Chapter Twenty: Sticks and Stones

"We need a plan for the feast," Cato says. No, really? I think sarcastically. "We have the opportunity to take out one or two major competitors, and if we screw this up…" The unspoken words hang in the air.

"Agreed," I say quickly. "So let's simplify this. I think we both know that our biggest threats are Thresh and Fire Girl."

Cato scowls. "Yeah. Not for long, though, if we handle this properly."

I sigh. "Well, yes, but we need to think about how to take them out. We can't get sidetracked thinking about how much we hate the two of them. It'll just slow us down. We need to focus and decide what our strategy's going to be at this feast."

"Right," he mutters. He glances up and meets my eyes. "I've been thinking about it, and I've decided that it would be fair to both of us if we could each take out one of the tributes we hate. I mean, obviously it'd be best if we can kill them together… but in case that doesn't work out…"

"Good idea," I agree. "So… who gets who?"

Cato closes his eyes briefly. "I… I don't know."

Honestly… I really want to kill Fire Girl. I want to kill her like I've never wanted anything before. She needs to pay – she's made us look like fools, and she's somehow managed to stay alive for this long – something very rare for a tribute from Twelve. She can't be allowed to live… and I want to be the one that rids the world of her.

"I want Fire Girl." Oh, shit, I said that out loud, didn't I?

Cato opens his eyes and looks at me. "I know. So… have her."

My mouth flies open. "Are you serious?"

He grins at my shocked expression. "Yes, Clove, I'm serious. I want to kill her too, but there's Thresh to think about. Here's my guess – Fire Girl will show up to the feast, and Thresh will too, but he'll be more… evasive. Lover Boy won't show up, of course, and neither will District Five."

I tilt my head sideways. "What do you mean, Thresh will be evasive?"

"Maybe that's the wrong word," Cato allows. "I doubt he'll just… charge in. He'll probably just hang around on the edges waiting for an opportunity… he seems like he'd be more cautious when it comes to this stuff."

"True…"

"Oh, I almost forgot," Cato says, grinning. "There is… a condition."

"For what?" I ask, confused.

"For killing Fire Girl."

I raise my eyebrows. "And what exactly is this condition?"

"Oh, it's pretty simple," Cato assures me, unable to keep the smile off his face completely. "Just… make sure to give the audience a good show. Get what I'm saying?"

I beam. "Absolutely."

"Good," he says, sounding satisfied. "Let's plan this thing, then."

The basic plan is pretty simple. We're assuming that the table holding… whatever it is we need desperately will be relatively close to the Cornucopia – that's usually how it works. I'll hide behind a tree – how original – on the far right side of the forest that surrounds our clearing. Cato will go farther into the woods on the far left side.

"Fire Girl will probably just rush right in when she sees the table, since she won't be able to see us. She might even assume we aren't here," Cato guesses. "We know she's kind of stupid, even if she can shoot. I wouldn't put it past her."

"You're probably right," I agree. "So… I'll just follow her, I guess."

"Try to hit her from behind before you do," Cato advises me. "Just to weaken her a little… and then jump in and pin her down. I'll cover you."

"Thanks," I say gratefully. It doesn't cross my mind to doubt him. He's my ally. He wouldn't hurt me.

He shrugs. "Not a problem. I'll have to watch for Thresh anyway."

I nod. "Right. And remember, it's just… so important that Fire Girl doesn't get her… package. Because it's got to be medicine for Lover Boy. I'm assuming you cut him pretty deep – and a wound like that won't heal naturally…"

"No, it won't," Cato agrees. "He'll be waiting for her somewhere. And… the only person that leaves is District Five, and I'm sure she won't show up. She's done a pretty good job of avoiding everyone so far, and it'd be suicidal for her to come to a feast."

"Exactly." There's not much else to say, except… "Let's go figure out where we're going to hide."

I choose a nice, large tree that can conceal my entire body if someone were looking from either the middle of the clearing or the other side of the edge of the forest – and at the same time, I have a full view of the entire clearing. We check this over and over… just to be certain. We can't have Fire Girl charging at me and ruining our careful plans just because my hiding spot isn't good enough.

Cato is a little harder because he's so… well, huge. There's nothing that can conceal him properly.

"Why don't you just camouflage yourself?" I suggest after about an hour of trying and failing to find a suitable hiding spot for my district partner.

He looks at me with mock horror. "Not with mud!"

I scowl. "Shut up. I guess you'll just have to go farther into the woods… and be really quiet."

Right as I say that, he steps on a twig.

I glare at him. "Did you not hear what I just said?"

Cato smirks. "My bad." And then – I swear this is deliberate – he steps on another one.

"Cato!" I hiss. "Would you quit snapping the damn twigs?"

"Maybe," he snickers.

"Fine," I huff. "Whatever. I don't give a shit."

