A/N: Thank you all so much for the reviews and what not. You're all awesome. Anyways, I promised that I would post this by tonight, so here you are. Not as fluffy, but I really didn't know how fluff would fit in while I'm trying to move the chapter along a bit. I promise, more fluff next chapter. :3
Katniss:
"I told you that you could sleep next to me, not on me." Cato has been smirking about the fact that I fell asleep with my head on his shoulder ever since we've left the willow tree.
"I'm sorry, ok?" It wasn't like I meant to.
"I honestly doubt that you are." He snickers. I scowl and follow him along the river. We've been looking for the past one or two hours. Still no sign of Peeta.
"It was cold." I mutter lamely.
"I think that we've established that fact." He replies, still smirking.
I know that arguing won't help, so I stay quiet and concentrate on our surroundings. It's sunny out, and the pleasant chatter of mockingjays emits from the trees on either side of the river.
"They've found someone." Cato's voice interrupts the silence. He is looking at a thin plume of shaky smoke that is slowly rising up into the sky. He grabs my arm and dashes in the direction of the smoke.
The trees pass by in a blur, and colors blend into one. I try to keep up with Cato's frenzied sprint, but I get tired quickly.
"Hurry up, turtle," he calls over his shoulder. I have indeed fallen behind. I had thought that someone big like Cato wouldn't be able to run very fast, but I seem to be wrong. I stop with my hands on my knees, hoping that the cramp in my side will go away soon.
"I thought that you'd be able to run farther…" Cato smirks.
"I'm not Clove, so shut up." I snap as he opens his mouth to deliver another line. I can breathe more normally now, but my legs feel like jelly. Must be because Cato's been dragging me around for the past 2 days. I take a step forward, and they give out under me. I'm reduced to a quivering pile of limbs.
..
"Do I really have to do this?" Cato sighs and quickly swings me over his shoulder, as if I'm simply a sack of food or supplies.
"Let me down! Cato! Stop-it!" I try to wiggle out of his arms, but stop when he starts running again.
"I'm doing you a favor, so shut up."
I stop struggling and let myself go limp. I realize that this is probably the closest that I've ever been to Cato while awake. There's the scent of…is it perfume? No, it's cologne. I sniff his shirt, and sure enough, there's a hint of it in there. I don't know how he still smells so good when we've been running in an arena for the past few days. His stylist must have drenched him in it before he left.
"Are you sniffing me?" He sounds amused, and I quickly stop.
"No. I just got some dust in my nose." I lie. On the pretense of the excuse, I take in more sniffs of his cologne. It actually smells amazing.
"You are so weird." I can imagine him rolling his eyes. I wonder what I smell like to him. I washed all the perfume from the interviews off. I turn my head a bit to sniff my own shoulder. Thankfully, all I can detect is the fragrance of the earth…leaves and sticks.
We continue for a few minutes, his arms holding me in place, me growing slightly dizzy from watching the ground move backwards so quickly. Then we stop, and suddenly I am dumped onto the ground unceremoniously. Cato wipes nonexistent dirt off the shoulder where I had been, smirking. I stand up and try to muster up my remaining dignity.
"They're up ahead," he says. We break through a row of bush-like plants, and as we emerge through to the other side, I can smell the smoke.
A small pile of green wood is setting off the smoke. But it's what is besides it that makes me gasp.
Clove is sitting there calmly, a dark grin on her face and a large knife in her hand. Peeta is besides her, hands and feet tangled in a net-like contraption, and mouth gagged with what looks like a piece of ripped-up cloth. He frantically squirms when he sees me and Cato approach.
My hands fly to my mouth, and I am frozen in horror as Clove and Glimmer greets us.
"About time you got here. We found him this morning." She giggles. "Do I get to kill him now?" She looks at Cato expectantly, hands folded in a childish manner.
"She's been thinking of ways to cut him up since we sent up the smoke." Glimmer sends a dirty look towards Cato and completely ignores me.
"Go ahead. Do whatever." Cato sounds bored now, and he takes a spot beside Clove and pulls out his sword, waiting for her move.
Peeta squirms wildly again, and shouts something. It is muffled because of the gag, but I think he's calling my name.
I stumble forward just as Clove stands up with her knife in hand.
"Wait! Don't touch him!" I yell.
