AUTHOR'S NOTES: People may find some familiar scenes in this and the next couple of chapters. Rest assured, Katniss has not merely been replaced by Rue, and after a few more deaths, the outcome of the games becomes very different. Rue is far form being Katniss-lite; she's simply a cunning pragmatist that will do what it takes to survive.
It is because of this that she is, by definition, the primary antagonist of this series.
Happy Reading!

CHAPTER 10: A Game of Surprise

Rue woke up the next morning alone and immersed in silence. There was a fog around her and the lake, and perhaps the arena was overcast. Otherwise, there was not even much of a breeze to rustle the trees and plants around her. She was lying hidden in the wall grass, on her back, gazing up at the foggy, hazy sky. She wondered what her siblings and mother were thinking right now as they watched the games unfold. Sure she had survived the bloodbath, but it was only the 3rd day of the games, and there were still a dozen other tributes out there that would have to die before she would be able to go home.

A mile or so away at the cornucopia, Clove was wondering the same thing, with only one difference. She only had one family member that she actually cared about—her sister. 4 years Clove's senior, Chive Kazera had gone straightaway to become a Peacekeeper once she was no longer eligible for the games, beginning the first year of her 20-year commitment. Clove was slightly irked by that simply because it meant her sister would not be able to watch her win the games—something she was still fixated on doing, especially when it finally involved killing Rue.

An overcast morning greeted Glimmer, Marvel, and Cato as they woke up, while Clove remained asleep. She had been deep in thought the previous evening, which was odd even for her. Grunting, Cato plunged his sword into the ground, using it to prop himself up as he stretched and got to his feet.

"Looks like it's gonna be another day," he grunted, "let's get to it." He used his foot to nudge Clove awake, who groaned and sat up, yawning and smacking her lips.
"Any deaths," she grunted, taking a few moments to get her focus back on.

"Of course not," Cato chuckled, grabbing Clove's hand and pulling her to her feet. "We haven't gone on the prowl yet."

Clove smirked, knowing that Cato had a point—they were the predators, and the others were their prey.

On the other hand, Glimmer, Marvel, and Cato were not exactly stealth experts, and so perhaps the smaller tributes like those girls from '11 and '12 could hear them coming a mile away. The forest was not exactly quiet, given the amount of sticks and grass that they stomped through.

"But then again," Cato pointed out as they trekked through the woods after Clove pointed out how loud they were probably being, "what do you expect us to do, Clove? You're the only one small enough to possibly use the trees, and I don't think even you could pull off what that Leto kid did 40 years ago."

"The Terror of the 35th?" Clove tilted her head, flipping a knife in her hands, "you don't think I could do it? Well… I guess you're right. I'm not turning on you chumps till the others are gone."

"That's rather reassuring," Marvel riposted.

"But no—the arena isn't anything like the 35th arena." Clove continued, "We've got daylight, some clearings, a lake, a wheat field, and at least one cornfield. I don't think there will be any Letos this year."

Clove kind of wished that there would be, given that Leto was a famous District 2 girl who had won her games by using the darkness of the forest that her arena had been, to stalk and assassinate over half a dozen tributes without the help of a single ally. That was the sort of glory Clove hoped to achieve.

The lake that the career pack had discovered was a smaller one on the near opposite side of the arena from where Rue was resting. It was also much farther from the fringes of the arena, meaning that it was much safer to camp there without fear of respite from the Gamemakers.

"Let's keep moving," Cato suggested, "the tributes aren't going to walk into our arms and say 'hello please kill me' to up our kill counts."

There was a nod of acknowledgement before the careers took off again in search of new prey.

If there was an important lesson to learn about Peeta Mellark, it was that he did not react kindly to being woken up suddenly, or to people standing above him. The fact that a girl with a 3 on her shoulders had a spear raised was one thing, but her brief hesitation—almost as if she couldn't stand the notion of killing another person—was her downfall. Peeta grabbed his mace and struck her hard, knocking her down. Her cries woke Prim up, who got to wake up to the grizzly sight of Peeta murdering that District 3 girl. She cringed, curling up into a ball with her back to him, appearing very distraught as a cannon fired.

