Chapter 9
In the middle of the jungle, there are Finnick, Haymitch, Beetee, Johanna and Peeta building a fire.
Rue leads Katniss and Alex to them as the monkeys surrounds them.
"Come take a seat." Peeta pats the spot next to him. Alex sneaks a look at Katniss, who is looking at her. Katniss knows Alex still loves Peeta but Alex already broke it off.
"Ok." Katniss agrees walking over with Alex's hand in her's. Rue moves to the cooked food and gives them to Katniss and Alex after they sit down. Katniss is sitting on Peeta's lap while Alex is sitting next to them staring at the fire.
"So Alex... how did you get rated an 11 last year?" Rue asks Alex with a smile.
"Oh that. Besides the dude falling off stage they saw my talent with the bow and climbing." Alex answers smirking at Katniss.
"I was still shocked that you made your own bow and arrows!" Alex shrugs her shoulders smiling.
"Blame Kat." Alex points at Katniss and kisses her cheek.
"Ok. So we need to make a game plan." Finnick cuts in.
"What do you have in mind?" Alex asks Finnick, being cautious of last time.
"I know where the three Careers are. They are on the other side of Cornucopia."
"Brutus, Gloss and Enobaria are powerful and smart. They could have easily made a detour campsite like Rue, Kat and I did last year."
"Before you almost drowned." Finnick smirks, "I still wish you would have."
Haymitch glares at Finnick and shakes his head.
"Go join the Careers or I will kill you here and now." Haymitch growls, narrowing his eyes. Peeta quickly gets up after Katniss does. Haymitch and Finnick get up as well. Haymitch grabs his sword and points it at Finnick keeping him away from his trident.
Peeta points his spear at Finnick both trapping him so he can't move.
"You are a good friend Finnick, but we all know that you want to kill Alex. That is NOT happening." Haymitch snaps, "Rue, Katniss, Alex, cover your eyes."
Johanna puts out the fire as Alex buries her face into Katniss' left shoulder as Rue does the same, but into her right shoulder. Katniss closes her eyes and covers the 13 year olds' ears.
Johanna covers Katniss' ears with her hands as Haymitch and Peeta both stab Finnick.
A faint cannon goes off as Johanna uncovers Katniss' ears and Alex and Rue pulls away opening their eyes at the same time Katniss does.
The three girls look up to see Finnick's picture disappearing.
"Let's move." Haymitch orders picking up his weapons while the others move over for theirs.
Haymitch picks up Finnick's trident and puts it in Finnick's hands.
"I'm sorry Finnick. But I couldn't let you kill Alex. Alex has her full life ahead of her. We are old and had our time to live. It's Alex's turn." Haymitch whispers to Finnick.
He gets up and turns to Johanna, Rue, Katniss, Peeta, Alex and Beetee.
"Let's go." The monkeys follow the group being like a protective shield surrounding them.
~K&A~
2 days later, Alex awakes to sizzling sounds. She opens her eyes to see purple poison fog surrounding them.
"Guys! Get up!" Alex shouts at them. Alex gathers her weapons as the group does the same. Peeta picks Alex up and puts her on his back as the group runs full speed into the forest. To Alex's surprise, the monkeys all got killed by the poison fog.
"Come on!" Rue shouts from in her tree, "Alex, give me your hand!" Rue reaches down with Katniss. Alex grabs Rue's and Katniss' hands while Haymitch, Johanna and Beetee grabs Peeta's hands.
The poison fog surrounds the tree that they are in, which Alex didn't see them climb either.
The poison fog begins to rise scaring not only Alex but Rue as well.
Haymitch and Peeta climb higher up with Johanna following after Beetee pushing her up. That next second, the poison fog covers Beetee completely.
Beetee lets out an ear piercing scream and once the screaming is over, the fog retreats.
"Oh god." Alex buries her face in her hands, not wanting to see Beetee's skeleton.
"We have to end this." Johanna whispers climbing down the tree with Haymitch and Peeta following, "Let's go."
Katniss helps Alex down as Rue jumps into the tree next to them and then the next.
Rue continues to jump from tree to three telling them if it's safe to follow or to stop and hide.
~A&K~
At District 12, Prim is happy that Katniss and Alex are alive and well.
"How many are left?" Prim asks Gale as Angela left to go to the market.
"Alex, the girl yours and Alex's age from 11, Catnip, Peeta, Haymitch, the girl from 7, the guy from 1 and girl and guy from 2." Gale answers.
"So 9?"
"Yes."
"Her name is Rue."
"Who?"
"The girl from 11. Her name is Rue."
"Ok." Gale nods.
Prim and Gale looks at the screen again to see Alex fall down a hill and into the Careers camp.
~K&A~
At District 13, at the same time as Prim's and Gale's talk, Max, Justin, Jerry and Cinna are talking.
"So it is 6 against 3?" Max asks.
"Yes. Alex, Rue, Katniss, Peeta, Haymitch and that girl from 7 against the Careers." Justin answers.
"Good." Max nods turning to the screen in time to see Alex fall down a hill and into the Careers camp.
