CLOVE'S POV
Snow is falling, kissing the ground ever so softly. It's not a thick snow, but it's heavy enough to stick to what is already on the dusted ground. Despite the holiday tomorrow, Cato insisted on training. Of course I finished before him; there's only so much you can learn with a bow and arrow. After you accomplish it, shooting targets is just repetitive.
So here I sit-outside the training academy of District two, waiting.
From the pillar that I am sitting on, I can see the outdoor range that is covered in a white dusting. The snow is light enough that the bold. yellow, line shines brightly. I've never used the outdoor range before. It's strictly used for knife throwing. I look left, then right, then towards the door. I see no sign of other human life.
Hopping down from my seat, I do a double take and slowly walk to the range. With the use of my feet, I wipe off the line so it's visible. I've always wondered what it was like to be trained in knives. Quite honestly, I'd rather be throwing knives, not shooting arrows. But when you start training, you go through ana evaluation of your skills and are assigned a particular specialty. Everyone starts out with bows, and then move on. I never did.
Spears were for the boys, swords were a specialty within the academy, hand-to-hand weapons were the only step up from a bow- but knives, it wasn't something one would learn. It was something you were born to do. At least that's the way Cato put it. He knew how to throw but hated it. He had the chance though, I never did.
I walk to the targets, trying to understand why it's so impressive. I reach the closest target to find a knife still stuck in the cardboard. Surprising. District two is usually really quick to clean up before the winter season hits.
I pull the knife from the wooden target and take to the line. I take the stance that I have seen so many do before.
Breathe.
Ready. Aim.
"Fire," a voice says from behind me. The knife has already left my hand, but I turn quickly into the person behind me. Cato.
I must've been saying the words aloud for him to make the remark. I meet Cato's eyes, but he isn't looking at me. His face is in awe, and staring right past me.
"What?" I ask, but am spun around to recieve my answer. The knife. The knife is just above the line of a perfect target. Who knew?
His grin has grown into something remarkable. Before I know it, I'm being held off the ground with his arms wrapped around me. He always believed I could.
He sets me down to the ground, his face now hard- I'd say he was scared, but Cato nev-
Cato begins to run, and run fast. He's screaming at me to follow, to run too. But I can't I physically can-
I sit up abruptly in the twilight morning. Scrambling to find Cato is the early hours- where is he? Is he hurt? I make a swift movement, and there is my answer. He is about two feet away from me; sound asleep.
"Are you always that restless?" Marvel. I forgot he was still around, that our alliance is still in motion.
Rubbing my eyes, I hold the bridge of my nose, and let out a small laugh. "No."
I groan. "I think the tracker jacker venom was still in my system...weird dreams."
Cato switches his position.
"I don't think he'll be awake anytime soon." I sigh.
"He watched you. He watched you for a while- sleeping. -looks at you like you're his last hope." Marvel informs me.
Silence.
"What was your dream about?" he is trying to make conversation.
Do I tell him? No. I don't. All I say is a gesture towards the sleeping boy on the ground. Marvel nods.
"Can't be star-crossed lovers and you can't be a victor." My eyes narrow.
A cannon booms suddenly. It wakes Cato and brings him to his knees with a sword in hand.
He relaxes when he sees it is just Marvel and I sitting upright.
CATO'S POV
I jolt awake. Am I dying? Is Clove? The sword immediately finds its way into my hand. I only find Marvel and Clove looking at me though. The cannon. Another tribute. That makes- seven, maybe eight left.
Clove approaches me.
"Cato, we need to move. Set up camp, something.." she trails off.
Marvel is standing with his arms crossed, nodding in agreement.
"It's time."
I know it is time. It's only a matter of time until this alliance breaks. It's only a matter of time until I die. Or she dies.. I jump up to my feet, and I grab my sword.
The alliance of Clove and Marvel follow. There's a clearing down by the river. It'll be perfect.
"Here's what we do. The cornicupia still has supplies, and the three of us all know exactly where we killed the other tributes. When the hovercraft comes- the capitol only takes the body. The supply bags are still where they were. We split up- Clove and I. Marvel you'll be fine alone. And we all meet back at the clearing. If anything happens to you Marvel- well don't scream." I'm blunt about my hatred towards the District one boy, but he seems unphased.
Marvel lets out a chuckle, and turns to leave. He spins around for a final word.
"I don't scream, but wouldn't it be a tragedy to break the alliance just off with each other?" and with that he leaves- walking deeper into the arena.
Clove's arms are crossed, her stance is stiff.
"Break the alliance with one another. You kill me or I kill you.." She spits through her teeth.
My stance becomes just as rigid as hers. I nod.
"But if that's what it comes down too, in the end." I take a deep breath. "You kill me. One of us should go home. They have to have their victor."
Her stance comes undone. I see her strength breaking at the seems- I know her that well. But Clove will not show it, she turns in the direction of the cornicupia. She leads, I follow. As we make it to the starting zone, we hid in the brush on the outskirts. Clove goes running right out, I follow. Between the two of us- no one will survive.
The starting zone is dead. No signs of life anywhere. no signs except for the splattered blood that exists on the bags, and the walls.
That's the only reminder of what happened here days ago.
The two of us begin raiding what is still here.
A few large. yellow duffle bags. A couple of orange backpacks. Crates of food.
I immediately open one. There are bags of apples. I chuckle. Food. Real food!
Clove comes around the corner. I have an apple in my mouth, another one in my hand.
She laughs, and runs to be by my side. Her hands take an apple out of the crate.
"Food!" she squeals.
It's a squeal that reminds me so much of her as a younger girl. We finish our apples.
As I start opening the rest of the crates; I find more food. There are land mines in one of them- explosives.
We begin to pile everything outside of the cornicupia. Clove raids, I stack.
There's an echoing scream. Someone in the cornicupia. Clove has him pinned to the ground. He's begging for his life.
On his jacket is a number- four. The other career district.
"CLOVE! CLOVE!" I tear her from the boy. He goes to run, I pin him to a wall- and probably two feet off the ground.
"You are from Distrcit four?" I spit at him.
He nods aggressively.
I lock eyes with Clove. She nods once.
"Look- we're going to cut you some slack. Join our alliance and we don't kill you."
He nods again.
"Try killing one of us and you're DEAD. Understand?" I set him back on the ground.
"We are moving the crates, bags- all supplies to the clearing by the river." Clove states.
"All explosives are being set aside. Understand four?" I add.
The boy finally talks. "Yeah. I got it!"
Clove pins him to a side of the metal container.
"WE COULD EASILY KILL YOU. BE THANKFUL." Her knife is at his throat.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" I pull her from him. She scowls hard at me.
By the afternoon- all supplies are right where they need to be. We have taken what we needed- placed them under a tent.
The rest of the supplies have been stacked into a pyramid. Marvel knew how to burry the land mines into a complex pattern- so that's what happened. All the land mines were burried around the pyramid. If another tribute tried- they would destroy all supplies, and themselves.