He rolls his eyes. "Wow, someone's irritable today. I'd think that after you took such a long nap you'd be in a better mood."

"You slept about five times longer than I did," I tell him bitingly. "I've already been awake for a while. It's not like I just woke up or anything."

"Whatever, Clove."

I'm so busy glaring at him that at first I don't notice the silver parachute drifting towards us – but then I do see it, and I grab for it eagerly. It's been too long since we've gotten a sponsor gift. The parachute contains a large loaf of fluffy Capitol bread, two water bottles, and a small bottle of iodine.

"Would've taken them about ten seconds to fill those up," Cato says, raising his eyebrows at the water bottles. I roll my eyes at him.

"We were almost out of water anyway." It's true – there's only a small amount left in my canteen, and most of the iodine was blown up. "Be grateful."

I can tell he's trying very hard not to roll his eyes at me. "Sure."

We sit by the lake for a while sipping newly purified water and eating some of the bread. I also use some of the time to arrange several knives neatly in my jacket. Eventually the sky grows dark – of course, neither of us are tired, having napped recently. We just continue to sit for another few hours until we guess that sunrise is approaching.

"We should take our places," Cato says, grinning.

I giggle. "It's show time."

He sighs. "Promise me you'll make this good, all right? I'm letting you kill Fire Girl, so don't disappoint me, please."

"I promise," I say with mock solemnity.

Cato smiles. "Good. And… Clove? Be careful."

"I will," I say, smiling back at him.

"I mean it," he says, trying to sound threatening. "If you go and die on me now, I'm going to kill you."

I snort. "Don't worry about it."

Suddenly Cato has me in a bear hug, and I can barely breathe. "Have fun with this," he reminds me. "But be safe." He releases me and then walks away without another word.

I stand still for a moment, and then I walk over to my tree. I grab two knives, holding one in each hand… just so I'm ready. And I wait.

I'm sure Thresh and Fire Girl are here by now, but they've come quietly – I don't see them anywhere. They'd be fools to reveal themselves before the feast appeared…

The sky is slowly growing lighter – it won't be much longer before the Cornucopia is gleaming in the sun, and the supplies will appear… and Thresh and Fire Girl will be dead. Lover Boy will die without his precious medicine… and Cato and I will easily find and kill District Five. She escaped us once, and we'll make sure it never happens again.

And then we'll go home. Well… more accurately, we'll go to the Capitol and then back to District Two… but hopefully not for long. Maio said that I could live in the Capitol, and I'll do whatever it takes to have the life I want.

Now, where is this damn feast? It's growing light very quickly, and there's still nothing here. Claudius Templesmith did say the Cornucopia, didn't he? I'm sure of it. I wish they would hurry up and send up the damn supplies so I can kill Fire Girl already.

Mother and Dad are going to be so proud of me.

Just as this thought enters my mind, the ground in front of the Cornucopia splits in two, and a table – round, with white cloth – enters the clearing. There are four backpacks lying on the table. The one marked with the number 2 is clearly ours – it's large and black. There's an identical one next to it, except that it's marked with the number 11. There's also a green pack, this one marked with a 5. And the orange backpack, of course, is marked with a 12. I assume. It's tiny, so I can't be positive… but really, what other explanation is there?

The table clicks into place, and for a moment, no one moves.

And then someone flies out of the Cornucopia.

No! For a moment, I think it's Fire Girl who's somehow managed to hide in the huge horn without Cato and I noticing – but then I realize it's just District Five.

Damn it all, I think bitterly. What the hell is this? When did she even get there? How did Cato and I not notice? I suppose she must've waited until neither of us were looking… but… damn. I have to admit that must've taken some skill… and then she's disappearing into the woods. Oh, she's going to pay for this later. No one can get away with trying to trick us…

I snap back to the present when I see her. Fire Girl. Her long braid is swinging behind her, and she's clutching Glimmer's bow in her hand. Without hesitation, I step out from behind my tree completely and release one of my knives in her direction, aiming for her shoulder… I don't want to kill her just yet. I promised Cato.

Fire Girl deflects my knife with the bow and I growl in frustration, starting to run after her. And – SHIT!

I didn't even notice that the damn bow was loaded – but there's an arrow speeding directly towards my heart. I turn without thinking and the arrow pierces my left arm.

I gasp, and for a moment I'm completely blinded by pain. All I can think is ow, ow, ow! Then I regain control over my thoughts and carefully remove the arrow. Thank God I throw knives with my right arm. I continue to run after Fire Girl, spurred on by fury and pain.

She's at the table now, grabbing the orange backpack and slipping the strap around her arm. She turns to face me and looks as though she's about to fire another damn arrow at me when I release my second knife. This one catches her in the forehead.

Yes! I think triumphantly. Blood is pouring down her face, and it looks absolutely disgusting – but that's the least of my worries. Fire Girl tries to shoot me again, but the arrow doesn't even come close to me.

