Volition
by FanficAllergy and RoseFyre
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Chapter 4 - Determination
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Katniss and Rue crept through the brush to the edge of the clearing by the Career camp.
Katniss took a moment to survey her surroundings, counting tributes and getting the lay of the land. The supplies from the Cornucopia were stacked haphazardly into a large pile, maybe twenty-five feet from the edge of the forest. About fifteen feet away from the clearing's edge sat their lean-to and a single tent. Under the lean-to lay a sleeping form, she couldn't tell who it was, if it was the boy from One or Two. The boy from Three sat on the ground outside the tent, a spear resting against his shoulder, fiddling with something shiny with dangling wires.
There was no way to tell if there was anyone in the tent. For all she knew, there could've been.
She turned to her ally. "Can you get a better look?" She nodded toward a tall tree with branches that extended out into the clearing. It looked climbable, but Katniss was certain she was too heavy for the higher branches.
Rue nodded, scampering up the old oak like a squirrel into the canopy. The girl from Eleven eased out onto one of the limbs that overlooked the clearing. So long as Rue didn't move, she should be safe.
Where was the third tribute?
As if in answer, a cannon boomed. Katniss's stomach clenched in worry. Was Peeta okay? There was no way she could bring him with her, not with his heavy footfalls, but was leaving him back at the cave a mistake?
She dashed angrily with one hand at the tears that had started to form in her eyes. She didn't have time for sorrow now.
The figure underneath the lean-to sat up, revealing the boy from Two, Cato. A huge grin split his face. "Final eight, baby. Oh yeah!"
The boy from Three grunted, still intent on the object in his hands.
Less than a minute later, Rue let out a little whistle.
A warning.
Katniss dove for cover underneath a juniper bush.
A few moments later, she heard it. The sound of approaching footsteps. The boy from One burst through the woods less than five feet from where she was concealed, a bloody spear held triumphantly over his head. "Killed the crippled pig from Ten!"
Cato snorted. "Big deal. Not like it was a real challenge."
"Better than you, laying in bed like a lump."
"Fuck you."
"You fuck you!"
Katniss rolled her eyes.
"So did you see any sign of Eleven or Twelve?"
"No."
"Good. That bitch from Twelve is mine."
"Whatever. Just so long as I get the highest kill count, I don't care." The boy from One looked around. "Got anything to eat?"
Cato motioned at a pile of supplies near the front of the lean-to.
Shooting another sneer at his fellow Career, the boy from One set his spear against the side of the lean-to and started rifling through the cans and packets of food.
Out of the corner of her eye, Katniss caught a flash of red sneaking through the clearing. It was that Foxface girl. From the angle of her approach, the three boys wouldn't be able to see her through the stacks of boxes.
Hm. Clever.
When she was maybe ten feet away from the supplies, the girl started doing this weird hopping dance.
Katniss watched her with curiosity. Why would she risk being spotted to do that? It didn't make sense.
Foxface paused and slowly, carefully, reached forward to snag a couple of apples from a mesh bag. Clutching her prizes to her chest, the girl did the same hopping dance, this time in the opposite direction.
"Fuck this," the boy from One said, standing up. "I want something fresh. I'm gonna grab an apple."
He took a few steps to the side and stopped. He'd spotted the girl from Five. "Cato!" he hissed. "Pass me my spear!"
Cato stood up and tossed the bloodied weapon to his ally.
Foxface turned, her eyes widening in terror when she spotted the tall Career. She took off like an arrow, darting for the safety of the treeline.
The boy from One took two powerful strides forward and hurled the spear through the air. Whistling as it flew, the spear embedded itself into Foxface's back with a meaty thunk.
She fell forward, the apples in her hands rolling forlornly along the ground.
"Booyah! That's how you do it!" He did a little dance. "Oh yeah! Just took out another one!"
Cato grunted, but moved closer to check out the fallen tribute.
The boy from Three stood, his hands clutching the shiny object. The tribute's eyes weren't on the dead girl from Five, but the two Careers who'd come within ten feet of the supply pile. His hands twitched.
BOOM!
The earth exploded, taking the pile of supplies with it. The ground shook and Katniss was flattened to the ground by the concussive blast. The boys from One and Two didn't even have a moment to register the destruction before they were turned to bloody mist. Shrapnel flew everywhere, raining down on Katniss like lethal snowflakes. The whole clearing was blanketed in destruction.
The boy from Three smiled, dropping the detonator to the ground, before he followed it, a thick piece of wood impaling itself in his chest.
From high above, there came a loud crash that penetrated the ringing in Katniss's ears.
Rue tumbled to the ground in a bloody heap.
Katniss cried out, scrambling to her feet to go to her ally's aid. She rolled the little girl over on her back, searching frantically for any sign of life. Rue was covered in blood. Bright, red, gushing blood from an injury on her neck. One of the shrapnel pieces must have severed her carotid artery.
Katniss placed her hands over the wound, trying desperately to stem the tide. But she couldn't.
Rue's eyes fluttered open and the little girl tried to say something, but either she said it too softly and Katniss couldn't hear, or she couldn't get the words out. Either way, the words were lost.
Rue died seconds later, her life soaking into the dry earth.
