This is a fanfic. The original work belongs to the marvelous Suzanne Collins and any other co-owner. You want to read a good story? Start with the original. This is merely my bad take of the story I've fallen in love with.
I make no profit...
Chapter 22
Today is the eighth day in the arena, but it feels more like eight years. I'm currently on my way back to camp. Having spent the early morning hunting crabs and other sea life by the great river. Only a thirty minute walk to the west. I let Rue sleep; she needs the rest more than I. The last couple of days have taken a lot out of the both of us.
Rue and I had managed to get away from the careers on that fateful fifth day. We had walked towards the east, as far away from the pack as we could. Our bond had become permanent on day six, after I'd saved her from falling trees with razor-sharp branches and stinging leaves. Another aspect new to me.
I look down on my hand and my skin still has some redness to it, but is healing just fine. I give a soft chuckle as I remember Rue's face as I pulled her down into a creek for safety. She had looked like a drown rat with polka dots. I had been in a similar state, making her laugh in turn. The medicine I'd stolen helped with the injuries acquired. Rue even collected stinger-leaves to sooth the remaining ache.
After surviving we stayed away from that side of the Valley. Instead we retreated to a small stream amidst the forest, to the northwest; the trees and greenery growing thick and hiding our small forms easily. Making us feel safer. We had made a camp for ourselves amongst the older oak trees, in a secluded part.
As the days passed I managed to get more weight on the both of us, thanks to more advanced traps and fishing: The cause being the new supplies.
I also took my time to teach Rue about plants, hunting and survival. Preparing her in case we ever got separated or I died. It wasn't uncommon for tributes to become allies, but it was unheard of sharing one's tricks.
When Rue had asked me why, my answer had been that I needed it. It was calming and made me focus. Not a lie, but it also had the benefit of getting the information out there, to give people all over Panem the chance to gather more food for the coming winter. It felt good knowing that I gave a mother or a father the tools needed to make their child survive the coming cold.
By joining up with Rue the urge to wander and gather information also disappeared, being replaced by the need to take care of my new ally. My protective nature awakened; a great comfort which helped sooth the darkness inside me. It was like falling into old patterns, but instead for Prim it was for her: It was a mutual benefactor, she kept me centered and I kept her alive.
I'm just arrived at our camp when I hear Rue calling out for me.
"Katniss, where are you?" She sounds worried. I let my musing go and answer.
"Here. I was down by the river to gather some food: I found crabs."
I see her poke her head out of the tree we sleep in. The oak is huge, spanning over five meter in diameter; its crown making a perfect circle to seek shelter in. I hold up my catch to her, appreciating the smile and laughter that follows as she sees it. It had rained during the night and it had been a good weather for hunting. My catch being ten crabs in the net and plenty of clams to.
I was very relaxed as I started preparing for breakfast. Rue soon joined me, offering to collect firewood for the fire.
"That would be grate. But take care; it has been too silent these last few days. The careers might be close." I tell her.
"I will." She says before disappearing in the greenery.
I make sure to get her general direction before focusing on the task at hand. The plan was to make a crab-stew, using the many spices and berries that we had collected. A recipe thought to me by Annie, it had been Finnick's favorite.
It turns out that Rue knows even more about berries and fruits than I'd thought. She knows which ones that should be eaten raw, cooked or dried. That in combination with my knowledge of what's edible in a forest has given us a good food stock. We have root vegetables, tree-fruits, berries and mushrooms a plenty. Making it a certainty we won't starve to death. Something we are grateful for.
"Katniss I found this on a tree, is it an eatable one?" Rue says in greeting as she returns. Holding up a big mushroom that's brown on the top and pinkish underneath*. (It's a made up mushroom, don't eat any if you by any chance find it.)
"Rue! it is a Greumpt." I tell her in a happy tone and snatch it from her fingers. I breathe in its wonderful scent and give a small laugh. "It is very similar to rice when cooked: it will fall into tiny pieces and give a filling sensation as you eat it."
"So it's a good catch?"
"It's a great one. It will last for days." I proudly tell her as I start cutting it up. Some I wrap in bark and fern, preserving it for later. The rest I throw in the bowl hanging over the now lit fire.
