Warning 21
Prim's P. O. V.
The wonderful thing is that, even though we all had to witness and feel the effects of the torture, most of our alliance is together now.
We are still in the section of the island where they were tortured, since we're all too shaken up to move. I know it was probably worse on Katniss, and I can see it on her hardened face and dark eyes that she's trying to hard to stay strong for our sake. While I know she's a fighter and that is stronger than some people may think, I also know everyone has a breaking point.
So now we're pressed together under the canopy the trees cover, myself curled up to Katniss' side as Rainlynn curls up to mine. I could see the reluctness on both of their faces with they saw Rain, but I'm grateful they didn't tell me we had to leave her. She's very young, and it must have been horrible, having to watch your older brother be killed when you were so young. I wonder if she did see him get slaughtered, or if she remembers it. She probably doesn't understand fully now, but as she grows up, the image will haunt her forever.
It doesn't matter if we win the rebellion; the scars are still etched in all of our hearts.
"Me thirsty," Rain suddenly says softly, looking up at me wth big, brown doe eyes that shown with trust and shyness.
"We'll find some water tomorrow, sweetie," I promise in her ear softly, kissing the top of her forehead and pulling her tiny body close.
There is no fear and pain etched deep within them now, and I have full intentions of keeping them that way. She's just a baby; she shouldn't have to go through what so many have. Katniss doesn't deserve what she's gone through, and niether do I. But the Capitol is relentless, and they will crush anyone who goes against them, or destroy them on the inside and let them live, haunted and permantley torutured.
But I can save Rainlynn. There is still hope for her.
Rory's P. O. V.
Unlike the Everdeen sisters, Gale and I are not curled up against each other, simply because we're brothers. Instead, he stares straight ahead beside me, obviously fighting sleep as my head droops down with every passing minute. I'm fighting exhaustion just like he is, even though he probably hasn't slept much since the Games began and I got to snore in a tree.
Still, I'm not a hunter, and I'm not used to having my life on the line like this.
While he's no doubt planning an escape in his head, I'm thinking about our family. I remember clearly that I was being dragged out of my home by the Peacekeepers, how one of them actually struck my mother to get her to let go. She laid on the floor, sobbing and shrieking for them not to take me away, too, and I knew her already shattered heart is probably unfixable now.
"I'm sorry, Mom," a few tears splatter on my cheeks, and I don't bother wiping them away.
Vick.
He and I were probably the closest, since he was younger than me than four years and always seem to be innocent. He was as invisble as I was, if not more, and he was usually mute. He didn't try to make friends; I guess he was always destined to be a loner. Even so, he hung out with me every moment he could, and together, even though we didn't talk a lot in genral, we both knew what went through each other head's and what each other did, so we could always understand when one of us were emotional.
I wonder what he's going through now.
And finally, little Posy.
She was a sweetheart, but really, that's just not how I am. She looked up Gale tremendously, though, and when he was gone hunting or just too busy to play with her, she'd instantly go to me. She was like a little shadow, following me everywhere and asking a lot of questions. But she was pretty much impossible to be angry with with her cuteness and niceness, and I did love her because she was my sister.
I'm glad I have the family I do.
And this fact makes me that more detirmined for all of us to be together again, and for all of us to be truly happy.
And then I hear the Capitol athem blaring across the arena that was once pretty quiet, and we all fix our eyes on the dark sky with fake stars glittering. Faces begin to light up, signaling the death toll for today. I tally the faces up mentally, concluding there have been ten of thirty four that entered the arena deceased. I seperate the triubres in my mind, judging by my excellant memory.
Dead: The District Two brother and sister, (surprisingly enough,) the two tributes from Six, the District Seven male tribute, the District 8 tributes, and all of the contenders from Districts Nine and Ten.
Living: Cato, Cashmere, (his District partner,) Cashmere's brother, the contenders from District Three, Finnick, Mags, Fia, the District Fives, Johanana, Rainlynn, Rue, Rose, Katniss, Gale, Prim, and I.
The odds are still somewhat in our favor, at least.
Katniss' P. O. V.
Through the darkness, I see a small amount of relief on Rory's face as the faces fade away and the Capitol music ends. Relief in the arena isn't really possible; he probably is grateful we're all still alive.
It's just a matter of time before that changes, though.
Cannon fire wakes me up, and my fingers scramble to find Prim's frail body against mine.
Relief washes over me as I find her blonde braid, her eyelids flying open. Worry and sadness fill her brilliant blue eyes, and I pull her closer, kissing the top of her head and sitting up. We sit there for a few moments, comforting each other without saying or really doing anything. Her presense gives me hope and keeps me holding on to myself, and I can she's relieved I'm still with her.
Gale is snoring lightly against a tree trunk, and I see the two-year-old curled up against my sister's leg, somehow sleeping through the loud boom. Untensing my body, I rise and am about to start looking for some water when Prim scrambles to her feet suddenly, panic now filling her eyes.
"Where's Rory?!"
Gale's P. O. V.
When I hear Prim ask where Rory was, I'm instantly on my feet.
"What do you mean, 'Where's Rory?!'" I asked, struggling to keep the panic off my voice, "how long has he been gone?!"
"I don't know!" she replies, obviously scared as she starts for the woods, her speed surprising me for only a moment before Katniss is at my heels.
This is my own damn fault, I scold myself mentally, heart racing and body pumping adrenaline. If anybody put their hands on my little brother, I'll kill them without blinking.
Nobody touches my brother.
