Alternate Cato and Clove ending
By: Clove is a ninja
"Absolutely not. That logically makes no sense whatsoever," I tell clove, after she insists for the millionth time that she wants to go alone.
"But I've only killed like one person and I really want to use my knives and my ninja skills."
"Clove, you are more than welcome to use your ninja skills. But you can't go alone. Besides we've been sitting in the Cornucopia for 2 days straight doing nothing. There's no way I'm missing a feast," I say firmly.
"Whatever. But I get Fire Girl,"
"Fair enough and I get Peeta the wimp-if he even shows up,"
We make our way through the trees and stop before entering the clearing. There are 4 clearly marked backpacks on a table outside the cornucopia. 2, 5, 11, and 12.
"Ok so here's the plan," I whisper. "As soon as Katniss runs out, you go. Then if Thresh or Peeta show up, I'll be there to back you up."
"What about Foxface?"
"I think you can handle her, right?"
"Yeah, of course, "there is a hint of doubt in her voice.
"When I say go, run as fast as you can."
"Got it."
"And Clove?"
"Yeah I know, I love you too," she says with a smile.
"I was getting to that! What I was going to say, was make sure she suffers."
She chuckles. "What do you think all these knives are for?"
She opens her jacket and takes her time choosing her weapon.
"Ok, get ready," I say.
We watch Katniss break through the trees. At the same time, Foxface runs out of nowhere and Katniss takes her out with one arrow.
"Go!" I lightly shove Clove out from the trees.
She doesn't even stumble. She swiftly covers the space between her and Katniss-knife in hand. Katniss hears the first one coming, and deflects it with her bow. She clumsily shoots an arrow in clove's direction but clove turns so it just gets her left arm. Another knife leaves clove's right hand, cutting Katniss' forehead. Before I even know what's happening clove tackles katniss, pining her to the ground. I can just make out her opening her jacket, choosing the fatal knife. And that's when I see the massive body of the district 11 boy, emerge from behind the cornucopia. He slowly walks over to clove and seems to be listening to what she's saying. I'm too far away to hear, but i do see his big hands come down on clove's waist to jerk her away from Katniss. I'm on my feet before she even calls.
I unsheathe my sword and cut off his arm before the rock comes down on clove. He whips around to face me but his strenght is no match for my sword. He's dead in 2 seconds flat. And then we hear 3 canons fire. All in a row. 3. I look around. There are only 2 corpses. But then clove starts laughing hysterically and I remember. Peeta. Peeta the wimp from district 12. I join in Clove's laughter. All too easy. She gets up and comes to stand beside me. I put my arm around her shoulder. We stare down at a very distressed Katniss, still on the ground. She doesn't try to run. She knows it's over. Clove recovers from laughing and speaks first.
"Well, well, well. You just couldn't save him, could you? Just couldn't save him…well at least you know that you'll have died trying," her voice gives off the most fake, sympathetic voice I've ever heard.
Slowly, ever so slowly, Katniss tries to sit up. Blood is dripping down her face from her head wound. She slowly wipes some out of her eyes. We watch her pick up her bow and she draws out an arrow from behind her.
"All right, that's it!" Clove yanks away the bow and arrow and knocks Katniss flat on her back again. "Obviously, I can't talk to you like a normal human being, so don't try anything else or I will make this even more miserable than it's already going to be!" Clove says very bitterly.
I just kind of stand there, watching. Talk to her? Clove wants to talk to her? Why not just kill her and make this end? Katniss seems to read my thoughts.
"Talk to me? Talk to me? What could you possibly say to me? You've already killed Peeta! Just let me die!" Katniss screams.
Clove laughs again. When she speaks her tone is quieter than before but still bitter.
"I just wanted to let you know that I get the happy ending. I get the boy and I get to go back home and be a victor."
Then she leans down and whispers something in her ear that I cant quite catch.
"So miss Everdeen, with that being said, any last words?"
Katniss stays quiet before answering, obviously trying to come up with something good. But it's not good. It's mortifying.
"He'll kill you," Katniss says.
"What?" Clove snaps. She almost jerks back in surprise.
"Cato. He'll kill you."
"But…but…we're a team! We're allies! We're…"
"Friends? Lovers? Yeah right, Clove! He doesn't care about you! As soon as you finish me off, you're next!" she shouts.
"NO! We are both going to live and we are both going to win and we are both going home!" Clove yells back.
"Why? Why would he want to share the glory of being a victor? And why would he want to share it with you?" Katniss isn't screaming anymore, she's taunting.
"You don't know him. You don't know anything!" Clove tries to use the same taunting approach, but anger over rides it. She picks out a knife and pulls her arm back.
"I know he's a cold, heartless murderer! Just like you!"
The knife stops half way through the air. Clove is frozen. But I lunge toward Katniss. My sword is out and poised at her neck.
"Do it, Clove!" I shout. I shouldn't have let Katniss go on and on. This needs to end.
But clove just stares blankly at Katniss, knife still ready.
