Warning 12

Rue's P. O. V.

Even though I am assured that I would like Katniss and that she would like me, I am still feeling shy about meeting a girl who just might mean the difference between life and death for me in a couple of weeks. I am still perched on the bed edge when she comes in…rather, is thrown in by a couple of Peacekeepers. Prim scurries in behind her, and I have a feeling the only reason Katniss was thrown in was because she refuses to go anywhere because President Snow wants her too. I don't blame her one bit, and I smile a bit, knowing she has a rebellious way about her as soon as I see the fire in her eyes.

"Hi," I wave shyly to her, offering my hand kind of cautiously to this new girl, even though I know I don't have to be afraid…not yet, "I'm Rue."

"I'm Katniss," she gives me an expressionless look, one that has no nonsense about it and shows she's as tough as Peeta called her just with her eyes.

"Remember me?" he asks softly, shyly, and I have to smile weakly at the nervousness tinting his voice. Poor thing is girl shy…but really, who wouldn't be shy in front of a girl who'd come this far and was still fighting?

"Peeta Mellerk," they lock eyes, and I have a feeling they are remembering that night he threw her the bread. I decide they might need a minute alone and slip off of where I was sitting, exiting quietly with Prim.

Peeta's P. O. V.

So she did remember that night….

My heart starts racing even faster than it usually does when I see her anytime, anywhere. Could she have feelings for me, too? Probably not…She doesn't seem like one to want to be indebted to people. I probably just irritated her in the end by making her debt to me…jeez, what had I done?

"Thanks for that," and suddenly she wraps her arms around my neck tightly, patting my back two times and pulling away quickly. It's the most affection I've ever seen from her…we didn't really talk before Prim made a surprise appearance, except for our little act on 'acting' like I loved her.

Then she begins to leave. I am frozen in place for a minute in shock before I go after her briskly, taking her shoulder gently but firmly.

"Where are you going?" I ask, and she tries to slid her shoulder free of my grip, which only makes me tighten it.

"To find Prim and get the hell out of here," that's when it hit me: She probably hates the Capitol/Hunger Games more than Rue or I did, maybe even Prim, since she was so forgiving.

They'd put her little flower in trouble, and she'd almost died.

And now Katniss was probably going to die and she knew it. Snow didn't like her or her sister…they didn't have a fighting chance. None of us did….And that's when it hits me. If I was going to get her love me until we died, (however soon that may be,) I had to act now.

I pin her against the wall, kissing her lips as passionately as I could until she finally startes kissing back.

Prim's P. O. V.

When Rue peekes in from where we were chatting softly in the next room, which was just a vacant bedroom, she tells me she saw Katniss and Peeta having a makeout session. That's when we both decided they would be busy for a while and that would we leave them to all that.

We curl up under the thick blankets like only two best friends can do, closing our eyes and drifting off to sleep. She drops off before I do, and I notice we two in the mirror as I get sleepier. We look so much alike it's scary, and I smile to her gently. Her cheek is pressed to mine, and we both look so fragile and breakable, I have to sigh. Nothing at all like my sister…

I had a vivid dream that night.

"And the winner of the 75th Annual Hunger Games is…." I am watching the TV screen eagerly, expecting my sister to see my sister in the victor's place and gasping when I see who it is, "Peeta Mellerk!"

"Peeta…where is Katniss?" I gasp, running up to him as soon as he returns to the train, and he looks at me with sad eyes.

"I had to kill her, remember?" realization hit me then: He would kill her if he came home, and if he killed her….he'd also killed Rue.

I start to sob and shake violently, and he picks me up, making me flinch and squirm away desperately. He scowls and stalks off, leaving my broken soul and heart all over the carpet and the tears stain the pink color till it's red.

I wake up sobbing just as hard with the thought in my end that Katniss was dead until I realized it was Rue calming my sobs, rubbing my stomach and arms soothingly, cradling me just a bit in comfort and hugging me tight. I am too spooked to sleep the rest of the night, so I keep my head in her lap, letting her play with my hair lovingly as the dream and horrible thoughts kept my eyes open throughout the night's duration. She was a true sister figure to me, and I dreaded morning light that we include us not cuddling like this, sharing in each other's fears, worries, and stories to keep us both not freaked out all night.

Around 4 AM a realization hits me.

Gale's P. O.V.

I wake up with another pressed beside me.

"Madge?" I moan softly, but I'm so still so tired and worn out, my voice is barely hearable, even to myself, so I know she didn't hear me.

I look at her through bleary eyes, yawning widely and as softly as I can as I scratch my side lazily. I don't remember having a make-out session with her or anything…weird. Maybe she had a nightmare or somethin' and just ended up in her. Besides the fact she kept me from tearing apart my room, I don't remember last night. At all, really…it's just a blur.

I dress in a plain t-shirt and some jeans as quietly as I can, not wanting to wake her but not caring if she saw me in my boxers. What would it be to her, anyway? She probably will be as bleary as I am about life by the afternoon, or at least by tomorrow.

She is waking up as I leave to go get some of the Capitol-style breakfasts they serve every morning, (which I don't know how they make that much food in one morning,) and I leave her to decent herself. Like I said, she'll be half dead too when she comes in. Maybe a shower could've helped my cause, but it's whatever. I don't care about anything anymore…Katniss is probably not going to make it. Snow will see to that personally and we all know it.

The person who comes in next is Prim, which kinda surprises me. I figured she'd be awake long before I was, but she was probably up all night with Rue. Sure enough, Rue is behind her, and both of them look exhausted.

I am waken right up by who comes in next, and I'm not sure why aren't. I would kill him if I didn't die doing it…"Snow," is all I can growl as the two young girls turn to face him themselves, Rue looking alarmed and scared but Prim looking surprisingly calm and down-to-business-like.

"Sleep well, all?" he purrs, taking a sip from his coffee and looking like animal ready to pounce, killing it's prey easily as he peers over the light steam rising from inside the cup.

And then little Prim, who used to be so scared of her own shadow and is obviously not much of a killer threat, says, "I volunteer as tribute."