(PLEASE READ!) Author's Note: Wow, I'm really excited! :D I'm sorry my updates have been so slothfully slow; Life has been throwing me a lot of curve balls lately and it's difficult to find time to write. But I haven't lost the zeal or emotion behind this story. :)

One thing I'd like to mention, though. I kind of feel insecure with my grammar skills. Like, I feel like some things seem awkwardly worded or just irrelevant. I would really appreciate some constructive criticism. I know I ask for it in every AN, but I really feel like I need it. When I'm finally done with the last chapter, I'm considering going back and revising the entire thing. Please offer me your opinions. Thank you for all the reviews you've given, but please let me know what you think. It makes me really sad when I post up a chapter that I've worked extremely hard on to only earn five reviews. I'm not holding you down to it or anything, but please understand that I need feedback to progress as a writer. :) This is something I really love to do. And I'd like to have at least 100 reviews by the time this is done! Just a personal goal though. :P

A few questions I have pertaining to this chapter are,
-Did Katniss's involvement seem lame, forced or overall leave a bad taste in your mouth?
-Was Cato more in character?
-Is Peeta too oblivious or underdeveloped?

And I would really like to thank those who have taken the time to review all of my stuff. I really appreciate you more than you'll ever know :) Writing this story has been a fun and fruitful experience thanks to you.

WholeWheatWaffles

Just looking at her stance makes me uneasy. I can't make out every curvature of Katniss's facial features, but I have no doubt they're contorting into a menacing glare. The sight of her face from a distance just gives me a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. And she's just watching... almost as if she's just waiting for us to step onto the field so she can shoot arrows through our skulls. Truthfully, I wouldn't blame her for it. To her, I'm the traitor that came in between her and her relationship with Gale back home. That is, if she'll ever get back there. All I know is, I won't be the one to kill her, and if Cato keeps his word, neither will he. A flood of emotions just cascades over me. On one hand, I'm relieved that she's alright. That part of me housing concern for her hasn't completely vanished, and now it's appeased. But on the other, I'm worried - not for myself, but for Cato. Someone like Katniss would be ruthless in the face of danger, and I'm almost positive she sees him as a threat.

"Now what do we do?" I ask the boy that towers above me.

He pauses, as if to think of a strategy. "Well, I see a shield over to her left. If I can nab it somehow without her noticing, we can dodge her bows."

"But we have to pass by her to do that, Cato."

He shrugs. "We can walk around to the other side of the field and enter in that way. Come on."

He grabs my arm and tugs me along, sneaking stealthily along the circumference of the field. It feels like a lot of work for just a loaf of bread, or whatever the sponsors sent us that we're supposedly in dire need of.

"Can't we just hunt?" I ask him in a whisper. "It'd be much easier."

"Come on, Peeta, don't be a coward." he spits back.

Is that what he thinks I am? A coward? "So you're
telling me you aren't afraid of getting nailed in the chest with an arrow?"

"Well, why do you think-" His sarcastic spiel is interrupted by my stepping on a twig. I grimace at myself, but the glare Cato shoots back at me is definitely worth wincing over. "Nice going."

"I-I," ...I can't think of any sarcastic comeback that I can make to defend myself. "I'm sorry."

Almost at the same time, we stop and see that Katniss is barreling towards us. Why we're still watching her and not running, I don't know. Maybe I just want to prove to Cato that I'm not a coward. Maybe I'm too afraid to move. Still, I brace myself, just waiting for the worst. But as she comes closer, I notice her arrow has no bow, and that she's picked up both of our backpacks. Cato stands tall and tough, drawing his sword and flexing his arms.

"Peeta!" She yells, before coming to an abrupt halt right in front of us.

As prepared as Cato and I probably looked, we both jump back. Who's he calling a coward, now?

"Katniss!"

She seems a bit wary of Cato, but that's understandable. She steps closer to me. An expression very foreign to her flashes across her face. A smile.

"Peeta, I'm glad I found you!" She exclaims.

I'm completely dumbfounded to say the least. Glancing over in his direction, Cato looks just as confused as I. This can't possibly be the same girl that I've always known her to be. But her bow and arrow set looks very familiar. Why is she being so kind? Not even a week ago, she practically beat me against a wall for telling the cameras that I loved her. And even more recently, tried to exterminate me with a furious nest of tracker jackers.

