The Hunger Games

Chapter Ten

I try my best not to wiggle too much in the tree, but of course, I overestimate myself. I roll back and forth, trying to shake the nightmares I'm having out of my system. I see The Reaping, Katniss disappearing, seeing her as an Avox, watching the knife plunge through Glimmer's body. I am ready to scream and can't stop myself from yelling out Peeta's name into the forest.

"Prim! Shh! Someone will hear you!" Rue whispers to me. I look to her and nod. "Someone will. Peeta I hope! Peeta!" I cry out. Rue covers my mouth and relaxes my body. I drop my shoulders and stay still.

"Where did you learn to do that?" I ask. Rue shrugs.

"My District."

The sun is starting to awake, barely creeping over the horizon, dipping each piece of land into it's golden glow. I decide to begin hunting. We don't have any other time to do it. With only nine tributes left, everyone will be seeking for each other. \

I grab the bow and arrows I snatched from Glimmer before she disappeared and start walking. Rue trails behind me and picks out berries for us. It's a quiet day. Their aren't many animals out, and I'm only able to snag two things Rue calls "grooslings". We stop for a minute and take a look at what we have left in our packs.

I still have the crackers, dried fruit, half of my water, and the arm sleeve thing. Rue picks it up and holds it delicately. "You were able to get one of these?" She asks. I shrug my shoulders.

"What it is it?" I ask. Rue stares at me as if I'm crazy. "It's a heater. It keeps your skin warm during the night. We have these in District 11. I've never been able to see one up close before.." She drifts away as she continues to stare at the sleeve. I stare at Rue as she gazes away. Finally, I sigh.

"Keep it." I whisper. Rue looks up suddenly, breaking from the trance she was in. She shakes her head and holds out the sleeve to me.

"No, Prim, I can't take this from you. It was in your pack, not mine." She says. I shrug.

"You would've taken it from me if I was dead." I point out. She gently bites her lip and retreats the sleeve back into her arms. She hugs it tightly and thanks me. I nod and dig in her pack.

She has a sleeping bag, two packs of jerky, some crackers, and night vision goggles. I pick up the goggles and smile.

"Goggles, eh?" I ask with a smirk on my face, since we both know we can't use them properly. They're just as helpful to us as a grain of sand. We toss the goggles back in the bag, and snack on the jerky, leaving us with one bag of it left. I can't help notice that Rue reminds me so much of Katniss. With her hair, her personality, even the way she eats. Katniss always nibbled at her food, just like Rue is doing.

Katniss. How I missed her. How I want to just have her hold me in her arms again and whisper to me everything is OK. How I want to be at home with my mother, nursing whatever sick patient had been brought to us back to health. A tear slips down my cheek, and I wipe it away before I think Rue notices, but she picks up on it like a fox.

"Prim, what's wrong?" She asks. I shake my head desperately. I can't let her know why I'm crying. I'll just bring tears to her eyes. So I just tell her that something in the air is bringing me to tears. She questions me, but then suddenly takes a sniff. She pauses, and takes another whiff.

"Do you smell that?" She asks. I take a sniff and shrug my shoulders. She grips onto my shoulder and continues to smell the odor. Panic strikes across her face and she furiously throws our things in the bag. I nervously shake her shoulder lightly.

"What's going on? What smell?" I ask, fear gripping my stomach. Rue doesn't say a word. When we get our bags packed, she yells at me to run. I turn and run opposite of her without hesitation. I know I've got to be at least forty feet ahead of her, but I can hear her boots crunch under the leaves behind me. I could've kept going, I would've kept going, if I hadn't heard Rue's distinct voice yell to stop.

I slowly calm my legs down and come to a halt. Rue catches up to me seconds later and holds onto me so she can catch her breath. She quietly fans herself, and when I get my strength back, I shake her vigorously.

"What happened?" I demand instead of ask now. She puts a finger up to me which means to hold on. She sighs and grips onto my shoulders.

"What you were smelling was underflesh." I raise a brow and tilt my head to the side. "Underflesh? What's that?" I ask idiotically. Rue turns her head into the direction of where we ran from.

"It's a deadly berry. Even taking a sniff of it could poison you. I'm lucky to be here. The scent can travel for a good distant, and I had to make sure we got away. If you breathe it in, the juice from the berry goes deep under your flesh and kills you. Thus it's name, Underflesh." She tells me.

I take a step back and let out a relief. Rue nods and tells me I was lucky she caught the scent or we would've been goners. In the distant we can hear the Careers making their way through the forest, and we start moving. It isn't until night falls that I think we're safe, and of course, I'm wrong.

Rue sets down and almost collapses on the stump she's on. "We've been walking for miles. Please Prim, let's rest for a bit." She says. I stop for a second to think and then keep walking.

"Not until we've found a better place to sleep." I tell her. Rue lays across the stump on her back and lets a groan. "But I'm so tired." She says, barely able to contain her giggles.

"Let's stop for a second, Prim. Please Prim." I roll my eyes and tell her no. She groans and let's a out a couple of giggles. "But Prim," She says, whining like a little girl. Of course, I am a little girl, but I'm mature for my age. Rue likes to laugh and take everything as a joke. Well nothing is funny when you're in the Hunger Games, and I hoped Rue would figure that out, but sure enough, she didn't.

"Walk, walk, walk. That's all we ever do. I save your life, and what do I get in return? No break. Not a fair ratio, don't you think?" Rue begins to annoy me, and I feel the hairs on my neck rise.

"Rue," I begin but am cut off by Rue.

"Don't try to explain it to me. I already know. 'We just have to keep pushing, Rue.' " She says, mocking my voice. "I've pushed myself enough and I deserve a break! We passed two perfectly fine trees a mile ago. Why didn't we stop there?"

I turn to her, my face already red like a tomato. "Because they'll be expecting us to." I snap. Rue rolls her eyes. "They? You mean the other tributes? We're so high int he tree, they wouldn't even be able to reach us. We would've been fine." She says. I fold my arms and put all my weight onto my right leg.

"No we wouldn't! They won't look in a tree that is hidden in plain sight. You know what, if you think you'll be fine, then go sleep in the other trees, I'm going to keep moving." I spit out to her. She stands up and walks the opposite way. I regret the words I've said as soon as they slip out of my mouth. I rest my face in my hand and yell at myself.

I trail after Rue, following her footsteps. I hear her scream, and I begin running. "Rue!" I call out. No answer. "Rue!" I cry out desperately. Still no answer. I make it in time to see Rue's neck being snapped by the boy from District 7. My face turns white. All the hope I had of winning has disappeared. The boy looks up to me and gives me a subtle smile before whipping a knife straight for my head.

~*~*~

And sorry for the long wait, but hope it was worthwhile! So long for now!(: