WOW it's been a long time time since I've updated this! I'm terribly sorry for such the long wait! After the movie's release I didn't see much reason to continue the story, but I realized I couldn't just stop the story so abruptly. So here's a new chapter for all those who continue to read! Thank you to all who have waited patiently for this and I hope you enjoy!
Today I have to spend some grueling hours at school only getting recaps of the games shown between each class. A death occurred from one of the districts, but I'm just glad it wasn't Katniss. I scramble out of my seat as the final bell rings and head back home, the games waiting to be viewed by me. I hate being so anxious and usually I would do anything in order to miss viewing the games, but now that someone I care for is participating, I can't make myself miss a single second that doesn't need to be missed.
I push through my front door toss my bag on to the ground and head straight to the room where our TV resides. There I find my mom sitting alone as she stitches up a pair of pants and I go up to her and give her a quick kiss on the cheek. She smiles and rubs my back as I take a seat next to her on our small couch. She says, "You just missed your Katniss heading out on a mission." Everything about her sentence took me off guard. I knew Katniss was planning to take down the careers, but I didn't think so soon. But the biggest thing was that she called Katniss mine.
I cleared my throat in hopes to cover up my utter delight by such a small comment, "Of course she is." I state simply, but admiration is evident in my voice. I look back towards the TV as it follows Rue through the woods carrying a bundle of branches decorated with leaves. It then shifts to Katniss who is trudging near the side of a stream. She makes a pit stop to refill her water supply as well as to make her bright orange backpack as inconspicuous as she can by covering it with mud.
Katniss then steadily makes her way to wherever the careers made camp. She must have reached her destination because I see her casual attitude shift to seriousness and determination is sets in her facial features. As the camera zooms in to let us see what Katniss does, we get a clear view of the careers in their domain. Cato and Clove are the biggest presence there while there's a boy from district 1 and 3 who are only there for district two's benefit.
Around the area are various piles of supplies, which once were littered around and piled in the Cornucopia. They are now set up in the shape of a pyramid. The items are all stack carefully and sorted in a way that couldn't have been made without a cause. The camera shoots to a very concentrated Katniss as she plots out a plan to demolish the piles. The camera then shifts it's view back on the careers. My mom taps my arm and points," look, there's smoke." Sure enough there was a black pillar of smoke flowing up from the forest. It catches the attention of Cato and he points to the smoke and shouts out orders.
Cato barks out his commands only to be counterattacked by the others. "He's coming. We need him in the woods, and his job's done here anyway. No one can touch those supplies."
"What about lover boy?" questions the boy from District 1.
"I keep telling you, forget about him. I know where I cut him. It's a miracle he hasn't bled to death yet. At any rate, he's in no shape to raid us." Replies Cato. Cato wins the argument and they head off with him in the lead. As they trail off Cato says, " When we find her, I kill her in my own way, and no one interferes. " The camera shoots to Katniss who definitely heard, but she doesn't look surprised or scared. I think I feel enough anger and nervousness for the both of us. The camera stays with Katniss until they notice she's not making a move so they switch to her companion, Rue. Rue has piled up the branches and picks up the rest that weren't used in this fire, to use for the next one.
The camera then switched to another tribute from district 5. The girl is delicately moving through the woods, but at a quick pace making no noise to reveal herself. She comes near an open area that looks familiar and then my eyes fall upon the Cornucopia. She's in the same area Katniss' is. I feel myself start to sweat praying Katniss see's her and hope she doesn't decide it's safe to come out of hiding.
The capitol must be curious too because the camera switched over to Katniss who indeed noticed the other girls presence because she crouched even lower than before. The girl makes her move and she prances along and I fear whatever plot the careers have, she'll be destroyed by it. However as she reaches the piles of items, she carefully hops from one place to another getting closer and closer the largest of the piles. As she reaches her destination she reaches for any supply she can carry and just as fast as she arrived she scuttles off with now a bursting pack full of goodies.
The camera only trails after her, and remains with Katniss who is still intently staring at the pyramid. Suddenly her eyes become wide and she nods as she whispers, "It's mined." I blink and know she's right. Of course the careers would go to such measures to keep the supplies to themselves. Katniss now with an understanding of the whole set up made by the careers, carefully makes her way from the bushes towards the pyramid. She comes across one of the platforms where a tribute had to stand on at the start of the games and notices the ground is dug up from where the mime once rested, only confirming her guess.
Her eyes flit over the massive collection and I see her taking in where she should attack. He eyes skim around and finally land on something. She sheaths an arrow and aims towards her target. She breathes in and as she let's out the breath the arrow goes flying towards the stack. It hits a bag leaving a tear and I sigh thinking she missed her target. However, as I look closer I see that the bag she hit contains apples. Katniss has already loaded another arrow and is taking aim and once again sends the arrow flying towards the burlap bag.
