Chapter 4

Previously on The Hunger:

The other blonde shifts awkwardly under the glare of his crystal eyes. Cato's lips twist into an impulsive smirk as he steps forward, arrogance radiating from his aura causing everyone in the clearing to shiver. Peeta, though he feels fear rippling through him, is the calmest member in the clearing. He stands upright, his eyes boring into the steely blue orbs directly across from the clearing. Everything in the clearing is silent and everyone stares towards Cato, the muscular blonde internally squirming under the weight of everyone's gaze.

"Welcome to the jungle." Cato calls, his voice reverberating throughout the clearing. A shadow falls upon his sculptured face as his eyes bore against Peeta's body.

-x-x-x-x-

"Idiot." Clove snickers, her voice nearly-silent as they watch the girl with the fire. Peeta feels a strange twist in his stomach, almost reminding him of the feeling of nausea. That girl, freezing and desperate enough to light a fire, that could have been him. Hell, it could have been Katniss. It could have been Prim. So here he stands, amongst the ranks of the Careers, spying on a tribute in her final moments.

Because Peeta is a Career now.

His stomach flips awkwardly as the realisation hits him. Sure, he had understood what he was asking when he asked to join them. He understood that being a Career meant, he had known that he'd be killing. That he'd have to think of how to kill, to strategize in order to end a life. The blonde represses the shudder that crawls along his spine, his eyes falling upon the girl in the clearing. Honestly, he doesn't really blame her. He's been moving all night, so he's warm with the blood dancing through his veins, but he can feel the cold layering itself upon his bare skin. He understands why someone might light a fire, risking their life, in order to keep as warm as possible.

But just because it's understandable doesn't mean he can think any different. This girl's going to die tonight, within the next hour, and he's going to have to laugh about it afterwards. He'll cheer in celebration as her soul leaves the world, her body carried away by hovercrafts. Then he'll go to sleep, lay his head down and pretend to trust the other Careers around him, then wake up and do it all again.

Revulsion rises in the back of his throat, a bitter taste that makes him feel like sprinting away from here as fast as his strong legs will carry him. Instead of following his instincts he holds onto the steel set inside him, pushing him to do better; his driveto stick to what he set out to do. Katniss must win; Katniss will win. To Peeta, anything else would be unthinkable. He would do anything to makes sure his love wins, even when that means taking his own life. He is most definitely not here just to be near him. Peeta most definitely does not want Cato, in any way.

As if sensing thoughts about himself, Cato glances over his shoulder down the shorter blonde. In a flash Peeta sees… He's not sure. But he sees something in Cato's eyes, something that he's pretty sure no one before him has seen. A moment where Peeta sees who Cato is, where he sees the vulnerability hidden in the depths of District 2's God. But it only lasts for a moment, and in a flash the same cocky champion that all of Panem adores.

"It's show time." Cato hisses, a smirk growing on his dangerous lips. Peeta swallows the thick lump rising in the back of his throat, the same feeling he had that one time he got so sick with the flu that Katniss' mum had to give him pills to help him get better. Cato rises from his crouch, the rest of the Careers save Peeta following in his steps. The seven members of the Career pack have been nestled in the bushes surrounding the girl with the fire for maybe two minutes, simply making sure that she doesn't have anyone else ready to jump out and attack them. Do any of the Careers think that anyone but themselves could ever harm them? Of course not, they're all too cocky for that. But they don't want to risk getting injured, no matter the severity, this early in the Games.

Peeta can't help it when his eyes are drawn to Cato's body as he moves. He can't help but appreciate the way the boy moves, his heavily muscled body twisting like a cat's, silent as he dances form the bushes. The other five Careers dance on his flanks, right behind him, but none with the same grace that Cato seems to command. Peeta bites down hard on his tongue, hard enough to draw blood as he forces his stiff body into a standing position. He is not here for Cato.

He just isn't.

A slow chuckle fills the small clearing, the girl who started the fire glancing up instantly, fear buried deep in her eyes. The rumble continues to crawl from Cato's chest, the leader of the Careers finding amusement in her fear.

