Chapter Eighteen: The Puzzle

This can't be that hard, I try to reason with myself. I mean, there are only six of us left… well, there were eight when this happened, I suppose. Cato and I weren't involved. Lover Boy can't be strong enough to do anything. Obviously Marvel and Little Eleven were, since they both died… that leaves Fire Girl, Thresh, and District Five.

We decide to get some rest before we try to unravel this. Cato sleeps for a couple hours while I guard, and then we switch – well, I don't exactly sleep. With so few of us left, that would be unwise. Cato could turn on me at any time. Plus, we have to sleep out in the open, since our tents were destroyed when the mines went off.

When the first rays of light make our surroundings visible, we get to work.

"We need to think of every possible scenario," I tell Cato. "Every last one." I look up at the sky – right now, it'd be great if Enobaria and Yoh sent us some paper and a pencil, or something.

He nods. "Yup. There are a hell of a lot of possibilities, though. It could take a while to get through all of them."

That's very true. "It'll be hard to keep them straight, too." I'm struck with an idea, and I pull a knife from my backpack. I lead Cato to a small space where the dirt is smooth.

"I'll scratch it in," I suggest. "That way it'll be easier." I spent most of my time back in District Two training, but my dad insisted that I learn how to read and write as well.

"Good idea," Cato says, grinning.

After a while, we've come up with a few simple ideas, and they're engraved in the ground in my clumsy handwriting.

1. Fire Girl killed Marvel and Little Eleven.

2. Thresh killed Marvel and Little Eleven.

3. Marvel and Little Eleven killed each other simultaneously.

4. Marvel killed Little Eleven and Thresh killed Marvel.

5. Marvel killed Little Eleven and Fire Girl killed Marvel.

6. District Five killed Marvel and Little Eleven.

7. Lover Boy killed Marvel and Little Eleven.

8. The deaths were unrelated.

"Should we go through these one at a time?" Cato asks, looking dubious at the thought.

"That's probably the best idea," I sigh. "Wait – what's that?" I can't be sure, because it's pretty far away, but I think there's a column of smoke rising in the distance.

"Fire Girl," Cato guesses. "Lover Boy can't start a fire, District Five is trying to hide, and Thresh isn't stupid enough."

"Should we track her?" I ask uncertainly.

There's a pause. "Um… maybe we should stay here," Cato says slowly. "It's probably a trick, anyway, like when they blew up the supplies. We don't want to waste time, right? So we should get started on the list."

I know we have legitimate reasons for staying away, but there might be more to it than that. I push the thought from my mind.

"Okay, let's have a go at the first one. Fire Girl killed Marvel and Little Eleven."

Cato doesn't appear to even think about it. "Definitely a possibility. I mean, she killed Glimmer and Shell without a second thought, didn't she? I wouldn't put it past her. Marvel was too stupid to avoid her, I'm guessing, and Little Eleven was too small, maybe."

"That could be it," I agree. "But we thought Fire Girl and Little Eleven might've been allies. Why would she kill her?"

He shrugs. "It's the Hunger Games. That's how it works."

Fair enough. "I guess. Um… what did Marvel have with him when we were hunting?"

Cato thinks about it for a bit. "Some food and water, a few knives, his spear. A bit of rope, too. I don't know why though. He sucks at making traps."

"Right," I murmur. "So… we'll say that this one is definitely possible. Moving on."

"Thresh killed Marvel and Little Eleven," Cato reads. "This wouldn't surprise me either. A little odd, since Thresh and Little Eleven are district partners."

"Like you said, it's the Hunger Games," I point out.

He nods, agreeing with me. "Yeah. It is. We know Thresh didn't like any of us, so he might've just had an opening to take out Marvel and didn't have a problem with that. But I can't picture him killing the little girl."

"Maybe she got in the way," I suggest.

"Maybe. Or maybe Thresh just had an opening and took advantage of it."

"That could be it," I agree. "So this one is possible, too."

