The night drags on, and once again the Careers are on their feet. They've been deprived of blood, and they're feasting on screams.
Rue tended to Peeta's bloody knuckles after his breakdown. Haymitch tended to my sanity after my mental breakdown.
But no, I will not let them break me.
For now, Rue was cuddled up against Peeta in the cave. But Peeta wasn't sleeping, he was simply holding her in her sleep. In the darkness, I can barely make out his face, but I swear that I saw a tear trickle down his face.
With that one gesture, my heart broke all over again.
Did he really think that he wasn't going to win? He had a chance, he knows that! He's so close, but still so far.
During the night hunting under the stars, the Careers had no luck, and went back to the Cornucopia. These Games were exhilarating at first, but I can tell that the audience is getting bored.
Peeta is getting better, he can bear to wear his shirt and jacket now without screaming in agony. Sponsors have come to offer their money to help him get better faster, but Haymitch and I decided that it's better to leave that for when he most needs it.
Dawn breaks the dark of the night the Careers have set off once again. Vailea seems to have taken charge of the group and instructs Marvel to stay at the camp, because apparently Cato and her think that he's useless, despite receiving a nine in training.
Like the Careers, Peeta and Rue head off in the woods as well, but not before building a wall that camouflages the entrance to it.
The initial plan of theirs was that Rue would go out to forge for food, but Peeta was persistent at not letting his little ally go alone. He pleaded with her for at least half an hour until she caved in.
Now Rue is leaping from tree to tree like the bird that she is, while Peeta softy laughs walking underneath it. I think it's the first time that he's laughed in the arena, but I can't blame it, that place sucks the life out of everyone. Literally.
Once in a while, Peeta stops to pick up a thin fallen branch to make a spear, since his old one burned in the forest fire. With it, he has been able to get at least three rabbits.
Foxface has not made an appearance at all, it's almost as if she wasn't even in the arena at all. But she's clever, and I know that she's probably in a very secluded area, planning out her devious plots to outwit the rest of her competitors.
It's something that you don't really see in the Games. It's kind of refreshing.
Back with Vailea, she is trekking through the woods with Cato by her side, they aren't talking, they hardly ever do when they're out in the woods. It must be unfamiliar territory for them even though they've been in the Games for at least a week now, because most of that time they spent at the Cornucopia, healing. I know that they are fearless, I'm aware that they are ruthless, but naturally, they also have their own fears. But the Careers like to make people believe that they are indestructible, which in fact is not the case. They are just as destructible as the rest of their opponents.
They've travelled at least a mile radius from the horn, and yet they have found nothing and no one. I can see that both of them are getting frustrated and agitated.
Cato grunts and pulls his hair, "Where the hell are they?"
Vailea looks irritated, "I don't know! How should I? If I knew then I would've told you!"
He begins to laugh mercilessly, "Oh, being smartass huh? I think that you should watch your tongue before I can cut it off."
Vailea snarls at him but she shuts her mouth, obviously knowing the sincerity in his words and his capability of acting on them.
But Cato proceeds to taunt her, oblivious to the fact that she has withdrawn from the conversation.
"I mean, it will be simple, seeing as you're not capable in defending yourself. You offend, but you can't defend. No matter how much you say to yourself that you're going to win, you really won't seeing as you're too weak, I mean, who's going to take you seriously? So just give it up Vailea, even if we took you in, you're not strong enough to win this thing, so do yourself a fa-,"
Cato stops mid-sentence, his eyes widening in shock and he gasps for air. And he falls to the ground with a knife in his back.
But he's still alive, wriggling on the ground, trying to crawl away, attempting to take off the knife and stand up, but considerably failing.
Cato whispers, "H-how could you?"
Vailea doesn't answer, she simply gives him an evil grin before plunging the knife deeper into his back.
Then the cannon fires for the last tribute of District Two.
Five.
Vailea kicks Cato's lifeless body and retrieves her knife before kneeling down and saying, "Who can't win, Cato?"
The cannon seems to startle Peeta and Rue, who are resting by the river.
"I wonder who it was," Peeta says.
"Me too, but at least we know that it's not each other. But Peeta, I think that since there's only five left, we should break our alliance. I really don't want to have you face you in the end," Rue suggests.
Peeta's face falls, but he knows that she's right, "I know Rue, you're right. But just promise me that you'll stay out of trouble? Please?"
Rue nods, "I will, I promise. Just promise me one thing?"
"Yeah, sure, anything."
"Win for her, win for Katniss."
His face falls, and I can feel mine doing the same thing. I know what she means, she means that she's prepared to die just to bring Peeta back to me. She is so selfless, yet so young, it'll pain me greatly when she dies. If she dies. No twelve-year old has made it this far before, little Rue from District Eleven has broken a record.
She's a survivor, that one.
Peeta gulps, "Rue no-"
"Please. You're the most selfless and kind person that I have ever met, you deserve to go home. You haven't killed anyone."
"Neither have you."
"But I have almost. The pellets I used on Vailea were really powerful, they might have blown her up if I aimed at her properly. But you were so close to her, I couldn't risk blowing her up and you too in the process. But Peeta, you haven't even greatly injured anyone. I know about Glimmer, but your blows weren't fatal at all, in fact I think you were going easy on her."
Peeta chuckles, "I sort of was."
"See? This is why you deserve to go home. I remember watching the Games two years ago when Katniss won. She was never happy, she always had a frown on her face. And I think that this is the first year that I've seen her remotely happy or smiling, and you're the only person that has been able to have that impact on her ever since she won. She needs you and you need her. No one needs me, my sister's know how to provide for the family after years of watching me do it."
