Because my own addiction fuels everyone else's, here be chaptah 11.
The ground was rock hard when I collided with it. My body jerked painfully as I partially bounced off the frozen solid earth. The small black marble rolled past me, having fallen out of my pocket at the force. Peeta…
"Snap out of it Cato!" Clove shouted. The black marble was replaced by Cloves face staring angrily at me, she must have shoved me to break me out of my bloodthirst. "I will drag you out of here if I have to! Not like I've never had to drag your ass around before."
"It would be easier, and our chances of living would be better if you'd help me out here!" Peeta's marble was quickly rolling away. I grabbed at it, feeling its smooth hard surface with my ungloved hand. Playing with it for a moment, I saw Peeta's face and snapped back to reality.
"Get off of me!" I shouted at Clove, who had grabbed me by the shoulders and started pulling me across the icy ground.
"Then get your suicidal ass up." Clove shouted, releasing me. She grabbed the discarded packs while I stood, the sword thrown off to the side. I could only think of Peeta and the sphere in my hand. Is he still alive?
I was jerked out of my thoughts when Clove threw the two packs at me. "Run!" she shouted again. The other tributes were only about thirty feet away by the time I turned and started running, stopping to pick up my sword on the way. I didn't look behind me, knowing that Clove was close to me only by the clinking of her knives.
We succesfully made it away from the cornucopia, but both of us were still running, hoping that the group wasn't following us. The ground started to level, making it easier to run. I dared a sneak back, seeing Clove behind me, but no one else following us, the cornucopia no longer in sight, only the incline we had just ran from.
My distraction caused me to slip on the unfamiliar terrain, the snow suddenly turning to ice. Painfully hitting the ground for what seemed like the hundreth time today sliding another few feet. I tried to grab ahold of something, anything, to help slow me down, but there was nothing.
Clove was approaching from behind. "We aren't safe yet. Get up!"
"Dammit Clove, I fucking know that!" I shouted back, trying to regain my footing on the frozen terrain. I kept slipping; my boots couldn't get a grip on the nearly frictionless ice.
"Fucking retard!" Clove yelled. She cautiously walked over to help me stand, not wanting to fall herself.
"Shove it!"I snapped at her. She grabbed a hold of my arm, helping me back to my feet. What I thought were Clove's knives clinking turned out to be something else because she wasn't moving and there didn't seem to be any wind. I looked down at my feet
"Uhh, Clove." I whispered to her. "Don't look down."
She obviously did, catching the cracks in the ice by our feet. "Fan-fucking-tastic." Clove muttered. We must have run onto some water in our haste. We couldn't tell how deep it was, only knowing that standing on cracking ice was not a good thing.
"I really should have just left your ass at the cornucopia." Clove was still muttering, slowly sliding her feet further away from mine, trying to spread our weight out more. "I swear, if we live through today, I'm going to kill you for being a dumbass."
I glared at her through my facemask, knowing she probably couldn't see it. Although the act made me feel slightly better. "Just make sure you balance your weight, keep your feet apart and slowly slide away from the cracks." I answered her.
It was an agonizing few minutes to cross only the few feet to the snow. "How do we know there isn't more ice under this?" Clove asked, "We might be standing on top of a frozen lake!"
I looked around, I couldn't tell for sure. The only thing nearby was the incline leading back to the cornucopia. "We'll have to move towards those boulders." I pointed to a ridge in the distance, we'd have to take the risk and cross some of the ice, but it was better than turning back to the cornucopia.
"I don't hear anymore cracking." Clove noted.
"Neither do I," I answered. Surveying the surroundings, I didn't see any of the other tributes nearby. That doesn't mean they aren't there, though. "Let's just be sure and take it a little slower."
Clove nodded at me, and we started towards the ridge, hoping the day wouldn't bring us much more. The walk was mainly silent at first, both of us trying to figure out what our next move was. My hand slipped into my jacket pocket to play with the black it, I probably would have died. But I have to stay alive, if only to make sure that Peeta is alright.
The canons startled us at first, having forgotten their presence that signaled the end of the battle. It sounded seven times. Not very many for the initial blood bath, but then again, none of us wanted to kill our friends.
Clove broke the silence, "What was that back at the cornucopia?"
Turning to her, she was watching the ground as we catiuosly crossed the snow covered ice. "I mean, you weren't… you." She finished.
I didn't know what to say, the whole thing was sort of a blur to me. I don't really remember what was going through my head at the time. Only that Clove had somehow managed to pull me out of it and a vauge feeling that I was going to fight to my death.
"I just want to know, because I saw a glimpse of the person you used to be." She stuttured out, "And if that's the case, I don't want to stick around for you cross me."
She paused, her voice soft when she started again. "I know the time will come, but I thought we had each others' back until the time came when we had to fight it out. I just don't want to die with my best friend stabbing me in the back."
