Room 205 [Late Wednesday night/Thursday morning]
It wasn't unusual for Katniss to dream of the Games; it was nearly a nightly occurrence, in fact. So when she drifted off to sleep, curled up under her blanket, seeing the arena was practically familiar.
They had picked a fork high in a tree and settled in just as the anthem began to play. There were no deaths that day.
“Rue, I only woke up today. How many nights did I miss?” Katniss asked, knowing the anthem would block the sound but whispering anyway, even going so far as to cover her lips with a hand to muffle the sound further. She didn't want the audience to know what she was going to tell the small, bird-like girl she'd acquired as her ally. Rue had showed her a tracker jacker's nest, and earlier that day, had helped her create a salve to soothe the stings that Katniss herself had acquired by using it as a weapon.
Taking a cue from Katniss, Rue did the same, covering her mouth before whispering. “Two,” she said. “The girls from Districts One and Four are dead. There’s ten of us left.”
“Something strange happened. At least, I think it did. It might have been the tracker jacker venom making me imagine things,” Katniss said. “You know the boy from my district? Peeta? I think he saved my life. But he was with the Careers.”
“He’s not with them now,” Rue told her. “I’ve spied on their base camp by the lake. They made it back before they collapsed from the stingers. But he’s not there. Maybe he did save you and had to run.”
Katniss didn't answer. If Peeta had saved her, she was in his debt once again, and this was something she couldn't pay back. “If he did, it was all probably just part of his act. You know, to make people think he’s in love with me.”
“Oh,” said Rue thoughtfully. “I didn’t think that was an act.”
“Course it is,” Katniss said. “He worked it out with our mentor.”
The anthem ended and the sky went dark. “Let’s try out these glasses.” Katniss pulled out the night-vision goggles that Rue had shown her how to use earlier. She could see everything, up to a skunk over fifty feet away. She could kill it where she was sitting. She could kill anyone.
“I wonder who else got a pair of these,” she murmured.
“The Careers have two pairs. But they’ve got everything down by the lake,” Rue said. “And they’re so strong.”
“We’re strong, too,” Katniss replied. “Just in a different way.”
“You are. You can shoot,” she said. “What can I do?”
“You can feed yourself. Can they?” Katniss asked.
“They don’t need to. They have all those supplies,” Rue said.
“Say they didn’t. Say the supplies were gone. How long would they last?” Katniss replied. “I mean, it’s the Hunger Games, right?”
“But, Katniss, they’re not hungry,” said Rue.
“No, they’re not. That’s the problem,” she agreed. “I think we’re going to have to fix that, Rue.”
She could tell Rue trusted her, because as soon as the night glasses were put away, she snuggled in close to Katniss and fell asleep. Nor did Katniss have any misgivings about Rue. If she’d wanted Katniss dead, all she would have had to do was disappear from that tree without pointing out the tracker jacker nest. Needling her, at the very back of Katniss's mind, was the obvious. Both of them couldn’t win the Games. But since the odds were still against either of them surviving, she managed to ignore the thought.
A voice cut into her thoughts, just as she was allowing Rue's warmth to lull her to sleep. If you dream them, they will come.
And just like that, Katniss was awake in her bed in Fandom, haunted by that night, and by what had happened not hours later. She sat up in bed, hugging her knees and letting the warmth from the dream linger and filter through her pleasantly. Of all the dreams of she'd had of the Games, this was the first time it wasn't a nightmare.
[NFI, establishy, all that jazz, though open for the roomie should she wish. :) stolen liberally from The Hunger Games.]
They had picked a fork high in a tree and settled in just as the anthem began to play. There were no deaths that day.
“Rue, I only woke up today. How many nights did I miss?” Katniss asked, knowing the anthem would block the sound but whispering anyway, even going so far as to cover her lips with a hand to muffle the sound further. She didn't want the audience to know what she was going to tell the small, bird-like girl she'd acquired as her ally. Rue had showed her a tracker jacker's nest, and earlier that day, had helped her create a salve to soothe the stings that Katniss herself had acquired by using it as a weapon.
Taking a cue from Katniss, Rue did the same, covering her mouth before whispering. “Two,” she said. “The girls from Districts One and Four are dead. There’s ten of us left.”
“Something strange happened. At least, I think it did. It might have been the tracker jacker venom making me imagine things,” Katniss said. “You know the boy from my district? Peeta? I think he saved my life. But he was with the Careers.”
“He’s not with them now,” Rue told her. “I’ve spied on their base camp by the lake. They made it back before they collapsed from the stingers. But he’s not there. Maybe he did save you and had to run.”
Katniss didn't answer. If Peeta had saved her, she was in his debt once again, and this was something she couldn't pay back. “If he did, it was all probably just part of his act. You know, to make people think he’s in love with me.”
“Oh,” said Rue thoughtfully. “I didn’t think that was an act.”
“Course it is,” Katniss said. “He worked it out with our mentor.”
The anthem ended and the sky went dark. “Let’s try out these glasses.” Katniss pulled out the night-vision goggles that Rue had shown her how to use earlier. She could see everything, up to a skunk over fifty feet away. She could kill it where she was sitting. She could kill anyone.
“I wonder who else got a pair of these,” she murmured.
“The Careers have two pairs. But they’ve got everything down by the lake,” Rue said. “And they’re so strong.”
“We’re strong, too,” Katniss replied. “Just in a different way.”
“You are. You can shoot,” she said. “What can I do?”
“You can feed yourself. Can they?” Katniss asked.
“They don’t need to. They have all those supplies,” Rue said.
“Say they didn’t. Say the supplies were gone. How long would they last?” Katniss replied. “I mean, it’s the Hunger Games, right?”
“But, Katniss, they’re not hungry,” said Rue.
“No, they’re not. That’s the problem,” she agreed. “I think we’re going to have to fix that, Rue.”
She could tell Rue trusted her, because as soon as the night glasses were put away, she snuggled in close to Katniss and fell asleep. Nor did Katniss have any misgivings about Rue. If she’d wanted Katniss dead, all she would have had to do was disappear from that tree without pointing out the tracker jacker nest. Needling her, at the very back of Katniss's mind, was the obvious. Both of them couldn’t win the Games. But since the odds were still against either of them surviving, she managed to ignore the thought.
A voice cut into her thoughts, just as she was allowing Rue's warmth to lull her to sleep. If you dream them, they will come.
And just like that, Katniss was awake in her bed in Fandom, haunted by that night, and by what had happened not hours later. She sat up in bed, hugging her knees and letting the warmth from the dream linger and filter through her pleasantly. Of all the dreams of she'd had of the Games, this was the first time it wasn't a nightmare.
[NFI, establishy, all that jazz, though open for the roomie should she wish. :) stolen liberally from The Hunger Games.]