Peeta's eyes begin to tear up, "I-I don't know what to say Rue. Except, thank you so much for helping me when I needed someone. Thank you for being there. You're like the little sister that I always wanted. And just so you know, I needed you. I always will, I'll forever be in gratitude."
Rue smiles and wipes away Peeta's tears and whispers, "Thank you."
They divide their things, the food and the equipment. Rue doesn't have a water bottle but she has a plastic bag that she can store it in. It's better than nothing.
The rest of the morning they sit by the river, being completely silent and listening to the water crash against the rocks.
As far as I can see, there is no danger surrounding them. Foxface doesn't attack, she lets her opponents pick each other off one by one. And I'm pretty sure that she won't go against Peeta, he has a bigger strength advantage.
Vailea travels back to the Cornucopia after stealing Cato's equipment and leaving him to be picked up by the hovercraft. She finds Marvel sitting on the grass sharpening his spears.
Once he sees her he jumps up and runs over to her.
"Vailea! I heard the cannon, I was worried that it was you guys. Hey, where's Cato?"
Vailea smiles warmly, but her eyes say differently, "Oh, nothing, he just decided that he wanted to hunt on his own."
Marvel looks confused, "Really? Sounds like him but you don't usually follow his orders."
She scrunches up her nose, "I know."
Marvel slowly nods his head, unsure, he's in the process of turning around when he notices the blood stains on her knife and clothes, he can barely say something before he gets stabbed in the neck.
And like his other fellow tribute, he falls to the ground, dead at the hands of Vailea Halliwell.
The cannon fires.
Four.
Vailea smiles mischievously at herself, an insane looks takes on her eyes and it looks at though she's being controlled by her thirst for blood, I know that she will stop at nothing to do what Tristan failed to do, win.
And her drive and fire scares me. Because it reminds me of myself.
She grabs all of the knives that she can get her hands on and places them in her belt. She then smiles and says to the cameras more than to herself, "You better watch out little girl."
Oh Rue. Poor Rue.
Peeta and Rue had split up a couple of hours ago. Now it was mid-afternoon and Peeta was heading back to the pond that he was at before the fire. Surprisingly, the area looks unscathed. The Gamemakers must have cleaned up after themselves.
The pond is about a quarter of a mile away from the river. I know that Rue had set off in the same direction but I have no idea about where she is now.
Peeta is in the midst of setting up a snare when he hears a little girl scream.
And I swear I can hear his heart pounding when he starts to run.
He arrives just in time to see Rue with a gash in her arm, stomach and face. He runs to her and screams at his dying friend. He cries over her bloody body, not caring about how the blood will stain his clothes. That it would be a constant reminder that Rue died in his arms.
"Peeta, w-win for me?" Rue says.
"Yes, I'll win for you."
While cradling his dying ally, Vailea slips out of the shadows slowly clapping.
"How touching. Oh look. It's Loverboy. And his little friend. I see, did I kill her? Oh I'm sorry, I had no idea," she puts her hand over her heart in a sarcastic way that makes me want to rip her head open.
Peeta looks up with fury in his eyes. It's something that scares me because he's usually so calm and composed. But his kind demeanour has now been clouded with rage and hatred for his District partner.
"She was only twelve," Peeta spits out venomously.
"Correction, she is only twelve. She is not dead yet. Do you want me to finish the job?"
He snarls, "No, I think you've done enough."
Vailea approaches them but Peeta doesn't move, he stands his ground and stays in the same place on the ground.
She smiles and says, "I don't think so," before stabbing Rue again in the chest.
And the cannon fires.
Three.
My stomach twists in a knot as I let out a small scream. Haymitch begins rubbing my back, but I can hear him sniffling as well.
Vailea smiles at Peeta and walks away.
But this seems to anger Peeta more, "Why? Why are you leaving? Just finish me off now. Wouldn't it be easier? It guarantees your victory. Just do it!"
She chuckles and turns to him, "Aw, where would the fun be in killing you now? It would be much more fun if we're the final two left. Wouldn't it? I'll let you go for now Loverboy. See you during the finale."
She winks and runs off, laughing malevolently.
Peeta exhales and turns back to Rue. There is nothing he can do now. She is dead.
Suddenly, he brings his left hand up to his lips and presses three fingers against it, and holds it out to his dead ally. It's an old gesture of District Twelve. It means admiration. It means goodbye to someone you love.
And I know that Peeta grew to love her as a sister in that hopeless place.
He drenches the wrist of his sleeve with water and wipes the blood off of her face. Despite the cut, she looks like she's asleep.
Before walking away, he turns back one more time and whispers, "I'm sorry. I am so sorry."
Once again, Peeta sets off for the pond while the sun is setting.
I turn to Haymitch and point to Rue, "You see this? This is what we're fighting for. She might not have known about the rebellion, but she said before that she wanted Peeta to win so we could be together. I can't do this without him Haymitch. She is what we're fighting for, she's our martyr."
That night Peeta didn't sleep, he just silently cried as little Rue's face appeared in the sky for the last time.
Definitely not my best chapter. In fact, I don't like how I wrote it at all. Could've been so much better. But anyway, it was so hard to kill Rue off :'( But it has to be done. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter, it's a bit longer than usual but not by much. I think I rushed through it, but I have to study for exams so please bear with me. A couple more chapters to go (around 3 or 4 more), until The Games That Play Us is over! Thank you for reading and/or reviewing, I love you guys so much and I appreciate that you spend time to actually read and/or review my story. It means a lot. Also, 100 REVIEWS. HOLY COW! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I never expected this many people to review when I first started this story. So thank you so much :')
And thank you for reading through my rant if you did :P