Chapter Four
When I wake up, my palms are sweaty and images of Marvel fill my head. The sleeping bag feels suffocatingly hot around me, and I pull myself out, careful not to wake Rue. My hands grasp the thick branches, and the cool night air washes my skin as I pull myself up through the leaves. I begin to hum the words to the lullaby Katniss sings to me when I'm unable to sleep.
For once, thinking of home doesn't bring tears. I feel a sense of comfort deep within me knowing that for now, in the dead of night when every tribute is asleep, I can almost pretend that I'm not in a fight to the death. Almost. The Mockingjay's easily pick up the simple, repetitive melody, bouncing it back and forth in harmony. I smile and sing with them, not caring who hears.
Because right now, in this moment, I feel I can take on anything. I'm ready for Clove. I no longer fear the inevitable encounter. I don't want her to come, but when she does, I won't flee. I no longer run for the trees at the slightest shift of a branch, or rustle of leaves.
I reach the top, comforted by my own thoughts. The view is breathtaking. I never tell anyone this, but sometimes I sit on the roof of our flimsy home and look to the woods. But I'm not in district twelve right now. So tonight, I balance on a branch above the leaves, and stare out over the vast arena. It's easy to get lost in the artificial darkness, under the glow of a faux moon. The tree tops are like a blanket to the forest floor, the sky a caved in ceiling, and the lake is like the strong powerful ocean. Of course that's why the careers camp there. Not only is it a plentiful supply of water next to the Cornucopia, but it exemplifies all they stand for: strength, brutality, courage, and victory.
Of course, nobody notices those of us that hide in the treetops. We're the stories that will never be told. I tilt my head towards the sky and stare at the stars. "I want to be FREEEEEE!" I shout to the moon, half expecting it to answer. I hear rustling below me as Rue joins me at the top. The branches, while thin, easily hold our weight. "We'll be alright." She tells me.
I can't help but throw my arm around her as a whirlwind of emotions threaten to knock me from the tree. "Rue, how can I be a victor is it means you have to die?" I know the cameras are focused on us, the Capital citizens leaning towards their TV sets. She shakes her head and takes a deep breath. "You deserve to win, me… I… I… haven't been doing all I can to keep up alive. We're alive thanks to you." She says.
"No, we're not. If you hadn't gotten the bow and arrows we'd both be dead. I wouldn't have lived if we weren't allies." I say, trying to make her understand. I killed someone, I don't deserve to live. But I don't dare say this aloud. After all, I made it my life's mission to help people, not hurt them. "C'mon Prim, you had to. He would have killed us." She says, seeing right through my façade. I shake my head, take one last look at the scenery spread out before me, and head down the tree.
I slip back into the sleeping bag, though it still feels to hot, and attempt to get a few more hours of sleep. Tomorrow we'll have to keep moving. I pretty much broadcasted our general location to the entire arena. As I drift off, I think about how much I miss home. The hard dense bread, rough covers on the bed, meadow where I help Katniss seeds and berries, Katniss's game, the coal covered streets in the Seam, even school.
When I was younger, Katniss did all she could to protect me from the cruel world. She didn't let me sign up for tesserae, and she didn't tell me about the horrible things going on around me. That was all useless. Here I am in the Hunger Games, with a dead boy's blood still on my jacket.
She told me stories of paradise, a place where there is no Hunger Games, and everyone lives in a peace. Like a foolish child, I believed her. I expected to find that place, and when I didn't, reality came hard and strong. But I've learned that life goes on. I need to learn how to forget, and stop forgiving people. These kids aren't up for negotiation, they're out for blood. I finally fall asleep, softly humming the tune of The Hanging Tree. Never again will I forgive.
Rue shakes me awake in the morning, unable to hide the urgency on her face. "What is it?" I say, feeling wide awake. She points to the ground, putting her finger to her lips. I take the signal to be quiet and peer down the tree. Cato and Clove stand at the bottom, oblivious to the fact that we're right above them. This is our chance.
I silently pull out my bow. I take a quiet breath, aiming straight for Clove's head. I release my hold on the bow string, just as she shifts slightly. My arrow is off, and it lands in Cato's back. He screams in pain, tearing wildly at his back. The arrow is dragged down; creating a gash that will surely need stitches. Clove cries out in terror, ripping the arrow out of his back. Blood seeps through his jacket and shirt as she pries them off.
