Hey Guys, its been a while, but during my 2 weeks of no wifi I got a lot of writing done!. Its not super long but we are definitely nearing the end. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.
Chapter #35 – Rory's Pov
(Last Time: Everything happens in a flash: the girl throws the spear and it lodges itself in the trunk of the tree just below me. At the same time I loose an arrow and it flies straight towards her and implants itself in her abdomen. She screams and falls to the ground; a few seconds later a canon booms loudly nearby. Before I can feel sorry for what I did I scramble down the tree, grab my pack and run out of the clearing so that the hovercraft can pick up her body. I'm so close to going home. I think to myself. I will win for Prim.)
I run until I can no longer hear the hum of the hovercraft, then find an old log to sit on so that I can catch my breath. I take a sip of my precious water and listen to the peaceful silence around me. Nothing moves, there isn't even the slightest breeze. This seems a little strange to me but I decide to ignore it for now since I'm just too tired to think or try defending myself anymore.
A canon shakes me from my rest but it is only faint so I figure it's not too close by.
That night Chaff's picture is shown alone in the sky. I'm really surprised the one armed man made it to the final six, and now there are only 5 of us left: Me, Johanna, Gloss, Thrasher and the other young girl from District 7. I hope that my three 'friends' don't resort to killing themselves and that they might die from natural causes like nightlock or something like that. I doubt that the 17 year old from D7 could kill us all anyways and once she is eliminated that means that its just the three allies left. Even though we split I could never kill one of them and I'm hoping the feeling is mutual for them as well. Feeling rested after my three hour nap, I shoulder my pack once again and continue on my way with no particular destination in mind except a place to sleep. I guess you could say that I am just walking around waiting for everyone around me to die and for the winner's hovercraft to come pick me up. But deep down I know that won't be the case. It is very rare for any tribute during the last 74 Hunger Games to be allowed the privilege of just wandering around without anything happening to them.
I have a feeling that if the capitol doesn't get any excitement in the next day or two, the game-makers will be planting some things in my path from which I may or may not survive. The silence continues as I walk slowly through the leaves of the not very dense forest. I guess it shouldn't even be called a forest, just a few trees here and there but there is nothing else in sight except trees so I'll stick with 'forest' for now.
Soon I come to what used be little creek but is now all dried up, there isn't even any mud. Thankfully I still have half of my water bottle filled my water so I shouldn't need any more water for a little while. The moon is bright tonight so I don't have need of a flashlight while I search for a safe place to sleep. Already I am feeling tired even though I had a long rest a few hours earlier. It must be close to midnight judging from when it got dark and how long I've been walking. Finally I find a small hole in a pile of rocks that looks safe enough, I'll have to climb a bit to get to it, but if it means that I get to sleep without worrying I'll get killed in my sleep, then I can do this. I tie my bow to the pack on my back, leaving my hands free to hold onto rocks while I climb. I am really surprised that I found this place, especially in the dark, because it is pretty obscured from view. It must have been meant for me to find.
The climb isn't too hard but I am sweating by the time I reach the ledge where the cave is. It is even smaller now that I am right at the entrance of it; only about 7 feet wide and 6 feet long, but just right for my pack and me.
It is just then that I realize I'm not alone. Curled up in one corner of my cave is a sleeping person, a girl I think. I'm surprised she didn't hear my huffing and puffing on my way up; she must be sleeping pretty hard. I unsheathe my dagger and inch a little closer, ducking inside the cave. She doesn't move at all, not even when I'm standing over her. Her face is still concealed from me but it could only be the girl from D7 or Johanna. I am hoping that it is not Johanna when I notice an ax propped up against the wall by her head. Definitely Johanna, I think to myself. I gently poke her back with the toe of my shoe to wake her up but she doesn't even move. So I get down on my knees and pull her over so that I can see her face. I muffle a scream when I see her. It is for sure Johanna but she's dead. A dagger is sticking out of her chest and a pool of blood stains her shirt. She is still warm so it must have just happen and I also haven't heard a canon yet. I wonder how the hovercraft will get her from in here, but I'm sure they'll figure something out.
"Goodbye Johanna." I whisper and place my three middle fingers on my lips. The only person that would have killed her in her sleep is the girl from D7, unless Thrasher turned against her, which seems highly unlikely. This also means that Johanna's killer isn't too far away and that the D7 girl isn't as innocent as I first assumed. No longer feeling tired I sheathe my dagger once again and begin my descent quicker than my ascent a few minutes earlier.
Guess I'll have to find another place to sleep. A little bit later I hear a canon boom nearby that is probably Johanna's and a few minutes after that I find a large tree and after tying myself to a branch, I fall into a restless sleep.
