hello lovely readers!
First of all, the one shot I was working on was about Johanna (which I am still working on) but I got the idea for this story/one shot thing so I decided to do this instead :)
Secondly, I tried to get this up on Friday but I just got so much into the story I needed to do, what I think is, justice.
I'm really proud of it so I hope you guys like! ^_^
on another note, WHO HERE SAW THE MOVIE! I did and even though I really wish it could've gone more into detail, I think it did the book justice. I reallyyyy liked it and it didn't hurt that Cato, Peeta, and Gale or EXCEDINGLY gorgeous ;)
ANYWAYSS
enjoy! :D
Remember to Review (tells me you read it), Follow (tells me you care) , and Favorite (tells me I make you happy) :D
A cannon sounds.
"Stupid bitch, you're finally dead." I whisper, looking down at what's left of District 12's tribute. You can barely recognize her from all the damage that I've done. I stand up and smile at my handy work.
"Katniss Everdeen," I sneer her name, "The girl on fire… looks like you've all but burned up." An idea pops into my head and I run toward the forest to gather some wood. I bring it back to the clearing and get some matches from the backpack.
This is gonna be great. Perfect way to finish off the show… I think to myself. I go back to where Katniss' body lays and take what's still intact to the firewood. I go again and make sure I pick up everything I've cut off. A piece of the nose here, half a finger there. An ear, a toe, and finally her disgusting lips.
"Guess lover boy will never get another kiss from you now, won't he?" I ask, mockingly, at the lips. A voice buried deep in my mind tells me I've gone insane, that I'm not human anymore. I shrug.
"He'll be dead soon enough." I throw all of her near the wood and light it on fire. I watch as what used to be my biggest completion turns into a dirty, charred lump. Turning dramatically away from the fire, I face my enormous, invisible crowd.
"All of Panem!" I yell out as loud as I can, "I present to you, Katniss Everdeen! Literally, the girl on fire!" I stretch my arms out, laughing madly. I lie down and stare at the fire, without a care in the world.
District Five is too weak to risk a battle with me, Lover Boy is good as gone, and Cato is dealing with Thresh. Just two more tributes and I can go home, WE can home. Me and Cato…
Something rough nudges me on my side and I wake up, immediately alert.
"What the hell happened here?" Cato yells as he walks away from me.
"I got rid of District 12, just like you told me to." I snap at him, annoyed at his bitter mood.
"What the fuck is all of this?" He yells again, motioning to the wood and char pile.
"Who the hell shoved a pole up your ass, Cato?" I scream back at him, ignoring his question. He walks over to me and grabs me, tightly, by the shoulders.
"While you were here with your little show, I was getting my ass beat by District 11." Cato says through his teeth, careful not to let his voice be heard by the cameras.
"What happened?" I ask, immediately dropping my harsh tone and looking him over. I notice the deep cuts on his arm and how he's putting most of his weight on his left leg.
"It doesn't matter," Cato replies flatly, "What matters is I finished him." I look into his eyes and notice how they look kind of hollow, like they've seen the un-seeable.
I wonder if that's how my eyes look too.
He suddenly drops his guard and hugs me tight around the waist. I hug him around his neck and rest my head on his shoulder.
"I can't believe we both get to go home." He whispers into my ear. A shudder runs through my body and I step away from Cato.
"So what are we gonna do now?" I ask him, rather abruptly. He looks at me strangely but shakes it off.
"Let's gather what we can from the packs here and go make camp at the edge of the forest." He says and starts to walk toward the pack Katniss had.
"Hey, did you get our special package back from Thresh?" I call after him.
"The bastard didn't have them when I finally caught him. Must've thrown them around somewhere in his grain fields."
"You mean you didn't look for it? There could've been something important there!" I tell him, actually surprised that Cato would give up so easily.
"I'm not fucking going back there, Clove! I'm not!" He yells at me, getting that crazed look in his eyes again. Another shiver runs through me as I wonder what Cato must've seen to scare him that much. What lurks in those fields that could scare the strongest boy I know? I decide it's better to not think about it and walk toward where Cato is.
"Is there anything in the pack?" I tell him gently.
"Just some food," he responds, and gives me the backpack. I put the food from there into our own packs and grab the bow and arrow she left behind. I'm no good at archery, I suck it at actually, but better to take it then leave it here.
As Cato and I make our way to the edge of the clearing, a small parachute lands in front of us. I open it and smile at Cato.