"Starting to regret that fire now, babe?" Cato whispers before grinning. His face is lit up with a feral menace, the light from the fire illuminating his features with stark shadows and giving his highlights the appearance of flames. His hair is lit up the colour of blood, and Peeta can't help but marvel in the beauty of it all. The shorter blonde knows that Cato is dangerous; he knows that he's sick and twisted, finding amusement in the most grotesque of things, but the boy is undeniably beautiful.

A scream pierces through Peeta's ears and his eyes are dragged from the beauty of his leader towards the girl positioned in the centre of the clearing. She nearly falls into the fire as she scrambles to stand and run, but it's of no use. A wicked giggle rips from Clove's chest, a metallic sound that sends repulsion shivering along Peeta's skin. He turns in time to see Clove's fingers flinging one of her deadly knives flying towards the illuminated girl. Peeta's sure that it's on purpose when the knife stabs the girl in the leg, tumbling her to the floor in a fit of screams; Clove doesn't miss. There is a chorus of chuckles from the Careers and Peeta has to fight to keep the look of horror from his face.

Beyond the girl's screams and the cackle from the Careers enjoyment Peeta notices a lack of noise; Cato isn't laughing. Concern tackles into him before he can push it away and his eyes fall upon the shape he's studied so well recently. Shock dances through his body when he notices the other blonde watching him, his eyebrows arched and his lips twisted. Confusion floods through Peeta, nearly hard enough to drown out the sounds of the soon-to-be-dead girl's screams.

"Ready to prove yourself?" Cato murmurs, quiet enough that nobody should have been able to hear him over the screams. But the moment Cato's mouth opened the cackling and the screams died down, all eyes falling upon Cato. The district 2 boy turns his entire body to stare at Peeta, his eyebrows arching further as he passes his sword towards the boy. Six pairs of eyes shift onto Peeta's body, curious to see what his next move will be.

Peeta looks to the sword, resisting a grimace at the sight of the dried blood. He can imagine how the blood had pooled towards the blade as Cato sunk it deep into his victims, how they wouldn't even feel its cold metal as the nerves in their bodies would fall apart, giving in the fight. Peeta's lips press together in a tight, pale line. He's turned away from the fire, shadows hiding his face. Still, he feels naked in the gaze of his watches. It's not so much the Careers that are unnerving him, but him. It's the way he looks at him, as if he can see everything on the inside. Peeta has never been more shadowed, but no one has ever seen him as well as Cato does in that moment. He raises his eyes from the blade, falling to look at its owner. Cato's expression has relaxed slightly from the seductive appearance he held before. Peeta can see the hope nestled into his eyes, the longing that Peeta will do this. He wants this excuse to keep Peeta around; he doesn't want to kill the shorter blonde.

It's for this reason and this reason alone that Peeta reaches out to take the sword in his shaking hands. Fear creeps into his chest, freezing his entire body, but he takes the sword with a grip like a viper. His eyes refuse to fall form Cato's until it's time to turn towards the girl who's about to die.

Her eyes widen as she takes in Peeta's face. With his expression illuminated by the fire he truly is a sight to see. There wouldn't be a soul on earth who has seen that look in Peeta's eyes, the wicked glint that hardens everything about him. But underneath she can see that he's not doing this to cause her pain; he isn't doing this for pleasure. Peeta's going to kill her for love, he's going to kill her to prove himself. His knuckles whiten as he tightens his grip on the hilt, raising the sword above his head before thrusting its blade into her chest.

It's over in a minute.

Peeta watches the light leave her eyes along with the life. He feels the small piece break away from his soul at the feeling of cold-blooded murder. This is senseless, of that he's sure, yet still the blade stays lodged between her ribs. Blood pools beneath her immobile body, tumbling in a wave over Peeta's shoes. He feels as cold as she has begun to look, her skin turning deathly pale from the lack of blood. Her eyes stay wide open, vibrant red in the glow of the flame, and Peeta knows that no matter how long he lives every time he shuts his eyes the look in hers will be burned into his eyelids.