"I didn't know you were looking for me." I say, wearing somewhat of a poker face and trying to sound cordial.

As meek as a deer, she takes a gentle step toward Cato and reverently holds out her hand. "You must be an ally of Peeta's. I'm his District partner. Katniss."

Cato stares at her hand for a minute, as if to conjure up a proper response. Smirking arrogantly, he decides to shake her hand. "Yeah, I know who you are. I'm Cato."

The hint of a resentful glare glosses over her stark, grey eyes. Yet, she remains perfectly composed. "I've seen you guys wandering around. After the announcement about the rule change was made, I just had to figure out some way to meet up."

I shrug, putting on the phoniest smile my face has dared to make since the interviews. "Well, that you did."

She leans in closer to us, speaking with a whisper so quiet, that only the keen ears of a hunter could comprehend it.

"Pardon?" I whisper back, quietly as possible, but it still sounds loud compared to hers.

She glances tentatively around the arena, before leaning in even closer to me. It's now that I realize her face gives off the scent of the same tracker jacker ointment that I'd used on Cato. "I think we can manipulate the sponsors and Gamemakers, so that all three of us could possibly make it out."

"And how the hell do you think we could do that?" He returns, coldly.

Ever so slightly, her eyebrows narrow at him. Streaks of the Katniss Everdeen I've always known are beginning to break through her sugar-coated shell. Emotions start trickling back into my heart. "Well, if we're the last three Tributes left in the arena,they won't have much of a choice, would they?"

"You know the Gamemakers could kill me off in a second." Cato scoffs.

As she contemplates a response, my pulse begins to race. The very thoughts I've been trying so hard to evade have all come crashing down on me. The inevitable death of Cato. The fact that even if I am allowed to return home, I'll be knee-deep in condemnation for all of my sexual experiences, or whatever you call want to call it. The feelings that come from seeing Katniss and Cato, the two people I've at some point been sort of obsessed with, interacting. It's awkward, really. But I try to bat those clouds of thought away from my mind and focus on what kind of plan Katniss might be devising. Because staying alive, like Haymitch told us to do, takes presidence over other petty concerns.

Her voice lowers to an even quieter tone than before."They might not. Not if we're the last Tributes standing. If they're going to allow two victors, they might as well allow all three if Peeta and I refuse to kill you."

"Peeta's already sworn to help me stay alive as long as he can, anyway."
I can't help but chuckle under my breath about how they're discussing me in third person, like I'm not even here.

"Well, I'll make the oath, too. I won't kill you." She says, hollowly, without eye contact. "But I expect the same from you."

"I've already made an oath to spare you."

"With Peeta?" The tone in her voice indicates more curiosity than surprise.

Cato rolls his eyes. "No, with my backpack. Of course it was with Peeta."

"You don't have to be sarcastic all the time." She says, in the exact same tone she adapted in the early mornings at the Capitol.

"I was only sarcastic because you deserved it."

The growing dissent between these two ties my stomach in a knot. These next few days will be unbearably long. That is, if we're still alive to endure them. As much as I'd like to believe her, I just can't help but be a tad bit skeptical about how all of this happened. Katniss isn't sweet and patient. In fact, she's completely at the other end of the spectrum. She's very gruff. Harsh, even. But I don't know her to be dishonest or manipulative, so I don't see why I shouldn't believe her. Still, this whole predicament just reeks of discrepancy. Watching his apprehensive face, I have to wonder if Cato actually believes her. And does she know what's going on between he and I? I've got no idea how much she's seen of the stuff we've done, or if she's seen any at all. Somehow, I'd be kind of ashamed if she found out. Not because I don't like Cato, but because for all she knows I'm still head over heels for her.

"Well, whatever. I got all of our backpacks. Here." She tosses the District Two backpack to Cato, and the Twelve one to me. I barely catch it by quickly grasping one of the straps.
Already, Cato's torn the zipper open and is ravenously devouring some strips of jerkied beef. I don't blame him, nor do I hesitate to open my bag as well. But before I'm able to reach the protein-laden treasure, I'm interrupted by a firm hand grasping my wrist. I can't help but blush from feeling her touch.

