UNDERNEATH THE GIRL ON FIRE
The dark sky bled through the sunset, expelling any trace of orange and pink to black. Cato sharpened his sword, Clove gathered her knives, Marvel picked out a completely metal spear, and Glimmer brought along the silver bow and arrows. It was time to hunt. Of course, Peeta would come along. Wouldn't want to lose such a precious guide. With sparks flying from the matches, Marvel lit a torch and they headed into the forest. They would weed out the weaklings tonight. Get rid of the worthless ones so they could find their real enemies.
"Do you have the glasses?" Cato asked Clove before they went into the woods. She nodded, pulling two pairs of black, shiny sunglasses from inside her jacket. But these weren't for the sun. Instead, with these on, one could see clearly in the dark, and up to fifty feet away. Luckily for the Careers, two pairs of these special glasses were in the Cornucopia. One for Cato, one for Clove.
With everyone's muscular physique, walking quietly was slightly difficult. Peeta wasn't exactly lightweight either. Fallen, dead leaves and twigs didn't mix well with their heavy boots. But being quiet didn't matter that much. They knew that if anyone came running, they would end up as the victim, not the Careers.
After a few hours of searching, they still had not found a single tribute. Marvel and Glimmer had begun to make impatient sounds and remarks after one or two hours of searching. Peeta stayed ceaselessly silent, seldom speaking and only looking grim. Cato and Clove on the other hand, were patient. They knew they couldn't win the Games in a matter of days, much less one day.
Even the District Two Tributes were peeved after four or five hours, though. How could the other Tributes be this good at hiding? They were either exceptionally skilled at concealing themselves or they were extremely lucky. At every whisper of a movement or rustle of the leaves, Clove's arm would cut through the air, sending an imperceptibly fast knife towards the direction of the sound. However, no one would ever be there. It was always either just the wind or an animal.
As she pulled a knife out of the rabbit that had made the innocent mistake of flitting between bushes, Clove said,
"How is it possible that we haven't found anyone yet?"
After a few spasms, the rabbit lay still. She made a disgusted face at the pathetic rabbit and cleaned her bloody knife.
"We'll find someone soon. Eventually someone stupid will—" Cato immediately stopped talking. His head whipped around, sniffing the air not unlike a dog. The scent of a burning fire. A plume of grey smoke curling up in the air. Someone was near, lighting a fire in the dark of the night.
Everybody's eager footsteps soon turned into a stampede, their heavy footfalls pounding against the ground. Closer and closer they got to the source of the fire, until they came upon a small campfire and a fair haired girl sitting by it, dozed off. She jerked awake at the sound of the Careers. It was too late. They encircled her before she could even consider leaving.
Clove's blade had already cut the girl's throat open into a sinister, red smile before she could move. Enthusiastic hoots came from the others, and Cato gave her a congratulatory shake of her shoulder. She smiled smugly, satisfied at finally finding a Tribute to kill…happy that she had human blood on her hands. Peeta, standing in the back and almost concealed in the trees and growth, had a look of repulsion on his face.
"Twelve down and eleven to go!" Marvel cried out gleefully. Everyone laughed as they began scouring the ground, looking for anything useful on the girl's person.
"She's got nothing on her," said Glimmer unappreciatively, kicking the girl's backpack around in the dirt. "All she's got is a pair of socks. Humph."
"Whatever, it's still another Tribute down," responded Marvel. He nudged the girl's head with the tip of his boot, as if she were vermin he didn't want to touch. "And an ugly one, too. No one will cry about this girl."
Another round of laughter from the Careers.
"Better clear out so they can get the body before it starts stinking," said Cato arrogantly. Clove snorted and wiped off her blood covered knife on the dead girl's shirt. They backed away from the body and Cato shoved Peeta along with the butt of his sword. Before they got more than a hundred yards away, Clove came to a realization.
"Shouldn't we have heard a cannon by now?" she asked suspiciously. The others raised their eyebrows, and looked at each other.
"I'd say yes," replied Cato. He looked towards the thick plants they'd just cut through, where the dead body lay. "Nothing to prevent them from going in immediately."
"Unless she isn't dead," said Glimmer accusingly, glaring at Clove. She sneered back. Was it possible that she didn't cut the girl deep enough? Didn't hit anything vital? No…she never missed.
"She's dead. I stuck her myself," retorted Clove forcefully. She turned her back on everyone, crossing her arms in agitation.
Glimmer pursed her lips, standing with a hand on her hips.
"Then where's the cannon?"
"Someone should go back. Make sure the job's done," said Marvel.
"Yeah, we don't want to have to track her down twice."
"I said she's dead!" barked Clove irritably.
Suddenly, Peeta burst into the group, shoving Marvel and Glimmer aside. He looked petulant as he shouted,
"We're wasting time! I'll go finish her and let's move on!"
All of them stare at Peeta in astonishment. It might have been that he hadn't spoken since they captured them. Or it was that Peeta was offering to 'finish' someone at all. Either way, their surprise distracted them from a loud rasping sound. Fabric and a body against tree bark.
Up above them, belted into a tree, was Katniss Everdeen. She hung upside down from a branch high on the tree, with her face contorted into a look of utter shock. Muscles straining as she hung there, a wave of confusion and betrayal washed over her. Peeta, her so-called star crossed lover, her boy with the bread, was working with the Careers.
end UNDERNEATH THE GIRL ON FIRE