The Hunger Games | Rilaya

The Berries

I gently push Riley away from the rocks and squint out into the dark, rainy sky. I'm just in time to catch a glimpse of Thresh's picture and then he's gone. I slump down against the rocks, forgetting about the food.

I know I should be happy. Thresh's death means one less tribute to face, one step closer to home. But all I can think about is the District 11 boy letting me go, letting me run because of Auggie, who had died with that spear in his stomach.

"You all right?" Riley asks.

I shrug, curling up into myself. I try my best to contain my emotions because no one is going to bet on a tribute who keeps sniveling over her opponents' deaths. Auggie was different. We were allies and he was so young. But no one is going to understand my sorrow at Thresh's death.

"It's just... if we didn't win... I wanted Thresh to. Because he let me go, and because of Auggie." I finally say.

"I know." Riley says softly. She nudges a plate of food into my hands. "Try to eat while it's still warm."

The stew suddenly lost its appeal. I force myself to take some bites to show that I didn't really care, but in reality it takes a lot of effort to swallow.

"I guess this means Cato will be back to hunting us." I say.

"And he's got supplies again." Riley says while swallowing her own mouthful of food.

"I bet he'll be wounded. Thresh would've never gone down without a fight." I say.

"Good. The more wounded Cato is, the better. I wonder how Foxface is making out." Riley says.

"Oh, she's fine. Probably be easier to catch Cato than her." I roll my eyes at the thought of the sneaky fox faced girl.

"Maybe they'll catch each other and we can just go home." Riley says wistfully.

We finish our food in silence and then Riley offers to take the first watch. I lay down in the sleeping bag and pull the hood of my jacket over my face to hide it from the cameras. I just wanted a little privacy where I didn't need to worry about every little thing I do being broadcasted to the rest of the nation. Under the hood, I silently promise to myself that if I win, I'll try to do something to help Thresh's and Auggie's family. Then, I fall asleep, comforted by a full belly and Riley's presence.

When Riley wakes me later, she's holding out half a roll spread with goat cheese and topped with apple slices.

"I had to eat again. Here's your half." She hands over the delicious looking roll.

I immediately take a huge bite, savoring the taste of the cheese. It was just like the kind Prim would make.

"We make a goat cheese and apple tart at the bakery." She says.

"Bet that's expensive." I say.

"Too expensive for my family to eat. Unless it's gone very stale. Of course, practically everything we eat is stale." Riley says. She pulls the sleeping bag up around herself and in less than a minute, she's asleep.

Huh. I knew Riley always had enough to eat. But, there's something kind of depressing about getting by on stale loaves of bread, the kind that nobody else would want to eat.

Sometime during my shift, the rain stops all at once. For the first time, I allow myself to think about what would happen if I made it home. Fame, fortune, my own house in the Victor's Village, what else could a girl want? My mom and Prim would live there with me, Lucas could visit any time he wanted, and Riley would only be a house away. Gone would be the days of scrounging around for food, getting by just barely.