The Hunger Games: Prim [REWRITING]

Chapter 20: Leaving Peeta

I wake up around dawn, judging from the sky. Rue's already awake and she seems anxious.

"We made a deal, we gotta go find Thresh," Rue urges. I sigh. We did make a deal.

"Ok, but we can't just leave Peeta like this, he can't defend himself. Plus he might die from that wound, although I did treat him quite well," I tell her with a satisfied smile.

"Well what are you suggesting? We had a deal," she argues.

"Ok, then let's cover up the cave so no one can find him, and we leave food and drinks for him, then we leave," I compromise.

"Okay, fine," Rue accepts. We decide to divide up the work. She heaves stones and disguises the cave area, so that it doesn't look like a cave but just another rock. I go down to the stream and make some soup. I just use some roots and berries, and sadly, Bunny. I kill her and skin her, and cook her on the hot stones. Seriously, it's burning hot so we don't need a fire. The rocks are super hot.

We finish up the food and fill the canteen with water. Peeta is forced to take a long drink because he needs it, and we need to take the water for ourselves. He drinks up and stares at all the food we made, and the rocks we have stacked in front of the cave.

"What are you guys doing?" he says cautiously.

"We have to go, I'm sorry," I tell him.

"No! What if you guys are killed! Cato and Clove are out there, and who knows what Thresh has been doing?"

"We're going to go find Thresh."

"No way, you guys are staying here. I won't let you go."

Rue and I frown. We walk to the stream to fill the canteen, and when Peeta is out of earshot, Rue says, "What are we gonna do?!"

"We'll have to sneak out somehow without him knowing."

"You mean lie to him?!"

"We don't have a choice."

"..."

Just then we hear a chime. I recognize the sound as a silver parachute. I look up and it comes down. This time it's for me.

"What now?" I wonder. I open up the parachute and their is a small vial inside. I smell it. Sleep syrup.

"Haymitch, why would we need sleep syrup!" I say a bit angry.

"What is sleep syrup?" Rue asks.

"You eat it, and it knocks you out for about a day, it's quite strong. And it's sweet."

"Then we can knock out Peeta!" Rue exclaims.

"But he'll never eat it..."

"Sneak it into his food or something."

I consider it for a moment.

"Rue you are a genius!" I say as we run back to the cave. I hide the parachute and get the vile ready. Peeta is starting to eat the soup that I made for him, so I find the berry mix and fold in the sleep syrup. Rue makes sure that Peeta doesn't notice.

"Mm, this soup is really good!" he exclaims.

"You should try the berries too, they are just as good," I say with a wide grin on my face.

"Ok, hand them over," Peeta says as he pushes the soup to the side to make room for the berries. I hand them over and he starts eating.

"Mm, it's really...sweet," he says, and he seems to be in thought. "I know this flavor..."