CLOVE'S POV

The days pass in the arena. I think it's Day three now. And since we still haven't found Katniss, Peeta is still unfortunately with us. Marvel whispers to Cato frequently about just killing him, but for whatever reason Cato is in charge; and if he says no. The answer is no. We've walked the majority of the arena, and are back to the place where we found Peeta. There's a splash in the water.

"HEY. THERE SHE IS!" Marvel yells. Katniss is desperately trying to get out of the water quickly. The five of us are charging towards her; Peeta in back.

He's hesitant to, but follows our lead. We track her down into the woods where she is frantically climbing a tree. Cato knows how to climb, and he does so. He scrambles up the tree- sword in one hand.

"KILL HER CATO! KILL HER!" I scream. The moment she is gone, I can have it out with Glimmer.

"I'M COMING FOR YOU!" Cato calls out in a sadistic tone.

He's almost in reach when the branch he grabs snaps. I don't bother asking if he's okay. He'd fallen from trees many times while training in District 2. Glimmer has her bow and arrow loaded. She shoots straight up, but it skims past the girl. Strike one. Glimmer pulls back and releases. Strike two. By this point Katniss is now fifty feet from the ground.

"MAYBE YOU SHOULD THROW THE SWORD!" Her voice calls down to us.

Cato is pissed. He snatches the bow and arrow from Glimmer's grasp roughly. Cato had learned how to shoot, and was pretty descent. However his arrows miss. There's a reason he ended up with swords and not bows. It's Peeta who stops the chaos.

"GUYS. Guys. Why don't we just wait it out- She's going to have to come down sometime."

All of us turn our heads to him; he doesn't know how badly we want this alliance to end. Cato finally sighs.

"Go get some fire wood then." Marvel and Glimmer dissapear in search of it.

I don't bother going; I catch the glance between Katniss and Peeta. She looks broken. Yeah, well welcome to the club. Peeta hauls the bags into a pile, then goes in search of twigs.

I take a seat on the ground, Cato is behind me on a log.

It's our first chance that we have been alone. We speak in whispered tones, hoping our conversation doesn't pick up on the Capitol's feed.

"We could be home Clove."

I stutter, "I-I know."

"We should be home. When did you plan on telling me you loved me?" I ask.

He shrugs, I can hear the coat's friction. "When the time was right."

I swing around to look at him. "And the right time to tell me was on our way here?"

He laughs once. "No. I wanted to tell you the moment you were safe from your final reaping. Two years. I would've waited for you."

"Two years. Two years from now one of us will be rotting, the other a victor." I am just being truthful.

"I'll miss you Clove."

"I would miss you Cato." He slides down beside me and embraces me. Peeta is back now, he clears his throat.

The two of us seperate.

CATO'S POV

She speaks the truth. In two years, one of us will be in the ground- the other a victor.

"I'll miss you Clove." I whisper to her.

"I would miss you Cato." I slide off the log and pull her into my chest. I take in the smell of her hair, the way she breathes.

There's a husky throat clear. Loverboy is back. Clove pulls away and props herself against the log I was sitting on. Clove has knifes in her belt, and begins to kill small creatures on the ground. I stab one on a stick.

"Dinner." I announce. Marvel and Glimmer are back now; enough wood to burn all night. It'll be safe for us to start a fire. There's five of us.

Glimmer is trying to get the fire to start but nothing happens. Clove pushes her aside and starts what she learned. There's a spark, but it goes out.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Something has landed close to us. Marvel jolts up; spear in hand. He calls out, but there is no answer. Clove stands.

"It's that thing!" She points to a white parachute with a red blinking light. Marvel retrieves the container.

Inside is a pack of matches. Our sponsors. It's me who ends up starting the fire. Clove kills lizards and we feast on them. The boy from District 12 is at the base of the tree; not even speaking. I know he is thinking about the one up in the tree; the same exact way I am thinking of the one propped against the log. Our little campsite goes uninterrupted. The arena is doing a number on me. I am still strong, but I am exhausted. Laying down with the dirt as my bed I find myself able to be comfortable. Glimmer comes over to me when the fire is slowly fading. She curls into my chest. I don't push her away. I am too tired. I promised myself that I would be there for her until the end. Clove is sitting up still. I see her face from across the smoldering fire. Her face is angry, jealous maybe. Her wrist keeps flicking; must be killing for fun now. The sword of mine is in an arm's reach. Looking up at the night sky I see the faces of the fallen. The capitol emblem closes it out. Most of their blood is on my hands, but I don't care. All I care about is keeping Clove alive; which means as soon as the alliance is over, I will kill Marvel, Glimmer too- if Clove doesn't already have her neck. After that, she will be an almost victor.