Clove turns to me, a malicious smirk on her face. Cato has arched an eyebrow.
"You're not going to take away another one of my kills, Fire Girl. Too bad for you, you're going to see Lover Boy die in front of you. Cato, can you hold her back?"
Cato rolls his eyes and steps towards me, creating a barrier between Clove and I with his arm. Clove grins and turns away from me to survey her victim.
"The mouth first, yes. Then the legs and arms. Ooo…I'll do that." The District 2 girl seems to be talking to herself. I watch her one-way discussion on what she'll do with Peeta, my eyes wide with fear.
Finally Clove seems to have decided what she wants to do. It's like a game to her, as if she's a chef slicing up a hunk of meat.
Woah. No, don't think about that. Way too vivid. I think that I'm going to throw up.
"Got any last words before I start?" Clove's hand darts forward and she removes the gag from Peeta's mouth.
"Katniss, RUN! RUE, DO IT NOW!"
We all stand there for a second, confused. But then there's the sound of buzzing from above, and the crack of a branch breaking. I look up to see a beehive falling towards us, its inhabitants already angrily swarming out.
"Tracker jackers?" Clove screams. She plunges her knife down into Peeta's thigh, and then quickly gathers her knives and runs. So they were tracker jackers…TRACKER JACKERS? I'd heard that one sting could kill you if you were unlucky.
"RUN!" Cato shouts, grabbing several of the bags. Glimmer starts screaming as the first tracker jackers hit the ground.
Clove sprints past us, several tracker jackers in tow. I can hear their angry buzzing and see the huge stinger that protrudes from their bodies.
Cato pushes past me and starts running towards the lake. A line of the mutant insects follows him.
Peeta, who is still tied up in the corner of the small clearing, is being helped by a small, dark figure. Rue?
I do not take time to ponder as I start running. A piercing pain appears in my knee, and I put on a burst of speed.
The sound of buzzing envelops me, but I can still hear agonized shrieks that pierce the air. Must be Glimmer. She'd been the slowest, and I had seen a whole army of tracker jackers dart towards her.
Then I remember…the bow is still with her. Without thinking, I rush back to the clearing as the swarm of tracker jackers leaves the blonde's once beautiful body. They seem to lazily ascend back into the trees, but I know better. They are looking for more victims.
Another sharp pain pierces my neck, and I feel the body of the insect scrape against my skin. I quickly run out to Glimmer's lumpy, distorted body.
Don't throw up. Don't. I am having trouble thinking, and everything starts to get a pink-ish tint. No, not the hallucinations…not yet. I have to get the bow.
Shaking my head to clear it a bit, I wrench the quiver out from under the oozing body and wince as I break off several of Glimmer's brittle fingers in order to get the bow.
The sound of buzzing approaches once more, it seems like the tracker jackers have noticed my presence. I stumble out of the clearing, unsure of which direction to go. Everything looks shiny and distorted. Only when I see the glint of a knife laying dormant on the ground am I able to distinguish which direction the lake is in.
I crash into trees and trip over rocks that were not there seconds ago and somehow make it to the central clearing.
Oh look…a pink rabbit. And a deer with ten eyes.
I only have time to stumble towards Clove before everything blacks out.
Cato:
"…Cato. Cato. Cato? Cato! Cato! CATO!" I jerk up as my name is screamed. It seems like the hallucinations have passed, but there's still a strange tint to everything.
I turn to the source of the noise, groaning. Clove is staring at me with her observant dark eyes.
"Get her off of me!" She doesn't seem to have many stings…just a few on her arms. I think that I only have one on my wrist.
"What?" I realize that the lake is only inches away from my hands, and I scoop up the water and splash my face.
"She's too heavy, get her off of me." Clove repeats, sounding annoyed. She must be really weak if she can't even lift the skinny girl from 12.
"God, wait already!" I snarl. She can be so demanding.
I force myself to get up, even though I feel like crap. Katniss seems to have passed out on Clove, and is clutching a bow. Wait, a bow? Must have stolen it from Glimmer.
I stumble towards Clove, who is still staring at me expectantly. I quickly push Katniss off of her. She must really be out.
"Where's Glimmer?" I ask, examining the lump on my wrist.
"Dead. Why else would Fire Girl have been able to get the bow?" Clove snaps, getting up and crouching down beside the lake. She uses her cupped hands to scoop up water and dump it onto her own head.
