Right after I light the second fire, I immediately make my way to the third fire. My heart is beating fast, both from anxiousness from hoping that this plan will work and from my cautiousness of the Careers that are probably hot on my trail. But it's all for destroying the Career's food supply and for Katniss. I hear rustling a ways off, and I hope that it's just a groosling or another animal. The sound of mockingjays singing fills the air, but it does little to calm me down because they occasionally shrill a warning note and I hear the flapping of wings.
I am just more than midway between the second fire and the third fire when the ground starts to vibrate slightly and I hear explosions far away, near the lake. I instantly stop in my tracks and whip my head in that direction with fear as the loud noises of explosions continue, the ground still trembling. What did Katniss do? Where did she get the explosives to make these explosions currently racking the ground right now? When the sound of the explosions dies down, my heart continues beating fast, hoping that Katniss got out of there in time. I snap myself out of statue-mode quickly when I hear the sound of rustling get even more frenzied behind me. I shoot behind a bush, which doesn't really provide a great cover, but it'll have to do. The sounds of the forest continue around me as I stay as still as a rock. The rustling begins to die down as it heads away from me, and I realize that it's the Careers running toward their food source. Or what used to be their food source. I smile as I slowly crawl out of my hiding space. I know I should get back to the rendezvous place Katniss and I agreed on now, but my curiosity is overwhelming. Another sound of an explosion makes the decision for me, and I find myself slowly moving toward the Careers' food supply, curious to see what Katniss has done. But before I get any closer, I stop myself. I shouldn't look, even as curious as I am. I'm sure that one of them will see me, and then I'll be killed for sure. I back away. I faintly hear someone yelling.
As I'm making my way from the second fire to the rendezvous point, I hear a cannon shot. I instantly stop again, feeling ice course through my veins. What if Katniss didn't get out of there in time and the Careers found her and killed her? What if she sustained serious injuries from the blast and died from her wounds? The possibilities are endless really—maybe she got eaten by a large bear perhaps—but something tells me that Katniss is okay, that it's someone else the cannon is for. I hear the mockingjays go silent, and I turn in time to see the hovercraft lifting someone up into its body. I can't quite see who it is, but I think it's a boy. My thoughts immediately go to someone in particular, but the boy had dark hair—I could see even that from this distance away.
As I'm walking, the sun drops, and darkness slowly encases the sky. The thought of doing my mockingjay signal crosses my mind several times, but I'm on my way. There's nothing so far that's stopping me.
When I finally realize that I won't be able to make it to the rendezvous point any time soon, I decide to make camp. If Katniss is there already, I hope she'll know to wait. I scale a tall tree after making sure there's no tracker jacker nest in it, and pull Katniss' sleeping bag and rope from my pack. Just as I'm strapping myself in, as I've watched Katniss do, the seal of the Capitol lights up in the sky and I hear the beginning of the anthem. After the anthem, there is a moment of darkness before revealing the boy from District 3 and then the boy from District 10. Then the seal disappears from the sky. I breathe a sigh of relief. Katniss is still alive. The boy from District 10 must have died this morning, because the boy earlier didn't seem to have a bad leg; but I really doubt that the District 10 boy would've tried to steal from the Careers' supplies if he couldn't get away fast enough. So it was probably the District 3 boy who had died earlier. I wonder how and why he died for a brief moment, but then push it out of my mind.
I eat a bit of the groosling Katniss gave me and some berries. Just as I'm about to throw a small bone over the side of the sleeping bag, I hear the hushed voices of the Careers, and see the fire of the torch a couple feet away, which reveals the dark, somewhat grim faces of the Careers. I quietly gasp and tighten my grip around the hard bone. Good thing that I'm covered by the leaves. I want to peer over the edge, but I tell myself that I will be seen. Instead, I stay as still as I can while listening.
"I'll bet that it was that Katniss girl that blew up our supplies."
"Not that I don't agree with you, Cato, but I think that fox-faced girl from District 5 is a good suspect too. I think she's smart enough to know how to blow up the supplies."
