When I woke up, the sun was already up. My blankets were kicked around me, only my jacket covering me. I stood up, squinting at the light.
"I thought you were going to sleep all day." I looked to my left. Peeta stood there, peeling some fruit.
"Where are the others?" I asked him upon seeing almost empty camp. There was just me, Peeta and some boy in yellow jacket.
"They went hunting." He said shrugging and putting a piece of fruit into his mouth. He offered me some too and I accepted.
"Thanks." I said and bit into it. It had a nice sweet flavor. "When will they come back?"
Peeta shrugged his shoulders again. "I can't tell. It is different every time. But they have been away for some time now and I haven't heard cannon, so they should come sometimes now." No kill, no fun. That makes sense.
"Do you feel okay? Doesn't anything hurt?" He asked, concern shining in his warm eyes. Now that he mentioned it, I checked my arm, hands and knees but found nothing. Even my side almost didn't hurt at all.
"How's that possible?" I asked amazed. "It's all Capitol made stuff." He explained and ate the last piece of fruit.
He came to sit next to me and looked closely at my face.
"Cory." He said in a serious voice.
"What." I said a bit alarmed.
"You have a grey hair." I looked at him with wide eyes. My hands immediately touched my hair. It was a silly but yet a natural reaction. I couldn't see the color of my hair with my hands. I smoothed it down, and put few strands of my hair in hand in front of my face.
"You're getting older." Peeta said and laughed.
I looked at him incredulously. What was he talking about. Was he going nuts?
"Are you alright Peeta?" I asked a bit concerned and felt his forehead for temperature.
He laughed it off and shook his head. He looked me in the eyes and said: "Happy birthday Cory."
Oh.
That's what it was about.
A smile slid on my lips and I tackled Peeta in a hug. "Thank you. I almost forgot. I never forget my birthday. I mean, how could I. It is the only day in the whole year when I can do anything I want." I said, explaining the situation to me.
"And what are your wishes for this year?" He asked playfully, arm around my shoulders.
I didn't really know. Being here had some limitations. Okay. Not some. But a bid ass ones. It was pretty much impossible to do anything crazy or spontaneous here. No ice cream, no cake, no spaghetti, no gifts. Nothing. I guess I will just have to make something up in my mind and pretend that it is true.
But it truly is a crime to not be able to celebrate birthday without anything sweet. And fruits don't count.
"So am I right when I say you want something sweet?"
I faced him surprised. "How did you know?" He was my best friend but I don't think he ever saw me eating some sweets.
"You get this look on your face when you want something and so I just guessed. "
"Nice thinking, cupcake. And is it possible to have something sweet?" I asked, widening my eyes for the effect.
"Wait here." He said and left. I smiled, happy that I will get something. I looked around the camp happily. I noticed the dark haired boy looking in my direction. He stood next to the tree with a spear in his hand. He was probably on a watch, since Peeta and I weren't paying attention. I waved at him. Shouting at him to say hello seemed a bit stupid. He smiled at me and turned his head towards the lake.
A medium-sized rectangular object wrapped in silver foil appeared in front of my face.
"What's that?" I asked suspiciously, eyeing it with a careful eye.
"Try it out for yourself." He said and sat next to me. The foil made a rustling noise when I grabbed the corner and tore it open.
"It is not going to poison me, is it?" I asked him. He just shook his head, laughing at me. "You know, it is quite hurtful that you think I would do that."
I rolled my eyes at him and bit into it without looking at it.
A rich sweet flavor hit my taste buds and I couldn't help myself but to close my eyes in pleasure. It was the best thing ever. I knew now that it was chocolate. My dad once brought it home when I was eleven at the day of my first Reaping. I never had chocolate since then until now.
Big hand grabbed my own, making my open my eyes in surprise. A large body sat next to me, unconsciously letting me know who it was.
Cato took a large bite of chocolate, looking at me with daring eyes. His hand sneaked across my waist, tucking me closer to him.
I looked at him with my mouth open in shock. I smacked his hand away from mine, safely hiding the chocolate from him.
"You can't do that!" I called out. Marvel and Clove sat in front of us, watching our exchange. Peeta was a bit further away from us. It seems that the Careers don't mind him, but they prefer him to be further away from them.
"Why." He said and smirked at me.
"Why? Because it is mine chocolate!" I reasoned.
"Yours?" He asked with humor laced voice.
