Shit. That was the only thing I could think as I saw Cato running in my direction. He is surely thinking the worse and will probably slice me up and then Katniss next.
I put my left foot in front of my right one and lowered my torso, trying to get ready for an impact. It was a silly thought of course. Cato running into me was stupid, he would just stop and slash me to pieces. But it was a natural reaction. Well, a natural reaction would be running. That would be ideal. But Katniss behind me kind of cancelled that possibility.
As I have thought, a couple of feet in front of me, Cato stopped.
"Get here, Cory." He said in a low tone, making his voice sound deeper.
I shook my head, unable to let out any noise.
"I said get here." Cato's eyes flashed to dark blue, stepping one step closer.
"I can't." I said, hoping he will understand. Like that could happen. Pigs would fly rather than Cato just accepting the situation.
"What are you doing?" He asked in a threatening tone. My eyes went to the sword he was clutching in his hand, his knuckles turning white.
I glanced at Katniss behind me that was trying to stand on her legs, her arms quivering with the strain she was putting on them.
"I'm returning the favour." I told him, my eyes following his movements. The frown on his face deepening. I could see the as the dilemma he was facing was unfolding. His eyes darting back and forth between me and Katniss.
"Cato." I said softly, drawing his full attention at me. "Please, let it go." I reached with my hand to his, letting it outstretched between us. His gaze went to my hand, confusion shining in his eyes. "Please." I begged of him.
"She did this?" He asked, pointing the tip of the blade to the burned ground. "Clove is dead, Cory. She is dead. And you want me to save me that bitch?" He asked, spitting out the word 'save'.
"I know. And I am sorry." I said to him. "But she didn't kill them. Someone of them two must have stepped on the mine, otherwise she would be lying there with them. She didn't do it Cato." I defended her. I could hear her sharp intakes of breath.
"Why are you protecting her?" He asked confused, the blade slowly lowering. My eyes followed its path through the air with happiness. Maybe we'll both, Katniss and me, will get out of this alive.
"I'm returning the favour." I repeated what I said at the start. "She let me save Marvel. She could have killed us both. Now let me save her." I pleaded with my eyes, my hand still between us. Cato's stormy eyes found mine. I could see the conflict, the battle in them. This wasn't what the careers do. They don't save people. They don't let them go, only if for a chase and a thrill in their veins to chase them again, yet I stood here, trying to make him behave in the way he was never taught to.
"Remember what I said on the roof? The label means nothing unless you willingly stick it to your forehead. Words of other people don't define you." I said to him, hoping to bring the same boy who was scared and confused on the outside of his hard shell.
"Let your actions define you. Allow me the privilege to be smug afterwards, when what i said is true." I told him, letting my silly persona seep though. He cracked a small smile and I felt a large stone to drop from my heart making blood soar into my head, making me dizzy.
"You are not a murderer. You are Cato." I articulated every syllable, trying to carve these words into his brain.
The hand I still had outstretched almost the while length of this conversation, if one could call it that way, felt very heavy but I kept it there. I thought that even moving it a bit in any direction or retracting it would completely ruin all I have said. And I couldn't let that happen.
And at that very moment, the sword fell to the ground and his warm hand wrapped around mine. He quickly tugged me to him, wrapping his strong arms around me twice, squeezing the life out of me. He put his face into my hair. I felt his accelerated breath on my neck, my hands moving in soothing motion across his back.
"All good?" I asked him. He didn't answer, but I felt him nod a few times against my skin.
After few seconds, I could feel him stiffen around me. I withdrew from his hold and noticed his harsh gaze on Katniss that lied on the ground, staring at us.
Having taken all the stuff from the table ready from the feast, Cato left me and Katniss at the edge of the clearing. I had my arm around her. She was still shaken up from the explosion. She didn't utter a single word, but I kind of understood why. Cato was her enemy No.1, so him letting her live was probably shocking to her.
