Chapter 24
My Silver Lining
Something good comes with the bad
A song's never just sad
There's hope, there's a silver lining
Show me my silver lining, show me my silver lining
I hear a voice calling,
Calling out for me
These shackles I've made in an attempt to be free
Be it for reason, be it for love
I won't take the easy road
Show me my silver lining, I try to keep on keeping on
Rory
The town is gathered in the square for mandatory viewing tonight. The crowd is silent. Usually you can hear whispered words and the murmurs of people discussing the events playing on the screen, but there's not one word spoken, everyone still as they watch Prim bury the little girl in flowers.
Katniss is clinging to Gale's arm, his skin pinched from her tight hold. People are crying in the crowd silently, Katniss is no exception, and Rory swears he can see tears in Gale and Vick's eyes. But he has to admit; his eyes aren't dry either.
He watches Prim, her sweet and gentle soul weeping over Rue's body and she lays her in flowers. That's exactly something she would do, he thinks. Prim is just like that. Kind to her core. Probably the only person in the world who would cover a girl in flowers in the hunger games.
Rory remembers all the times she's done things like that, and can't even count them as the memories flash through his head at a rapid speed.
He smiles slightly, lost in his own head as he thinks about the blond-haired, blue-eyed 'angel', as Pose likes to call her.
There had been a shift in the air when Prim had started singing the Meadow song a few minutes ago. He felt the change in the crowd as they listened to Prim's voice carry the words. It had always been beautiful. Rory knew that, and tried to get her to sing for him every chance he could. Even faked being sick once or twice to get her to do it. She had even sung that exact song to him before. She was captivating just by breathing, but when she sings…
The emotions in the square were smothering Rory. He felt as if they were wrapping around his throat and squeezing.
Some people looked angry and disgusted. At Rue's death, he assumes. Some were staring at Prim with respect and admiration, which is nothing new really. The thing that moved him the most was the determination in people's eyes. Every single person he looked at had determination in their eyes. Determination for what, he doesn't know. But he'll find out.
"Go to sleep, little bird."
Katniss's crying becomes audible at Prim's words, and Rory vaguely remembers that she used to call Prim 'little duck'. Rory sees Katniss bury her head in Gale's shoulder, squeezing her eyes shut tight.
He hears sniffles in the rest of the crowd as he watches the screen with rapt attention, memorizing every movement Prim makes.
She's always been fragile, not in the way that she isn't strong, because she's the strongest person he's ever met- but she's fragile in the way that she is soft where everyone else is hard.
Her heart is so damn big that he wonders sometimes if it is always a good thing. He loves that about her though, and wouldn't change it. She wouldn't be Prim if she didn't have that pure heart. He just worries, because she feels everything.
Rory can't help but think that she looks a little broken. Ever since she took her first life, which he does not fault her for at all, she's looked broken. There had always been a light behind her eyes, even in terrible situations, but he can't seem to find it now. He looked forward to seeing it. It had constantly kept him going and made him think that as long as that light was there, no matter what, there was still good in this world.
When Prim glances at the district two career, Rory can't help but feel jealous.
He doesn't even remember a time when he wasn't in love with Prim, was completely enamored with her. He was devastated when her name was called by Effie Trinket's stupid voice in her stupid Capitol accent. He ran into the woods that very night, stared at the stars and pretended Prim was lying next to him and he didn't come home until the next morning.
Rory can't help but notice the way the career looks at Prim, how similar it is to how Gale looks at Katniss, and maybe even how he himself looks at Prim. Rory doesn't want to admit it, he just wants to stay in denial, but Prim never looked at Rory the way she looks at that guy.
Rory sees a little of that light come back into her eyes when she looks at Cato, and that makes Rory jealous. He feels guilty for thinking that way, because he should just be happy that light is there at all, no matter the cause. But he can't help it-can't help his feelings for Prim.
His thoughts slow to a halt as he watches Prim raise her hand in district 12's three-fingered salute.
He's not entirely sure, but he thinks he might be the first person to copy Prim. One after another the people in the crowd press three fingers to their lips before raising them to the sky in honor of little Rue. Rory entertains the thought that district 12 aren't the only ones saluting the innocent and sweet girl who died too soon, before her time.
"For Rue," Rory whispers to himself, determination filling him at the thought of the Capitol doing to this to the little girl. The Capitol is what's causing Prim so much pain and heartbreak. The Capitol did this.
Rory remembers the determination in everyone's eyes. Now I know, he thinks. Now I know what it meant.
He won't dare say it out loud, but the Capitol will pay for this. They will burn.