All I can say is, sometimes you gotta be cruel to be kind.

I really enjoyed writing this chapter, so here it is, hot off the press... or keyboard, whatever.

Clove

Cato and I had just heard the announcement. He was already hoisting his sword over his shoulder. By his body language, he made it clear that he was going alone. Probably some ego thing. All the same, I'd have no idea what would happen until he returned. There was no doubt in my mind that he would return, but I had the nagging feeling that some others wouldn't be so lucky. There were only about six of us left, and it was getting tense. They were drawing us in. The weakest would die. Cato would get there quick, but he'd stay on and ensure there was as much blood as possible.

"Cato..."

He sighed. "What is it, Clove?"

"...Let me go. I'm faster, and I have ranged weapons. It would be safer if I went... for us."

The last bit of that probably wasn't necessary. Of course, it wasn't entirely the truth. I had another to protect. Just because I wasn't with Fox, that didn't mean I could go back on my promise.

"Fine. Go. You see anyone else, though, make it messy. You owe me at least that much."

Make it messy. I'd heard those words before. They were the words of someone desperate. We were all desperate. There were our lives at stake.

I picked up my knives and tucked them into my belt. "Thank you." Why did I feel the need to thank him for this? This was all a glory fest for Cato. I was going behind his back. I was putting District loyalty on the line.

I left in a hurry, but once I was far enough away from Cato, I slowed down. I wanted to take my time. Whatever the Capitol had set out for us, no one would be stupid enough to take it. I shoved my hands in the pockets of my jacket. What if I did come across someone? Would I kill them outright? That was the idea of the feast. Draw everyone in and, out of desperation, the blood would spill by itself. I kept my eyes on my feet, knowing that I would hear anyone coming before they'd get much time to pull a weapon on me. For now, I was far too interested in the leave and the dirt and... the sawdust?

I knelt down in the dirt and ran my hands through the pile of dust. There were flecks of black, like coal, and grainy particles like sand. The pile was only about a couple inches wide, and it looked like it had been dropped from above. I looked up.

There, rested in the fork of a tree, was a collection of fabric with copper strands sticking out from beneath it. I grinned. It was Fox.

"Psst!"

She didn't respond. I was beginning to worry. I picked up a clot of dirt and threw it against her jacket. The clod disintegrated on contact, but it did enough. She stirred.

"Ow. What was... whoa!"

She gracelessly slipped from the trunk of the tree, and landed right on top of me. The situation looked awfully familiar.

"Uh, Fox?"

"...owwww..."

I giggled. The sound was unfamiliar. Fox started chuckling too.

"Not even kidding, Fox, you're really heavy right now."

I gently rolled her off me. We lay there, giggling on our backs in the dirt.

"What were you even doing up there?"

Fox sat up, and pulled a green baggie out of her jacket.

"Look at the note on the base of the bag."

I pulled out the slip of paper and read it. I looked to the pile of dust, disturbed by the fall, but still distinct in its obscurity. My face flushed. "This is my fault."

"No, it's my fault."

"If I hadn't accepted the-"

"If I hadn't offered in the first place-"

"If I hadn't- oh, who am I kidding, this is entirely your fault."

"Yes it is."

"...I'm still sorry. I didn't know that they'd do something like this."

"Of course you didn't. Hey, haven't you got something to take care of?"

"...Oh. Yeah. That thing."

"I'd watch out for Thresh. He's been skulking around for a while. It might not be a good idea to arouse his attention."

"I'll keep that in mind."

I didn't move from the dirt. I didn't want to. I didn't care about Cato, or Thresh, or anything the Capitol could have waiting for us. I was far too comfortable here.

"Clove, you'd better go."

"Why? What good would it do?"

"Stop the Capitol from getting bored. Stop you from getting killed. You have to play the game, Clove, or people are gonna get hurt. Not just in the arena, either."

She spoke with urgency, as if she could see the events transpiring. I realised that Fox was right. After all, she was the smart one. How else would she have lasted this long? You kinda helped with that. I knew that she was still vulnerable. And I still felt an obligation to protect her.

I hoisted myself to my feet. "I'm coming back for you."

Fox stood and brushed the dirt off her pants. "No, you're not."

"Yes, I am!" I responded indignantly.

"You can't. That would look far too suspicious."

"I don't want to let you die."

"... Clove, I can take care of myself."

"Look around, Fox, this isn't just a game. There are lives at stake."

"Yes, Clove, there are, but there are lives more valuable than mine."

Not to me. I couldn't say that. I wouldn't give anyone the satisfaction by saying it out aloud. My mind was swimming again. I didn't know what to do. I looked to Fox. Her eyes, those wonderful liquid amber eyes, were filled with sorrow. She knew the rules of this game as well as I did. She knew.

Without thinking much further on it, I collapsed into her. I threw my arms around her shoulders. The tears started to fall. I buried my face into her shoulder, a poor attempt to hide the emotion spilling forth from my facade. She held me, before pulling back to wipe the tears from my cheeks.

"You have to go now."

"I don't want to."

"But you have to."

She was absolutely right. But leaving now meant leaving her behind. This was the end of the line for us, and we both knew it was near the end of the line for her. All pretence had been stripped away, all barriers had been broken down, and now it was time to say goodbye. I could think of one thing to say.

"I meant what I said. I could never be the one to kill you."

She nodded and smiled a sad smile. "I know. I meant it, too."

With that, I turned tail and ran, not daring to look back. I forced the conversation out of mind and pulled out my blades. There wasn't much left of me to preserve, but what was left, I had to hold on to. For the sake of my District, for Cato... for my family, however fractured they may be.

I tumbled out of the bushes and bolted for the Cornucopia. All of the bags were gone, except for the one belonging to District 2. I was right; no one was stupid enough to take it. That didn't stop anyone hanging around, though, and I knew that full well. I picked up the bag and went to make a break for it, when a dark figure emerged from the bushes.

"I'd watch out for Thresh. He's been skulking around for a while. It might not be a good idea to arouse his attention."

Against all my training, I turned tail and ran. It showed fear, but I didn't care. Only an idiot would have no fear against the imposing stature of Thresh. Whether or not Cato was included in that category was yet to be determined.

Thresh didn't try pursuing me- he knew I was faster and he didn't waste his energy. All the same, I didn't stop running until I was long past the undergrowth and I was completely out of breath. I found myself at the base of the tree with the sawdust. I looked up into the tree, hopeful, but it was in vain. Of course, she wasn't there. I sighed and trudged back to camp.

"You're welcome." I said as I threw the bag at Cato's feet.

"Your knives are clean." Cato responded.

"...They were all gone by the time I got there."

"What took you so long?"

"I thought I was being tailed."

Cato's not the smartest guy around, but even he picked up the lie. He didn't say anything, though, merely chucked me my portion of the bag, labelled with my name. I opened the tie and glanced inside. What I saw made me sick.

Inside was a vial of a greenish substance. Wrapped around the vial was a note.

This is poison. It will tear apart a person from the inside out.
What goes around comes around, Clove.
Be sure you use it.

"What did you get?" Cato asked, lounging back against a tree and taking a bite from an apple he'd just withdrawn from his bag.

"Nothing, really. Just some... antiseptic, I think. For injuries, and the like."

He shrugged and took another bite out of the apple. Watching him eat made me feel sick to my stomach.

"I'm gonna go find something for dinner."

"Don't go too far."

I do what I want. Well, I used to. Now I might be forced to do something I didn't want to do.

For the first time, I felt enormously, chronically, incurably, irrevocably scared.