(OOC: Hey guys, I just want to inform you all that while this chapter is in Peeta's POV, I will be alternating every chapter! Oh and please review!)
Chapter 1 – The careers
This is not how the game was meant to be played. Katniss and I, we were meant to be how the game was played. I know my actions are wrong but I cannot help but wander astray from the path that was intended to be taken.
10, 9, 8… My eyes look over to Katniss, who is posed to run… but not away from where the bloodbath will take place.
7, 6, 5 … I cannot lose her. I must stop her. But how?
4, 3… Her eyes make one more, quick look around at her surroundings until her eyes fall on me.
2… I shake my head, mouth the words don't do it.
1, 0… Time is up. I watch Katniss for a little waiting to see what she will do. She hesitates before running towards the cornucopia. Why Katniss? She scoops up a loaf of bread and a bit of plastic but that is not enough for her. She is running in further… in the vicinity of a bag. So is the boy from district nine. With this little bit of waking information I am running towards her, when suddenly I see a girl with long black hair running towards the two tributes. There must only be one thought on her mind; Prey. I change my course so I am now running at Clove. She has her knife pulled out and is ready to throw. I dive at her but I am too far away to hit her. She has thrown her knife. My hope is lost until I look at the poor wounded and now possibly dead boy falling to the ground. Katniss! She is still alive! She is now hauling the bag over her shoulder and making a dash for the sanctuary of the woods. Too bad she won't get there. Clove is bringing another knife out and this time is aiming at Katniss's head. I get back up and push Clove. Her throw hits the back of Katniss's bag.
"What the fuck Peeta! ?" She shouts at me.
"Sorry Clove, I stumbled" I apologise. She stares at me for a little.
"Whatever, we have bigger fish to fry at the moment, grab a weapon" She says more calmly as she points to the cornucopia before running of to take aim at another poor soul. I pick up a one handed sword and prepare myself to kill anyone who tries to take me out. An older girl rushes me, dagger in hand and posed to strike. I pull up my sword and get ready to bring it down into her skull. My hand trembles and I drop the sword. Now she is upon me. Her dagger has almost reached my skin when the blade penetrates her heart. It's not my work. The blade disappears and her lifeless body falls to the reddening floor. I look up and see Marvel. He gives me a questioning stare but I do not amuse him with an answer but instead go and meet up with the other careers who have seemed to run out of prey.
"How many did you guys kill?" Cato asked
"Three" Marvel said
"Four" Clove beamed.
"I killed five" Cato arrogantly replied, as usual…
"One..." Glimmer whined.
"What about you loverboy?" Cato asks.
"Err… none…" I say barely audible. This causes a look of confusion on Cato's face, wiping off whatever smugness he had previously worn.
"You do realise we are called the careers for a reason right?" Cato asks expressionlessly. I simply nod my head because I am sure that this lecture is far from over.
"He almost killed someone, a girl… but then he chickened out" Marvel added. Gee, thanks Marvel… you just had to tell him that didn't you?
"What? You couldn't even kill a girl? That's seriously pathetic, If you aren't going to help us kill then you're a dead weight to us" Cato says menacingly as his hands grip around his sword, his muscles bulging. I try to move; I try to run but am bound to the floor by some unknown force, paralyzing me. I can't believe this is how it is going to end. I'm sorry Katniss… I have failed you. Now you'll never know the truth. You'll never know that my lie is the truth. You'll never know how much you mean to me. You'll never know…
"Cato! Stop!" I am flung back into reality, my thoughts that once clouded my head are now dissipating. The first thing I see is a girl's long black hair… Clove. She has come to my rescue! But why?
Cato's eyebrow rises as he stares down on the shorter, yet highly intimidating girl, but, this is Cato we are speaking about. He doesn't let others intimidate him so easily, he cannot stand to look weak under conservation.
"Now why should I do that? If the chicken doesn't produce the merchandise you kill it. I don't see why he should be any different. Now move out of my way Clove, this cow has reached the slaughter house" Cato growls as he raises his sword up above his head. By reflex my eyes tighten and my muscles tense as I wait for the metallic instrument to penetrate my skin, making impact with whatever organs it can find…
Only it never comes. I open my eyes again, my view hasn't changed. The black hair hasn't moved. It hasn't even swayed. Why is she staying? Why doesn't she just let me die?
"Cato. Are you that willing to kill our best chance of finding little miss eleven?" Clove asks calmly. I secretly smirk to myself. Cato loosens his grip and brings the sword down to his side slowly. Clove had won. She definitely was not to be underestimated. Maybe Cato isn't the leader of the group… Perhaps it is none other than the short girl who knows how to manipulate others with the simplest of words, bringing them into submission… Well I guess that is why she wanted to let me live. So she could take out worthier prey. Looks like Cato hasn't been the only one who has been jealous at being outscored by a puny girl from an outlying district.