"Oh my god! What…!" She wails. "Who, who did this!" She screams, but mixed in with her sobs it sounds pitiful. She drops onto the ground next to him, clutching his hand in her own. I know from looking at it, that if he doesn't get help soon he will bleed out. Rue hands me another arrow, and I'm just about to let it fly, when a parachute drifts into Clove's lap.
She hastily unties the cord, pulling out medicine and bandages, along with a needle and thread. She stares helplessly at the supplies in her heart. "I don't know what to do!" She sobs. Cato's eyes flutter. She tightens her grip on his hand. Her knuckles are white from the pressure. "Please, someone help me."
My chest tightens. Careers never show emotion. It's the one thing that makes them so dangerous. You don't know who they are. But now…. My mouth is as dry as sawdust. Before I can convince myself otherwise, I slide down the tree and walk into plain sight. My arrow it loaded, just in case things start to go downhill.
"You!" She snarls, reaching for her knife. I gulp, but take another step forward. "I can heal him, but you have to let us go." I tell her. She narrows her eyes, fingering the blade. I take another small step forward, lowering my bow slightly.
"Why should I trust you?" She says, baring her teeth like a rabid dog. "Because if I meant harm, I wouldn't have come down. And I would've already killed you." I tell her. She pauses, considering this. "Fine." She snaps, but the longing glace she directs at Cato betrays her attitude.
Clove's Point Of View
Primrose Everdeen steps out of the underbrush, arrow ready to fly. I want to run and hide, but I must stay strong. "You!" I growl, but my hand is shaking in Cato's. I know that she dropped the Tracker Jacker nest on us, and that she somehow managed to kill Marvel. My hand itches for a knife, but her next words stop me.
"I can heal him, but you have to let us go." She says. Immediately, I sense a trap. "Why should I trust you?" I say, trying to seem fierce. "Because if I meant harm, I wouldn't have come down. And I would've already killed you." She says. I look deep into her eyes and suddenly… I see myself. She's terrified, but she's come down out of kindness.
I stare at Cato, he already looks too pale. I'm torn; I can't bear to lose him. He means too much to me. I need him, and if seeking out help from a little girl is what I have to do, then so be it. "Fine." Cato has to live, even if it's only for one more day. I don't know what I would do if his beautiful blue eyes were blank and empty.
Rue watches with wide eyes as I empty my coat of weapons. Then, she takes Primrose's bow from her. But I can tell that she's alert, ready to help her ally if danger arises.
The transformation that happens to Primrose can't be explained. One minute she's pointing her arrow at me, the next she's speaking softly to Cato. She cleans the wound and carefully stitches it up in a neat pattern, as though she were lacing up her boots. She puts on the bandages after applying the medicine. Once she's finished, she presses the medicine into my palm.
"Apply it twice a day, and remember to change the bandages." I nod numbly, and utter out a thank you. I can feel the sticky tear stains running down my freckled cheeks. By the time I've finished wiping away the last of the stray tears, they're gone. There's not even a shift in the branches. All signs of their dwelling have disappeared.
I place my knives carefully into my vest, before dropping down next to Cato. He's passed out, but I can hear his soft breathing when I press my ear against his chest. I take his clammy hand in awe, and reconsider my previous thoughts about Primrose.
Prim's Point of View
Worried that she'll go back on her word, we hastily pack up our things and jump to the next tree. I feel different now that we've helped Cato. Maybe it's because I've caught a glimpse of the real Clove, or because I always get a sense of satisfaction from helping people, no matter who they are. I can't stop the smile that creeps onto my face as we hop into the next tree.
We stop for a quick breakfast of roots and the last of the crackers before we continue. After many days of jumping, the rough bark feels natural and comforting on my hands. My stings are gone, and the burns are nothing but a white patch of skin. For my eight day in the arena, I feel great. I don't want anything. In the arena, you'd be lucky to have what we have. At noon we stop again to take a break.
"Prim?" Rue asks as we lounge on the branch of a tree. "Yeah?" "Do you think I'm gonna die?" I give her a small smile. "Of course not. If I have anything to do with it, you'll go back to your family." A pained look flashes across her face, but she quickly wipes it away. "What about you?" She begs and whines at the same time. "I'll manage." I say, trying not to let my voice crack. I try to sound strong. No such luck.