As we wait for the food we talk and play some smaller games. Just enjoying the time we got. It's when we sit down to eat that our conversation turns into something more serious. Rue starts telling me about her home life and of district eleven.
"We don't get this much meat." She starts. "Back home this would be seen as a luxury for an entire family and then some."
"It's the same back at twelve. Only, my father knew how to get by. We might be poor, but we at least know the tools to survival."
"It not like that at eleven." Rue explains. "It isn't our main cause; it's that we don't have access to much meat. Our main source of food is rice and corn. Once a month we may buy a chicken cheaply."
"We can buy more food in exchange for another name in the bowl." I tell her when she goes silent. "My friend has over forty, I had less. Prim only the one. It is for essentials, such as flour or rice; not meat."
"We can't do that." She tells me, startled by the revelation. "We can work longer hours or get our children to work under one pay, but never sell our names. We would all do that if we could." At this I nod.
"In twelve we have a high mortality rate. Not many children survive to see the age of eleven." I explain. "It was one of our commanders that had the idea I think, way back. They needed more worker, we needed food so a compromise was made: As long as you could be a contestant in the Games you had the right to sell your name once a month."
"Ooh. If we could do that we would most likely empty the food storage back home." Rue says in a longing voice. "We might even have dared to ask if they had said as much."
"I think it is so we won't know how the other districts are governed." I muse out loud. "It would give room for trouble."
"That makes sense." Rue whispers, looking around nervously. It is dangerous to even hint at dissatisfaction on the Capitol. She goes beyond brave with her next question,"How do they run twelve?"
A feeling of pride grows inside me at her defiant tone.
"The peacekeepers are strict, efficient and hard; as soldiers should be. They don't allow room for negotiation, but they are no fools. They heed warnings, mostly because when they haven't death has been a result."
"You kill them." She exclaims horrified, moving away on instinct. I give a raw snort in reply.
"No. Never that." I say to calm her. "I meant the mines. We know the ground and what it can do, where there is safety and where there isn't. It is when Peacekeepers don't listen chaos ensues."
"You can argue with them?" She asks surprised. Both of us talking more softly now, well aware of the danger we are putting ourselves in by talking about this.
"We simply tell them what might happen, they decide if it's a good counsel. One of our Commanders refused to listen to us, even when we tried to tell him about the dangers that exist in twelve… He only lasted a month." I explain, remembering the anger in my father's eyes as he told me the story.
"What happened?" Rue asks breathless, staring at me with big eyes.
"He demanded that we opened a closed mine, stating that it had more to harvest. We told him differently: That anyone going near the area would be risking their life for nothing." I tell her while eating some more soup. "He punished the ones that spoke before ordering his men to force workers to the area. Under supervision they were ordered to start mining. After two hours everything gave out. Six peacekeepers and over a hundred of our minors were swallowed, never to be seen again."
Rue didn't say anything for a while, to horrified by the story. In the end she gets up and signals the conversation over. Since she wants to go down to the river we pack our things and head out. Rue helps me cover up the fire pit before we go so that our camp will by unnoticed.
It is midday before she starts talking again. We're sitting by the water and are cooling our aching feet. Her light voice surprising me as she barely said a word since breakfast.
"Are you allowed to collect all the coal that you want?"
I shake my head in negative.
"It is merchandise and belongs to the Capitol. We can buy some cheaply." I tell her. "Usually we just gather spill along the railway or gather firewood growing along the fence. It's free."
"We can get some of the spill when we do the harvest, but we have to be careful not to take too much. We get punished if we appear greedy or try to take any of the good stock." She tells me in turn and I just nod.
It worries me that we have been talking about this. The whole conversation makes me remember what we talked about in the previous timeline; of the dangers that followed and the deaths. The mere thought makes me shudder.
I get up and unpack some apples. We found them yesterday and they are still fresh. I give one to Rue and bite into the other. It taste wonderful and I close my eyes in enjoyment. It also helps to prevent the subject from continuing.