"Next," Cato says. I can tell he's getting frustrated already.

"Marvel and Little Eleven killed each other simultaneously," I read from the ground. Cato catches my eye and we both start to laugh.

"To be completely honest," I tell him through my laughter, "I'm positive that didn't happen. Marvel might've killed her, but… you said Little Eleven ran from the Cornucopia, right? So she probably didn't have any weapons, even if she managed to grab something small. Like food or something. And she was so small… she wouldn't have stood a chance against any of us. Even Marvel."

"No, I don't think so," he agrees. "Why did we even write that one down?"

"We had to consider every possibility," I say. Has he forgotten already? "You never know. Maybe she had some sort of skill and they did kill each other at the same time. Even if it's not very likely."

"Clove." Cato gives me a look. "Do you really think that could've happened?"

I have to grin. "No. Of course not. I'm not stupid, Cato, but it's a scenario that would've ended in both their deaths. That's why we wrote it down."

He rolls his eyes. "Next. Marvel killed Little Eleven and Thresh killed Marvel."

I frown. "You know, I think this one is pretty likely. Marvel could've easily taken out Little Eleven. Not much she could've done. Maybe Thresh felt like he had to… I don't know, avenge her or something? The poorer districts are strange, maybe they have some tradition like that."

Cato seems to agree with me. "You're right. Maybe they were even allies."

I dismiss that idea with a humorless laugh. "I doubt it. Remember, he wouldn't ally with us, so why would he want to associate with someone like her? All it would've done is jeopardize his chances of winning."

"Good point. Maybe Marvel killed Little Eleven and Thresh just happened to walk by."

I roll my eyes. "What are the odds of that?"

He sighs. "I know, I know. We'll call it possible and move on, then."

I glance at the list and bite my lip. This is the one that… worries me. "Marvel killed Little Eleven and Fire Girl killed Marvel."

Cato's eyes tighten, and I can tell he's thinking the same thing as I am. "This… is very possible. And that's not good."

"No, it's not," I agree. "We already figured out that Fire Girl and Little Eleven were probably allies, since Fire Girl couldn't have blown up the supplies alone. And Little Eleven was the only tribute who would've allied with her. So… well, they must've been separated when Fire Girl blew everything up. Because Little Eleven lit the fires."

I can see that Cato knows where this is going. "You think Marvel caught Little Eleven… and killed her… and Fire Girl killed him?"

"It's a distinct possibility," I say grimly.

He frowns. "Marvel could easily have killed Little Eleven. I think it's safe to assume that happened. But how could Fire Girl have found them? The cannons were only a couple of minutes apart."

I snort. "Little Eleven is – well, she's little. She probably screamed."

"Right," he mutters. "And… we know Fire Girl's an archer. Maybe while Marvel was killing Little Eleven, Fire Girl shot him?"

"Maybe," I allow. "I'd say… probably. But we still have to consider a couple other theories before we draw any conclusions."

"Quit making this complicated," Cato says quietly. I shoot him an icy glare, and he shuts his mouth immediately.

"Next," I say firmly. "District Five killed Marvel and Little Eleven. Or, I guess it's possible that Marvel killed Little Eleven and District Five killed Marvel. Either one."

Cato makes a face. "I don't see that happening. We've hardly seen her at all since the start of the Games, except for the other day. I doubt Marvel would run into her, and I'm sure she wouldn't be able to kill him. She's small, too."

"But Marvel is – I mean, he was an idiot," I point out. "I wouldn't put it past him to get killed by… well, just about anyone in here."

"Fair," he allows. "I just don't see that happening. Since we didn't get District Five at the Cornucopia she must've run right away, so she probably doesn't have a weapon. Marvel had a spear. How would she kill him?"

"Good point," I admit grudgingly. "I guess that one's unlikely."

Cato looks pleased. "Next – Lover Boy killed Marvel and Little Eleven." He looks over at me, appearing to be somewhat irritated. "Why do we think that's possible, again?"

