"I wanna hide the truth, I wanna shelter you, but with the beast inside there's nowhere we can hide. No matter what we breed we're still are made of greed. This is my kingdom come. This is my kingdom come. When you feel my heat look into my eyes, it's where my demons hide. It's where my demons hide. Don't get too close, it's dark inside. It's where my demons hide." - Imagine Dragons
"It's not my fault! Look, I want to be with you, but you just can't tell anyone. I refuse to be looked at as weak because of us. I wouldn't get to go into the games because everyone would think I was a sissy. They'd break us apart. They'd ruin everything."
He reaches out and grabs both of my hands in his. His hands are warm and oversized. He slowly pulls me towards him. He towers over me in size - about a foot taller - but as he leans down, the distance between us lessens.
If I was any weaker, I'd meet his lips halfway, and I'd savor this moment, dreading when it ended. If this was a perfect world, we could be together. I could kiss him whenever, I could walk around in his sweatshirt, and I'd be able to call him mine.
But this I'm not weak and I don't live in a perfect world.
I push away from. "They don't have to," I hiss. "You already did."
When I turn to walk away he grabs my arm. "Clo, I didn't mean it like-"
"Save it, Highman. One second you tell me that you really like me and then the next you treat me like a I'm a piece of dirt."
"Clove..."
"What Cato?"
"If you don't want to be with me anymore can we at least be friends?" He ask.
No, because I can't be friends with someone I want to kiss. But all I say is, "Partners. But that's it."
I leave his house then. And I don't look back.
He drops to his knees beside me.
I search his eyes for something, any display of emotion. His icy blue eyes lock with mine.
"Clo. It's gonna be alright."
It takes most of my energy to get out a hysterical laugh. I'm smart enough to know that it won't.
He doesn't tell me that he'll miss me or that he's sorry it had to end this way. He doesn't say anything.
And as my vision darkens around the corners, I know that death is upon me. So I chose my final words wisely.
"Our cannons blew a long time again," I inhale, knowing my last breath is near. I squeeze his hand. "You're my final kill."
My head throbs as the dark corners draw closer together. The darkness consumes me and the last thing I feel is pain. Pain, the fire I lived for. I can't take the burn any longer.
Cato's Point of View
I relive her death again and again in my mind. 'Stay,' I whisper to her. 'Stay with me, stay in this moment.' But she never does.
Her words haunt my mind. "Our cannons blew a long time ago. You're my final kill."
Now I know what she meant.
Loverboy's cries of pain bring me back to the moment. I tighten my grip around his throat, cutting off his air flow. I stare straight into Firegirl's eyes.
"Go ahead, shoot me. I'm dead anyways. I always have been, right? I just didn't know until now. Go ahead, shoot me and he'll go down with me. Clove didn't win, I won't win, Loverboy here won't win, and when he dies, even if you still breathe you still won't win. Because if he dies, his last kill will be your heart."
I realize that Loverboy drew an X on the back of my hand a second too late. When the arrow pierces my skin I let go of him. Loverboy shoves me off of the roof. And then I'm being torn apart. I'm being eaten alive by mutts.
The second most painful thing I've ever been through. The first was Clove, on her deathbed. Just knowing that I couldn't save her.
Hours of this pain continue, but all I can think about is Clove. She haunts my every thought.
As Everdeen's last arrow hits me- her mercy shot - I die.
The first thing I see when open my eyelids again is brown eyes staring down at me.
"I love you Clo. I'm sorry I didn't tell you that before."
"It's okay. I love you too Cato."