"Do it, Clove, or I will!"
I briefly look down at Katniss' face, to see that she's smiling. That seems to pull Clove out of her trance. And her blank stare suddenly turns to one of anger and hatred. I close my eyes, and the knife comes down fast. The cannon fires. It's finally over. We sit in a moment of silence as the feeling of victory settles down around us. I stand and put my sword away. Clove stands as well, giving Katniss one final glance. Then, as if realizing that she is actually dead, she comes over and gives me a hug. One of those 'I-love-you-and-I'm-never-letting-you-go' hugs.
"Attention, tributes!" Claudius' voice breaks the silence. I swallow hard. He should have said 'victors'. "The previous rule change has been…revoked. From now on, only one tribute will be allowed to win. Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor."
Clove lets go of me. Without saying a word she starts walking away from me until we're about 5 yards apart. Then she turns back around to face me.
Mad is not the right word for how I feel. I am furious. Absolutely furious. And it's not the Games. I'm not angry at the Gamemakers or even the Capitol. I'm mad at myself. I am humiliated that I let them pull me in. That I fell for their stupid so-called rule change.
I look over at clove, who has assumed her "I-hate-the-world-pose". She doesn't look mad. She looks…miserable. As if she was already dying a slow and painful death. I have to do something. I know I can't kill clove, but maybe, just maybe I can get her to kill me. I pull out my sword. Clove doesn't even flinch. She knows it's not for her. I hurl it as hard as I can towards the Cornucopia it makes a satisfying thud as it stabs itself in to the ground beside it.
But I don't have time to be satisfied. It's time to convince. I slowly start to walk towards clove, talking as I go.
"I'm not going to kill you, Clove. I can't. It's physically and mentally impossible."
Clove says nothing.
"I can't live without you. I'm not going to."
I'm 2 yards away.
"Please kill me."
1 yard.
"If you really love me, Clove," I plead. "You won't let me go home alone."
I stop when I'm about 2 feet away. I can't get any closer. Clove starts shaking as she pulls out a knife without looking. I brace myself for the stab, but instead I get knocked to the ground with more force the I could have ever imagined coming for a person Clove's size. Now I know how it was for Katniss. You never see it coming.
She starts to sob, splattering my face with her tears.
This has to be done, I think. Only one of us can win…and it has to be clove.
She raises her arm once again, but this time she can't bring it down.
"Please, Clove," I beg.
"What…about…me?" she cries in between sobs, "What am I supposed to do?"
"You'll live. You'll find somebody else," I answer softly.
"NO!" she shouts.
I see the knife come down, but it doesn't hit me. Instead, it lodges itself in the ground beside my head.
Clove eases herself off of my body, so that she's sitting next to me.
"I can't do it, "she whispers. Her voice is strained form all the crying.
I sit up. "Clove-"
"This is wrong. They're wrong do this to us,"
I put my hand on her cheek and stoke it softly with my thumb.
"Let's prove it."
Without hesitation, I pull her close to me and kiss her like I've never kissed her before. If we're going to have a last kiss, it has to be meaningful. Clove seems to sense this too, as she moves her arms so that they're around my neck bringing us even closer than we already are.
I can only imagine what the Gamemakers are doing right now. No doubt, creating some monstrosity programmed to utterly destroy one of us.
Destroy one of us!
I won't let that happen. Well, not to Clove at least. They can have me, but there's no guarantee I'll be the one to die. Unless…
No. I can't kill myself. It defeats the purpose of these games. It defies the Gamemakers. It defies the capitol. But then again, isn't that what we're already doing? Falling in love and refusing to kill each other? Yes. Killing myself will only reinforce the idea that this is wrong. But I'll need a weapon. My sword is too far away and if I got up to get it, clove would try to stop me. I need something close. Very close.
(ok so like please don't think Cato's a pervert or something…cuz I know yal take everything the wrong way)
I finger Clove's jacket and find it unzipped. I slip my hand inside one of the flaps, reaching for a knife. Ever so slowly I start to slide it out form its place, when clove jerks her head back.
"What the-" she gasps.
I pull the knife out all the way and jump to my feet before she can react. But she's on her feet all too soon, trying to grab the knife.
"Cato stop!" she yells. "This isn't fair!"
"What isn't fair? You living? That's not fair?" I throw back.
"Exactly! Why should you die, and leave me here to live in misery? If you go, I go!"
I stare at her wide-eyed as she positions herself so that she is directly in front of me. The last knife is in her hand, poised and ready. Tears sting my eyes as I finally realize that this is the only solution. The only way to insure that one doesn't have to live without the other.
She stares back at me with her big beautiful eyes. "Thank you." She whispers.
"For what?" I ask.
"For being the wonderful person that you are. For giving me a reason to love again."
"I'll miss you more than you know."
"I love you."
"I love you, too."
"Together?"
"Together."
"1"
"2"
"3-"
"STOP! Congratulations to the winners of the 74th annual Hunger Games!"
Epilogue is coming soon...