"How would that be any different if you saw it coming?" I asked her.
"It just is. Both of us know only one can win. When it comes down to it, I'd be able to face you as a friend, not an enemy. I'd be happy win or lose, as long as I knew you were still you and that we both gave it our all." She answered.
I never saw this side of Clove. Then again, we were never forced to think about the other's death at our own hands. I could see where she was coming from. As much as it would hurt to kill her, I wanted it to be a fair match. Win or lose, it didn't matter as long as we knew it was something that wouldn't have happened unless we were forced to. I was hoping it was Clove or Peeta that won. The pain from watching them die was something I didn't want to live with.
"You are still you, aren't you?" it was barely a whisper. It pained me that she had to ask, but I didn't give much of a reason to trust me today.
"Yes." I answered, playing with the marble in my pocket. It was what pulled me from my haze. Watching it roll away was when I pulled from the fog. Was the arena going to force the mask back? Was it one more obstacle I had to face compared to the others? The marble's weight in my hand brought Peeta to my thoughts. Peeta was my anchor, and without him all I had was the small black orb to remind me he was still out there. Without it, I was sure the mask would show its ugly face.
Only seven dead: good odds on Peeta being alive. The ridge was growing closer, but there was nothing to judge the distant with. For all we knew, it could still be miles away.
"You're thinking about him, aren't you?" Clove stated. It wasn't really a question, more an observation. At the moment, I honestly wasn't, trying to judge the distance we had yet to travel. I hated being out in the open like this.
"I'm not sure if it was him or not." Clove said, "But I'm pretty sure District 12 was on their shoulder."
My thoughts came back; I couldn't tell if it was him or not either. The number on who-ever-it-was' shoulder was partially hidden. "I saw them run off towards the woods though. That's what made me think it wasn't him. If he saw me, he would have known that I'd eventually find you. Maybe it was Katniss."
I didn't see the other tribute after I had stepped off the platform, it was like they evaporated in thin air. Her statement made sense; I would have thought that if Peeta saw someone with District 2 on their shoulder, he would have approached us. He meant too much to me, and Clove would never have killed him on behalf of me.
I felt a cool breeze, noticing the sun starting to sink over the horizon. The temperature was dropping and we were still stuck out on this 'lake' in the open. "It'll be dark soon." I said.
"Yeah, I guess it will." Clove answered. I visibly saw her shiver. If she was cold now, then there was no saying what the night would have in store for her. I thought about the other tributes, and how unfair the whole situation was. We never even got the chance to learn survival skills. Especially in an environment that required so much more just to stay alive, such as this one.
The cliff seemed to be drawing closer, growing larger with each step. At least more so than it was earlier. It gave me hope, thinking maybe we would reach it before night.
We reached the ridge just as the sun was setting, feeling slightly safer from its outstretched shadow before it merged with the darkness that overcame it. Both Clove and I collapsed on the ground. We didn't have a chance to check our packs during the day, to worried our preoccupation would cause a fatal mistep.
Almost blinded by the overwhelming darkness, I serached the contents of one bag, finding a loaf of bread. I broke it in two, handing one half to Clove. The baker boy flashed in my mind as I picked at the flaky loaf. Clove had pulled out a sleeping bag large enough for two. We silently ate and climbed into the sleeping bag. I pulled Clove close, her usually cold touch was warmer than I remembered; her body heat would be something I'd need for the long night.
The moon started its ascent; the cold of night freezing both us. We optimistically assumed no one would attack on the first night; the cold penetrated to the bone and would require some getting used to. I volunteered to take the first watch and she relaxed into my embrace.
The anthem started to play, both of us looking up into the sky. The seven tributes flashed one by one. My heart sank when I saw Cassie. I didn't much care for her, but my foggy memory reminded me of my elation when trying to kill her. I was sickened and shuddered at the thought. Clove pulled closer into me, drapping her hand across my chest in an attempt to comfort me. The last name to appear was a boy from district 10 before the black sky returned. Peeta was still alive.
I started to drift off, the cold only making me more tired and Clove's weight against me brought back memories of Peeta. 'I'll find you Peeta, if it's the last thing I do. I promise'. I hoped mymental promise somehow got to him and that when I woke up it was him in my arms instead of Clove.
I jerked at initially hearing it, the noise scattering my thoughts. My eyes widened when I realized what it meant: the deep echo of a distant howl ringing across the night sky. All of a sudden, the other tributes were the least of my worries as more howling filled the air.
A/N: I don't have much to say. Enjoy because I might fail out of college because of it.
Just kidding, I graduate regardless. Just be nicer if I had A's instead of F's. :p
Again, I'm joking. You ever get sick? Ask for Dr. Simultaneity. He prescribe you meds and fanfiction.