Judgement Day

Disclaimer: Non. J'ai voulu.

"State your name for the record," the blond girl behind the desk ordered of the other girl.

She drew in a breath. "My name is Clove Nicolls, and yesterday was the day I died."

"Cause of death?" The girl inquired, flipping through a file folder.

Clove rubbed the back of her head, her fingers getting tangled in her auburn hair. "Head wound... a blow to the head."

"Ah," the blond stated, hands freezing. "I recall that. Cheap shot, I may add."

"You have to do what have to do to survive in there," Clove whispered, eyes glazed. "So many... unspeakable acts."

The blond raised an eyebrow, coughing. "Unspeakable acts? How so? As you stated, 'You have to what you have to do'."

"Where am I?" Clove answered with a question, glancing at the smoke grey walls of the office. "And who are you?"

"I am your messenger," the blond stated. "Call me 'M' for short," she watched as her sad attempt at humor fell flat and sighed. "Simply put, it is my duty to help you move on to the afterlife."

Clove started to suck in large gulps of air, hyperventilating, and her arms gripped the arms of her chair tightly. "What's happening to me?" She asked, gently reaching up to touch her now seeping head wound.

"It happens when you're distressed," the Messenger said, from her chair on the other side of the desk. "See?" The girl said, closing her eyes and gripping the desk. Her face jumped with pain as she recalled whatever had happened to her, and the left side of her neck began spurting blood on to her light grey shirt. "Stab wound."

Clove gripped at the back of her head, as if trying to push her blood back in. "How... how do I stop it?" She asked, hissing in pain as the blood poured through.

"Stop thinking about it," the Messenger commanded, her own wound fully healed.

Clove tried to relax herself, her face slowing becoming calm. "It helps if you think of something you loved in your former life," Messenger said, and slowly the blood stopped its flow and Clove's skull lost its dent. "What were you thinking of?"

"Lilacs." Clove said, eyes still closed. "They were blooming just as we- we left."

Messenger nodded. "It's good to remember what worked, for the future. Now where to begin?"

"Begin?" Clove asked, concerned. "I thought you just sent me own my way?"

She chuckled. "No, Clove. This is your judgement day. I can't send you on until you have lost your regrets. When you become, as we say, pure."

Clove froze. "But... everything. I regret everything," she whispered.

"I know," Messenger nodded. "It is my job to work through with you on your regrets... to find out just how much baggage you have."

Clove moved her fingers up and down the arm of the chair. "How do we do that?"

"By looking through your files," Messenger said, clasping her hands over the desk.

"What files?" Clove asked, frantically.

Messenger smiled grimly. "These," she said, and they both watched as files slowly stacked up on the desk. "Let's start, shall we?"

Clove nodded, sinking back into her armchair. "Sure..."

"Well..." Messenger said, selecting a file off the desk, "let's start here. Your first regret, Clove, is losing," she frowned. "Do realize how foolish that is?"

Clove shook her head. "You don't understand," she whispered, a tear slowly running off her face. "I left Cato alone, my poor family... and I'm dead. Don't you get that?"

"I do," Messenger said. "All too well. I once sat in your chair, awaiting my judgement day."

Clove shook her head. "Of course I regret it! I've failed them... him."

"Him?" The other inquired.

Clove shook her head again, causing droplets of water to fall. "Cato."

Messenger watched as more files were added to the heap. "And what could you have possibly done?" Clove remained silent. "That's right. Nothing. There's nothing you could have done to prevent you from losing. It was your time to go."

The files shrank back. "I was sick," Clove stated, hands clenched. "I was sick when we went to Cornucopia. I shouldn't have... but I didn't want to leave him alone. Cato... I couldn't tell him. My lungs were set on fire every time I breathed, but I didn't want to worry him."

"See?" Messenger said, watching the files decrease as Clove admitted her secrets. "You don't have to run, you were already sick. Next regret, Katniss Everdeen."

"I shouldn't have toyed with her," Clove said. "If I had just finished her right then, Thresh... he wouldn't have got me."

Messenger turned her head. "Why did you want to finish her so badly?"

"Because she- they -were stringing everyone along! With their fake love, and everyone bought it. We fought for sponsors," she admitted, "Cato and I, because everyone was rushing to save the poor, fate-stricken lovers," Clove shook her head. "I wanted to be able to love. I wanted her to know that her feint love bought her no sympathy from me. But mostly, I hated her because I saw how much Lover Boy loved her, and because she didn't love him back."

Messenger frowned. "Do you know what unrequited love feels like, Clove?"

"My love was not allowed," Clove stated, simply. "The angle was unknown then. No one had ever tried it before, how was my mentor in a position to do such a thing? And even then, there was no room for two sets of star-crossed lovers in the games."

Messenger nodded, flipping idly through one of the few folders left. "Was it Cato?"

Clove nodded, and shook her head sadly. "I loved him with all my heart. We were the best of friends... having met on our very first day of school. I remembered him, he was the one that ruined my pretty dress with red ink. It was everywhere! Ten years later, he manages to tell me they were hearts!" She chuckled.

Messenger leaned forward. "Clove, why? Why do you do this to yourself?"

"Because," Clove whispered. "Because he was... is my everything. Because he was ruthless, but would stop and pick me tulips. Because he fought for me, when I couldn't. Because he loved me... and I him."

"I'm afraid," Messenger sighed, "I can't... I can't let you go."

Clove frowned, her auburn hair swirling as she shook her head. "What- what do you mean?"

"You can't move on without Cato," Messenger whispered. Then, steadily, "You still need to talk to Thresh. You're not done here yet."

The former competitor squeezed her eyes shut, and a slow trickle of blood started at her crown. "Can't it be over? I'm tired of games."

"This isn't a game," Messenger said, leant over. "This is your judgement day," she shook her head. "I'm afraid you're stuck in Limbo, Clove. Neither here, nor there. Please... come with me?"

Clove shakily stood up, her tendons jumping as her hands gripped the desk, "O-okay."

"Please don't be angry with me," Messenger begged.

"I'm not mad at you," Clove said. "Just at myself." With that Clove passed through the barrier separating her from the office, and tumbled into everything and nothing, stuck in Limbo.

Messenger walked back to her mahoghany desk, and flipped Clove's file folders closed, and sighed.

There was a buzz as the intercom rang out. "He's here to see you now."

"Send him in."

End of Chapter One

-Pursuit