I watched as he walked to the small body lying on the ground and I felt a twinge of sadness. I won't miss Clove terribly, we weren't that close. But she was funny when she wanted to be and especially, Clove and Cato understood each other. Being from the same District meant that they must have been friends, or at least someone they knew from sight. And now, he lost the only thing he had in the Games that could truly remind him of home.
I smiled sadly, my fingers finding their way to Morris's bracelet around my wrist. I didn't think about him that often since he died. It felt so strange. As if his death never happened, as if he never even existed.
It was sad. So, so sad. I was thankful that he gave me his bracelet. It will force me to remember where I actually am and what they are doing to us. To remember who the real enemy is.
"Why did you do it?" Katniss's asked, her voice was raspy.
I turned to look at her surprised she was talking to me, her gray eyes focused at me. "I'm returning the favour. And I don't think I could live with myself if I let you die. It almost seems worse for me than killing someone directly." I told her. The passive expression in her face didn't change. Only her eyes shone with determination.
"Were you close? With that girl." She said quietly.
I shook my head. "Well we weren't besties, if that's what you're asking. But she was funny and helped me a lot when Cato thought that I betrayed him." I said, remembering fondly at how she found me and Morris at the pond. "He's stupid, you know." I said suddenly. She looked at me confused what I was talking about. "Cato. He's stupid and stubborn. But he's not a bad person. He actually likes ice cream a lot." I told her and I saw how she let her lips slide into a small smile.
She took a deep breath after a while before saying; "I have to leave. I came here only for the bag. Peeta needs it." She said.
I felt my eyes widen as she mentioned him. My mind flashed to the last things I could remember about him. Cato cut him deep on his thigh. An injury like that is nothing else but fatal in the conditions of arena. Yet was his face never projected on the night sky.
"Is he okay?" I asked her concerned.
"No, he's strong. But he needs the medicine that's in the bag as soon as possible." She explained to me.
"Absolutely." I nodded, agreeing with her. I saw Katniss bending to the bags at out feet, groaning with the effort it ook her.
"What are you doing?" I asked her dumbly.
"I told you I have to go to him." She said, straightening with the bag in her hands.
"And we'll go with you. You can't just leave. What do you think Cato will do to you when you'll just go?" I said, trying to reason with her.
"Is there a problem here?" Talk about the devil... Cato asked in a gruff tone, his eyes narrowing at Katniss. I knew he was displeased with her breathing and walking. I saw he had his hand in the pocket of the jacket, fingers curled around a familiar shape. He must have taken the blade that belonged to Clove that was lying on the grass next to her.
"Hey. Be nice." I said, smacking him slightly on the chest happy that he has something tangible to remind him of home.
"Hey, GUYS!" Shouted a familiar voice from the forest.
Marvel.
"Marvel!" Cato hollered back. He stood next to us, without any rush to go after him. He heard from his voice that he was fine. I would have even said that he was excited a bit.
Soon, all three of us could hear shuffling of footsteps on the forest floor, coming closer and closer. I tilted my head in confusion. That didn't sound as just one pair of feet. I was no expert, but after seeing the look on Cato's and Katniss's faces, it must have been like that.
Truth to our assumptions, Marvel emerged from the forest, his hand wrapped around a person's neck.
There were three things what I heard being said at the same time
"Look what I got!"
"Foxface?"
"Are you shitting me?!"
It seemed like a dream come true, when we found ourselves following Katniss going to where Peeta was hidden. Well, it couldn't have been a dream of Cato. He was grumbling under his breath the whole way about a 'freaking charity', 'not a caretaker' and 'choking them in sleep'.
Neither it could have belonged to Katniss who felt uncomfortable around so many people. It was visible on her face and the way she held herself.
Not it could belong to Foxface, according to the sour look on her face. Her hair was wet, falling in fiery strands, framing her pale face.