"Whatever. Not like he would be able to do much if he got away" He mutters, trying to regain his superiority over the group.
"Guys? Why don't we take our supplies over to the lake? That way we will be closer to the water" Glimmer reasons, trying desperately to lift the mood and I can't help but stare at her. All this time I had thought of her as just a dumb blonde… but then I guess I didn't really know much about her. Her personality was always so bubbly so I just presumed that she was ignorant to the world, which just proves it is dangerous to assume anything. I assumed I was safe from the reaping and look where that got me… This is the hunger games… nothing is safe to assume.
"That sounds like a great idea Glimmer" Cato praised. Cato… praising? That would almost seem unusual if it wasn't obvious that he and Glimmer have a thing for each other. That's when I notice the dark silhouette behind Cato.
"Cato! Behind you!" I warn. The other three jump into action. Clove pulls a knife out aims it at the shadowy figure, Marvel raises his spear and Glimmer has her bow and arrowed aimed… I'm just not sure at who… Glimmer has never been the most accurate shooter…
Cato simply laughs and turns toward the figure. "This is district three" He informs us as if it explains everything. "He tells me he can use the mines as weapons" My jaw can't help but drop. I look at the other careers and see my expressions reflected back. This is a first. No one in seventy-four years of games has ever done anything like this before.
"Are you sure you can?" Glimmer asks the petrified boy in a soothing voice. The boy simply nods his head. He is no idiot, he knows even if he didn't he wouldn't tell us. That would mean instant death. This is the only reason he is still alive.
"Well… get to it" Cato says menacingly and just like that the boy is digging at the feet of a pedestal. Truth isn't the only thing that can get you killed, disobedience can just as easily. Obviously the boy knows this though. After that as if by an unspoken agreement we all start taking supplies over to the lake. Glimmer is holding a few swords, Marvel, a few tents, Cato carries a few bundles of food and is leading the pack, Clove holds more food and I am left bearing a bow and arrow, a mace and a scimitar.
After numerous trips to the cornucopia and back we seem to have everything. Cato grunts as he attempts to put up a tent, the key word being attempt. Marvel is now helping him and they seem to actually be getting something done now. Glimmer is organising the supplies into the best formation, which she has decided is a pyramid. We have decided that the mines will be going around the supplies and we don't want anything to fall and trigger an explosion. The dark haired boy is still digging; he is now up to his fifth pedestal. I'm currently standing against a tree waiting for orders, when they come.
"Peeta and I will get some wood for a fire" Clove informs before walking off quickly with an agenda. She must be one of those people that feel like they must always be doing something…
We are walking for what seems to be about thirty minutes in silence before we stop.
"This is what we want…" Clove says to herself as she bends down to pick up a piece reddish wood that had fallen off the tree now in front of us. "This tree will last us enough for the whole of the games…" She says and I simply nod is approval. She grabs the axe from me, her smooth hands slowly sliding over mine.
"Do you want me to do it?" I ask.
"No Peeta, it's fine. You had to carry the axe up the whole time anyways. It's only fair" She reasons as she makes the axe's first impact with the tree. A quiet air falls over us and I am not quite sure what to say.
"Thanks by the way" I say after a while of silence. Her brown eyes flick towards me, a look of puzzlement covers her face. "For rescuing me… from Cato" A small smile crosses her face that is barely visible in the pale moonlight.
"You're welcome but surely you must know why I did it?" She asks.
"Well yeah… to find 'little miss eleven'" I quote.
"Mm yes, that is what I said isn't it? Well then yes I guess that's the reason. The sooner she is out of the way the better" She tells me. My mind is bombarded with pictures of a lifeless Katniss sprawled out in front of me, blood dripping from her black hair, from her lips, from every crevice of her body blood pours like in rivers. I see her face, or more what used to be her face. I am accelerated back into the world of reality where Katniss is safe. Where no harm has come to her… yet…
Clove is still hacking away, without a complaint, no grunt, no nothing. It gives me an eerie feeling because apart from the sound of the metal splintering its way through wood the air is quiet. Her endurance amazes me.
"Do you want me to take over?" I ask softly. Clove turns around to me once more, her brow beaded with sweat. She smiles and hands me the axe.
"Thanks, I could have gone for much longer but you seem like you really want to help" She tells me as she goes and leans against a pine tree.
"Of course, you are a career" I tell her.
"Sucking up will get you nowhere" Clove averted. I lean backwards and swing my arms using the granted momentum and chop into the tree. "Oh and thanks" She whispers. What do you know; some of these beasts are actually courteous…
CRACK! I jump, as the tree comes hurtling towards the earth, missing Clove by mere centimetres. She glares up at me.