I've reached her by this point – I slam into her and we both end up on the ground – I manage to position my knees on her shoulders so that she can't move at all. Suddenly, this isn't Fire Girl, who we've been plotting to kill for weeks, because how can someone so vulnerable be dangerous at all? No, this is just another pathetic tribute from District Twelve.

I grin at her. "Where's your boyfriend, District Twelve?" I ask her tauntingly. "Still hanging on?"

I can tell she's terrified, but she still tries to lie to me. "He's out there now," she says, glowering at me. "Hunting Cato." Then she releases a scream that nearly bursts my eardrums. "Peeta!"

Is Lover Boy really out there? No, surely not, but… I punch the stupid girl in the mouth, silencing her. While she struggles, I glance around just to be safe. Lover Boy is nowhere to be seen. Cato's fine, then.

I turn back to my victim and grin. "Liar. He's nearly dead." Something flashes in her eyes, and I know I'm right. He hasn't miraculously healed himself, then. "Cato knows where he cut him." So he says, anyway, but District Twelve needs to think that we're all knowing. "You've probably got him strapped up in some tree while you try to keep his heart going." This is probably true. It would fit with her personality. "What's in the pretty little backpack?" I ask, pretending to sound curious. "That medicine for Lover Boy? Too bad he'll never get it." Yes, too bad. Too bad he's not here to watch his girlfriend being tortured.

I unzip my jacket, making sure District Twelve can see all my knives. Might as well scare her in addition to the pain. Now… my eyes fall upon a small knife with a unique, curved blade. I carefully remove it from my jacket and grin at the girl that's struggling to escape me. "I promised Cato if he let me have you, I'd give the audience a good show," I inform her.

She's struggling more desperately now, but she's no match for me. Plus she's scared, which will only work in my favor.

"Forget it, District Twelve," I say softly. "We're going to kill you." Correction – I'm going to kill her. Then I remember something that might hit a nerve. "Just like we did you're pathetic little ally… what was her name? The one who hopped around in the trees?" I flash back to our days in the Capitol. "Rue?" Yes, that must be it – I can tell by the way she's glaring at me.

Oh, but this is fun. "Well, first Rue, then you, and I think we'll just let nature take care of Lover Boy." Which won't take long, without medicine. "How does that sound?" I ask her. She doesn't reply, so I decide to begin already. I can feel the audience urging me to get on with it.

"Now, where to start?"

This will be the difficult part. What will be the most entertaining first step? I wipe the blood from her face with the sleeve of my jacket, observing her face, tilting it from side to side. Hmm… maybe I should carve a pattern into her skin. But what?

I'll have to start with something simpler than that – and District Twelve gives me the perfect idea when she tries to bite my hand. I grab her hair and force her back down, but I'm glowing inside from this new plan.

"I think…" I murmur. "I think we'll start with your mouth." Yes, it's perfect.

She closes her mouth tightly – stupid girl. That's not going to help in the slightest. Smirking, I carefully trace the outline of her lips using the tip of the knife blade.

"Yes," I say, thinking out loud, "I don't think you'll have much use for your lips anymore." She glares at me with those strange eyes – those will be next, then.

I'm not completely cruel, though. I give her an offer that I consider very kind. "Want to blow Lover Boy one last kiss?"

That's how I end up with my face covered in a disgusting mixture of District Twelve's blood and spit.

I'm overcome with rage for a moment. Fine. If that's how she'd like this to go, so be it. Let's not keep the audience waiting any longer. I glare at her furiously.

"All right then. Let's get started."

I start to make the first cut, and then I hear someone screaming and I think it might be me.

Because someone – or something – has lifted me off District Twelve and I'm trapped in its arms – I gasp and writhe around, trying to escape, but it's futile. Then the monster tosses me on the ground… and I see that it's Thresh.

And – he's shouting at me…

"What'd you do to that little girl? You kill her?"

I stay on my back and try to move away from him, knowing I should call for Cato. But I'm too stunned. Little girl – does he mean Little Eleven? Why should he care if she's dead? If I killed her – which I didn't! He would've had to, if it had come down to them!

All I manage to get out is, "No! No, it wasn't me!" I try to tell him that it was Marvel who killed his district partner, but the words get stuck in my throat.

He glowers at me. "You said her name." Why? Why did I do that? "I heard you. You kill her?" I shake my head frantically, but then Thresh's eyes widen and he starts shouting at me even more furiously. "You cut her up like you were going to cut up this girl here?"

I gape at him. Why does he care about either of them? "No! No, I – "

That's when I see the stone. A huge stone that scares me more than anything I've ever seen or heard before. But it does knock some sense into me.

"Cato!" I scream. "Cato!"

"Clove!" No. He's too far away.

He'll be too late.

Thresh raises the rock, ready to kill me, when it hits me.

