2
The Capitol’s Many Secrets…
I waited in one of the classroom. Suddenly the door opened and mama and papa walked in. She smiled at me, “Hello, baby.”
Tears spilled down my eyes and mama shuffled towards me. She held me tightly in her arms. “I can’t do it. I can’t go out there.”
“Shh…” She tells me. “Don’t be scared.”
I pulled away from her. “But mama I am scared. I’m going to go out there and die and there is nothing no one can do about it.”
“Now wait a moment, Rue.” Papa says. “You’re strong and you know how to be hungry. All those careers don’t because they have been fed their whole lives. You can win this.”
“What about Thresh? What if we’re the last two and I have to kill him?” I ask.
They don’t say anything but I can tell what they’re thinking. “NO! I WILL NOT KILL HIM!”
“He’s the only person who I could talk to in the fields when you and mama aren’t there! He’s my friend.” I’m whispering by the end of the sentence.
“We didn’t say that, little bird.” Mama tells me.
I bite my lip. “But you were thinking it.”
Mama stands right in front of me and crouches to my height. It’s difficult for her and I can hear her knees crack. "Stay strong my little bird. Let your innocent face divert them."
The Peacekeepers come in and drag my parents away. But before they are gone they both tell me they love me.
No one else comes to see me and once the Peacekeepers realize that they take me out of the room and march me to the train station. I’ve never seen a Capitol train before because after the Reaping mama and papa take us back home so to me this is a shock. They’re nothing like the train that comes every week to pick up what we have farmed. This one is slick gray and looks at if it can travel at great speeds.
I meet Thresh on our way there. We both look at each other but don’t speak a word. Once inside we are taken to a sitting area where Marcus and Crimson already sit. Crimson smiles at us and I shiver though it’s not cold.
“Hello, Hello and welcome newest tributes!” Marcus says. “How were your goodbyes? Very touching I bet.”
Thresh and I don’t say a word.
Marcus clears his throat. “This is Crimson your designer –” He takes a moment to glance at his papers, “ – Rue. What a lovely name.”
“Thresh your designer should be here soon.”
A door slides open and a very large man with hair as dark and night and skin as pale as cotton walks in. “Sorry I am late.” His lips barely move as he speaks.
Marcus smiles. “It’s all right Great Dane. Just as long as you’re here.”
Marcus tells us that we reach the Capitol in two days. Other than done there is nothing to say. He shows Thresh and I our rooms and I slip into mine and don’t come out.
A boy not older than I am walks in. I look at him. He looks strange with the tray on his hands. He places it on the small table beside me, gives me a quick nod and walks away. I don’t say anything to him. Just stare dumfounded. There is something odd about that boy. The way he breaths and swallows his spit is so bizarre. I don’t think much about it once I start picking at the food. It is delicious and the best I’ve ever in eaten. I tell myself to take slow bites and chew but I can’t. I end up inhaling all the food in minutes.
The boy comes back in an hour or so to take what I had left behind. As he reaches for my tray I touch his arm. “Who are you?” I ask.
He looks at me for a long while and cocks his head. I notice his features now instead of just staring at his throat. He has caramel coloured skin. His eyes are a deep brown and his hair is nappy like my fathers. Something about him feels safe.
“Andrew.” I whisper.
He leans in to me and gives me a quick peck on my cheek and leaves. Andrew was a boy I had a crush on for the longest time. One day he was in District 11 the next he was gone. No one saw him and no one knew where he went. After months of searching for him I gave up telling myself he probably got himself killed by a Peacekeeper. Not like that was rare. But now I know he’s alive. I can tell he isn’t able to speak but he’s alive.
I sink into my covers and devour this information. But as I go to sleep a though comes across me, The Capitol has his now. There’s nothing you can do, Rue.
YOU ARE READING
The Hunger Games - Rues POV
FanfictionRue was a beloved character in The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. She intrigued many people including Katniss Everdeen. Here is her story and how she viewed the world from the time in her home at District Eleven until she met Katniss in the Hunger...