"Clove, are you serious? I haven't seen her ever since the Bloodbath! I'm pretty sure she's probably hiding somewhere, trying to wait the Games out. She doesn't seem to have the guts to do that anyway. I still have my bets on Katniss."
"Yeah, I guess. I bet though that she's out there somewhere, bleeding to death. There's no way she got out of there without a scratch."
"I can't wait until I get my hands on her…"
"Talking about killing Katniss, who do you think was helping her? There's no way those fires were set coincidentally."
"Yeah, and I'll bet again that it's that small twerp."
"Who? Rue? The girl from District 11?"
"Yeah, that girl. She didn't seem to be anything special at the Training Center. How do you think she's still alive?"
"Probably Katniss was helping her. Probably because she looked like her little sister." The last words are said in a mocking tone, and it's all I can do to not rip out my slingshot and whip them all on the head with a rock. But I don't, and they continue speaking.
"Psh. Katniss is such a weakling, pairing up with such a lost cause. She should've just killed her when she got the chance. That girl—Rue, was it—won't stand a chance alone." A flare of anger rises inside of me, and then a flare of fear, but I stay silent.
"Agreed. Hey, Marvel, you're staying awfully silent. What do you have to say on this?"
There's a moment of silence, and I strain my ears to hear his response.
"I just don't have anything to say on the matter," he says cryptically, and then there's a rustle a few feet ahead, and they break out running toward it. After they've gone off, I stop being so rigid and I finally throw the bone over the side. If I didn't have Katniss helping me, would I have died already? But nobody has attacked us yet, so maybe not. Thinking, I wonder if that's the real reason Katniss chose me as an ally: because I looked like her younger sister, the girl Katniss volunteered for at the Reaping, whom I think is the same age as me. But surely someone like Katniss wouldn't pair up with someone just because they reminded her of her younger sister. I'm sure there were other reasons.
Letting this thought sooth me, I close my eyes and slowly drift off into sleep.
I open my eyes to see a mockingjay a branch or so off, chirping in the late morning light. I hum a few notes to it as my grogginess slowly goes away, and it sings them back to me. I slowly get up and take a few deep breaths to get the air circulating in my lungs. The mockingjay flies away at my sudden movement.
I untie myself and roll up the sleeping bag, and I put both into my backpack. I sling it onto my back and slowly descent to the ground.
I pull out the rest of my berries and eat them as I continue walking. As I'm walking, I notice a darker shadow to my left, among the already dark shadows of the trees. I stop, which is probably not the best thing to do, and slowly turn my head, hoping it's not a Career about to spear me. Instead, I see what I think is Thresh in the trees. He holds up a hand in greeting, and before I can do the same, he's gone. For someone so big, it's surprising he can move so swiftly and silently. I stay still, watching the place where he was before in the trees. It was probably Thresh. He and I were really good friends back in District 11, and I know he wouldn't kill me if it came down to it; but if we were the last ones in the arena together… I honestly wouldn't know what he would do then.
I finally continue walking, chewing a berry. It was Thresh, definitely. If it was someone else, they would've definitely killed me right then and there instead of waving to me.
I finish the last berry long before I grow closer to the first fire—just as it's starting to become early afternoon. The trek from the second fire to the first was definitely a lot longer than I thought it was. But maybe it had just taken longer because I had been more cautious than before after seeing Thresh, darting from tree to tree and hiding in shadows. I come across a clearing, and I'm about to stop for a moment to stretch after being in not-so-open-space for a while, I hear a twig snap.
I jump, a startling noise after being in somewhat silence for a while. My breath catches in my throat as I survey the trees around the clearing. I know if I make any sudden movement, the predator out there will surely charge. I take small breaths, barely enough to keep myself from breathing hard. And then I see it. The imprint in the fallen leaves in the shape of a boot. Just in front of a tree a couple feet away.