Prim's Pov
Since I am not bedridden anymore, I give Katniss and Peeta their bedroom back and go back to sleeping on the pullout couch/bed in the living room, which I'd say is just as comfortable. I lay awake thinking about my afternoon with Ruby and Jules and what we saw on the TV. I can't help but worry for my best friend, he's gone through so much, more than anyone at our age should and it just makes me hate Mrs. Snow that much more. I can't wait for the day that Rory wins and him and the other victors take over the capitol; and even though that could take weeks and months I just hope that Rory has the strength to go through with it all to see me again. For now I am quite comfortable here, with my sister and friends, and I could even live here for a long time in Rory were here.
I haven't told anyone, not even him, but I never stop thinking about him and what our lives could have been like if the games never existed. We could have a normal life, date, get married and even have kids without worry of them dying in the games. Everything would be perfect. But Panem isn't like that anymore. I wonder if there are other places or if we are the only people on earth that survived the wars. Something tells me that there are different people in other places with totally different conditions and a better government. I wonder if a boat has ever traveled out from District 4 so far that they got somewhere, although I haven't heard of anything like that ever happening.
Sighing I pull the blankets up closer to my neck with my good arm, my cast arm resting on a pillow next to me. For some reason I just can't fall asleep, just too much on my mind I guess.
Suddenly I see a faint light turn on in the kitchen. Probably Peeta getting a midnight snack. I smile to myself and decide to get up and join him since I'm no closer to sleeping than I was 2 hours ago when I actually went to bed.
Sure enough, when I get to the doorway of the kitchen Peeta is sitting at the table with a glass of juice and a warmed up cinnamon roll.
"Want one?" He asks without even turning around.
"Yes please." I reply and take a seat at the table.
"Can't sleep?" Peeta says while grabbing a cinnamon roll from a plastic bag and placing it on a plate in the microwave to warm. He then pours a glass of orange juice for me.
"No." I say, "Too much on my mind I guess."
"That's understandable." The microwave beeps once and he opens the door before it wakes Katniss who is a pretty light sleeper.
"Thanks." I take the plate from him and munch on the bun and sip my juice. "You couldn't sleep either?"
"Ever since I was in the games it takes me a long time to go to sleep at night." He confesses.
"Nightmares?" I guess.
"Sometimes, I also wake up a lot during the night just to check and make sure Katniss is still there."
"Awe that's so sweet." I giggle and take another bite of bun.
"I guess, but I also don't get much sleep."
"Does Katniss know?"
"I haven't told her but I think she's guessed that I have my midnight snacks." Peeta chuckles and wipes his sticky hands on a napkin. I laugh along with him and finish my bun.
"What were you thinking about?" He asks.
"I'm sure you can guess." I whisper, my cheeks turning a bit pink.
"Rory?" He says immediately and I nod, not meeting his eyes.
"I know exactly how you feel."
"Yeah." Is all I say.
"And I can tell that he thinks about you all the time just from watching him on TV." Peeta winks and my cheeks turn a darker shade of pink.
"Really?" I squeak.
"Definitely."
"He has a good chance of winning now, right Peeta?"
"Absolutely. Love gives a lot of strength and encouragement."
My cheeks are burning red now with embarrassment and I'm just glad it's Peeta I'm talking to about this and not Katniss.
"Thanks, that helps." I say quietly.
"No problem." He smiles and reaches across the table and gives my hand a squeeze. "I know all about it."
"You must be pretty good if you got Katniss." I tease him and he just smiles. "I am the luckiest guy around."
"I hope it works out between Rory and I. I mean what if while I'm here and he goes back to District 12 a victor he finds a different girl? Every girl at school is gonna want to be with him after this and he might not be able to resist since he'll think I'm dead!" I stop to take a breath.
"I wouldn't worry Prim. Rory wouldn't forget you so easily. He loves you and that's the only reason he's trying as hard as he is to win, for you. And I don't think those other girls would tempt him, none of them hold a coin to you I promise."
"And you're not just saying that?" I inquire.
"Not at all. I can say honestly that if Katniss died I'd never be able to love again."
"People say that all the time but after a few years they get over it and end up falling in love with someone else and getting married. I mean what if the victors can't take over the capitol and we have to stay here for a few more years? Rory could easily fall for another girl during that time couldn't he?"
"I doubt it. That wouldn't be like him. He might look like his older brother and have some of the same charm but he's not a player."
"You're the best big brother ever Peeta." I surprise him by saying and give him a hug.
"Glad I could help. Don't hesitate to ever ask me anything ok?"
"Okay. Thanks a lot."
"You're welcome, now you should probably try and get some sleep now."
"I think I'll be able to sleep now." I tell him.
"Me too." He agrees and we go our separate ways. I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.
Awe I just love Peeta and Prim's big brother/little sister relationship don't you? Its so sweet I just had to have half a chapter with the two of them talking, about important stuff right?! Hope you enjoyed it and you'll have the next chapter probably tomorrow…
~FIrepearl