It is as I throw the apple into the river that I first start noticing it. Something was in the air. A smell I've never sensed before. It made me pause and look around. What was it? It had a touch of cinnamon in it, as well as burned fruit. The taste of it was bitter. Goosebumps appeared on my arms and my body twists nervously.
Something dangerous was coming our way.
"Rue." I whisper as I crouch down. She follows on instinct.
"What?" She whispers, scared for the sudden change in behavior.
"Get your shoes back on."
She hurries over to the backpack and throws me my shoes. We put them on and get everything packed and secured. We make sure to keep a watchful eye on our surroundings, trying to find the danger.
"Do you smell that?"
She only gives me a nod in confirmation. Smart girl, knows not to make unnecessary sounds when the situation is unclear. We stay where we are. It's too dangerous to move when we don't know where safety lies.
It is when I close my eyes and start listening more closely that I figure it out. It a FIRE. An artificial one since there's no smoke, only the sound of the trees cracking under the heat. That isn't something you forget.
For a second I stand there, by the river in complete shock. Why have they started a fire? We are so close to water. I direct my eyes to the river as I grab Rues right shoulder. I can feel her shaking in fear s I try to figure out what the Game Makers have done.
The water has a pinkish hoe to it, like soap floating on the surface. My first thought is that it is poison. But the strawberry smell makes me think fuel. If we seek shelter in the water the risk of it being ignited is likely high. With Game Makers you can never take anything at face value. We need to move: NOW!
"Rue we need to get out of the forest." I say in a clip voice, adrenalin starting to flow in my veins.
"The river?" She asks as she starts seeing the flames amongst the trees. I shake my head.
"To dangerous. We need to go for something more open, bare… the cliffs." I exclaim.
"That too far." Rue protests.
"It is a good bit to run, but we could make it." I counter. Knowing full well that it is over six kilometers, but it's our only chance.
"The fire is spreading too fast." She cries in anguish. Fear gripping her. I don't answer as the fire has just started kissing the brushwood.
"Rue run." I shout and take off down the riverbend. Looking to gain some distance between us and the fire, using the safety of the bare ground. Rue follows on instinct. We run for a long time over rocks, gravel, dirt and sand. Taking care not to stumble or hurt ourselves. The fire is hunting us, making it a certainty that the Game Makers are calling the shots.
It is as I suspected, the river is booby-trapped. As soon as the fire touches it, it ignites. Now we have fire behind us and to the side. The heat is burning along our bodies, threatening to devour us.
"There." Rue shouts and points at a moss covered log.
A landmark. Something we had passed before on our way to the great oak on our hunts. We know what direction to go in now. Neither of us hesitates. After jumping over the log we start running into the forest. Hardly a tree around us, only greenery, fern and grass for a long stretch to come. Hopefully the area is still moist from the morning dew or we will be swallowed in an ocean of fire.
The water crawling up my pants tells me that there some humidity left. Making me gain hope, but we don't lose momentum. We can see the fire as we run in a diagonal line across the space, heading towards the tree line up ahead. The fire has been slowed down with the lack of trees, but quickly adapts after letting its heat dry the ground. We still have a long way until we reach safety, but struggle on. Grateful for every inch gained.
After running for a over a hour we start losing speed, the fire coming closer as our bodies grows tired. I lose my balance at one point and fall, hitting the ground hard. I hurt my right knee badly, sharp pain shooting up the side. Rue only stops long enough to pull me up before taking the lead. I follow her as best I can, biting though the pain. Amazed by how strong Rue is and trying to mimic it.
"Katniss! How far?" Rue screams over the roar of the fire, terrified at the approaching flames.
"I don't know." I scream back, having lost all sense of familiarity. I believe we are on the right track, but the adrenalin is making it hard to think. When the area starts being filled with trees again my fear grows even more. We're getting cornered.
As soon as the fire has crossed the greenery and hit the trees it explodes outward, growing in all directions. When the fire is starting to get ahead of us, boxing us in, the need to find the right path grows to grate. I force myself to stop, grabbing hold of Rue's jacket.
