Games 8

I don't know how long it took to me to regain my sight, but it did come back, little by little, day by day. It was somewhat easy for the time I was laid up, eating the plants Rue deemed safe while Thresh watched over us. I lost count of how many times I thanked them, and honestly, I think they did too.

"It's nothing," Thresh snorted after I told him I was pretty much back to normal and then said I was internally grateful, "we've got to move."

I wondered why nothing had happened to us in the time I was in recovery. The Gamemakers must have been torturing Foxface and Cato...I hated to think of Peeta getting hurt as well. Sure enough, I learned that Foxface had narrowly escaped a flooding from the river she'd fund and that Cato was suffering from tracker jacker poisoning.

"He's weak and defenseless now," he spoke as we all made our way through the woods, "we need to find him and kill him off."

My head, in the meantime, was attempting to split open. I was stumbling along, feeling dizzy and nacious as I tried to keep my balance. Rue had an arm wrapped around my ribcage, helping my balance a bit, but she wasn't strong enough to hold us both up when she'd barely eaten. He hadn't either...they been giving their supplies to me.

I had to pay them back somehow. That's when my tongue passed over my sandy lips, and inspiration struck me. If I could find a water supply, one that wasn't flooded...

Suddenly, something whizzed by my head. I feared for another arrow, but then I noticed something: My braid was on fire.

Screaming, I dropped to the ground and rolled. That's when it dawned on me: We were walking right into a fire. Thresh suddenly had me slung over one shoulder, and the two of them were running for all of our lives. I clung weakly to him, squeezing shut my eyes. I was scared of fire ever since Father got blown to bits in that mine accident, and I felt so sick I had to will myself to not vomit.

I heard a scream of agony as Rue fell to her knees, her legs instantly catching. I watched with horror as she writhered in pain, kicking wildly and trying to put on her skin. Thresh was suddenly beating her with his fists, making his own hands catch but keeping me out of the flames licks. He grunted it agony as he pulled back, revealing his partner to be burned but alive.

That's when I fell off his shoulder.

"Holy..." I used an unrepeatable word as I woke up again. My back was obviously burned badly, and Rue was at my side, sleeping restlessly.

"Easy there," Thresh chuckled at bit, but his hands told a different story about what he felt inside. They didn't look like hands anymore: I could see the bone, the skin was permantley scalded, and blood dripped out of what was left his wrists.

His face was contorted in unmaskable pain, and he was forcing a chuckle. Half of his body looked just like his hands, and I choked out a sob. Scrambling up as fast as I could with a severley burnt back, I laid him down and tried to stop the blood. But he shook his hand, freezing me in place as he took a shuddering breath with a great deal of effort.

"They'll mess with your head and try and kill you," he gasped out, "you two are gonna be alright. I can feel it."

"Thresh...I have to save..." but tears were slipping down his face as he tried to shake his head without making his neck's weak, burnt-beyond-repair skin rip.

"Please...just look after her," his eyes pleaded his final request, and I nodded shakily. Another promise I had to do everything I possibly could to keep.

Touching his cheek gently, I sang the lullaby Katniss always sung to me to make me fall asleep.

Deep in the meadow, under the willow
A bed of grass, a soft green pillow

Lay down your head, and close your eyes
And when they open, the sun will rise

I smoothed down the grass to lay his head, smiling shakily.

Here it's safe, and here it's warm
Here the daisies guard you from every harm

I let my hand stroke his cheek, lightly and comofrortingly. He had to feel safe in his final minutes.

Here your dreams are sweet–
–and tomorrow brings them true
Here is the place where I love you.

Yes, I loved him. Just like the brother he now was to me. He smiled for a final time and closed his eyes. I hummed, not knowing the rest of the words and repeating the chorus softly.

"Primrose..." his lips moved as he managed my name, but then he stopped. He was gone into the next life far away, and I sobbed softly into his chest as the cannon fire.

I laid beside Rue and held her close. No matter what, she had to live. I wouldn't lose her like I lost him.

And that was the third promise I whispered in her ear as she slept.