I know this chapter isn't the best, but I think it'll do. I've never actually written a chapter/scene like this before, so it was a little strange. I've gotten lovely reviews from all of you, and now I write in fear of letting someone down! All is well, though, it makes me want to keep going. Hopefully you like it! Enjoy.

Rue, Finch and I sit around the pile of food, and we eat the groosling I shot and the berries Finch managed to find. Rue got us some extra food with her slingshot. It wasn't a lot, but it was something. Even though it made her uncomfortable, I insisted Rue eats the most. She's very small to begin with, and she's losing too much weight.

It's obvious Rue doesn't trust Finch too much. Every time she's around, Rue stares at either me or the ground. I try to tell her that it's okay, that Finch is alright, and that she isn't going to hurt us. Rue doesn't believe me. Maybe there's something about her that she sees that I don't. I'm normally not a very trusting person, but I trust Finch.

Last night was her first night with me and Rue, and I stayed as awake as I could. I tried to keep myself alert as possible in fear that she may just kill us while we sleep, in our most vulnerable state, and run away. But she didn't. She had the perfect opportunity to kill us and take off, and she didn't take it.

I understand why Rue doesn't trust her, though. She's been forced in to an arena with 23 other people, all older than her, and they're all determined to win.

Rue has been staring at the ground for a couple minutes now. Finch takes notice of this, and I think she realizes that it's because of her.

"Rue?" Finch says, in a soothing tone. It sounds like how I would talk to Prim. "Are you alright?"

Rue looks up suddenly, fear etched across her face.

"Don't you think if I was going to hurt you I would have by now?" Finch asks, with a hint of laughter in her voice.

I look towards Rue and nod. "It's alright."

Rue still seems worried, despite my efforts to make her a little more comfortable.

Finch begins to ask her questions about District 11 and herself in attempt to diffuse the awkwardness between them.

I don't listen, though. I look at the ground and zone out, and I only hear "Barnette." Maybe that's Rue's last name. All I can think about is Finch's voice, and how much it reminded me of how I talk to Prim when she's upset. I wonder how she feels right now, watching me play this horrific game.

I know Gale is taking good care of her, but even though I'm currently in the worst situation I could possibly be in, I still worry about my little duck.

I'm brought back to reality by footsteps in the distance and a rustle in the grass. Rue and Finch seem to have noticed it, too. Within seconds, standing before me is a tall, skinny boy with green eyes that stare directly in to mine, like he's trying to dig holes in to them, with a spear in his hand.

Marvel has found us, and he's going to kill us.

I pull an arrow out of my sheath and ready my bow. Rue's slingshot won't do us any good right now, and Finch has no weapon at all. I'm the only one who has a chance of taking down Marvel.

Finch is by my side, and I take a second to look at her. There's no urgency to flee in her eyes, only a display of strength and fearlessness. Rue was smart enough to hide behind a tree once she heard him coming.

Marvel comes closer, prepared and ready to kill. Even though I know it wasn't even a second, I feel like he was staring at us for an hour before he threw the spear. He has it perfectly aimed at my throat and the only thing I can do is duck down, so I do. I feel the metal of the spear graze the top of my head as it passes over me.

I can't tell if the look he's giving me is full of confusion or anger. I don't think he's ever missed a target before, and I know he's not very smart, so I decide it's a mix of both.

He runs at me, but I shoot an arrow in to his right arm bringing him to a full stop. He pulls it out, and a small stream of blood begins pouring from his forearm. Marvel lets out a groan and continues towards me, and I shoot a glance at Finch. She nods, as if she knows what I'm about to do.

I turn and run deeper in to the trees. I'm running as fast as I can, and Marvel is picking up speed. I hear something fly through the air, but before I have time to think about what it could possibly be, he knocks me to the ground and flips me over to face him. He has me pinned by my shoulders now, and I see a spear fly over our heads. In my peripheral vision, Finch is standing breathless, her eyes wide in both panic and defeat. I don't know what she thought she was doing throwing the spear - she should have known she wouldn't be able to hit Marvel.

He brings back his good arm to punch me, leaving the arm I shot to keep me pressed to the ground, and I think of every way I could injure him to escape. My sheath fell off when I was running, so I can't pull out an arrow and stab him with it.

His fist slams against my jaw, then my right eye, then my right eye again. The blood from his arm is trickling on to my shoulder, and I try to focus on that feeling instead of the pain. He punches me again, but by that time I've calmed down enough to figure something out.

When he brings back his arm to punch me again, I quickly sit up and press my palms to the ground, which keeps me from falling back down. I twist my torso towards the left so his hand slips off of my shoulder, and I bend my right leg and kick it up towards my chest so it hits him in the stomach. I punch him where his right arm bends, and I pull myself in to a ball so I can roll out from under him.

Finch bends down and throws me my bow and arrow. Marvel is still on the floor in pain, so I run over to her.

"Run!" I tell her.

"I'm not lea-" she protests, but I cut her off.

"Finch, please!" I beg. "I can take him! I need you to go make sure Rue is safe! If someone attacks her, she won't have a chance. Please."

Finch turns and runs in the other direction, and by this time, Marvel has brought himself to his feet.

I aim for his neck and shoot.

I don't miss.

He falls back on to his knees, and then on to his face. I lower my bow and stare at him as his breathing slows.

Boom.