"Rue, you need to climb. Find us a way out of here." I shout at her, pushing her up the closest tree. Watching the flames closely, hoping that we have time to orient ourselves before they reach us. Rue climbs as fast as she dares. The moment she can get an overview she starts scanning for the cliffs.
"That way." She calls down to me. Most likely pointing toward the southeast.
We had run in the right direction at least. Relief floods me and I lean on the maple to rest for a moment. My relief is short. Rue starts coughing, meaning that another danger has joined the fire; Lung-burns, oxygen depravity. Her lungs are beginning to strain and so are mine. The heat and the run are slowly killing us from the inside. No wonder we are so slow.
"We are getting closer, but the fire is cutting of our path." Rue tells me between the coughs. I curse. This means that the Game Makers want another death today and by their approach it seems we drew the number.
"Get down here." I tell her. "We need to move." The moment her feet touch the ground we are off, taking the route she deemed safest.
"We can try to circle when we are closer. Get onto the rocks from the south." I scream as we avoid a lit tree. The heath is growing unbearable and I start to cough just as bad as Rue. It feels like my lungs are on fire and every breath is a battle.
My words have Rue lose balance and I have to grab her jacket to keep her standing. She is terrified and close to panic. All around us there is fire and hardly a path as far as we can see.
"We are going to die Katniss." She cries out.
"No, we are not." I bark at her. "We will survive. It is just fire."
She stares at me in disbelief. I can understand her. This isn't a normal fire. It behaves like it has a mind; seeking us out, tracking us and cutting of our path. But I keep telling myself that so I won't lose hope. Convincing myself there is a way so I can keep on running. I have lived through too much to let this be my death day. WE will make it.
Another aspect of the fire is starting to show. It must be from some sort of gas. It's like a hallucinating mirage. It's taking away the edge of the fire, making it seem like a painting and not a threat. A rainbow colored ocean. The one thing preventing me falling under it's spell is my hate for fire. In any color fire is still a reminder of Prim's death. No gas can make me forget her dying scream.
Rue is also affected, slowing down to watch the flames. I have to start dragging her by the arm to keep us moving. We are both stretch to the limit and if we don't get to the cliffs soon we will be killed. I can't tell for how long we've run. With a fire chasing you it is hard to guess the time or speed, panic and not yet dead being enough at the moment.
The gas has soon taken over Rue senses; she constantly wants to stop to play with the 'pretty colors'. In the end it's because of that we find the cliffs. The rocks and boulders showing over and between the flames, making her complaint over their ugliness.
I was too busy avoiding direct contact with the fire and had lost all semblance of direction, again. Rue's finding saves us. It makes it possible for me to orient around the fire and towards safety. We only received minor burns as we start breaking away from the forest. The flames making sure that we pay a price for escaping. My hair gets singed, my cheek burned and my thigh scorched.
I start crying when good clean air reaches my lungs. Cold wind flowing over my heated body. It was liberating. Still, I don't stop until we are well away from the tree line and have shelter behind a rockslide, several hundred feet from the forest. Rue is exhausted, but alive next to me. Both of us stare towards the trees. Afraid that the Game Makers will make the fire continue.
For a good while the fire looks to be searching for a way in, devouring any moss or fern it can reach. There isn't enough for it to get into the area and we see it slowly retreating. The joy we feel liberate us, Rue is shouting in joy and I tremble as I fall to the ground.
I still pay some attention to scenery, trying to find the next threat. The Game Makers might be satisfied, or not. I don't alert Rue to this fact, she has suffered enough and neither of us are capable for another run. Her elaborated breath and heaving chest being a clear sign of how strained our bodies both. It was trying to get more oxygen into our system than we could breath.
The moment I can think again I start taking off my jacket, shoes and pants. Letting the air cool down my body. It is almost dark read for the warmth. Feeling burned to the touch. Rue get the pack open and takes out two bottles of water. We drink them down greedily. The water helps against the fire within. My lungs still ache, but no longer do they feel like they are dying. I can breathe more calmly after a while.
