So is everyone getting excited about the movie? Of course you are! So I have to say everyone looked stunning at the premiere oh my goodness. A big thank you to all who have sent me reviews or messages, I really appreciate it. So you will have to tell me, what do you guys think about Glimmer and Cato being flirty in the movie? I for one am not happy (obviously I mean I ship Clato so hard I write fanfiction). I also just wanted to say that I have received two anonymous reviews saying that I write like Suzanne Collins (which is completely wrong, she is a goddess) but I just wanted to say thank you so much. I literally squeak when I read reviews like that, it means so much to me! So without farther ado, here is the next chapter:
"Crack!" I awake, hearing the noise of a branch snapping in the tree above where I am sleeping. Being in the games has put me on high alert and I stir now at the slightest noise. "THUD!" My eyes fly open and I see a tracker jacker nest break open to my right. I jump out of my sleeping bag and shake Cato awake. Odessaly is also awake and screams as she is closest to the nest and was just stung. Cato is on his feet now.
"To the lake!" He hollers, then takes off running. I follow not bothering to grab anything, and sprint away from the nest, the tracker jackers, and the screams of Odessaly and Glimmer. I hear glimmer call out for someone to help her, but Marvel, Peeta, Cato and I continue running, not bothering to glance back. I feel a sharp pain in the middle of my back and know a tracker jacker has stung me. I have to run faster, get to the lake. I try to push harder and pick up my speed. Cato is yards ahead of me now, this never happened before I was pregnant. I used to always be able to keep up with him. I even beat Cato at racing a few times. I continue running as fast as my body will allow, the trees are thinning now, I'm almost clear of the woods. Yes, I can see the lake ahead of me. I don't dare to look behind me, the humming and buzzing noises of the insects are enough to keep pushing me forward. As I finally exit the woods and continue sprinting across the hard ground where the bloodbath occurred, I see Cato turn back, looking for me. He turns right around and begins running towards me.
"No, keep going!" I yell at him, but he continues on his path. Just as he reaches me I feel another sting, on my right elbow this time. Cato grabs my hand and pulls me forward at a faster pace. As he does, a tracker jacker stings his left cheek, just below his eye. Damn it, Cato did not need to get himself stung in an attempt to aid me. I'm glad he came back to get me though, as we get closer to the lake. I find myself stumbling now, my mind foggy. Cato literally drags me the rest of the distance to the water. Arm around me, he dives into the lake and I hold my breath, submerging myself completely. I stay under as long as I can, then emerge, sputtering. Cato surfaces a few seconds after I do and puts his hands on my shoulders.
"Clove, listen to me." I try to concentrate on his words as my vision spins, "I'm going back to make sure District 12 is dead." I notice that Peeta is already running back to the site of the tracker jacker attack. In the confusion I hadn't thought about what had occurred. That bitch must have dropped the nest on top of us. God, I hope she was stung to death. I feel Cato's hand on my cheek now as he turns my head so I'm facing him again. Right, I need to listen to his plan.
"Focus, Clove. Get back to the base camp, get in our tent, make sure you have your knives." Oh please, even in the utter chaos that had just ensued, I kept a hold of at least seven knives.
"Got it?" Cato says.
"Yes." I reply, then Cato takes off running back to the woods.
All around me I see glitter as I pull myself out of the lake and begin to make my way back to camp. I hear a canon fire, was that a career? Green feathers float down from the sky above me and turn to confetti. I know I need to reach the tent before the hallucinations become too much for me to handle. While it seems the visions are not that bad, the venom affects me in a different way, I'm disoriented and weakened. Another canon fires as I fall to my hands and knees and crawl the rest of the way to camp. I'm just outside the mouth of the tent when I collapse to the ground. I know it's only a step away, but I can't find the strength to get inside. I close my eyes in an attempt to make the world stop spinning, but open them immediately as I feel nauseous keeping them shut. The grass around me turns to waves as vibrations of an approaching tribute's footsteps come closer to where I am laying. I grab out a knife and lift me head to see who is coming my way. It's Cato. I feel his hands close around me as he picks me up and carries me into the tent. He sets me down and puts one of the remaining blankets over me, before grabbing one for himself and laying down. I'm not sure whether or not I'm hallucinating, but I think I see blood on his arm.
"Clove," he says, "Are you ok? You couldn't run as quick as normal and you weren't even able to make it to the tent." In my foggy mind, I ponder the question. Well, it's because I'm pregnant of course. He should know that, being the father and all. So, not thinking straight about what I am about to say, in my confused, half-insane state, I respond,
"It's because I'm pregnant, silly." Then I proceed to black out.
In the sea of nightmares that follow I wake up, relived to be free of the ugly images, before being dragged back to them countless times. Cato on fire. Cato crushed by the tree. Cato being killed by another tribute. Then my child getting taken away. My child getting reaped into the games. Dying in the games. I am being tortured as Cato is held captive. I drown 20 times in the dreams. Drowning: my one fear.
