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》︎✳︎✳︎✳︎《︎︎
RUE'S FACE FADED into an emotionless stare of longingness as she pulled out the spear. She collapsed into Leighton's arms the same time Marvel fell dead. His cannon went off, but no one paid attention to him as Katniss and Devyn rushed over. Tears clouded Leighton's eyes as he began trembling. Katniss and Devyn kneeled down, still shocked but trying their best to comfort both Leighton and Rue in her last moments.
"It's okay. You're okay," Leighton whispered after barely glancing at the blood spreading rapidly across Rue's stomach. Tears slid down Rue's face, and Leighton was soon joining her. He kept mumbling the same words over and over again as he began sobbing.
Devyn wiped Rue's tears away as Katniss clutched her hand. "Did you blow up the food?" Rue whimpered to Katniss and Devyn.
"Every bit of it," Devyn tried her best to laugh, but it came out short and weak as she watched the young girl in front of her die.
"Good," Rue rasped out, breathing heavily, moving her eyes back to Leighton. "One of you has to win," she said barely above a whisper, and Katniss couldn't help but look at Marvel with Leighton's ax in his chest.
The four all sat in silence for a minute or two as they cried until Rue spoke up again, "can you sing?" Her voice was growing weaker every second, but everyone heard and complied.
Katniss was the first to start as the other two watched, Leighton clutching tightly onto Rue as if to keep her with him longer and Devyn running her fingers through her thick brown hair to calm her.
Deep in the meadow
Under the willows
A bed of grass
A soft green pillow
Lay down your head and close your eyes
And when they open, the sun will rise
The cannon interrupted Katniss' lullaby. Leighton sobbed loudly as he grabbed Rue's face; her eyes were blank as she stared into the faux sky. "No, please, no. Rue, stop messing with me. Come back. Come back!" He pleaded, his tears dripping onto her face. Katniss reached forward and slowly closed Rue's eyes, her own tears adorning her cheeks.
Devyn kissed Rue's forehead, sobbing out the words, "I'm sorry." After much crying, Katniss and Devyn were able to pull Leighton away so Rue's head could rest in the grass. Devyn zipped up Rue's jacket to cover where the spear had killed her and looked at Leighton, who continued to shake and twitch, trying his best to keep his emotions in check but he was too overwhelmed.
He grabbed the bloody spear from the ground and threw it back at Marvel's dead body, letting out a painful screech as he placed his forehead against Rue's chest. Devyn sniffed at the sight of Leighton breaking down. She tried her best to drown him out, but he was far too loud to focus on anything else.
