Cato, Clove and Marvel have it all set up. In fact, it's like they're on a family camping trip rather than the Hunger Games.

Their camp is not so far from the cornucopia, with a shelter and chairs (which they're sitting on now) set up. They have their weapons, but apart from that, all their other supplies are piled up in a big pyramid, just like Rue said.

"Guys, guys, look! Over there!"

I see Cato rouse Clove and Marvel, then they all turn towards the fires that Rue must've lit just now. I've been gone about half an hour now.

Then I notice another amongst their ranks. The boy from District Three, a spear in hand, is apparently their 'lookout'.

But I know better. I know that they could just have somebody else be their lookout and have two of them go out hunting at night. I know that there's some deeper reason that he's involved here.

However, I grin as I watch Cato, Clove and Marvel leave. Because that gives me way more chance of survival.

But before I can do anything, I see none other than Nina jump out the bushes and run at the pile, but when she's a few metres away from it, she starts to do a series of jumps and leaps until she's near enough the pile to grab stuff.

I almost have to do a double take in confusion. Nina?!

She's... fine. From the way she was running I can tell she's still slightly hindered from the burns but apart from that, she looks alright. This must be how she's surviving. Stealing from the careers.

I want nothing more than to run towards her and start our alliance again, and offer her a new source of food with Rue and I.

But I can't.

Because soon, I finally realise what's going on.

On her way out, I see that she's looking at her feet, which means she knows where to place them. She's smart. Nina knows. She knows exactly how to avoid-

"It's mined," I whisper to myself. This explains everything. The careers being so willing to leave, the boy from Three, and Nina's reaction.

I let my old ally go without pausing to stop her. I wish I could go to her, but I can't. We would be attracting attention from the boy from Three, and we can't do that. So I start to wonder how he did it instead.

The mines that scour the floor beside the plates we first rose up on to start the games are disabled after the sixty seconds we stand on them, but the boy from Three must've found a way to reactivate them. And sure enough, look around the metal plates and see a small pile of earth dug up beside each one.

This is what the boy from Three gave the careers in exchange for his life. Steep deal, if you ask me.

Anyway, I look towards the pile in frustration. The boy from Three doesn't seem like much of a fighter, so I don't think I'll have trouble with him, especially because I have axes now (my stomach crawls at the thought of killing him, however).

Suddenly, in a moment of madness, I take an axe out and pull my hand back. I contemplate this for a second before using all of my strength possible to throw the axe into the pile and set off the mines. I've given up the idea of trying to steal all the food, I'll just have to destroy it now.

The axe lodges in between two boxes, not making a single difference to the pile.

I then focus my attention on a net of apples, hanging about two thirds of its way down the pile. Gale and Katniss always say I have the best aim out of the three of us. Well, let's see if that's true.

I fling another axe at the pile, this time watching it land in a crate of food. Still, it doesn't set the mines off.

I pull out the third and final axe that I'd use on this occasion. This time, I take it slow. I partially close my eyes to see if I'm aiming right, adjust my hand on the axe and bring it behind my head. And then, like in slow motion, I stretch my hand out and release the weapon at its highest point.

I see every spin as it flips through the air, then I see it slash the net open.

The apples spill out and rush to the ground, setting off the desired explosion that, at that moment, didn't seem desirable at all.

☘︎☘︎☘︎

I feel myself get blown backwards into the air, landing a metre away from the foliage that'll protect me when the careers get back.

The careers! To say I make it in the nick of time is an understatement. I just pull myself into the cover of the woods when Cato surges onto the plain, Clove and Marvel not far behind. However, his anger is the worst.

With my ears still ringing from the explosion, I can only use sight to figure out what's going on. Cato rips the spear from the boy's hands and then gets a hold of him, snapping his neck. He falls to the ground and I presume a cannon goes off.

That's how quick it is. The death of the boy from Three.

I run fast after that. Through the woods and back to Rue. Apart from my ears ringing and some of my body bruised on the impact, I'm injury free.

I whistle out my four note melody for Rue as my ears clear.

"Willow! Willow! Willow, help! HEELLLP!"

I run faster and faster as I hear Rue. I almost yell out to tell her I'm coming, but that would give away my position almost immediately.

When I finally reach Rue, I see she's trapped in a rope net. I immediately pull out the knife Clove gave me and saw at the ropes binding her until I cut her free. She rushes into my arms.

"It's okay, you're okay," I whisper.

But she's not.

I see the look of fear in her eyes a second too late. Turning round, I'm too obsessed with defending us that I don't notice the spear in his hand. I instantly throw and axe at him and it hits him in the chest. He falls to the ground and spends the last few seconds of his life by pulling the axe out and drowning in blood before the cannon goes.

I don't get the moment to digest the fact that I've just killed someone, because I then turn round and see Rue.

Her eyes are sad and big, her head pointed downwards.

And her hand is too busy taking out the spear that's lodged in her stomach.

I let out a gasp of shock as she collapses into my arms. I only notice that I'm crying when a tear splashes on Rue's t-shirt. I look at the spear wound in her abdomen and know from one glance that I can't fix it.

I stroke Rue's hair and whisper "you're okay" to her. But she's not naive enough to believe she is. I zip her jacket up over the wound, and look into her glassy eyes.

"Did you blow up the food?" She asks very quietly.

"Every last bit," I say through the sobs.

"Good," she speaks in the same weak voice. "You have... to win."

"I will win," I say. "For you."

"And... Prim," Rue says slowly. "And... Posy..."

"Yeah," I nod, smiling with glossy eyes. "And I'll tell them all about you, I promise."

"Can you... sing?"

Sing, I think. My father used to sing. Gale used to tease him endlessly for that, but he was so good that sometimes even he couldn't find an insult. I used to be a singer as well, but after his death I stopped singing. I only do it if I'm (by chance) over at the Everdeens and Prim wants me to sing her a lullaby.

But if it's Rue's dying wish, I know I must do it.

I decide to sing a little song that my father taught me. It is a lullaby, but I feel it's right. I don't want to feel like I'm singing her to death. I'm just singing her to sleep.

"Deep in the meadow

Under the willow

A bed of grass

A soft green pillow

Lay down your head

And close your eyes

The sun will rise."

As Rue's eyes flutter shut, I decide that I can't let her go like this. As there's still been no cannon, I carry her body to some grass nearby. There, I find all sorts of flowers, and I pick them carefully.

I know the Capitol will hate me for this. Tributes aren't supposed to care for other tributes. They're supposed to kill them. But I can't do that with Rue.

I collect all sorts of flowers before placing them all around her. I carefully arrange them then cry into her chest as the cannon goes off. "I'm sorry," I sob helplessly. "I didn't mean to- I-I-I'm so sorry Rue."

My body shakes as I continue to cry.

Just before the two bodies were picked up, I search Marvel's body and find a medical pack with pills, plasters and bandages in it.

I've just stood up from him as the hovercraft flies in. This is custom, for all the dead tributes are always collected from the arena and sent back to the Districts. That's probably where I'll be by the end of the week

I watch as Rue and Marvel are lifted upwards. I quickly take my axe from the latter's stomach and clean it before turning to the sky. It appears to me that there's nothing there, but I know that all cameras will be turned on me right now.

There, I press my three fingers to my lips and raise them in the air. I want everyone (particularly the people in District Eleven) to know that I won't ever forget Rue.

And they won't ever forget me.