Since I woke up I had quite a bad feeling in my gut. Something was going to happen this day.
I slept very well after I saw that the canon wasn't for Peeta. Chocolate may have taken away my mind for a while and make me relaxed, but then the fear and worry for him returned. Sometimes I wonder if there wasn't something wrong with me that I spend nights cuddled to someone who hurt him, nearly fatally. But if I were to hold grudge against everyone in these games that did something I disagree with, I would have to be alone. Deep down I even hoped that Vale's face would appear. I nearly forgot about him.
I was eating some oatmeal or what it was with careers as breakfast. It wasn't very good, but was supposed to be full of nutrients. My taste buds were thankful for the change of taste, having eaten nearly only chocolate last few days.
I looked around myself. It was a nice day. The sun was shining and the wind was almost nonexistent. I sighed unhappily after I finished by bowl.
Marvel, who sat next to me, looked up and asked, "What's up?"
"Balloon castles with mushroom queen." I said, stretching the words, my mind trying to come up with the strangest thing it could muster and laid down on my back, putting my hands under my head.
I could hear Marvel choking on his breakfast. "What did you just say?" He said shocked and coughed again.
"I don't know." I drawled. "I'm bored. There's nothing to do around here." I complained.
"Don't you know any game?" I asked hoping the answer will be positive.
"No."
"You're boring." I said and turned to lay on my stomach. I could have drowned in the boredom I was in. My fingers started threading the grass around me and without a second thought I started braiding it. It wasn't going well, but I immersed myself in this task without noticing what was going around me, It was quite amusing. Finding unusual interest in something so silly. I had already about four braids laid next to a new one I was in progress of making.
Just then Marvel's face popped in my view. His brown hair was tousled and messy, his eyes focused on my fingers.
"I'm bored." He confessed, his chin touching the grass. He stuck out his tongue when one grass blade tickled his nose.
"You're like a puppy." I said. He raised his green brown eyes in shock. He did indeed look like a puppy.
"Me a puppy? Please, don't make me laugh." He said brushing of my previous comment.
"I would have thought that arena will be more adventurous than this." I said finishing the fifth final braid.
"It surely won't be for long. People would get bored without us killing each other." He said taking one braid that I held out to him. I took the ends and tied it around his wrist.
"Maybe I'm stupid, but I don't see anything interesting about that." I commented.
"You're not stupid." Marvel said. "You're just weird." He grinned, thanked me for the grass bracelet and stood up. "Well I better be off. Got some people to make them love me." And walked away.
I cocked my eyebrow and sat on the grass. I picked the rest of the bracelets and looked around the camp to give them to other people. I put the bracelets in the pocket of my jacket and put my hands on my hips looking around. Everyone was at the makeshift shelter, that provided some protection from the sun. My eyes travelled above the trees, squinting when they were met with the sun.
I went to them and plopped down on the blankets, leaning into Cato's chest, his legs around me like arms of a chair. He didn't look surprised at my actions, continuing the conversation without a blink of an eye. I listened closely to figure what the were talking about.
"I think there is about 10 left, if I'm not wrong." Said Clove.
"I think it's actually 11 guys." Added Marvel. Clove looked at him sharply and said, "I didn't see you keeping count."
"Neither did I see you." Bit back Marvel. I was watching their bickering with an amused eyes.
"Cut it out." Said Cato and their mouths shut. I grabbed his hand and tried tying the braid across his wrist. "An exact number won't help us anyway." He reasoned and pressed his wrist to his leg, so I could tie the ends together.
"We should start eliminating them one by one. Starting today. We should go at night just as we did at the start." Suggested Cato shaking his wrist to let the braid find it's own place.
"At night should be good." Mused Marvel. "Maybe we should sometimes try in the early hours of the morning. Most of the tributes would be dead asleep." Suggested Marvel.
His lips turned into a grin and he said, "See what I did there? 'Dead' asleep." He said, looking proud of himself. Clove rolled her eyes, but smirked anyway.
Marvel sighed, obviously pleased with himself. He caught me looking at him entertained. He winked and checked the horizon. It was really nice just sitting around, talking, minus the matter that were talking about. I leaned my head back, watching Cato. The gentle breeze in the air was playing with his blonde hair that grew a bit since the start of the games. He looked down at me and turned the corners of his mouth down, making it look like from my point of view as a smile, his chin his second nose. I laughed and stuck my tongue out at him, crossing my eyes.