"You know, we really should go someplace a little less obvious before you two start stuffing your faces." Katniss suggests, staring at me with those pretty eyes of hers. Wait, did I just acknowledge her as pretty? I should know better than to think that. This girl's basically the female adaption of Haymitch. She made me miserable when I liked her. She isn't pretty, I tell myself. She isn't pretty.

"Yeah, I guess so." I shrug, putting the beef back in my backpack. Cato shoots me a glare, or as much of one as he can make while chomping on his beef. He and I both know it: I'm a complete pushover.

"This food isn't going to last us very long, so we might as well go hunting for more." says Katniss.

Cato swallows his petrified meat and chuckles arrogantly. "Good luck finding anything. I haven't seen any game at all today."

She raises an eyebrow, as if she were disgusted by his pride. "I'm sure we can find something."

"Show me, then."

"I will."

Stealthily, we head deeper into the heart of the woods. Katniss tiptoes in front of Cato and I, her bow and arrow prepared to shoot the next living thing that crosses her path. She doesn't need to tell us to stay out of her way. Cato's creeping behind her, his steps both intense and quiet at the same time. Occasionally, he'll stare back at me, the expression on his face almost completely blank. Blank, like nothing ever happened last night. What are we, anyway? What does he think we are? Together? No. We can't be. No one can be together in the Games. But even in the bleakest of expressions, I can tell that there's something going through his mind. I decide that maintaining useless eye contact is, well, useless, so I glance at the braid bouncing off of Katniss's shoulders. It looks much shorter- about six inches of it is missing. Where could it have gone?

"Shh!" She snaps, stopping abruptly and positioning her bow.

Cato is looking around for what she could possibly aiming for, his eyes darting around in this direction and that. While his body is very distracting, I'm almost ashamed to admit my eyes are glued to Katniss's graceful form with the bow. It's so... Strong. Agile. Her stance, that unnerved me just minutes ago now intrigues me. It resembles that of a dancer. But no... this can't happen. My feelings for her can't resurface, she's with Gale! She's the girl who killed my ally! And more importantly, I like Cato. But then again, I have to ask myself... which is the more commonly accepted option? If Katniss and I returned home, and I did somehow regain my feelings for her, it'd make this whole situation roll much smoother. Especially if Cato could return back to District Two, safe and sound. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't miss him. I stare at his body, as if my mind and body work in unison to use the sight as a trigger of the sensations I felt last night. How could his name not hold a place in my heart? He gave me my first kiss. But when I stare up at his face, my memory shatters like glass at his disdainful stare.

"What are you looking at?" he says, husky and harsh. It's like he doesn't care that Katniss can hear us.

I raise my finger to my lips, glancing over to make sure the girl doesn't stir. "Shh! She's trying to shoot
something!"

Why does he care what I'm looking at? Katniss draws her elbow back and releases an arrow, sending the lightweight spear flying directly into the eye of a small, brown hare in the distance.

"See? I told you there was still game here." She boasts.

Cato's mouth falls agape. He looks jealous. Her hunting skills are probably far more superior than his. My eyes follow her as she scampers away to collect her prize.

"She did hunt for a living back home, you know." I reassure him, trying to calm the envious beast I can tell is possessing him.

"Well, I was trained to hunt too. I'm skilled in that art, too, you know." His voice reminds me of a young child who hasn't yet been taught the social concept of humility. It makes me chuckle.

"I'll see it when you can bring something down from that far away."

His eyes narrow. "Are you really doubting me, up ,against a girl?"

...Am I? I've known of Katniss and her skill my whole life. I doubt Cato has ever had to sustain the lives of his family. I doubt he's ever had to give that much of himself up for others. It might not be so obvious in his hunting skills, but definitely his communication ones.

"No." I say, snipping the headstrong current of thoughts that just burst through my mind. I can't stick up for Katniss to him. He's done nothing but good to me, and she's betrayed me.

"Then why were you so fucking confident about her skills?"

"She hunts in the woods with her boyfriend all day."
Boyfriend. Boyfriend. I try to repeat that word in my head, letting Gale's face stand in the way of any feelings that might be trying to barrel through to me.