I shrug. "It's not likely. He's alive, though, isn't he? He must be doing something right."

"He's in no shape to kill anyone," Cato insists. "I've told you before, I know where I cut him! I'm shocked he hasn't bled to death yet! He'll die any day now!"

I raise my hands up defensively. "Fine! Fine. We'll scratch that one." I cross out that line with my knife using exaggerated motions to appease my ally. "That only leaves one more. Maybe the deaths were unrelated."

Cato looks at me skeptically. "Clove, that's not impossible, but it's borderline. Before this happened, there were only eight of us left. Two of us were here. One is out there bleeding to death. Two of the others were probably allies. One refused to be in an alliance, and the other was in ours. And the last doesn't do much of anything. We know that we weren't involved, and it's safe to assume that neither was Lover Boy or District Five. That only leaves Thresh, Fire Girl, Marvel, and Little Eleven. Marvel and Little Eleven were the ones that died, right? So if the deaths were unrelated, either Thresh or Fire Girl would've had to kill Marvel, and the other would've had to kill Little Eleven. And… I don't think either of them would've killed the little girl."

I stare at him for a moment. "And you snapped at me for making this confusing," I say in disbelief. "Cato, I know you were trying to simplify everything, but – "

"I know," he interrupts. "But do you get what I'm saying?"

"Yes," I say in defeat.

"I think it's safe to assume that Marvel killed Little Eleven. So, really… the only question is, who killed Marvel? Thresh or Fire Girl?"

"Fire Girl," I say quietly. "We're pretty sure they were allies, so… well, it makes sense. I mean, Fire Girl bought the romance stuff, right? Even if it was real, it seems like she could be sentimental. Might've thought she needed to avenge her ally. Plus," I add, "I think it might've been because of her sister. Fire Girl volunteered. Her sister is the same age as Little Eleven, right? Or close to it."

Cato tilts his head to the side. "I got what you were saying at first, about her being sentimental… but the part about her sister is nonsense."

I sigh. "Either way. And," I say, disgusted, "I'm pissed at them both."

"Who?" he asks, sounding surprised.

"Marvel. Fire Girl. I wanted to kill Little Eleven. Marvel knew that, and he killed her. I wanted to kill Marvel. Fire Girl killed him. Dammit."

Cato chuckles. "At least they're both out of the picture, right?"

"I suppose," I say, disgruntled.

"There's still Fire Girl," he reminds me. "And Lover Boy, if we find him before he kicks the bucket. And District Five… we found her once, we'll find her again. Then there's Thresh, and with the two of us, he'll be an easy kill."

I try to hold back my smile… and I fail miserably. "You're right. I guess."

He rolls his eyes. "I'm always right, little girl."

"Don't call me that," I snap irritably. "Little Eleven was a little girl. I'm not. Little girls end up dead in the arena. Just like – guess who? Like Little Eleven! Don't call me that."

Cato raises his eyebrows. "Fine, fine. Damn, you can be scary sometimes."

"I know, psycho," I say teasingly, and then I giggle and scamper away before he can work out what I've just said.

"CLOVE!" Hmm. Seems as though he's a bit irritated.

I scurry up the Cornucopia. "Going to kill me, Cato?" I ask loftily. He growls.

"You know I won't, not until we get to the others. But that was low, Flair!"

I smirk. "I'm not known for letting an opportunity pass, Vripah. And face it – you were totally asking for that one."

"Was not," Cato mutters rebelliously. My grin widens.

"Be nice, Cato. We've all taken cheap shots. Now, I'm going to come down. Remember that if you kill me, Enobaria and Yoh probably won't send you any lunch."

This distracts him. "Um… more like dinner," he says, gesturing to the sky. I look up – oh, wow. We must've been debating for a long time.

"Damn! How did that happen?"

