Twenty-six Missing Moments:

Because there was so much left unsaid.

One: A is for arson. In which she finds that jealousy burns hotter than flames. One-sided Cato/Clove.

Disclaimer: I don't own The Hunger Games triology; all credit goes to Suzanne Collins.


She sat cross-legged on the ground, wrapped in the shadows of the darkest hour of the night. A small fire flickered before her, casting a faint glow on her features and framing her silhouette in drastic, flaming contrast to the black nothing that was the rest of the world. Her hand was loosely gripping the hilt of a knife, and she remained perfectly still as her strained eyes darted around in an attempt to make sense of the shapeless, obscure horizon.

"Shift's over, Clove. Get some sleep."

Clove didn't even bat an eye at the sound of his voice; she'd heard him coming a mile away. "No thanks, Cato. I only need a few hours, and the moon's not even all the way up yet."

Cato, stealthy as a cat as he seemingly materialized beside her, stuck his sword—one of many weapons—into the ground and plopped down beside her, gladly letting the fire's warmth wash over him.

"You're going to need more than that for the tracking we've got planned for tomorrow," he pointed out stubbornly.

Clove stayed silent, still not budging. Besides the fact that she didn't feel the least bit tired, none of the Careers ever missed a chance to impress him, her especially. If she could do a great job hunting down tributes the next day even though she was running on empty, she'd seem like the best of the pack.

Cato seemed to give up, so they just sat quietly. She stared into the fire while he scanned the night; she ignored the sting it caused her eyes, transfixed. The dancing flames were enticing, mesmerizing… and absolutely repulsive.

She would never be able to look at a fire the same way again. Not since her. Not since the District 12 tribute, Katniss—one of the two "star-crossed lovers" of the 74th Hunger Games.

It disgusted her. She was just playing a sponsor angle with Lover Boy—nothing more. It was obvious that she didn't really know what it was like to be in love… or to have to march proudly into your life's aspiration, head held high even though you knew that it was futile, because you'd never be a victor if it meant that he couldn't…

"Any new deaths?"

Speak of the devil...

Clove's face remained as indifferent and sly as ever as she turned to face the boy she'd quickly grown to love. "No. That means Twelve's still out there."

"Who, Lover Boy?" Cato questioned, raising an eyebrow in surprise. "Look, we've been over this. I know where I stabbed him, and he's as good as dead…"

"I meant the other one," Clove reprimanded, scowling. "The girl."

Cato cracked his knuckles, grinning wolfishly. "Ah, yes. The girl on fire… She sure is something, huh?"

It was all Clove could do to stop herself from laughing aloud. The "girl on fire?" Please. She was going to burn everyone else to ashes for her own happy ending.

And yet… isn't that exactly what she wanted, selfish as it was? She would do anything to get both Cato and herself out of the arena in one piece. If getting that meant a little arson, leaving a whirlwind of flaming destruction in her wake, she'd gladly oblige. After all… Katniss was burning a path for herself at the cost of others; why couldn't Clove set a fire, too?

But she would never even get the chance. Cato didn't love her; it was that simple. To him, she was just another tribute to be weeded out, a piece of the Games… Maybe she'd last longer than most, but he'd kill her eventually. And she wouldn't be able to do a thing about it, because winning without him was still losing.

Even if Katniss was lying, Lover Boy wasn't, and that's why it was working for her.

Why did she get the love that Clove so desperately craved? Who was she to think that she could just waltz in and steal these Games away from her and Cato because of some shameless deception?

"That's an easy one," she thought to herself bitterly. "She's the girl on fire."

Then, a sly, sadistic grin spread across her face, another thought occurring to her as she finally answered Cato:

"Not for long, she isn't."


This is my first attempt at a Hunger Games story, as well as at drabbles and word prompts. I hope you liked it! This was supposed to be set right before Cato told Clove that if he let her kill Katniss, she'd have to "put on a good show."

My goal for this story is to write twenty-six chapters, each of them based off a word prompt starting with a different letter (1 being A, 2 being B, 3 being C, etc.). Each one would also be centered around a different pairing.

Please leave a review with a suggestion for the next prompt: B, and a pairing. I always try to accommodate readers if they want to hear something, so the pairing with the most votes will most likely make an appearance. The prompt I choose will be the most creative, in my opinion. :)

But honestly… it's kind of sad that I managed to squeeze so many fire references into this…

May the odds be ever in your favor,
~Rae