl in front of me.
The worst part was that she was looking back - unabashedly, her wide dark eyes focused on me unwaveringly. It was unnerving - now that I had the attention, I wasn't sure if I wanted it.
I snuck a glance as she spooned more soup into her mouth, her dark hair curtaining the bowl. There was a soft rattling sound - I wondered where it was coming from. Nothing on the table moved. Then I looked up and realized it was her own teeth.
"A-are you cold?" the words came out of my mouth without any forethought, any decision.
She looked at me with surprised eyes, and I could see that they were glazed with unshed tears. Her teeth were shaking along with the rest of her body, as a tear managed to slip out of the corner of her eye.
She gave a sniff, quickly bringing up her hand to wipe it away.
"Sorry," she said quietly. Despite her quivering body, her voice was still as beautiful and clear as I had remembered it. "I'm…I'm just scared."
"I'm guessing we all feel that way," I said dully, meaning it. I looked down into my bowl, swishing the soup with the tip of my spoon. The skin that had formed over it rippled, collecting and then breaking, red curls floating to the side. My stomach turned as I realized it looked like flesh and blood.
"But they have the advantage," she said hollowly. "I'm only twelve. How can I stand a chance against people like you - older and stronger and bigger?"
For a flash of a moment, I was disgusted. How could Rue not see how agile and cunning she was? How easily she could win the Games? All she had to do was stay in the trees, after all, hide up there until the end. If anyone had an edge, it was she.
But I kept my mouth shut. I don't know why - it just seemed too personal, too intimate. She probably didn't know how long I had watched her. How wonderful and beautiful and interesting I thought she was.
But I assume she guessed what I was thinking - she had always been a good guesser. Her eyes flashed with tenderness, a slight smile on her trembling lips. "I know that you know me, Thresh," she said quietly, looking up at me for a flash of a second.
Know her? I didn't know her - she should've said a million different words. Watched her? Yes. Admired her? Definitley. Stalked her? Though it was sickening to admit, I might as well have been.
But no. She said I knew her.
I raked my short hair back with my hand, looking at her for the first time head on - no sneaking glances. "I don't know you," I said. "I barely know the first thing about you."
She ignored my rudeness, peering up through her hair. "We could work together, you know," she stated. "We would be good allies - I can trust you. Right, Thresh?"
Allies? My head spun, bounding from one thought to another at lightning speed. I wanted to say that she could trust me so badly, wanted to let her know that she was safe with me until the end. But I knew I couldn't guarantee that. What if something happened to me? What if I went mad like some tributes? What if, if it was just her and me at the end, I killed her? My stomach turned at the thought.
"We can't team up in the Games," I blurted, immediately regretting the words when I saw her surprised, maybe even hurt, expression.
She blinked her wide brown eyes, then nodded slowly. "It'll work out," she said. "I can feel it. I may be scared, but I know it will be okay for us in the end." She kept her gaze trained on me, even as I looked away, pushing my chair back and standing up.
"It can't be okay," I growl as I walk out of the room, leaving her sitting alone at the table, spoon still clutched in her hand and soup cold.
How could it be okay? There could only be one Victor - which meant that what ever happened, I would never be able to see the Girl in the Treetops again.
For the next few days before the upcoming Games, we didn't speak. We brushed past each other like we were both invisible to the other, not acknowledging either's existence. In some ways, it was painful. But I also knew it was the right thing to do.
But even if we weren't speaking, I still watched her. I watched her every chance I had, each time growing more amazed.
She had managed spectacularly so far - gotten a training score of seven. Mine was only six, but I knew she was better than me from the beginning, even if she was three years younger. She had impressed the other tributes, and was trailing the tall girl with the braid and the blonde boy, both from Twelve. I wasn't sure how I felt about that - I was happy that she might have allies, but also watchful, waiting for any signs of trouble.
Once the Games started, we finally went our separate ways. As we stood still on the metal launch pads, the other tributes took in the Arena before them. But as the timer beeped down, I only sought Rue's eyes. She turned her head slightly toward me, giving a small smile. I couldn't help but smile back.
A second later, the Games started. I snatched up a backpack, a bag of food, and a piece of rope, than ran as quickly as possible in the opposite direction, set on the fact that the next time I would see Rue's face, it would probably be reflected in the night sky.