Cato opens his mouth to say something else, but Katniss has already returned. Her arrow is back in its sheath, and the rabbit isn't as bloody as I'd pictured it to be. Still, I wince when I look at its hollow eye. I couldn't imagine having an injury like that. It sure makes me look weak after doting over a snare wound as much as I did. Nonetheless, she stuffs it in her backpack without a flinch.

"See what I found?" She says, holding the rabbit up by its ears and waving it in front of Cato.

The jealous brute crosses his arms, mumbling under his breath. "Yeah, you found a rabbit. Good job."

Katniss smiles sarcastically. I can tell patronizing each other is entertainment for the both of them. I just hope that our oaths outweigh their rivalry. I hope it doesn't go any further than a few condescending remarks.

"Should we try to shoot down anything else?" I ask.

Cato glances back at me, slinging his sword over his shoulder. "What else is there in the arena other than rabbits? I haven't seen anything else, and we've already got one."

"Actually, Cato, I've eaten a few squirrels, and I've seen a deer. And obviously, there are mockingjays."

Cato tries to mask the embarrassed flush on his face, but the chirping birds overhead make his calamity much more evident. "Right."

"So we're done hunting, in that case?"

"I guess we can be. The rabbit will satisfy us for tonight." Katniss says. "Mind showing me where you two are staying? We can eat there."

"Good, I was starving." I add.

Cato steps in front of us, pointing straight ahead. "The cave's this way. We can all set up camp there. It's pretty safe."

I'm sure that it's the growling in our stomachs that sets us jogging determinedly to the cave. None of us feel much like sprinting. Already, the muscles in my stomach are burning, almost like it's all my body can do to burn my muscle mass for energy in order to power me along. Ignoring it, or at least trying to, I turn my attention solely to my environment. The dense, green scenery that surrounds us looks like a blur while moving at this speed. Strangely enough, the only definite shapes I can distinguish are those of the leaves and brush. Even though the tree trunks are much bigger and more apparent, the leaves just seem to better stand out to me. Once again, it makes me terribly miss my easel, paints and brushes. Suddenly, Cato comes to an abrupt stop. So abrupt, that I could swear I see skid marks in the dirt. It kind of made me nervous for a minute.

"Hey, guys! Look!" He says, pointing at something in the distance.

"Be quieter! You'll scare it off!" Katniss hisses in a whisper.

I scan the trees for the object of which they're pointing at, searching for at least a few minutes before I actually spot a scrawny fawn. It's so innocent looking, brown with white spots, with eyes that just naturally convey fear. It isn't even aware that we're watching it, let alone the intentions Cato and Katniss might have with it.

Katniss slides an arrow into her bow, arching her arm back to shoot. "Do we want it?"

Cato lightly pushes her bow toward the ground. "Yeah. But let me get him. I don't think Peeta thinks I can hunt." He shoots me a resentful glare. What did I even do to him?

"I never said you couldn't hunt." I tell him.

But soon I find myself wishing that I could take those words back, because Cato goes charging at the deer with his sword in hand. The naturally swift animal notices, and barrels off into a grove of trees. Katniss and I both try to hold back a chuckle. He hesitates a moment before turning around to walk back toward us, and when he does, he keeps his head down. Is it wrong that I think that they're both so cute right now? Katniss's laugh, although seldom heard, could just melt anyone's heart. And Cato's humility just makes me want to plant a reassuring kiss on his lips. Not that he needs to be reassured or anything. He's got every reason to be embarrassed after boasting like he did. Katniss could have easily shot the deer down with half the effort, but I dare not say any of that aloud.

Unfortunately, Katniss decides to do the honors. "Great skills." She says, menacingly. "I'm sure you could keep food in every mouth of the Capitol with your game."

The humbled boy rolls his eyes. "Shut up."

She chuckles. "Even Gale could have hit that with a slingshot."

Gale. I have to remember that he exists. She has a boyfriend.

"I said shut up." Cato barks, which only makes the girl chuckle.

I guess Katniss is either already adjusted to his brisk sarcasm, or she's simply too tired to retaliate. Either way, she doesn't respond anything more than a simple sigh.

"Well, at least we got our rabbit. Let's keep going, I'm sure you guys starving just as much as I am." I say, trying to ease all the awkwardness. They don't disagree with me. I'm sure Cato catches onto the fact I'm providing a distraction from making him look like an idiot for any longer.

"Yeah, let's keep going." He mutters, not making eye contact with me.

