Author's Notes: edited August 17, 2018
Chapter Twenty-Five – The Flames
As they ran, another thing clicked in the trio's mind. It was getting warmer – rather, it was getting hotter. It was too warm to be natural, and as Rue turned her head slightly to look back, she figured out why.
Bright orange flames that were so hot they began to glow blue at the tips followed the trail they had unintentionally made with their steps. A large fireball came rushing towards them, and in an act of pure adrenaline and instinct, Prim tackled Rue to the ground. They fell on a pile of leaves, panting. They didn't even have time to ask whether the other was okay as Peeta pulled Prim up and they began to run once more, with Prim and Rue's hands clasped tightly together. They weren't going to let the other burn to death.
"Head to the stream!" Peeta ordered as they swerved to the aforementioned direction. Prim and Rue wordlessly nodded.
They ran over the leaf-covered forest floor, their boots crunching the dried leaves and other debris beneath them. In that moment none of them bothered to check whether or not they were still together. It wasn't uncommon that the Tributes were fighting against the Arena – or rather, the gamemakers. The entire populace of Panem was probably glued to their places with their eyes stuck to the screen. They were no doubt wondering what would become of the unlikely trio Prim, Peeta, and Rue made.
Prim stumbled slightly, and when she caught sight of the stream, she immediately dove in. Holding her breath and staying submerged for half a minute or so, she broke the surface when the need for air was too much.
She gasped, struggling to supply enough oxygen into her lungs. She looked around, frantically searching for her friends. Her eyes landed upon Rue, who was struggling to stay afloat, her arms flailing about without so much as a coherent way of processing how she was managing to call out for help.
"PRIM; get Rue!" ordered Peeta, but Prim didn't need to be told twice as she was already halfway towards the caramel-skinned girl. She had never been more grateful that her father had taught her to swim when he was alive. She may have thought nothing of it then, but now she understood what it meant to be prepared for anything. She slipped an arm around Rue and heaved with all her might as she paddled to Peeta.
Peeta took Rue out of Prim's grasp when she got close enough. He had been lucky to find that the water had only been chest deep – any higher and he probably wouldn't have made it. His heart pounded as he laid Rue on the nearby bed of grass.
"Shit," he cursed under his breath as he caught sight of an unsightly red blotch running from Rue's knee to her ankle. He couldn't help the face he made as he looked away. "Prim," he croaked, unable to say much more than her name. It was enough to get her to come over, he noted gratefully. Even as she struggled to breath evenly, she was more than willing to help out.
When Prim caught sight of the blood oozing out of Rue's open wound, she neither flinched nor gagged. She simply studied it, years of experience alongside her mother telling her that she should clean it and then see what would be the best diagnostic for the young tribute. Licking her lips, Prim lifted her jacket slightly, and with her knife, tore a bit of fabric from her shirt. She didn't bat an eye at the cold wind that ran up her exposed skin. She looked back and jogged to the river, dipping the cloth so as to dampen it.
She ran to her companions, seeing that Peeta had placed Rue's head on his lap, so that she had a slightly more comfortable position than lying flat on the ground. Kneeling by the nasty-looking burn on Rue's leg, Prim placed the damp cloth to her friend's injury cooing words of comfort when Rue hissed in pain.
"I'm sorry, but we need to at least somewhat counter the heat." She inhaled deeply, turning her head from Rue to Peeta. She could see that he didn't seem to be the type to stomach such gruesome injuries, and she decided to not push him to do something he would be very much uncomfortable with. "Watch over her – I'll go look for something to help the burn… Maybe some herbs or something – there's bound to be something around, right?"
Peeta nodded, and just as Prim laid the still wet cloth upon Rue's burn, the youngest of the trio spoke up.
"Don't go," pleaded Rue. She raised a hand towards Prim as she used her other arm to push herself up onto a sitting position. She winced at the pain, and Prim's worried expression made way for her frown. Why wouldn't Rue want her to get something for her burn? "I'll be fine." Rue continued. "We need to get going – the stream attracts others. Why don't we just refill our containers and then head on out?"
Prim pursed her lips and met Peeta's gaze over their injured companion's shoulder. She could see that he wanted to move on, but that he was also worried about Rue's state. He abruptly pulled himself together, standing up, silently commanding his companions' attention.
"Rue's right." Peeta nodded, "We should get going. I'll carry her so that we can cover a bit more ground – we can go ahead and get a head start; why don't you take care of restocking our supplies?" He offered, eyes darker than usual as it seemed to ooze with the hidden message behind his words. He was giving Prim an opportunity to look for something to help soothe the burn, and she was going to take it without a second thought.
Prim bent over to take the bit of cloth she had used as a towel. She took it back to shore and placed it in the water once more. The blood that had been absorbed by the material flowed freely as it blended with the water, and she did her best to rid the fabric of as much blood as possible. When she was satisfied, she handed the cloth to Rue, who was settled in Peeta's arms bridal style.
"Keep this on your burn." She instructed Rue, who nodded with an amused smile. Seeing Prim be a healer so effortlessly was an interesting sight for the curly-haired girl. Prim then smiled at Peeta, "I'll be sure to catch up with you guys later."
She watched them take a couple of steps into the woods before turning back to the stream – a few meters away from where she had washed the cloth – and dipped the empty water container in it until it was filled. She placed the three containers into her bag before setting out into the woods to look for useful herbs.