I'm going to die. I'm going to die just like Elia Madd did two years ago. I'm going to die. How could this have gone so wrong? Just a moment ago I was about to begin the most important kill of these Games – and now I'm going to die. Why didn't Cato protect me? He was supposed to be hunting Thresh, but Thresh is here, about to kill me, and I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die.

Out of the corner of my eye I catch a metallic glint – my necklace, the charm now dangling off the side of my neck. I remember, vividly, the night Maio gave it to me. The words he had engraved on it – Clove Flair, 74th Victor.

It'll never happen.

And the reality of my situation hits me all over again – I'm going to die. This time faces flash through my mind. Maio… he'll never design clothes for my victory tour. Dad will never be the same after I'm gone. Enobaria is going to be so angry, and Yoh will be able to gloat over her lost tribute. That's all I am, now. Just another tribute, killed in the Hunger Games.

Mother is going to be so disappointed in me.

Thresh brings the rock down on my temple, hard, and I collapse. For a moment, the world fades to black.

No, I protest weakly in my mind when my vision begins to return. Make it stop. Please. I just want the pain to go away…

There's a strange moaning noise coming from very close to me. I focus on it, trying to concentrate on anything but this intense pain in my head, when I realize it's me. I'm making that horrible noise.

Voices. I hear voices. Thresh. And Fire Girl. Yes, she's Fire Girl again. If she were nothing but a District Twelve tribute she would have died long ago.

Instead she as good as sentenced me to death by simply allying with that little girl.

Little girl. Cato was right. I am just a little girl. What was it I said before? "Little girls end up dead in the arena." Something like that.

And I'm dying.

"Clove!"

Cato.

He's coming.

And it sounds like he's in pain.

I hear Thresh speak again, briefly. Then he and Fire Girl are gone.

"Clove," he whispers. "Clove. No. No, don't you dare die on me, Clove!" His voice is growing louder. "Please! Stay with me, Clove, don't die! Just hold on, in a few minutes they'll send medicine, don't die!"

"Cato," I say feebly. "Don't be an idiot."

He closes his eyes tightly and bows his head, not speaking.

"You have to win," I tell him.

"I'm going to," he swears. "Going to win for both of us now." He looks so determined, but at the same time so sad. He looks over at the woods, where Fire Girl must've gone.

"Don't go," I plead, reaching out to him. He can't leave me like this, when I'm about to die…

"Course not," Cato says quietly, taking my hand and gripping it tightly. "Staying right here." Then he looks at me. "Clove, I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!"

"Don't be," I say accusingly. "It's okay – "

"No!" he interrupts me. "It's not! You're dying, and it's all my fault! I didn't look hard enough for Thresh, I wasn't careful enough, and now…"

"Oh my God, Cato," I say, trying to tease him. "Are you… are you crying?"

He smiles half-heartedly. "Sorry."

"Don't," I repeat. "Just… win."

I know my time's almost up. My vision is starting to cloud, and the pain in my head is… fading, oddly. "I'll miss you," Cato whispers.

I give him a genuine smile. "I'll miss you too." It's true. Over the past few weeks, Cato has truly become my friend. "Bye, Cato. Don't forgot to win for us."

"Clove," he whispers, and I close my eyes.

Something very strange happens now. It's as if I'm floating out of my body – I can't feel anything anymore. That's good, because there's no pain. But I can see everything. I focus on one thing in particular. Looking down I can see Cato, still holding my hand, bent over my lifeless body. I smile sadly. I know he can win, and I won't be forgotten. He'll make sure of that.

And now… I know it's time to go, somehow. I'm just glad I got one last glimpse of my friend without having to block out that terrible pain in my head.

I close my eyes once again. Time to leave this place.

Somewhere in the distance, a cannon fires.

I almost cried writing this. ALMOST. :'( And I feel like such a nerd saying that. But killing her off... sucked. Rest in peace, Clove... *bawls eyes out*

Anyway, this is not the end, people! There will be an epilogue. I'll post it in a couple days. Remember, it's your last chance to guess what it's going to be... ;) A couple things I have to say, now.

The first thing is that I start school tomorrow and I'm... dreading it, to say the least. But it would be super awesome if I woke up in the morning and had a bunch of reviews! It would make my day so much more bearable! :)

On a different but related topic, WE PASSED 100 REVIEWS! YOU ALL ARE AMAZING! I forgot to mention this in the last chapter (I seem to do that a lot...), but I actually remembered this time! :D Thank you so much!

The last thing I have to do is thank everybody who gave feedback on the Marvel fic idea. I really appreciate it, and I'll probably start posting it around the beginning of September (I'll need a little while to get back in the school routine). It might be sooner, though, if I don't want to wait. So keep an eye out. ;)

As always, review, please! And it's your last chance to guess what the epilogue is going to be... ;)

~What the Quell