To Kill A Mockingjay

Chapter 6

"What's that?" Asks Thresh, staring at the pin.

"It's Katniss' mockingjay!" I tell him

"Us hul distle ukun wak?" Asks Finch unintelligibly, probably due to the three or four beef strips sticking out of her mouth.

"FINCH FOR GOODNESS' SAKE! STOP EATING YOUR'E GONNA MAKE YOURSELF SICK." I snatch the box away from her. "Also, what did you say?"

She gulps down the beef and stares longingly at the box.

"I said, It's her district token, right?"

"Yeah, but why would I need it? I mean, she did offer it to me once, but it's not like the pin's a matter of life and death."

Finch looks uncomfortable, tugging at a strand of her hair, and clearly not sure if she's to say what's on her mind.

"Oh, spit it out!" I tell her.

"Well..." she starts, "This may be kind of touchy, but... did you see her die?"

"I did"

And suddenly my eyes fill with tears; my mind is conquered by flashbacks of Katniss crumpled on the ground in a pool of her own blood. But i manage to banish them from my mind, at least for now.

"Well, in the Hunger Games, when a tribute is killed, the Survivor can take anything from the corpse. Supplies, their jacket, and, you guessed it, the district token." She starts.

"I didn't know that was legal," says Thresh sarcastically.

"Yeah, take Clove over here," she says as she walks towards Clove's body, unfazed by his biting irony. "I'm guessing this ring's her district token. I could take it, but the thing is, it wouldn't give me any kind of advantage.I would probably lose sponsors, and if I won, her district would resent me even more. the pin, on the other hand, you guys were allies. Maybe the capitol feels the pin's rightfully yours."

Her explanation makes sense, but I feel like there's something she's not telling me.

"We should go," says Thresh, clearly as unsatisfied as me with Finch's explanation.We set off walking, and 2 hours and many beef strips later, we reach the Rendezvous Rock. Thresh sets off on his own, but Finch decides to stay in the woods with me. I show her how to climb, and she sets her new sleeping bag in a branch near mine. After giving her a knife, we go hunting. With a weapon, Finch's amazing. Her reflexes, quick as lightning, and the way she predicts the animals next movements makes her stronger and more lethal than she seems. I can see she's uncomfortable with ending life, though, even groosling lives. I am too, but it's them or me, and that thought comforts me. After a while, we have two grooslings and a wild dog that tried to bite my neck. Finch can't stop saving my life, can she? We bury the dog though; it looks rabid, and neither of us really wants to risk it. Then we try a new roasting method; we climb high up in a tree and light a broken branch. Then, as I hold the branch, Finch slowly twirls the groosling in a stick above it. The result is a delicious smoky flavor. After we finish our ration (a leg and half a neck each), I get out some greens and some roots as a salad. Finally, some blueberries.

After our meal, Finch still looks hungry.

"Finish the groosling if you like," I tell her, but she looks unsure. "Do take it; I don't know how I didn't think of it before. You should eat a double ration for a while; get some body weight back on you."

I expect her to wolf it down like with the beef strips. but instead she takes small, quick, graceful bites. The day goes by pretty uneventfully, but Clove's dead, so I expect the gamemakers will leave us alone for a while.

At dinner, we (and by we, I mean mostly Finch) finish the other groosling and climb up our tree to sleep. The anthem plays, and I see Clove in the sky; she wasn't as pretty as Glimmer or even Finch, but her face had a sort of natural loveliness to it. easy to see why Cato loved her so. Part of the reason, at least. I don't know why, but Cato doesn't seem like the superficial type to me.

"Psst, Rue!" Finch whispers from her branch.

I look at her, head down, eyes half closed, lips barely moving. I blink to show her I'm listening.

"I don't think the Capitol meant for you to have that pin." That's all she has time to say before the anthem fades out.

I Ponder on this; it was someone in the capitol for sure, but maybe Finch is right and they sent it without the consent from President Coriolanus Snow. A girl in my grade, Basil, once made a nickname for him, Corrupt Anus Snow. Peacekeeper heard her say it, beat her to a pulp right there and then. She survived, but after that trauma, the poor girl was too afraid to open her mouth. She hasn't spoken ever since. 

Anyway, I'm exhausted now. I need sleep. And the gruesome memories of Basil collapsed on the floor next to the school entrance, bloody and broken, aren't helping.

If I get outta here, I'll help her. And everyone in 11. I tell myself, since her family's too poor to afford anything better than a rusty old wheelchair for her. Sounds good, spending the endless chasm of money on helping the needy.

I grasp the little Mockingjay pinned to my shirt. I like having it. It's like a piece of Katniss is still alive, cheering me on. With the little bird on my shirt and Finch by my side, I gently start drifting into a doze. But when the cannon sounds, I'm on my feet as quick as lightning, down the tree before Finch has even rubbed the sleep off her eyes.

"Giveimacouplehours "Finch mumbles from the tree, "*YAAAAAWWNN* Bet his camp's at least an hour away."

Might be true, but I don't dare go back to sleep. Instead, I pace around the Rendezvous rock, each passing hour adding to my unease. Then, after what feels like an eternity, I hear loud footsteps aproaching. It's Thresh! It must be! I look up, and it is Thresh, but something's wrong. He's limping, shocked, and has red sticky blood on his face.

***

Bam! I just can't stop leaving u in cliffhangers can I?

Hey! Don't blame me, Blame Shannon Messenger!

Also yea, I couldn't resist adding a bit of Clato there, huh?

So, just in case it's unclear, the bits in italic r Rue's thoughts.  

Please enjoy :) luv u all,

Kelz-> Out