Rue exclaiming over similar symptoms as mine and we sacrifice three more water bottles to rehydrate ourselves and bath our skin. It helps a lot. Later, after some rest, Rue takes care of my wounds. Placing some of the gathered herbs and leafs on them. Thankfully the bag didn't get lost in the run, giving us plenty of remedies against the burns and swelling of throats.
When Rue's done I go over her back, head, legs and arms in return. Searching for injuries or burns. Overall she has managed to avoid any serious damage, only a nasty burn on her ankle that is easily taken care of by some burn-cream.
After our meager nursing we unpack our food store. Taking out the fried snake-meat from two days before, fresh mushrooms and apples. It's enough to still our hunger, but we hardly taste a thing. Our tongues are numb.
We stay at the same spot for the rest of the day. Slumbering and gathering new energy. At one point I have to help Rue stretch her legs, both cramping for the earlier effort. She's too young to be put through such hardship and I worry for her. She laughs away my worries and snuggle close, curling up in a ball against my left side. Seeking comfort and companionship. I willingly give it to her.
When the night comes we relocate to a more protected spot. Finding a V shaped rock formation that will protect us from the elements and hide us from sight. The downside being that we can't see if anyone is coming towards us from the east. Ignoring this fault we crawl into a stolen bedroll and try to fall asleep. The stars shining over our heads. No faces of fallen tributes lulling us to sleep.
…
The next day we cautiously make our way through the forest, towards the river. A dangerous move, but the thought of freshwater and the chance to get cleaned is too tempting.
All around us the forest is regrown. Leaving no trace of the previous day's hardship. Anger burns inside me as I look at the perfect trees, nothing looking as it had previously. The wilderness is gone, replaced by perfection. Not a tree out of place, to tall or too short. We ignore it the best we can since the need to get clean, drink fresh water and set up traps is our top priority.
Reaching the river we step out onto a sandbank, the soft brown sand going into the water in a slope. Giving us a perfect beach with calm spot of water in the otherwise wild river. The sun is making the water glitter and we see plenty of fish battling against the current further out. The peace brings light to our tired eyes. We get undressed and go into the water. Happily playing and splashing whilst getting clean. Enjoying its cooling effect on our skin.
The night had been a hard one, the wind had been ferocious and the rocks unforgiving. Our already sensitive skin had been smarting by morning and Rue had even been crying at one point. I was happy to see her finally relaxing, having felt like a monster for forcing her to get dressed this morning and making the hike. To make her day even better I give her the last of the chocolate when we sit down to eat, something I had saved for a special moment. It was melted and deformed, but she still gave a great cry of joy upon receiving it.
Seeing her happy and alive bring meaning to my life and for several hour I refuse to leave the *beach*. Letting Rue be the child that she is. Only making sure that we have our weapons close at hand. It's Rue that calls it to an end. Wanting to go on berry-hunt and set new traps.
"A good idea. I can show you something new today." I tell her as we get dressed.
"What is that?"
"Have you ever made rope or lines from bark or grass?" I tell her with a smirk.
"Nooo. You can do that?"
"I can do that."
At this Rue hurries. She is a person that loves learning new things. Like a sponge she suck up all the knowledge that she can and it is a pleasure to teach her. I haven't needed to make new rope since the theft, but the fire devoured almost all my trap material and I only have line for one trap left. I need to get more.
We head up the stream, going into the forest but following the river. I take us north. Tracking back towards our old camp, hoping that the Game Makers have regrown the grass and greenery from the open stretch we crossed yesterday. It would be a good place to collect material.
Rue walks beside me, crawling up different trees to scout ahead. She can't see another tribute or big animals so we walk on without too much worry. On one of her climbs Rue happily tells me that the greenery is still there. A good thing since it will be a great place to find berries and rope material. We only need to be careful before we eat, I wouldn't be surprised if the Game Makers has tampered with the berries.
When we reach the area we quickly head towards the tall grass growing in an open patch, at the very center. I look around, taking in the difference from before. Where the old couldn't have been called a meadow per say this one reminded strongly of one. It was more open, barer and perfect.
