"NOOOO!", I screamed, but I still had to watch helplessly as Rue slid out of Marvel's headlock and fell to the ground. She whimpered heavily and convulsed, deeply in pain. Marvel kicked her full force and the provocative look he flashed me combined with Rue's sight was everything I needed in this moment to raise my bow and shoot. When the boy from District 1 realized that my arrow was sticking deep in his chest, the smile on his face disappeared. With his last ounce of strength he tried to free himself of the arrow, but he sank to the ground before he could pull it out of his chest and the cannon rang out.

...

I ran to Rue as fast as I could and kneeled down next to her. Gently I ran my hand over her cheek and she opened her eyes.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of you. It'll be alright.", I tried to soothe her and slowly pulled the spear out of her body. I took off my jacket and pressed it to her wound, trying desperately to stop the bleeding, but within second the whole fabric was soaked with her blood. Hastily I looked around, attempting to find another possibility to help her.

"Will you stay with me?" Rue's already gentle voice was only a soft whisper now.

I nodded and took her hand. Slowly I ran my thumb over the back of her hand. "Of course, but I have to find something to stop the bleeding, then I'll right with you."

She shook her head. "Stay with me, Katniss, will you?"

"Rue, I….." Did she really want me to do nothing and let her … die? She couldn't demand that from me, she knew how important she was to me. Everything inside me cramped at the thought of losing her.

"Hey, don't cry, yeah?" Rue looked at me ingenuously.

I wiped my tears away and tried to smile at her. "I will try."

A light smile appeared on her lips. "Would you sing for me?"

I immediately froze and looked at her. "What?"

"Please…sing….for….me." It took Rue nearly all her strength to say these words.

"Of course." There was no way I could deny her that wish. Carefully I placed her head on my lap and took her hand. Then I started singing for Rue one last time…

"Deep in the meadow, under the willow…"

During the whole song I ran my free hand through her hair and tried my best to hold back the tears. My promise was the only thing that kept me singing the whole song. Otherwise I wouldn't have made it through the first line without choking or bursting into tears. It hurt too much, seeing her like that and knowing that she was in so much pain. It was like a stab into my heart.

...

When the song was over, Rue looked at me once more. "Katniss?"

"Yeah?"

"Try to win, okay? Do it for me."

I tightened the grip on her hand. "I'll try. Promise."

Rue wanted to tell me something else, but she lost her voice and I could only make out the words "Gale" and "backpack". Then Rue closed her eyes and her little hand flagged in mine. NO! I had so much to tell her, she couldn't be gone…

When the cannon rang out I bent down to her and kissed her on the forehead. I had no idea what to say, so the only thing I could come up with was a soft "Sweet dreams, little one."

Suddenly I realized that I wanted to give her a last remembrance. Rue should be remembered and she shouldn't die like everyone else. She was too special to be a simple piece in this wicked game and I wanted to say goodbye properly. I laid Rue in a bed of wildflowers I had gathered close-by. It nearly tore me apart as I looked at her one last time and stood up. Then I pressed the three middle fingers of my left hand to my lips and held them out for everyone to see. After this last silent salute I picked up the backpacks from Marvel and Rue and left the meadow. I knew that I had to veer away from Rue so she could get picked up by a hovercraft. I really wished I could have stayed with her longer, but otherwise the hovercraft wouldn't appear and she shouldn't lie so close to…him for so long.

...

A couple of minutes later I arrived at the cave. As soon as entered, Gale was on his feet and pulled me into a tight hug. "Thank god, you're back, honey. I was freaking out." He let go of me and looked at the entrance, than at me. "Where is the little kitten?" Tears were starting to run down my cheek again and then the realization hit him. Gale turned completely pale and choked, "No…."

I nodded and flung myself into his arms again. That was the moment when I finally lost it. I started sobbing uncontrollably and gripped the front of his T-Shirt so tight that my knuckles turned white. I buried my face in his shoulders and he tremblingly caressed my back with one hand while his other arm rested around my waist.. The grief for Rue, the anxiety for Prim and mum as well as my worries about Gale all crashed down on me and I felt like I was falling into an abyss, without any sort of security or protection. The only thing that gave me comfort was Gale. I had no idea how long we were standing in the cave like that, but when we finally detached ourselves from each other, I felt nothing but this giant inner emptiness.

...

Slowly Gale sat down on the floor and pulled me onto his lap, just like he had done back then in the Capitol. In the meantime the tears had tried and I rested my head on his shoulder.

"Catnip, do you think you might me able to sleep a little? This would do you good.", Gale whispered and ran his fingers through my hair soothingly.

I remembered Rue's last words and shook my head. "No, I have to take a look at the backpacks. Rue mentioned them before she…"

I took one of the backpacks and opened it. When I realized that it had belonged to Marvel, I threw it against the wall of the cave with every bit of strength I owned in this moment.

"It was his backpack!", I explained as I noticed Gales puzzled look.

"Cato?"

"No, it was Marvel's."

"He was the one who….?" Gale couldn't believe it.

Somehow I couldn't answer his question, it hurt too much. I gritted my teeth and took Rue's backpack. It was light as a feather, but when I opened it, it was full of the green leaves we had used to treat Gales back. Gale swallowed heavily when I showed him the leaves.

I stared at the leaves for a moment, then I addressed Gale. "Alright. Let's start."

Then I started chewing the leaves and felt like I was in a state of trance. I didn't notice anything in my surrounding. But finally being able to do something felt really good. I was so tired of feeling powerless. As I applied the creamy substance to Gale's back I silently thanked Rue for everything she had done for us. In sincerely hoped that she knew how much I appreciated her effort, her help and how deeply I admired her for her courage.

...

After I had finished treating Gale's back somewhere outside the cave a bang sounded, followed by a deep pervasive voice. "The Gamemakers would like to inform the remaining tributes that there will be a feast at the cornucopia tomorrow at midnight. You will find a backpack for each district that contains something of great value for the individual tribute."

There she was, the reaction of the Gamemakers. I had already wondered how much longer they would leave us alone. But they knew that they had to round us up if the wanted to keep the audience entertained. With all the tributes assembled at the cornucopia there would definitely be a blood bath and I already feared the worst.

...

Then the voice of Claudius Templesmith sounded again. "In addition I would also like to announce a change of rules…"