It's funny how the forest, which had earlier this morning seemed a thing of beauty, had morphed into something monstrous – every creek an announcement of an enemy and every bird call a warning. Once the sun had reached its peak in the sky and begun to descend, shadows began to drip from the branches of the many trees. We walked in silence, each of us absorbed in our own thoughts.
"We should probably look for somewhere to make camp," Gale said finally stopping. Rue and I paused too and only then did I realise that my feet were aching. We had spent the full day walking at the relentless pace that Gale had set. None of us mentioned what direction we thought we should be going but it didn't really matter. The arena was large and as long as we kept away from the other tributes we should be safe.
"Where? It isn't like there are any convenient caves here. Maybe we should have stayed where we were last night," I said pointedly and Gale shot me an annoyed look. I didn't let it phase me though as I once would have. It seemed to me that I knew him well enough now to know that even though he immediately went on the offensive it only meant that he was worried about something.
"I don't think that would've been a very good idea Madge," Rue said apologetically.
"She's right," Gale chimed in, "if we spend too much time in a place we'll just grow comfortable. And lazy," he added. "We won't know that they know where we are until they slit our throats in our sleep."
"Sorry," I said my voice dripping with sarcasm. I'd given Gale a pass for his earlier look but it didn't mean that I was going to take fondly for the two of them ganging up on me. "I'll leave you two decide what to do. I'm just going to sit down here. Out of the way." I stomped over to the base of a tree and sunk to the ground with as much grace as I could muster.
Closing my eyes, I tried to ignore Gale and Rue's whispers. After a moment I heard the soft crunch of leaves before Rue knelt down beside me. Placing her small hand on my shoulder Rue began to speak softly.
"I wish that we could go back to the cave too Madge," she said. I opened my eyes and saw that hers were full of unshed tears that seemed to threaten to fall at any moment. "It felt safe there, didn't it? For a while I was able to forget where we were." A quick glance in Gale's direction confirmed what she said as he nodded emphatically. I wrapped my arms around Rue and pulled her in for a hug. She squeezed me tight and held on. Over her shoulder I locked eyes with Gale.
"I'm sorry," I mouthed.
Unlike yesterday we did not have time to search for a suitable campsite. We argued (albeit good naturedly) about what was most suitable. Gale suggested we sleep on the ground. Rue suggested that we sleep in the branches of a tree. I couldn't think of anything… instead I tried to keep my thoughts from drifting to my warm, comfortable bed at home.
Rue's suggestion proved impossible when we discovered that the branches were too weak to support Gale's weight and I was completely inept at climbing trees. Rue, on the other hand, was like a squirrel.
"I can't believe you've never climbed a tree," Gale said as he leaned against a tree, huffing after trying to lift me to the lowest branch of a tree.
"There are not that many trees in District Twelve," I reminded Gale but he just rolled his eyes. "How did you get so good at it?" I asked Rue who looked perfectly at ease, twenty feet off the ground, her thin legs swinging in the air.
"In District Eleven I had to climb to the top of the trees to pick fruit," she said simply, "I got good pretty fast when the only other option was to fall down."
"Well, you can't argue with that kind of logic," Gale said. He paused for a moment. "I think you should sleep up there Rue. Madge and I can sleep down here." This seemed to be the most realistic solution so I searched for some water to refill our water bottles while Gale searched for some edible plants. After, the run in with the cat earlier we didn't want to risk attracting anything else by lighting a fire.
Gale was back at the camp before me, dividing a pile of roots and leafs into three even piles.
"Here," he said handing me one and then to Rue who had scrambled down several branches to take it. I handed her the smaller of the water bottles which she grabbed in her sock covered hands. I laughed quietly at her inventiveness. I would never have thought of using them in that way.
I sat down beside Gale, careful to keep a few inches between us, at the base of Rue's tree. Leaning back against the wide trunk I examined what he had handed me.
"What exactly are these?" I asked. Gale answered with his mouth still full.
"I don't really know," he said and then noting my dubious expression he continued quickly, "they're safe though. Katniss has picked them and given them to me before. I'm not trying to poison you if that's what you're afraid of." He smiled one of his rare-Gale smiles and I felt something inside of me relax.
"The thought hadn't even crossed my mind," I said quirking an eye brow before popping a pale root in my mouth. The root was bland, tasting of soil, but I was too hungry to care. Before, I knew it my hands were empty and my stomach was still growling slightly. Gale laughed and held up his hands.
"Evidently you enjoy my cooking. In future I'll make more," he said. I knocked his shoulder with mine and neither of us mentioned the possibility that there might not be a tomorrow.