"Guys, guys!" Shouted Marvel. I looked at him. He was pointing to the forest. "Check it out!" he said excited. I turned my head to see what he was talking about.
A white smoke was drifting to the sky from the thick forest.
"What the hell?" I muttered. I turned to look if they spotted the smoke too. Cato had his eyes trained at the same spot as mine were before they flashed back to mine. He stood up, pulling me with him and he grabbed the sword that was lying next to him. He didn't even have to gesture others to do so, since they were already prepared for the fights, their weapons of choice in their hands.
His voice rang through the clearing, strong and unwavering, "You two stay here. Guard the supplies and keep an eye out. Don't mess up." He said, the last three words directed at Jeremy who came closer as soon as he spotted the smoke too. Jeremy nodded, but I was left annoyed a bit. Why two of us again?
When he saw my face, he rolled his blue eyes. "Yes you'll stay here. Don't forget what I said the last time." He said and signalled Clove and Marvel to go after the smoke. First sign of danger and I should hide. I got it last time, he doesn't have to say it again.
Despite my annoyance and unwillingness to comply to what he said I hugged him tightly. I felt him kiss the top of my head, wrapping me tightly in is arms. "You better return whole." I said. He chuckled before running after them without 'yes' or at least nodding his head in affirmation.
I scowled after their retreating features. "Here. You should take this." Jeremy was handing me a knife. The last time I talked to him was when we were left alone and I instantly felt bad. He tried to avoid the careers as much as possible, keeping himself to the outer ring of the camp.
I thanked him and put the knife behind my belt, adjusting it so that it won't stab me unexpectedly. Jeremy had a spear in his hand, ready for anything. I though we will take stances and be ready and alert if anything were to happen, but instead of that Jeremy sat down tiredly on the log behind him and leaned on his spear.
I looked at him surprised. Without Cato around he was a lot more relaxed albeit cocky, being freed from the constant lingering threat of messing something up resulting in angering Cato.
Just then a flash of orange flashed through the clearing, making my heart stop for a moment.
A single name appeared in my mind. Vale. My pupils dilated from fear and I felt my body tense.
But then when I watched the running figure a few seconds longer I realized that the person was too small and that the hair was much longer then his. I relaxed a bit but I still stayed alert. Jeremy was startled that someone dared to cross the clearing and went after the figure, checking fo any other tributes.
I felt useless just standing there, so I went behind the pile, trying to be on guard. I had no idea what I was supposed to do. I kept checking on Jeremy who was still lingering at the border of the forest if anything new was going around.
Just as my heart rate started slowing down, a whizzing sound went past my ears and ended with a twang. I spun around searching for the object that caused it when a something silver caught my eyes. I went closer to it, tugging the end from the ground.
I brought the object closer to my face.
"Arrow." I whispered to myself. The only person I knew had arrows was Glimmer, but she was already dead. And the only other person I knew that could handle a bow was Katniss.
I slowly went back to my place in moderate distance from the pile and our makeshift camp, my eyes searching my surroundings looking for any possible sign of a hiding tribute. I saw Jeremy walking back to the camp, having no luck with the tribute.
Another whizzing sound reached my ears and this time I turned around just in time to see a flash of silver in the corner of my eyes. My eyes widened involuntarily at what I was seeing.
The sack of apples that I was facing yesterday when I was stuck at the top of the supplies was now torn open.
I watched in horror as the first apple came tumbling down the boxes, the rest of the sack following.
My mind screamed at me to run, but my body was too slow at taking orders and by the time I finally turned around from the pyramid of supplies, it exploded.
A giant blast of energy lifted my body in the air and threw it away, tossing me to the ground far away. I hit my head, my back scorching from the heat that was lingering in the air. The buzzing, low humming in my ears prevented me from hearing the burned supplies crashing to the ground around me, my eyes offering me a visual of what was happening around me.
I don't know how long I stayed on the ground, disoriented, hearing nothing, except light snippets of muffled noise that I couldn't identify.
I stood up, supporting myself with my hands that were angry red in some places. My knees were shaky, yet strangely strong. I didn't waver to the ground. I looked around myself, seeing the black boxes around me, the grey plastic containers melted, their insides black.