Is it Katniss? No, I think this print is slightly smaller than what I think would be Katniss' footprint. Besides, Katniss is much too smart to not hide her tracks. Before I can think about what else to do, Marvel Emerald comes around the side of the tree, his spear up.
"Marvel," I stutter. I don't know if he's changed from when we were in the Training Center, but the look on his face is enough to already make me scared. Oddly, remembering the words of the other Careers last night gives me confidence. I can stand up for myself. I discreetly feel for the slingshot in my pocket, but drop my hand when Marvel opens his mouth.
"What," he snaps, not really a question. I glance painfully at the small lumps of tracker jacker stings still on him. I want to help him with the stings, but I have a feeling that he would just reject it.
He lowers his spear slightly and sighs. "Cato and Clove are nowhere near, if it makes you feel better." It doesn't.
"W…what are you here for?" I say cautiously, knowing that's he's here for a reason.
Marvel finally lowers his spear completely. "Looking for Katniss, mainly." His sky blue eyes lock with mine, and I see the message in them: But we're also looking for you.
"Where is she?" he asks a second later.
"I don't know." It's the truth, really, but Marvel doesn't seem to believe it.
"She blew up our food supply," he says in a dangerous tone, informing me of what I already knew, or had guessed. I grit my teeth. Maybe he's angrier than I thought about having his food supply blown up.
"Okay," I say casually, like I could care less. Marvel gives me a hard look.
"You've allied with her," he says, more of a statement than a question.
I don't reply. I almost step back, but I know he would take that as a yes. Instead, I stand unwaveringly, facing him.
He sighs again after a moment. "I don't have anything against you. I just have a bone to pick with Katniss."
"I don't care. I honestly don't know where she is."
He looks at me carefully, clearly giving me the message that he doesn't believe me.
"Well then, you at least have an idea of where she is."
I shake my head. It's sad to admit, but I don't even know where my only ally in the arena is. She could be in the copse I told her about, she could be at the rendezvous point, she could even be right in the shadows watching us! I doubt the latter though, because I know she would've shot Marvel long ago.
He cocks his head slightly, studying me. I glance at the sky, and suddenly realize that it's late in the afternoon, and the shadows are growing longer. Is Marvel trying to stall me, to wait until the other Careers come so they can all torture me to death? The thought scares me deeply, and before I can stop myself, I'm singing the four-note mockingjay signal I taught Katniss. The melody echoes around the clearing as mockingjays pass it back and forth.
Marvel has his spear up now. "What was that?" he asks in a harsh tone.
"Nothing. I just sing when I'm nervous," I lie, but it's a bad one. I know he knows because he narrows his eyes at me.
"Really," he mutters, and he turns his head slightly to my right, and seems to see something in the trees. "Liar!" he snarls.
I turn, but there are only shadows. Was it Katniss he saw? Maybe, but then she'd had to have merged back into the shadows as fast as possible. But the thought of Katniss being close soothes me.
I turn back to him and he's looking with me with a look of pure anger. "I thought you said you didn't know where she was!"
"I don't!" I half-scream, and I back away a couple of steps. The look of his apparent anger is actually scaring me, and I'm sure that he's going to spear me, ignoring all traces of whatever past relationship we had. As I back away, his eyes widen, and he opens his mouth to say something. He reaches out to me, and his hand reaching for me is all I need to make myself leap back. But the instant my foot touches seemingly innocent leaves, before I know it, a net snaps up around me, effectively trapping me.
Marvel tricked me! is the only thought that rushes through my head, and I open my mouth and start screaming.
Marvel is saying something, rushing forward, but the sight of him coming toward me only scares me even more. "Katniss!" I shriek. "Katniss!" Where is she?
"Rue!" My heart soars when I hear Katniss calling my name. Marvel stops and turns toward the sound, possibly calculating how far away she is. "Rue! I'm coming!"
Suddenly, Katniss bursts into the clearing, her bow ready. Insanely happy to see her, I reach my hand through the net. "Katniss—" I say, actually smiling despite the situation, and then pain explodes in my stomach. Confused, I glance down, and I'm horrified to see Marvel's spear sprouting out of it. I instantly curl up, like this is going to ease the pain currently ripping my body apart. Marvel rushes toward me, and leans down.
