Rudy
The door bursts open and Colby streamlines through. The guard grumbles something about one minute, but I barely hear him as I kneel to the ground and wrap my arms tight around him as Larkin comes in behind him. "Rude," He mumbles almost incoherently as he comes and hugs me too. "Rudy, I- I- don't believe this- I should've taken the boy's spot. I should be protecting you-" "No!" I exclaim. "No, don't waste this time saying things like that- listen, it would only have been harder for us- besides…" I eye Colby and he gets it and shuts up. I pick up Colby, who's still crying.
"don't go!" He tries to say through the water. "Please, Wudy, don't go!"
"I have to…" The words force themselves from my lips.
"but- but-" he bursts into sobs.
"No, Colby, please," I say, setting him down. "You have to be strong. Too strong for tears. Do you hear me?"
He nods, and wipes his face.
"Know that I love you, and Larkin too. And if I die-"
"NO!" it was Colby's turn to say. I closed my mouth, shocked and then I watched this five year old boy reach for the leather string around his neck. He pulled the necklace off his head and put it in my hands. Hanging on the necklace was a black rabbit foot. That was the rabbit I'd hunted for his birthday this year, it was his lucky foot. To ensure he'd never go hungry… I tried to hand it back to him, ready to go and say 'it's yours", but this kid, told me, "No."
"No. You take it and then you win and you come back and then you can give it back, okay?"
I nod, and start to put it around my neck to hide it down my pale orange dress. But as soon as it gets around my neck he says to me, "Pwomise!"
"I promise you, Colby. I will come back."
He comes back to me a tight hug. I pick him up and Larkin joins us and right when I feel safe, the guard rips Larkin off. "Time's up."
"No!" I gasp. Not yet, please! Larkin takes Colby who stretches out his hand like it can take me away with him bn. "You promised!" He shouts back to me. "REMEMBER-!" The harsh snip of a door slamming shut took away his last words and I stood, out of life.
No. That's a lie. I will live. I will live, because I promised. I pull the foot out from my dress.
Her face comes back to me and everything falls to pieces . I'd do it for Colby, for Larkin and for her.
Because that's what I promised.
Gale
"Gale…"
Well, well, well, if it's not Katniss Everdeen, the god damn girl on fire.
I turn away from the window, "Katniss-" She comes and hugs me tight, one of those hugs I always wanted to get from her every minute of every hour of every day. I discreetly smell her hair to try to get me through the acknowledgement that I was headed to my doom.
But when I smell something different… unexpected - although it shouldn't have caught me off guard at all- I think to myself, would dying really be such a bad thing now? As I stroke her bread scented hair, I think of her and Peeta together, their hands clasped… soon to marry. I try to remain calm. I try to breathe back out the odor of yeast of spice.
"Remember what you told me… when it was me?"
I nod, I remember every word.
"You're stronger than them," She told me.
"You'll be coming out of there, I'm sure of it."
She shuffles her feet and then pulls something from the hem of her dress. A glint catches my eye. "What're you-"
She pulls my hand out and places in it a mockingjay pin. I stare at her wordlessly.
"It's to protect you…"
Her assurance is strengthening and my heart pounds. Silently begging to kiss her, I hug her again, hands wrapping around her waist. She twitches before letting go, "Bye Gale."
Her whisper hits me hard, it really occurs to me what's happening right now.
"Katniss…" I begin. I need to tell her, she needs to know. Before I- If I- well… "Katniss," I repeat, "I- um- I-" I fight for the word, but time's up. The Peacekeeper grabs her arm. "Times up, Miss."
I struggle just to shout it to her, but my mouth dries up and my tongue sits in my mouth, a sandy brick.
Kicking myself in the ass, I stare out the window of the Justice Hall.
Shit, this is real.
