25

Prim lay panting in the cave, ignoring the warm blood seeping from the small wound on her neck. She heard Marvel's cursing as he left the cave behind.

More than anything she felt…guilt.

Why?

Her actions were tearing Marvel apart. They got Peeta killed. And who knew where Rue was?

Was Prim doing the right thing?

She stared at the opposite side of the cave for ten long seconds, then scrambled to her feet and ran after Marvel, snatching her coat from the ground as she went. She needed to find the rest of her tribute family. Meaning…Rue.

But there was Marvel. What would happen with him? He didn't kill her. He wouldn't kill her. And she loved him dearly for it—not romantically…but a fierce loyal trust. Some might find it odd that she could trust him after he just jammed a knife against her throat but, for some reason, she did.

She caught up to him. He crashed through the singed bushes, shoving branches aside and taking no care to be quiet. The fire was gone now. Perhaps the Capitol couldn't allow it to kill more than one tribute.

Peeta…

A sob rose in Prim's throat. This was her fault. All her fault.

Marvel turned his head barely. She knew he noticed her, but he said nothing.

Neither did she.

They tromped through the woods for a good half hour, Prim sucking in desperate breaths against her sore lungs. With each step, Marvel seemed to grow madder. Before he exploded, Prim figured she ought to break the tension. "Where are you going?"

"Away from you," he spat.

It stung, but Prim plunged on. "I'd like to stay with you, if I could."

"Do what you want."

She didn't dare mention trying to find Rue. Instead, she whistled Rue's little four-note call and let the mockingjays carry it where they may. Perhaps Rue would hear it and know that Prim was alive.

It didn't take long before Marvel lost energy. Running from a wall of fire with a shoulder wound taxed him. He stumbled and steadied himself against a tree.

"How about we stop and try to eat something?" Prim wanted to check his wound, but she didn't think he'd appreciate her bringing that up just yet.

"Shut up."

She did. He kept walking. Her own energy faded and, with it, her mental strength. Against her will, her thoughts drifted back to Peeta over and over. She pictured him up on that hill, looking at her with wide eyes. The wall of fire descending on him. Him dropping to the ground and then the cannon booming.

Her eyes burned.

Marvel finally stopped, stuck his knife in the ground, and settled himself against a log. Prim sat across from him, biting back the tears. It didn't work. They streamed down her cheeks…the traitors.

Traitors.

Was she a traitor? A traitor to Katniss? A traitor to her district?

Without a word, she moved toward Marvel and reached for his shoulder bandage. He shoved her away and she fell backward onto her hands. They stung. Only then did she realized they were burned and scraped from her race through the woods.

"It needs tending."

He ripped the knife from the ground. "It's fine."

"Why won't you let me—"

"Because you made me look weak!" His eyes blazed and his voice bounced around the forest, startling the birds. "I'm a dead man now, don't you get it?"

Her tears came faster, but she refused to allow a sob to break free. "Why?"

His voice came out hollow. "I've failed my district. I'm wounded, I didn't kill you…I'm weak to them. No sponsor will send me a single parachute, no matter how far I make it in the Games now. It's up to Glimmer to bring pride to District 1."

Pride. That was their crown. What an empty victory.

"Why are you crying?" He shot a glare at her.

Prim hastily wiped her tears and looked away. She didn't want to share with him. She didn't want another jab from his words.

"Your neck's bleeding."

She raised her fingers to the spot where he cut her. It wasn't bleeding anymore—the blood had dried. "It's fine."

"Fine." He laid his head back against the log and closed his eyes. At first, Prim thought he was just taking a breather, but after a few minutes she realized he was going to sleep.

"What about the Careers?"

Marvel shrugged.

That was that. He didn't care if they got caught and killed. Prim's stomach growled, but night was falling and she didn't have enough light to find berries. She wept silently for a good hour, cursing and questioning herself.

Had she already become a monster by allowing Peeta to die for her? And possibly Rue? And now…Marvel? Who am I anymore?

Marvel slumped to his side, rolling over until he was tight against the log. Prim shrugged off her jacket, despite the cold. She didn't deserve to be warm. She'd slept many heatless nights before. This would be no different. Instead, she laid it carefully over Marvel. She didn't want him to wake and catch her doing it. He'd be angry.

She scooped together a pile of leaves at the base of a nearby tree and burrowed beneath them. They brought hardly any insulation, but they did stop some of the wind. She sniffed against her arm, trying to stop crying. It was stupid, really. Peeta knew he'd die. She'd just wanted to die first.

The anthem started, blaring into the night. She didn't look at the sky. She didn't want to see Peeta's face. Then again, she wanted to bid him one last farewell—see his smile and try to convince herself he was, truly, in a better place. At least death by the fire wall was fast.

She peeked through her fingers, squinting one eye until the sky screen came into view. The anthem was almost over, but not before she saw. Only one face illuminated the sky before the end of the anthem, claiming the day's single cannon boom. It glowed against the black backdrop…

…and it wasn't Peeta.

.

.

To be continued...

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How would you live if you knew the day you'd die? Parvin Blackwater believes she has wasted her life. At only seventeen, she has one year left according to the Clock by her bedside. In a last-ditch effort to make a difference, she tries to rescue Radicals from the government's crooked justice system. But when the authorities find out about her illegal activity, they cast her through the Wall - her people's death sentence. What she finds on the other side about the world, about eternity, and about herself changes Parvin forever and might just save her people. But her clock is running out.