I hear her scream, a loud, resonating pitch. It was only days ago that this was her war-cry. The one she used when she had cut down a fighter and howled over the fallen body. But this time, there was fear in it. And I felt scared. I ran towards that voice, pushing my body to its limit. As I moved my arm in front of my face to protect it from the stinging branches that lashed at my face, I could only thing of one thing: "Let her be okay, let her be okay…"
As I broke into the clearing, I could see two people running away. I couldn't care, because she was lying on the ground. I slid up to her, panting and out of breath. She had a faraway look in her eyes, and the upper ridge of her nose was crushed, the spot between her eyes dented in. It was a fatal blow. I knelt down beside her, and took her hand. "Stay with me, stay with me." I begged, looking intently at the pale girl's face.
She slowly tilted her disfigured face towards me, and slowly, painfully, pronounced my name. "Cato…"
Her eyes were glazing over, and they seemed unfocused. Her hand was cold, and the lightness in her voice was gone, replaced by laboured, heavy breathing. I looked hard at her face. There were tear streaks going down her face, tracing rivers down her cheeks and down her lips. But that was impossible. Clove didn't cry. And then I noticed that my eyes were forming pools of tears as well.
"You've got to stay with me, Clover. Please. We're going to win the Games together! You've got to hang on!" I pressed. I could feel her life slowly slipping between my fingers. I grew desperate. "Please, Clover, please!"
Clove looks at me with a touch of a smile on her lips. She can barely make out her words now, her delicate chest heaving up and down, straining for air. "Cato… After you win… and live a… happy life… Come look for me…" She can't finish her words. Her face is calm, her eyes are looking softly at mine. She isn't as tense as she was when I reached her, she's more relaxed. At peace. It's like I'm walking her home.
And because it's good manners to walk a girl to the door, I kiss her lips once, chastely, before she's gone. And then, she's home.