The strange noises continued, but they were so quiet that I didn't pay any attention to them.
I checked my hands, than my arms but as soon as I wanted to raise them higher, my back protested, especially my shoulders. I turned my head a bit, my eyes found immediately a black scorched piece of jacket, revealing angry red burned skin, a few pieces of debris stuck in it. I hissed, at least I think I did, because I didn't hear it.
The muffled noise became even quieter when the pounding in my head became more prominent. I gingerly raised my hand to the left side of my skull, gently touching my palm against the place where I hit my head. I didn't feel any pain, which I was glad for, thinking I escaped just with a lump and a small headache. Just when I pulled my hand away, I noticed it was covered in blood, few drops falling to the ground.
I kept staring at my hand disbelieving, touching the same place with my other hand, still not feeling any pain. But even the other hand came down red, my blood slick and strangely warm on my fingers.
Odd.
Two hands suddenly grabbed my arms. I shrieked from the shock and slight pain. I could hear the sound slightly in my ears, though my mind served as a second ears, creating the sound in my brain. The hands turned me around harshly and quickly, spinning me in my spot.
A frenzied blue eyes found mine confused ones. Instead of calming down, they started jumping form one place on my body to another one, cataloguing every injury.
I kept watching his eyes, not aware of the fact that his mouth was moving also. Just when he shook my frame I realized he wanted me to say something, but I didn't know what since I haven't heard him.
Cato gripped my bloodied hands in one of his, his thumb smearing the blood even more than it was. His other hand came to my face, cradling my cheek, wiping the tears that suddenly leaked from my eyes. I saw his lips moving constantly. And even I didn't hear what, just some mumbling, it relaxed me a bit more.
"..her... I... won't fogiv...hurt... Never again.. " I caught a few of these words spilling from his mouth. My left corner of my mouth turned upwards at hearing slighty again.
He went to put his arm around my shoulders, but I quickly corrected him and placed it on my waist. He realized his mistake, forgetting for a quick moment the burn on my shoulder, that was stinging like crazy. He guided me to the camp. Or at least what was left of it.
Clove was kicking angrily to the burned supplies, gripping the silver arrow in her small hand. The black material was flung to every direction around her, her mouth shouting angry words too far away from me to hear her and understand what she was saying.
Marvel was closer to us and when he saw me, his face paled and he rushed to us.
"Are you hurt?" He asked concerned, his hand suspended in the air not knowing where to touch me, my hearing returning to normal.
"I have been better." I answered as Cato sat me down on the blanket that was mostly untouched by the blaze from the explosion.
"What kind of a dumb-ass question was that Marvel?" Asked Cato agitated, looking for something. The burning on my hand lessened to uncomfortable tingling, but the burn on my shoulder was still hurting me. At least the cut on my head was numb.
"Help me find the first aid." Cato ordered and they started searching.
"I know we had it somewhere here." Cato was muttering under his breath as he was hurriedly sorting through the boxes.
"Where's Jeremy?" I asked, his name suddenly appearing in my mind. He should have been relatively safe. He was quite far away from the pile, so he shouldn't be hurt much. My eyes searched for his figure, but I was unable to find him.
When I mentioned his name, Cato froze. So did Marvel. They shared a glance together that went unnoticed by me.
I saw a jacket that belonged to him not very far away from the camp. I made a move to stand up but Marvel was holding me down.
"Let me go!" I said, pulling on his arms. He didn't even budge while Cato was looking for the first aid. "I want to got to see him.." I trailed off. Marvel kept his eyes cast down. I wanted to look him in the face as an unspoken question hung in the air. I didn't hear the canon. But I couldn't even have.
"Is he okay?" I asked, my voice just a mere whisper. The reorganizing of boxes ceased and I turned to look at Cato. He was looking at Marvel, a wordless conversation between them. He looked down at his hands, that were grasping a smaller white box.
"He's dead." Answered Marvel in flat voice. "Something hit him in the head. Most probably something from the explosion." He explained, Cato's eyes still on his big hands. Then they travelled from his hands to my face, settling on my eyes. I leaned into him, not caring that he had his hands full.
Tears started flowing down my face, completely silent. I was sorry that I didn't know him better to sob for him heart wrenchingly.