The opening splits even wider, the apple now wobbling on the edge of the material. A final arrow is released and I grip my mom's hand to keep from shouting out. The arrow is speeding through the air and right as it hits the bag a jumble of apples fall and land straight on top of the mine. The screen is filled with the explosion, supplies being sent in all directions along with flames and a gust of smoke. I wildly search for Katniss, worry that she was hurt from the explosion.
She appears through the smog, stumbling as she tries to right herself, but instead lands on all fours. The blow from the explosion must have left her stunned. Katniss shakes her head and on wobbly limbs drags herself from the wreckage at an unbearably slow pace. She's hurt, I think to myself and I have to control myself from letting my thoughts turn towards the worst. I remove my hand from my mom's not wanting to grip it too hard as my emotions whirl around in a massive mess of worry, so instead I intently watch the screen as the camera follows Katniss. I look over at my mom who looks uneasy and sad. A shout filled with rage erupts from the TV immediately drawing me towards the sound.
Katniss is no longer in view, but instead Cato is red faced with fists balled tight. He's outraged as his eyes flit over the debris. His anger is too much for him to bear and he decides to take it out on the boy from District 3. He spews out his fury at the boy who cringes back in fear. Cato is fuming and the boy decides to run, but he only gets two steps before Cato had him in a grip and forcibly turned the boys neck to the side. The boy falls face down into the dirt and just like that another tribute life is lost. The careers set off away from the mess and the dead body and Katniss is left to fend for herself.
The body of the boy has been taken away long ago and we're reminded of his death as the anthem plays and shows his picture in the sky to the remaining survivors. By now my mother is making dinner, my little sister sitting at the kitchen table playing with whatever she can get her hands on. My brother's are here too and they're sitting in the living room with me. Usually the both of them are riled up with energy, but as they view the game, they're silent and it scares me to seen them so affected by the sight.
We watch as all the tributes ready for sleep. The careers are still up and searching for anyone they can get their hand on, while everyone else is just trying to remain out of sight. We get to see Katniss make a small meal for dinner and we eat ours at the same time and it makes me reminisce on the times that Katniss and I would eat together. Those days seem like a dream. Tonight the games have ended for the time being as the tributes rest. But it's never really over as recaps are shown throughout the night. My whole family has finished eating and like the tributes decides to call it a night.
I wake up early that day with the sun barely lighting up the sky. I sit up in bed and look over at my snoring brothers, slumber still upon them. I carefully get out of bed and ready for the day and then make my way to the kitchen. The cabinets are once again becoming bare and I tell myself to go hunting, but first I turn on the TV to check in on the games. With the volume low so I don't wake up my sleeping family, I could only slightly hear the laugh of the tribute with red hair. She's standing at the explosion sight of the once impressive pyramid made by the careers. She investigates the area and comes upon a few surviving items that she can use. She's elated even more at the finds and I guess I would be too if I known someone just made the people who have the biggest chance of winning become less of a rival.
Suddenly she halts her actions and then sprints off away from the rubble. The camera doesn't end up follow her but switches to Katniss who is just getting ready to travel. She walks across a stream for a while, bow in hand, but nothing jumps out or attacks her. She takes a break to refill her water bottle as well as to clean the blood off of her. She then decides to take off her shoes and walk in the water, for what I'm guessing is to conceal her tracks.
As she trails though the water, Katniss pokes and prods at her left ear. She must have sustained an injury from the blast and I hope that whatever is wrong will heal with time. Katniss finally reaches the rendezvous point she planned with Rue. However, Rue is nowhere in sight. Last time I saw her she was doing well so I'm just as confused as Katniss.
The camera makes a point to search for Rue and we find her walking. She's safe and I wish I could relay the message to Katniss. Rue continues forward, carefully hiding behind bushes to keep herself out of anyone's view. The camera goes back to Katniss who is now scaling a tree. She stays up there for some time as she eats some of the food she has left.
But later after watching other tributes and my mother and siblings have joined in watching, Katniss is on the move in search of Rue. The camera is back on Rue her is softly singing to a mockingjay that's resting on a branch. She continues moving, still singing the melody when suddenly a net catches Rue and she's perched up in the air. She frantically tries to reach for anything in her pack to help get her out but her hands are jammed against her sides. She starts to whimper in fear.
Then the boy from district 1 comes striding out of the woods with clear joy gleaming in his eyes at his catch. "Cato won't believe this." The boy moves towards Rue who has now spotted him and she desperately tries to escape to no avail. Marvel walks over to the tree that the rope is secured to that hold Rue in the air and slices it with one swing of his knife. With a yelp Rue drops to the ground in a heap. Marvel is just about to approach her when Rue screams.
Marvel jumps back in shock and doesn't make a move as Rue continues to cry out. The Camera switches to Katniss who is still and listening intently. There's another scream only this time Rue is screaming out Katniss' name. Katniss is off and running in a flash. The camera moves back to Rue. Marvel says, " It's finally time to breaks this alliance." And he runs into the woods for concealment as he get's ready to ambush Katniss.