Chapter 13
I run through the woods, sweat glistening on my face. I pause, looking around frantically. Bushes start to rustle loudly behind me. I take off running again, away from the bushes. A wall of fire erupts in front of me. Gasping for air, I turn, looking for a clear path. The only way is back, towards whatever I'm running from. I take off in that direction, crashing over bushes and weaving in between trees like an animal. Finally, I reach a clearing, grass almost up to my knees. I bend over, retching my stomach out. I close my eyes, trying to catch my breath.
A scream sounds, then a loud noise. A cannon. I whirl around. The scream sounded close. Then I realize: everything has gone black. My eyes feel open, but I cannot see. Hyperventilating, I turn in circles, my limbs slowly going numb. Something catches my back, and I'm whisked up into the air.
"Madge. Madge. Madge! Wake up!" a voice sounds from above my head. Finding that I can open my eyes, I do, the fresh face of Prim greeting me.
"What's going on?" I ask, confused. I stare at the familiar ceiling of a room. My room.
"It's 1:00. Mom se-"
"1 in the afternoon?" I ask.
"Yeah. Mom- er, my mom sent me to get you."
In my sleepy state, I don't realize what this could mean. It takes me a moment to answer.
"Is Katniss alright?" I say, shooting into an alert position.
"Oh yeah, alive and kicking. She and Rue are planning something, and my mom figured you'd wanna come hang out with us."
"Er, alright, sure," I say, awkwardly swinging my legs to the side of the bed, trying not to hit Prim. "I'll be over in a few."
"Please hurry," the younger girl says. "Mom's getting really anxious."
"Alright."
Stripping off my pajamas, I quickly change into fresh clothes. Brushing my hair back loosely with one hand, I tighten my boots with the other. I exit the house, speed walking to the Everdeen's. Along the way, I pull a leaf of mint off a bush, realizing I forgot to clean my teeth.
The television blares loudly in the Everdeen's small living space, echoing off the deteriorating wooden walls.
"You know you guys are always welcome at my house, right?" I ask quietly.
"That's very sweet, dear, but we wouldn't want to intrude," Mrs. Everdeen says, looking pointedly at Prim.
"So, what kind of plan do Katniss and Rue have? What are they going to do?" I ask curiously.
"They're gonna blow up the Careers," Prim says confidently.
"Their supplies," Mrs. Everdeen corrects. "Apparently the boy from 3 rigged the landmines around the starting platforms to protect their supplies. Rue will light a big fire to draw the Careers away, while Katniss blows it up."
"What could go wrong," I mumble under my breath. Like every day, this could be Katniss's last, especially with something as risky as this.
The camera that has been following Katniss suddenly stops, as she does. Katniss peeks through the bushes that line the clearing near the Cornucopia, eying it warily. The Careers run off pointing at something in the distance. One of Rue's fires, probably. Caesar Flickerman comes on the air, talking about how risky this plan is. He's stressing me out, and by the looks of it, Mrs. Everdeen too.
Eying the pyramid of supplies, Katniss seems stuck trying to figure it out. From the commentating, I know that the landmines are buried in sporadic intervals near the pile, making it almost impossible to get anything from it. Katniss stands up, clearly impatient, when a small figure runs out of the forest to the left of Katniss. It's the girl from 5. She hops and bounds through the minefield with grace. At one point, she stumbles, letting out a sharp scream, but recovers and continues her funny movements. When she reaches the pyramid, she takes an assortment of food, grabbing just enough for herself, but not so much that the Careers will notice. She dances back across the dangerous path, disappearing into the forest once again.
"That girl is smart," Mrs. Everdeen remarks. "Did you see how she was moving? She knew exactly what she was doing."
I nod absentmindedly in agreement, still focusing on the screen. Katniss stands up, unsheathing an arrow. She aims at a large sack of apples, steadying her breathing. Katniss shoots the arrow, and for a second, everything is calm. The camera catapults backwards as Katniss's world explodes.
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