The Hunger Games- Prim's Story

Chapter 21

We make our way to the Cornucopia in the dark. Neither of us wants to get lost, so I'm tightly clutching Peeta's hand, letting him lead me. In my other hand is my knife and Peeta has the spear. It's freezing and my jacket does little to combat the cold. I know for a fact Clove and Cato will be there, and Thresh probably. But I wonder about Rue and Foxface. I don't think Thresh would want Rue to go and risk getting herself hurt and direct confrontation is not Foxface's style. My mind is filled with worry and anxiety. We'll have to go right into the thick of it to get what we need, and something's going to happen, I know. We have to give the audience a good show, and for once, maybe I don't mind much.

I wonder if my family is watching me. School will probably be canceled for the day. For big events, like the Reaping and the feasts, they want everyone glued to the television. Everyone will be rooting for us, District Twelve rarely makes it this far. And both tributes too? After we make it out of this feast, everyone will be celebrating, cheering for us, urging us on, willing us to come home. I wonder what my family is thinking now. Especially Katniss. I wonder what she thinks of me now. I won't be her little sister anymore. And I don't mind that, I'm more than what I've always been. I'm more than just her little sister. I'm more than just a little girl that Peeta has to protect in these vicious games. I'm more than just a small child the Capitol can coo over. 

We get to the Cornucopia a couple of hours before dawn. As far as I can see, we're the only ones here, unless the others have hidden before we arrived. We hide in the underbrush, huddled together. Peeta gives me his jacket and I smile at him gratefully. He lets me sleep until dawn, and I wake up to the birds chirping and the morning sun. I look at the Cornucopia and frown. "Where's my feast?" I mumble, unaware Peeta could hear me. 

"Let's go now. I'll go scout the outside first and then go and check the inside, you stay here and if you hear this," he pauses and whistles a simple two-note melody, then continues. "You run as fast as you can inside and as soon as we see our feast, we get what we need and run away. Understand?" 

I nod and he goes. I venture carefully out of the underbrush to get a better look. He holds the spear out and walks slowly around the Cornucopia. Seeing no one, he goes inside. I see him back away quickly, but then he moves closer to the back of the Cornucopia and seems to be conferring with someone. Without thinking, I sprint in, knife in hand. I don't care to see who I throw the knife at, and Peeta quickly moves out of my way and my knife hits Foxface in the neck. Peeta looks at me horrified. Foxface groans and I look down at her limp body. Her face has gone white and her breathing is shallow. "Well! Kill her Prim, don't leave her to suffer!" 

I quickly slit her throat and I hear the cannon sound and I get back up to my feet. I lean against the Cornucopia wall and I feel Peeta staring at me. He says quietly, "We were coming to an agreement. She agreed to not hurt either you or me, as long as we promised the same. She wasn't going to hurt either of us."

"Yes, she was. She has that foxy look in her eyes. She wouldn't have kept you a promise for anything," I say. 

Peeta looks at me with pity in his eyes. I don't like his pity. "Well, we won't know now."

"It's for the best. One tribute closer to District Twelve, right?" I say, trying to convince him. He's about to say something back when the ground in front of the horn splits in two and a long table with a snow-white cloth rises out of the ground. On the table sits four bags, each with the number of the District corresponding with the remaining tributes. The largest is for Districts Two and Eleven, and the smallest is Twelve. I could carry it around my wrist. On the end is a medium-sized bag with the number Five printed on it. I guess they couldn't take Foxface's bag back after I killed her. One more bag for us. 

Peeta nods towards the big bag. "I'll get her bag and you get ours. It's small, so no one will follow you." The table darts into place and I run forward and grab my bag. Peeta runs and grabs tightly onto Foxface's bag. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a figure sprint towards me. Clove. A knife comes whizzing at my face but I drop down and scramble away. Peeta, who's in the safety of the underbrush, runs out without the bag and pulls me away. But he had no need to do that, because Clove isn't coming towards me anymore. 

Her new target is Rue. Why is she even here? Why would Thresh let her come? I turn around frantically, trying to see where Thresh is, but I don't see anyone. My eyes widen as I see her pull Rue to the ground, and take out a knife. It's small, beautiful, and deadly. I hear Rue call for Thresh and I see him run out of the forest and grab the large bag meant for District Eleven. Then he spots Rue. Clove jams her fist into Rue's windpipe and makes a deep, delicate cut on the side of her head. She's just about to make another cut, when Thresh lifts her off of Rue. I see her desperately try to hold onto Rue, but with her knife in hand, she ends up stabbing Rue right in the heart. 

All I can see is red and I know I'm not thinking straight. I thrash around until Peeta loses his grip on me and I run over to where Rue is laying on the ground. Her breathing is shallow and she doesn't have much life left in her. I sit down next to her and move her head into my lap. I see a faint smile as she notices me, but my attention is drawn away to Clove's screams of agony as Thresh repeatedly throws her body against the Cornucopia. She goes limp and falls out of his grasp onto the floor and he steps on her neck. I hear the audible crack and Thresh looks down at her distastefully. Then he grabs District Two's bag and sprints off into the forest behind the Cornucopia. 

I move Rue's hair away from her face and she says weakly, in a voice I can barely hear, "Prim? Can you sing for me?"

I shake my head and say, "I'm not a singer, Rue. I can't send you out like that."

Rue frowns but doesn't have enough life left in her to move her head. "I don't care. Just do it." 

I look down at her pleading face and take a deep breath. I begin to sing the song that Katniss sings to me when I'm sick. My voice comes out worse than usual because of the scars everywhere around my face, but I don't care anymore. I just want to let Rue go out happily, and if this is what it takes, then so be it. 

"Deep in the meadow, under the willow,

A bed of grass, a soft green pillow,

Lay down your head-"

I barely finish singing that line when I hear Rue manage a small laugh. "You're so off-key." She laughs and tears run down both of our faces.

I nod and say through the tears, "I know." Her breathing slows and I know she has only seconds left. I give her a kiss on the forehead and wipe the tears from her eyes. She goes out looking at me and I gently move her head off my lap. 

Peeta runs towards me and grabs me by the wrist. He hauls me up and says urgently, "Prim, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry but we have to go. Now, Cato's coming. Come on Prim, we have to go now!" I run with him, all the way back to the underbrush and we climb high into the branches of a tree until the leaves conceal us perfectly. Tears are still running down my face, burning my scars and constructing my vision. 

Cato runs out and sees Clove. He picks up her limp body in his arms, he knows that she's gone. He doesn't cry, but his face contorts and he looks rife with grief. He gently closes her eyes, and takes out the blanket from his bag, and covers her bruised and bloodied body. Then he smoothes her hair, kisses her gently on her lips, and takes her bag. Then, noticing the footprints Thresh made on the dewy grass, he follows them, sword in hand. I sit up on the tree with Peeta and watch as Foxface, Clove, and Rue are taken up and out of the Arena. Then I remember.

I didn't close her eyes.