Chapter 5:
I slip the ring onto my finger, nod to my stylist, and prepare myself mentally for the coming carnage. Soon enough the plate begins to rise and before I know it I am gazing out over fields and woods. Directly in front of me is the cornucopia and behind that there is a large lake. I smile, the terrain is perfect. I make eye contact with Cato and he nods tersely. We have discussed our plan already and we have it almost perfectly synchronized. "Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the 74th Hunger Games!"
As soon as the gong sounds I shoot forward and make it to the cornucopia first. Immediately I grab onto a set of knives, twirl around and begin the slaughter. I have shot down several tributes before noticing Katniss and another boy fighting over a backpack. Katniss. My vision tints with hate. She must die, she must die. I shoot for the boy first and kill him before aiming a fatal hit at Katniss. Hatred makes me clumsy and I miss the stupid girl's neck and lodge the knife in her backpack instead. I dart forward to attack her but someone grabs my arm I whirl around, knife held aloft to see Cato. "Not now, Clove, we'll hunt her later." I glare at him but I know that he is right. I yank my arm away from him and turn my attention back to the battle. Many tributes are dead or dying, the only ones left are my allies and, inexplicably, Peeta. The boy from District Four has him at sword point. The boy turns his head to Cato and I, "Kill him?" Cato nods but suddenly a thought slips into my head. "No! Wait." The boy immediately turns to fix me with a questioning look. I had the highest training score out of the group which commands me a certain amount of respect. "Don't kill him. He might know where she is." I explain. Cato shoots Peeta an incredulous glance. "He looks pretty stupid to me, what if he doesn't know anything?" He asks. Glimmer rejoins, "What if he betrays us to the girl?" I shake my head, "I will make him suffer greatly at any infraction." Cato still looks unconvinced, but the other careers nod and lower their weapons. Peeta jumps up from the ground and grins at me, "Thanks!" I laugh cruelly and step closer to Cato, "Don't have any allusions, Lover Boy; as soon as you cease to be of use to us you shall meet the same end as your girlfriend will when we find her." Peeta pales at this and Cato chuckles softly.
We sort everything in the cornucopia. I take all the knives, Marvel, the boy from District One, lays a claim the spears, Cato gathers the swords and Glimmer takes a fine bow and arrow. I make Marvel ration out a spear to Peeta, the boy from District Four, and the girl from District Four, the more expendable members of our tenuous alliance. Once we are finished setting up camp Cato pulls me to the side. "Walk with me." He murmurs. I nod and follow him. At first we talk about the present, how we should kill the boy from four before hunting, what we should carry in our packs, things that may be life and death for others but mean little to us. Finally we talk of what really matters, the future. "Clove, I love you, I will die for you." I am initially touched by this gesture. I open my mouth to tell him so, but I am cut off by the arrival of a silver parachute. I smile and open it, inside there is some food and medicine. At first I am puzzled by this gift, we have the cornucopia, why do we need this? Suddenly something catches my eye, nestled in between a pot of broth and some bandages lays a syringe and a tiny bottle of poison. Kuari's message is obvious. It's a reminder. Her words sound in my head, 'Cato is fighting to stay alive, fighting to kill you.' This gift rattles me, I don't point the bottle out to Cato, I smile and tell him we shouldn't worry yet, I pick up the box and motion back to camp, and I try to force the thoughts that bubble in my mind to disappear.
As we prepare to leave I motion to the boy from four. He is completely expendable, we don't need him. Cato nods. I slip out the bottle of poison and dip the tip of a knife into it. With one flick of my wrist the boy from District Four is dead. Glimmer, Marvel, Peeta, and the boy's district partner turn to stare at me like they can't believe what I did so nonchalantly. Cato laughs, "Welcome to the Hunger Games." I add, "I hope the odds are more in your favor than they were for him." Glimmer shivers slightly; there is fear in her eyes. I smile broadly, "Let's hunt."
Glimmer grabs her arrows, I arrange my knives, Cato takes a sword, and Marvel, Peeta, and the girl from four grab a spear. It's time to take out some tributes. Cato and I take the lead, we make Peeta walk behind us, and Marvel takes up the rear. I don't like the dark, though I'll never admit it. Cato knows this and pulls me close to him as we walk. "You're safe." He tells me, to quiet for those behind us to hear. I chuckle, "Do the other tributes trying to kill us know that?" Cato smiles sinisterly and replies, "They're about to find out."
"Hey!" Glimmer calls, "Look over there!" We turn to see a fire glowing in the distance. I smile, "Hello Victim Number One!" The foolish tribute is far away so by the time we reach the place where Glimmer saw the glow the fire has dimmed and the tribute, a girl, is asleep. "I'll kill her." Cato smirks. Merrily he plunges his sword into her stomach, we move away from the girl so the hovercraft can pick her up. "I didn't hear the cannon go off." Someone remarks. Cato replies irately, "She's dead, don't worry." I glance at the girl. "You," I point at Peeta, "Go check." He nods and goes to finish off the poor girl. I turn to my allies. "We should kill him." Cato says flatly. "No." I hiss, "Not until I've questioned him." Cato sighs, "Get on and question him then, I want him gone." "I will, I will." I snap. He recoils almost unnoticeably from my irritated tone. Peeta returns just as a cannon goes off. "Was she dead?" I ask. "No, but she is now." He tells me, subdued. So lover boy isn't a killer? Interesting. "Let's keep moving!" Marvel urges. I nod and whisper "The more deaths the better." We resume our trek in the same order as before. Cato leans in towards me as we walk and whispers, "You seem awfully ready to get down to the final two." I nod and keep my expression neutral. Suddenly what he is saying registers in my mind. He is suggesting that I seem excited to kill him. "What are you playing at?" I hiss at him. He smiles, kisses me quickly so the cameras won't see and murmurs, "Oh Clove, I keep no secrets from you." I nod and stare into the darkness, Kuari's words playing over and over in my head.
'You must always have a plan; I can assure you that Cato will.'