Rue's Story

12

I stay in the trees, and since I had no time to pack my things I lost my spare jacket. It fell off when it was covering my legs and I jerked awake. There was no way I could have gotten it. My sweatshirt and jacket were still on though, and I zipped my sock gloves into my coat pockets so that my fingers were free.I'm wearing my boots, because I fell asleep with them on, and that makes out-jumping the flames that much more difficult. I lost Katniss in the time it took to leap a few branches over, and now I'm jumping in a diagonal toward the pond. The wall of fire is quickly advancing and it's less than ten yards away when the first fireball whizzes through the air.Rather than duck, as I would on the ground, I launch myself into a branch about ten feet below me. The fireball explodes on the tree and it immediately becomes a blazing inferno-I know using the trees is out.I'm five feet off the ground when I jump. I land soundly, and I take off running, still at a diagonal, but I no longer know where the pond is. The fireball has left my jumpy and disoriented, because I fear another attack. At this point I'm working with instinct and adrenaline. I can feel each heart beat, and I'm running as fast as I had from the Cornucopia if not faster.The flames are still on my heels when the next fireball crashes into the forest. I tuck and roll away from the fireball's whizzing sound, and the small fire it ignites. I know that I'm not the target with this fiery assault-Katniss is. I can only imagine how many fireballs have been launched at her.The thick smoke is choking and it's easy to tell I won't last long breathing it in. I yank my t-shirt neck over my mouth and nose, trying to filter the air, if only slightly. It seems to be helping, though my throat and eyes are still burning. The longer I run the harder it is to see-there's tears pooling in my eyes, trying to wash out the burning sensation.I know I can't stop running, but it's too hard to breathe. I lean against a tree for ten seconds before forcing myself to restart my run. Another fireball whizzes past me, closer than the first two. I dodge it narrowly, and wonder if the Gamemakers plan to actually hit Katniss-it's clear they're behind this fire. My guess is the fire was designed to seriously injure or debilitate Katniss. An icy fear settles in my stomach.Just as this thought solidifies in my mind, I hear someone vomiting. My first thought is that it might be Katniss, but I think the odds are slim. Still, I make my way in that direction. I can't see the mystery tribute, but I can hear them. Whoever it is, is panting heavily and trying to stand up, to keep running. I'm about to continue on when I hear the whiz of a fireball, and the crash.A person-distinctly female-makes a sounds that's a cross between a scream and a gasp. I move a little closer, thinking that it may be Katniss, and I discover that it is! It's Katniss.Judging by the noise she made this is the first fireball the Gamemakers have sent her way. I'm just to her left hidden by the trees when the next fireball whizzes by, heading straight for her. Her ears pick up on the noise instantly, and she drops to the ground. I jump to the right, trying to dodge it, but I react seconds to late. The fireball grazes my forearm and it takes everything I have not to scream.I stifle the pain for now, and concentrate on Katniss, on trying to figure out how I can get us out of this attack, and how I can find water-I'm going to need it for this burn. I take a cautious glance at the wound and see the long strip of bright red flesh that's already begun to blister.Katniss is running completely on instinct at this point, there's no distinct path to her advancement, she's simply fighting death. I'm right behind her, struggling to keep up, and ignore the searing pain in my arm.She dives or jumps out of the path of each fireball that soars past her, though it's clear she's fading fast. The attacks slow briefly, which is good, because Katniss is retching again, as her body tries to rid itself of the harmful toxins it's been inhaling. She has to stop, and when she does I notice her braid has been seared off by more than five inches. She notices at the same time I do, because we both smell the burned strands of hair.She holds the ends in her hand, almost mesmerized in the missing hair when the next fireball comes crashing through the forest. We both hear it, but I see it first. Katiss jumps out of the way, but she's reacted too late. There's nothing I can do, if throwing myself out in the open to catch the impact on myself would have worked I would have done it without thinking-I'm simple too far away.I watch in horror as the flaming sphere catches Katniss calf and sets her pant leg on fire. I watch her burn, completely paralyzed, and utterly helpless. Katniss reacts before thinking, but quickly regains her head and rolls her leg on the ground, effectively smothering the flames. However, before thinking her actions through she rips the remaining smoldering edges of the fabric off with her bare hands, leaving burns there as well.It's clear she's too traumatized to move, and if the Gamemakers had wanted her dead now would be the time-but I know they won't kill her, they aren't that merciful. They would rather her slowly perish at the hands of some Career due to her newly burnt, and most likely slower, condition.A thought hits me with irony so strong it infuriates me: Katniss Everdeen the Girl on Fire, was indeed on fire. How coincidental-yeah right. This was all by design, the Capitol's way of controlling her spirit, and her will to live-they thought this would break her. I know otherwise, she has an iron will, which most likely was only hardened by an experience such as this.With the attack behind us, I find that we really are a mess. The sun is rising, and I can see that the flames no longer chase us. The only thing reaching me is the choking plume of smoke.I'm careful to remain hidden, not wanting to ruin my silent watch post because of this attack. I know for sure I have faired better than Katniss. The burn on her calf is making it difficult for her to walk, and her hands are badly enough burned that simply touching something would