Katniss shot the arrow right at Cato's head. A horrid but yet relieving sound came from his cracking skull. All I could think is No more suffering; For Katniss, me, and even Cato. Now Katniss and I can go home. But home never came.
"Maybe they are waiting to pick up Cato," Katniss announced, her voice full of doubt. I just nod, too weak to really speak right now. She helped me off the Cornucopia, and I could tell by her face that she didn't think we are both leaving. Neither did I.
Soon enough, a hovercraft picked up Cato when we were far enough away, but left right after. What about us? We are still here! I could feel my face getting whiter by the minute, and, despite the rapid temperature spike, I was freezing.
"I'm going to go find a stick for your torquiet," Katniss said, and just like that, she was gone.
"Okay," I managed to get out. Then, as soon as Katniss finds a stick, or maybe it is an arrow, Templesmith's voice was projected all over the arena, confirming my earlier thoughts. Only one of us can leave. I almost threw up, but instead, I took the knife I didn't realize I was clutching, and tossed it into the lake. I raised my eyebrows at Katniss pointing the stick or arrow at my heart. She dropped the bow, and took a few steps back, her face beet red with shame.
"No, do it." I said, and I really wanted her to. At that point, all I really wanted to do was die. So, like Cato, she would have been doing me a favor.
"No, I,-I can't. I mean I won't." She took another step away from the bow.
"You have to. You need to go home,"
Katniss lunged at her bow and put it in my hands, "You do it then!"
I threw the bow down, walked towards the lake, sat down, and took off the bandage.
"No, please, keep it on!" Katniss was now on her knees, literally plastering the blood soaked bandage back onto my calf.
"I'm going to die anyway, might as well do it now. I love you, Katniss, but we both know that they need a victor," I remember saying a bunch of other stuff, like how I would die if she died and that her mother and Prim need her, and that she did promise Prim that she would come home, but I could tell her mind was elsewhere. Where on earth could her mind have wondered off to when I am trying to say good-bye before I die?
"Katniss?" I asked. She held out a finger and pulled out the pouch that held the berries that we were hoping to trick Cato with. A sick feeling went through me, but also a peaceful one, the same feeling I had when the cannon was fired to signal Cato's death. We were both going to die. That's where her mind went off to. She handed me some, and we stood back-to-back, our free hands interlocked in each other's.
"On the count of three."
"One," Good-bye world.
"Two," Hello dead tributes.
"Three!" I love you Katniss! The berries just touched my lips when Templesmith's voice boomed again. Only this time, he brought good news.
"Stop! Stop! Ladies and gentlemen, the 74th Hunger Games victors!" I threw down the berries and pulled Katniss to the lake, and gargled as much water as possible. I looked up, and tears were streaming down Katniss's face. I shot her a confused look, but it instantly turned to a painful look.
"Katniss, did you spit out the berries in time?" She fell into my arms, sobbing. I held her as tight as I could. I fell backwards, since my leg couldn't handle much, though. Forcing her to look at me, I said I loved her as many times as I could, which must have been over thirty.
"Please," she said weakly, "take care of Prim and my mom. The town needs them." I nodded, not quite sure of what else to say. I held her hand, and we kind of just sat there, letting the silence guide us.
"Please don't leave me, I love you too much to let you go," Tears were now stinging my eyes, and I was too weak and upset to fight them. Katniss just laughed, weakly though. "I'm going to miss your laugh, the way you don't scowl when you sleep, your amazing squirrels, and most importantly, you." This made her and I cry even harder, and I leaned in to kiss her. We stayed there, lips locked, until the cannon blasted, and the trumpets once again blared. I remained hugging her, until the people in the hovercraft ripped me away from her, and as they did, I grabbed the pin, the Mocking jay pin, to always remember, my little Mocking jay.