"Yes." I said seriously. "I can do today whatever I want and I am keeping up to it. So I am telling you that this chocolate is mine." I said to him, my eyes never leaving his. He cocked his head to the side, studying my face closely, a small smile playing on his lips.
"And why is that?" He whispered.
"It's my birthday and that means that I can do anything." I said and bit into the chocolate.
"You have birthday?" Asked Marvel surprised.
"That is awesome. Happy birthday day then!" Congratulated me Clove and tucked the knives she had been cleaning back in their respective places.
"Happy birthday." Said Marvel.
"Thank you." I answered and got rid of the foil. I threw it on the ground and broke off two rows of small rectangular bars. I handed each one of them to them, painfully aware of Cato closeness and his hot breath on my exposed neck.
I mockingly turned to face Cato and tauntingly bit into the bar, letting the chocolate melt on my tongue.
His eyes were trained on my lips when I unconsciously licked them,tasting the left over piece of chocolate on them.
"Are you gonna be a good boy?" I asked in innocent tone, breaking off a row from the bar. I waved it in front of his face. He suddenly caught in his teeth, without giving me an answer.
I just shook my head at him and let it slide. When he saw that I won't protest, he smirked and put the rest of the bar in his mouth. "Happy birthday." He with mouth full.
I rolled my eyes at his antics. He grabbed me even closer to him, unaware that he grabbed the side that was still a bit painful. I hissed a bit and he loosened his grip on my waist, looking at me with a frown and a questionable face.
"It is still a bit sore from yesterday." I mumbled not wanting to talk about it anymore. I was not going to ruin my happy mood with this subject.
Apparently, Cato didn't let it slide that easily. "What actually happened to you?" He asked curiously.
At his question, silence fell over our small group, everyone straining their ears for my answer.
I blushed under their unwanted attention.
"…..itpr…." I muttered to myself.
Marvel made a grimace trying to decipher my jumbled words. "You did what?"
My blush deepened. It was an awkward situation to find in. I decided to play it cool so I willed my cheeks to stop burning and said disinterested. "I tripped."
I looked at my nails trying to brush what I said off.
After a small moment of silence, a boisterous laugh echoed through the clearing. I put an offended look on my face. Even that boy in yellow jacket was smiling.
"I can't believe it." Said Clove chuckling. "You looked like a bear mauled you yesterday and you just tripped."
"You just tripped?" Asked Marvel, catching breath. "Over what? A cow?" He laughed again, but this time it was him alone. When he realized that no one joined him, he looked around on our faces, embarrassed to be caught.
"Seriously, Marvel." Said Clove with a sigh. "Sometimes after that crap that leaves your mouth I wonder how you can even form a normal sentence." Marvel looked offended and opened his mouth to say something but shut it right away. Clove gave him a pointed I-win-look and grinned.
"Wait up." She said, remembering something. "You couldn't get cut like that by tripping. It is a clean and straight. That must have been knife." She pointed out.
My hand involuntarily settled itself on my now healed arm and looked on the ground suddenly very interested in the grass roots.
"That interests me too actually." Said Cato in a gruff voice. I looked at him for a second and then looked back on the ground.
I was tearing the grass blades stretching the wait for my answer as long as possible.
"Well?" Inquired Cato.
I sighed. "It was that guy from six." I confessed not meeting their gazes
"WHAT?!"
"The one that bothered you at the lake?"
"LAKE?!" Cato bellowed again.
I closed my eyes and groaned. Why did I told them who it was, was unknown to me. It didn't help the situation.
Fingers under my chin made me look in Cato's direction. His eyes were ablaze with anger.
"He bothered you in the arena?" He said, watching my face.
"Kind of." I admitted reluctantly.
He let out a puff of air and asked: "Yes or no?"
"Yes."
That was all it took him to explode. Just one word. He jumped on his feet, grabbed his sword and made a beeline to the forest. It apparently didn't matter to him that he didn't know where the culprit from 6 was at that moment.
Marvel quickly got on his feet and went after him. He tried to restrain him by putting his arms around him. I knew that Cato was a lot stronger than him and that it was only a matter of seconds that he broke free and ran to the forest.
So I ran to them exactly in the moment when Marvel was no more able to hold him back.
And that's where I step in.
Because I am a lot 'stronger' than Cato, I put my arms around him and pressed my heart to his chest. His heart was hammering in his ribcage, wild and untamed.