We keep walking, but this time not as fast. I look up at the sky, trying to determine the time by the setting of the sun. From what I can see through the clouds, it's probably late afternoon. I can't even believe how much the Gamemakers can mess with time. They just want the Games to abate. That way, the Capitol stays entertained, every level-headed person in Panem doesn't have to watch the gruesome horror for a horribly long period of time, and the Gamemakers can get out of the control room and go out and live their day-to-day lives again. But frankly, I don't know how someone could live a satisfying life with that kind of occupation. I know I couldn't go out into the world and accept all the riches and honor that Gamemakers usually get, knowing that I'm virtually responsible for the deaths of a handful of children. I've always looked on them with resent for that reason. But being in the Games was always one of my most crippling fears, almost to the point of a phobia. For the last four years, I would make myself sick to the point of vomiting every night for nearly a week leading up to the Reaping. The little bit of sleep I would get was always plagued with nightmares about having my name drawn. But strangely enough, when it actually happened, it wasn't as bad as I thought. I mean, I'm still scared of death... I really am. I wish I didn't have to face it. I wish nobody here did, not even Glimmer deserved the terrible fate she got. I can't look at Katniss or Cato without having this feeling of anguish and despair come over me, knowing that I can't save them. I can't even save myself. But maybe that's why I'm so eager to trust Katniss in whatever plan she's devising about getting the three of us out alive.

"So what's been happening on your end of the Games?" I ask Katniss.

Her face goes almost completely pale, as if I've just activated a stream of toxic memories to flood her mind. "I've only seen a few deaths."

"Whose?" I usually would know better not to probe her, but the curiosity just overtakes me. I wonder if she'll mention anything about the tracker jackers?

"Well, I saw some of the initial bloodbath. Both Tributes from One. The girl from Six. And the girl from Eleven." She glances at Cato. "And of course, the boy from Three. What did you see, Peeta?"

Even though he isn't looking at us, Cato is dead silent. He's probably intently listening, probably just as curious as me about what happened to the others. "The girl from Six, the girls from Two and One. The boy from Three. The girl from Five. Then, of course, the bloodbath."

Her voice seems to become slightly more strained upon her next question: "Did you make any kills?"

The girl from Six comes back to my mind... So, she saw that? I'm a bit ashamed, to say the least. The one person in the arena that I come close to killing, and the girl I've tried my whole life to impress just happens to catch sight of it."Well, the girl from Six, if that counts."

"But she was already dead. You just kicked her."

"It felt like I killed her."

She pauses. "...You didn't."

I take a deep breath. I think I finally understand why she's walking on eggshells so much with this conversation. Besides, I'm sure Cato is just waiting for me to ask. "Katniss, how exactly did the Tributes from One die?"

She sighs pensively. "... I killed them."

I'm not surprised in the least by her bluntness toward the subject. It's so much like the Katniss I'm used to. I'm not even surprised that she's killed a few Tributes. But I am shocked that Cato isn't reacting in a rage. In fact, we walk in a brief, but uncomfortable silence for a few minutes.

"You killed the girl using the tracker jacker nest, right?" Cato finally asks.

"Yeah. I didn't mean to hurt Peeta in the process, though."

He raises his voice, yet not in an ornery manner. "You didn't hurt him. I was the one who got stung shitless! Had a damn freaky hallucination, too."

"Well, I couldn't help who the bugs decided to target. They stung me, too. Besides, I didn't think you were helping him out at the time. I was sure that girl would die, though. She looked really ditzy."

"Yeah, she was kind of a dumbass." I say. Cato looks down and smiles. We both know how obvious Glimmer's lack of intelligence was. It's now that I really feel guilty for paying a lot of mind to Katniss today. Cato's smile is just so charming.

Katniss seems a bit relieved that we took the news so well. "She had a good bow. It belonged in the hands of someone who could use it."

"So how did you kill Marvel?" Cato asks. I think he and Katniss relate well in that neither of them are afraid to be brutally blunt and just tell it like it is.

"Oh, that was his name?" She sighs, a bit more reluctant to tell this story than she was the other. "Well, remember the girl from Eleven? We were allies for the first part of the Games... And when I left her alone for just a little while, she got caught in some kind of net. When she screamed for me, I heard, and went to help her. But before I could do anything, that boy found her and sent a spear flying through her stomach. At first instinct, I shot an arrow through his neck. I'm sorry if they meant anything to you."

