When The Canary Sings

They Let The Runt Girl Win (That's my Kid!)

First Person: Haymitch Albernathy:

"Tributes, your time starts now." Seneca crane said, and almost immediately after that, the Mentor's Lounge became packed. All the mentors whose kids had died came flooding in to watch the final showdown of the games.

The screen was split three ways, each showcasing a tribute dashing to get to the cornucopia before they were overtaken by the snake mutts.

"Haymitch." I heard a voice say behind me, I turned around to find Gloss staring back at me. "Goodluck." He said, and then he walked over to his sister where they stared at the TV, their faces unreadable.

I turned to the TV, and walked up to it, standing in front of it. I had Beetee and Wiress behind me, carefully watching the TV. I knew who they were looking at. I knew who everyone was looking at. Forget the career, forget the betrayer, everyone was focused on the thirteen year old songbird who somehow made it this far.

Suddenly, she stopped, staring at the tribute and getting covered in snakes. Just then, one coiled up her legs.

That's it.

But, she reached down and picked it up, it hissed at her, and she hissed back, then she took it by the head and threw it. Then, she ran again.

Suddenly, she stopped, and I wanted to scream. She was right there! Why had she stopped?

I watched in confusion as she started screaming, clawing at her skin as if she was trying to rip something off her.

"Hey!" I found myself yelling at the room, "what are they doing to her?" I asked, and Chaff's words repeated in my head. 'They ain't letting the runt girl win.'

"She's hallucinating." Beetee said next to me. I nodded my head as my eyes narrowed at the screen.

"Haymitch! Haymitch!" She shrieked, all eyes were on me. "Get them off! Get them off!" I stood up, eyes narrowing at the screen. My heart broke. There was nothing I could even do. She shrieked and yelled, repeating herself over and over. I then did something I haven't done in a long time, prayed.

I prayed that she would stop and move. Prayed that she would realize the snakes here closing in on her, and she would move before she ended up like the last tribute that was engulfed in the snakes.

Thankfully, her anguish ended when she fell silent, and continued on her mad dash. And my prayers were answered.

With exactly twenty three seconds left on the clock, Becca flew into the ring, tripping over herself as she did. She seemed to look around for a moment when something caught her attention.

Picker.

Picker called for her, and she called back, she looked amazed and confused. He ran

towards her, she started to run, but she stopped.

He asked her if she got sponsors, to which she took a step back, and said, "yeah."

"I can't believe it!" He yelled, "you're alive." He said, and then he lunged for her, enveloping her in a hug. He whispered something in her ear that the cameras and the mics didn't pick up. When he pulled away, it was like Becca was frozen.

It wasn't until the camera angle changed to show her bloodied shirt, and her agony-filled face. I knew what happened.

She fell to her knees, and Picker walked towards Valor.

Her face was a look of pure betrayal, pale and eyes wide. Hair whipped in her face, but he was still, until she fell on her back.

What would kill her first? Venom? Stab wound?