Pretty As a Primrose (A Hunger Games Fanfiction)

Chapter 15

There was rustling through the grass, it freaked me out because the last time I heard something in the grass it was a viper and I didn't want that again. I got up, quietly as I could, and Rue and Peeta both started to wake.

"Shh" I whisper. They both give me a confused, half-asleep look and I motion for them to get up. I grab our bags and throw mine over my shoulder, then hand my friends theirs. We had to get out of here before whatever or whoever it was found us.

"I saw them here last night, Cato."

"Are you sure, cause I don't see anybody here, stupid."

"Shut up and keep looking."

Careers.

I glanced at my friends and then we took off, Peeta wobbling along with us. His leg was slowing him down and his face had a pained expression, but he kept up with us. We didn't have to time to waste, the careers were after us now.

"Cato!" the girl yelled, "They're going that way!"

The grass was tripping me and catching on my jacket and my shoes and my hair and making it hard to see more than two feet in front of me. I couldn't breathe or see anything but Rue in front of me leading the way, ducking and weaving through the grass. I could tell Peeta was behind us still, which was good. I didn't want to lose Peeta. I never wanted to lose Peeta but that wish was so unrealistic. I started thinking about losing people that meant more to me than anything, even if I've just met them, I didn't want my friends to die. I don't like people dying, I feel like my purpose in life is to prevent death, like my mother does. Being here makes me feel like I'm failing terribly at that.

We made it out of the grass, suddenly too. We burst out of the tall grass into a plain, there was no tall grass just the dirt on the ground. The gamemakers had a weird way of setting up the arena, but they do whatever they want and no one really questions them. It's all for show, entertaining the Capitol.

"Where are we now?" I ask. Peeta comes and stands by Rue and I, he was out of breath, running must have killed him.

"I don't kno-" Her voice broke off, ending her sentence by drawing in a quiet gasp for air. I turned and looked at her, horrified. Lodged in her tiny stomach, was the stick, the arrow head was stuck inside. I couldn't breathe, air was stuck in my throat and my eyes were threatening to spill enough to fill the ocean.

"Rue" I whispered, I didn't know what else to say. She collapsed to the ground, her hand over the arrow and with one tiny yank she ripped it out. From what I know, you were supposed to leave them in if you got stabbed by anything. It kept you from bleeding out but it was too late. Peeta and I dropped down silently next to her, we took her hands and held them in ours.

"I'm sorry, Prim. I really am." she struggled to whisper.

"No, Rue, shh."

"Prim, you have to go home. Do it- do it for me, please..." I could see how hard it was just to say those last few words.

"I will." I promised emptily. My hands were shaking as Peeta and I rested her hands over her chest, it finally stopped rising as she took her last painful breath and when it did, the cannon boomed. I squeezed my eyes shut. I wanted everything to go away, everything.

Everything I care about dies.

I finally got up when the hovercraft came and lingered over us, waiting for us to move so they could take Rue's body away forever. I suddenly felt the rage coming on, I'm never angry, being angry is something Katniss does. She holds grudges and gets mad easily and is unforgiving of people, completely the opposite of me. But it only took a few days in here to change who I am. I wanted to throw something, hit something, break something. I wanted to scream and cry and not be alive anymore because suddenly it didn't feel worth it anymore.

But then I saw the necklace around my neck and it reminded me that no matter what, I have people at home cheering me on. Katniss, my mother, Rory, Gale, Mrs. Hawthorne, everyone I know. I didn't want to let them down because things got hard. It's only going to get harder from here.

"Cato, I found them!" Suddenly I saw the girl, she popped out of the grass and pulled out her bow, so she was the one who killed Rue. Anger rushed through my veins and I knew what I had to do. I got out my knife and threw it straight at her, she didn't even have time to react before it hit her. Peeta ripped it from her skull, spilling her blood on the ground and dripping off my knife. He handed it back to me and we ran as fast as we could out of there.

"Prim-"

"No." I didn't want to talk about anything. I just wanted to get far away from everything, running until my legs hurt and I couldn't breathe sounded fanastic for once. I didn't even dare look behind us, if Cato was chasing us I didn't want to see. I don't care. Let him chase us.

"Prim will you please stop running for just a second?" Peeta says. "Running from your problems isn't doing anything but wasting your energy."

I didn't say anything, but I stopped and he stopped too. I could see that Cato wasn't following us, no one was. So I didn't start running again, instead I threw myself into Peeta's arms as soon as he opened them to me. It was like my sister was hugging me before the Reaping, it was like my mom was saying goodbye to me before we left for the Capitol, like my dad was hugging me before I left for school everyday. The same kind of comfort filled me and I didn't want to let go because it felt so nice to not have to think for just a second.

"I'm sorry, Peeta."

"We're going to be okay, Prim. I promise. You know that, though," I shook my head. Peeta was so wrong, we weren't going to be okay. No one is ever okay after they've been in the Hunger Games, the victors are honestly the most messed up people I've ever seen. Haymitch is one them, drinking constantly and the others from different districts were just as messed up.

"Yeah," I agree. I didn't want Peeta to think I was completely hopeless even though I was. I couldn't let Peeta know what I was actually thinking. "Of course we will be."

 "Good." Peeta says quietly, still holding onto me. I wanted to go home, back to district 12 where I belonged. I wanted nothing more than to be back in my kitchen helping my mother with patients and seeing Katniss come home with our dinner.

Is this what breaking down feels like?

Another cannon went off.