Cato doesn't bate his response. "Marvel was kind of cocky. He wanted to do everything his own way."

"I think there are a lot of Tributes like that here." Katniss says, aiming her remark right at him. But as strong as he is, he's quite dense. He doesn't even pick up on it.

"I just wish we didn't have to die. I was happy to see you were still alive, Katniss." I tell her, earning another dirty glare from Cato.

Could he possibly be jealous...?

"Thanks. You too. And you know what? Maybe we won't have to. But it is cool that you guys have stayed allies for so long. Usually, Career bonds are weak and short-lived."

I don't know how obvious it is, but I blush a little at what she doesn't know. "Yeah. He's really indispensable."

Finally, the cave fades into view. Our steps quicken toward the rock structure until we finally set foot inside. Now I finally remember how hungry I am, I was too distracted by talking about the dead Tributes to even think about the gnarling in my stomach. Cato checks all the nooks, crannies and stalactites for Thresh or the District Eight boy, while Katniss and I dump our weapons and the contents of our backpacks onto the stone floor. As soon as I find one, I stuff a strip of beef in my mouth. I never thought that one day, I'd find something as simple as eating pleasurable to the point of almost being orgasmic. I must really be starving.

Katniss peeks her head outside. "Well, we need to cook up that rabbit before it spoils. And it's getting dark out. I need to do it now so the fire isn't too obvious."

"Alright, just set it up right outside. You have less of a chance getting killed if we can defend you." I tell her.

She smiles. "Alright. Does anyone have matches?"

Cato digs in his backpack for the small box. "Here. But don't use all of them. I need some for my cigs."

Katniss raises an eyebrow. "How did you get the sponsors to send you cigarettes?"

Both he and I pause. We know exactly how he got the cigarettes...Nice going, Cato. It seems like ages before he actually conjures up a response. But he shrugs his shoulders and plays it off. "I really don't know. I must have just done something that the sponsors thought was neat."

The huntress nods slowly, as if to say by body language that she isn't raking in all the bull. And she'd be smart not to. "Whatever. I've got a fire to build. You guys should set up our stuff for the night."

After the girl scampers away, I eat another strip of beef as Cato lays out our sleeping bags. It actually makes for a very awkward situation. First of all, I have no idea what Cato is feeling toward me right now - anger, resent, jealousy- whatever. All I know is that it isn't pleasant. Secondly, it's completely quiet. Between he and I, not a word's being spoken. I'm not sure if it's just resonating solely in my head or not, but my chewing seems abnormally loud right now. It's almost as if the sound was being amplified through a speaker somewhere in the back of the cave. I try to down my food as quickly as I can.

"Hey, Peeta, I've got to tell you something." Cato says.

His words unleash a nerve-racking tightness that encompasses my stomach. Through my cold sweat, I manage to eek out words. "Alright, shoot."

Noticing him walking over in my direction, I stand up to meet him, my back against the wall. His crystal blue glare nails me straight in the eye. Soon, our faces are only inches apart, and his elbow rests against the wall that my back is pressed against. This whole scenario makes my whole body feel tense in some kind of anticipation.

"I thought you said you didn't love fire girl anymore? If that's the case, I don't know why you're flirting with her so much. Bottom line, it's me or her, Peeta. And you best let me know who you choose, because I don't need you manipulating me like some little bitch. You should know that I've been manipulated enough."

"I-" I begin. But I'm interrupted by his lips crushing against mine, the intensity behind his words flowing through his kiss. Oh gosh, it's that feeling again. It feels so much better than eating did a few minutes ago. I'm so lost in the euphoria that I don't even care if Katniss happens to walk in right now. But after a few seconds, he pulls away to look me in the eyes again.

"Think it over." he says, walking over to his backpack. "I need a cig. I'm going to go get some matches."

"Um... Alright."

