The shrill scream made you panic almost immediately as your eyes snapped open. No one else could be capable of making such a sound unless it was--

"RUE!" you cried, immediately recognizing the voice that called you for help. "Rue! Where are you?"

"(Y/N)!" you heard her voice call out again, and you felt your feet thud harder than ever on the ground as you began to run to her. "(Y/N), HELP!"

The sound of your heart pounding was all you could register as you made your way through the forest, her voice growing louder and more desperate with each second. At long last, you saw her trapped in a net, sprawled on the ground like a little animal.

"(Y/N), please, help me!" Rue pleaded now, tears streaming down her young face.

You nodded. "I'm on it!" you said, taking out a knife and cutting through the thick ropes that bound her to the ground. The moment she was out, you immediately opened your arms, and Rue took no hesitation to fall into them as she shivered with fear.

"Shh, Rue, it's okay," you whispered. "You're alive."

But those words spilled out of your mouth too soon. You heard a whistle off to your right as you turned your head and saw a spear incoming. Immediately, you let go of Rue and rolled away as you set an arrow onto your bow and released it in the general direction the spear came from, not even glancing once at the tribute who attacked until he dropped to the ground, completely lifeless, the arrow sticking out of his chest.

For a moment, you thought that was Cato you accidentally shot, and you almost screamed. But then a closer look told you that it wasn't Cato--it was Marvel. Oh right. Who knew Marvel was good at throwing spears too?

But right now, you had bigger problems. You glanced at Rue, hoping that she also had the sense to duck away from the incoming spear...but no. Time froze as you saw Rue, the spear that Marvel threw stuck deep into her stomach, a bloody circlet forming on her t-shirt. As she pulled the spear out, you ran to her and gently lowered her down, kneeling beside her as her head rested between your legs. Her hand reached out and grasped onto yours, and you clutched it tightly for whatever the remainder of her life was worth. Tears threatened to spill from your eyes, and you decided to let them go freely.

"Did you blow up the food?" Rue asked quietly, looking up at you with tears also welling in her eyes.

You nodded, feeling your arms tremble from fear. "Yeah. Every bit of it," you responded.

Rue smiled serenely at this answer. "Good." She squeezed your hand, and this just brought more tears to your eyes. "You have to win," she whispered now, putting in as much sincerity in her words as her strength would allow.

This was too much for you to process. For a moment, Rue was in danger, then safe, and then close to dying again. No one is safe in the Hunger Games, and for the moment you were already in danger of dying as you crouched by Rue. But it doesn't matter. You made the promise to Prim to get out of the Games alive. Now Rue was repeating the same thing.

"I'll...I'll try," you whispered, hugging her gently.

Rue nodded as she whispered one more word in your ear. "Sing?"

Normally you weren't one to sing a lot. In fact, you have never sang a lot unless it was singing lullabies with your mom to ease each other of the nightmares of your father. There was one, though, that your parents taught you when you were still very young, and even through the tough times following your father's death you and your mom would sing it together. You have never sang to anyone else however--not to Peeta, or Delly, for that matter. Yet if this was Rue's request, you have to honour it. You glanced down at the pendant flashing in front of you and nodded, opening your mouth to sing.

Deep in the meadow, under the willow

A bed of grass, a soft green pillow

Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes

And when again they open, the sun will rise.

Here it's safe, here it's warm

Here the daisies guard you from every harm

Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true

Here is the place where I love you.

Rue's eyes were starting to close now, and she smiled as she heard your beautiful voice soar through the forest, making even the mockingjays fall silent as they heard you. You didn't think of yourself much as a singer, but the fact that even they fell silent to hear your laments made you feel comfortable. As if you're still singing this to your mom, back home, without any disturbances...other than the fact that the person you're singing this to is already dying. You glanced once at Marvel, who was completely still in death, and you knew that you didn't mean to kill him--he was your ally at one point too. But it was just for the sake of protecting Rue, little Rue who wasn't supposed to fall into any danger at all...

Taking another deep breath, you kept going, only to imagine that the lullaby isn't only for Rue anymore. It's for her family, it's for Marvel, for Peeta, for Cato, for your mom...for everyone whom you cared about so deeply.

Deep in the meadow, hidden far away

A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray

Forget your woes and let your troubles lay

And when again it's morning, they'll wash away.

