The Hunger Games - Primrose Everdeen

Chapter eighteen

Soundlessly, I back away gradually. Hopefully, I will go unnoticed. If I am spotted than I will be ensured, a painful death. Weither it is quick or not is decided upon whoever takes my life. 

As I back into the shadows a hand wraps around my mouth and pulls me backwards, taking me a good hundred yards away until I finally react. The knife in my hand reflexively scrapes the arm, but just barely. "Damn it, Prim." Peeta mutters painfully. 

Peeta! He saved me! In a way I guess. "Peeta, what are you doing?" I ask in a muted tone. 

"Saving you. Be careful. Those guys are ruthless." Answers Peeta worridely. Of course I know that they are ruthless, that's how they were born and raised. But I still can't help but be thankful.

"Well, thank you Peeta. And I'm very sorry about your arm. Here, let me see." I take his arm in my hands, feeling smaller than ever before, and examine the wound. My eyes grow wide. "Did I really do that?!"

Peeta snickers. "No, a sword did that at the Conrucopia battle." I can't beleive he didn't listen to Haymitch and just dove right in! He points to a small cut that is barely even bleeding. "That's the fatal wound that you caused with your killer knife." 

I only allow a teensy grin. "Do you have a medical kit? That sword wound is getting infected." Consentrating carefully, I study the gash. 

"If I had one, don't you think that maybe it wouldn't be infected?" He says gingerly. 

Rudely, I give him an annyoed look. "You could have just said no. But, I think that Rue has one in her bag. Have you seen her?"

Peeta thinks for a moment before answering. "Up in a tree. But to get to her you'd have to find your way around the Careers."

I peer past Peeta at the fire that flickes, flames licking the air. It shouldn't be that hard, honestly. I just have to loop around them without bringing their attention towards us. "Okay, follow me then." I begin to march off to the right, being as noiseless as humanly possible.

Peeta grabs my arm forcefully and doesn't allow me to me fowards. "What's that, right at your feet?"

Nervously, my eyes scan the ground in front of me. I smile, pleased to see that my snare had caught a plump, juicy rabbit. And thankfully, the snare killed it. Bending over, I pick up the rabbit carefully and continue on through the woods to Rue.

"Psst!" Rue hisses from a tree, towering above our heads.

I wave her down but she shakes her head, then stares at Peeta. She then waves me up to her. With a sigh of defeat, I climb up towards her. "Yes?"

"Why is he here?" Rue asks, completely frightened by the fact that Peeta, a heavy built, stocky young man with powerful fists, is standing right beneath her. 

"He saved me from the Careers so I agreed that I would help heal a gash on his arm. Can I see your medical kit please?" I ask kindly. Rue shakes her head no. "Why not?"

"Do you see that spear in his hand?" Fiercly Rue says. "Once you are done with his arm, how do you know that he won't kill you?"

I shrug. "I trust him. He loves my sister. I feel obligated to help him." In answer, she takes out the first aid kit and shoves it into my arms. "Thank you."

Quickly, I tuck the kit safely into my backpack and hop down the tree. I snatch Peeta's arm and open the medical kit, examining the contents. There's some fever pills, bandaids - one of which I snag and plan on putting on placing over the knife "wound" -, gauze, and disinfectent cream. After applying the cream to the bandaid, I expertly place it over the cut I made on Peeta's arm. Once that is finished, I grab the gauze and put it on the slash, but not before I put the disinfectent cream on that too.

When I am finally finished, Peeta smiles gratefully. "Thank you." He looks up to Rue and mouths thank you to her too. "For the sake of your allie, I'll be on my way."

Before he has time to turn around, I wrap my arms around him. It's the first time that I ever hugged him first. Actually, thinking about it, it is the first time that I ever voluntarily hugged someone first that isn't family. Not even friends. "Thanks for saving me from the Careers."

"You're welcome, Primrose." Peeta lets go after five secounds and heads off. After he disappears into the shadows, Rue slides down the tree.

"We shouldn't stay here. The Careers are too close."  I state. Rue just nods her head. Before we march off, I look back over to the Careers. They are too far away and it's much too dark to see them, but the fire lights up so brightly that I can see it even as we begin to walk off.

"Please never do that again." Rue says shyly. Her eyes darker than ever.

"What? You mean taking Peeta back to help him? Because my district deserves a winner and it sure is not going to be me?" I harshly and bluntly say. There was definetely a special bound between Thresh and Rue, so if Rue came to me with Thresh in tow, begging me to heal a wound of his, I would do it! Without complaining!

Rue glares at me. "Should I just end this alliance?" This takes me back a little bit. Where is this coming from? Sure, we were aguing, but that doesn't mean that we should become enemies. To end an alliance declares them as just another tribute. Just another person trying to draw your blood. Another person to attempt to kill.

"What? This is crazy!" I'm almost shouting now and I know that maybe Rue and I should take off in a sprint.  Easily, the Careers could of heard us. 

She shoots me a frustrated look. "We just don't get along, Prim. I'm sorry. Please, though. I think I might be better off on my own." Says Rue promptly.

"Alright." I say, voice low and saddened. No other words are exchanged, she just heads off. In what direction, I'll never be sure. I just keep walking. 

It's then that I get a bad feeling that I am being watched. Eyes, glaring hungrily at me.