Hey guys! We are finally on chapter 15! Thank you all so much for following this story and reviewing this story. The Games won't e wrapping up this chapter but shortly after that. And to vampirevampirevampire- yes I will be continuing this story after the Games :) Possibly all the way to the end of the series. If you guys want me to? Anyways, hope you enjoy chapter 15!
I jolt up right from my sleep, woken by intense pain emanating from my leg.
"What's wrong?" Cato asks immediately.
"It's my leg," I say wincing. I look down at it and fight the urge to throw up. It is swelling up again and becoming inflamed. Pus is also starting to ooze out of the sides.
"Oh god," he says, concern in his eyes, "Can you stand on it at all?"
"We'll see." I say trying to stand up slowly. But as soon as I out weight on my leg, my knees buckle and I collapse. I realize that my leg might be infected because it is making me weak. So weak that I can't even stand on the other leg for more than a few minutes.
"Crap," Cato mutters under his breath. He is looking at my leg as if he is desperately trying to figure out how to fix it but has no idea where to start. Unfortunately I am of no help here. If my family got sick back home, we always got the medicine to fix it from the capitol. One of the advantages of your dad being the mayor.
"Sorry. I have no idea what to do," I tell Cato.
"Me either," he says, "If we have any sponsors, we could really use some help here!" he says angrily.
"Cato," I say laughing, pointing behind him. A parachute is floating down just outside the Cornucopia. He bolts after it like a little kid, making me laugh more. He unwraps it, and it is another small jar of medicine, which he applies generously to my leg. I wince as he puts it on but almost immediately after, the sharp pains cut to the dull throbbing from before. When he goes to put the jar back in the pouch from the parachute a note flutters to the ground.
I pick it up to read the small print, "You two are hopeless -Allison." I start laughing.
"What?" Cato asks. I hand him the note and watch the smile spread across his face when he reads it, "She didn't mean that did she?" he asks.
"Nah, that's just Allison." I say laughing.
"Good, because I don't think we are hopeless." he says, pulling me into a kiss.
My lips have just met his when the trumpets blare, making me jump and almost fall. Cato steadies me, laughing.
"Attention Tributes." the voice of Claudius Templesmith says, "I am announcing a feast."
Cato looks at me and I shake my head. We don't need to go to a feast. This is where my survival skill practice in training will pay off. We don't need food when I can go gather it.
"Now some of you may already be turning this down but this is no ordinary feast. Each of you needs something desperately. This thing will be provided in a backpack marked with your District number on the day of the feast. It will be held on the east side of the lake tomorrow morning at . I suggest you think carefully about not showing up. Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor!" the voice cuts off.
"We aren't going," I say firmly.
"Yes we are." Cato says, " I know what's in your backpack. The medicine for your leg. What if something happens to me? I need to know that you aren't going to die because of that leg. You can put up a fight and I don't want that injury to be the thing that kills you."
"I don't need it that bad. It's not worth risking our lives over. I said we aren't going."
"Avery, why are you so stubborn? You know you need this. Even if you don't go, I am going." he says roughly.
"No you aren't" I argue back.
"Please like you can stop me," Cato says smugly. I think about that for a second. He's right I wouldn't be able to stop him from going. He smirks, knowing he's won.
I sigh in defeat, "Fine but if you are going, then I'm going with you." I say.
He chuckles, "No you aren't. You can barely stand on that leg let alone fight."
"I don't have to fight, I just want to go. Look, I can't stand waiting here, not knowing what's going on. The minute the first cannon goes off, I'm going to go crazy thinking its you. How would you feel if you were stuck here and I was going to the feast."
He sighs, "Fine. But you don't fight and you stay hidden, okay?"
I nod, "Fine. As long as I get to see what's going on."
He nods, "Now get some sleep."
"No," I say, "I've had enough rest. You need to sleep. Especially if you're going to the feast tomorrow."
He chuckles, "You win. Wake me up if anything happens." I nod and he lies down to go to sleep.
I start thinking about the feast. Claudius Templesmith said that every tribute needed something and the bags would be marked with our District number. That means there will be two backpacks for Cato and I am positive one contains the medicine I need for my leg but I don't know what could be in the other one. There is really nothing else Cato or I need. The Capitol giving us the things we need just goes along with the rule change. The Capitol takes pride in the Hunger Games. Doesn't having more than one winner defeat the purpose? Something must have happened to bring on this change. Not that I'm complaining. It means that Cato and I can both get out of here alive.