Here it's safe and here it's warm

And here the daisies guard you from every harm

And here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true

Here is the place where I love you.

As you finished the song, your voice just gave out as you felt Rue's grip on your hand go completely slack. The mockingjays soon took up your song as they passed the melodies back and forth among themselves in the trees. Two cannons immediately went off after that--one for Marvel, and one for Rue...the girl who you failed to save, who you watched die after killing off your ally...

"I'm sorry," you sobbed, gently zipping up Rue's jacket to hide the ugly spear wound and gently laying her down on the ground now, the tears now closing your throat up. You also then went over to Marvel and laid him in the same way as you did with Rue. Gently prying the arrow from his chest, you glanced at the both of them now, lying with their eyes closed, their faces bearing no expression. Seeing them like this suddenly incited the anger in you again, the same way it did seeing Glimmer and the girl from District 8. You didn't have time to look at the boy from 5 before he dropped to the ground, though you knew that was just for the sake of protecting yourself. But whatever the case, you were angry at the Capitol for putting up this kind of punishment.

Suddenly, Cato's words floated back to you again. "It's just sick. The fact that everyone had to show up here, trained or not, to fight against each other as if WE were the enemies, as if WE were never together to fight against the Capitol..."

This forceful separation made you clench your fists hard as you threw the spear away from you and into the woods, screaming. "HOW COULD YOU?! JUST WHY?!" you cried at the top of your lungs, not even caring if the Capitol heard you. "How could you just sit there, smiling and cheering when another human being dies? We're freaking HUMAN, for hell's sake!"

As if on cue, Cato's words crossed your mind again, as well as Peeta's.

"They didn't want me to give up on them--to keep being strong. But...it's impossible. I'm just me. I'm just...Cato. I'm not a monster."

"I hope they don't change me, if I get reaped. Like, if I want to die...I have to remember who I still am. I'm a citizen of 12, not a monster."

They're right. Cato's Cato. Peeta's Peeta. And you're you--not monsters created under Capitol hands. In that moment, you just wanted to give the Capitol more than just words to think about.

Off to the left, you saw some (F/Flowers) and some other wildflowers growing in beautiful hues in the grass. Approaching the small garden, you picked the flowers now carefully, cutting away with a smaller blade Clove gave you, and then returning to the two bodies, decking them in flowers. You had to make several trips, because you wanted to make their deaths count. That the Capitol, at some point, had to question their humanity.

Soon, you finally pulled away from Marvel and glanced at the both of them. Okay, admittedly, wreathing Marvel in flowers sounded like a weird idea, but looking at them now, you felt that you didn't leave them go unnoticed. They wouldn't be. You looked at Rue, your most recent ally, who lost her life too soon. Then you glanced at Marvel, who died under your hand and still looked so innocent and boyish in death. Choking out a sob, you straightened up again and glanced up at the sky, performing the three-finger salute to the sky as if you were doing that to the citizens of District 11 and 1.

"Goodbye," you finally whispered to the two tributes, giving both of them a kiss on the forehead. Then you turned and walked away without looking back, your feet finally leading you away from the glen as the hovercraft came once more to pick up the bodies. Tonight you'll see them in the sky for sure...and to think that they both had to die in the hopes of the killer trying to stay alive...

It was completely barbaric. And just so...wrong.

Silence ensued as you made your way to the first meeting place where you saw Rue. To your surprise, a parachute was sitting there on the ground in waiting for you. Your first gift from a sponsor! Curiosity got the better of you as you opened the parcel, revealing a small loaf of bread topped with seeds and grains, as well as a (F/G) head circlet embedded in a thin golden band. Then it hit you. These must be gifts from District 11 and 1, for what you did to their tributes after they died. You smiled as you put the bread in your left hand and the circlet in your right, and you glanced up at the sky once more, the sky's light now fading away to let the night come in.

"My thanks to the citizens of Districts 1 and 11," you said clearly and firmly, smiling as you recalled the good times you shared with both of their tributes. Then fatigue overtook as you climbed up a tree for the first time, thankful that you have taken that climbing wall challenge in training. After seeing Marvel, Rue, and the boy from district 3 flash for the final time in the night sky, you spread your sleeping bag there, and with both the bread and the circlet in your hands, you fell asleep.