My matted braid bounced against my back as I ran. I could hear the crunching of leaves under the feet of the person that was chasing me. Every where I turned, it seemed there was a tree that blocked my path. "Where you goin', twelve?" I heard a voice echo from behind me. I stopped dead in my tracks and slowly turned around. Thresh held Rue's body close to him, covered in blood and dirt. I wasn't too sure if the blood was his or not. "What are you gonna do, shoot us?" His voice barreled towards me. I looked down to see one hand gripping my bow and the other gripping an arrow that had just been pulled from my quiver. I started shaking and slowly dropped my weapons.
"I... uh..." I said, my my voice trembling.
Thresh walked over to me, still cradling Rue's body against his chest, and picked my arrow and bow up in one hand. If I wouldn't have been so close to him in the arena, I could have sworn that he was a giant. "How's Rue?" I asked, brushing her dark curls out of her face. Thresh looked down at her face and grew sullen. I watched tears slowly welling up in his eyes.
"I can't tell if she's still alive or not." He said, attempting to recompose himself. His large, dark skinned hands brushed up against the significantly large gash on Rue's exposed stomach. "That damn girl..." He said, his eyes fixed on her wound. I looked up at him, his lip quivering like a little child's.
"Which district?..." Is all I could manage to let out before tears started rolling down my cheeks. I quickly wiped them away with the back of my hand, trying with everything I had not to show my weakness. I couldn't make everyone believe that this girl, this girl that volunteered for her sister at the Reaping, this girl from the poorest district in Panem was weak. I couldn't do that to my district. I couldn't.
"Two." Thresh sighed, kneeling down on the crunchy leaves. He lowered Rue in his arms until her body laid what seemed to be lifelessley at his feet. I just stood there. "Watch her." I stared at him, not knowing what to say. "Watch her and I'll make damn sure that, that little lover boy of yours stays alive." I nodded my head and kneeled next to Rue. Before I knew it, Thresh had disappeared deep into the forest.