Cato gave the box to Marvel, who popped the lid open and looked for something for the burn on my shoulder and the cut on my head. With his hands now free, he cradled me closer to him as my tears soaked his red shirt. He started rocking me gently back and forth, calming me down.
Clove came to us in that moment. I looked at her. I saw how furious she was. Seething, her eyes burning. She didn't have the arrow anymore in her hand, having it thrown away in a fit of rage.
She looked at me and worry flashed through her eyes.
"How are you feeling?" She asked and Marvel tore the jacket open with a small knife. It was ruined anyway.
I shrugged my shoulders and she gave me an understanding smile. She crouched, out bodies forming a circle. "Still a better question than Marvel's." I said. " 'Are you hurt?' No, I just happen to be bleeding without any injuries." I joked, my cheeks still wet from the tears. "And I'll have to wash my hair again. What a nuisance."
"Hey!" I said suddenly. "Where went Sally after an explosion?" I asked, waiting to hear a chorus of 'where?' except Cato wasn't paying attention and Clove was staring at the scorch marks with a frown on her fcae. Only Marvel was looking at me.
"Everywhere." I said, laughing at my own joke.
"Knock, knock." Said Marvel.
"Who's there?" I asked.
"Not Sally." He said and we both burst out laughing. Clove smiled a little, sighing and looking around herself with a frown on her face.
"There isn't nearly anything left. We have to figure something out." She said to Cato. He had a frown on his face, his lips pressed to a tight line.
Marvel applied the first layer on the burn, making me hiss. "Ouch." He rolled his eyes and continued. It was stinging more, but the pain soon subdued to an uncomfortable itch.
"I know." Said Cato. "We still have something around here, but it won't last us even two days." He grumbled.
I remembered something I did few days ago. I shot up from my position, my back straight. "Keep still, will you." Said Marvel, his coated fingers in the air as I moved suddenly.
"Oh shut up." I said back to him. "Ughh guys. I have to tell you something." I said, capturing their attention. Suddenly all eyes were on me.
I wiggled under their gazes. "Why are you all looking at me. It's making me nervous." I said.
Cato raised his eyebrows, amused at my discomfort. " I though you wanted to say something."
I huffed, crossing my arms across my chest. "I did."
"I'll rather show you." I said and stood up. Marvel cursed under his breath as his fingers stayed in the air again.
I started walking to the forest line avoiding Jeremy's body. "You know how I told you that you were an idiot for putting all the supplies in one place?" Cato nodded in affirmation, other following us. We entered the forest, greenery surrounding us. The air was a lot nicer here. Fresh and clean, without the distinct smell of ash and burned stuff all over.
"I still stand by that. But then when you left, I went behind your back." I said, walking deeper into the forest, looking for a torn branch stuck on two other sturdier branches. The leaves were withered, having lost their source of nutrients. I went to that tree, bending to the bushes next to it revealing few boxes of the familiar grey and black color.
After we got all the boxes back to the camp, we sorted them though and put most of things we need into backpacks. Marvel finished fixing my shoulder and my head, satisfied that this time I wasn't wiggling around. We then moved to the Cornucopia. The grass around it was green, baring no sign of the Blood Bath from the start of the Games. I still remember how Cato told me to fly away or he'll cut my wings of. Or something along those lines. Fun times.
"We should start looking for the rest of the tributes." Said Clove after she checked her backpack.
Cato stopped for a while, thinking over her suggestion."I agree, we can't wait any longer. And it's better to start now. We have an element of surprise. Most of them think we aren't doing good and that we're weaker, having lost most of the supplies." He pondered.
"What do you say?" He asked the others. Clove nodded immediately, it being practically her idea and Marvel followed shortly after her.
"So we'll go now?" Asked Marvel.
"I think we should." Said Cato in deep voice. He then looked at me and opened his mouth to say something but I bet him to it.
"No! Just no." I said vehemently. "I won't let you order me to stay behind and perhaps climb a tree or hide somewhere else and then come back, if you will, and fetch me like a luggage." I protested, against the idea of being left alone.
Cato had an amused smile on is lips. "I wasn't planning that. " He said, surprising me. "I wanted to say that we should divide in two teams." He said.
Clove and Marvel looked a bit taken back but didn't seem to have any problem with that.
