The Mockingjay's Melody

Chapter 12: Rowan Turner

I watched with horror as the M.U.T.T. lumbered through the forest, Autumn in its arms. It brushed the trees past with its shoulders like they were toothpicks. I ran after the monster and watched as it piled Autumn onto a pile of dead tributes. Oh no! I thought. She CAN'T be dead! I turned from the sight to keep my stomach in check. I began to slowly panic, turning back towards the pile. Out the corner of my eye, I saw Autumn slide down the back, limping through the trees with a massive gash from the back of her thigh to her mid-calf. The M.U.T.T. unfortunately noticed and whipped around, racing towards her like she was a piece of food for a dog. She yelped and hobbled faster, but not fast enough. The M.U.T.T. scooped her up like a piece of wood and dropped her suddenly, she was winded from the impact. The M.U.T.T. spit some sort of gooey, acidic stuff that hardened and stopped her from moving. Unless I could get her out, there would be no escaping. She strained in the amber but it was no use. She was stuck until further notice.

I scrambled from the tree line until I was hiding behind Autumn in her "chrysalis." I panted and pulled himself to his feet until he was standing behind Autumn, cutting at the amber with his hunting knife, (which I had retrieved after diving back into the water). As I chipped away at the amber, and ever so slowly, the M.U.T.T. laid down and fell asleep, it's horrible snore sounded like a dying monkey. At last, the amber began to release Autumn. Autumn strained as the amber began to peel away and I pulled her close to me as I hid us both behind the cocoon of amber. The M.U.T.T. raised its head, sniffed the air briefly, before laying its head back down and going to sleep again. I let out a breath of relief and looked back to Autumn.

I froze with horror as I gazed at her.

She had turned paler than snow itself and her lips were as colorless as that of a gray rabbit's pelt. Black vapor poured from the small puncture marks in her shoulder and her lips moved as if in a cry of soundless pain. I grasped the vapor in my hands, gasping as it unexpectedly thrashed in them, as if attempting to escape. I slammed it on the ground and it seemed to weaken somewhat. Around the wound grew cracks, vicious little lines that flew across her flesh like the rotting branches of a briar. I slammed the dark vapor against the ground again and the cracks in her skin seemed to flicker, as if weakening or fading. I slammed it against the ground again. There it was again- the cracks faded for a moment then returned. I watched as the vapor slowly stopped thrashing in my hands and the cracks began to fade-- PERMANENTLY. I gasped as the vapor dissipated from my hands into thin air. The cracks seemed to split the air as they screeched then they too, disappeared from existence. Autumn looked no paler than she had been, but she was still quite drained. Her face was twisted in a pain she could no longer describe. I, very politely and modestly, undid the top of her shirt and saw with horror that there was no longer a wound in her shoulder-- but in the middle of her chest, right below her collarbone. It was black and had small cracks surrounding it, but they did not crawl up her skin the way the other ones did.

She woke sometime later and explained to him her situation--

That M.U.T.T. had somehow sent a black vapor chain into her through his bite and had placed that chain around her soul. The M.U.T.T. Would have total control over her and would mostly likely use her against me. And her solution in keeping him safe from this curse.....was for me to leave her behind and let the other tributes murder her. That or I murdered her myself. I protested against it several times, her eyes filled with the horrible truth. In the end, they agreed that I would leave at dawn and she would sit and wait until her master called upon her or until she died of lack of water and food. Or she was attacked. I hugged her quickly and held her there for a moment, staring into her bright and lively eyes. I leaned in and kissed her and I felt her pull back for a moment before embracing the kiss, returning it with passion to live the moment before it was gone. I could just HEAR the capitol audience cheering for more.

When they finally parted, I gazed into her eyes.

She gasped suddenly and collapsed into my arms, her face twisted in inexplicable agony. She fell limp in my arms and I felt her chest convulse, as if something were....squeezing her. Twisting her soul in some....horrible way. In panic, I laid her down on the ground so she didn't fall. I watched as she slowly opened her eyes then I gazed into them and found nothing but twisted agony. She screamed in pain and writhed on the ground until she forced herself up and staggered towards me with a knife-- my HUNTING knife. I fell backwards in shock and scrambled across the ground, trying to escape her peril. I heard her scream again and looked back long enough to see she had collapsed to the ground after another tribute stabbed her. All I saw was a lock of long, black hair and a flash of sparkling green eyes.

"Jasmine?" Was my last thought before a knife was plunged into my shoulder and the world fell into eternal darkness.