Now when I say rude awakening, I mean this in a literal sense. 

Have you ever been woken to the deadly, little stingers of a manmade wasp drawing blood from under your skin? If you have, sorry about that. If you haven't, what a boring, safe life you must lead. (I'm kidding, please stay away from tracker jackers) 

I was going to scream, but then I'd have tracker jackers in my mouth and that really wouldn't be ideal. Instead I let out a silent yelp of pain through gritted teeth.  

"Run!" I heard someone scream, I couldn't place the voice, couldn't think through the pain, but the command was clear and I was going to follow it. 

Running turns out to be harder than I expect, and I jog off in a random direction, head lolling about at odd angles. My foot catches on something, and I trip. I scrap my palms, a stream of warm blood trickling down my skin. Luckily enough, I tripped on my backpack. I blindly grab for it, feeling my aching hand collide painfully with a fistful of rough material that I assume belongs to the small orange sack. 

I throw it over my shoulder and keep jogging as quickly as I can away from the frenzy of wasps. I'll eat my shirt if they weren't tracker jackers, I'd seen them in the 67th Hunger Games when I was nine, and they'd terrified me ever since. Until now, I had been unlucky enough to come face to face with one, let alone an entire pack. . .clan?. .nest. . .swarm? I'm not really sure what they're called, but they hurt like hell. 

And there he is. Caesar Flickerman all decked out in a bright silver suit, and flaming blue wig. His smile is unnatural and devious in appearance. He leans heavily on a black cane that he appears not to need, but merely has for decoration. Again to my point about the Capital being nothing but decorative. 

"The venom of tracker jackers' can produce powerful hallucinations." His voice echos and slurs like that of a drunk man's in a long, empty canyon. His smile broadens, creeping me out, but I don't have time to analyze it, for my feet are already tripping over each other, and I'm already falling into the stream that is far deeper than I thought.

It's only about five and a half feet deep, but since I am falling in on my back, it's still enough to drown me easily. 

It's said drowning is oddly peaceful in the end. Not at first while you're panicking and flailing and refusing to open your mouth and let the water in. But then in the last moments when your mouth does open, it's said to be peaceful, and you want to let go. I'm not sure whether this calm is settling over me because of that, or because of my incapacitated mind, but either way I'm not complaining. I was going to give in just then, I really was, but that was when an arm looped around my waist and hauled me out of the water. 

I don't bother to see who it is, I don't want to see who it is. Apparently it isn't up to me, because before I know it ice blue eyes are sending chills up my spine and I'm being shoved off in the other direction.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Cato yells. Not angry, but concerned and panicked. "Y/N GO! GET OUT OF HERE, GO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? GO!"

________________________________________________________________________________

Images flash behind my eyelids. Or I think my eyes are closed, I wouldn't know if they were open. 

~

Gale's eyes bore into mine. We are waiting for me to be taken away to the Capital again. He is saying something that gradually comes into focus and reaches my ears. 

"You're stronger than they are." He says. I used to believe that. Not anymore. 

"I promise you I'm coming back here alive. I promise." My voice sounds so fierce, and I know I've said the words but I can't remember opening my mouth to say them. Shame I may have to break that promise.

~

I'm in the forest outside District 12. I'm really home this time. My hunting clothes are on, and I'm marching back to the Hob with Katniss, turkey slung over her shoulder. We are young, thirteen or fourteen, and we still know how to hunt. 

"Would you look after Prim if I was ever reaped?" she asks.

"Of course." I say back. Again, I don't remember opening my mouth but the words still come out.  But Katniss wasn't reaped. I was reaped.

~

I'm in the Games, soaking wet and cold. Cato is in front of me, yelling in a panic.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING? Y/N GO! GET OUT OF HERE, GO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? GO!"

________________________________________________________________________________

Go

Go

Go

The single word rings in my head unyieldingly, practically pounding into my skull. When I crack open my eyes, I can almost see it written in the patterns of leaves that dance around my vision. I touch my hand gently to my temple, sending tingly vibrations bolting up my arm. I grunt in pain, and something falls loose off my arm.

I crack my eyes open a little more to stare at the small leaves coating my arms and left leg. I touch my fingers to the stems and gently lift one off. Where I'm sure a tracker jacker sting was before, there are merely a few dark dots. Luckily whoever put the leaves there had the sense to remove the stingers, if not I would be dead I'm sure. 

And now that it's occurring to me, who did put the leaves there. My eyes open fully, and I jump to my feat.

