The Boy from One

Chapter Twenty: Revenge

It takes me all night and even most part of the day to find the girl from District Eleven. But find her I do-or rather I hear her first. She's whistling this four-note tune to the birds, and from where I'm standing, I can see her sitting casually on a low branch. 

Quietly, I get Marina's net out of my backpack. It's rather fitting really, that Marina will play a part in Katniss's death and then I step out and let the girl see me. She stops whistling in at instant and starts climbing up the tree. 

I advance towards her, holding a spear in one hand and Marina's net in the other. She moves to the edge of the branch, as if readying herself to jump to another tree. I throw my spear, planning on scaring her, but it was at precisely at the time when she was going to jump. 

She loses her confidence, and instead of jumping, her feet slip and she falls to the ground, letting lose a scream. It's only from a low branch but it's enough to wind her. And before she can get up, I spring forward, trapping her with the net. 

She tries to wriggle free but I get out another spear and poise it as if to throw it at her. She's scared but she holds my gaze defiantly. 

Long seconds tick by, her eyes daring me to kill her. 

A bird sits on the tree and whistles the same four note melody she was whistling. 

The girl looks at it, her eyes now shining with hope. 

"Katniss!" she yells, "Katniss!" There's a pause, and then I hear an answer. 

"Rue!" yells back a voice, a voice I recognise to be Katniss's. I hear a stamping of feet getting louder and louder, closer and closer. 

I grip my spear with anticipation. This is it. The moment to revenge Marina's death. 

I wait until Katniss rounds the corner, and I train my eyes on her face to watch her reaction, as I throw the spear towards Rue...

My hand goes to get a second spear to kill Katniss but for some reason I'm on the ground. I'm winded as I've fallen onto my backpack and there's a sharp searing pain in my neck. 

Clumsily, I grope at what seems to be a stick in my neck and pull it out, making the pain even worse. My eyes train on it and at first I can't make out what I'm seeing but then in the midst of fog in my brain, something tells me that it's an arrow. 

An arrow. I can vaguely make out the silver quiver on Katniss's back as she talking to Rue. The quiver that belonged to Glimmer. And at once, everything falls into place. How she got her 11. How the supplies were blown up without the bomber getting blown up with it. She's an archer. 

The idea that I've only just realised that she's an archer is so funny that I want to burst into hysterics. But I can't. Because my throat won't let me. I realise that I'm dying. And for some reason I find this funny too- I tried to avenge Marina and ended up dying instead. 

I'm sorry Marina I think I've failed you. 

But then my thoughts then fly to my mother and Sparkle, who will be watching this at home. I've let them down too, and not only them, but my entire District. 

And my thoughts change again, this time thinking of the message Sparkle gave me: 

Show them that you aren't just a mindless killer. 

Well at least I haven't failed in that regard. I've killed in an inventive way. I think, but then I realise, that actually, I have. I've just killed a twelve-year old kid. I am no more than a mindless killer. 

I remember Marina's conversation with me at the lake. She was right, as she was right about so many things: We are just children. Children who just want to go home. 

I make out the blurry shape of the girl who's dying because of me. Rue. I should be happy that she's dead. I should be happy that I got in one more kill before I died. But I'm not. She has a home. A family. And now because of me, a monster and a murderer, she won't be going back to either. 

And neither will I. 

I'm sorry Sparkle. I think. 

And then my thoughts fade into oblivion.