Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or Alice in Wonderland.

Thank you to my beta, Vintagejgc and my pre readers NKubie & Guy.

Chapter Five: You Can Learn a Lot of Things from the Flowers

It's Rue, I think. She's wearing a dark green bodysuit, her tiny limbs adorned with pale green leaves and her hair is wild. White gauzy curls spring upward from her head, wisps of fading yellow fall like bangs into her eyes. She's...a dandelion.

She looks so fragile right now, even more so than she usually does. She reminds me so much of Prim...

"I want you as an ally," I blurt out. I've wanted it ever since seeing her in the training center.

"Me? But I'm just a flower."

"And Peeta's a rabbit," I mutter under my breath then try to focus. "Yes, I definitely want you as an ally because you saved me from those tracker jackers and you're smart enough to still be alive."

She looks nervous and I can't blame her, she's been doing just fine on her own. But I want her. She's a survivor, I trust her, and damn it, she's too much like Prim. I can't not try to protect her.

"Okay," she says, and holds her hand out. We shake. "It's a deal."

We talk briefly of strategy then decide to keep moving; into the garden we go.

We tread carefully through the giant flowers and I take note of what's around us. Rue's stomach keeps growling and I'm hoping we find something edible. Further back, deep in the shadows, I spy Foxglove growing in pink blooms and I frown, I can't remember if we can eat that so I keep looking, not willing to take the risk.

"What kind of garden do you come from?"

I spin around and push Rue behind me, bow at the ready, looking for the voice. All I see is a Lily of the Valley and I blink in surprise. It has eyes, and a mouth, it's... alive and talking to me.

"I don't come from any garden," I reply and my tone is short, my arrow pointed right at it.

The Lily turns to face a cluster of yellow Jasmine and asks, "Do you suppose she's a wildflower?"

"Flowers that talk?" I whisper to myself, amazed.

Rue snorts and whispers back, "I'm a flower and we've been talking all morning."

"Of course we can talk, my dear," says a plant that I'm trying to identify. It's about 12 inches tall with lots of green leaves and purple, bell-shaped flowers. It has shiny black berries that smell faintly sweet. I step back realizing it's Belladonna.

"Only if there's anyone around worth talking to," says the Lily.

"Or about," says a Morning Glory who snickers evilly.

"Just what species or, shall we say, genus are you?" Asks the Belladonna as it looks down on me. It's the biggest plant here and I feel nervous. I get the feeling that it's not as friendly as it appears, but I try to not let that show.

"I'm a Katniss."

"Ever see a Katniss with a blossom like that?" Asks the yellow Jasmine, "And since when does Katniss have feathers?"

"I don't think I've ever seen a Katniss," the Lily muses. "She certainly has no petals, and what a peculiar color..."

"No fragrance," remarks the Morning Glory.

"Katniss..." hisses the Belladonna as it leans closer, "is an aquatic plant, also known as arrowhead or the swan potato. She and her scrawny looking friend are not flowers at all. They are weeds."

All of the flowers gasp, looks of horror upon their faces.

"Kill the weeds!" They shout collectively.

"Rue! Run!" I scream and back away slowly, my arrow pointed at the Belladonna whose eyes have gone sharp, it's berries weeping with toxins. It hits me then; Lily of the Valley, Morning Glory, Jasmine, Foxglove and Belladonna are all poisonous flowers- their faces familiar...

They are the Careers.

I burst into a run as Rue screams in the distance. I find her tangled with a large nightlock bush; it's stems holding her down, it's burgundy berry juice staining her mouth.

"Sorry little dandelion," it says coldly. "In this garden, we kill weeds."

I aim for its roots and release an arrow. The nightlock screams in pain and releases Rue. I run to her, scooping her into my arms.

She looks up at me, tears streaming down her face. "You have to win," she whispers as the light in her eyes dwindles.

My cheeks are wet with tears. I was too late. "I'm going to," I promise, choking back a sob. "I'm going to win for both of us now."

"Don't go, don't leave me yet," she begs, her little stems clutching onto the collar of my shirt, fisting my mockingjay pin.

"Course not. Staying right here," I tell her and I mean it. I can't leave her, not now. She deserves at least one moment of peace.

"Sing," she says as her grip falters. I cannot deny her. I sing the one song I know by heart- the one my father used to sing to me.

Deep in the meadow, hidden far away

A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray

Forget your woes and let your troubles lay

And when again it's morning, they'll wash away

Here it's safe, here it's warm

Here the Katniss guard you from every harm

The final lines are barely audible.

Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true

Here is the place where I love you

Her eyes flutter shut and the cannon fires.