I woke when the sky was still dark, pulling my head away from where it had inexplicably come to rest on Gale's shoulder. I looked at him, to gauge his reaction to the drool mark I had left, but I saw that his jaw was tight and his eyes slightly wide. He turned to me and held a finger to his lips.
He could hear something.
Immediately my heart began to beat faster and I felt like I might be sick. Straining my ears, sure enough I hear the sound of numerous voices, male and female, chatting and even laughing. I wanted to scoff at my own foolishness. Of course the careers hunted at night! They had nothing to fear. They were the ones to be feared.
I reached over to grab Gale's arm but missed and ended up grabbing his hand. He didn't pull away though and wrapped his calloused hand around mine. I didn't give myself time to analyse this gesture instead looking up for Rue. She was sitting bolt upright on top of her perch looking just as frightened as I felt.
The voices grew louder until they were only metres away. Time slowed.
I stared at Gale and imagined that I could see wheels turning in his head as he formulated a plan. He tilted his head back and looked at Rue.
"Stay where you are," he mouthed. Rue looked conflicted but she nodded her head. Next it was my turn. He pulled me closer to him and pushed a loose strand of hair away from the side of my head.
"Madge," he breathed, "I need you to run. Just get as far away from here as you can." I shook my head vehemently. No way was I going to leave him here on his own. Leave him here to die. "Please Madge," he said pulling back slightly. I bit my lip. Slowly, he leaned forward and pressed a surprisingly light kiss to my cheek. I didn't have time to be taken aback when he got to his feet quieter than I thought possible and pulled an arrow from the quiver on his back, strung it and stepped out from behind our tree. With one last look back at me he released the arrow and I heard an anguished cry as the arrow struck its target.
"Marvel," a girl cried but no one else seemed to spare a thought for their fallen comrade. Instead I heard the sounds of weapons be unsheathed. Gale launched another arrow but I didn't hear whether it hit its mark or not.
"Over there!" a voice called. "It's Twelve."
"Excellent," a voice responded that I recognised instantly as Cato's.
"Hawthorne," Cato called in a tone that almost sounded good natured, "I've been looking for you!" Gale laughed bitterly.
"Yeah?" Gale answered his voice full of confidence that I knew that he couldn't really be feeling. Cato didn't need to know that though. "I've been looking for you too." Cato gave a low whistle.
"Big talk Hawthorne. Where's your blonde little friend?" he asked, Gale pulled the string of his arrow taunt. I wished I could see how many were in the career pack. Maybe then I could find a route that would allow me to sneak from behind and take down a couple of them. I envisioned myself slipping my knife in between one of Cato's ribs. When had I become so blood thirsty?
Gale did not answer Cato, but I saw that his jaw clenched. He didn't look towards me, a smart move as Cato was no doubt analysing his every twitch.
"Come a step closer Cato," Gale crooned, "and I'll shoot you straight into the eye." Cato laughed a loud, brash sound.
"Why would I need to do that Hawthorne when Clove is already standing behind you?" I turned then, though Gale didn't and saw a sweep of long hair through the trees.
"Gale," I shouted, "Watch out!" Gale twisted his head back in time to see Clove holding a knife of her one about ten feet away from him. He directed his bow at her.
"Ah, so she is here!" Cato said. Gale turned again to point the arrow at Cato.
"You can't shoot both of us simultaneously Hawthorne," Cato said and my stomach dropped when I realised he was right. There was no way Gale was getting out of this on his own. Rue only had her slingshot but I had my knife. I could help. I moved away from behind Rue's tree and ran to the next tree, ready to jerk back behind it if Clove made one of her infamous knife throws that we had all seen at the training centre. Clove turned to look at me and smiled sickeningly sweetly.
"Came to help your boyfriend?" she asked me patronizingly. Out of the corner of his eye Gale turned to look at me and moved as if to help me but I held up a hand.
"Stay where you are Gale, don't take your eyes off them. I've got this." Clove smirked. She took a step towards me and I noticed that her knife was different to mine. It was longer but the edge was serrated, like a bread knife. It didn't look as sharp as mine. She must not have managed to get a proper set of knives. This provided me with some comfort.
Suddenly, Clove lunged towards me, her knife glinting in the darkness. I stumbled back but held my footing. Clove lunged again but I dodged. She was stockier than me, more muscular and I was able to dodge her. Especially when my life depended on it. We continued this way for a while, her pouncing and me sidestepping and I allowed myself to reduce my existence to this fight.
I could no longer hear Gale and Cato instead only able to absorb the sound of my own pounding heartbeat. Clove managed to scrape me with the edge of the knife but did not succeed in making any deep cuts. After a few minutes of this her face was red and I could see that she was tiring but still determined to come out of this fight alive. Her movements were becoming slower and I realised that she was limping on her left side. She must've hurt her leg in some way. I'd found her weakness, now how to use it to my advantage?
