Author's Notes: edited August 17, 2018


Chapter Twenty-Eight – The Feast


They had no choice. Prim grimly surveyed her companions. They were starving and she knew that a couple more hours in the heat wave they were suddenly experiencing and they were going to collapse. How ironic that Panem's supposed Fire Angel wanted to relieve herself from the heat. She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. Vaguely, her thoughts drifted back to the time that various explosions were heard. Had that scared all the food sources off? But then it didn't explain the water, or rather the lack thereof.

"We should go." Thresh said as he carefully laid Rue down. Prim nodded in agreement as Peeta knelt beside her to rummage through their pack. Every single one of them had a layer of sweat covering them, prompting them to remove some layers of clothing. Thresh had gone shirtless, while Peeta, Prim, and Rue had opted to remove their jackets and keep their shirt on. Seeing as her shirt only reached an inch or so above her belly button because of that time she cut a piece of it off for Rue, Prim was beginning to consider discarding her shirt in favor of her sports bra.

Peeta laid a hand atop hers, "It'll be every one for themselves when we get there." He squeezed her hand reassuringly. "They're bound to appear if they aren't already there."

"It's our best bet – unless you're all willing to die of hunger or dehydration." Rue commented as she breathed in deeply. "We're almost there, anyways." She added as she turned to the direction of the Cornucopia. "We can just grab what we need and then go."

"Easier said than done, Rue." Thresh said placidly, patting his cousin's head. "We can't bring you there – your injury might get worse."

"Thresh; you and I can grab what we need and then meet up with Prim and Rue somewhere else." Peeta suggested. Prim's eyes were boring holes into his head, but he refused to meet her gaze. They both knew that the plan was risky, but if it meant getting them food, then it would be worth it.

Anxiously, Prim pursed her lips. She didn't like the idea one bit. Between the four of them, she and Thresh had the best chances of getting out of the dangerous mission. Peeta was far too tired and dehydrated. He wasn't used to such limited supplies. She wasn't being mean-spirited, but it was the truth. Peeta never had to go a day without food. Even if it were burnt bread, it was still something. She, on the other hand, had experienced a time when Katniss was just learning to hunt, and having no food to eat. She could still run if needed, something she couldn't exactly see Peeta doing.

"I'll go instead." She said, her soft voice commanding their attention. "You're too weak right now, Peeta. Who knows what could happen there; Thresh and I are more energized." She smiled at him reassuringly. "I'll be sure to bring some delicious ingredients we could cook." Her gaze then travelled to meet that of Thresh's. He nodded at her, and she knew that he had her back on this.

"So we'll go with that?" Rue asked. "I think Peeta and I can stay here. We'll wait for you up in the trees, so that there's a smaller chance of being found, okay?" Prim and Thresh showed their affirmation with a nod, while Peeta silently disapproved. While he was well aware that they were right, placing Prim in danger was not really an option for him. Knowing he was outnumbered though, he let them go with their plan. If he couldn't protect Prim directly, then he was going to do his best to protect those that she cared about.

When night fell, Prim and Thresh left for the Cornucopia.

"Thank you." Thresh said, breaking the silence that had accompanied them for the first few yards. Prim turned her head. "You helped Rue even when you didn't have to."

She smiled. It felt nice to hear that she was appreciated. Back home, she had always been the appreciator, and Katniss was the appreciated. It made her feel like an asset to know that someone other than the person she helped out was grateful for her work.

"She's someone I care about," replied Prim softly, casting her gaze back to the path they were taking. "I'll always care and fight for them." A vision of her classmates whispering about Katniss and Gale's illegal activities crossed her mind. She could remember their demeaning and taunting words as clearly as when she had first heard them, and she had to close her eyes to discern reality from her hallucination.

"Primrose?" Thresh asked wearily. "Are you alright?" He placed a hand on her shoulder and found his eyes widening as he caught sight of a Tracker Jacker. He frowned, looking around. Where had it come from? He froze as he saw that there was a whole nest of the little buggers just a few feet above them.

"Prim?" He called out to her again, getting the sinking feeling that though her body was with him; her mind was most definitely somewhere else entirely. With a deep breath in, he scooped her up into his arms and ran. They needed to get as far away from the nest as possible. And even when his entire body protested at the notion, he pushed on. He was tired and thoroughly dehydrated, but the girl in his arms had saved his little cousin without pre-empting. It was about time he returned the favor. Thresh muttered under his breath, "For Rue."


Cato's head snapped to the side, and his eyes narrowed. He had heard the crunching of dried leaves and the snapping twigs that were reminiscent of someone stepping on them. His immediate reaction would have been to go after the culprit, but he had more pressing matters to deal with. Clove had been injured thanks to a scattered landmine, and they had been on their way to the Cornucopia to get her something to heal herself with when a large creature blocked their path.