The sun is starting to peek out from the clouds and I decide its time to wake Cato up to get ready for the feast. Cato wraps my leg in a makeshift bandage and helps me stand up. Getting to the other side of the lake is going to be hard. The Cornucopia is positioned in the open so we have to make it across a strip of open land to get into the cover of the forest. After arguing about how to get me over there, Cato ends up just throwing me over his shoulder and running for it. We make it across safely and he puts me down.
"I told you not to carry me," I say, crossing my arms.
"Yeah but you also said you wanted to make it across fast. And I couldn't do both," he says with a smirk on his face.
I laugh and hit him on the arm, "Let's just go."
We head through the woods to the other side of the lake. It's slow going because of my leg but that's why we left early. Eventually we make it to the other side.
"Okay," Cato says, "You stay here. You have your knives but if anyone tries to hurt you, just scream and I'll be here."
"I'll be fine Cato. Don't worry so much." I say. Then I think of something else, "Please don't take District 12's bag." I say.
"Why not?" he says.
I don't want him to get mad at me for saying I like her so I think of something else, "We don't want them following us to get it back."
He considers that for a moment then nods, "Okay."
"Thanks. It's almost time." I say
He nods, "Be careful Avery okay."
"I will," I say. We sit there in silence then I see a table rising up out of the ground. It's time, "Go Cato." I say.
He sees the table and before he even starts running the girl from District 5 takes off from the other side of the table. She grabs her backpack and flies through the trees before anyone else can even react.
Cato takes off running the same time Katniss does. I know she is faster than him and for a second I'm afraid she will take our backpacks but she doesn't. She just grabs hers and when she is turning around a knife hits her in the forehead and she goes down. I see Clove running out of the trees towards her. By now Cato has both bags and is running back to me. He is almost back, please don't let anything happen to him. He safely makes it back, hands me the backpacks, then pulls me to him and kisses me.
"What was that for?" I ask when we break apart.
"I didn't do it before I left," he says, "What if something had happened to me?"
I start to laugh but am quickly cut off by a scream. I whip around and see the boy from 11 holding Clove up by the neck. Katniss is laying on the ground helpless behind them. I can hear Thresh screaming at Clove and I feel Cato tense up next to me as if he wants to run out and help her.
"Don't," I say through gritted teeth.
He looks at me angrily but doesn't move. Suddenly the boy from 11 crashes a rock against Clove's temple and she crumples to the ground. Cato grabs my arm. I look at him and his eyes are full of pain. I think Clove meant more to Cato than I realized. The worst part is what happens next. The boy lets Katniss go and runs off into the field on the other side of the lake. As soon as he is out of sight Cato takes off running towards Clove. I see him talking to her. It sounds like he is asking her to stay with him. I start to get up then decide against it. He needs to be alone. Eventually the cannon goes off and Cato slumps down against her body.
I wait a few minutes but he doesn't move. I slowly get up and walk over to him. I tap him on the shoulder and he turns around.
"Oh sorry. I forgot to help you."
I shake my head, "It's fine. But you need to move soon. You know what they have to do."
He nods, kisses Clove on the forehead and stands up. He puts his arm around me and leads me back into the woods. We watch the hovercraft carry her body away and that's when he snaps, "He let her get away?" he yells.
"I don't know why," I say quietly.
"I'm going to find him. I'm going to be the one to kill him for what he did."
"Cato don't go looking for him," I say, "I don't want you to get hurt."
"He killed her! He killed Clove. You don't understand."
"Yes I do. He killed Max too," I say, tears filling my eyes.
He sees me crying and sighs, "I'm sorry," he says, pulling me in to him.
He holds me while I cry and I feel his tears drip into my hair but I don't say anything.
Eventually he says, "Come on. Let's head back." and we begin the trek back to our camp.
Whew! Chapter 15 done. That took me forever, it's actually past midnight. I hope you guys liked it even though it was kind of sad. Please review and don't forget to check out my other fanfictions Real Or Nor Real and Moving On!