Author's Note: I wrote this in 2 hours, but I wanted to give my last chapter a little time to settle in before continuing. I really hope that you don't think this chapter is boring or too detailed and long. This is the chapter that I thought of writing even at the very beginning. Please review and tell me what you think! (And read the extra author's note at the end of this chapter when you finish reading this chapter)

Chapter seventeen – Welcome to the bloodbath

Grey's POV

Cato and Marvel begin to sprint towards our enemy, who removes a blade from his belt and holds it up menacingly, a smirk appearing on his face.

"Come get me, boys." Spens laughs, and I hear Cato growl in anger. Spens steps forward and meets him half way and the two begin to spar with their swords. Marvel stands back, wanting to fight just as much as Cato but with only his spear he knows he's vulnerable. Standing next to me watching the battle, Clove pulls out two knives which she holds in one hand, making herself deadly to the touch.

"Ready to play?" Clove asks me, turning to look at me before sprinting into the thick of the battle. I hesitate for a moment, watching as Cato pushes Spens progressively backwards with his knife work. His hand must be nearly completely healed because he is holding his weapon easily and fighting harder than he's ever done in the arena. The importance of the outcome of this battle is obvious to all of us.

I run to join the fight with Spens as soon as Clove leaps onto him trying to slit his throat. I have to admit that Spens is an amazing hand-to-hand combat fighter; he must have martial arts training because he is easily evading Marvel and Clove while continuing to spar with Cato. The black haired tribute pushes his arm out as Clove tries to plunge a knife into his shoulder, flinging the small tribute onto the ground. I take his temporary loss of concentration to attack his other side, unfortunately only managing to scrape his arm before being hit in the face with his reply. I feel a white hot pain in my face for a second before it is replaced by adrenaline.

Spens's tactic is to constantly move around, always changing his direction and strategy. Cato is calmly fighting back but is neither winning nor losing. I can feel the rage radiating off his body but luckily he's channelling it all into the battle.

Marvel is hopping around the edges, looking for an opening where he can stab with his spear. But Cato keeps moving into his path and Clove latches onto Spens's arm every few seconds making it difficult to get a clear shot. I stay back for a second, waiting for the District 1 tribute to make his move. Suddenly, his arm shoots out as he plunges his spear into Spens's body. It hits him supposedly deep in his thigh, but Spens pulls it out with a free hand and crumples it in his hand like a stick, laughing manically.

"Think that's going to stop me?" He grins, looking Marvel directly in the eye as he continues to block Cato's attacks. Cato uses it to his advantage and manages to slash Spens across the chest, but it's not deep enough to do any significant damage. He curses in anger, annoyed at being unable to kill him, especially when it's four against one.

Weapon-less, Marvel is defenceless against any attacks, and he calls for Clove to pass him a knife. She looks up at him and nods, and the next time Spens moves them in a rotation she passes one of her two knives to him. Unfortunately, Spens uses her temporary lapse in focus to attack. Spens swings his sword back and in doing so pulls it across Clove's neck. She chokes out a breath and holds her hands against the wound, blood dripping from between her fingers. Spens laughs and Cato roars in fury, slashing his sword harder than I've ever seen him do before. I step forward with my own knife as Clove slumps to her knees, out of harm's way for the moment, but Marvel grabs me by the jacket and yanks me back roughly. Cato's sword just misses me as he hacks off Spens's hand.

I begin to scream as a spray of blood splashes my clothing, and Marvel keeps pushing me away from the fighting, screaming, "Get away! Get away!" Cato is screaming too, but it sounds like a pained animal mixed with a battle cry. There's just so much sound, and I forget that my own screaming is adding to it. Spens's hand is on the ground less than 2 meters away. His real amputated hand. Oh my god. I curl in a ball while the sounds of fighting go on without me and Marvel stands over me. I want to throw up but I haven't eaten anything except a few pieces of dried fruit since yesterday and I have nothing to retch.

Less than a minute later, the sound of male fighting stops abruptly and I hear Cato scream, "You COWARD!" Then a few seconds later there's the sound of a weapon being dropped and I feel myself being roughly dragged to my feet. Cato is looking at me as he pulls me along, but his eyes are expressionless. I can't see Spens's hand. Marvel protests when I yelp in pain as Cato digs his fingernails into my arms, but he's a man on a mission. Suddenly, I'm on the ground in front of Clove and Cato and Marvel drop down on either side of me.

Clove is lying on the ground, shaking with shock. Her hands scrabble at her throat where a long cut is spurting too much blood, but Cato softly reaches out to touch her hands and when he does she instantly stops and moves them down to her sides.

"Clove?" Marvel leans forward so he is in her vision.

"Hey Marvel," She whispers, but when she sees Marvel's devastated expression she adds, "I always thought you were pretty awesome, you're the most thoughtful career I know. Don't let these games take that from you."

I sit forward on my knees when Marvel moves backwards to give us space, and I take her tiny hand in mine. It's comforting for the both of us.

"I've grown so much since I met you. When I first came to the Capitol, I thought I knew everything. I thought that careers were heartless and scary. But now I know I was so wrong and I'm proud to be a career. I'm proud to have known you." Clove smiles softly, her eyes half closed.

"You taught me how to throw knives. I'll never be as good as you, but I can proudly say that for a moment there I was a student of the best knife thrower there is. I wish I had gotten to know you more, because we would have been… we could have been-." I smile as a tear drops down my cheek, I don't need to explain. I squeeze her hand one last time and then let go.