Peeta just had his first kill; he's now a murderer. Confusion wells inside him. Half of him is freaking out, working at over drive. He thinks of what the people back home in district 12 will be thinking, he wonders what they'd say to him if he ever had a chance of coming home. His mind asks if they'd be proud of him, or if they'd be disgusted. Because Peeta just became a part of the Games, it all just became real for him. Suddenly it's not just a Game anymore; he can't keep pretending that it's all about playing dress ups and amusing viewers with silly interviews. He can't keep telling himself that nobody's going to get hurt; that no blood will be spilled. Lives are on the line here and his could very well be the next to end.

All is silent in the clearing as the girl's blood pools into the dirt, dark enough to be ink. Not a soul dares to move. Suddenly the boom of the cannon explodes through Peeta's head, shaking the world back to normal. He hadn't even realised that everything froze before his eyes. A tableau fills his vision, the images of his eternal damnation. To all the other Careers this may have just been a step closer to winning, but to Peeta it was his becoming a monster.

As the roar of the cannon reverberates through the field the other Careers come to life. Clove screams with what sounds like pure joy, her stunning features lighting up with joy like a child on Christmas morning. Clove's face twists into an ugly scowl, but she can't hide the grim satisfaction buried behind her dark eyes. After seeing this murder she can't deny that Peeta has no ulterior motives with the Careers; she's finally forced into accepting that he belongs with them.

But the face that Peeta really sees is that of their leaders. Cato's eyes shine with pride that causes Peeta's chest to swell. Warmth tumbles across his skin finally banish the dreadful cold that cold-blooded murder tipped over him. Everything feels tingly as he moves and he can feel Cato's gaze digging through his skin. Peeta can't help the slow smile that dances against his lips, and he most definitely can't help the jolt his chest gives when Cato returns the grin. It's when he smiles that Peeta can really appreciate just what a masterpiece the taller blonde's face is. Where he can value the smallest things: the way his eyes shine like sapphires buried in the bank of a crystal river, the way his cheeks are sculptured as if by an angel, the bow of his lips in that perfect dint on his lower lip. The things that make Cato who he is, although hardly anyone ever really sees it.

God is he beautiful. A warm shiver glazes over Peeta's skin as the cheering really begins. The five other Careers rave back towards the Cornucopia, swinging their weapons nearly recklessly in the air with celebration as they do. Peeta and Cato are the last two to leave the clearing. The fire crackles softly as they stand across from each other, filling in the silence that isn't necessarily awkward.

"Good work." Cato murmurs, his voice enough to fill the small space between them. The smile that had been dying on Peeta's lips grows once more, his eyes lighting up from the praise.

"Thanks." Peeta begins, leaving his lips parted as he tries to think of something more to say. When Peeta can't think of anything, Cato coughs dryly before turning on his heel to follow in the footsteps of the other Careers.

Peeta is left alone to tackle his complex emotions as he watches Cato swagger away. Without the light of his grin to warm him, the chills of murder drip back into his system leaving the blonde shaking with cold. Becoming a monster isn't something most people get over easily. His eyes fall upon the body of the dead girl behind him, and a sharp pang stabs through his chest. That could have been Katniss. He presses his lips back together, the stabbing feeling refusing to relent as he turns back to the darkness where the Careers disappeared into. Despite the cold that threatens to break him, he can't deny the feeling of warmth swirling in his chest. It's not a bad feeling, but the reasoning behind it is of some concern.

There are two reasons why he might be feeling such a way. The first being his feelings for Cato, because he's sure that there's a connection there. Peeta's through with trying to push it away; he's sick of hiding form himself. The one thin g that he's sure of is his steadily growing emotions for Cato, although the blonde would deny it if ever this belief were spoken aloud. The second reason he might feel the warmth crawling through the mask of ice, is that some part of him, way deep down, enjoyed murdering that girl.

Now that's a scary thought.

-x-x-x-x-

AN: I'd just like to thank SakuraDrops141 for giving me a great idea about where to take the story. I was initially going to steal her entire idea (mwahahaha) but after writing my way about halfway through this chapter I had my own, and decided that might be better if I can connect to something I've created. Still, thanks for ending this creative writer's block. I'd also like to thank everyone so much for reviewing. These reviews are the reason I love writing so much, I just love connecting with you guys.

I'm also extremely sorry that this is a few days late. To make up for it though I've written out a plan of what I want the next 3-4 chapters to be like, so they should be easy to write and I should update quickly.