Maybe it was Marvel. Naturally, only he could be the only person that could be giddy from catching someone. He had a satisfied smile on his face. I could only wonder what stopped Marvel from killing her the second he noticed the other tribute.
After a joyful reunion with Peeta, when I threw myself at him hugging the soul out of him, Katnis tended to his wound and then applied some of the funky gel to her own injuries.
The rest of the group was waiting outside. Marvel and Cato talking, Foxface sitting not far away from them. Katniss and Peeta were walking behind me. We all knew that we had to talk. We didn't know how many tributes were left in the arena. If we were the last, and the possibility was high that we were, we...
I don't know what we would do. I didn't even want to know.
As we were walking, I felt something strange under my feet. I stopped and halted my movements.
It felt like shivers. The slightest tremor under our feet.
At this realization, my eyes rose to those around me.
They noticed as well.
And before we had the chance to talk about what it was, I felt a sting on my neck. I raised my fingers to touch the spot, but I barely registered my fingers brushing a tiny knock of metal dart when my vision was covered in darkness.
A strange buzzing noise kept going on and on in my head. My hand was lying on a hard surface. I unfolded my palm on it, the soft skin on the fingers catching only on the tiniest imperfections. Then I realized that I was lying on that surface whole. As the buzzing was gradually disappearing, I realized that there were people around me shouting.
I opened my eyes and saw bright translucent blue in front of me. I blinked if I was seeing right. I was transfixed by it, the soft wave pattern the light emitted. I reached with my hand to touch it, but an angry voice cut through my ears as a knife. "Don't touch it!"
I know that voice.
Cato.
I fully opened my eyes and tried to sit up. My head felt dizzy and my neck was sore, the muscles tiff and hard to move. I finally looked around myself.
The blue light was all around me, but I could see what was behind it.
Cornucopia.
The grey iron horn with a curved tail standing proud on its rightful place, empty as before.
I turned around, my eyes seeing everyone I was with before I blacked out. WAIT! There was someone else. Two persons in fact. Other tributes. I remember that I saw them at the training centre and then at the Cornu...
I looked down to where I was sitting with wide eyes.
I was on the same podiums as I stood on at the start of the Games. I stood up frantically, my heart beating fast. What is happening? The light that was around me was creating a pillar, distorting the colour of everything around me. I inched closer to it, but the same voice stopped me again in my actions.
"Don't!" Cato shouted at me. I turned my head around. Katniss stood next to me, Cato next to her.
"It will shock you with electricity." He explained, his blue eyes wide. Everyone was already standing, the confusion on our faces screaming.
"Tributes, attention." Caesar's voice crackled through the air. Our heads turned to the sky.
"There has been a certain change, in the Games." He said, his voice grave to build up the atmosphere.
"Our head Gamemaker, Seneca Crane, was forced due to serious health problems to resign from his position." Caesar's voice announced.
I felt my heart skipping beats as I listened. My eyes met Cato's, two blues clashing together.
"Therefore, it is my utmost pleasure to welcome a new Gamemaker Plutarch Heavensbee!" His voice shouted, erupting into applause and cheers.
"Dear tributes." A different voice continued, the Gamemaker.
"It is an honor to take on this challenge. Trul,y the Games so far have been spectacular, but.." His voice lingered in the air as he paused.
"I have to take this chance to present what is in me. So it is my utmost pleasure to welcome you all to a completely new 74th annual Hunger Games, starting all over again, now."
"Prepare for the others."
The lights flickered on and the countdown started.
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Hi!
What have I done? Well, this is the spin I was talking about. And it took me freaking 21 chapters to get here. What do you think about it? Let me know, I would love to read what you think, if you like it, or not. And what do you think will happen next? Btw, I am SOO procrastinating in the form of writing. I have a really hard oral exam Tuesday from Management and instead of learning, I keep writing. Oh well.
Thanks to anyone who reviewed, followed, fovourited this story or me as an author so far. You keep me going.
Thank You for reading!
Klaudia