Katniss screamed. It wasn't fair! Rue shouldn't be dead, not like this. Not here. She should be back at home, playing with her brothers and sisters, bright and vibrant and full of life.
Tears streamed down Katniss's cheeks. She couldn't believe the little girl was dead. She had to do something to honor her memory.
Determined, she got up, and headed to the forest's edge. There, she picked every flower she could find until she couldn't carry anymore. Then she brought them back to the little girl's body. She started at the neck, covering the wound that had taken the young girl's life with primrose, wild carrot, and violets. When her first armful was gone, Katniss went and gathered another. And then another.
She knelt down beside Rue's covered body and bowed her head, letting the tears fall.
Another bundle of flowers appeared in front of her nose.
Katniss looked up, startled, to see Thresh standing there, a solemn expression on his face.
"Here," he said, shaking the bouquet slightly. "For the little girl."
Katniss nodded numbly and placed Thresh's offering on Rue's chest.
Slowly, shakily, she rose to her feet. "Are you gonna kill me?"
Thresh glanced at Rue's body, then back up at her. From the set of his jaw, Katniss knew he'd made a choice. "Not today, Twelve. Not today."
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The blood on her hands stained the small stream pink. Rue's blood. Katniss didn't think she'd ever be able to wash it off completely.
She splashed cold water on her cheeks, trying to soothe her tear-streaked face and maybe undo a little bit of the damage her grief had wrought.
Katniss looked up and froze, her eyes fixated on a low bush just on the other side of the stream. Nightlock! Dark, almost black, berries gleamed in the sun-dappled light. Their plump flesh was genetically engineered to look as enticing as possible. Their flesh promised sweetness and sustenance, but Katniss knew that promise was a lie. The plant was a deadly creation of the Capitol. If the tiniest drop of juice hit your stomach, you were dead. Her father had painstakingly taught her how to identify and destroy any bushes she found. They were just that deadly. Katniss wasn't surprised that some sadistic Gamemaker had included them in the Arena.
But the berries could be her salvation. Once Thresh was dead, she'd wondered how she'd be able to kill herself without the Gamemakers interfering. A handful of nightlock berries was the answer. It would only take one, and there was no way that they could get to her in time to stop her from sacrificing herself to save the boy with the bread.
She waded across the stream, getting her clothes wet, and gathered as many berries as she could, wrapping them in a plastic bag that had once held a few strips of beef jerky. She returned to the stream and washed her hands, scouring them with sand until they were raw and red. She didn't want to accidentally poison herself, leaving Peeta alone to face the boy from Eleven.
With a heavy heart, Katniss resumed her trek back toward the cave, hoping she'd find Peeta there, that he hadn't left the relative safety of the cave to check on her and Rue.
She slipped through the trees, her steps making almost no sound. The mockingjays were raucous over her head, calling snippets and jumbles of copied birdsong. Here and there she heard the little whistle Rue'd taught her so they could keep in contact if they got separated. Rue…
She wished she could've saved Rue. But she supposed it was better this way. At least the little girl had died quickly, almost painlessly. And even better, Katniss or Peeta didn't have to be the one to kill her. Katniss couldn't burden Peeta like that, but she didn't think she could do it herself.
The sound of a large animal crashing through the woods jerked her out of her wallow. Was it Thresh going back on his word? Or was it some horror released by the Capitol to make the Games more exciting? Katniss didn't know.
She glanced around, noting she was in a stand of birch and aspen trees, neither of which were good for climbing. The only thing she could do was hide, and there wasn't much cover to be seen. She flattened herself on the ground, the detritus from the forest floor over her, and held her breath.
"Katniss? Rue?"
A wash of relief flooded through her. Peeta!
She stood up, brushing herself off. "I'm over here!"
The clashing intensified until Peeta burst into view.
Katniss shook her head. The guy was hopeless when it came to basic things like walking silently. He might decorate a mean cake, but that wouldn't keep him alive during the Games.
The relief on Peeta's face when he laid eyes on her was palpable. He let out a little squeal and broke into a run. When he reached her, he gathered her up into his arms, his lips descending down onto hers.
The kiss wasn't passionate, although it was filled with emotion. Relief. Desire. Love flowed through his lips and into her. She'd never been kissed like this before. It was even fair to say she'd never been kissed. The dry pecks a few Seam boys had stolen at various celebrations couldn't hold a candle to Peeta's. An ember of something flared to life deep in her core. She returned the kiss, part of her wishing they could stay like that forever.
He pulled away, tears streaming down his face. "I thought you were dead. I heard six cannons. I thought you were dead!" His fingers traced the contours of her face, as if he couldn't quite believe she was standing before him.
Katniss didn't quite believe it herself. "I'm here, I'm fine." The words were half to comfort him, half to reassure herself.
"Rue?" His voice didn't hold much hope.
She shook her head.
"Did you kill whoever did it?"
"They killed themselves. The boy from Three set off a bomb, took out the rest of the Careers and…" She trailed off.
"So who's left?"
"Thresh."
"He's not gonna be easy to kill." Peeta wrapped his arms around her.
"No," Katniss agreed, resting her head against his broad chest and thinking about how Thresh had spared her life, "he's not."
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