CHAPTER 9

Five days to go. I have been spending every single day in the Training Centre. I'm not going to win but I won't go down without a fight. And by that I don't mean I'm going to kill.

I want everybody to know that I won't kill because in some ways it's a tiny act of defiance to the Capitol. I'm not drawing attention to it and I haven't said a word to Reed it Had or my ever-lifeless prep team. If the Capitol found out they'd probably kill my family and make my life hell in the arena. They have too much power for us to defy them. So I'm just letting the other Tributes know by not going to any of the weaponry or fighting station. I practice things like knots, survival and climbing. But I only do that when nobody else is there.

Some people have already noticed. Reed congratulated me on it and said I was doing a good job with my strategy. Then I realised what I'd done. Now all the Tributes think I'm too scared to fight and they can easily get rid of me. Great. But some of them thought I was pretending and that I'm going to come and kill in the arena like Johanna Mason from a few years ago. So when District 9's tributes ran past me trembling I took the cue. Now I walk around with a knowing smile on my face. I feel ridiculous but I guess it's working on some of the others.

So here's my strategy. And I don't mean Reed's strategy for me. Or Thresh's idea of what I should do. It's more of a plan really but I'm calling it my strategy so Reed won't become suspicious. It uses some of his stuff anyway. So here goes:

I use Reed's strategy until the Games begin. I play the weakling in everything I do. I make Thresh look good. I make Reed look proud of me.

As soon as I get into the Arena, I completely ignore Reed. He's not going to give me any sponsors because all the money's going to Thresh. He said so himself, so I have nothing to lose. So I'm going to grab as many supply's as I can without getting into a fight. Then I run up a tree and hide there for as long as I possibly can. I hope there are some eatable berries up there because once I'm up, I'm not coming down and I'm not getting into any fights.

I stay up the trees until everybody has completely forgotten about me. I keep track of who's left.

When the last two are fighting, I wait for the cannon to tell me there's one left. They'll think they've won. Then, I wait for them to track me down when they catch up. And just before they kill me, I'll have every camera guaranteed to be pointing at me. So I'll say something really good like: 'I'm not fighting, and I'm not killing. I'm not a killer and I'm not killing for the Capitol.' You know something really big and dramatic. Then I'll let him kill me, right now and then. Then the Capitol won't be able to do a thing about my little speech.

I guess I know it probably won't turn out like that but it's a nice thought.

'Rue!' I hear Fesh squeal as she bangs on my door with her fist. I sit up in my bed, tired. I had been too exhausted to return to the Training Centre after dinner so I had come up to my room to try and get to sleep.

'Come in,' I mumble, but she's already beside me. 'What?' I frown.

'You've got two visitors,' she says excitedly.

That wakes me up properly. 'Visitors?' I repeat. All sorts of possibilities flash through my head. Who's come? My mother? My whole family? No – just two she said. It sounds unlikely anyway. Who could they be? My forehead creases in concentration.

'See for yourself!' she giggles and hurries out of the room. I swear it's the first time she's seen me without criticizing me. Why is she so excited?

It turns out the visitors are separate. I jump out of my bed, smooth the covers and then sit back down again on the edge, forcing a smile onto my face. I don't want whoever-it is to see me looking frightened and miserable which is what I am. The door opens and I bite my lip, stretching to see who it is.

It's Cato.

'Cato?' I splutter. I can feel tears coming to my eyes with disappointment and I brush them away fiercely. 'I thought you were…I thought…' I shake my head angrily. 'What?' I demand. 'Other tributes aren't allowed to…' I break off. He strides over.

'You dropped these,' he says haughtily and hands me two black shoes. I dropped them in the corridor earlier, I remember. 'I volunteered to personally take them to you.' He continues with a sickly smile. I know that isn't the only reason he's come.

'What do you want?' I ask quietly. He narrows his eyes at me and then sits down heavily on my bed making the covers bounce a little. I automatically smooth them down again. (Something Fesh told me to always do.)

We're both silent for a few seconds and then Cato explodes. 'I warn you,' he shouts suddenly, his face burning with anger. I coil back and slide away from him, frightened of this giant who has sat himself down on my bed and is now hollering in my face, 'I win, little girly, I win. I don't know how you got that seven in your training and I'd like to know how that stupid 12 girl got that 11. I'm not worried about lover boy; he'll be easy to kill off. But your dead, you hear me?'

I say nothing. I have recovered now and I sit on the pillow, hugging my knees, holding his gaze steadily. I remember "lover boy" from the interviews suddenly. How could I forget? I know his name, Peeta. I remember that clearly. Of course – his announcement to Katniss, the fire girl I want to meet so much…

'You're going to kill Peeta?' I ask which is probably the lamest thing I could have said.

'I'm going to kill every tribute, girly. I'm going to win.' He spits. I keep I contact, trying not to blink. 'But, yes, I do need to get rid of Lover Boy. We'll get him to team up with us and kill him in the process. Hopefully 12 girl will die of grief.'

I doubt that, I think. So she looked embarrassed and flattered in the interviews. I know a bluff when I see one. But they convinced Cato…

Cato leans in even closer to me. 'How did you get that seven, girly?' he hisses, 'What are you hiding from me?'

I remain stubbornly silent. He raises his hand and for a moment I think he's going to slap me. Then he thinks better of it and his hand drops to his side. 'I warn you,' he whispers, you're dead girly.' He closes both of his hands around my neck. I shiver. 'You're dead as shit out there.' And he lets me go, narrows his eyes again and paces out of the room.

I hear Fesh telling him he was a very long time. I hear Cato pushing past her, his feet thudding down the Hall way. I'm still shivering when Fesh pokes her head around the door to tell me that the next visitors' coming.

I hardly have high hopes this time but luckily, it's not another Tribute. It's Reed. I wonder why he didn't talk to me after dinner if he wanted to say something. He walks quickly in, shutting the door behind him and then sits down on my bed beside me. His hands are clasped in his lap and he turns to face me. He looks at me for a long time. He doesn't look angry. He doesn't look as if he's going to break some big news to me. He doesn't look as if he's going to say anything at all. He just looks at me.

I look back. We stay like that for a long time. I listen to the ticking of the clock as we look at each other, unsure what to do, what to say. So I just sit there, looking back at him. Suddenly he grasps my arms with his hands. His arms are shaking and his grip is tight. I start in surprise and look down at his trembling hands.

'Rue, look at me,' he says sharply, but not angrily. I bring my face up to look into his grey eyes again; oddly pleased he has finally called me by my name and not 'girly.'

He holds my gaze for a few seconds then lowers his head, his eyes squeezed shut. 'I'm sorry,' he whispers, 'I'm sorry, Rue. I can't tell you what – it's the game makers, your seven…the whole thing, it's not right. I'm sorry I can't… you listen. In the arena…' he breaks off and lets go of my arms to bring them to his face for a few seconds. Then he looks up at me seriously. 'I'm sorry,' he says finally and then leaves the room as quickly as Cato did. It seems like the wrong time to think about things like this but I'm getting very annoyed with people just getting up and walking out on me leaving me with a mountain of things to think about. Somebody else comes into my room.

'What was that about?' enquires Fesh as if it were her business.

'My strategy,' I reply dryly. I can tell that Reed doesn't want me to repeat what he said. Fesh shrugs and leaves.

I lie down on my bed, sighing deeply. I close my eyes and think about everything I have just been told. I can't link any of it with anything else. It doesn't make sense. Cato stays at the back of my mind, but I'm focusing on Reed at the moment. What was he talking about? Finally I give up and my thoughts wander over memories of home and District 11until I fall asleep.