"So it's down to us three now." My vision is hearing are back to normal, and I fall back onto the lush grass.
"We should kill her now. While she's unconscious. It'll be so easy." Clove says. "And chances are that she'll wake up and take us out with that bow."
Hmm…true. I sit up.
"Not yet. I want to give them a good show. Killing someone who's out is like killing a potato." What the hell did I just say? Potato? Where did that freakin' come from?
"Are you sure that you're okay? 'Cause that was the most idiotic thing that you've ever said." Clove snickers.
"Shut up." I growl. "I'll just take her bow and arrows, and she'll be helpless again."
I grab the bow from her hands and the quiver from her back and stuff them into my backpack.
"So…what'd you two do when I was with Glimmer?" Clove smirks. I have a feeling that she is thinking vulgar thoughts with that annoying mind of hers.
"Nothing, you idiot." I answer, annoyed.
"I didn't think so." She replies, clearly disappointed. Is that so? Then explain to me why an eager look is in your eyes and a stupid smirk is on your face.
"Glimmer was going on about you the whole time she was with me. Thank you, but I really don't need to hear about how 'hot' you are." Clove adds.
I grin and lightly punch her in the arm.
"Shut up Clove. You know that it's true."
"Did Yevon put some type of permanent gel in your hair or something? Why is it always so perfect-looking?" She suddenly says.
"What? No…why?" I answer. The District 2 stylist had sprayed no less than a bottle of the damn cologne on me before launch, but he hadn't done anything to my hair.
"Just wondering." She sounds jealous, and I turn to see her trying to untangle a knot in her own hair.
"She actually doesn't look that bad, considering that she's from the ghetto district." Clove smirks, shooting a glance at Katniss.
I flash my eyes to the skinny figure. I guess that she's kind-of attractive. But it's not like I'll ever admit it.
"Yeah, she's really quite attractive…" I smirk. Clove stares at me in disbelief.
"...in a non-existent way."
"Thank god, I thought that you were going crazy for a moment there." She sniggers.
You were the one to bring it up. I hold up three fingers and turn to her.
"How many fingers am I holding up?"
Clove seems confused and answers cautiously, as if there could possibly be a trick answer.
"Uh…three?"
I grin. "Good, because I thought that your eyesight was failing for a minute when you said that she wasn't bad looking."
Now it is she who punches me. I pretend that it hurt by rubbing my arm to make her feel good. But she still is glaring at me.
"That didn't hurt, did it?"
"Oww…I think that a bruise is coming on." I moan dramatically. She punches me again, this time harder.
Katniss:
The first thing that I notice is that the bow and arrow aren't in my hands. I scramble up, and see Cato and Clove sitting around a fire. The sun is setting, giving everything a harsh orange glow. At least it isn't a blue or purple tint. I must have been unconscious for quite a while.
I stiffly get up and walk over to join them.
"Finally up, Fire Girl?" Clove rolls her eyes at my appearance. I sit down in the grass, cross legged.
"Where's the bow and arrow?"
Cato turns and grins wolfishly. "In the lake."
"You're kidding, right?" I bite my lip and stare at him.
"Nope."
"You suck, Cato." I growl. Clove is looking at me with amusement, the flickering flames reflected in her chocolate-colored eyes.
"Look who's talking." He replies, still smirking. Then his voice drops, although we both can still clearly hear it.
"There's a fire now. So the cold shouldn't be a problem."
For some reason, I feel heat rushing to my cheeks. I scowl at him, and Cato starts chuckling. Clove seems confused about what he's just said, but I have a feeling that she'll pick up really soon.
"Obnoxious jerk."I mutter to myself. Louder, I retort, "Screw you, Cato,"
His smug grin is slowly slipping into the crooked smile that had caused me to want to join the Careers.
"I'd like to see you try."
See? Not very fluffy, I know. There's always next chapter though... C:
Please review if you liked it, even a few words would be lovely. Thank you all so much for all the nice comments...although I might not reply, I'm reading every single one of them.
I'm not going to set any goal this time, but the more reviews, the more pressure I feel to update. In other words, offer me a piece of cake and I'll do write an essay for you. Offer me some reviews, and I'll write a chapter for you. Hope I'll see you soon in my next update!