Yay for super quick updates! I love writing this, its super fun so I decided to try to put the next chapter up as soon as possible. Also, shout-out to my first reviewer, Fluffy Parakeet. Hope you like this chapter! And as always: review!
When I woke up, I found myself wrapped in Cato's arms, one hand holding a knife. Sunlight blinded me and I was aware of a surging heat. I remembered a vague feeling of some kind of warmth stirring inside my heart from last night, but quickly shook it off. I glanced around at the others. Clove was lying in the grass, curled up around her precious knife as if it was her baby. Marvel lay on his side, mouth open, drool dripping out the corners. The boy from 3 had fallen asleep sitting up against the side of the Cornucopia. I shook Cato awake. He looked momentarily confused about where he was. For a minute, he looked almost… innocent. Then he reminded himself he was stuck in an arena where he had to fight for his survival and turned back into the killing machine I know. I helped him fix breakfast and wake up the others. We ate some crackers and a few berries Marvel had found last night. We all agreed that we needed to get some real meat, so we headed out, fully equipped with shiny new lethal weapons, all the work of a Gamemaker. About three hours later, we had two rabbits, four birds, and a deer, a lucky find considering where we are.
"What time do you think it is?" Clove asked as we started a fire to cook a rabbit.
"Three, maybe three thirty." The boy from 3 answered. We all looked up, a bit startled. He didn't talk much but when he did, he acted like he chose his words very carefully, as if one faulty word placement could cause his downfall. And it could. Smart boy. He just might make it to the final ten. If he was careful.
"Alright, tomorrow we move out. We need to hunt down the others, find their location. Most of them shouldn't be a threat. 13 dead, eleven to go." Cato said. I could practically see the gears turning in his head, calculating how long it would take until he remained. The rest of the day was remotely calm. We sorted through packs, hunted game, gathered food. By nightfall we had an even bigger stockpile than before. As I watched the faces in the sky, I found there was only one dead today. The girl from 8. Probably killed by Thresh. He could be a threat. Big and powerful. I pushed the thought out of my head and laid down on the hard ground again, thankful for the sleeping bag. Cato slipped in next to me. He wrapped his arm around my hip, pulling my body closer to his.
"And here we are, once again. This is ridiculous, Glimmer. What are we doing?" He asked me, his tone soft and seductive. I gave in.
"No clue." I breathed, resting my head on his chest, right where his black heart beat.
The next morning was the same as the last. The same fake sun beating down, the recorded chirps of morning birds, the scientifically created dew drops resting on the grass. And Cato's arm around me. It felt alien, yet strangely comforting. I didn't want to wake him up because I liked the feeling. So I lay there, my hands entwined with his, thinking. I did a mental recount of who was left that posed some sort of a threat. 12, 11, and possibly 5. I'd seen the girl from there in the Training Center. She was quick and might be able to just wait out the fight. The others I needed dead. I wonder if Lover Boy could be of any use. He probably knows where Fire Girl is if he's not with her. Cato rolled over, bringing me with him, and snapping me out of my thoughts. He lay on his side, me trapped underneath his arms, but loving every minute of it. Unfortunately, it didn't last long. He soon opened his eyes and I found myself staring longingly into them. And that's when I decided to admit it to myself. As much as I didn't want to, I was falling in love. It was so stupid. One of us wasn't getting out of here and I knew it. But there was some sort of flicker of hope that made me want to believe it was true. But I had to stop thinking like this. Get your head back in the game, Glimmer. I thought to myself.
"Good morning." I said in a lame attempt to look sane on the outside while I was having a mental frenzy on the inside.
"Good morning to you, too." His voice had lost its softness from last night, no long sounding sleek and sexy.
"Sleep well?" I asked, making small talk before I had to force myself to get up.
"As well as I could, given the circumstances." He smiled weakly, and I knew he felt the same way I did. Not quite ready to put back on the mask we hide behind, not wanting to become the person we want everyone else to think we are. I laid there for a minute, resting my head on his chest again. Cato was smart. He had wrapped the sleeping bag around us so the cameras couldn't see the way we were laying against each other. If anyone saw us, we would lose sponsors and become known as lovesick weaklings. And I couldn't let that happen, not after what I've done to get in this arena.
"I'm going to find a way. I'm going to find a way to get us both out of here, Glimmer. No matter what it takes." He whispered quietly so no cameras could detect his words. The statement both shocked and flattered me. Could he really make room in his heart for me? But I could hear the determination in his voice. When he set his mind to something, he was going to do it. So I agreed.
"Thank you." I whispered into his shirt.
"Alright, let's do this." He said in a louder voice, as if nothing had ever happened. He had put back on the mask and was going out to face the world. Back to Cato. The fake Cato. Not the one I knew was real, no, that personality was far too dangerous.
By the time everyone was ready to get on the move, it was late morning. Ten thirty, maybe eleven. We stomped through the forest, not caring who heard. Power in numbers, they say. If anyone dared show their face, they'd be dead in a minute. We looked for water, because any lone tributes would have to have some source of water. I could tell by the look on Clove's face that she was jealous Cato had chosen me over her. I was his sidekick, the one he trusted to do the job if he couldn't. And Clove hated it. I don't blame her. He did betray his own district partner. Eventually, we came upon a river running north. And lying a few feet from the shore stood Lover Boy's camp.
Like it? This chapter was kinda long, but it's filled with a little fluff. I tried to follow the book's plotline and go from the Careers' point of view. But I'm slowly inching my way to the big Tracker Jacker finale! So we'll see how that goes. Review!