"No! Prim!" I scream.
"Calm down. Calm down, she's fine." My mother turns on the television. "She ran off before anyone could hurt her." I'm watching the screen now, but they are not showing Prim. Four tributes have died by the careers.
My eyes keep flicking across the screen and my ears continue to hear cannons over and over. "I volunteer as tribute!" I wanted to say.
I grip the blanket tighter. Where is Prim? Is my mother lying to me? Is Prim dead? The questions bang against the sides of my head, making me feel sick. The minutes pass by faster and faster and they continue not to show where Prim is. My eyes stay open as long as the games are progressed on to the television. I hold my breath when they show Prim alive. She is hiding in a bush, shivering, and dehydrated.
"I thought Haymitch was supposed to support her?" I ask my mother.
"He is. Our district just added up our money to send a parachute to Prim and Peeta." My throat opens, allowing me to breathe. They show Peeta, who for some reason is working with the careers. He's trailing behind when he spots Prim up ahead.
"I see someone ahead." He says. I swear I want to choke Peeta now.
"I think it's the boy from district eight. That way." he points away from Prim, and Cato's head pops up in interest.
"Alright," Cato says, and they run off.
Peeta stops in front of Prim, "Run." She gets up, and surprisingly, she hugs him with tears. She runs off, and climbs up a tree. The camera changes, and that would be the last time I see both of their faces that night.
* * *
Prim is on the screen, opening her parachute, and seeing a bottle of water and bread. Obviously from our district. "Use wisely. -H" is the only thing it says on the letter. Prim knows that the main water source is by the careers, and that she needs to find her own source, but Prim is not the survival type, just medical. She sits in the tree, eating the bread, when she turns her head to find someone in the tree next to her.
"Don't hurt me." Prim begs. A girl climbs down and looks at Prim.
"Why would I do that?" It's a girl Prim's age, that I recognize from district eleven. "I'm Rue. I won't hurt you." Rue sits down, and I realize that she really means it.
"I'm not here to kill either." Prim tells her, and offers some bread. The days pass, and Prim and Rue work together. They're down to the last ten tributes, when I realize Peeta is dying. What was left of the careers cut Peeta and left him in the forest. After two days, Peeta is dead. Rue and Prim try to make a plan of survival, but it takes a while for it to be completed. They find their own water source, live in the trees, and eat off berries and plants.
I watch them work one day, and Rue goes off to kill a squirrel with a rock. Prim expects Rue to come back, but a scream echoes through the arena and a cannon goes off. She runs through, but only finds Rue's body being lifted up by the hovercraft. Prim and I cry that night, realizing that death is closer than normal. In the morning, Prim stays in the tree and does not move.
"Twelve is here. I saw that little girl come from here when I killed her." Prim stopped breathing. Cato and Clove stop by Prim's tree, and look up and smile.
"Night, Night." Clove smiles, and throws a knife into Prim's heart.
"NO!" I cry, and Prim falls from the tree crying, to the ground. They smile, and walk off. "NO! PRIM!" My mother has to have some others try to calm me down, but I know I never will.
* * *
When I wake up, my insides are empty. I hug the sheets of the bed closer to me, and I realize Gale is in the room.
"How long have I been asleep?" I ask with a dry throat.
"Three days." He tells me. He looks ill with his eyes resting sadly. "Cato won."
I don't care if Cato won, I just want Prim back I think to myself.
"I'll leave you alone." And he exits the room.
I lay on my bed, depressed. I open my eyes to see Peeta's spirit brushing my hair out of my face. I look to my right, and there is Prim, the Prim I knew before the hunger games. Next to her is Rue, her good luck charm from home hanging around her neck. A tear slips from my left eye, and Peeta wipes it away. Why are you here? I want to ask, but I cannot speak. All of them stay with me, keeping me calm. Peeta opens his mouth to say something, but Prim's voice comes out.
"Katniss!" My eyes open with such force it scares me. My body is sweating and shaking. I look at Prim, a real, alive, Prim.
"Katniss, It's time for the reaping."
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