Prim's Games

Chapter 8-PRIM

They leave, and a hovercraft comes for the dead girl. I hold up my three middle fingers, and as soon as I'm positive Archer's group is gone, I slip down, and find more edible herbs. I don't know how much longer I can live on herbs. My top priority though is water. I hike through the woods, stopping occasionally to take a break. The dehydration is getting to me fast. As the day wears on, I know I'm in trouble. My tongue is sandpaper dry, my urine is dark brown and my head hurts badly. I find a berry bush much to my relief, and I'm positive the berries are edible at least. I've seen them before in my mother's herb store, although I'm not sure what they do. I approach it and discover they're not what I thought they were. I've never seen these before, and it takes all my strength to leave without eating any.

I walk until nightfall and then eat some more herbs before strapping myself into a tree for the night. The picture of the girl Archer killed from District 8 flashes up. I don't know what I'll do if I don't get more water soon. Maybe my only hope is going back to the lake. But I can't do it, without risking being killed. I'll just have to look some more. Sleep takes me quickly.

In the morning I realize Haymitch could send me water. There must be at least one sponsor willing to sponsor me, and water's cheap compared to everything else. "Please, water." I murmur as I look up at the sky. Even basic movements hurt me. I never want to leave, but I force myself to get down, hold my canteen and go on. It hits me after a while of walking. The main reason Haymitch wouldn't send me water is because it's nearby. Of course. I hike, trying to look strong in case Mom or Katniss is watching.

By late afternoon, I know I'm practically dead. I tumble to the ground and can't find the strength to get up. I let my eyes close. "I'm sorry Katniss. I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough." I murmur in case they're watching me. I trace patterns in the mud near me. It's so soft and slippery and I love the coolness of it against my fingers. Mud! Where there's mud, there's sure to be water. I force myself to crawl and after a few minutes, I find water. I don't know if it's purified though. I drink it anyway because there's no other option and eat the healing herbs in case. I eat the edible herbs I find nearby, my strength mostly rejuvenated. I fill the canteen, and crush some more healing herbs which I add to the water. I go to sleep in a tree, deciding that I'll stay here tomorrow, eat pond lily roots and drink as much as I'd like. I go to sleep, but I'm woken up later by pounding feet.

I look up and there's a wall of fire descending on me. I unstrap myself as fast as I can, grab my canteen and knife and run. All I can do is follow the rabbits and deer running for safety. I pull my shirt over my mouth, to protect against the suffocating smoke, and run. These are clearly Gamemaker made flames. They're too uniform to be made by any of the campers. The Games were getting a little boring for the Capitol I guess, no fights or deaths today. But the girl with the flame dress meeting a fiery end will amuse them I guess.

I keep stumbling, but I keep my pace. I hurdle over a burning log. My nose and throat are starting to burn, despite the fact that I'm trying to breathe as little as possible. Each breath brings unbearable pain with it. I vomit out what little I had in my stomach, giving myself one minute to rest. I allow myself one swallow of the water, before thinking about where to go next, the animals I was following are gone. I decide to try and loop around the flame so I'm behind it, not in front. It'll take a lot of running but I might make it. A fireball explodes a foot from where I am. I gasp and start running. To stay still is death. Whatever vague plan I had disappears. I keep moving, dodging fireballs that explode close to me.

I know from watching the Games that certain areas are rigged with certain traps. If I can get out of this area, the fire will be gone. When the attacks start to die down, I begin to throw up again, this time it hurts badly though. Suddenly, a fireball comes straight at me. I barely dodge it, by diving out of the way just in time. The attack is over. There's nothing else coming. If the Gamemakers wanted to kill me now, they could. They're probably just using that to drive me closer to another tribute though. A fight would catch the audience's attention. I drink another sip of water and get out of the range of the smoke. Daylight begins to emerge, and combined with the swirling smoke, I can't see very well.

