Forever in the Games- UNDER EXTREME EDITING

Chapter Eighteen

"Please, please don't hurt me" Rue whispers, trying to cower into the shadows. I give a laugh.

"I'm not going to hurt you Rue" It was one of those moments when an animal hears it's prey, and it's ears stick up, except Rue started to move forward.

"So, what exactly are you planning to do with me?"

"Who said I was planning on doing anything to you? Maybe I was just in the mood to kill" I shrug. Obviously I wasn't going to do anything to her, I'm too nice for that (Note the sarcasm)so I have a request.

"In fact, I want you to team up with me" Another animal moment, her face shoots up, I think she's trying to figure out if it was sarcasm or not.

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"I'm useless. You can play this game better than me, you're going to win, where as I'm not" Why does everyone immediately get straight to the point that I've got more experience in winning than they do?! It really angers me sometimes. 

"You're not useless, I saw you in training, and you were impressive with your plants"

"Which you probably know a lot of anyway-"

"Don't interrupt me Rue" I growl, so she immediately goes silent "Actually, no, I've never been good with my plants, there's too many to remember, I have people to kill" I smile at her. Little Rue sighs.

"Well I suppose I have more chance of living if I'm with you, so, yeah, I'll team up with you"

We travel through the woods for a couple of hours, Rue picking edible plants, whilst I actually kill the animals. We don't talk much, trying not to attract anyone else to our camp. Setting up a small fire, making sure the smoke is barely visible, we begin to talk more.

"So have you ran into anything nasty while you've been in here?" I ask, as she stares into the small flame.

"No, apart from that District eight Tribute, nothing at all. What about you?"

"Nothing, I suppose it is only the second day, there'll be plenty waiting for us."

"I suppose. I saw the other District Twelve Tributes last night." My heart stops. Katniss and Peeta! Millions of questions spin through my mind at once.

"Where?"

"The other side of the arena, I was swinging through the trees when I saw Katniss sleeping in one of them"

"And Peea?" She hesitates.

"He's with the Careers" My heart stops again. No. He can't be! What's he playing at?! Joining the careers was a dangerous game no one could play. We need to find him, and soon, they'll all turn on him when they find Katniss... That must be why he joined! To lead them in the wrong direction, if he knows where she is that is. We had to warn Katniss too! She'll think he betrayed her, just like he did when he wanted to be trained on his own! Oh dear, what plan Peeta have in store, is a question no one but himself could answer.

"Will you take me too them?" Rue almost chokes.

"What? Luce, you have to be joking-"

"The arena isn't the place to joke, will you show me where they are or not?"

"But the Careers will be there"

"I'll deal with the Careers, if it comes to it" I promise

"Well I don't know where they are exactly but-"

"Thats fine" I begin "Just a rough idea, then we can track them"

"If you don't mind me asking, but why?" I suppose she would have brought it up sometime.

"That is for me to know, and you to wonder" I wink at her, she giggles, and prepares the food.

_*_

Finding a place to sleep must have been the toughest part. There were no trees that looked like they could hold our weight. So, travelling through the woods (again) we managed to come across an oak tree, that could hold us both.

"Well, we have our plants to eat, so we can travel all day tomorrow, and find Katniss, Peeta, and hopefully some water." I tell her, she has no objection.

"Thank you Luce" Rue whispers, just as I'm about to drift off. I've given her both the sleeping bag and rope to secure herself, whilst I stay on a low branch, as I'd find it easier to defend myself than Rue would.

"Your welcome, now go on, go to sleep Rue" It doesn't take long before I hear her gentle breathing, signaling she'd fallen asleep. Ahh, little Rue, she's like the friend I never had. Bless her little soul. How did she wind up in the Games? She's twelve, I started my first Games at eleven, not much difference. She doesn't deserve to be here. I continue these kinds of thoughts, before they soon drive me into a sleep, that I don't even hear the anthem.

I'm woken by feeling a little something on my hand. I just shrug it off, but then i feel it on the side of my neck. I shove whatever it is away, and scratch the spot. But something's wrong, Ii'm pretty sure I didn't have a cut on the side of my neck, and I'm sure it wouldn't bleed otherwise. My eyes flicker open, and my heart begins to pound. A flesh eating rat is sitting patiently in front of me. I think nothing off it, that is until I hear more hissing from above me. I look up, out tree is covered in them, each, looking as hungry as the next, but all of them, are prepared to pounce on anything with a heart beat, the only thing with a heart beat in this area, is Rue and I.