"I'm so sorry, Rue, I swear, the spear was for Katniss, you know I wouldn't hurt you—"
The thing is… I believe him. Even as pain spreads through my body, I no longer have any fear, which was quelled when I saw Katniss, and I can think somewhat clearly now. He reaches for the spear, possibly to pull it out, and I see the arrow coming before he does. "Marvel!" I shriek, but the arrow has already pierced his neck. He falls to his knees, and before I can stop him, he rips the arrow out, which doesn't really help because it only brings on a new wave of blood.
I shriek, disgusted with all the blood on me, both of mine and Marvel's. I faintly hear Katniss yelling something, but all my attention is on Marvel for now.
Marvel half falls on me, and I grip his now cold hand for a moment, giving him a little bit of comfort before he leaves.
"Are there more?" I finally realize what Katniss is saying, and thinking back to what Marvel was saying about Cato and Clove not being anywhere near, I say no. I have to yell no several times because Katniss doesn't seem to comprehend my words. When she finally does, she runs over to me, and I let go of Marvel's hand, somehow ashamed of Katniss seeing despite the current situation of both of us dying. Not ashamed, really… scared. Scared of what Katniss would think.
She pushes Marvel away from me and cuts me free of the net. As she's surveying my wound, I watch Marvel out of the corner of my eye, watching him shiver on the ground as the blood freely pours out of his neck. I blink for a second, and then he's still. Feeling tears well up inside of me, I reach for Katniss, hoping that she'll be able to comfort me. She grips it hard.
"Y-you blew up the food?" I whisper, remembering Marvel's words.
"Every last bit," she confirms, enunciating every word.
"You have to win," I say a little bit louder, turning my head completely to face her. I want her to win. To bring back the reward of food and money to her district. Out of everyone here, she deserves it the most. The girl who would trust even a little girl like me.
"I'm going to. Going to win for the both of us," she promises, and I know she'll live up to that promise. A cannon sounds in the distance, and I faintly think it's for me, but then I realize it's for Marvel. I finally let the tears fall, and I think Katniss thinks it's because of the pain, but partly, it's not. She looks up at the sound of the cannon, and for a split second, I think she's going to leave me in my suffering.
"Don't go," I whisper quickly, tightening my grip on Katniss' hand.
"Course not. Staying right here," she says, and she confirms it by pulling my head onto her lap, making me comfortable in my last moments. She pulls my thick, black hair out of my face, and I want to her to do one last thing for me, something I've wanted her to do for a while.
"Sing," I say, but it's so quiet, Katniss barely catches it. She looks down at me for a moment, closes her eyes, and coughs. I see her swallow, and then she begins singing. It sounds like a lullaby, which is somewhat fitting.
As she finishes the second verse, I slowly close my eyes. I don't even have the energy to even keep my eyes open any more. I struggle to stay in this world, to at least finish listening to Katniss' song, to stay a little bit longer with Katniss. I barely hear the last lines, not only because all my senses are shutting down, but because Katniss is crying and her voice is barely audible. But when she sings the last word, a soothing peace seems to wash over me, and I finally let go, soaring like I've always dreamed of.
fin
Note from the author: Another, but new, take on Rue's death scene for me; not as much Marvel/Rue as I usually try to cram into it. -.- I think this actually could've happened because it explains why Katniss randomly heard the four-note tune right before Rue started screaming. The setting was actually a bit confusing for me because I had to determine where I could place the clearing where Rue dies, and where the first meeting place, the copse, and the three fires were located, but I like how it all turned out.
About the part about Thresh being in the forest: I personally thought Thresh was a pretty cool character, even without him sparing Katniss, and really, it'd be kind of boring sitting in the field for most of the Games, so I like to think that he actually traveled most of the arena in his days in the Games, watching everyone and scoping out the place. :)