The beast was bright orange and looked like a tiger, save for its size and white stripes. It was as tall as a foal, and as built as any healthy tiger would be, and Cato knew without a doubt that he may just be staring his death in the face. But as he looked the predator in the eye, he could see that it wasn't him it was focused on.

Oh no.

The beast was very much interested in Clove – or rather, Clove's wound. And if it had been anyone other than Clove – or Prim – he wouldn't have given a damn. But this was Clove – the same Clove that stood by him and helped him through all the fucked up situations in his life. The very girl that wouldn't hesitate to tell him things as they were, and the only person he could undoubtedly trust. She also happened to be the only girl that truly believed he had a chance of finding happiness.

"Go, Cato." Clove coughed from behind him. Even with his back to her, he could already see the way she was frowning, glaring daggers at the beast before them. Ah. If only Clove could throw some of her handy knives. But as it was, her throwing arm was damaged, and her other arm was being used to keep her standing against a tree.

"No." Cato said. "I'll kill this piece of shi-"

"DAMN IT, CATO!" Clove bellowed. "I'm done. I… I'm going to die, Cato." She pushed herself off of the tree and took a couple of steps forward, only to end up draping her good arm around Cato's arm to steady herself. "I'm not going to go all sappy on you. I just want you to leave." Humorless laughter preceded her next words, "Let me have my glorious moment, Cato. Let me live or die on my terms."

Cato turned his head back to face the beast. Seeing Clove in his peripheral vision was affecting him more than he would admit. "There is no living if I leave you, Clove. Our best bet is if I get rid of this beast and we make a ru-"

"STOP ALREADY!" Clove rested her forehead against Cato's back. "Don't you get it? There is no us, Cato. There's no team when it comes to the Hunger Games. Only alliances and enemies – remember?"

His eyes didn't dare close for fear of the beast attacking them, but he did take her words to heart. She was right – as she usually was – and he didn't want to admit it, but perhaps he had grown a childish notion of them ending as the final two. It was stupid… He was stupid. Since when did he think of such improbable things? Since when had he become so sentimental?

A brief flash or Primrose Everdeen went through his mind, and he swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Next time," breathed Cato as he nodded. He met her gaze briefly, and she looked up to send him a small smile.

There was nothing left to be said. Even a simple I love you would've done nothing to convey how they truly felt in that moment. Their regard towards each other went above and beyond simple love. They had been lovers at one point in their lives, but more than that, they were – and are – best friends. Having gone through so much more than either thought they could withstand, suffice to say they had always thought that they were above loving each other. They weren't halves of a whole. They were one unit. It was never supposed to be Cato or Clove. Everyone had assumed it would always be Cato and Clove.

People made mistakes, though.

As soon as Clove retracted all physical contact with Cato, he sped off.

He didn't dare look back. He knew he might do something he'd regret if he did, and he really couldn't have that happening. He only had one goal now: to win.

And maybe get Prim away from Mellark.


Peeta frowned. He didn't like the thought of Prim going out there. Sure she had Thresh with her, but he trusted him just about as far as he could throw him. How could he know that he wouldn't desert Prim while he went on for his own selfish gain? He pinched the bridge of his nose as he and Rue settled on a particularly thick and spacious tree branch.

"Don't worry," murmured Rue as she looked up at him from the corner of her eyes. "Thresh may not look like it, but he is caring. He won't let anything happen to her."

"I…" he began, unsure of how to continue without hurting Rue's feelings. "I can't afford to think like that, Rue. Prim's… She shouldn't be here – you shouldn't be here."

Rue surprised him by chuckling. "But we are," said she somberly. "And there's nothing we can do about it other than to try and live longer." She shrugged, and Peeta felt as if ice-cold water had been poured down his shirt as gooseflesh erupted on his skin. Why did he have a feeling that Rue's had a lot of time to think about her words? They were just kids, for crying out loud! They shouldn't be thinking so morosely.

Keeping his mouth shut, Peeta tried to come up with something to say to steer their conversation away from such depressing topics. His thoughts were cut off when Rue spoke up though.

"What if it were you and Prim left?" She asked curiously. "What would you do?" It was an honest and innocent question, he realized. She wasn't egging him on. She wasn't waiting for him to say that he would kill her or that he would die for her. She wanted to know what he would've done if that were the case. He blinked, thinking about his response.

Was he ready to die?

To leave his family?

To never see his brothers again?

To never see Prim again? At this he winced. Whether he won or lost, he would never see Prim again.

It was a good minute before he replied, "I'd kill myself. Prim doesn't really understand it." And at this, they both wondered what exactly 'it' was. "She doesn't understand the effect she can have." He found himself saying. And even as he replayed it in his head, he knew that it was the truth. For all of Prim's maturity, she was still very much naïve and did not understand that she had started something far bigger than any of them.

After all, a spark can set a whole forest on fire.

A scream.

A roar.

A canon fired.

Clove Kentley was dead.

Only six remained.