A Hunger Games Fanfiction: Prim's Games ||Book One||

Chapter 8.5

Beech

Elm steps out of the shadows. "Don't throw it," he says. "Please."

His voice breaks my heart in half. He's so tired, he's had no food, and he's at the mercy of a girl in just as much trouble as him.

"Wh-who are you?" She asks. She's scared.

"Elm, District Seven. Please help me, I don't want to be alone. I saw the way you volunteered for your sister." I wish I could have volunteered for him. "I thought maybe you'd help me."

They make an alliance. It makes me so happy. Maybe he'll survive long enough to make it worth something.

I go to bed and sleep until Mother wakes me up. I eat a small breakfast of berries and nuts and head to school.

At lunchtime I'm trying not to look at the screen, but look up when I hear a scream come from the TV. The little District 12 girl, Prim, just screamed. Elm's with her. What happened.

Prim runs toward a tree with her knife. She looks away as if she's scared and tries to stab at a boy hiding there.

She misses and he clamps his hands around her throat. I cover my mouth, scared for her. She stabs him in the shoulder but he throws her to the ground.

He gets ready to kill her, but Elm comes out of nowhere and throws a spear at him, getting him in the stomach. He stands, and I realize why Prim screamed. Elm has a huge tear in the back of his left leg.

I want to look away but I can't. He finishes the boy off with an axe and collapses. I'm surprised how easily he killed him. But he did almost kill his ally.

Prim crawls over to him and attempts to use some bandages on him, but he stops her.

Stop it! I scold him in my head. Accept the medicine!

When she tries again, he stops her once more. "No, Prim." He says. "I've lost too much blood."

"No!" I call out. Everyone stares at me, but I don't care. "Win for me, okay? And when you do, say hello to my family on the Victory Tour."

"No," I sob again.

The cannon is heard and Prim turns to leave. Then she turns back and lift three fingers to the sky. One last form of respect for Elm. I run out, unable to watch anymore.

A cold feeling of determination sets over me. I must destroy the Capitol.

He can't have died for nothing.

Katniss

I'm at school right now, watching the games. It's not like I want to, I just want to see how Prim is faring.

Her companion from District 7, Elm, died yesterday. She almost died, too. She was almost choked to death. She's alone again. Right now she's going through the woods, maybe looking for Peeta.

She must have heard something, because she breaks into a run. She's only run a yard or two when she gets slammed to the ground. And standing over her is the Careers.

"Going somewhere, Twelve?" The District 2 boy--Cato, I think--asks.

"Pee-ta." She says, saying each syllable individually. She must be having trouble speaking.

"He's as good as dead." The District 1 girl says. "Cato saw to that."

I remember seeing that briefly yesterday before school. Peeta ran off to steer the Careers away from Prim. Cato gave him a nasty cut near the top of his arm.

The rest of the conversation is all a blur. They're trying to give the audience a good show, by torturing her. They're throwing weapons and hurting her badly. I can't watch anymore.

Peeta and another boy come and save her. Yeah, you owe it to her, I think. For leaving her all alone.

They take care of each other's wounds, but Prim can't use her hand. I'm scared for her.

Things are getting serious. There's only five tributes left, and they won't go easy on her. I push my lunch away, no longer hungry.