Okay so here's the chapter, hope people are still reading this. It's quite short but I think a lot of you will be pleasantly surprised with the turn of events ;)

Chapter 9-Why act like this?

Clove's POV

As Cato said, it takes the remainder of the day to get back to camp and the idiot from district 3 is still there, sat on a box with a spear clutched tightly in both of his hands. When he sees us he looks terrified, though I've seen him like that so much I think it's just his usual expression.

Before long he's been ordered to grab us all fresh rucksacks packed with food and a few medical supplies for the next hunt, though I doubt we'll need them. The again… we said that the last time we went out on the hunt for tributes, and that didn't go too well.

"Marvel, set up a fire we've still got wood so we don't need to find anymore, if we do we can send 3, hope he doesn't set himself killed…"

"Why not?"

"Because of the supplies you moron…" I roll my eyes at Marvel's idiotic answer, strong and tall (and well-built) he may be, but he sure is an idiot.

I look up at Cato, though am not surprised when he doesn't look back. "When are we going to kill him? After the next hunt?"

"We'll need all the supplies."

"No shit Marvel…"

"Guys shut up! Once we don't need him to get our supplies, either when there are barely any of us left, or if something happens, doubt that but that's my answer. Alright?"

Both of us nod, satisfied for now, but I know something's up with him and I just… can't deal with it anymore.

When we dispersed, I help Marvel set up camp whilst Cato goes to sharpen his sword, Marvel mutters something about no wood and so marches off, and he quickly bellows at 3 to go with him. Perfect.

Quietly, I walk towards Cato, pausing right before him.

"Why are you doing this?" He stops sharpening the blade, and I know he's thinking hard about what he's going to say next.

"Doing what…"

"Ignoring me."

"I'm not. I'm talking to you aren't I?"

"Fine. Why have you changed. You knew you'd be going into the arena with someone from home. That doesn't mean you have to-"

"I didn't know you'd be coming with me!" he interrupts, and I'm a little taken aback.

"No-one did… they only picked one victor this year, you know that."

"Yes I know."

"And it was you."

"I know!"

"So why have you changed! We've been friends for ages!"

He jumps up and turns to face me, sizing up to me, and even though he's huge compared to me, I don't back down but simply stare up at him. "This is the hunger games! Only one gets out alive!"

"So?! That doesn't mean you have to ignore me! What if I died! Huh?! Then what! You won't care? Is that it?!" I can feel my eyes watering but I try hard to fight them back. I hate him acting like this, hate it.

"No!"

"Then what!"

"Ugh!" he turns and kicks at the crate he'd been sat at and it collapses in on itself, bits of wood flying everywhere. "Just because! Okay?"

"No! Not okay! We've been friends for 8 years Cato, 8 years! So what if we're in the same bloody games! I may be in these games but I don't want them to ruin our friendship! We're friends, best friends!"

"We can't be!"

"Why not!"

"because there's only 1-"

"1 victor?! SO?! You know just as well as me that one of us is no doubt going to die either at the hands of 11 or the girl from 12, you know it! It won't be us in the final two so just.. just stop worrying about it! We're a team!"

"We're trained killers!" Tears spill down my cheeks as I look at him.

"We're friends…"

"We can't be Clove!" He looks to me pleadingly, his fists shaking, but I don't care, I know he's scared, I know he's frightened and wants to go home, he wants to win, I know that but I don't care. He's been my friend for 8 years, ever since that day in my first few weeks of training, and I'm not letting that die now. Maybe that's why I do what I do, maybe that's why I then run at him, and before I know it, my arms are around my neck and I'm kissing him.

Fireworks seem to explode inside of me. My sister told me that kissing a boy was magical… but I never believed her. I always thought it pointless and concentrated on my training, knowing that when I was 18 I would go into the games and I could worry about everything else when I came back a victor, assuming I didn't just keep training more tributes and mentoring alongside Enobaria. Yet now that I've done it… and am still doing it, kissing a guy, and of all people its Cato. We've always been friends and ever since the arena I've just… gotten closer, is that the right word? I hate myself for it, knowing that this will be my last few days with him, weeks if we're lucky, but I can't help myself, and so I don't stop, and neither does Cato, because this will probably be our last ever chance.

Cato's POV

She… kissed me? Clove kissed me. Clove. Kissed. Me. Me, Cato.

No matter how many times I run it through my head I can't make sense of it. She stands looking up at me, having just pulled herself away from me, and I just feel… shocked. Friends we may be, but more than that…?

"Ugh, I, ugh... um." I want to say something decent, proper, tell her how… great that was. Even though I shouldn't, but I just… want to now, I don't care if these are the stupid games, she's right, I should embrace it.

A parachute floats down and we quickly jump apart, remembering we're on camera, and Clove snatches it out of the air. She seems to have a habit for that…

She opens it and her face falls. I quickly join her and she bites her lip. Inside is a broken piece of district 2 bread. Purposefully broken and smashed. I look confused yet Clove seems to understand.

She drops her voice and I listen closely. "Enobaria doesn't want us together… not like that." Ah… now I understand…

"I guess not."

"Only one victor I guess…"

"Yeah."

"I got wood!" We spin around to find Marvel coming back to us, dropping lots of wood on the dwindling fire, 3 coming up behind him, his arms packed full of wood.

"L-later…" Clove mumbles, before quickly moving over to the fire. I sigh and go to help set up camp, getting out our sleeping bags and instructing Marvel he's on watch, and to wake me up in a few hours as I drift off to sleep, my mind still buzzing from the kiss, my dreams full of Clove…

Sorry that it was short! Next one will be a lot longer and there'll only be a few more chapters until the end xxxx