Burning Gold

Part 1

(Ten years later)

Rue

Dark shadowy trees engulf me. Worried, I look back at the sky, the sun is just starting to peek out of the horizon to the west. I know I can't be out when the sun rises yet I fell asleep last night waiting for a fish to bite my makeshift line. I push my sore legs faster and faster. I am racing the sun, a battle I know I will never win yet I can't give in now. The sun is quickly rising and I'm only a few minutes from my home.

I keep running, all the birds have gone silent as if holding their breath for me. To see if I'll be a dead girl today or if I'm spared my life. I have already been in this situation once, when I first met another person out here, Ash had not been so lucky. He was out when the sun rose and was burnt into a pile of ashes in seconds. It just goes to show how dangerous Skylark has made important things like the sun.

I keep racing down the path, racing the sun, awaiting the Fire. Up ahead in the dying trees I see my hut, it is only a few yards up ahead. I glance back up at the sky.

Will I make it in time?

My heart is pounding in rhythm with my boots on the burnt dirt.

5 yards, I quicken my pace, 3 yards, I am breathing heavy, 1 yard, I dive into the hut and pull the flap shut behind me.

Quickly, I make my rounds in the hut to make sure all the fireproof lining is in place, before the whole world goes up in flames.

I secure the open flap and lay back down on my sleeping rug. I lay my head down on the deerskin pillow and think about what I need to do while the world is burning. I make a checklist in my head. Prepare the fish I caught while the moon was awake, dry the deer from yesterday, cut the roots and herbs from the small garden, and repair a few things of mine.

Reluctantly I get to work. I go to the middle of the large tent and make sure the coals are still hot. When I coax them into a flame I put a few pieces of wood in the fire and a fire erupts, it crackles and sparkles. I smile as I look into the flame and imagine the Capitol burning. I walk over to the door where I dropped my fish.

I caught 3 huge tiger barbs and 1 king fish. I grab the king fish and take it over to the huge flat rock I use to skin animals. I lay the 50 lb fish on the rock and pull out the knife from my belt. I dig the tip into the scales by its head and slowly work the skin inside out. When I pull the last of the skin and scales off I cut the beast into small stripes of savory meat.

I finish cutting the fish and take the pieces of meat over to the fire to cook. I sit them on the metal rods above the open flames. As they cook I go back to the rock and clear off the scales and put them in a little bucket carved from a tree trunk by the door. I use a small cloth and water to wipe the rock down. I grab the tiger barbs to the fire and throw them in. Slowly, they burn to nothing but ashes. I hate wasting fish, but Skylark has not only made the sun dangerous, but also tiger barbs in the river that carried a poison that can kill.

Done with the fish,I start making a soup with the potatoes I found growing right by the river, and some leftover deer meat. I still don't understand how the potatoes survived the Fire, maybe they were far enough underground that they didn't get affected, but normally nothing grows outside.

Watching the meat cook I rebraid my dirty blonde hair. The braid runs over my left shoulder and almost reaches my waist. Although my small muscular figure helps survival and hiding from hovers that sometimes come around the forest at night, to try and capture Rebels. I look down at my mucky boots. I really need to clean them so the leather doesn't rot.

After the food cooks I eat a bit of fish and crawl into my sleeping bag. I drift away into darkness.

Jayla: