Disclaimer: I don't own Hunger Games.
Chapter 3:
Rue's POV
I wake up to the whistling of the mockingjays. The sun is just beginning to rise. It's such a beautiful sight. In District 11 I used to watch the sun rise. I never had anyone to watch it with though.
"Katniss," I say softly. She doesn't budge. "Katniss," I nudge her. "Katniss wake up."
"Prim! No don't go Prim! I volunteer!" Katniss mumbles in her sleep.
"Katniss! Wake up!" I say firmly.
Katniss shoots up so fast I thought she would fall out of the tree. She's panting hard like she had just been running from the Careers. She looks frantically around as if searching for an unknown attacker. "What who's here? Are we under attack? Should I-"
I cut her off by putting my hand over her mouth. "Shh!" I say. I know how to be the responsible one. I had to do that every minute of every day at home. "No one's here, but they will be if you keep yelling!"
"Sorry," Katniss apologizes.
"Come on!" I say. She unbuckles us from the tree and we get out. She wraps up the sleeping bag, puts it in my pack, then begins to climb down the tree.
"Are you alright?" I ask anxiously once we reach the bottom.
"Yeah fine," she answers.
"Are you alright enough to tell me what that was about last night?" I asked tentatively.
She stares at me for a moment then gives in. "Look if you want to got team up with Thresh, I totally understand."
She thinks I want to team up with Thresh? I guess that would increase my chances of winning, but I like Katniss. I don't want to leave her. I open my mouth to speak, but no words came out.
"I got it, it's okay. I'll just go." She turns in the other direction without a backward glance.
"Wait, Katniss, come back!" I scream. I don't care who can hear me at this point. She starts to run and I rush after her. "Katniss! Wait!" But she doesn't wait. I run as fast as I can, but I know I can't catch her. I stumble to a stop in a clearing. It is empty except for the rustling of leaves.
Before I can react an arrow pierces a tree right behind me. There is only one person in this arena who has that deadly accuracy.
"Katniss!" I rush out to where the arrow came from, not caring that we weren't allies anymore.
"Rue!" She rushes out to meet me and hugs me tight. "Rue," she says softer. "We can't both win this thing." She squats down to my level. "But you and Thresh can."
"Katniss, what are you saying?" I asked, still confused. I wanted to be her ally not Thresh's.
"I'm saying goodbye Rue. There are only seven of us left. You know we can't be together. You have to go find Thresh. You have to win." Before I can speak, she pulls me into a tight embrace and whispers into my ear, so soft that if the cameras were on us (which they probably were) even the Capitol wouldn't hear, "Remember, you're not just a piece in their games." Then she releases me, wedges her arrow out of the tree, and waves farewell before disappearing back into the woods, leaving me lost and alone.