My muscles protest, evidently stiff from lack of usage. I have no idea how long I've been out, but at least a day I'd imagine. 

I hope it isn't an enemy, if it is they aren't exactly geniuses if they left my axe wielding backpack right next to me. I slowly unzip the orange fabric and pull out the weapon by its oak handle. 

"Hello?" I call warily. It is then that I see a fringe of unmistakeable dark brown hair poking out from behind and oak tree. I drop my axe to my side, shoulders slumping with relief and call out more softly this time. "Rue?"

I can see one brown eye now, half her face visible to me. "It's okay." I say, "You can come out, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm going to protect you actually, okay?"  

She steps out from behind the tree, her little body still quaking a bit. I smile at her, trying to ease her nerves. She smiles back, and seems a little relieved, daring to edge a bit closer. 

"How long was I out?" I ask gently. 

"Almost two days, I changed your leaves twice." 

Her voice is so quiet and gentle, my resolve to win the Games crumbles. She should win, this young girl should grow up to have a family, and live her life. There's only about four years between us, but she still seems so small.

"Thank you." I murmur. She smiles at me.

"You're welcome." 

"What happened while I was out?"

She pauses and looks up, thinking about the events of the past few days. "The girl from 1, and the boy from 10." Rue answers.

So Glimmer's dead. It feels odd, but I can't say I was ever overly fond of her, I certainly don't feel saddened about her death. 

"And um, the boys from 12 and 2?" I ask tentatively, not trying to seem to interested in either. Peeta was probably the one who set off the tracker jackers, but I  would have too if I were in his position at the time. Rue knows I care about both of them, for she chuckles at my attempt at nonchalance. 

"Yeah, they're okay. Peeta's down by the river somewhere. I'm not sure where the boy from 2 got to, but I saw him out earlier yelling your name, he was even punching trees. He seemed really upset." 

Something inside me warms, though I couldn't tell you why, or maybe I could and I just don't want to admit it to myself. A teasing look appears in Rue's eyes and a mischievous grin appears on her face. "You like him don't you?" she asks, seemingly delighted. I shove her playful with my shoulder, laughing at her excitement. 

"Geez, never pegged you for a romantic, kid." I chuckle. 

"But you do. Stop dodging the question!"

"The arena is no place for things like that. . ." I trail off, her smile momentarily dropping before I add "But you're right, I might." 

She beams, clapping like this is some play she's payed good money to see. "I knew it! I've known it since the interviews! You're both gonna figure out a way to win this together, and then you'll both get to go back to one of your Districts! Oh and then you can get married, and—"

"Woah! Slow down there!" I exclaim, she does move quickly doesn't she? "Besides, I'm getting you out of here, okay?" 

"And you're coming with me!" she quips, and I have to force my smile a little more now. No two people have ever gotten out of here, no two people will ever get out of here, always one and never more. And I'm going to make sure it's Rue if and when I have to lay down my life for her. 

"Do you know what happened to the other Careers?" I ask, wanting to know what happened to Clove and Marvel.

She nods her head. "They've got all the supplies piled up in a huge pyramid, it's right beside the Cornucopia.

"Sound tempting." I remark, already formulating a plan. 

"You have something in mind?" her eyes narrow, but there is a small glint of excitement in her eyes at the prospect of ruining the chances of Marvel and Clove. Clove was always the most ruthless I guess. Her blood lust and sociopathic joy in killing the girl from District 8 showcased that pretty well I'd say. 

"I might." I say to Rue. 

The sun fizzles out like a dying flame again. That's all it seems to do frankly. I gather my things, and Rue's too (she carries a backpack with a small loaf of bread, a few crackers, and a slingshot that she's crafted) and climb up a tree. She's clearly used to climbing trees, she does it almost better than I do. 

She curls into my side, and for once, things don't seem quite so bad. 

A/N BOOM! TRIPLE UPDATE! BET "You didn't that coming"! If you get the reference, cry with me on three. 3. . .2. . .1. . .*sob* (R.I.P Pietro) Anyway, I've had this in the works for a month or so, so I hope you enjoyed!! I've made some pretty major changes, such as the title (it was previously Together) the cover has also changed (ok fine, I changed it twice, but frankly I like this one an awful lot better.) I honestly need to find a graphic shop, but I don't have the time. I've also added a cast and soundtrack in the front of the book if you'd like to take a look. In any case, let me know what you think! 

Peace,

-Harry's Cardigang