xxi. we used to be

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chapter twenty-one

"HANG ON, YOU DID WHAT?" Octavia bewilderedly questions

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"HANG ON, YOU DID WHAT?" Octavia bewilderedly questions. She'd walked in about half way through dinner and caught a few words of Rue's. Octavia takes a seat across from the young girl, beside Chaff.

"The boy from Two, I took his knife," the girl says, a delicate smile on her face. Chaff claps his hands, laughing hard. Octavia smiles slightly at the man's happiness. Thresh even looks happy, he nods proudly at Rue.

"You took a Career's knife? Please, tell me he didn't see you."

"Relax!" Chaff exclaims through a groan. Octavia glares at him.

"He didn't, he thought it was the boy from Six," Rue confirms. Octavia nods, trying to give the young girl a smile.

"Well, good thing you're sneaky," she says. The group falls quiet for a minute. Octavia looks across the table at Thresh. She'd barely spoken to him over the past week. She tries to make herself feel better by telling herself that he's like this with everyone.

"Any allies?" Octavia asks, eyes sliding back and forth between the tributes. Rue looks up at Thresh.

"The Career's," he speaks. Octavia and Chaff both try to keep their jaws from dropping. He doesn't make any facial expressions, making it hard for Octavia to figure out what he's thinking.

"I told them no." Octavia clears her throat when Thresh finishes talking.

"Rue?" Chaff redirects the conversation. The girl hums, shaking her head lightly.

"Well, I think that the girl from Twelve could be good, but I haven't talked to her," she says. Octavia nods. The girl from Twelve, now more known as the girl "on fire" had become the talk of Panem. The combination of Cinna's amazing work and the tribute's moving decision to volunteer, many adored her. On the same note, many hated her. The girl was a target for the Career's, Octavia's gut told her that an alliance with her would get Rue killed.

The past week had been hopeful for the mentor's. Thresh's odds were high. Rue wasn't highly betted on, but the mentor's were confident that she'd last longer than anyone else thought. Tomorrow, the tributes would perform their private session's for the game-makers. Octavia and Chaff have done as much as they could to keep their hopes high. The mentor's advice could only go so far, though.

"Do you guys have a plan for tomorrow?" Octavia asks. Again, Rue looks to Thresh. He looks back at her and gives her a small nod.

"Climbing, I'm going to show them how I can climb and how quick I am." The young girl looks down, avoiding her mentor's eyes.

"I think that's a great idea," Chaff says. Octavia is thankful for him. If he weren't here, there would be almost no conversation. Octavia did her best, but found it hard to keep up talk when the children would be fighting for their lives in less than a week. Chaff gestures to Thresh.

𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑮𝑰𝑹𝑳 ,  𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐢𝐫 Where stories live. Discover now