I watch him intently as he retrieves the package and walks outside. He's definitely attractive, more physically attractive than I find Katniss to be. I sigh, sliding down against the wall. Maybe this wouldn't matter if there wasn't a possibility that we all might make it out. And since there is, who do I choose? There are things I like and dislike about both of them. Katniss is beautiful and strong, able-minded and determined. All the good character traits I've always believed that someday I too could have. The country and my family wouldn't hate me if I chose her. But she's cold, emotionless and unfeminine. I've always been slightly repulsed by masculine women. Not only that, but she has Gale. I couldn't just tear her away from him, could I? Unless I somehow charm her away from him... but I doubt that's a possibility. They just seem like they'd be a good couple. He isn't a sensitive, artsy pushover like myself. But then again, she didstill choose to talk to me, offering to help both Cato and I, even after I claimed my crush on her during my interview. And that brings me to Cato. He's cold, sarcastic and somewhat brutish, but he's had a tough upbringing. He's got a soft spot for me, too. That's something Katniss doesn't really have. But because of my experiences with him here in the arena, I'm sure I've damned my family to self-containment in the house, making them afraid of showing their faces to the rest of Twelve. If I got home, and if I chose Cato, everyone would gladly have it out with me.

I haven't even noticed that the sun has already set. The sky is a dark blue, with smoke plumes wafting over from the fire outside. The stars have even come out, looking like tiny, glistening gemstones far embedded into a blanket. Since no one's died today, the Capitol Seal has no reason to be projected. It's the first night of the Games that I've just let myself stare into the sky and admire its beauty. Even though it's completely fabricated by the Gamemakers, and it's much too early to be night anyway, it reminds me of the days before I was ever subject to the Games. All the times my brothers and I would sit on our roof and try to distinguish patterns in the constellations above. I can't help but feel an overwhelming weight of emotion on my shoulders. Even if I could just walk away from the arena and return home, it'd never be the same.

Katniss peeks her face into the cave. "Hey, Peeta, the rabbit isn't going to be ready for quite a while. Cato's tired, and if you are too, you guys can just go to bed. I'll keep watch until this rabbit is cooked."

Now that she mentions it, I am starting to get tired. It's funny how even though the hours in the arena are set much swifter than usual, I always get sleepy around nightfall. The lack of nutrition and exertion from walking can really tire a human's body.

"Alright, but make sure you scream as loud as you can if something's happening, so we can come to your need. And wake us up if you see anything in the distance. And-"

"Don't worry about it, Peeta," she interrupts, chuckling. "I'll be alright."

Cato walks inside the cave, putting his half-empty cigarette box back in his backpack. "I saved some for you." He says quietly, so Katniss won't hear. I don't see any reason that she shouldn't know that I've tried smoking, but apparently he does.

"Thanks." I say, setting my backpack immediately beside my sleeping bag and crawling inside. It's so dark in here by now, I can barely even see Cato. But like last night, I can hear him crawl into his sleeping bag.

"Good night." He says, in middle of a yawn.

It's like he's trying to pretend that nothing ever happened. Who is he to call me manipulative?

"Good night."

The combination of silence and discomfort between us is so thick one could cut through it with a sword. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying as hard as I can to fall asleep so that I might be numb to it.

Tstch. Tstch. Tstch.

After a bleak, dreamless slumber, I wake up to the sound of a bow and arrow. I jolt upright, halfway expecting Thresh or the District Eight boy to be standing before me and arching an arrow at my face. But when my eyes fall upon the sound's origin, my blood runs cold and my heart drops.

Katniss is standing, straddled above Cato's sleeping bag with her bow pointed at his eye. The boy is snoring, not even aware that she's about to take his life.

"What are you doing!" I raise my voice.

Startled by my voice, she jumps back. "Shh! I'm going to get both of us out of here alive. Don't you want to go back to Twelve and be back home?"

The sound of my heartbeat in the midst of the silence is much louder than anything. I knew I shouldn't have believed her! This mingled emotion, of heartbreak, fear and betrayal, is no longer new to me. I stutter, too bewildered to say anything at all.

"Come on, Peeta, it's either stay with me and live, or be with him and die. You choose."

For once, my words can't speak for me. I take a deep breath, reach into my backpack and pull out my dagger. An animalistic instinct runs through my veins, and for a while I don't even feel like Peeta Mellark. My strength is at its optimum peak, and my determination soars. I raise the small, jagged knife and brace myself, knowing I'll regret this later. But right now, it needs to be done.

I've finally made my decision.