Disclaimer: I don't own Hunger Games.
Chapter 7:
Thresh's POV
I stare at Rue and she stares at me. Her face mirrors mine, shocked and confused. Should we go? I don't think so. I couldn't bear for Rue to get hurt.
"So," she says, her voice quavering. "Are we going or not?" She shuts her eyes and crosses her fingers.
I watch her. She looks so vulnerable, so small, any tribute could easily kill her. In fact, if we go to this feast, that's what might happen. We don't even need anything and I can't let anything happen to this poor little girl. "No. No Rue, I don't think we should go."
She opens her eyes and throws her arms around me. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She squeals.
"You're very welcome," I smile warmly. Her happiness tells me I have made the right decision. "Who do you think is going to the feast?"
"District 2 probably. They are careers, so they're probably sure that they'll be alright. Maybe the girl from 5. I haven't seen her at all, but if she's made it this far, I'm sure she has some sort of strategy planned. And Katniss... I don't know what she could need, but if it something for Peeta, she'll go for it. So that's pretty much everyone. Except us."
"Claudius Templesmith said that the packages contained something everyone desperately needed. But, we don't need something. Is there something that we don't know about happening to us?" I ask. Maybe she has an idea of what we might need.
"I don't have a clue. At first, I was scared that a mutt would come out and maul one of us, so we'd have to go to the feast for some sort of medicine or something. But that didn't happen... yet," She shudders at the last part, looking around for danger.
"We'll have to keep an eye out," I agree.
"Why don't we have dinner?" Rue asks. She goes over to her pack and brings out some berries.
"I'll get some more wheat," I say. "Stay safe." To be honest, I think the little wheat we have is enough, but I want to be alone for a little while.
I head north, clearing a path through the wheat to my favorite spot in the wheat field. The wheat here grows more abundantly and I can hear the stalks rustling in the breeze. I take a deep breath and absorb the scenery, the tall wheat stalks surrounding me, the night sky above, the wheat swaying back and forth in rhythm. I grab as much as I can hold and head back to our camp, slowly, savoring every moment.
I come back to camp to find Rue, with her arms folded across her chest, staring at me. "What took you so long?"
"Why does it matter?" I ask, crossing my arms.
"I was worried," she says. "I mean, we were just talking about keeping an eye out. I thought you'd be back as soon as you can," she pauses, then, "I didn't mean to upset you.
"No, it's okay," I say.
We wait there, staring at each other for a while, when I break the silence. "I got some wheat," I say, opening my clenched palms.
"We'll have a feast tonight," Rue jokes.
Soon after we finish our meal, Rue yawns, her eyelids drooping. "Go to sleep," I tell her.
Rue smiles, then shakes her head wildly. "No. Tonight I'll watch. You didn't wake me up last night, I won't wake you up tonight." She is wide awake now.
"Rue, look, I have a confession to make," it won't do her any good to stay up when I'll be up anyways. "I don't sleep. I don't know why, or how, but I don't sleep. So please, let me take watch. I will be up anyways, you shouldn't have to also."
Rue stares at me for a moment then opens her mouth to speak. "Fine." Wow. I was expecting a rush of questions, but she had accepted it at once.
"Good. Now go to sleep," I say again. This time she gets her sleeping bag and curls up without question, her head, facing the stars.
"The stars are beautiful tonight," she whispers
"Yeah," I say, nodding.
They are beautiful. Like my wheat patch. Like District 11. Like my family. Like her family. Like our friendship. It truly is beautiful.
Beautiful enough to be worth dying for.