"Dunno," he says carelessly. "But I'm hungry." The words have just left his mouth when a silver parachute drifts slowly down toward us – we grab for it eagerly.

"Yay," I say happily. Our mentors have sent us a large meal – there's chicken in orange sauce, which I remember eating in the Capitol, along with rice, cold noodles covered in cheese, fruit, vegetables, and a bit of bread. How could they have afforded this? I have a feeling we won't be getting more food for a while. But this should keep us full for quite some time... and either way, I'm hungry.

"Thanks, Yoh, Enobaria," Cato says, turning his face wildly around, apparently hoping that a camera will catch his grin.

"Yes, thanks so much!" I agree. "Wow. I feel really stupid talking to a camera I can't even see."

He laughs. "Yeah. But I remembered what you said to Marvel when we were killing the cripple. Something about manners. Wouldn't want to be rude, would I?"

I snort. "Of course not. Now let's eat."

We divide up the food quickly, and it's all fantastic… although those noodles are so rich that I can hardly eat my whole share of it. But again, it's nice to have real fruit… not that there's much dried fruit left, since Fire Girl blew up the supplies.

I smile serenely as I finish eating – all that food has made me feel oddly… sleepy. "I can't wait to go back to the Capitol. I love the food there."

Cato grins. "Me, too."

We sit quietly as the sky slowly turns dark, and soon, the anthem is playing. There are no faces in the sky, of course. The audience will be eager for another death. I wonder who will be next – all I know for sure is that it won't be me.

And then I hear trumpets. Cato and I both leap to our feet. I turn to Cato excitedly. "Do you think there's going to be a feast?" I ask, thrilled by the thought.

He shrugs. "I hope so. Seems like that must be it, since no one's died in over a day. And most of us would show up to a feast."

That must be it. I smile to myself – when I was little, I always imagined attending a feast in the Games. Then Claudius Templesmith's voice surrounds us, and I bounce up and down in anticipation. Cato is laughing at me, but he stops abruptly when I menacingly fix him with a death stare.

"Congratulations to the final six contestants in the seventy-fourth Hunger Games!" the announcer exclaims. "If you're standing up, you might want to sit down, because I have some very exciting news for you!" Cato and I exchange a tense glance and then carefully sink to the ground. You just never know in the Hunger Games.

"I'm very pleased to announce that there has been a rule change in the Games!"

My mouth drops open in shock. A rule change? There are virtually no rules in the Hunger Games, except the obvious kill or be killed. That, and if you step off your metal plate before the gong rings out at the start of the Games, you'll be blown to bits. Oh, and there's the unspoken rule banning cannibalism. What, are they going to revoke that or something? Whoever eats the most tributes gets extra food, or something like that?

"Under the new rule, if the last two tributes standing are from the same district, they will both be declared victors." I frown in confusion. Wait… WHAT?

"One more time – I know this is a bit confusing. If the last two tributes alive are from the same district, they will both be declared victors. Have a good night, tributes." There's a small burst of static and then… silence.

I turn slowly to face Cato, eyes wide with shock.

Yay! The rule change! :D So, a couple things to say about this chapter.

It might seem unlikely that Clove and Cato would've been able to figure out what happened with Marvel and Rue. But the Careers are smart, people, and that's why I wanted to include all this. And remember, at the feast Clove told Katniss how they had killed her "pathetic little ally... the one who hopped around in the trees", so they must've known about Katniss and Rue too. I thought it would be more likely that they figured it out instead of spying on them, because honestly the Careers probably would've attacked on the spot.

Also, the bit where Clove and Cato are playfully arguing. I wanted to write something like that to show that, again, the Careers are more than just mindless killing machines. And the way I've written this story so far, they wouldn't have killed each other until they reached the final two anyway.

So, yeah. This chapter was super fun to write. :) Please, please, please review! It's one of your last chances... the end is near... I was writing this, and I realized that Clove is the next one to die. :'( So review while you have a chance, please!

~What the Quell