She sighs and grabs the next branch, signaling for me to follow. I jump, and enjoy the few seconds of peace before grabbing onto the rough texture of the tree. We jump for a few more hours without speaking a word to each other, but all the while I'm wondering how much longer our alliance can last. Both of us can't win. I haven't allowed myself to admit that our alliance can't last forever. But there are only six of us left.
Cato, Clove, the girl I've nicknames Foxface, Thresh, Rue, and me. I don't know how much longer I can stay. I could leave in the night, but that seems cruel considering all she's done for me. As much as I want Rue to win, I need to get home to my family. I follow along, deep in thought, until nightfall when we stop.
"Rue?" I say as we prepare the sleeping bag and some small bits of rabbit. "Mmhmm?" She says, not bothering to look up. "Both of us can't win and… I… I just don't want it to come down to the two of us." I say, doing my best to rush through the last part. Rue looks up, and by the look in her eyes I can tell that she's been thinking the same thing.
"I know." She says simply. I swallow. "So what do we do?" I'm not sure I want the answer. She busies herself with a small rabbit bone. "Do you want to break the alliance now?" She asks, unable to hide the fear and sorrow in her voice. "'Course not. We can wait a few more days." I tell her. She nods nonchalantly, but I let her hear a small sigh of relief. We eat our food, making quiet small talk. When we're done we sit in the sleeping bag, looking up to the sky expectantly.
The anthem lights up the sky, but there's not much to look at tonight. Nobody died, but I'm sure the audience was satisfied. I turn my attention away from the Capital's broadcast, until Claudius Templesmith speaks. "We would like to inform the six remaining tributes that there has been a rule change. Two tributes can win, and they do not have to be from the same district." I sit there drinking it all in, trying to make sense of everything.
A rule change? Two tributes can win? Rue and I can both win! She doesn't have to die! We can live! Rue comes to this conclusion the same time I do, and she looks over at me. "Are we still…" She begins. I smile. "We don't have to anymore! We can both win the games!" I say.
She grins and hugs me, but I know her thoughts are elsewhere. Maybe she's thinking about home. Or her own district partner. Thresh is still in the game. It doesn't matter. I know I can win. I have confidence in myself, knowing that I won't have to kill Rue, or leave her for someone else to kill. I go to sleep that night with a smile on my face, knowing that district twelve is just four kills away.
Clove's Point Of View
That night, as I apply more medicine to Cato's back, something in the boring usual announcements grabs my attention. "We would like to inform the six remaining tributes that there has been a rule change. Two tributes can win, and they do not have to be from the same district." The broadcast ends, and I stare at Cato with wide eyes. He grins and rubs some more medicine onto his back.
Suddenly he leaps up, pulling me with him, and jumps in circles while holding my hands. We go around and around until we're too tired to go on, and he collapse in a heap. He lies down and I sit next to him, holding his hand in my own.
We stare at the sky, breathing softly in the night. Before Primrose saved him, I thought she was just another useless easy kill. Three weeks ago, I would be elated at the thought of killing them. Especially when I know they're celebrating the rule change.
Now, I'm not so sure I can. I've never had second thoughts about the Hunger Games. At least, not until Rue and Primrose became allies. I didn't think they could make it but, as hard as it is to admit, I was wrong. If I were in the Capital, I would bet on them, without hesitation.
Prim's Point Of View
I set out with a new attitude in the morning. Rue and I will win, I know we can. All we have to do is find the tributes. It's not that we're vicious like the careers, but we want to go home just as much as the next person. I miss my family and friends. People thought I wouldn't make it past day one, but here I am, alive and well with my ally. Surely I have sponsors now.
There are only two careers left anyway. I haven't seen Thresh since the first day. I haven't seen Foxface either. She's very clever, and very good at hiding. I think Thresh went for the field across from the forest. Maybe there's something edible in there. Rue told me about the orchards where she works in district eleven. She said that Thresh works in the fields. That must seem the most like home to him. He got a ten in training. He must have sponsors lining up to give him money.
All I need is a way to get everyone in the same place, within range of my arrows. How are we gonna do that?