I wake up for good, alone in the tent now. I feel sore all over. I tentatively stretch my arms out and straighten my legs. I find it hard to sort out what is real and what is not. The glitter and feathers were certainly hallucinations, but it is hard to tell which visions really occurred and which ones were dreams brought on by the venom. Cato must be alive still. He had put me in the tent, hadn't he? Those visions were surely false. I look down at my elbow that had been stung and notice the stinger is no longer there. Cato must have removed it. Well, that at least confirms that he's still alive. I remember hearing Glimmer scream. Was that imagined or is she now dead? I vaguely remember two canons firing. Was one for Glimmer? Hopefully the other was the girl from District 12. If there is one thing I am sure of, it is that she is the reason I was stung. She caused the horrible nightmares. If she was not dead, I would make her pay dearly for her actions.
I am about to call out for Cato, when my mind stumbles upon another event. Sometime in my dazed state, I remember a conversation with Cato, in which I had told him I was pregnant. No. This must have been a hallucination. There was no way I would have let something like that slip. I don't even think I would have been capable of speaking at that time. It seems real for some reason though. I don't remember any dark edges which silhouetted the figures in my nightmares. At this point all I can do is hope that it was not real. Even if it really did happen, there is no way I can change it. I find my way to my feet and step unsteadily outside of the tent. God, I hope I imagined that. What would happen if Cato knew? And if I told him, then all of Panem would know that I am pregnant, too. With a deep breath, I walk to the campfire that Cato is tending to.
"Hey." I say when I'm directly behind him. Cato's head snaps around at the sound of my voice and he stands. He walks towards me and I throw my arms around him. He reciprocates and holds me in a tight embrace.
"So you finally woke up." He says, his voice teasing and familiar.
"How long have you been awake?" I ask him.
"I woke up early this morning." He responds, "It's just before dusk now."
"Who's dead?" I question.
"Glimmer and Odessaly." He answers. I nod. Can't say I'm not glad to see them go.
"Where's Marvel and Peeta?" I wonder. Cato's face darkens.
"Marvel is in his tent and Lover Boy is on his way out." I raise my eyebrows, urging Cato to continue. "He helped District 12 escape. I caught him telling her to run for it, so I cut him with my sword. Up high on his leg. If he doesn't bleed to death, he'll die of infection. Either way, we won't have to worry about him anymore, there's no way he can walk." So it seems like Lover boy really did care about his district partner. Enough to save her at the risk of his own life. I feel a bit of pity for him, dying to help his girl escape. She never even seemed to give him the time of day. I notice that Cato still has the stinger in his skin under his eye.
"Here, let me get rid of the stinger for you. Thanks for pulling mine out."
"Of course." Cato says, "You just had the two, right?"
"Yeah. You just have the one on your face?" Cato nods then clenches his jaw as I reach up and pull out the stinger. He winces a bit as it's hard to get the thing out of his skin.
"Did you have nightmares?" He asks me once I get rid of the tracker jacker stinger.
"Yes." I say, "They were awful. I saw you and I both die a dozen different times. I was so relieved when they ended. Were yours bad?" Cato nods.
"I had the same one over and over. I was tied to a tree and forced to watch as a man tortured and killed you. Then once you were dead, he would slit my throat. It must have happened 20 times."
"I hope we never get stung by tracker jackers again." I say. Cato is silent for a few moments before addressing me again.
"Clove, I need to ask you something."
"Yes?"
"Before I passed out, I remember you and I had a conversation. Only, I'm not sure whether or not it's real. I picked you up and put you in the tent then asked you why you were so slow. You told me it was because you were pregnant. I'm sorry but I have to ask. Did that really happen? Are you pregnant?"
I weigh my options. Cato isn't sure whether or not he imagined it. I could just tell him the truth, but my doing so I know he would try to protect me to an extreme extent for the rest of the games and most likely wind up getting himself killed. I could lie, but I'm sure he would see through it. No matter what, he'll figure it out. I can just tell from his expression that Cato knows I'm pregnant. Either he doesn't ant to believe it, or he wants me to tell him while both of us are in full capacity of our mental abilities. I shouldn't lie, I would feel terrible about it if he were to die, but I'm planning on him winning. It would be easier for him if he didn't know about the baby. So, with my mind torn and only a second to decide what to say, I find myself shaking my head,
"No." I say. "I'm not."
"Clove..." He starts.
"I said I'm not." and I look him straight in the eye.
"But you've been slower, weaker. You threw up the other day. Clove, you have to tell me the truth."
"Cato, I'm not pregnant. I'm probably just weaker because we have been rationing our food. You know I can't function when I don't eat. And I told you before, that was just food poisoning from the beef jerky. They're just coincidences."
"And the discussion we had?"
"That never happened. I'm not sure why you had a hallucination about that. you drew conclusions way too fast."
"I remember talking though..." Cato says, although he doesn't sound as sure as he did before. Hopefully I convinced him.
"You just asked me if I was ok and I told you to hold me. That's all that happened, really."
"Ok." Cato says before Marvel comes out of his tent and breaks up our conversation, which ended anyway. I hope that Cato believes me. But even as I sort through the supplies in search of medicine for our stings, I see Cato glancing over at me. Sometimes looking at my face to check if I;m alright, and other times his eyes trail down towards my stomach. While I will continue to deny it, it's too late, Cato knows.
So let me know how you liked it? Hopefully everyone enjoyed it. I have been getting lots of comments about you wanting Cato to know about the pregnancy and now he (kinda) does. Reviews would as always be splendid!