Hey, everyone! This is my first THG fanfic and after reading 'Panem's Angel' by gigglegiggle88, I was inspired to write my own one. I ship Prim/Cato so hard right now it hurts. Anyway, just like all the other Prato fanfics out there, I changed both of their ages. I hope you all don't hate me for some of the character deaths in this. Anyway, on with the story!
Title: The Beast Inside Him
Pairing: Cato/Prim, slight Peeta/Katniss
Summary: I can never forgive him or even look him the eye. I can never forget the one who killed my sister.
Cato's age: 16
Prim's age: 13
PROLOGUE (PRIM'S POV)
It is down to the final three tributes in the Seventy-fourth Annual Hunger Games; Cato from District 2, Peeta from District 12 and my sister, Katniss also from District 12.
The three of them are battling it out on the Cornucopia and the fight seems to last forever as the whole of Panem waits for the victor or victors to prevail. I sit next to my mother on the tattered and patched up sofa, watching the Games finale in what is supposed to be our living room. My heart pumps vigorously as I anticipate what will happen next.
Please, please, let my sister win, please…
I say those words in my mind over and over again, hoping that they will come true. Her hands are gripping the bow and arrow tightly and aiming it at Cato. She is so close to winning. Unfortunately, the last Career tribute standing has his arm around Peeta's neck, threatening to bring the latter down too should my sister shoot him. It is a stalemate. Either Katniss wins alone or she lets her guard down and let Cato kill both her and Peeta off.
I really want Peeta to win as well. I want both of them to win but there seems to be no other way than to let Peeta die regardless.
The District 2 tribute smirks and tightens his hold on Peeta. "Come on, Girl On Fire," he taunted. "You've got this in the bag. You can go home to your family now, but you're not bringing Lover Boy with you, oh no, I can assure you." He laughs hysterically, blood trickling down his forehead and into his mouth.
I feel a chill run up my spine at his laugh. It sounds like he's lost it, lost all sense of humanity, devoid of any conscience.
Katniss is about to fire at him when she drops both her bow and arrow. My mother and I are shocked.
What is she doing? Katniss, you have to kill him now. You have to win this. You have to come back to mother and I.
She slowly walks towards the District 2 tribute and Peeta. Both of them remain silent, confusion and surprise etched on their faces.
"I'm not going home without Peeta," she declares. If my heart was beating fast before, it's going into overdrive right now. "Let him go or we all die."
"Katniss, no!" Peeta yells, but Cato stangles him until his face turns blue due to the lack of oxygen. He kicks him from behind and Peeta's knees buckle. Peeta is still gasping for breath. Without hesitation, he yanks Peeta off the ground and throws him off the Cornucopia into the mouths of the mutts.
My eyes bulge wide and I have to cover my ears to block the screams of pain and agony from Peeta as the vicious mutts claw at him and chew his limbs off. My heart breaks as I hear Katniss scream out his name, her horrified face there for the world to see.
Mother tries to cover my eyes with her hands but I shrug them off. I have to see that Katniss makes it. There is nothing to do about Peeta now. He's as good as dead, the mutts still tearing him apart, and him still shrieking in pain.
Katniss' face suddenly turns red and she screams with rage as Cato grins at her triumphantly. She whips her head around and spots her bow and arrow lying a few feet away on the Cornucopia. She makes a grab for it and is about to turn back around when Cato lunges at her. They both topple onto the Cornucopia roof.
He knocks the weapon out of her hand and it slides even further away from her. She punches his face and he grabs her arm, pinning it down.
"Where's Lover Boy?" Cato says to her mockingly, reminding us all of Clove, who had gotten bashed in the head by the District 11 tribute after that. My sister tries to push him off and wriggle her way out. As if to answer him, Peeta's voice can be heard crying out for help. His voice is softer now. I know that he will go soon.
Cato laughs at this. "I can do you a favour, Girl On Fire." He tightens his hold on one arm and makes a grab for her other arm which is about to hit his head. "Hey, I'm serious. I can reunite the 'Star-crossed Lovers' right now. Listen, he's calling for you, Twelve."
Katniss grits her teeth and looks to her right. Her arrow is still nearby. Cato is still making fun of her. She spits in his face and catches him off guard. He roars in anger and brings his hands down to her neck.
"You don't need to see this," my mother tells me but I insist that she let me. I need Katniss to come back. She has to.
Katniss is breathing short gasps of air as Cato chokes her.
Hang on, Katniss…you never go down without a fight. You promised me…
Katniss has her hands free since Cato's are on her neck. She inches her hand towards the arrow slowly, while trying to breathe in what little air supply she has left. I can see Cato's gleeful eyes enjoying her suffering and I'm once again feeling goose bumps run up my arm.
Her fingers finally wrap themselves around the slim arrow and – wait what is she doing?
Unfortunately, Cato knows what she is going to do and he grips her arm that is holding the arrow she is about to stab his neck with. He tries to twist her arm and she screams in pain. She struggles to bring the arrow down to its target with every ounce of energy she has left.
That's when it happened.
A cannon booms.
It's Peeta's cannon.
He's dead.
That is all it takes for her to lose her focus as she tries to take in the fact that she has lost her district partner, the one who had declared his love for her on live television, the one that she had had her first kiss with in the view of everyone in Panem.
That is all it takes for Cato to seize the opportunity to redirect the arrow in her hand straight to her heart.
NO!
"No!" I shriek. "No, Katniss!" Tears are filling up in my eyes and streaming down my face as I try to comprehend what had just happened. My mother attempts to calm me down by hugging me but I slip out of her embrace and slide down to the floor.
Blood spews out from Katniss' mouth. Her eyes bear the look of shock. I scream again as Cato drives the arrow deeper into her chest. Her body convulses for a few seconds before it finally remains still.
A cannon booms.
It's Katniss' cannon.
She's dead.
She's dead.
She's dead.
The last thing I see before everything becomes hazy is the District 2 tribute standing up and pumping his fists in the air victoriously next to my sister's dead body, lying in a pool of blood.
The last thing I hear before everything turns black and every sound becomes distorted is Claudius' voice announcing Cato as the victor of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games.
Cato.
The monster.
The boy who killed my sister.
Please read and review it. I really want to improve in my writing. I would love some constructive criticism though I won't accept any flames or bashing. I hope to hear from you soon. :)
~talking-hat~