The Mockingjay's Melody

Chapter 13: Jasmine Byrd

When Rowan awoke, I was sitting quietly beside him with my legs crossed. He woke with a start and scrambled against the rock wall. He winced and reached backwards to his shoulder, where his bandages were quickly being dyed red. I approached him slowly with my hood on, hiding my facial features. His eyes widened in fear and he slowly reached behind him to grab his knife. I darted forward and grabbed his wrist, ripping the knife from his grip. He gasped and held his wrist as I dropped the knife on the opposite side of the cave. I approached him again and he backed himself all the way up against the wall. I walked until I was standing in front of him then I crouched down to his level, observing his appearance. His hair tumbled in front of his eyes slightly and rolled down his forehead in locks and curls. His blue eyes were fiery yet wary. My stomach churned uncomfortably. His eyes darted past my head to the brunette girl from district 4, who was out cold and lying on her side with blood oozing from her shoulder.

He scrambled behind me and sunk down on his knees beside her, stroking her hair and soothing her just as.....as he had once done to me. In the hospital.

I shook off the feeling of jealousy churning in my stomach and sat cross-legged across from them. I watched as he pulled her head into his lap and continued to stroke her hair. Even after she had tried to kill him. I felt my heart begin to shatter into a million tiny pieces as he leaned down and kissed her forehead. I shifted uncomfortably and he studied me through narrowed eyes, as if trying to place an identity on me. I pulled my hood down farther to ensure secrecy to my identity. I kept my gaze trained on him, watching as he caressed the girl with such gentleness that she could have been a child.

But she WAS just a child, I realized. That's all any of us were. I inched over to the wall closest to me and slumped against it, head on my knees. I was exhausted after the last day-and-a-half.

I felt a small tug at my hood and reached up too late. Rowan removed my hood and saw my familiar green eyes and curly black hair. I lowered my gaze and reached up to pull my hood back down, cheeks flushed jealously. He sat back on his heels and took my hand in his. He grabbed my wrist with his other hand and put my hand against his, palm-to-palm. I stared into his eyes and saw nothing but longing and affection. With that, I burst into tears. I couldn't help myself. I wiped my eyes and he pulled me closer, cradling me while I sobbed into his arms. His eyes softened and he winced softly, reaching towards his shoulder. I stopped his hand and turned him around so I could examine his wound. I pulled some capitol medicine from my pocket, which I had stolen from the hospital on my way to the arena, and smeared it over his wound. He winced and I apologized, gently smoothing it over the wound after that. His shoulders sagged with silent relief but his head snapped up when the girl from district 4, (Autumn I found out was her name) stirred silently, and he shuffled towards her, leaving me alone in the darkness.

The next few days we spent taking turns watching over Autumn and tending to her needs, tending to each other's wounds, hunting, and explaining everything...INCLUDING my escape from the hospital.

"But...wait. So how did you escape? And how are you alive? I saw you die in the hospital." Rowan questioned, his eyes filled with hurt...probably from not being able to know I was still alive. My head sagged and I sighed. Having to explain this to Rowan would probably be the worst part of this story.

I began my story while I was in the hospital...

While I had been lying in my bed, Flick came to me. He had felt inexplicable sorrow at my death and had murmured his goodbyes when a 15-year-old boy named Pluto MildCreek had come by the room, entering it as Flick left. He had approached me in the bed that I laid in silently, my body still, and had stared sadly at me as he saw a 12-going-on-13-year-old that had died before she even made it to the games. He had hesitantly leaned down, then pressed his lips to mine. He had sat on my beside for a few minutes as my pulse slowly returned. He had run out to get the doctors and nurses and they had rejoiced at the knowledge of my returning life. After that, Pluto had helped me out of my bed and helped me get ready as I got ready to leave for the arena. He had protested and to shut him up, I had reached up and kissed him. Not a peck on the cheek, not a forehead kiss, but a full-on kiss. One that had made me crave another. But I had not gotten it because it had been time for me to leave. I had embraced him and then I left, snagging the Capitol Medicine on my way out.

Rowan was silent after I had finished. He stood, walked across the room, and slumped against the wall for the rest of the evening, refusing to even look at me.