"Okay." I agreed. "But who will be in with who?" I asked. Cato gave me a disbelieving look and I caught up on what he meant. Clove did too and said, "I don't think it's such a good idea." She said practically voicing my thoughts.
"I agree with her." I moved to stand next to her her head coming nearly only to my chin. "You two have worked together for years. No matter how good she and Marvel are, they aren't used to working together. You are. And it makes no sense for the teams to be any different."
Cato scowled and I added. "Besides, you an me to gether would be a catastrophe." He knew it was useless to argue. I was right and he knew it. "Just know that the fact I'm going along with it means that I approve of it at the same time." He said.
"I never thought you would." I said with a smile on his face. "So see you later? Maybe after the showdown at night?" I suggested.
After having said brief goodbyes, we parted our ways. I refused to say goodbyes too long and too heartfelt when we'll see each other later, right? I hoped so and I made myself believe that. We left the big backpacks hidden around the clearing, only having with ourselves the necessities.
I was walking through the forest with Marvel quietly. I was stepping gently on the ground trying not to make much noise. We were walking nearly half an hour already without finding any tribute.
I had a knife ready in hand, Marvel his spear. If we weren't in games, it would be like on a touristic in forest, exploring the country. The arena takes the most normal things and transforms them, that even when you leave it unwillingly stays with you and you won't be able to get rid of it.
The singing of birds was keeping the atmosphere a bit relaxed, perhaps even uplifting. But the bird's singing changed after a while, repeating itself over nad over again. I furrowed my forehead, looking at Marvel if he noticed it too.
"Is that a.." Marvel didn't finish the question. Instead of that, he whistled the same melody. I nodded, lost for words. It was strange.
A shrill scream echoed through the forest and we both tensed. Marvel crouched lower, ready for an attack, but nothing happened.
"Katniss!" Someone screamed. The voice had to belong to a small girl.
"Rue." As her name went out of my mouth, she screamed Katniss's name again. Marvel took off, quickly disappearing between the green forestry. I was suddenly aware of every single noise around me, making it sound like someone's footsteps. Hair at the back of my neck stood up just as on my arms. Memory pushed the encounters with Vale into my mind telling me that he caught up on me most of the time when I was alone or had no one to protect me.
I knew that Marvel didn't go to there to chat with Katniss. No. He was there to get rid of one perhaps two from the remaining tributes. But I'll take that rather then the possibility of meeting my nightmare.
"Katniss!" Her desperate scream sounded closer to me with every hurried step I made. My heart went out for her and my mind was already putting together sentences for Marvel that would stop him from killing her.
Her scream wasn't heard any longer and I stopped, confused for a while in which direction I should go.
After about a minute I got to a clearing when I saw something that made me halt my steps.
Rue, the small, tiny girl that had the largest eyes and the most beautiful hair was pulling a spear from the chest. She dropped it to the ground, her body following. that's when I noticed Katniss. She was next to her, catching her body, hugging her.
I stood there in shock, wanting to help Rue but angry at Katniss. All hose thought came to an abrupt stop when I recalled that the spear had be thrown by someone.
My eyes right away jumped to the fallen figure on the forest floor as if they knew he was there all along. I suddenly found myself next to him, having not even realized that my feet moved.
"Marvel." I said. "Marvel!" I said louder, my hands reaching out shaking his shoulder. The silver arrow lodged in his stomach made me curl my lip in anger and sorrow.
Tears began to build up in my eyes, shaking him stronger.
"MArvel." I hissed, my voice breaking slowly.
A sob was heard in the forest followed by a canon. But it wasn't mine. Katniss was bent of Rue's small body, a pitiful sound leaving her throat as she cried out her grief.
A canon. Without thinking of crying over Rue, I began shaking Marvel even more.
His cannon wasn't heard yet.
"MARVEL!" I shouted at him, taking my hands and slapping him across his face. His head lolled in my direction, his eyes staying closed.
I was at the point of loosing it all together, with Marvel staying unmoving and Katniss's cries.
"Hey." A quiet voice reached my ears. I had to strain them to hear it. They were still a tiny bit numb from the explosion.
"Marvel!" I exclaimed happily and threw my arms around him. He coughed a bit, a small laugh mixing in with the sound. I leaned back to look him in the face and saw few drops of blood on his lips. I looked down on my shirt saw another splatter of blood. His blood.