The fields were hot and lonely, though I guess that was good. No other tributes seemed to have taken my path, for which I was thankful. I didn't even want to think about having to fight anyone.
But I was on edge the whole day. Had Rue been killed at the Cornucopia, or had she managed to escape into the trees? My stomach twisted at the thought that one of those cannon blasts might have been hers.
Relief only came for a brief moment, when the faces of the dead flashed through the sky, none of them the sweet face of Rue.
For the next couple days, I traveled through the tall fields of grain, living off of the supplies I had snagged and making sure to avoid the snakes. It felt weird to be in a place with no trees, but it was much better than being in the woods, guaranteed to be full of Tributes.
Each night, I watched for Rue's face in the sky, each time feeling a light twinge of relief. Maybe she would make it. Maybe she would survive.
Three days after our departure, I awoke to the sound of water. Not just the small babbling of a stream, like I was used to, but a loud roaring, sucking sound that woke me up immediately.
"Wha-" I could barely hear myself over the roar, but in front of me was only the peaceful, gently waving stalks of wheat. I blinked once, and realized as the sound grew louder that it was coming from behind me.
I quickly whipped around in my blankets, only to see a giant wave of water, as tall as the largest trees in the orchard in Eleven, towering before me, making a loud sucking sound that sounded like a drain pipe collecting water. The wave was rushing forward me impossibly fast, too quick to outrun. The noise grew louder, to the point where it was so loud that I was sure my eardrums were going to explode. I quickly scrambled out of my sleeping bag, breaking into a run though I knew it was futile.
The giant wave - a thing I had only seen in pictures in our History books, advanced at an alarming speed, growing taller and taller until a giant dark shadow formed over me.
Then it crashed, the noise immediately doubling as the wave of water tumbled down, right onto me.
I was immediately enveloped in a torrent of water. I felt like I was in one of those machines that I had briefly seen during my stay at the Capitol, the one that tossed your clothes around and around until they were clean. The water swirled around me, pulling my limbs this way and that. My head grazed the bottom of the ground, causing it to burn, and stalks of wheat twisted around me. I couldn't tell which way was up, and wasn't in control of my own body. My lungs crying out for air, my brain wondering if it would ever stop, I knew I was going to die. I closed my eyes and waited for death as the water roared in my ears. I allowed myself one last thought of Rue, then let my breath go.
Almost simultaneously, I heard a loud blaring noise through the wall of water. The water suddenly went completely still, and stopped tossing me around. There was still only blackness around me, but I realized that it felt like it was getting increasingly lighter, growing brighter in one direction. I gave a start as I realized the surface was under me.
Back in control of my body, I desperately swam in the direction of the light, letting my breath out in one gasp as I broke the surface, blinking in the bright sunlight.
I once again heard a loud sucking noise, but it was much different then the roar it had been before. I looked down, then realized that the water level was shrinking, revealing my waist and legs. When it was down to my dripping wet feet, I realized that a drain about ten feet away from me was sucking up all the water. I watched until the last drop of water was soaked up, then the drain seemed to go down a shoot, and a patch of wheat and grass slid out to cover the spot. It blended in seamlessly with the rest of the field.
What was this place?
Curious, I went over to the spot, tapping on the side with my foot. There was a sharp ping! from the metal underneath. I bent down into the squishy ground, trying to use my fingernails to pry it up. Maybe this could be my escape.
No. It wouldn't budge. I gave up after five minutes of useless tugging.
Besides, I had other, bigger problems to attend to. Like the fact that all of my food and supplies had been washed away or ruined by the giant wave.
I knew what this meant, even though I didn't like it. I had to go into the forest and face the other tributes. Just like the Gamemakers had wanted - probably the whole reason the wave came.
With a heavy sigh, I wrung out my soaking wet clothes and started to head toward the thick grove of trees a mile away.
I was right about the woods - it was much more dangerous than the fields. Sure, the fields had almost no food or water, but plenty of snakes. But the woods had many other deadly things - poisonous plants, insane tributes and deadly Careers, and way more mutts than the fields.
The Gamemakers had gone easy on me those first days, but I knew that wouldn't soon be the case.
I managed to get by on the plants that I knew were edible, and even managed to find a half-decomposed deer. Sure, there were maggots on its face, eagerly worming in and out through the tiny little holes. But it was better than starvation.