Simple as that.
Suddenly, Prim's high-pitched scream hits the air. Katniss and I are in perfect step with each other, bursting through the underbrush and horror filling both of our faces. Cato is standing there now, and my little brother is standing there in front of him as a sword is pulled out of his side. I am frozen in place as she catches him, falling to her knees as his head bounces as it hits her lap.
Cold, hard reality yanks me out of my shock as I punch Cato full-force in the jaw. The cracking noise satsifies me, but it doesn't faze him. His blood-drenched sword drills into my flank, but I spin, despite the wave of pain that brings black dots to my eyes as I elbow him in the neck, slamming his skull against a tree. We both fall to the ground, stumbling to our feet best we can, blood pouring onto both of our shoulders.
"This isn't over..." he is retreating, though, "I told you, Hawthorne. I will...I will win this."
The second he's gone, his blood trail heavily flowing behind him, I fix my eyes back on my alliance. The horror and shock set in instantly when I see his condition, how heavily he's bleeding and his pain twisted into unimaginable pain. I can't find the energy to move as the rage and realization brings tears to my eyes.
"Rory..." even Prim's sorrowful voice is fading in my mind until only two thoughts remain, echoing in my skull and ripping my heart.
Cato has killed my brother.
And now I will kill him.
Prim's P. O. V.
"Rory..." I'm trying to keep my face and voice calm, but both of them are tear-filled as I brush his blood-drenched black hair out of his face, "Rory, you're...you're going to be okay."
"B-but I'm dy-dying..." he chokes out, the tears mixing in my his own blood as he heaves out sobs, which only make his wounds dry faster and faster.
"Shhhh," I'm not going to tell him he's not; we both know that would be a lie, "shhhhh. Hey...it's okay, it's okay."
"B-but..." he is sobbing even harder, and I stroke the side of his face, kissing his eyes gently as I grip his hand in my other one.
"No buts," I don't struggle to much to hold him in my arms, and his light weight haunts me, "I promise you're going to be okay, alright?"
"I d-don't w-want to di-die..." he sputters, and I kiss his eyes again, then his nose, his cheeks, and even his lips.
"You're going to a beautiful place now, Rory," I say in his ear, choking down my own tears best I can as I rub his soaked back, rocking him a little bit and ignoring all of his blood drenching my outfit and hair, "and you'll never hurt there again."
His eyes are beginning to fade as he slurs a little, "It hurts now, though."
Pressing my tiny hand against the wound, I ask with tears splattering my cheeks, "Is that better?"
"Yeah..." he tries to smile as his face relaxes, "I'll see you there one day, right? In the beautiful place where...where there's not hurt?"
"That's right," I'm about to start sobbing, but I have to be strong and I know it, "just relax...you'll be there soon. Say...say hi to my dad for me, okay?"
"I'll get to see my dad, too..." he looks at peace now as his eyes fix on me, both of us somehow knowing I was the last person he'd ever see in this life, "I...I love you, Prim."
My heart reshatters, "I love you too, Rory. I'll see you soon."
He manages a smile, and that's when a cannon booms and echoes in my head as well as the distance. Tears pour out of my eyes freely now as I sob, caressing his face and covering his body. The hovercraft is overhead, but I don't want them to take him, not now. Eventually, it leaves, letting me sob over his lifeless body, sniffling and becoming weak, not caring if anyone else saw or heard.
I just lost someone I've always known deep down inside I've loved.
Tears are coming out of Katniss eyes as well as she stands in front of we too, protecting us best she can as Gale falls to the ground. He sags over, tears rushing out of eyes silently as he grips a fistfull of leaves, face red and twisting into rage and sorrow. We remain like this until my sobs finally quiet down, and when Gale screams out and bangs his fist against the ground, the sound echoes in the trees and bounces across the almost dead-silent arena, it seems.
As I pull back from Rory's lifeless corpse and gaze at all the blood over both of us, I decide that he shouldn't have to die looking like this. He was a sweet, innocent kid who never deserved a fate like this; he deserves respect.
Even from the Capitol.
Rising, I begin to clean off his body with leaves and anything else I can find, even pouring the remainder of our water to wash out of his hair best I can. He is soon pretty clean, and I lay his head on the softest spot of grass I can find, caressing his cold face weakly with my blood-stained fingers.
"I'm sorry..." I whisper weakly, "I'm so sorry."
Peeta's P. O. V.
I can't breathe.
I can't see, and I can barely gain my bearings. I can't think straight as Beetee, Wiress, Kyle, and I all stumble blindly, screaming and clawing at anything we can in attempt to escape the horrible green gas.
Suddenly, I crash into another figure who is shaking and screaming in as much agony as I am. Somehow I make out that it is Finnick Odair, and his little sister is behind him, writhering in pain as she collaspes, and the old lady is unconscience on his back.
"Cover..." he croaks out, and that's when I see what he's looking at.
A spring.
I know we're not an alliance, but I hook my arms around his ribcage, pulling us both with strength I don't have until I fall face-first into the water. He lands beside me, and I hear three more splashes just before I black out from relief of the burns.
Rue's P. O. V.
"Primrose?!"
I hear sobs coming from the distance, and I instantly take off, Rose at my heels. As I come closer to her cries, I suddenly come across the baby from District Eight. She looks confusing and is crying with her all, but that's not the worse part.
The worse part is that Cato has his hands on either side of neck, ready to snap it, and his eyes are boring into me.
"Where do you think you're going, District Eleven?"