be agonizing.She limps, seeming to be wandering, and I'm worried someone may be close by-someone other than myself. The purpose of the attack had to have been obvious to the Capitol citizens, it would be frowned upon to burn a tribute simply to break their will to live-oh no, there had to be a legitimate reason for burning a sixteen year old girl's calf. Ha! Legitimate. As if driving her into another person who will attempt to kill her is legitimate, only in the eyes of the Capitol.She stumbles upon a spring-fed, bubbling pool. She's in ankle deep when her consciousness makes note of that fact, and she proceeds to plunge her charred hands into the water, which must ease the pain of the burns. She washes her face and somehow musters up the courage to examine her calf. At first sight she pales and sways a bit, but she quickly recovers, and without knowing it she rearranges her expression into that emotionless mask I know so well now.I decide to hunt for some plants that I know will aid burns, looking more for pain relief for my arm than for Katniss-I'm one hundred percent sure she has sponsors. I leave the pool, and Katniss, but I don't have to stray far.I find a cluster of plantain plants not one hundred feet from where I was moments before. I sigh; the plants bring back memories from home. We use them in the orchards for tracker jacker stings, and also for burns such as the one on my arm-not deep, but extremely painful.At home we would chop the leaves and soak them in a warm bowl of water, before transferring them to a rag, to form a compress for the injured-here I have limited options. I think for a moment, before I decide that chewing up the leaves will suffice. If anything they will form a chewy green paste that I can use as a salve.I pop a handful of leaves in my hand, and dig into my zipped coat pocket-the one containing my spare socks. I find the small square of fabric that I had used to stop my bleeding the day before-thankfully I had washed it out at the spring-and I spit the chewed glob of leaves into the rag.I wrap it tightly to form an 'icepack' of sorts, and press it to the burn. The medicinal part of the plants begins to seep through the fabric, aided by my saliva, and it cools the burn, while it fights off infection. It's a miracle that these plants were here.I rest for a few moments, and listen for sounds from Katniss. It's completely silent, and after ten minutes of quiet I assume she's fallen asleep. I guess I'm on watch.I keep busy while she rests. I check over my supplies, only to find that I didn't lose my food in the fire, so I still have some berries, and some tree bark. I also add the plantain roots to the pile-I know they are edible-and two more handfuls of the leaves, I don't know if I'll be able to find more after I leave this spot.My pocket is feeling full, but I still need to collect some mint leaves when I come across them, they make me happy-like music, they are one of the few things we have that are almost sweet in 11. We treat them like candy.I add them to my food stash, which is quickly becoming more and more diverse, I guess I am oddly suited for this arena.Among my other supplies I still have my spare sweatshirt, though the bottom hem us badly burned, how I do not know, which shortens it considerably. I keep it anyways, because in the next few nights it will help me keep warm. I also have my socks, and my 'weapons'-if you can call a slingshot and a sharp rock weapons.The last thing I do is restock my pants pocket full of stones to fire from my slingshot. Most of them had fallen out during the run from the fire, and I'm now in need of more. When I complete that task I sneak over to the pool of water and fill my water skin silently, sure to leave the sleeping Katniss undisturbed.I climb a tree, though I'm only about fifty feet up, and I keep watch looking and listening for anything strange. When I do hear footsteps, and coughing, I jerk up, desperate to alert Katniss to the danger that's coming. The Careers!I resort to using my slingshot once again; thankful I had replenished my ammo. I fire a stone inches from her ear and she shoots into a sitting position, her pack all ready to go-thank goodness, I think.I climb higher and higher in my tree until I'm a good hundred and twenty feet in the air, then I begin to jump from tree to tree following Katniss's path at a distance. The Careers are closing in and I can't think of a way to divert their attention from Katniss, right now I could probably try and gain their attention, but they'd kill me instantly, and Katniss would be next. I'm praying for a miracle when she begins to climb.She scales the tree faster than I have ever seen her before, completely ignoring the pain that I'm sure she feels-it's remarkable really, her will power.When they reach the tree she's climbing she's twenty feet high, keep going, I order in my mind. I know that if she can clear fifty feet the others won't stand a chance at reaching her, they're too heavy, and that girl with the bow probably can't shoot it."How's everything with you?" She yells, and we're all shocked by her boldness, though I have to suppress a laugh-it's so Katniss. To taunt those bent on killing you ruthlessly, it's a death wish, yet she welcomes the challenge."Well enough," The leader, Cato speaks for the whole group, though under Peeta's calm expression he is in utter terror and dismay for Katniss, he won't let them kill her. "Yourself?" Cato seems excited to taunt his victim back, assuming-I'm sure that this bravado is simply because Katniss is trying to be brave. She and I know otherwise."It's been a bit warm for my taste, The air's better up here. Why don't you come on up?""Think I will." Cato replies fiercely."Here, take this Cato." She tries to shove the bow at Cato, but he refuses it, and thankfully only I notice the tortured, furious expression on Katniss's face when she sees the bow-and the glare she non-discreetly shoots at Peeta.When Cato begins to climb Katniss does as well. When she's fifty or so feet in the air Cato's branch buckles under his weight and he plummets to the ground.He stays still for a moment, but of course, it's to much to wish that the twenty foot drop had killed him.