"MArvel. Listen to me. I'm going to get you out of this." I said and moved to his stomach where the arrow was sticking out. Blood was pooling around the puncture.
"I didn't want to." He said. "It wasn't meant for her." I looked back into his face and saw that his eyes were glistening. He was apologizing.
"Stop that. You'll have time for that later." I reprimanded him, my hands fluttering around the arrow, not knowing what to do.
"I'm sorry." He said again, his face slowly loosing color..
"Shut up!" I suddenly screamed at him."Sut up and tell me what to do. I can't- I can't loose- loose you." I said, my voice breaking at the end, my wrist weighting me down, the bracelet from Morris burning me.
"You're like my brother." I confessed.
"If it was like that, we would have driven our mother crazy." He whispered, lacking the energy to talk out loud.
"Who else would compliment my dance moves if not you? Who will take care of me and act like a dog?" I said, sniffling into his shirt.
His chest heaved up and down repeatedly untill I realized that he was chuckling. Blood slowly trickled from his mouth like a sand clock, taking away his time.
I don't know why it was that moment. Perhaps juts because I saw right my eyes that his time was running out that I snapped.
"BASTARDS!" I screamed into the sky, into the crowns of trees. I knew there was a camera somewhere. "THIS IS FUN FOR YOU? WATCH INNOCENT CHILDREN DIE?" I yelled, crying hysterically.
"SEND HIM SOMETHING!" I shouted, my eyes searching for a camera.
"JUST SEND SOMETHING! DON'T YOU EVER DARE TO CALL YOURSELF HUMANS AGAIN! I HOPE YOU ROT IN HELL YOU SCUM!" I screamed, my throat scratching.
"Who knew you had it yourself." Said Marvel, making my eyes snap to him. "Tell Clove and Cato that I'm sorry."
"You shut up as well" I snapped at him. "Shut the hell up. I once let someone down and let them leave and the hell like I'm doing it again. " I said, finally finding the courage to press my hands around the arrow, putting pressure on the wound trying to slow down the blood flow. Marvel hissed, blood finding it's way out from the other corner of his mouth.
My chest was contracting with every breath I took, unable to control my emotions.
His breathing was slowing down, the movement of his chest almost nonexistent. I lay there next to him in defeated position, my hands now laying limp on his stomach, wet, his blood warming them yet I felt so cold on the inside.
That's when the most beautiful sound reached my ear.s
The beeping of a sponsor;s gift.
I raised my head, watching the small silver parachute coming down. When it touched the ground I scurried on my knees to it, my finger finding the tiny door. It took me few times to try to open it, my fingers leaving red marks on it. When I opened it I found a small vial full of transparent liquid inside, a tiny slip of paper attached to it. I grasped the vial in my hand and went to Marvel.
When I got to him, I realized with a panick that his chest was no longer moving and that it was just a matter of time when the cannon will boom for him too.
I took the paper, a scrabble written there. I had trouble reading it but I understood that I'll at first will have to remove the arrow and pour the liquid on the wound, the rest making him swallow, then not move him at least half an hour. I put the vial next to his head and went to grabbed the arrow, but I couldn't grasp it properly, my hands too slick with blood.
A desperate cry left my lips when I tried to dry them on my pants. That's when I noticed the same arrow pointing at my head. I looked up and saw Katniss with her bow ready, her face stony, but tears were still falling from her eyes.
"It's not fair." She said, her voice broken and raspy from the crying. I looked away from her face to the still body of Rue.
I looked her back in the eyes. "It's not."
"Nothing's fair here." I added silently, her eyes watching me face. Our gazes met, both of our eyes red, teary, but determined to do what we told ourselves to.
"I can't allow you to do that. " She said, moving the tip of the arrow ever so just to pint at Marvel's body.
"And I can't allow you to stop me." And made a move to grasp the arrow agin. She took back her arm, the string of the bow stretching even more, her fingers quivering with the anticipation to shoot from the bow.
"Don't." She said, her voice resonating.
Without a blink of an eyes, I said, "Try me." And grasped the arrow. The blood I left on it earlier making it still slippery. With an anguished cry, a sob tore from my throat, finding no cure for the utter hopelessness that I was feeling. I didn't care about the gleaming silver arrow pointed at me. If it meant loosing another person that I was close to, then I deserved it.
