Little Flower-The Hunger Games from Rue's Point of View

Chapter 14

A rush of air drowns out my scream as the cord is wrenched from my hand. I topple from my perch, and am left crumpled on the elevator. My leg doesn't look normal. I'm kind of woozy, but it seems to me that it's twisted around. Or maybe bent in a strange way. It's hard to tell, because my vision keeps turning off. But that doesn't matter right now. The elevator is still rushing down the shaft, and it should hit the bottom any moment now. 

Without even hesitating this time, I leap onto the bars, twisting my other leg in the process. It throbs and burns, but I keep going up. 

The metal cord bites into my hand and gives me metal splinters as I swing up to the top of the ceiling. Paying no attention to balance, I frantically play with the wires. I'm not even looking at the wires anymore, just crossing and untangling them over and over again. Something I did with the wires caused this elevator to fall, and something can stop it. 

I'm betting that I have about five seconds until the elevator finishes its drop, when I feel an unfamiliar wire. Looking closer, I can tell that it's green. I'm pulling it down into the mass of wires, when I feel a hot spark sting my arm. Another comes and and then another, and I'm afraid to move my arm because something's actually happening now, and the elevator is falling faster and faster and faster, and if it doesn't stop I'm dead, so dead, even though it doesn't matter because I'm dying anyway, coming closer to it every day, and it's still falling, falling, flying-

The elevator stops in its tracks. 

Looking down at the floor in disbelief, I catch my breath. I drop down from the top of the elevator, carefully this time. My vision is still blurry, but I can see that there is definitely something wrong with my leg, and that parts of my left arm is red and inflamed from the sparks. Maybe my prep team can do something about it? I can't go into the Games with my leg like this. My main strategy is climbing trees. If I can't do that, then I'll have to rely on my running skills to get away from the Careers. 

Oh. But I can't get my prep team to help me if I'm still stuck in here.  

They'll come for me, right? They'd notice. They're bound to- 24 tributes are neede for the games... 

But what if they don't? What if they don't notice until the Games start? 

I imagine myself huddled in this same elevator, as the Games start. I wouldn't have to compete in the Games, wouldn't have to be brutally murdered...

But I would starve to death in here.

I need to get out. 

I can't risk playing with the wires again, but maybe I can call for help. The walls of this elevator are thick, unlike the sleek glass one, but maybe...?  

"Hello?" I shout. You can get punished for distrupting in Eleven, so I'm not used to yelling. My shout is barely louder than my normal voice. 

"Hello!" I try again, this time much louder, trying to keep the images of gun-holding Peacekeepers out of my mind.

No one comes.

"HELLO!!"

I wait for awhile, and no one answers. I can hear the sounds of the girl from Three talking to someone, but nothing else. Apparently nothing is going to work. 

I've resigned myself to starving to death in here, when the elevator slowly begins to move up. It's going slowly, so slowly I can barely tell, but it's doing something. 

The elevator doors open, and I'm greeted by the sight of the girl from Three. I'm so excited that I've been rescued by someone and that I'm not going to die, at least not here and now, that I don't notice that there's a man standing next to her. 

But then I do. And then I realize that the man is none other than the Head Gamemaker, Seneca Crane.

Author's note: So, I'm going to address the elephant in the room. Or shall I say, the mockingjay, because OMJUICE THE HUNGER GAMES MOVIE CAME OUT!!! I was so excited... :P Anyway, what did you guys think of it? Did the cast live up to your expectations? They certainly did for me. I wasn't sure about Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss at first, but after seeing the movie, I can't imagine anyone else playing her. :) 

Annyyhoo, the deadline for the next chapter is going to be a bit later again, because I'm going on a trip for about a week. :( Sorry. So the deadline is the 25th of April. I can try to update sooner though. The story is probably going to really speed up after this, (Just a few more chapters until she's in the actual Games!) so I'll probably be able to update more quickly. :)

Thanks for reading, and may the odds be ever in your favor! :P