"Bandages," I tell him simply. A look of relief washes across his face and vanishes just as quickly. He needs to keep up his tough attitude, no matter what. Even this close to the end of the games, you can't come off as weak; it could ruin the rest of your life. I make Cato sit as I dress his wounds. My eyes widen as I notice how deep some of the cuts are, and how there seem to be puncture wounds on his whole right arm.
He sees me eyeing them and simply says, "Mace."
I let out a deep breath and continue patching him up.
"Your leg?" I ask him.
"It's pretty fucked up," he says "But I'll be fine." I look at him doubtfully but decide to let it go.
"Whatever, Cato," I say and continue to walk toward the forest line.
"Wait, Clove," He says and pulls be back by my hand. I turn around and he pulls me into a snug embrace. He pulls back a little, wipes off something from my forehead, and kisses me. I had tried hard to keep my emotions from getting to out of hand when it came to Cato, especially while in the Arena. These were the Games, no use getting attached to him knowing there is only room for one Victor. But right now that didn't matter. This kiss set everything off.
We're both going to win. I say in my head and kiss Cato back. I smile at him, and he smiles back briefly.
"I love you Clove," he says to me tenderly, which is in no way Cato-like. The phrase catches me off guard and it takes me a few seconds to recover. A somewhat confused look starts to cross Cato's face and I'm about to say something when a cannon boom interrupts me. A scornful smile lights up Cato's face and he says, "Wonder who that was, Lover Boy or Redhead?"
I sigh, relieved that I didn't have to reply to Cato's previous statement. I mean, I guess I could love him, but the Arena is no place to show love or emotion, even this close to the end. It was just plain stupid.
"I guess we'll see tonight." I reply simply and gently untangle from his embrace.
We finish setting up camp, which wasn't technically camp, just me and Cato curled up in a sleeping bag in between some bushes. I feel so pathetic, just being in these meager arrangements. I make sure not to tell Cato though, not wanting to risk him getting mad at me. It was getting dark, and with the dark came the cold. I was definitely going to need his body heat tonight. We stare silently up at the sky as the Anthem comes on. District 12's remaining tribute flashes across the night sky.
"Lover Boy" I say.
"Finally!" Cato says, seeming exasperated. "It's been what, a week since I cut him? He should've died days ago!"
"Well, he's dead now, that's all the matters Cato." I tell him, beginning to get irritated.
"Yeah, I guess," he admits. "And now there's only one more tribute left."
I laugh.
"Barely!" I say. "It's Redhead! She's afraid of her own shadow! Easy kill." Cato smiles at my enthusiasm.
"Atta Girl" he tells me and cuddles with me under the sleeping bag.
"Should I keep watch?" I ask him. Better be safe than sorry, I would think.
"Nah! She won't come near us. We sleep tonight, together." He tells me confidently.
"Okay, Cato, whatever you say." I mumble and try to fall asleep. Cato starts kissing my neck and grabs me around the waist.
"Cato" I whine, annoyed.
"Please, Clove. It's been over a month." He pleads, which is, again, very unlike him.
A month. A month since he's touched me in anyway. A month since we've had any kind of "romantic" actions. A month since we had officially started going out. We had met each other before, at the training center and what not, but nothing really clicked until a couple weeks before the Games. I knew Cato was going to volunteer, this being his last year and all, so I didn't want to get attached, just in case he never made it back (but I never told him that.) But after seeing how much of a chance he really had at winning, I agreed to "formally" go out with him. Everything was going smoothly until the Reaping. I hadn't plan on going to the Games, at least not yet; I was waiting until I turned eighteen then I would volunteer like Cato. So when I was reaped, I knew we were screwed. Cato would have to volunteer because it was his last Reaping and no one was going to volunteer for me because well, frankly, most of the eighteen year old girls hated me. I had Cato, gorgeous, sexy Cato, and I was the little fifteen year old shrimp. They were jealous, those bitches, so me and Cato ended up coming to the Arena together as star-crossed lovers, sorta like prissy District Twelve. We just don't like to flaunt it like they did.I shake my head to clear my thoughts and try to unsuccessfully shake Cato off.
"I know, Cato, but can't you just wait till we get home?" I don't want to do anything stupid here; anything that could damage my, our, reputation.