"Do you believe that she's different now?" Clove asked as she fell into step beside Cato, her voice barely above a whisper.
Looking at her from the corner of his eye, Cato grunted. He had been aware of it from the moment he had stared into Prim's captivating blue eyes during their moment on the couch of the Training Centers second floor. He knew if he closed his eyes he could still see her beneath him.
He could see her eyelashes fanned out beautifully as it framed her expressive light blue eyes. He could remember her scent, an intoxicating mix of vanilla, mint, and something that was simply just Primrose Everdeen. The way her eyes seemed to betray her emotions and still managed to pin him in his place was lost to him. How could some stranger that was so sweet and utterly unlike him become such a big fixture in his mind?
"Relax," whispered Clove, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You're shaking – like literally shaking." She said, running her hand up and down his arm in a calming gesture. Clove frowned, "What's gotten you like this?" She could see that there was something in his mind – something he didn't want her to know. In fact, they were so caught up in their own world that they didn't notice Glimmer and Marvel veer off on their own.
"It's nothing." Cato snarled, shoving Clove out of the way. He didn't need Clove digging into his mind and finding something he wasn't all too ready to admit out loud. In fact, he didn't need any one of these buffoons he surrounded himself with. He looked around, wanting to see whether or not Glimmer or Marvel could take the front of their formation for a while.
They arrived in time to raise a brow at Cato, wondering what he wanted with them. There was not a hint of them having left at all, and Clove even smiled as she regarded Glimmer.
"Marvel, walk up front. Glimmer and Clove, lookout, I'll stay at the back." Cato ordered seamlessly, and they all fell into step at the aforementioned places. He sighed as he hung his head. He should have been over it by now. Over her. What was wrong with him?
His eyes narrowed as the hairs on the back of his neck stood. He had a feeling they were being watched, and he didn't like it. It was one of those very rare moments wherein he couldn't pinpoint where the onlooker was. He pursed his lips, his grip on his sword tightening.
He knew that it couldn't have been his Prim or Peeta. They wouldn't risk getting caught by trailing after his crew. This meant it would have been either one of the District Eleven tributes or the District Five girl. It surprised him how a female could have survived on her own – not that he belittled women, but he always thought they worked better and more efficiently with others. Apparently, this girl liked to be alone and was rather proficient at it. He only had to make sure that she wasn't as proficient with any type of weapon or whatsoever.
They arrived at the Cornucopia a good three hours later, and all were careful to walk a path that didn't place them in danger with the land mines. They were just a step or two away from being safe when movement caught Marvel's eye. He was quick to command Glimmer.
"Glimmer; 1 o'clock." He stated firmly, and the girl didn't even bother making sure that she aimed properly as she shot into the general direction described by her partner. The loud canon that echoed told them that she had hit her target, and they continued onwards to the Cornucopia.
Cato momentarily felt dreadful. What if that had been Prim? And it very well could have, for none of them had seen who it was. All they knew was that the person was now on the ground, lifeless. He knew he would have to take the body away so that the gamemakers could take it back, but he also felt his anxiety build at the possibility of it being his Prim.
He steeled himself as he walked straight to the direction of the body and couldn't help himself from sighing as he found his gaze locked onto the fiery red mass of curls surrounding a pale face. Both eyes were open, revealing bright blue orbs, but one had an arrow sticking out of its socket, and he didn't bat an eye as he pulled the girl up and threw her over his shoulder to take her ten or so yards away. His companions knew what to do. And like well-oiled machines, they did as they were accustomed to. Glimmer set up the sleeping bags and guard, Marvel started the fire, and Clove fixed the supplies. And then they would all take turns until Cato returned – at which point one of the girls would cook while both guys stood guard.
They weren't worried about anyone coming to them should they start a fire. With the odds in their favor, there was little chance for someone to come and kill them without getting killed in return.
Depositing the body of the District 5 female tribute in a ditch, Cato scanned his surroundings.
There was a definite shift in the atmosphere. He had a feeling he would see his Prim soon. He only needed to wait and bide his time and perhaps Peeta Mellark would come into his territory as well. He would be there, waiting. A small smirk tilted his lips as he made his way back to camp. He would enjoy drawing out Peeta Mellark's death.
The sound of the canon had Prim nearly toppling over as she bent to pick up some familiar looking herbs with lavender colored tips and yellow stems. She knew it would help ease the burn if it was crushed or pounded into little pieces to let the juices out. The milk from the herb would help ease the pain, and it would buy them enough time for her to perhaps ask Haymitch for help.
Thanks to the canon's signal though, she was beginning to question her idea. What if the canon sounded because of Rue? She felt her heart speed up as it seemed to get caught in her throat as well. What if she had been too late and her wound had gotten infected? She inhaled deeply, to calm herself. She would have to see for herself whether or not her suspicions were right.
In the time that they had been together, Prim, Peeta, and Rue had never really separated for more than thirty minutes. And as she looked at the slowly setting sun, she realized that she had to find her companions quick, or risk being alone in the woods with the Careers or Thresh possibly finding her. She closed her eyes and sighed as she began to walk.
"Haymitch, get us something for Rue's burn, if you please." She whispered it as if it were a prayer, and in that moment, it was. She wanted nothing more than to get back to Peeta and Rue and then be able to treat her friend.
That was what she had always been and should always be – a healer.