CLOVE'S POV
A high pitch noise pierces the arena. The clock says zero. I go running, straight for the middle. Marvel already has a lifeless body in front of him. The knives are sitting closely to the front, I manage to pick up three of them. Pivoting on the ball of my foot, I turn are throw- hitting the first person I can directly in the back. I just killed someone. I just killed someone, and I feel nothing. No emotion. No remorse. There are orange backpacks on the ground, quickly one finds it's way to my back. That's when I see her, the girl from District 12; Katniss on the ground. She looks up to see the knife slipping into the bag she pulled up just in time. Her face is full of fear, I go to throw another knife, but this time the target is much closer. My target is not Katniss this time. It's a girl of a much younger age. When I grip my next knife I return to Katniss- but she is already gone. I see the backpack bobbling to the woods. I'll find her, find her and kill her myself. The alliance can end then. Quickly I turn to see Cato. A young boy's throat is slit. At this point I don't know how many are down, how many are gone. But I do know that the starting zone is almost cleared; besides the alliance of course. The rest have made a run for it. Cato comes out of the cornucopia with a sword. His face is hard; resembling a warrior's. I throw two more small bags onto my shoulders, knives attached to my belt. Glimmer emerges from the other side of it, her bow and arrow ready. Marvel is directly beside me.
He steps forward breathing deeply. " I saw the direction she went. It was the woods to the east."
Cato nods. "So we follow. Then the games can really begin." His message is directed at Marvel.
Then it dawns on me. If we can find the blonde boy from District 12, we will find Katniss quicker.
"We find Peeta first. He's going to know exactly how to find her." For the first time Glimmer agrees with me.
"He'll be our best chance at finding her." The four of us continue to rummage through whatever is left at the cornucopia; which is mostly just orange bags of small survival things. The four of us venture off into the direction of Katniss. That's when the first cannon goes off. Glimmer jumps into me. I shove her off. The alliance stops. Eleven booms from the sky. Eleven lives gone in the first hours. Our trekk through the green foilage continues. There's a river, fresh water finally! All of us take a turn endulging in the fresh stream. I'm on guard and that's when I see him. The blonde is crouched down on the rocks just above. Poking Cato I get him to acknowledge the presence. We can't run towards him- he'll think it's an attack. So in the end, it is Marvel who slowly approaches him upon the rocks above. The boy looks starrtled and starts searching for a knife that I assume is in his belt. Marvel's hands raise above his head. I can't tell what they are saving, but after a few moments Marvel returns to us with the boy.
Cato holds out his hand. The boy seems unsure and grabs hesitantly.
"You're strong. We could use someone like you." Cato says while handing him a spear.
"We don't kill each other until we kill Katniss." He adds. The boy's eyes grow wide, but only for a split second. He nods.
"I can help you find her. Won't be hard." He says. The five of us hear something in the forrest. We exchange a few glances and then go running into the leaves once again. The sky is growing dark. All of us- exhausted. District 1, and Peeta are leading the group. Cato is beside me. I keep my eyes forward but stop suddenly.
"Cato?" I call out in a hushed tone.
His steps slow. "Yeah, Clove?"
Dragging my feet, I pull myself to his side.
"This is just a game right?" I don't know where to really begin a conversation.
His head bobbles up and down.
"So why do we have to adjust to play?" He knows I am talking about hiding our love-affair.
"The real lovers of this game, and neither of us win." Cato pulls me into a half-hug; his sword in his other hand. A kiss is planted on top of my forehead.
"We can't show it. This is a game Clove. A dangerous game. Until Glimmer is gone, I have to be there for her. She knows Marvel would care less if she died..."
I push away from him, but secretly I get it. No one deserves to die alone, uncared, unappreciated. By this time the rest of our alliance is far ahead. I jog to catch up, Glimmer turns around quickly; bow loaded. The weapon goes down when she realizes it is me.
"What are you doing- I ALMOST KILLED YOU."
I roll my eyes at her, push myself past her and walk beside Marvel. A knife is in my hand for the first person I see.
CATO'S POV
"We can't show it. This is a game Clove. A dangerous game. Until Glimmer is gone, I have to be there for her. She knows Marvel could care less if she died.."
I am pushed away almost immediately. I shuffle behind the alliance, not completely letting them out of my sight. Glimmer is the furthest in the back when I finally catch up. Her eyes glow at me in the now moonlit sky. I fake a smile to her.
There's a fire alluminating the night just a few hundred feet away.
Peeta crouches down beside something on the ground.
"It's hers." He says, but none of us know what he is holding right now.
"What way did she go then?" Marvel asks.
"North I'm guessing."
All of us remain quiet, but move swiftly towards the source. It might just be the most dangerous player. Just behind a bushed area, there is a female trying to warm her hands from a fire she just made. I make my appereance known first; Clove to the left of me, Glimmer to the right. She turns around to see us, her face showing every ounce of fear. I throw my sword slightly and catch it in a smooth motion. It isn't Katniss.
"Don't you know? Never make a fire. It might get you killed." I say in a sarcastic voice.
She starts screaming.
"Please don't kill me!"
He voice is that of a child. Her screaming continues in the night. My sword sinks into her chest. The screaming stops. A cannon sounds in the air. Marvel raids the campsite, but quickly finds there is nothing worth taking. We abandon the sight of the murder and continue on our way.
Clove is ahead of me reliving what just happened.
"That was great! Did you see her face?"
She keeps going on and on, her hands flying in the night to tell the story. Marvel is letting our laughs while she tells it, as if he didn't see it.
Glimmer apruptly stops to turn to look me in the face.
"P-Please don't kill me!" She mocks, shaking just as the girl was. I laugh.
"Hey loverboy, are you sure she went this way?" Peeta comes jogging up to me.
"Yeah, that was her snare back there." I nod. He continues jogging up to where Clove is.
"Can't we just kill him already?" Glimmer is impatient.
I shake my head no. "He's our best chance of finding her."
Her bottom lip pouts outward, I let out another laugh and we continue on our way. Our first day in the arena, twelve are gone. Twelve remain.
