Please don't kill me for taking forever to write such a short chapter! I've been suffering from some severe writers block lately. But I saw that I actually got favorites and follows, so I felt pretty guilty and forced this one out. I enjoyed writing this one just because I already know what I'm going to do for the next chapter, so you can expect that one a lot sooner than you got this one! I do know that this chapter isn't particularly exciting or wonderful or anything, but it's just to hold you until the good stuff comes along. Enjoy :)
Both tributes from District One are dead.
Both tributes from District One are dead because of Rue and Finch.
If Rue never pointed out that tracker jacker nest, I would have just sat in that tree, thinking of ways to escape, listening while the Careers discuss ways to kill me.
If Finch never threw me my bow, I would probably be dead. I could have run away, but Careers don't give up, especially on a tribute they're so set on killing.
The number of tributes is dropping and the victor will be crowned soon, but I'm going to try to prolong the life of this alliance until I absolutely have to break it. I don't want any of us dying at the hands of someone we trust, but I can't bear to leave them, especially Rue, the little girl who reminds me so much of Prim, who stayed with me when I was passed out from the tracker jacker venom , and who didn't know if I would kill her when I woke up.
Rue and Finch sit on either side of me and we look at the trees. We have nothing to say. I guess we're just tired.
I turn my head to Rue, and I find her staring at a mockingjay with her eyes wide and focused. She seems to be extremely interested in it. I'm sure many people are surprised about how long she's lasted. She's done a very good job of portraying herself as fearless rather than fearful, and I think she's been trying to portray herself like that since her name was called at the Reaping. But her guard is completely down, she's zoned out, the act is dropped, and now when I think about leaving her, I feel sick.
I look at Finch, and I expect to find her in a similar state, but I don't. Instead she's smiling up at the sky, and I think I hear her laugh a little. Maybe being trapped here has turned her mad, or maybe she's truly happy, although I think anyone who could be happy in this situation could be considered mad anyways.
The bird Rue's looking at flies away, and she finally breaks the silence. "Are you alright, Katniss? You know, what happened with the boy from District One."
According to Finch I have a black eye, which I don't doubt from the pain, and there's some bruising on my jaw. I'm not surprised I wasn't sent anything. Then again, I guess there isn't much to be done to heal it right now other than to wait and let it heal by itself.
"I'm fine," I lie.
I turn around and look behind a bush where we've been hiding all of our food.
"We're running out," I sigh. "There's barely any more plants to pick in here."
Finch turns to me and smiles. "Yes, there is."
"The tributes from Two and the boy from Three have this giant pyramid," she continues. "It's full of their supplies."
"By the lake?" Rue chimes in. "I've seen it before."
"It's how I've been surviving," Finch says. "When I can't find berries, I steal from it. Not enough that they would notice, but just enough to help me last a little longer."
"So what are you saying?" I ask.
"I'm saying that we're going to steal their food."
I look over to Rue to see what she thinks about it. Her face glows with excitement.
"Sounds like a plan. How are we going to do it?" I ask Finch.
"The boy from District Three dug up the landmines that they used during the countdown so we couldn't step off of our plates," she explains. "He re-armed them and they set up a trap to protect their food, but there's a way around it, obviously. I observed for a while, and I learned how to steal without exploding."
"But how have you done it without them seeing you?" asks Rue.
"I either do it while they sleep or while they're out looking for some more tributes to kill. See, that's the thing with them. They think that no one in the arena would dare to try to take their food, and even if someone did try, the landmines would go off. They don't think there's anyone smarter than them, so they don't care," Finch says. "They did begin to notice their supplies were lower than they should be, though. I think they may have started keeping watch at night."
"So how are we going to get past them?" Rue asks.
"You could set a fire," I suggest. "They'll probably see the smoke and head towards it."
Rue nods.
"We can blow it up, and they'll starve," she smiles. "We're better at finding food than they are."
"And how are we going to do that without blowing ourselves up in the process?" Finch asks.
"I'm working on that part," Rue sighs.
"I can try to set it off," I say. "I'm sure I can shoot something that'll make it blow up."
"So it's settled, then," Finch grins.
"When are we doing it?" I ask.
"Now, I guess," she says, standing up and brushing off her pants.