It's the words that keeps popping up. PERFECT. Everything had a touch of placement. It wasn't naturally grown. The grass weren't in different shapes or colors. The fern had a touch of pink to it. The trees bark had no damages or natural cracks to it. The sight sickens me. It brings the Capitol closer. Destroying the tranquility and peace I've gained from forest.
I don't speak these concerns. It would bring too much trouble. But the anger is shimmering underneath the surface. The disgust of their meddling making me grind my teeth. They start a fire, but won't allow the ground to heal itself. They take it upon themselves to fix everything… to their standard.
"Katniss? Are you going to show me?" Rue asks as she walks up to me, holding long grass in her arms.
I look at her and give a nod. Walking to the very center I sit down, Rue sitting opposite of me. The sun warms my arms, head and shoulder. The wind rustling the greenery and the birds are singing in the trees. I push the anger aside and focus on her. I take some of her grass and place it between us. Dividing it into four piles. Two for her and two for me.
"Alright this is how you do."
I start falling into teaching mode. I can hear the Peeta of my past laughing at me. He always found it amusing when I gave lectures. Saying that I sounded like a machine. Every word being clipped and to the point. Reminding him of my attempt at speeches during our tour. The memory almost makes me want to turn around and tell him to shut up.
I don't, because there is no Peeta there and probably never will be.
"What do I do when the first bit of grass starts to end?" Rue asks as she starts doing the knot. Tying the two ends together as I told her to, before starting to twirl each end of grass before twining them around one and another.
"You add some more grass like this." I say and place a new fist of grass with the old and twist them, "Before you twine them together like this." I curl the grass over each other, using the same method as I do when curling Prim's hair before twinning the two ends. " It will be an overlapping patterns. You're the one who decides how long the rope is to be, and how thick."
Rue takes the new task and applies everything to it. Within the hour she has already managed to twinned a long rope. Sturdy too. So I go on to teach her how to make a net from grass rope.
"You take your long rope. Strap it up with the help of threes or branches stuck into the ground."
We use branches since we don't want to leave the sunny patch we have discovered.
"Then you make a new rope line from the scratch. Tie to end together, make them embrace the rope you've got."
I show her how.
"Then you twine as you did before. You make double the length as you want the fishnet. For every line you add you will use grass, or bark, to tie them together in a fish-net-pattern."
This takes a bit longer for Rue to adapt to. She struggles with the connecting dots. All in all we soon have a start of a good net bas and I express my pride in her skills. She goes red from the praise and hides her face for a while as we work.
It takes us awhile to make the net, even with two working on it. Stopping to collect some berries for a snack. We study them closely, trying to find anything odd about them. We study their size, color, form and smell. How the bush looks and how far down the roots go. In the end we don't find anything suspicious about the berries growing here, but I take one of each first and make Rue wait for over an hour before she can eat them. Giving her some preserved fish instead.
When the net is done Rue wants to go down to the lake to try them out. Saying that we can make rope or line for traps during the evening or the next day, but that she wants to try catching fish now. I would rather catch a rabbit, it being my favorite meat, but for her I relent.
After finding a good fishing spot I show her how to throw the net. I'm not good at it, but the fishers from district four had shown me how. It was a special twist of the wrist that was needed. neither me or Rue had it, but we managed to get the net to spread out before reaching the water. It was most likely to small, wide and heavy to catch anything, but I let Rue continue. Not willing to tell her how small her chance was. It was better to let her exhaust herself and learn on her own.
I helped her until she expressed a wish to try on her own. Retreating to the brushwood to watch.
"I will go an look for a place to set up camp. We still have many hours left of the day, but it don't look as if we are leaving." I tell her after a while. I only get a nod in reply. Rue standing on gravel, quiet as a mouse and looking out on the water. Trying to spot a fish. I shake my head at her. I take the backpack, only leaving a line in the ground towards my heading and a half-dried summer apple.
I don't walk far, finding a good blackjack oak with a perfect crown to camp underneath just ten minutes in. The area around has many trees and humps, giving good cover. Rue will still be able to spot me though and I can see a small part of the river from here. A good vantage point. The trees would protect us during the night and the crown would hide a small fire, especially if I made it in a pit.
At ease I set to work.