Pretty As a Primrose (A Hunger Games Fanfiction)

Chapter 13

It feels like I've been running for hours, when in reality it's probably only been half an hour. My legs want to give up, but I don't stop until I look around and realize I am in a completely different part of the arena. A whole new terrain. Before me is a sea of tall grass, rising up as tall as me, it must be so easy to get lost out here.

"Where are we?" I ask.

"I don't know. But we can get food from here" says Rue. I step out cautiously into the field, pushing the tall grass out of my way. I consider using the knife to cut the grass down, but that would be too obvious for any tribute to walk past without questioning it. I walk through the grass, being as quiet as I can.

When finally my legs ache from the running we did earlier and my eyes refuse to stay open, I stop and mumble something about this being a good place to rest for the night. I order Peeta to sit while Rue and I pull the high grass down and knot it against the ground, making a more comfortable place to rest. Night falls and I lie down on the bed of grass and wait for sleep to come.

"Prim?" Rue whispers.

"Yeah?"

"What's it like in district 12?" She asks. I imagine the gamemakers will cut out our conversation, communication between the districts is forbidden. They wouldn't want anyone watching to learn what district 12 is like. Sometimes I think it's actually because they don't want the people in the Capitol to realize just how hard our lives are compared to theirs.

"It's a wonderful place, if you took the time to notice it. Flowers grow in the meadow and the birds sing in the trees" I say.

"The birds have beautiful voices. Don't they?" She says dreamily.

"You have mockingjays in district 11?" I ask.

"Of course. They're everywhere. I love singing to them"

"My dad died a while ago. But he used to sing to them" I whisper. "And my sister, Katniss, she used to sing a lot before he died" I close my eyes and I can hear my father singing and Katniss laughing, see my mother smiling from the kitchen. A happy family. Suddenly the anthem brings me back to reality and I look up at the sky, which is hard to see through the grass. Silma's face is first to appear, her long red hair tucked behind her ears and her features retaining slyness. Next is the girl from district nine. I didn't know her, but I bet she was thrilled to have lived this long. Maybe she thought she had a chance. I stare at the brown haired, brown eyed girl, wondering what her name was. I feel bad for not knowing it. I close my eyes again as the anthem fades into the night and I allow myself to drift off.

Laughing and smiling, and singing and dancing. I see my father singing with Katniss, tugging on my mother's hand trying to get her to dance. I'm not me though, I can see myself, the little blonde girl giggling at her family. I watch as the scene changes, now I'm watching Katniss walk me to school. I get to class and everything is fine for a while. Then I realize I'm reliving my worst memory. Suddenly the alarm goes off and everyone in the room is screaming and running frantically.

"If the alarm ever does go off, just sit and wait for me" I remember Katniss saying. I fold my hands and wait for Katniss. When finally she did come, her face drained of color, I followed her out of the room and went home. The worst news awaited us, there had been a mine expolosion and no survivors are expected. That was the day my father died.

Then everything changes again and I see my mother sitting on her bed, staring blankly into space. I'm in front of her, begging her to say something. I remember this too, when my mother was so struck by my father's death she became unresponsive and lost in her own world. I blink a few times as the sunlight warms me. I sit up and realize Rue is missing once again. As an impulse, I expect the worse.

"Rue?" I call out "where are you?"

"Breakfast" she says, holding up little tangled roots in her hands.

"Oh. Good. I was worried. You should really stop leaving before I wake up" I say, sighing in relief. I can't afford to lose her, not now. Eventually we would both have to die, but until then Rue has to stay with me. I look to my right and see Peeta curled up like a little child. I don't want to wake him so I let him sleep, he needs the rest anyways.

"It's so weird out here. It reminds me so much of district 11, with the fields and all" she says.

"Oh. I bet it's nice having all that food to eat" I say, sighing. She gives me an odd look.

"Oh no. We can't eat the food, they'll whip us. Or kill us. If you want food you have to work for it" says Rue, as if it should be obvious. Killing childen for taking food? I couldn't see small children like Rue working out in the hot sun all day.

"Really? That seems a little... unnecessary" I reply. She nods and tells me about her little sisters, Lily, Zinnia, Aster, Iris, and the youngest named Marianna. How she is the oldest and works to feed her family, alongside her parents. A twelve year old working in the fields with her parents? Is this what the other districts are like? District twelve must have it easy because no one cares about us. In a way, that's good but bad at the same time.

"What time is it?" I look over and see Peeta, sitting up and stretching his arm over his head. Rue squints up at the sun in the sky, working out the time in her head based on the sun's position.

"Hmm. Around 9, I think" she says finally. Peeta frowns at us, pulling his eyebrows together.

"Why didn't you wake me up earlier?" He asks.

"Oh hush Peeta. You needed to rest anyways" I tell him.

"You know, I'm still older than you" he points out. I stick out my tongue at him, and that proves I'm much less mature than he is. He smiles and touches his hand to my cheek.

"I'll be ok. You worry a lot" he whispers. I stare at him, wishing I could believe what he was saying. The thundering of a cannon sounds and I jump. Peeta pulls his hand away from my cheek and Rue looks up at the sky.

"Thats ten left?" I ask. Ten. The numbers were coming down way too fast. I couldn't help but feel a little more hopeful that I made it into the final ten. Maybe I would make it into the final five..

"Do you think it was someone we know?" Rue asks quietly. I didn't know many of the other tributes, which made me feel guilty. People were dying and there was nothing I could do but stand by and wonder what their names were. I shrug.

"Probably not" I answer.

"Oh" she says. I glance at Peeta, he was silent as he stared off in the distance. He was still in pain, though, you could see the grimace underneath the blank expression.

"I think I'm going to go look for some plants. I'll be right back" I announce. I get up and trudge off through the thick grass to begin my search for the medicinal plants I needed.

It was a good few hours later, the sun was hot on my back as it reached afternoon. I had dug up enough roots and yanked enough plants from the ground that my hands were brown with dirt. It seemed like it would be easy to find my way back, as I had walked along I had probably left footprints in the ground. I followed the trail I had left for myself, I went farther out than I'd intended. A sound from behind me was not one I identified right away, it sounded almost like rattling. I stopped and looked around, afraid it might be another tribute following me. Then again, I was probably overheating in this jacket and hearing things so I shrugged it off and kept walking.

Again, I heard the strange rattling sound. I clenched my teeth together and tried to ignore the growing sound. My instinct was to ignore it, but something was telling me I should get out of here quick. It seemed too late, just then I noticed the long snake slithering out from the grass. It was dark green, matching the grass, with a diamond shaped face and two fangs that were bared viciously. I only got a look at it for about a second before it lashed at me, the long fangs dug deep into my skin, through my pants and flesh. I knew what it was in my head, a mutated rattle snake sometimes called a toxic viper by the Hunger Games announcers. I've seen tributes die from viper bites. Vaguely I wondered if how long before it killed me. The stinging of the bite in my leg sent me spiraling into unconsciousness.