"It was either her or us," he reasoned, "I just did what I had to, Prim."
"That doesn't make it any better though," she argued, "none of us should even be here!"

Peeta sat beside the younger girl, putting an arm around her. "I know. I don't think anyone would be here by choice. But, regardless of what we do… just make sure you don't lose sight of yourself. I'm not going to let the Peeta that killed tributes become who I am… it's simply a means to an end—an attempt to survive so that I can go home—or better yet, so I can bring you home."

"but what if it does come down to just me and you," Prim expressed concern, "I couldn't kill you, Peeta."

"I'll think of something, if that happens," he reassured her, "don't worry about that yet though. we've still got about a dozen other tributes in the way. We'll find a way out of this." He pulled Primrose into a hug, taking a few moments to try and comfort the frightened youngster. He knew in the back of his mind that if he died, she wouldn't stand a chance, and so he made it his personal duty to ensure her safety as long as he drew breath. If nothing else, it would be for Prim's sister Katniss, a girl he had always admired, but had waited far too long to admit his feelings for. His mind also wandered briefly, thinking about where his allies Thresh and Rue might have been…

Thresh was still in his wheat field, which also gradually transitioned into a cornfield. So, as long as he had water, he was fine. Rue had spent the day at the lake, finding herbs and plants, and drinking her fill from the lake. Nightfall came, and the District 3 girl's face appeared in the sky, although there was no sign of her partner. The arena fell silent again as Rue hunkered down for another night at the lake, and slowly but surely, the arena went silent again.

Rue's 4th day was quite the rude awakening. She sat up, only to see a large fireball screaming right towards her face. She ducked in time, but was pretty sure it had just singed her (naturally) frizzy hair. She knew that if the trees were shooting fire at her, that it was time to get going. She sprung to her feet, slinging her backpack over her shoulders and taking off without even bothering to grab her socks or boots. She, like many in the outer districts, was well-accustomed to going without. Some families could barely even afford shoes, after all.

While the fireballs that were blasting the little tribute from every angle were swift, Rue was all but swifter. She was nimbly able to jump over fallen trees, duck under lower branches and fireballs, and even do some rather stylish flips to evade getting hit a few times. However, all good things had to eventually come to an end, and a fireball struck Rue's lower back, causing her to barrel head over heels down a hill, where she luckily tumbled right into a pond with a small waterfall. The searing pain on her back slowly subsided, and Rue's soaking wet head emerged a moment later, breathing heavily.

She hoped that she didn't have any perishables in her pack, because it, her clothes, and her body were completely soaked at this point, given that she was floating in the pond.
There was grass around this pond as well, and Rue used it to hide her backpack to let its contents dry out. Her back was still aching from the burning pain, even if it had not burned all the way through her clothes. Groaning from the pain, she let herself float towards the small waterfall, allowing the water to cascade down her head and back. It wasn't permanent relief, but it felt nice. Besides—it was a nice hiding place for the time being. Her dark skin and black hair blended well against the mud and rocks in the surrounding area.

Really, Rue could not help but wonder what she had gotten herself into. She made a mental note to stay away from the fringes of the arena as much as she could, but she hoped that the others in her alliance were faring better than she was. She hoped to meet up with Prim again—Rue might have known some herbalist tricks, but she was pretty sure that that District 12 girl would best her if it was a contest.

Rue eventually pulled herself up onto a flat rock under the waterfall, letting her legs remain submerged, and the cool water splash upon her burn. It too was only temporary relief, but the burn was painful, and really, Rue did not feel like moving much, due to said pain. She would have to wait it out, and hope that Primrose and Peeta found her before the careers did.

KILLS THIS CHAPTER:
Girl, District 3-Killed by Peeta

ALIVE:
Marvel, District 1
Glimmer, District 1
Cato, District 2
Clove, District 2
Franklin, District 3
Finch, District 5
Jason, District 6
McKenzie, District 8
Thresh, District 11
Rue, District 11
Peeta, District 12
Primrose, District 12