I walk on, and blissfully find a spring-fed pool. I drink the rest of my canteen and refill it, with the herbs and then allow myself to soak in the water for a minute. It's blissfully cool. Where should I go now? I think I should wait for the last of the smoke to clear before going anywhere, but I don't know what I'll be walking into. It could be Archer's group for all I know. I scurry up into a tree and fall asleep after a while. When I wake up, I see Rue, looking at me from the next tree. I'm glad to see her. Maybe we can work together now. I wonder how long she's been there. Without making a sound, she points above my head, and I see a wasp nest.

They're probably the deadly tracker jackers the Capitol engineered. I have to be careful. One wrong move and they'll kill me. For now, I nod thanks to Rue and decide to do something about it when it's daylight. I wake up to a slight weight on my chest. It's a little silver pot, filled with iodine. Now I can be sure I'm drinking pure water at least. I mix the right amount into my canteen instantly. "Thank you Haymitch." I whisper. I drop out of the tree and to the ground, landing safely thankfully. "Rue!" I whisper as loudly as I dare. She nods and comes down gracefully next to me.

"They're not the only ones who can form alliances." she says to me.

"Are you asking if I want to be in an alliance?" I ask.

"Yes. Do you?" Rue asks. An ally! Maybe I do have a chance at winning these Games after all.

"Yes," I say. I'm glad. Even if Archer ditched me, maybe Rue and I can survive together. I notice a burn on her forearm. "I can fix your burn with the right herbs I think. Do you have any meat?" I ask.

"No, but I can easily hunt a groosling down," When she sees my confused face she explains "It's a type of bird."

"If you make a spit, I can roast it. I'm no good at hunting, but I can heal and know which herbs are edible."

"It's okay, can you just try to find herbs for my burn while I hunt?" she asks.

"Sure." I say, secretly glad that I won't have to deal with the dead animal. I can't stand seeing anything or anyone hurt without helping it, because I feel powerless. I walk off, and find some herbs that'll help Rue. I make a paste out of them, and by the time I come back with it, she's roasted the bird with some kind of root that tastes like wild parsley. I smear the paste on her arm, cut a strip of cloth off my jacket and use it to bind it.

"Thank you so much Prim. Mmmm, I've never had a whole leg of groosling to myself before." she says. It's clear she hasn't since she's so thin.

"Take the other one," I say and when she starts to protest I say "Don't worry, just take it." Her appetite wins over and she takes a bite of it.

"So, in District 12 do you get all the coal you want?" she asks.

"No, we only get whatever we buy and whatever sticks to our boots. Do you get extra crops in District 11?" I ask.

Her eyes widen "Oh no, we're not allowed to eat the crops. They whip you in the square and make everyone watch if you do. The mayor's very strict about it.

"That's terrible! I'm so sorry." I say.

"It's no big deal, and anyway it's not your fault. We do get a little extra food at harvest time."

"Wait, don't you have to go to school?" I ask. It's nice hearing about her life. There usually isn't much contact between the people of different districts. To squash of a chance of a second rebellion I guess.

"No, no one goes to school during the harvest. Everyone has to work. Maybe we should see what supplies we have between us." I nod and spread out my iodine, canteen, healing plants and knife in front of me. Rue has an impressive collection of berries and roots with her, a hand made slingshot and a hard, sharp rock she's using as a knife.

"Okay, I'll trade the rock you have for this knife. I can barely throw a knife anyway, so you should use it instead." We switch, extinguish the fire and start walking upstream so we can find a place to camp. We pick a tree and strap ourselves to the branches. When the Capitol anthem starts, we learn that the girls from District 1 and 4 are dead. I give them the usual three fingered salute. I realize then, that there's only ten of us left now.

"Do you know anything about the Career tributes," I ask "I know Archer's in their group, but not much else."

"They have a huge collection of supplies by the lake. Maybe we should try to attack it, limit their supply. We might not have much in the way of weapons, but we're small and hard to catch." Rue says thoughtfully. It's not a bad idea if we can figure out how. We fall asleep, and I feel at peace for the first time since the Games started.