Author's note: Oh jeez! I love you guys! 36 reviews! Well, here's the next chapter! And several people PMed me, and I guess faster updates and shorter chapters win! So now my chapters will average around a thousand words. Sorry if that's too short! But my average before was only two thousand, so basically I'll make it up to you by updating twice as fast! ;) Okay, this chapter is going to be the last long one, unless someone says different!

Oh and thanks to a friend, my spell check glitch is fixed! PLEASE THANK CALVIN IN A REVIEW! Keep reading & keep reviewing!

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE HUNGER GAMES OR IT'S CHARACTERS. Maybe after the rebellion is over, Suzanne Collins will give it to me for my birthday! :)

-Chapter 7-

RUE'S POV

Thresh and I were hunting really late, but it was all worth it in the end. I was smiling really big, but toned it down a bit so Thresh wouldn't think I'm insane. I love hunting with Thresh. Since I have known him most of my life, it's comforting to have a big brother by your side!

"Should we go back? I think we have way more than we can eat! And Katniss and Gale will probably have a lot too!" I giggled.

"Huh, it is dark. You are right. Let's go back now," Thresh agrees.

Thresh had our game is one hand, and a large bag of fruits, nuts and greens in the other. We didn't get much meat though, only two small squirrels to compare to our massive collection of berries. Thresh and I aren't very good at getting meat. The reasons? Thresh makes too much noise. My sling shot doesn't do much damage, just impact. Thresh isn't fast enough, but he has the strength. Me? I am fast, but in other ways, I am fast to evade, not attack. So we mainly depend on our knowledge of what's edible. Right now, I'm depending on Katniss and Gale to get us the meat we need.

"What did you do with the night goggles?" Thresh asks.

"Hm? Oh, those? I gave them to Gale and Katniss since they wouldn't fit on us," I explain.

Thresh nods his approval.


As we slowly make our way into the clearing; through the rain, I see that everyone is examining five chickens. No, wait. That was groosling. I laugh. Wow, Katniss and Gale must have got a lot of meat! I'm about to ask Katniss where she found to meat, when I realize Katniss isn't here. Nor is Gale. Prim and her mother are no where to be seen.

"Thresh. Where's Katniss?" All of my carefree attitude from a minute ago vanishes as I sense danger.

Thresh turns in a circle, eyeing for anything out of the usual, and comes up with nothing. Where could she be? The rain was definitely Capitol rain. Did that mean something? I shouldn't jump to conclusions.

But I had to make sure they were safe. Thresh and I trot over to Rory and Vick.

"Have you guys-"

Rory and Vick babble something inaudible at the same time. "They're in the cave. I think something bit Katniss," Rory repeats.

"Thanks!" I call, without turning to acknowledge them. What did Katniss do?


I'm entering the cave, and I see Katniss playing with a small black dot, her head in Gale's lap. Prim is standing obediently behind her mother, handing her whatever she asks for. And Katniss's mom is working on Katniss's leg. I walk a bit closer and see the wound.

"Is Katniss okay?" I say timidly.

I surprise Katniss, and Prim gives a tiny squeal. But her mother pays no attention to me. It's like she's in some sort of zone in which she can't see or feel anything, other than Katniss's wound. I kneel next to Katniss and stare at the scratch marks.

Katniss gives a short laugh. "I'm fine, Rue," She says lightly. "How did your hunt go?"

She's changing the topic. She doesn't want me worried when she's the one hurt. But I plan to play along. Katniss is amazing. Prim is really lucky, Katniss is probably a really nice sister.

I giggle. "We got a bunch of stuff! More than enough. I don't know what we'll do with it all!"

"Burn it. Dump it in the lake. Soak it in fuel. Eat it!" Katniss says, a smile growing on her face as she pokes me in the belly, and I giggle.

"Don't worry, I'll think of something. Destroying things is much easier than making them," She jokes.


I feel a lot better. Katniss makes everyone smile. I hope we make it to District Thirteen. We won't ever have to worry about The Hunger Games; or starving. Maybe my family will be in District Thirteen too! I smile at that thought. I don't even know why they left…

Thund.

I whip around, and bring my sling shot into position, standing directly in front of Katniss. Three extremely clumsy people have wandered into view, tripping over a vine and falling onto eachother.

"They're quite nimble…" Gale says from behind me, sarcasm dripping from his words.

Thresh walks over to the three kids, and picks them all up from behind. They're screaming and yelping even as Thresh carries them into view, and drops then in their earlier position.

"Why are we meeting strange people everyday?" Katniss asks to no one in particular, surprised.

There was no good answer.

"Who are you?" Thresh says, which silences they're hysterical state.

"W-we a-a-are from D-d-d-d-istrict Th-three a-and sh-she's f-f-from e-eight," the boy stutters, pointing each person out… even himself.

