Rose Petals Falling [Ruze Standalone]

The streets of District five had been without conning for days that she hadn't bothered to count. It had been however long ago that she had eaten. Neither of these things mattered. Her mask lay in her lap, her heart sat on the floor, and her stomach had been left behind somewhere that she couldn't remember. Fear had leapt at her more times than the rats had leapt at her sister and it felt to her like each sound that echoed in the caverns would be some monstrous creature that would kill her sister in a moment. Patricia - there was no way she could be Trix, it wasn't the same - was the one in those tunnels, but to her it felt like she was right there with her. If her sister was to die then who was to say she wouldn't die as well. If some blade were to smote her sister, then might it not also pierce her flesh? Glumly, she stared at the screen in front of her.

Rats had bitten her sister right after the other tributes had all run screaming from the sight of her and her alliance. Thankfully none of them had been hurt very badly. The rest of the day had been quiet, and the night too, but with being unable to know that she had stayed up and watched until she had collapsed forward onto the floor. A few hours later she had panicked, fearing the worst had happened while she had slept, and convulsed on the floor in her struggle to right herself. Nothing had happened, thank Ripred, but soon came the giant rats. Rats, rats, rats. It seemed like the whole place was filled with nothing but rats. She supposed it was ironically fitting because all of the tributes were rats in a trap, and so was she to an extent. The television was her cheese, the only thing sustaining her as she waited for her sister to come home.

She was focused so hard on her sister that even when the girl from One severed one of the rat's heads off she didn't flinch. All that mattered was that Trix would be okay, be okay, be okay. Her eyes followed her sister's every movement, and she craned her head in order to try and spot her no matter the camera angle. If something happened to her sister, she was going to know about it. She had to. There wasn't even a chance for her to go out and collect money that she might send to sponsor her sister because that would take her away from the television and she could miss nothing of what was going on. Her sister, her partner, her best friend, was in that arena. She couldn't leave her side for a moment in case something happened.

Her breath caught in her throat each time any move was made, and she prayed that her sister would not get hurt. If she were to be honest with herself she would know that the other three people her sister were with didn't matter because they were not her. She knew that in the end if her sister was to come home that they would all have to die and so if they died now that would mean one less person what would later try to kill her sister. Everything was about Patricia, and nothing meant anything unless it was helping her. Her hands clenched her dress' fabric tightly, creasing it, but she didn't pay it any mind. It was the same dress she had worn to the reaping and then to say goodbye to her sister. Not goodbye, just a see you later. She hadn't bothered to change because nothing had mattered from that moment on.

At least she had been able to sleep until yesterday.

Now that her sister was in the arena she knew that she wouldn't be able to sleep until she knew one way or other. Either her sister would come home or she wouldn't, and only when she knew which it was would she be able to shut her eyes. Who knew how long that sleep would be, maybe for hours or days, or maybe even forever. It wasn't until this all had happened that the importance of her sister to her was made obvious. The fear that gripped her chest in its man's hands, shaking her and swearing, refused her the ability to think or breathe properly and she was only able to focus on the shape of her sister.

This couldn't be what she would want.

No, it wasn't, but she wasn't here to tell her to stop.

That was the whole point, she wasn't here.

She had to stop.

But Patricia.

Trix.

Her eyes rolled up in her head and she collapsed forward again. This time her faint only lasted a moment but it was long enough to send her crashing to the ground. Groaning, she rolled until she could see the screen but didn't bother getting up. I can't keep going like this. She watched as her sister and her allies attacked the remaining rats, eyes falling in and out of focus. When she's safe I will sleep. Her stomach clenched painfully, like it had suddenly been sucked back into her body and was reminding her of its existence. Eat, then sleep. She pushed herself up until she was leaning against the chair she had been sitting on, eyes still focused on the screen.

But first she has to be safe.