Holey motherfucking shit. When I started this story I was in middle school, now I graduate high school in two years. I originally intended to finish this story in six months but as you can see that didn't work out LOL. For everyone that has stuck with me though thick and thin, I cannot thank you enough. I barely had any confidence when I started writing this story. I was being bullied and fanfiction was the perfect escape. I've cried, laughed, and smiled while writing this. I'm glad to say that I am finally wrapping this story up. This will be the last chapter followed by an epilogue. I love each and everyone of you so so so so much. Your reviews put a smile on my face during the hardest moments of my life, and for that I can never repay you.
Word count:3,866
"Attention tributes! Since we have six of you left, each pair of you from the same district, we decided to... make a little adjustment to the rules. I have place a convicted criminal inside of the arena. The person who finds him and kills him, may bring one thing of their choosing from the arena. This includes valuable plants, stones, and many other things. The convict will be randomly placed in the arena at sunrise. Happy hunting!"
Cato stares at me. "Does that mean..."
"Yes. Yes it does."
Before the sun even began to rise Clove was awake. She glanced at her digital watch and frowned. The time read 5:05am. Her stomach felt as if a thousand butterflies were flapping their wings. In just under an hour and a half a target would be turned lose inside the arena. Clove knew she and Cato had the ability to kill the target swiftly and without hesitation, but the only problem was actually finding him. Perhaps they could split up in order to cover more ground. Cato was obviously more than capable of taking care of himself, as was Clove. They technically didn't need each other for protection, but it was nice to have someone to watch your back.
The darkness of the cave created the illusion that morning was far away. For a moment Clove wondered if her watch was off. The dim shimmer of the moon and stars allowed the smallest amount of light to creep in. She placed a cold hand onto her stomach and began to move her fingers in small circles against her pale skin. A patch of goose bumps erupted on her flesh before dying down.
A million thoughts raced through her head. None of the tributes knew weather or not the convicted criminal had a violent past, or if he had been trainer to fight at all. In order to find him they would definitely need to split up.
Tired of feeling restless, Clove sat up and crawled out of her sleeping bag. She yawned quietly as she rolled the bag up and snapped it shut. She glanced over at Cato who way laying on his back with his mouth ajar, snoring softly. Her eyes softened as she looked at him. Gone was his hard glare and tight jaw. He looked so much younger and almost incapable of murder. She scoffed at her own thoughts. His parents were both Victors, and though she would never admit it to him he was more deadly than her in so many ways.
With a small sigh she crawled over to him and placed a delicate hand on his shoulder. She shook his arm ever so softly as she hovered over him. He turned his head to reveal the scar that read Clove. She stared at the word that had been carved into his skin so long ago.
She leaned forward and placed a barely-there kiss against each letter. She heard him stir softy and mumble something before blinking his eyes open slowly. With sharp breath he flipped her over and had a firm grip around her throat and her arms pinned to the cave floor. Clove sucked in as much air as her constricted body would allow. Her green eyes meeting his with a glare.
"Shit," Cato breathed as he let go of her. "I thought you were someone else." he said as he lifted the majority of his weight off of her.
Clove coughed and rubbed her throat in an attempt to sooth it.
"No one would ever kiss you before they killed you, idiot." she croaked.
"I happen to be quite a catch." he whispered with a huff.
She rolled her eyes before glancing back up at him.
"We need to get going soon." she told him softly.
"That can wait." he said as his cold breath ghosted over the crook of her ear.
Their lips met softly in a warm, well needed, kiss. It felt as if they hadn't kissed in forever, or at least until the Games started. If they had she could barely recall it.
"Cameras." she breathed against his lips.
"I don't really care about that." he said.
His lips moved against hers in a way that Clove could only describe as heaven. She almost forgot how much she loved kissing him. Despite this, the fact that a million people could be watching them made her uncomfortable.
"Well I do," she said as she pushed Cato off of her. "Besides, I want to get going now so we have a better chance off finding the target. I doubt they're going to place him right outside the cave." she said pointedly.
"You don't know that." Cato said.
"Yes I do, now come on I want to get a head start."
"Fine, but when someone else finds him by the cave don't blame me when one of us ends up dead."
"Whatever, let's move out. I'll go north and you'll go south, make sure you have everything you need."
"Got it. I'll have him dead within the hour." Cato said as he picked up his bag and headed off in the opposite direction.
...
Clove counted her knives and inserted them into her holster. She took a deep breath and began her silent walk through the forest. Each step was carefully calculated so that the crunch of the leaves wouldn't alert anyone within a thirty foot radius of her location. The sun was just beginning to rise and with it came a feeling of dread.
If she or Cato did not find this criminal before the other tributes then there was no possibility of them getting out of the arena together. Even though they found a loophole there was still no guarantee that the Gamemaker would allow the one item Clove could take from the arena to be Cato- and vise versa. There was a slim possibility that the star crossed lovers of District 12 could beat them to the target.
The Capitol was practically eating out of their palms, perhaps the whole reason the exception was made was so bread boy and fire girl could make it out in one piece. Uhhgk. The very thought of not only one person wining for District 12 but two made Clove feel ashamed. If someone with no combat training could defeat her Clove would have gladly accepted failure and embarrassment. But that was before the baby. Now, not only was she winning for herself and Cato, she was winning for her family.
The sharp snapping of a branch caused her to whirl around and throw her knife so it sliced through the air at lightning speed. A small deer fell to the ground with a pitiful cry. It tried to stand before falling back to the soft earth once more. Relief passed though her when she realized that the possible threat wasn't dangerous at all.