I didn't see anyone at first - at least, no one that especially wanted to kill me. On the second day, as I woke up from a short sleep, I thought I saw a pale girl with flaming red hair watching me from behind a tree, her eyes narrowed and menacing, but the next moment I blinked, and she was gone.
I also heard the Careers - all were shouting how they were going to kill the Fire Girl - Katiss, was that her name? I didn't know, nor did I care. I only hoped that if she did end up allying with Rue, that she would be a safe choice.
It was on my second day in the woods that it all changed.
I was hiking through the woods, desperately trying to scrounge up some food, when I heard her voice. She was singing the song, the little run of notes that she had always sang back home, loud and clear, over and over again. Soon enough, the Mockinjay's began to sing along, piping jovially.
No. It couldn't be her. I knew that she was still alive - thank God - but I never expected to see her again. Overcome by the desire to just look at her again, maybe even tell her I was sorry, I crashed through the underbrush, toward her voice.
Suddenly, the sound cut off, and was instead replaced by high pitched screams. She said her name over and over again, loud and clear: "Katniss! Katniss!"
She didn't say Thresh. But I come anyways.
The boy was grinning down at her maniacally. I recognized him from training. In his hand, he held a deadly looking spear, tip poised to enter her body, which was hopelessly entangled in a net.
I saw her eyes zero in on me, and she whispered my name once. "Thresh…"
I stole a glance at her - just like I had done nearly my whole life - then turned toward the boy.
I had no weapons, no way to stop him for good except for my fists. But I advanced anyway.
"You. Get. Away. From. Her," I growled, running toward him. His eyes opened in surprise as I leapt on top of him, wrestling the spear out of his hands. It fell to the forest floor as I punched him in the face.
He was too quick for me, though. He rolled out from under me, grabbing his spear and swiping me in the calve. It was a shallow cut, but enough to make me pause. He used my surprise to his advantage, pushing me headfirst into the underbrush.
I couldn't stand up, at least, not yet. I peered at Rue, only a foot away, through the bushes, and she looked right back at me. Her breathing was quick and shallow.
"Rue? Rue?" I heard the girl's voice, the Fire Girl. Her footsteps were heavy on the forest floor, approaching closer and closer as the boy fumbled to get a grip on his spear.
"I'm sorry, Rue," I whispered.
She nodded through her shaking and tears. "Go," she whispered. "Before he kills you too."
I shook my head. "No, Rue, I ca-"
She cut me off, looking at me with pleading eyes. "Please," she breathed, fingers clutching the netting. "For me."
For her. She gave me the last thing she could before her life is taken away - her blessing.
I hesitated for a moment, then limped out from the bushes, running in the opposite direction. I hastily brushed tears from me eyes as I heard a sharp scream, immediately stifled into a harsh, wet sound.
"Rue? Rue!" Fire Girl crashed through the bushes, but she doesn't see me and I don't turn around to watch. I could hear the twang as one of her arrows flies through the air, and a heavy thud as something hit's the ground. I hoped it was that awful boy.
I kept running, until I was almost half a mile away. I thought I could hear a light voice singing - not Rue's, too rough - but I was not sure. I ignored the Mockinjays as they jovially pipe Rue's song, oblivious to the awfulness going on behind them.
After I was a mile away, I crashed onto the floor, my leg hurting too much to go on. All of my tears were gone - I couldn't seem to cry anymore as a loud cannon blast resounded through the forest.
Instead, I sat there on the forest floor, looking up at the sky and listening as a Mockinjay sung her song one last time, ending on the high, warbling note. After that, there was complete silence.
Rue Goncalves had just given, given, given. But now it was finally all gone.
Hey! Thanks if you read this far. If you're going to review, I have a serious question for you to answer…If you read this, please do. Do you think that my writing is a bit too much rambling, not enough to the point? I had planned for it to only be the beginning part, and then Thresh watching Rue die. But it didn't turn out like that….I don't know. I just felt compelled for them to have some interaction, then I needed a reason for Thresh to have to go back into the woods…(I've almost gotten a concussion while body surfing from an experience a lot like Thresh's, so that was pretty easy to write). But do you think I should've been more to the point? I feel like in a lot of my stories I do this, and want an opinion on whether you think it helps or hinders the story.
All answers and reviews appreciated - I just want to grow to be a better writer! Thanks!