You're all lovely people...90 reviews in under a day, that's freaking unbelievable. You all did your part, so I had to keep my promise, even if it means that I have to stay up until 11 pm writing this. Enjoy, my lovelies. :)
Cato:
"I'm not hugging you again, so don't even try." I chuckle, nudging my body away from hers. "And you're still too skinny. You should eat more…maybe you wouldn't come to me every time that you're cold then."
Katniss stares at me with those owl eyes of hers. Even in the silver moonlight, I can clearly see the blush on her face.
I smirk. "You're face is red because of me this time, right?" She opens her mouth indignantly, but then closes it, her face reddening even more.
"Are you warm now?"
"Yeah. Thanks Cato," she mumbles.
"Don't thank me. Just tell me that I'm a better hugger than Lover Boy." I lean forward, waiting for the words.
"Cato Greene officially gives better hugs than Peeta Mellark." She says sarcastically. Then more quietly, "That sounds incredibly stupid."
"Says the person who came up with it all." I reply smugly, satisfied.
We are both quiet for a moment. The wind has died down, the Game makers seem to have fulfilled their purpose.
"Go to sleep now, Fire Girl." We're probably going to be moving around more when morning comes. Katniss climbs into her sleeping bag and stays silent.
The night is cool, and a gentle breeze rustles through the hills of grass. I clutch my sword, the familiar grip reminds me of my days in training. Every night I would be the last one left in the training center, slicing at imaginary enemies and throwing knives at targets that existed in my mind. No one else stayed, not even the training instructors. I was left in the dark, alone, but enthralled with weapons and my ability to handle them with ease.
I always slipped into the quiet house when I was done, hands bearing old and new scars. Then in the morning I would go to school. School…everyone must be watching me right now, the girls with their stupid fawning, the boys with their even more pathetic jealousy. Then there's my family, the family that raised me to be a victor. And a victor I will be.
My thoughts are interrupted by a sudden rustling to my left. I stand up, sword in hand. There is more rustling, and I turn my head to pinpoint the source of noise.
I quickly pull out a knife and throw, but once again, it misses the huge retreating figure by mere inches.
Katniss:
I wake up as the sun rises up over the forest bordering the expanse of golden grasses. Clove is sharpening a knife with another one, and Cato is frowning.
"So District 11 was watching us the whole time?" Clove asks, moving her knife to catch the first rays of sunlight.
"Yes." Cato growls. "I was so close."
"I bet that if I was there, I would have gotten him." She replies. I almost snort in disbelief, if Cato couldn't get Thresh, no one can.
"Dammit. Now he knows that we're here. He probably is hiding now." He ignores her and continues muttering.
I get up and join them. For a moment, I meet eyes with Cato. He raises his eyebrows, and I look down at my hands.
"Let's get some breakfast. We're heading back to the forest." Cato rummages around in one of the food bags and tosses us a loaf of bread and an apple. He really is upset, I can tell by the way that he stares out at the trees in the distance as we chew quietly.
Suddenly Clove snaps her head towards me. A suspicious look lights in her eyes.
"You smell like Cato." She looks from me to him. He's still staring at the trees, but I know that he heard what she just said.
"What did you two do last night?" The way she says it, I know that she's imagining something bizarre.
"Nothing!" I quickly say.
"Proving that I was better than Lover Boy." Cato answers at the same time.
"Better in bed?" Clove smirks.
"No!" I defend myself. I knew that she would think that.
"No. Just a better hugger, as she put it."
"That's stupid…" Clove makes a face and glares at me.
"That's what she said." Cato smirks. Clove starts snickering as well, and even I can't hold back a smile. The way that he somehow fit that into a conversation that was supposed to veer away from that very subject is so ironic that it's funny.
Clove leaves it at that, thank goodness. I guess that she trusts Cato enough to believe almost anything that he tells her.
We finish breakfast and immediately set out towards the forest. Cato wasn't sure which direction we came from, so he decides to cut across the field to the trees bordering it.
After an hour, we enter the welcome shade of the forest. I feel so much less vulnerable here, with greenness and the sounds of nature everywhere.
I think that Cato may still be upset above not getting Thresh. His answers to Clove's sarcasm are unusually muffled in smugness and originality.
"Bet that Lover Boy isn't doing much right now. I nailed him in the thigh before the tracker jackers." Clove remarks as we jump over a small stream.
"Good for you." Cato replies quietly with only a bit of sarcasm.
"Are you still mad about Thresh? You're getting boring to talk to." Clove stares at him as we walk.
"What?" He seemed distracted, but now he quickly turns his head to look at us. "No."
After that, Cato answers both of us with an overload of sarcasm. But by the way that his eyes stay emotionless instead of the playful spark that used to appear with each smirk, I can tell that he's forcing each comeback.
Finally I get tired of the satirical comments and glare at them.
"You used to be arrogant and obnoxious. Now you're the opposite…you're obnoxious and arrogant." I snap.
They both stare at me for a moment, then Cato grins.
"So you can be witty, Fire Girl." He chuckles. Even Clove looks remotely impressed.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I punch him lightly in the arm, but he doesn't flinch. I'm the one who is left with stinging knuckles. I honestly think that there's not a pound of fat on him, it's probably all muscle and lean stuff.
"Was it supposed to mean anything?" He asks. Looks like he's back to normal now, still obnoxious as ever.
"You never give straight answers."
"You never ask good questions."
I scowl at him, although he's probably right. I wonder if all District 2's citizens are as annoying as this.
"Looks like Fire Girl brought some of her flames with her." He suddenly says. Then I notice…the forest has become deathly quiet. The whistles of the mockingjays have stopped, and even the constant knocking of woodpeckers has ceased.
