When your dictator is talking with your parents about your funeral arrangements, something's really wrong. When you overhear that, however, it crosses over from wrong to crazy. That's what happened to me, Rue, after I was shot by an old schoolmate with a poisoned bullet.
I never expected my childhood to cross back over into my adult career as a journalist, but it did. It's probably just in my genes to get caught up in deadly situations: my parents were put through 2 Hunger Games (a fight to the death on TV for the entertainment of the wealthy Capitol citizens) and were catalysts in a bloody revolution that took many loved one's lives. After it ended, there were no more Games, no more President Snows, and no more boundaries between the districts. But some weirdoes apparently wanted that back, including my old 6th grade Social Studies teacher, Ms. Trimmer. I went into homeschooling, so I just missed getting hypnotized into sharing her opinions. My friend, Claude, and not-friend, Hattie, didn't. After holding me hostage in an abandoned warehouse, my fabulous but poor brother, Cinna, got me out—but not before I was shot in the calf with a bullet filled with nightlock juice instead of metal.
I honestly don't know how I survived that. Foxface didn't. Mom and Dad almost didn't. Nobody's been known to have immunity to the killer fruits. If there's a God, I don't remember seeing Him while I was dead, but I believe in Him now. How else could I have survived, if He didn't think I was quite ready to go? Looking back now, I walk lighter, smile bigger, and care more because I know the way I was living before, I had to do something I hadn't done yet. My life is so much more precious, especially now that I have Charles. But that's a story for some other time.
The Untold Saga of the Mellark Children, Part 8Gale was standing in the drab hospital hallway, looking immensely uncomfortable. It's understandable, considering his long-time love was standing there, in the arms of some baker's son. But he'd come to terms with this. Katniss couldn't be with him. Not even now, after all that's happened. Even after President Snow's death, after the threat was removed, she remained with him. And why? She actually loved him. How could forced love, the empty kisses he had to see on television for years, ever bring forth anything real? But here she stood, with her ring on display, staring blankly at the wall. She'd gone into Zombie Mode, where she didn't have to think about her dying daughter, or about the ransom note demanding her to speak lies to all of Panem. They simply weren't there. And Gale had had enough of Zombie Mode. It was all too frequent in 13. Gale's old, suppressed feelings rekindled, and he wished only to comfort her, take her into his arms and give her some consolidation. But the most he could do was offer to pay for young Rue's funeral.
It turned out, however, that no arrangements would be necessary.
She was alive.
The Untold Saga of the Mellark Children, Part 9The same doctor who brought the bad news came back, looking like he'd been coated in flour; his normally olive-toned face was white as fancy Capitol cotton sheets. In a wavering voice, he announced, "You may want to come to Ms. Mellark's room. There's something you need to see."
The Mellarks practically sprinted to their daughter's hospital room. Gale caught up with them a few minutes later, looking inside the doorway first before stepping inside.
The room was transformed from a drab deathbed location to a still drab, but cheerful gathering place for the Mellark family. Gale almost felt as though he was violating their privacy, seeing all the hugging, kissing, laughing, crying, and smiling in one place. But when Rue managed to break free of her parents and brother, she smiled sleepily and said slowly, "Hello." He about cried out in pain, seeing the incredible similarity to her mother. Everything except the blue, blue eyes was almost identical to the woman in the arena he'd loved so much. It was those eyes, those piercing eyes that pained him the most. Even clouded by drugs, those eyes meant that she couldn't be his. But, being the country's leader, he was good at keeping a straight face.