Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.

Clove:

Morning comes far too quickly for my taste. I have to wake up earlier than everyone else so I can sneak back to my room. I don't want to leave Cato's arms. They're so strong, so safe. But suddenly, a thought rushes through my mind: In hours, these arms will be ending lives.

That thought makes me wiggle a little harder out of his grasp. His eyes open, but his face remains expressionless. He doesn't smile, or kiss my cheek, or anything he would have done last night. Because it is not last night. It is today, the day we will enter the arena.

I slip out of his room silently and hurry gingerly back to mine. It's just in time, too, because not even 5 seconds after I jump into my bed and try to make it look slept in, my prep team bursts through the door to start work on me.

The next hour or so is a blur. I'm lost in my thoughts that continue to wander wildly- mainly about the Games and Cato. But I shake my head. I can't think of Cato now. We're going to be allies at first and that's all that matters. That's all that I allow myself to think about.

But then… Has he considered the possibility that we might be the final 2? It's crossed my mind ever since the reaping. The thought picks at me and haunts my dreams. Dreams of my knives stabbing into his heart as I kiss him on the cheek.

There's the Clove everyone knows, or at least, they think they know. She's the sick, sadistic, and maybe even psychotic killer from District 2. That's the girl I will be in the arena and the girl I must be to win. Even if it means killing everyone, even Cato.

I continue to repeat these thoughts to myself as I board the hovercraft. As my stylist gives me the finishing touches in the space below the arena. And especially as I'm in the clear tube that suddenly begins to rise into the clearing.

My heart is pounding so loud that I want to scream, but I won't because now I'm above the ground in the arena, and the cameras are watching me. So I simply squint into the bright light and try to get my bearings. Cato is on the pedestal a few yards from mine. The cornucopia glints in the center of all the tributes, a plethora of useful objects practically spilling from it. My eyes spot a large, open case of knives, and I give a smirk, my feet twitching in anticipation. Now is my moment.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1

The gong sounds and I tear towards the knives. Someone is coming up behind me, but the blade is already in my hand and as they get close enough I only give a quick glance before chucking my weapon. It finds it's mark, and the boy goes down with blood spilling from his chest. I snatch all the knives, rip the one out of my victim, and look around. Cato has found a sword and I catch a glimpse of him finishing off a blonde girl. He flashes me a smile, as if saying this is way too easy.

I look for my next target. The girl from 12 is making a mad dash to a backpack. I almost laugh as I take off towards her, a knife ready in my hand. But she sees me and lifts up the bright orange pack as she sprints away. My knife lodges in it, and I curse. She's too far away now, and she has one of my knives.

Almost all the tributes have cleared out by now. Another girl is trying to get away with a bag of apples in her hand, but she trips over a body and sprawls onto the ground. Before she gets up, I'm already stepping over her, and she lets out a cry of pure anguish as I slit her throat open. Someone is behind me and I spin around, but it's Cato, who is giving me a sick smile.

"Well done," he nods.

Behind him stand the two idiots from 1, the girl from 4, boy from 3 and… the boy from 12? My brows furrow as I stare at him. Cato notices my expression, glances back at the boy, and whispers, "It's the only way we'll find the Girl on Fire."

I smile back at him, catching on. We use Lover Boy as bait for his girlfriend. Brilliant.

A lot of supplies have been left back at the cornucopia, and I hear the boy from 3 mumbling something about mines… I don't pay much attention as every else begins to stack things up in a big pile. I'm lost in my own thoughts, so I try to make myself busy by cleaning blood off my knives.

We decide to hunt by night, because it will be easier. The boy from 3 is left to guard our supplies while the rest of us go looking for other tributes. We all practically cheer with victory when we see smoke rising up from a section of the woods where some idiot has lit a fire. As we make our way towards them, I notice that the bubble headed girl- Glimmer- from 1 is being especially friendly to Cato. I try to ignore it, but she's just so… stupid! And annoying. But what else can be expected from someone named Glimmer? Her flirting with him is so painfully obvious that her district partner looks about as ready to strangle her as I am. But we don't get the chance, because we're almost to the fire. A shivering girl is sitting beside it, and tears run down her cheeks.

I try not to look as Cato's sword find her and she gives a blood curdling shriek. I'm not supposed to be like this. Compassionate and all. I'm not supposed to care who dies. I continue telling myself this as we walk back to camp and rest.

I'm not supposed to care.

I'm not supposed to care about anyone.

I'm not supposed to care about Cato.

And then, the most difficult one: I'm going to have to kill Cato.