Disclaimer: I don't own Hunger Games.

Chapter 6:

Rue's POV

I wake up the next day and realize that Thresh didn't wake me up for the second watch. I find Thresh wide awake next to me, watching the sun go up. "Why didn't you wake me up? You stayed up all night?" I ask, stretching like a cat.

"Yeah," Thresh says, not turning around.

"Do you usually watch the sunrise?" I wonder.

"Yeah," Thresh still hasn't turned around. He is mesmerized by the beauty of the sun. I don't know how he even manages to look at the sun for that long. It is way too bright for me.

"Are you going to stop staring at the sun?" I am starting to get worried, if he stares too long at the sun, it could start to affect his eyes.

"Yeah," but he doesn't stop staring.

"Is all 'yeah' all you can say?" I ask.

"Yeah," he says, still not looking at me.

"Great, my partner's in a trance and I don't know how to wake him up!" I say to no one in particular.

I wait for a while, and luckily as soon as the sun is up, he stops staring. He turns to the sleeping bag. "Rue?" he asks, then he sees that I'm up. "Oh you're already up. Wait, how long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough. Why were you staring at the sun? It's very bright. It could hurt your eyes," I say sympathetically.

"Well, it's this thing that me and my family did. We would stare at the sun until it came up. I guess doing it here made me feel less alone," Thresh shrugged, but I could see the longing look in his eyes.

"Well, what are we going to do today?" I ask, changing the subject.

"I was thinking we could organize our weapons and supplies for if we get separated," Thresh says brightly.

I think he senses my sadness as he says that. That's what me and Katniss did. For all I know, she's dead and a cannon fired in the morning while I was asleep. Panic shoots through me.

"Rue, what's wrong?" Thresh says with urgency.

"Did you hear a cannon fire?" I ask shakily, fearing for the answer.

"No. Why?" I sigh with relief as he answers.

"Just wondering," I say as casually as I can manage.

I peer over at him. He brings out a curved sword, a large water container, and a blue backpack. Inside the backpack, he pulls out a plastic board with straps that looks like a shield, some iodine, more water, some crackers, a compass, and some wheat. He lays them out one by one on the ground.

I walk over to my pack and peak in. With my sleeping bag out it seems emptier. My extra socks that I don't use anymore. A knife and a first aid kit Katniss gave me from the District 1 boy's backpack. Nuts and berries scattered around. My water skin and a bottle of iodine. Some leftover rabbit Katniss gave to me. My slingshot. I spread the contents out on the ground next to his.

"How did you get the meat?" Thresh asks in amazement. "I don't suppose you used your slingshot."

I smile a little. "No. Katniss gave it to me."

"Well thank her for a great meal. We should eat it now, before it goes bad."

I nod and we both split the rabbit. I put in some of the berries we eat back home and we have a satisfying breakfast.

"Well," I say after we finish. "We better split this stuff up."

He nods and we begin. I end up with my sleeping bag, the compass, the shield, the crackers, some berries, the first aid kit, the large water container, (which Thresh insists I have because according to him, he's a camel) my iodine, and my slingshot. Thresh takes the rest. I insist on him having all the weapons except my slingshot because I can barely manage them. He makes me take the shield for protection. As if I can't take care of myself.

"Well, now what do we do?" I ask.

"We wait," Thresh says, sitting down.

I shudder as Thresh speaks the words Katniss said not long ago. "Déjà-vuey."

"Why?"

"Tell you later. What are we waiting for?"

"Anything. An attack, a cannon, night to fall. Plus, what else can we do?"

"Well, I would kinda rather do something than nothing. When I do nothing I get the hiccups."

Thresh shakes his head. "You are a strange little girl Rue." I think this is the first time I have seen him smile.

I just shrug, smiling with him.

"So instead of doing nothing, you want to talk?" He suggests.

"About what?"

"Life."

"Okay."

So instead of doing nothing, we spend the day talking about our life. It's weird how we've never actually met each other before. When you live in District 11, you know almost everyone. And I don't hiccup at all. It seems to have cured my boredom, laughing with Thresh, talking about our not so great, but not so bad life.

It almost feels like I'm with Katniss again.

The anthem interrupts a rather long conversation about grooslings. We look up and I sigh with relief when I see no tributes in the sky. I still wasn't positive that I didn't hear a cannon.

"Alright Thresh, tonight, I'm taking first watch," I say, still mad that he didn't wake me. He needs his sleep.

"Rue, seriously, it's alright," Thresh protests.

"You didn't wake me up last night. So this is your punishment. I told you-"

Trumpets. Trumpets interrupt my sentence. Claudius Templesmith is announcing a feast. But there is more. "Now hold on. Some of you may already be declining my invitation. But this is no ordinary feast. Each of you needs something desperately."

I stop cold in my tracks. What about us. Is there some mutt that's going to come out and make us need something desperately?

"Each of you will find that something in a backpack marked with your district number, at the Cornucopia at dawn. Think hard about refusing to show up. For some of you, this will be your last chance," Claudius warns and I feel a chill go down my spine. Last chance.