"Clove, please, I need you." He whispers it in my ear and the desperation was so palpable in his voice I can't say no. I silently flip around a face him, touching his face. He goes in for a kiss and I meet him halfway. His tongue immediately goes into my mouth and our tongues take on an aggressive yet familiar ritual. Cato grabs me tightly around the waist, mostly with his left arm, pressing me closer into his body. I mold my body against his and knot my fingers into his bloody hair. He kisses the bruises near my neck and works his way up my face. His kisses feel so good and, in return, I kiss all the cuts on the side of his face, making my way up to his ear. I bite his ear playfully and suck on it soothingly.
"Clove…" he mutters, clearly enjoying it, "Please, come on, please, Clove." He says again, trying in vain to take my clothes off. I chuckle and shake my head.
"No, Cato, not tonight." He looks at me with pleading eyes but I just turn around so he's facing my back and gently wrap his arms around my middle.
"Goodnight, Cato." I saw teasingly and knock out.
"Get up, Clove" Cato says rather harshly. I open my eyes suddenly, and am brought back to the reality of the Arena. After last night, I had completely forgot we were still in the Games.
Well, technically, we're almost out of the Games I reason happily.
"We gonna go hunt Redhead or what?" I ask him.
"Yup, and we're gonna give them a good show. But first eat something and we'll go fill up our bottles."
"Sounds like a plan," I tell him and start rummaging through our packs looking for something to eat. I toss Cato a bag of dried meat and get a bag of dried fruit for me. He nods his thanks and sits next to me. A few minutes pass and we hear howling in the distance. Cato stifles a shutter and gets up unexpectedly.
"We should get going. We have a lot of ground to cover." He says, slipping a backpack over his good shoulder. I snort and continue eating my fruit. The Gamemakers will find a way to push Redhead towards us, some "natural" disasters or other, and all we have to do is look like we actually found her on our own. Cato is exaggerating.
We hear the howling again and Cato's eyes dart around nervously. Maybe that's what he saw in the grain field… I get up quickly and pick up my own pack.
"Let's go fill up our water bottles then." I tell him and we make our way toward the lake. We haven't walked ten paces when there is rustling of leaves behind us. I whip around, knife in hand, ready to through it at the foreigner. I expect to see a mutt, a bird, or that idiot girl from Five. What I don't expect is to see is a parachute. I look at Cato confused.
"Did you ask for something?" I ask him. He shakes his head, the confused look in his face mirroring my own. I get the parachute and open the package. In it is a beautiful and obviously dangerous knife. How much it cost this far in the Games, I don't even want to know. And why they sent me a knife when I have half a dozen myself, I also don't know and honestly don't care. Then I notice something strange on the handle; a district seal is engraved in it. Fury tears through my body as I notice that it is not the District 2 seal, like I thought, but a District 5. This beautiful weapon is meant for Redhead. But why the hell did I get it? There's only one explanation.
She must me nearby.
So close that she should've been able to grab this gift herself. I look around, noticing every detail, anything that could tip off her exact location. Cato looks at me like I'm insane and quickly becomes annoyed.
"What the hell is going on Clove?" He says, irritated. I ignore his direct question and state,
"She's near." He looks at me and his face is more confused than annoyed at this point.
"What? But how? How do you know?" he asks me, obviously completely lost. I ignore him again. Cato starts pacing, growing more and more angry.
"Quit it!" I yell at him, growing angry myself. "Just shut up, I know what I'm doing Cato." It looks like he's about ready to stab me with his sword when we hear the faintest noise. The noise of the tiniest leaf being stepped on.
"Found you," I whisper and launch myself in that direction. She's barely had enough time to run a couple meters when I through my first knife at her. It pierces her right shoulder, just like I wanted it to, and she falters for just a second, but a second too much. I throw another knife, this time at her back, and it lodges itself deeper. She lets out a cry of pain and can barely run anymore.
This should be fun I think
I reach her easily and shove her to the ground, pulling out the two knifes I threw at her. She huddles herself in a little ball and prepares herself for her death. I walk around her a couple times and soon Cato reaches us, smiling when he sees my work. I force her onto her back and lean in close to her ear.
"This is gonna hurt just a bit," I whisper sweetly. Her eyes widen in horror and I let out a malicious laugh. I pull out another knife from my collection and slice her ear clean off. The ground near her head soaks up with blood and her cry is cringe-worthy.
"Shut up!" I yell, kicking her side. Her yells turn into pathetic whimpers as her hand carefully goes up to where her ear would've been. I stand over her, knife in hand, and talk to her in a sarcastically sweet voice.