"Sorry, trust me it was non-intentional!" I tell her as I try to keep the shakiness out of my voice. What if she over reacts? What if she goes into a state of rage and decides to take me out? I gulp. If Cato could, why wouldn't Clove? They are after all… careers. They are from the same district. They are surely not used to having near death experiences at someone's ignorance. No, they are far too well trained for ignorance in a district that trains non-stop for their whole life…
"You could have warned me" She says, her glassy eyes reflecting the fear in my eyes. Wait… she is calm. How can someone of such great anger and someone of such passiveness come from the same place? "Doesn't matter, anyways on the bright side the tree has fallen. Do you need a break?"
I bend over to grab the blocks of wood at my feet. Clove has already started the journey back; she is probably about thirty metres ahead of me in the thick of the forest. My hands grasp firmly around the jagged edges. That is when I see it. I see the bright auburn hair coming towards me, I reach for my dagger but I am too slow. She has tackled me to the ground and now sits on top of me.
"Cl-" I start but she muffles my voice by placing her right hand over my mouth. I can now see her face clearer. Her fair face only intensifying the grasp of her misty blue eyes, her pale pink lips opening.
"Shh" She tells me. I wriggle in protest. I can take her out. She doesn't look that strong; I should be able to finish her right here and now. She pulls out my dagger from my pocket and places it up to my neck. "Move and your dead" She whispers into my ear. I gulp and stiffen in understanding. "Good."
"Why don't you just kill me?" I ask, puzzled. What would she have to gain by letting another tribute live?
"No. I just want to warn you" She whispers, looking around her scared that Clove may return.
"Warn me about what?"
"The careers, be careful they will kill you as soon as they find you useless"
"Yes, but why are you telling me this?" I ask.
"It doesn't matter why. Just get out of there before they decide you are no help. Got it?" She asks and runs off before receiving a reply. Her auburn hair disappearing the same way as it entered, in silence and in grace. So many thoughts race through my mind; what just happened? Who was that girl? Why did she let me live?
No time to think now. I have to catch up to Clove before she starts asking questions. I bend down and pick up the scattered wood that had flung out of my hands once I had been tackled.
After five minutes of awkward jogging I manage to catch up to Clove. "Hey" I say as I walk beside her.
"What took you so long? You didn't run into any trouble?" She asked with a hint of concern in her voice.
"No, I just dropped the wood, took me a while to find all of the pieces" I lie. She nods her head in belief. Good.
"You got to be careful from now on. As soon as Cato sees you not being able to complete a simple task he will lash out. You got to be more careful." She advises. I simply nod my head and zip my lips. The less I talk is probably better with the careers but Clove doesn't seem to allow me this. "You prepared for an active hunting day tomorrow?"
"Yeah of course" I lie again but it's not like I could say "No I don't want to see anyone die and I just want to go home". Somehow I don't think that would go to well.
"Do you really feel that way?" She asks, her brown eyes piercing mine. I hesitate for only a moment.
"Yes" Is all I can get out. I don't want my voice to give in to my true thoughts.
"Can you keep a secret?" She asks stopping in her tracks. I reluctantly stop too.
"Sure"
"I'm not" My right eyebrow raises in confusion.
"Huh?"
"I'm not ready for tomorrow. I mean, I'm not looking forward to it… I know as a 'career' I'm meant to be a ravenous blood-thirsty beast but honestly I'm just sick of it all" What? A career who doesn't want to kill? Yeah right… It must be a trap… she is trying to lure me out… lure me into admitting how horrifying killing is for me. She is trying to decide whether I'm useful or not.
"Then why volunteer?"" I ask harshly but she seems to take no notice of the tone.
"I… I… don't really know" She mutters. "I guess it's just expected. Anyone who does training is just automatically expected to volunteer once they turn fifteen. They are expected to by their peers, teachers and even family" Her face still remains emotionless; I have come to see that her face, isn't her face. It's a mask. It shelters her from being vulnerable from predators. This is something I must learn to do. It's one thing to make words sound believable but another thing entirely to play them out with expressions.
"Why hang out as part of the career pact and kill then?" I can't buy this. What if this is all part of the trap? To lure me in with lies and finish it with a sob story? I need to keep my guard. I can't let her get anything out of me.
"Firstly for protection, they will guarantee me a place in the final seven, and I kill for the same reasons as everyone else. To get one step closer to home, to get one step closer out of this nightmare." Her eyes are still daggering into my head. I can feel the sharpness behind them.
"Oh. I have always thought that district two tributes were always willing to risk their lives just to get a hold of another's life" I say, wishing I could take it back the second I said it. I wait for the glare that is sure to follow but get nothing.
"Don't judge a book by its cover" She says almost sombrely before sealing the emotions. With these final words spoken she continues to walk. Her earlier words ring inside my head 'I kill for the same reason everyone else kills… to get one step closer to home…' Then why did that girl from five let me go so easily…
(OOC: Thanks for reading the first chapter! The second chapter will be in Clove's POV)