My hands were slipping down the arrow, tears in my eyes blurring Marvel's body in front of me.
Warm hands grasped my own and I looked up in surprise. Katniss was on the other side of Marvel, her bow thrown across her back, her braid hanging in front of her face.
"Together." Hervoice was nothing more but a mere whisper., her eyes still steel grey.
Her clean hands grabbed the arrow and my own hands wrapped her own and together we pulled. If I was expecting a cry from Marvel, I didn't get one. Without waiting a second more I grabbed the vial poring half of it onto his wound,I sizzled, making angry noises. Then tilting his head back, opening his mouth. Katniss cradled his head on her knees, helping me so my hands could be free. I pressed the vial to his bloody lips and emptied it's contents in his mouth. Then I ran my hands down his throat to make him swallow the liquid.
I waited with a bated breath for any indication that he was alright.
After few second, Marvel took in a ragged breath.
The stone that weighed my heart dropped down, nearly making a noise. A relieved laugh escaped my lips, my eyes closing in bliss that was coursing through my body.
I looked back at Katniss, who had her face frozen.
"It's not fair." She repeated. her fingers scrubbing the blood that found it's way on her jacket.
I nodded. "Thank you". I said, finding no other words how to express my gratitude. She stood up, walking back to Rue's body. I went after her, knowing I couldn't move Marvel even if I wanted to. She walked past her, making her way to the beds of wild flowers.
She bent down a bit and started plucking them into a large bouquet. Without any words said between us, I started doing the same. The silence was solemn between us, but any other words would have broken the fragile peace and harmony we had now.
When we surrounded Rue with the white flowers, Katniss folded her hands and put the most beautiful ones in her hold. She looked angelic, laying there like that. I moved to take the fallen petal from her cheeks and I almost drew my hand right back at how cold she felt.
I let Katniss alone with her and went back to Marvel. He was breathing regularly, his face back to its normal color. He looked as if he were sleeping. I sat next to him, taking one of his hands into mine, closing my eyes in gratitude.
I whispered a quite 'thank you' to the cameras hidden around us.
When I opened my eyes, saw Katniss walking slowly away. After few steps she stopped, turned around looking for a cameras. She found one on a tree next to us.
She held up three of her fingers and I knew what she meant. Peeta told me about their customs of saying goodbye.
Her eyes went from the camera to me, the tiniest of smiles appearing on her lips, her three fingers still out.
I raised my hand in the same way as she.
Another hand appeared next to mind, with three fingers held up.
Marvel had his eyes half closed, a soft smile adorning his face.
And with that, Katniss left.
I looked back at Marvel, taking the sleeve of my jacket, cleaning the blood of his face. He was exhausted. My attention was solely on him, the crumpled piece of paper that was attached to the vial thrown away.
In that hurry I barely read the words and went to Marvel, desperate to safe his life, Morris's face flashing in the back of my mind.
If I had only taken a look on the other side, I would have seen something that wouldn't leave my mind easily. Something drawn in a hurry.
A mockingjay, with an arrow it it's beak.
On the arrowhead sitting a small butterfly.
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Hi!
A very big thank you to everyone who followed/favorited or even both: LightBlueRoses, dutchgirl123.
dutchgirl123: Hi! Thanks for the review, I'm glad that you like my story. Well, I can't reveal a lot, but I can tell you that shit will hit the fan. The ending is completely different then that in book/movie. And I yet haven't read anything like that, so I hope it will be something new. But I can tell you that I hate sad ends, so I can't kill off everyone. Just wait for the twists and susprises. I hope I won't dissapoint.
Guess what! The longest chapter eveeerr! And Marvel lives! Yay! I just couldn't let him go. I finally changed something, even though it's just a small thing. I hope that my changes won't discourage you from reading more. And I changed the picture and added something in the summary, because when I first put it there, I had no idea what I wanted there to be. And I still don't know how to write a proper summary. And I wanted to use that joke like forever. And I'm kind of nervous about posting this chapter.
Thanks for reading! And write a review if you have time. I appreciate them and get giddy over every single one. Even if it's just a few words, they still make me happy.
Lia (or Klaudia (: )