Several feet behind and to the right of her I could see a large boulder jutting out of the forest floor. Could I arrange it so she tripped over it and fell? She would not turn her back on me so maybe; just maybe, she would not see it until it was too late. When she would fall her weak ankle would not allow her to stand up easily. Then I could attack.
Turning my body slightly I carefully angled it in the direction of the rock. Clove had taken a break from her attacks to catch her breath but that did not stop her from gazing at me with pure hatred. Deciding that the best way to get her to retreat was to attack her I charged towards her causing her to stumble backwards. Perfect. She pulled her knife up again and pointed it in my direction. I noticed her ankle wobble. I pushed forward again and she jumped back, landing on her weak angle on the slope of the rock.
She tumbled to the ground with a scream and I ran towards her. She tried to stand up but I stomped my own foot down on her ankle causing her to screech in pain. I looked into her eyes, eyes that were filled with hatred and bloodlust, and knew that I would have to kill her. She wasn't going to let me live unless I did and I had to survive this. I was not going to die so that she could live. I leaned forward with my dagger. Clove screamed in my face and jerked herself upright her own knife brandished in her hand.
I knew I had to act. Stabbing my arm forward I pushed the knife deep into her chest. Right over where her heart was. She howled in pain and fell back down. I moved a step away from her, pulling my knife out and forced myself to watch her contort and wail in agony. I had done this.
"I'm sorry Clove," I said, "I'm so sorry." My eyes burned but I didn't brush away the tears that fell down my cheeks. They were for Clove and her short life.
Less than a minute passed before her howls stopped and a canon sounded. I had made my first kill. I moved towards her again and was surprised to see that she looked much less fierce in death. Younger and smaller. She was probably my age. Maybe younger. She was a child. Like me, and Rue and even Gale.
I closed her eyelids and smoothed her hair away from her face. Planting a soft kiss on her forehead I apologised once more before taking her knife and turning my attention back towards Cato and Gale.
Two bodies littered the ground. Marvel and Glimmer from District One. Gale and Cato were locked in a fierce stale mate. Gale had picked up the sword from one of the careers and Cato was brandishing his own sword. Both boys were bleeding heavily and I could see a particularly large blossom of blood on Gale's left hip. He was injured.
Cato handled the sword expertly, parrying every blow he was dealt with apparent ease. He was an expert in sword fighting, he had said in his interview; he was more muscular than Gale and didn't seem to be even slightly tired. He was going to win. He launched towards Gale again, pointing his sword in the direction of Gale's chest and I screamed. That did not stall him and I watched as Cato lunged in slow-motion but suddenly a dark blob fell from the sky. Rue!
She landed on Cato's head, pulling him down to the ground. He lashed out with his sword and I heard Rue scream then turn silent. A canon sounded. I stood, frozen. Gale too paused, but only for a moment and lunged towards Cato stabbing him in the calf. Cato howled in pain but jerked his own sword giving Gale a matching wound which caused him to crumple to the ground. Cato took this opportunity to stand and run, surprisingly fast on his injured leg, away from us.
I ran towards Rue. Her little body was so small on the cold earth. Her chest was drenched in a pool of warm, red blood where it had soaked through her t-shirt. Her mouth was open, a small piece of blood on her lip. Her eyes were open and her expression one of frozen horror. She was dead.
I fell to my knees beside her in the dirt and pulled her limp body onto my lap.
"Rue," I sobbed into her hair as I clutched her head into my chest. She had died for Gale. For us. She was only twelve and had so much ahead of her. She would never be able to experience her first kiss, have a job, get married, and have children of her own. Nothing. She was gone. I began to cry silently, hardly aware of Gale crawling towards of us.
Reaching a shaking hand forward he closed her eyes then picked up one of her hands and clutched it in his own big one.
"You shouldn't have done that Rue," he said, his voice sounding hoarse. "You should have stayed in the tree." I reached my free arm towards him and found his hand, covering it with mine. I squeezed it.
The two of us sat there till the sun rose before we could bring ourselves to lay Rue down on the ground covered by the blanket. Silently, we both touched our fingers to our lips and then pointed them outwards towards the dawn sky. We were going to miss her.
A huge thank you to all of you who reviewed chapter nine. You guys are great! Also, I just want to say that I have a one shot from Annie's POV out. It's called Gone and focuses around the various moments in Annie's life when she has seen Finnick cry. It currently has 0 reviews which is kinda disappointing. I guess Finnick/Annie shippers aren't as generous as Gale/Madge ones! Would some of you consider checking it out? I'd really appreciate it. :)