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EPOV
The crowd is stuck in a stunned silence. People lift their hands over their gaping mouths in surprise and sorrow. I swallow and stare hard at the individual threads and detail in my dress, it's awkward, people expect me to be upset. Well, I am, but I never really knew Clove, I was only a few months old when she entered the arena. When she died, Father went mad and killed himself, there was nothing the hospital or healing centre could do. Clove was Father's treasure. He trained her to throw our kitchen knives, always with an adoring smile on his face. If she fell over and got hurt, he'd always be there, consoling her and telling her she was the best, no matter what. I never got to see this, well, remember this, but Mother has told me all about Clove. She's shown me all Clove's footage from her time in the arena, it's helped me learn. Apparently, I was Clove's pride and joy. When I was born, she'd take time off her training to look after me, and made a promise to herself that when I was old enough she'd teach me how to throw knives and fight. But she never got the chance.
People think Clove was a tyrant, someone who enjoyed killing people for pride. Yes, she was that, but underneath that hard exterior, she was a sweet girl who loved her family. I feel tears welling up in my eyes, and quickly fumble with my hand to wipe them away. I can't show any weakness now. I look up to Mekei who is wiping his eyes on a fiery orange handkerchief. Ash is looking straight at me, with eyes deep with emotion. I lick my lips and look back to the crowd. Everyone is staring at me, even that girl who once teased me about Clove, but when I put a knife to her throat, stopped abruptly. The same expression copied into the faces of thousands of people. I can't take it anymore, so I make a mad dash for the stairs of the stage.
I hear Mekei calling me back, but I run into the family room, where I will later meet my Mother and a friend or two before I leave to the Capitol. I run to the nearest corner where there is a big sofa. I curl up into a ball and start sobbing. Now I know what it must have felt like for Clove, only she was confident about this. I'm not. What if I do die? What will that do to Mother? Having lost her husband and her two daughters, she won't have anything or anyone left! I start to hyperventilate as I imagine this happening, when I feel I light hand on my shoulder. I stop immediately and swing round to see who it is. It's Ash. I wipe my face with a tissue from a box on the table, and swallow.
"Hi." I said nervously, my voice wobbling. Ash rubs my back.
"Mekei wants the cameramen to leave you alone. He thinks we should leave the interview till you're in the Capitol, with Caesar Flickerman Jr. Besides, I don't want you getting hurt." he smiles. "Anyway, I came to ask you something." he announces. I nod slowly.
"I want you as an ally in the arena." he says quickly. My heart skips a beat. He wants me? I just manage to hold back a smile that would have made me look mad.
"Yeah. Sure. Whatever." I say indifferently. I can't let him know I have a crush on him. Suddenly, the big door opens and my Mother is running towards me, tears streaming down her face. Ash goes to his corner to wait for his parents, who come in just after my Mother, but their faces are calm. Mother stops right in front of me, her chest heaving. She looks at me very intently, this could be the last time she ever sees me in the flesh. Then she hugs me so hard that the breath is knocked out of me. Then she holds my face in her hands.
"I know you can do this, you have to! If you don't then I won't know what to do and it'll be my fault I didn't train you more and..." she tries to say, but she's becoming hysterical. I look her right in the eyes and shake her hard.
"I will really try do this, I promise. But if I don't, then you promise to me that you won't kill yourself, because Clove wouldn't have wanted Father to do what he did, and the same for you! I don't want you to end your life because mine ends, ok?" I urge, shouting in her face as I end my sentence. Mother's eyes are wide and she is shaking. She closes her swollen eyes and nods once. I exhale and sit down with her in silence. She is clenching my hand, and it's beginning to hurt. I look up at her with a pained expression , she lowers her eyes and lets go of my hand. A Peacekeeper comes in and takes me and Ash away. The door closes to hear the shrieks of my Mother as I am taken away to the Capitol.
A.N- What did you think of that chapter? Reviews are appreciated a LOT.