"What's your name, girl." I say so sweetly I make myself want to puke. She spits a mouthful of saliva and blood at me and tries to kick me away.
"You don't deserve to know you heartless bitch!" She yells. I kick her again in rage and pull at her hair.
"Don't talk to me like that you whore!"
"She deserved to win, They deserved to win," Redhead says."District 12, not you. I knew I wouldn't win in these Games," she says, and I can almost hear sadness in her voice. But I'm in so much damn shock I don't even know what to say.
"I was trying to hold out. Hope that, somehow, it would come down to me and her. And yeah, I know I would've been a goner, but at least someone who deserved to win would get to go home. Not some worthless, haughty bastards like you two."
It takes Cato literally two seconds to react to her statement, and another two to launch himself at her with his sword. He stabs her straight in the stomach and turns his sword in her for good measure. Her body starts twitching and she coughs up pools of blood.
"Dammit Cato!" I yell at him annoyed. "I wanted to have fun! And look now, you've fucking killed her already!"
This idiot! The Capitol wants a SHOW! They need their grand finale, not some easy kill like Cato has done. Now the Gamemakers will probably throw some mutts at us. Great just what we need.
Of course I don't voice all of this to Cato. For one thing, he probably won't understand and for another, I can't defy the Capitol in that way, unless I want to get killed.
"You can still have your fun!" He yells back at me, "She's not even dead yet." Indeed the cannon signaling her death has not gone off and I face her seeing as she barely holds onto life.
I walk over to her and sit back on my haunches.
"Goodnight, District 5." I say with a sinister smile creeping up on my lips. "Any last words?"
"Go to hell." Angers sprouts in me again and I viciously stab her near her temple with a dagger, her dagger, the beautiful, costly dagger. I hear a satisfying crunch sounds as I crack her skull.
A cannon sounds.
Cato drops his weapon and leaps to where I am, pulling me into a strong embrace.
"We won, Clove. Both of us, we won." He whispers into my ear, his voice full of happiness and triumph. He kisses me with such a passion, it's insane, but I'm resistant.
"Wait, why hasn't there been an announcement?" I say, trying to get Cato to ease off. He looks around a little confused and shrugs, still not letting me go.
"It usually takes a while, I guess." He says. No, I think something's wrong here…
I don't have time to even finish my thought when the trumpets prior to an announcement are heard. Claudius Templesmith's voice booms.
"Greetings to the final contestants of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games. The earlier revision has been revoked. Closer examination of the rule book has disclosed that only one winner may be allowed. Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor."
Everything stops.
Everything is silent.
Then it hits us…
Cato lets go of me automatically and takes a step back. I still had a dagger in my hand and my grip around it tightens.
"Clove…" Cato says in disbelief as he notices the tension. I see him look at his sword from the corner of his eye, a mere arm stretch away. It could take Cato five seconds max to take it a cut me to pieces. Not that I'd know he would do it, he's so damn unpredictable. But I have the upper hand. I already have my weapon and Cato knows my skills, he must know he'd be dead the second he broke eye contact with me. He's already so fucked up; it would be an easy kill.
"Clove," he says again, almost pleading. "Don't…" He stares at me with such intensity in his eyes it almost stuns me. But I know what he's trying to do, he's trying to distract me, guilt me even. But it's not gonna work. I'm so close to winning, I can taste it.
"Sorry, Cato, you're just not fit enough to be a Victor." With that, I throw the knife into his heart. I pierces him enough to ensure death but not to kill him instantly. He staggers a bit, but doesn't fall. Even then I know he only has moments to live. I push him down on his back and retrieve my knife. As soon as I pull it out, blood starts pouring out of the wound, making Cato look paler by the second. He looks at me with betrayal written clearly in his eyes, then agony, then pure hate. He tries to speak but a mouthful of blood comes out instead.
"I loved you, Clove. I cared about you." He says between shallow breaths. "I loved you, you heartless bitch" he barely whispers the last words before he closes his eyes and his breathing becomes quicker and shallower.
I just killed him. I killed Cato, the boy I could potentially love. But I had to, right? I have to win, go back to District 2. I had to, there was no other choice. Or was there? What have I done?
Why have I done this?
Why? Why? Why?
I sink down on my knees and let out a sob, striking my remaining dagger forcefully into the ground.
What have I done to you, Cato?
A cannon sounds.