The only thing that can be heard is a strange crackling noise. We all turn to see a wall of advancing fire moving towards us too quickly to be natural.
And when the first fireball comes shooting towards us, it is Cato who grabs our arms and runs in the opposite direction.
Cato:
"GET TO THE LAKE!" I yell. More fireballs whiz past us, setting fire to the trees and underbrush around us. The heat of the flames is freaking real, not the stuff that was on Katniss' dress during the parade.
Dammit. Screw those Game makers and their crap. They must be bored to launch something like this right after a night of me entertaining them. Dammit.
We run in silence, hands pumping at our sides, too afraid to stop. I know that the agility training paid off when I leap over several burning logs and dodge a flaming branch. The flames lick at everything, transforming a once docile greenery to a harsh, acrid trap.
Only the sound of footsteps pounding behind me lets me know that Clove and Katniss are following.
Suddenly a huge tree falls directly in front of us, creating a fire-filled barrier. We are trapped, backing into the middle of the circle of fire. I can see the flames reflected in Clove's dark eyes, and Katniss looks around wildly for an opening.
"Shit." I mutter. "FOLLOW ME!" I spot a area with a patch of burning but not flaming branches.
I hurdle through them, shouldering aside the branches. Sparks fly up into my face, but it isn't important. We need escape.
Katniss:
I'm following Cato and Clove blindly now, the smoke has gotten into my eyes, and I'm coughing at the fumes.
We jump over fallen trees and simultaneously dodge fireballs and flying debris. Nothing seems familiar in the fire, and it seems like Cato is having trouble determining which direction the lake is in.
Then I hear a scream. A little girl's scream. A scream that reminds me so much of Prim's that I stop and start dashing towards it. It must be Rue.
I make out Cato screaming at me to come back, but everything seems to go strangely mute until all I hear is my own pounding heartbeat and the screams that get louder every second.
Then I see them. Peeta and Rue. Rue's leg has been trapped under a small tree that has apparently fallen. The fire around them is closing in, and Peeta is desperately trying to lift the trunk of the tree and pull the little girl out from under it.
"Peeta!" I yell, running to them. I see the fear in their eyes…and the suspicion. They don't even trust me anymore.
But I still need to help them. I join Peeta in trying to lift the tree. It's no use, even with our combined strength, we can only lift it a few inches.
If only Cato was here!
"CATO! CATO! CATO!" I scream at the top of my lungs, hoping that he would come. Peeta roughly shoulders me and gives me a withering look.
"Don't call him here! He'll kill us!" The mistrust in his expression is evident, but I ignore him and keep on screaming.
"CATO! CATOOOO!"
Just as the towering wall of flames nears, he appears, face and hair sooty. But those cool blue eyes stay the same.
"Dammit! Why are you helping them!" Cato yells at me. But before I can even answer, he is already bending down, hands gripping the rough bark of the tree.
Muscles rippling, he lifts it enough for Peeta to grab Rue, who looks so scared that I want to just hold her in my arms like I would Prim. But then they are gone, Peeta swings her onto his back and quickly limps away.
"Let's go! Clove's already at the lake!" Cato calls, already running back in the direction he came from.
I quickly follow and try to follow his agile leaps and quick ducks.
Flying sparks and pieces of burning wood have granted me several small burns, but the fireball that suddenly hurls towards me grazes my leg, causing a sudden explosion of excruciating pain.
I yelp in pain, and Cato turns to me and rolls his eyes. Even the midst of danger he be annoying…
"I have to save you again, don't I?" He smirks, but he scoops me up and breaks through the last portion of the burning trees. We emerge into the meadow in the center of the arena, and Cato sprints the last few hundred meters to the lake, where Clove is.
He runs directly into the lake and drops me in the shallows with a splash, while he continues to push through the dark water. I sigh in relief as the cool water laps at my burns and soothes them a little.
After a few minutes, Cato swims back to the bank and falls onto the grass on his back, soaking wet. I stare at him while his chest heaves as he breathes heavily.
Still sitting in the foot-deep water, I use a finger to probe at the burn on the back of my thigh. Ouch…ahh…it's not too bad, but I know that the fireball burned away some of my skin, leaving a shallow but painful wound.
We all are quiet; Clove staring at the ring of flaming trees around the lake and the meadow, Cato on his back in the lush grass, me in the lake water.
Finally Cato sits up, still wet. He looks exhausted, and I imagine how hard it would be to successfully lead us out of the forest and help me with Rue, all without any sleep last night.
"Don't ever do anything like that again. Even the Fire Girl isn't immune to flames." He is dead serious, his eyes piercing into my own. I nod.
"I'm sorry…" I apologize feebly. He stares at me for a second, then falls back into the grass, silent.
"Why don't you call me Lover Girl anymore?" I ask. I know that it's probably the worst time to ask any questions, let alone something as insignificant as this, but I feel like I have to know.
"You've obviously never loved Lover Boy, so why would I?" is his reply.
"How do you know?" I demand.
He gives a quiet chuckle. His next words are only loud enough for me to hear.
"You can't love two people, Fire Girl."
There you go, darlings. Now I'll go sleep. xD
Not much fluff, but the end I feel like I made up for it. Anyways, please review and tell me what you thought. I tried to include lots of your suggestions in this chapter, like Thresh watching them, a Cato's POV fluffy moment, Clove's reaction, etc. Keep on suggesting, and I'll try to fit those in too.
My lovely readers, you know what to do. You review and make me happy, and I'll write and make you happy. We'll see how fast I update... :D