~A&K~
A few minutes before, Alex, Katniss, Haymitch, Peeta, Johanna and Rue arrives to the top of the hill looking down at Brutus', Gloss' and Enobaria's camp, which is at the Cornucopia.
Alex takes a step but her foot slips on the mud, falling down the hill and into the Career's camp. Katniss and Peeta run down the hill as Gloss jumps to his feet and grabs his spear. Johanna, Rue and Haymitch runs down directly after Peeta and Katniss.
As Alex struggles to get up, fear fills her eyes as she watches the Careers advance on her.
Something invades Alex's vision and hits Brutus. Brutus falls to the ground with Peeta's spear stuck in his chest.
Katniss shoots her arrow at Gloss and it hits him in the forehead.
Haymitch and Johanna arrive, out of breath, with Rue behind them.
Two cannons are heard and Gloss' and Brutus' pictures come up.
Enobaria glares at them and throws 3 daggers at Johanna.
The daggers hits Johanna and another cannon is heard.
Johanna's picture comes up. Alex gets up and runs at Enobaria as she throws her final dagger at Alex. It skims Alex's cheek at Alex tackles her to the ground.
Alex punches Enobaria over and over and over again. Alex pulls out her knife and stabs Enobaria in the side.
Katniss and Rue both run up to Alex and pulls her off of Enobaria.
The three girls watch Enobaria smirk before her eyes roll into her head and the final cannon is heard. Enobaria's picture comes up making everyone to sigh into relief.
"So who is all left?" Alex asks in a whisper.
"You, me, Katniss, Peeta and Haymitch." Rue answers the younger girl.
"What are we going to do? We won't kill each other like they want us to." Alex questions. No one answers. Alex sees them all staring at something behind her. Alex turns around and freezes.
There are Finnick, Mags, both tributes from 5, 9, 10, the Morphling siblings, Woof, Cecelia, Serenity, Damien, Chaff, Seeder, Johanna, Blight, Beetee, Wiress, Cashmere, Gloss, Brutus and Enobaria walking to them.
The only difference is their eyes are glossed over.
To the right of them, they see Thresh, Glimmer, Cato, Clove, and Marvel.
"What?" Alex whispers as she, Haymitch, Peeta, Katniss and Rue backs up.
"ALEX!" Alex looks passed Thresh, Glimmer, Cato, Clove and Marvel to see...
"HARPER!" Alex shouts.
"ALEX! HELP ME!"
"I'M COMING HARPER!" Alex takes off running to where Harper is tied up. Alex uses her knife and stabs Glimmer and Cato, who immediately falls to the ground... dead for the second time.
Alex reaches Harper and begins to cut the rope with her knife.
"Alex! Behind you!" Harper hisses. Alex stabs Clove then Marvel once they got close enough to her.
She looks at Peeta, Haymitch, Rue and Katniss, who are killing the tributes that were brought back. The only problem?
"Where's Thresh?" Alex whispers to herself as she returns to cutting Harper lose.
"ALEX! BEHIND YOU!" Harper screams. Alex turns around in time to get stabbed by Thresh.
Katniss shoots an arrow at Thresh, who falls to the ground.
Katniss' eyes grow wide seeing Alex fall to the ground.
Katniss shoots the final dead undead tribute before the cannon is heard. Katniss freezes looking at the sky to see Alex's picture for the second... well third, time.
"NO!" Katniss runs to Alex as the girl Alex was saving begins CPR. Katniss falls to the ground on the other side of the girl, crying, "Alex!" Katniss sobs squeezing Alex's hand.
Not even a second later, they hear Alex cough.
"God. Not again." Alex complains weakly, "First is that force field thing, then there was the monkey attack, which made everyone think I died, then I did die but Harper did CPR and Kat killed Thresh. Why are the Gamemakers after me? An innocent 13 year old girl. I think they hate my randomness."
Harper and Katniss laughs through their tears.
"Harp, why are you here?"
"That Snow dude said I can come visit you for the afternoon. Obviously, since you moved we haven't spoken so I jumped on the opportunity. Then I was knocked out and I woke up here." Harper explains softly as Haymitch, Peeta and Rue walks over looking cautiously everywhere.
"He tricked you to get me killed." Alex states, "That's so like him. Ok, so I am going to change my statement a bit. The Gamemakers AND President Snow hates me. Me, an innocent 13 year old girl, who is harmless. They are clearly jealous of my randomness and my coolness."
Harper rolls her eyes at Alex's cockiness.
"I'm a turtle. I can't get up." Alex says dramatically as she tries to get up. Harper and Katniss begin to laugh with Haymitch, Rue and Peeta as Katniss helps her up.
"Are you ok?" Katniss asks Alex nervously, mostly seeing the stab wound.
"It hurts but I'm ok." Alex answers honestly. Katniss takes off her coat then t-shirt, before putting her coat on again. She ties her t-shirt around Alex, putting pressure on the wound.
"None of us around going to kill each other, so why don't they crown us all winners?" Peeta asks.
"They have something up their sleeves. They won't make the same mistake as last year." Haymitch answers growing worried for Rue, Peeta, Katniss and Alex's safety. And to add on that list. Alex's best friend Harper Finkle.
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