Archery.

That was her skill. The bow seemed like an extension to her arm. The moment her fingers closed around the contraption her whole body seemed to relax. Rue's grip on his hand tightened and her eyes grew wide as she watched the older girl fire bullseye after bullseye. Finally, Katniss turned to them, her braid wild and messy, cheeks slightly flushed and eyes alive with excitement. She looked dangerous. She looked beautiful. He supressed the thought as the girl turned her gaze upon him, arching an eyebrow as though asking,

"Impressive, or what?" He nodded silently, fighting the smile that tugged at the corner of his lips. She smirked before glancing at the awestruck Rue.

"That was amazing!" The girl cried, clapping her hands together in excitement. "With Thresh's short distance skills in hand to hand, and your long distance skills with your arrows, we can't fail!" Katniss grinned,

"And your brains, little Rue." She said, "Thresh and I wont get far without you Smarty-Pants!" Rue let out a golden laugh and Thresh felt his resolve melt, allowing a wide grin to spread across his face as he engulfed the two girls in a hug. He felt Katniss tense at the contact but she soon relaxed. With the two girls in his arms he felt oddly strong, as though he was untouchable. Rue let out a sob, and as quickly as it came, the feeling was gone.

immediately, Katniss was on her knees, meeting the tiny girl's eyes, "What's wrong?" She asked, her voice gentle as she wiped tears off the younger girl's face.

"I- I- I don't want to die..." She mumbled, and Katniss threw her arms around the girl,

"We wont let that happen." She said firmly, Rue shook her head.

"I don't want you guys to die either." She said, another round of sobs racking her small frame. Katniss sighed,

"Everyone dies eventually." She murmured softly, Thresh sat down on the floor, resting his back against the wall,

"It's ok to die for something you believe in." He found himself saying, he shut his eyes, resting his head against the wall,

"But, you don't believe in the Hunger Games!" Sniffed Rue, Thresh shook his head as Katniss sat down too, bringing Rue down with her and cradling the small girl in her arms,

"We believe in you Rue." He said, his voice breaking slightly. Katniss rested her head on his shoulder, arms still wrapped around the girl. No one said anything for a long time, they just sat there. With Katniss' head on his shoulder, and Rue in her arms, Thresh felt an odd sense of peace that he'd never felt before, it was a shame that he had to find it when he knew he was mere days from death. But, as he closed his eyes, he couldn't bring himself to care.

"What were you doing with him?" hissed Peeta, grabbing his district partner by the hand and tugging her towards the elevators, the girl snarled,

"Get off me!" She hissed, pulling her hand free. The boy turned to face her, his blue eyes wounded as he responded,

"I'm sorry, but, you can't get too close to them, not when it's going to be you or them in the end." Katniss folded her arms across her chest,

"they're my allies." She said stubbornly, Thresh smacked himself in the face, so much for keeping that a secret until the interviews. Peeta gazed at the girl in shock,

"you can't have allies! They'll stab you in the back." he cried, "and you can't, no, you mustn't die." Katniss raised an eyebrow as the boy's cheeks flushed red,

"and why is that?" She asked mockingly, Peeta stared at her for a few seconds, before leaning forwards and kissing the dark haired girl. Thresh felt his vision tint red for reasons he didn't quite understand, but It didn't last long, Katniss shoved the boy off her and he hit the floor with a thump.

"Stay away from me." She hissed, before stepping into the elevator and pressing the button for 12. Thresh and Rue stepped in after her, and as Rue passed, Thresh couldn't help but notice how she subtly kicked the boy on the floor. A small smile flitted across his face at the sight,

"just wait till we're in the arena 12." He muttered under his breath.