The second my arms were around him, he stopped and froze completely but didn't let go of his sword. His body was rigid under my fingers.
"Where are you going? Hmm?" I asked him, rubbing small circles on his back.
"Don't even think about leaving me on my birthday." I said in a playful threatening voice and looked up, resting my chin on his chest. His eyes were trained on the forest, flickering from one tree to another.
"Come one." I said and tugged his hand towards the camp. He looked down at me, his face passive and set in stone.
"Come." I said and tugged his hand again. He didn't even budge, silly giant Career.
"You are not making this easier." I huffed, dug my feet into the ground and pulled on his hand as hard as I could.
I grunted a bit from the strain and let his hand go limp in my hold. I glared at him, determined not to move until he returns to the camp with me.
The corner of his lips turned up a bit. He shook his head at me and I knew that the worst was over.
When we were walking to the camp, he kept turning his head back to the forest, but every time he did it, I jabbed him into the ribs.
After we sat on the blankets, they made me tell what happened. I told them just the rough version of what happened. Even Peeta was sitting with us. From his glances he knew that I wasn't telling the whole truth, but let it be. He knew that if were to tell them the whole truth, especially to Cato, no one would be able to stop him this time.
After we have eaten some meat and bread for lunch/dinner, Cato ordered the boy whose name I still didn't know, to secure the supplies and put mines around them.
He didn't start right away, because he had to at first figure out how to detach them safely and not to blow the camp into the air. Cato wasn't happy that it would take him that long, but he knew that he had no other choice but to wait.
I was protesting when they put all the supplies in one pyramid, but they weren't listening. And Cato put a hand on my mouth preventing me from talking.
I was sulking leaning on the tree. It was my birthday and I should have the right to do as I want.
I looked around myself, refusing to even glance at the growing pyramid of supplies. I look at the forest and stared at the trees, thinking of other tributes.
My attention was quickly grabbed by thick black smoke that was emerging from the far left side, swirling in dark puffs to the sky.
"Cato!"I shouted at him. His heads napped into my direction immediately looking for a danger lurking around. I inwardly rolled my eyes at him and pointed to the direction of the smoke.
He alerted the others right away. They started strapping weapons to them and got ready to fight.
I walked to them, since Peeta was getting ready too.
"What do you think you are doing Lover Boy?" Asked Cato, his eyes watching him as he put knife behind his belt. "You're going to watch over the supplies." He said in a firm voice.
If I were Peeta, I would do as he told. He gulped dryly and looked at me.
Katniss. He mouthed and I knew what was going on.
He didn't want them to find her alone without him being able to help her.
"Maybe he could help you find Katniss." I suggested.
"The Bitch on Fire?" Cato asked with an excited glint in his eyes.
"Peeta is the only one that knows how and where she could be hiding. The fire definitely forced her to run, so your chances of finding her are higher." What I just said didn't make a lot of sense. There was nothing implying that she was in that part of the arena.
I saw that Cato was mulling over this fact too, but the possibility of killing her was too great for him to dismiss this chance.
He walked up to me and pushed a large knife in my hands. His right hand cradled my cheek gently.
"At any sight of danger, hide right away, don't play hero. I'll find you." He whispered, his clear blue eyes sinking into mine with a raw intensity.
Our foreheads were touching, his blonde hair tickling me. His hot breath was mingling with my own.
"Stay safe." He whispered and kissed my forehead.
And I was alone with a boy whose name I didn't know.
.
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Disclamier: I own nothing from Hunger Games.
I know it took me long to update, and I don't really have any valid excuse. Oh, I do have one. My lazy ass. But the huge and unbelievably hard graduation exams are coming up and I'll have to learn a lot, so my updates won't be as regular as they were from the start. But this rigorous period will end eventually and then I am all yours.
Thanks to klebel21 and MissKatryn for favoritng.
Thanks to Amelia1108 and GingerNut2012 for follow.
I-Have-A-Dark-Side:Thanks so much. I'm glad you like you like this one as well :).
EGilly: I hope she will. And with Vale, well...you'll have to find out in the future chapters. But I have something in store for him.
MissKatryn: I'd say that it was an effective way to get him to shut up. Thanks.
Randomness1: I actually would like to update :). Thanks so much. This chapter's for you.
Thanks for reading. Reviews are greatly appreciated as always. Lia