"What'd you do to that little girl? You kill her?" My voice is ice and fire all at once as my eyes narrow on the career girl from District Two, I heard her say they killed her.. that little girl was only twelve.
She scrambles away from me on all fours, forgetting momentarily about 12 and her threats of making the girl suffer. "No! No, it wasn't me!" She denys, eyes wide with fear.
"You said her name. I heard you. You kill her?" Remembering the way she was just threatening to cut twelve up a new wave of hatred and fury make their way through my body and I nearly growl at her.
"You cut her up like you were about to do this girl here?" I ask, my knuckles almost white I'm clenching the stone in my hand so hard.
"No! No, I-" her eyes land on my stone and she realizes her time is running out. "Cato!" She screams as I approach her quicky. "Cato!"
"Clove?" I hear the other tribute from two shout but smirk when I realise he's too far away to do anything to help her.
I bring my rock down hard against her head and frown when I dont see blood... that is until I spot the dent in her skull. Shes as good as dead.
Suddenly remembering I'm not alone I round on twelve, my rock still raised. "What'd she mean? About Rue being your ally?" I question her, fully prepared to bash her skull in as well if I think she's lying.
"I - I - we teamed up. Blew up the supplies. I tried to save her, I did. But he got there first. District One," I can see tears welling up in her eyes but I'm not done with her yet.
"And you killed him?" I demand, my eyes searching hers for any notion of the truth.
"Yes. I killed him. And buried her in flowers," she pauses as if in thought for a moment before adding, "And I sang her sleep."
Tears spring in her eyes when I ask "To sleep?" And she clarifies what she meant.
"To death. I sang until she died," her hand reaches up to wipe her nose before she adds, "Your district... they sent me bread."
My mind is working a million miles a minute before I finally respond to her after she says "Do it fast, okay, Thresh?"
Lowering my stone I point at he almost accusingly, "Just this one time, I let you go. For the little girl. You and me, we're even then. No more owned. You understand?"
She nods her head at me and I tell her to run, picking up District Twos bag as I take off back for my wheat field, this'll force Two to come after me and not twelve.
Just before I reach my wheat field the ground beneath me opens up and the next thing I know I'm being sucked through what looks to be a force field.
I land with a thud on hard stone and when I open my eyes I'm met with the sight of the most beautiful girl I've ever seen.
"My portal worked! Harry! Come look!" She shouts excitedly as she rushes forward to help me too my feet, her eyes drinking in my rough and bloodied appearance.
"Where am I? And who are you?" I ask lowly, trying to determine if this is real or if the Capital is fucking with me.
"You're in a different dimension! I'm Hermione Granger. If you'd like I can send you back home as soon as Harry's seen you?" She asks lightly as she inspects me, flinching when she hears a cannon go off on the other side of her portal.
"No! I- Uh, I mean I'm sure I'll be better off here than back home anyway." She nods her head at me and closes her portal, taking my hand she leads me through her small house and into what looks to be a sitting room like the ones at the capitol.
"Who's this, Hermione?" A boy with dark hair around my age asks from his seat on the ugliest green couch I've ever seen.
"This is- well, actually, I never caught his name, but- he's from another dimension. My portal worked!"
The boy on the couch raises an eyebrow at her before standing up and crossing the room towards me, extending his hand for me to shake. "Nice to meet you, Mate. I'm Harry Potter."
Accepting his hand I catch myself looking for his weaknesses and quickly stop myself- this isn't the games. I'm safe now. "Thresh McCoy."
The girl, Hermione, leads me through the apartment and drops me off in what looks to be a very simplistic bathroom. "You look like you could use a shower, so go ahead and get cleaned up while I go see if Fred and George have any clothes you can wear."
After stripping, I take a look at myself in the mirror and am shocked at the person who stares back at me.
The person in the mirror isn't the person I looked at a week ago.
He's thinner, his eyes are rimmed red with dark circles underneath from sleepless night, he's got a cut running from the bottom of his ear to down past his right collarbone...
I almost don't beleive this is me, but I know it is.
I spend no more than fifteen minuets in the shower and am greeted with the sight of clean clothes upon stepping out.
She'd left me a long sleeve, fleece lined, dark green shirt with a pair of grey sweat pants, also fleece lined, and some green socks the same shade as the shirt.
Dressing quickly I look in the mirror again and find someone more like the man I used to be, he almost looks healthy now that he's free of the arena costume and the many layers of dirt.
I exit the bathroom and wander back into the living room where Hermione proceeds to stuff me full of something called Shepards Pie while she sends Harry to prepare a place for me to sleep.
Hours later I awake in a cold sweat, screaming out the name of my little district partner, and am surprised to find Hermione sitting on the edge of my bed.
I almost thought I dreamed her and the entire ordeal.
Once she's sure I'm okay she goes to leave but I grab her wrist and ask her to stay.
I tell her everything as she lays with me beneath the thick comforter of my bed.
She kisses me on the head and holds me as I cry when I tell her about Rue...
I soon find myself drifting to sleep with my arms wrapped around the small bushy haired girl, the feeling of safety calming me to a peaceful slumber for the first time in my life.
I could get used to this.