"Have mercy!" The girl pleads.

"Just let them go like we did with everyone else," Gale says, rolling his eyes.

Turns out the people of District Three are very smart. When they mention that they're job is Machinery/Factories, Katniss jumps with an idea. She hands them the black dot she was examining for the past few days, and explains that she it landed on Gale.

Turns out it was a tracker.

I gasp. What was a tracker doing here? What was a Capitol made tracker doing here? The rain too…

Gale whispers a sentence or two to Katniss, then after a nod of approval, walks outside, holding the tracker. I follow with Thresh, and watch what he has in mind.

His head turns towards a squirrel that is clinging to a near-by tree. Gale then takes the tracker, and places it carefully on the tip of his arrow. He places his feet, and then shoots at the squirrel. As the arrow flies past the squirrel, the tracker immediately hops of like a tiny insect, and attaches itself to the squirrel. Frightened, the squirrel runs high into a tree.

The shot wasn't exactly the best. It scraped the squirrel's skin instead of neatly brushing by it's fur. Of course it's better than I would've done, but I'm sure Katniss would have shot better if she wasn't injured right now.

Gale comes over.

"Problem solved," He says, grinning.

I giggle. Gale looked so much like Rory and Vick. And at that, we head back to the cave, and because I'm not much use here, I volunteer to help with cleaning the food, since Mrs. Everdeen is busy with Katniss.

I clean the kills that Katniss and Gale brought home and double check all of the berries and roots. I'm not good at cooking, but this much I can help with.

Back in the cave, Katniss had suggested that they didn't stay in with us because we couldn't afford it, but was welcome to pick another place no matter how near or far; just like she told the other tributes. It's a good thing I know a bit about survival, otherwise Katniss might have not let me stay.

Dinner tonight is wonderful. I don't think I've ever been full before. Katniss even let me eat both of the legs from the groosling. I recognized the bird, because once in a while, a flock would wander into the fields I work in. And we'd all get a decent meal that day.

I want to sleep early today, because I'm really tired, and because I want to wake early again tomorrow to watch the sun rise like I did today. I climb into my sleeping bag, and the others immediately follow. I guess everyone's worn out.

I close my eyes. Tomorrow will be more hopeful than this awful piece of time called today. I drift off to sleep, quietly humming a four-note tune.


I wake quickly. There is a person outside. I get up and hide behind a rock, with my weapon in hand. A boy comes in, and he sees everyone in the cave. His vision then turns to the District Eight girl outside, leaning into the District Three boy. A series of emotions mask his calm demeanour. Betrayal, hurt, surprise, shock…

I decide I should show myself, and someone taps my shoulder. I stifle my shriek and turn around. Katniss smiles kindly and whispers "I woke up too."

We show ourselves, and it's like de-ja-vu. The District Eight boy explains that he was a tribute, and his family was taken like all the rest. And then the he and the girl ended up in the forest. But instead of travelling with him, she left him. She left with the people from Three. But I'm not thinking about that. Why have all our families been taken? Why are Katniss's and Gales' still here? Why are we meeting the tributes? It's like our own mini-version of a peaceful Hunger Games. No. I dismiss that thought. I'm just too paranoid, I guess.

The District Eight boy leaves, ignoring the girl as he passes, meanwhile thanking us for sparing him. He walks up to a tree near-by and sits there, staring at the full moon. I then look at myself. That is a really huge moon. Infact, it doesn't even look real. It's Capitol made.


I try to go back to sleep, but I can't. I'm bothered by the thought of The Hunger Games happening right here. No way. Katniss and Gale thought something was wrong too, but I was just way too paranoid. Yeah, that must be it.

I give in to sleep. And as soon as I allow it, I realize that I'm very tired.

I start running; happy at what I was seeing.

I vividly realize that everything around me coming alive with sound and movement.

In the forest, standing there… is my family.

My mother, my father, and all five of my brothers and sisters.

They're safe. They're all here. They're away from every harm.

I reach them, and hug each member slowly.

I will savour this moment.

From a hill in the distance, all my friends come.

Katniss, Prim, Thresh, Rory, Vick…

We're all smiling, enjoying the moment of peace.

The mockingjays start to sing around us.

They're singing my four-note tune.

The notes overlap and it creates

Such a sound that you want to sing along.

And there my family, friends, and I stand, within a brightly coloured meadow.

The sun is setting, which leaves the sky in both pale and bright colours.

The moon announces my favourite time of day.

I'm smiling and laughing, surrounded be all those I love.

It's like my family was never taken.

It's like I was never put in a bad situation.

It's like the Capitol didn't rule.

This must be a dream…

If it is, I sure hope I don't wake up now.


Okay, this chapter is pretty messed up, if I do admit it myself… keep reading and keep reviewing! :D