"Not we could have been; we are. Remember that, Grey." I nod vigorously, and when I go to move backwards she whispers something.

"When I'm gone, someone needs to look after Cato. I hope it's going to be you."

Cato is next, and he's shaking violently as he grabs onto both of Clove's hands.

"You weren't meant to die Clove, why did you get so close?" He's shouting at her, shaking her frail body. I want to stop him from hurting her, but she's laughing at him softly and I realise that she isn't feeling pain anymore.

"I didn't want to die standing still Cato, I wanted to die fighting. At least I'm dying right here, with my friends. I didn't have any friends back home." She laughs again, but it turns into a cough and I see a fresh stream of blood drip out of her neck.

"No, I won't let you go! You aren't going to die!"

"Cato, listen to me." Clove whispers, staring him deep in the eyes. I notice that all her reserves have fallen down, there is no longer a hard career shell surrounding her, I can see through to her soul. I'm honoured to see her true personality. Her black hair is spread out from her head and it contrasts with her rapidly whitening face as the life leaves her. She doesn't have long.

"I need you to promise me something, Cato. I want you three to win this Capitol game that we're playing." Cato's expression falls, as if he's looking at a dying animal that's slowly going crazy before death.

"Only one person gets out of here alive." He whispers in reply, bringing his face closer to his partner's.

"Idiot, that's because you're letting the Capitol win. You have to beat them. Promise me that you will play their game and beat them." Cato nods.

"I promise you, I will win. And you know I never break my promises, right?" A memory of their past passes between them and they both smile together, sharing one last joke.

"I love you Clove, you're like a sister to me."

We all huddle together, holding onto the last remnants of Clove as she leaves us forever. This time it's nothing like Rue's death, Clove goes so slowly, like she is falling asleep. The cannon is the true reminder of her fate. After the sound of the cannon finishes echoing around the arena, Cato stands up calmly and walks a few meters away, then falls to his knees and screams, pulling at his hair in pure agony. I stare at the body of Clove and try not to be affected by the empty look in her eyes. I close them for her. Tears drip down my face but I hardly notice them anymore. Clove was a sister to me too, she was a sister to all of us and she shouldn't have died. Maybe this will show the Capitol citizens that this is wrong, but there's been 1718 innocent children killed before Clove and it couldn't persuade them, so maybe the Capitol really is full of unchangeable monsters.

If I was a Capitol citizen, I know I would have sponsored her. She emanated strength because she knew what she was fighting for. In the end, she didn't want fame or power, she wanted to beat the Capitol; she was the good against the evil. I don't know how I'm meant to grieve for someone like her, and I don't know what I'm supposed to do. But I notice that her hair has become messy and tangled, I don't even remember it coming out of its braid. Silent and mournful, I gently use my fingers to comb through her dark hair and then I braid it into the best braid that I've ever done in my life. It has to be, she needs to keep her hair out of her eyes when she's training. I look around for her discarded knife and I see it stuck in the ground where she dropped it as she fell. I place it between her stiff fingers and for a second Clove looks like she could be just sleeping. I quietly choke out, "Goodbye Clove," and step back. Marvel catches my eye and smiles, and I know I have done something that will be shown in reruns for years to come and will also make the Gamekeeper very angry. No one ever shows emotion here and for a moment I'm proud.

Marvel wraps his arm around my shoulders and we watch Clove's district partner grieve. Cato moves slowly towards her body again and drops onto his knees. He begins to sob, huge cries that wrack his entire body. Seeing a supposedly murderous career tribute crying like this makes me want to rethink everything I thought was true. Soon, the wind begins to pick up, announcing the arrival of a hovercraft. It hangs over us and a claw comes down to retrieve the body. Cato fights it to get more time with his best friend, but the Capitol wins this battle. I look up towards the sky, holding onto Marvel tightly as she's taken away. The last thing I see of Clove is her dark braid swinging in the breeze, and her empty hand hanging limply from her body. It almost looks like she's pointing to us, holding her hand out to Cato. And then she's gone from sight and Cato turns to punch Marvel in the face.

Marvel steps back, holding his face in his hands. Cato is so emotionally hurt, there's nothing left in him to comfort. I go to touch him, but he recoils and picks up a knife, slashing at me to keep me back. He cuts my arm and I cry out and back away from him. It's not a deep cut, but I don't know whose side he is on anymore.

"Grey, we need to go. He's too dangerous. Grey!" Marvel shouts at me and I start moving towards him, away from a crazed Cato. When I get within reach of Marvel he grabs me, and we start running in the direction of the forest. Cato doesn't follow us, and the last thing I see of him is him throwing his blade at the cornucopia, and I hear it hit the structure with a clang. When he's out of sight I hear him scream in agony again, and it's such a horrible sound to hear that I cover my ears with my hands and run in silence.

Continued Author's Note: I feel in the movie that the scene of Clove's death was really disappointing. Clove is one of my favourite characters, and I just want people to see her as I see her and feel sad during her death. I hope that this chapter made you think even a little bit differently about her. Remember to review! The next chapter won't be for a while, I tried to make this one quite a fast update so you would have two to read while I write the next chapter. We are getting very near the end of this story, and the next chapter might even be the last one! (I'm not sure yet, there's either one or two left) But I want to make the last chapter amazing so I will spend a lot of time on it.