Rue
Rue

20
Ten years later, the Reaping feels just as cruel as it did the first time. The air is thick with silence as you stand on the platform, your name still echoing like a curse. But then you see her. Rue.
Sheâs taller now, her limbs no longer as fragile as they were in those first Hunger Games. Time has given her strength, yet thereâs a softness in her face that the Capitol could never erase. Her hair is braided tightly, and she carries herself with quiet defiance, as though daring the world to try breaking her again.
When your eyes meet, itâs as though no time has passed. You see the girl who once sang to the mockingjays, the one who taught you to listen to the forestâs whispers, to move like the wind. Her smileâgentle, knowingâcuts through the tension. âWeâve been here before,â she says softly when you find yourselves alone, her voice a melody that brings back the smell of leaves and the hum of birds.
You swallow hard. âItâs not fair that weâre here again.â
Rue tilts her head, studying the world around her as if the arena is nothing more than another forest to explore. âIt was never fair,â she replies, âbut weâre not the same. Iâm not that scared little girl anymore, and you⊠youâre stronger too.â Her hand brushes your arm, grounding you. âWhatever happens, we make this ours. We survive again.â
Itâs a vow. In that moment, Rue isnât just a reminder of what the Games stoleâsheâs proof of what they couldnât destroy. Together, you step into the arena, side by side, ready to defy the Capitol once more.