Clove's POV

Two hands shake me, and someone is screaming my name. I snap my eyes open, and find a blonde haired boy desperately screaming and staring at me. It's Cato. But why is he so scared, so worried? What happened?

"Cato? What's wrong? What happened?" I ask quickly, rubbing my eyes with my left hand. However, he doesn't answer. Cato drags me out of my bed, still in my singlet and track pants, and leads me out into the cold, crisp morning air.

"Hey! Wait! Where are we going? What's happened?" I repeat as a cold gust of wind passes through me. It seems to be quite early in the morning, about 4 or 5, but I can hear a hum of people chatting and murmuring in the distance.

"You'll see when we get there," Cato gasped quietly, "It's Syne..." I feel a pang of horror as I start to run side by side with Cato. It must be something dreadful, I can tell by the tone of Cato's voice.

Finally, as we reach the commotion, I push through the immense crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of what was happening. Was it a fight? Why is everyone so excited to see this...if it was a fight?

Then I see the Peacekeepers. They stand facing the opposite direction in a line, so as not to give any opportunity to let anybody take a peek. With the help of Cato, I shove a Peacekeeper to the side. My eyes widen in horror as I see the limp figure.

"SYNE! SYNE!" I yell desperately, rushing towards him as the Peacekeeper lashes him again. Cato follows behind me and knocks anybody who dares try to stop him, but nobody holds me back. The heartless Peacekeeper prepares for another lash, but he stops when he sees that we are in the way, and tries to move us aside.

Cato and I stare at Syne, wounded and in anguish. There is blood all over him, and his skin is covered with cuts and bruises. I can't see him like this, not ever. Cato screams his name over and over, checking his wounds, but Syne remains silent.

Finally, Filote arrives with the District 2 mayor, who orders the Peacekeepers to leave immediately. I'm taken aback by their obedience; since when had they listened to people none other than the Capitol? Just as the Peacekeeper who had tortured Syne is about to leave, I reflectively take a knife in my pocket and aim it at his head. He drops to the floor with no reaction, and I realise I have just killed my first victim.

Filote and Cato are looking right at me while some other people carefully transport Syne into the hospital. I can see satisfaction in Cato's eyes, and he smiles at me, but Filote is furious. Killing a Peacekeeper is rebelling against the Capitol, and the Capitol can think of many ways to punish me just for that. I look to Filote and Cato, then down at the dead Peacekeeper, then at the mayor. However, my spirit lifts when he declares that these Peacekeepers were his guards, not the Capitol's.

"I will say one more time, that I did not order these Peacekeepers to punish Syne. The Capitol has seen Syne's actions and is responsible for this. I wish him the best" He says softly, then leaves without turning back, the Peacekeepers trailing behind him.

Anger bubbles up from inside me. Treating people like animals, don't they have a heart? I clench my fist in anger, digging my nails into my palm. Doesn't this only happen to District 10, 11, 12? How could they give such a terrible punishment to a 14 year old?! I zone out into an imagination of the Capitol falling, with no hope left for them to rule again, until a hand rests on my shoulder.

"Clove..." Cato whispers in my ear, gently nudging me, "Let's go see how Syne's doing"

I nod slowly and release my grip on my fists. We both make our way to the hospital, anxious on how he's doing. The hospital is empty - everyone who was watching had decided to ditch and get some more rest. After what seemed like hours, although it could only be minutes, a doctor slowly approaches us.

"Is he okay? Did anything major happen to him?" I blurt out suddenly, stepping forward to meet the doctor.

The doctor hesitates momentarily, but smiles and leads us to the upper floor of the hospital. We enter a hospital room, where Syne looks pretty worn out. I've never seen him hurt. It could be because he would win every battle he fought.

"Cato...Clove..." He manages to gasp. We both run to him and Cato kneels down. Cato looks angry...both angry and sad. I know that he won't let this go without a fight, even if I had already killed the Peacekeeper.

"What happened? What did you do to deserve this?!" Cato asks furiously. This was the first time I'd heard him shout today.

Syne laughs dryly and nods at the doctor to leave. After we hear the SLAM of the door, he sighs. "I'm sorry guys. I was careless...I-"

He moans in pain and shuts his eyes. We both rush to see what's wrong, but he shakes us off.

"I'm fine. Look, if I don't make it and die-"

"That won't happen, Syne" Cato interrupts.

"Yeah, but if I don't make it, you guys have to promise me something. If you get chosen to volunteer or take part in the Hunger Games, win for me. I can't stand the thought of someone separating the other" He says, his face expression completely different.

Cato and I glance at each other, then we give Syne a nod. I can't stand it anymore. He turned out like this all because of me. Why did I ever agree to join in?

I drop to my knees and clutch Syne's hand. "I'm so sorry Syne...This was all my fault. Please-"

But before I could finish my apology, there is a continuous high-pitch sound that pierces my ears. I whip around to check with Cato, but he's already ahead of me. He points to a screen that shows what makes my heart skip a beat.

Syne's heart beat has stopped.

Yay, a cliffhanger! Anyway, I'm so sorry for not involving any Clato yet, but bear with me! I'll be finishing the history in a few chapters. Cato POV next!

Please review! I will only submit the next chapter if I get more reviews :)