Clove approached the wounded animal cautiously. The deer tried to get away but the small animal could barely move. Clove pulled the knife out, grabbed a leaf, and swiped the blood off the blade. She gave one last glance to the dying animal before resuming her search for the criminal. Clove gripped the blade tightly in her hand, not wanting to dirty the the other blades by putting the stained weapon back inside the holster. If the animal felt comfortable enough not to run at the sight of her then it must have been around someone else as well. She'd have to be on high alert for the rest of the day.
The sound of trickling water reached Clove's ears as she made her way through a thicker section of the forest. A few drops of deer blood dripped from the end of the blade as Clove approached the small stream.
She pulled her canteen from her pack and dunked it into the cold water, allowing the liquid to flow into the container. When it was full Clove brought it to her lips and took several generous gulps. She swallowed every last drop before refilling her canteen and placing it back in her bag.
The sun had definitely risen and Clove was determined to find the convict before anyone else.
As of 24 hours ago there were three tributes left, not including herself and Cato. Thrash from District 5 was strong, yet he didn't have the coordination Clove did. Katniss and Peeta had both somehow managed to make it past the cornucopia, which in Clove's mind made her think that the Games were somehow rigged. If that was the case she and Cato didn't stand a chance. How could two incredibly stupid and untrained 'killers' get past so many skilled tributes? The answer? Luck. A while back someone had won simply by hiding in a tree the entire time, so unless the two love birds were making a nest Clove was certain they would meet their untimely doom.
Clove had yet to hear a cannon, which was pleasing yet discomforting at the same time. If a cannon sounded someone may have found the target, but if it didn't then Cato had not found the criminal either.
A male scream brought Clove out of her thoughts and onto the ground. She crouched low as she surveyed the landscape. The yell had come from close by, approximately ten yards north. Another pained cry was sounded and Clove found herself moving forward, knife in hand. As she slowly rounded the corner she saw the back of an older looking man. He was in his fifties and had a full head of gray hair, not to mention an arrow sticking out his arm. Katniss had her bow and arrow pointing at him, ready to pull back and make the kill.
Clove whipped out a second knife and threw both at the same time followed by a third. The first landed dead center in the man's back, the second pierced his neck, and the third hit him in the base of the skull. Without hesitating she pulled out a fourth blade from her holster. She gripped the blade tightly before pulling her arm back and throwing the small spear at Katniss. Already shocked from the sudden attack on the man, Katniss fell to the ground the second the blade pierces her shoulder. Clove stood up from her hiding place and sprints over to Katniss. She makes a move to stand but Clove dug the sharp blade in her shoulder even deeper. Katniss's face went white as blood gushed from her wound.
"If you ever even thought you had a real chance of winning you were only fooling yourself." Clove growled as she pulled the blade from the other girls' shoulder and sliced it quickly across her throat.
Without giving the Girl On Fire a second glance she jogged over to the man who had a steady stream of blood gushing out of his wounds. He made the quietest groan, a sad noise really, but it was enough for Clove to flip his body over and push one final blade through his heart.
Two cannons went off at the same time.
Clove pulled away from the man and sat on the forest floor in exhaustion. She closed her eyes and took a deep breathe through her nose. She did it. She could bring Cato home with her. A small laughed slipped past her lips. She had done it. She had actually done it. Not that there was ever any doubt, but now everything just seemed more real.
A wave of relief and happiness washed over her. With one last deep breathe Clove opened her eyes. She had two knives left in her holster, one for each of the remaining tributes. Cato also had several swords back at the cave, not mention several other useful weapons.
Now that the temperature was rising Clove though it was best if she headed back to the cave, not only to brag but to get some well needed rest.
...
Cato paced back and fourth inside the cave. Two cannon shots were fired. He ran through all the positive possibilities of who could have died and how. Thresh could have killed Katniss and Peeta, or Clove could have killed Thresh and also killed the target? Cato clenched his jaw and ran a hand through his hair. The second he heard the cannon he had gone straight back to the cave, and he knew Clove would do the same. But honestly, what was taking her so long? Clove was fast but he didn't think she could get far enough so that she couldn't hear the cannon. A nagging thought in the back of his mind reminded him that Clove could have been the one to die. That particular thought wasn't getting him anywhere. Cato grabbed a sword that was leaning against the cave wall and walked out into the sunlight.
He glanced around for any sign of Clove but his eyes were only meet with trees, rocks, and pine cones. Cato sighed and kicked a small stone with his boot. It hopped and skipped a few feet before coming to a stop next to a boulder. A smaller rock the size of a big cantaloupe was...blinking? For a moment Cato through he was loosing his mind and a spike of fear ran down his spine. The rock quickly shut its eyes. Cato lifted his sword above his head, shut his eyes, and brought it down against the 'rock'.
A cannon boomed loudly. Cato was not the kind of man to feel fear, but at this moment the last thing he wanted to do was open his eyes. He turned around so his back was facing the large boulder. He looked at the ground and saw a dark trail of blood run by his feet.
"Gross." he mumbled to himself before quickly walking back into the cave. He briefly wondered where anyone could get face paint in the arena and have the time to sit down and make themselves look like a rock.
"Bad game plan." Cato said to himself in regards to the decapitated boy outside. Cato looked around the cave for something he could use to cover the body. He searched through one of the supply bags before finding a large tarp. He pulled it out of the bag and got to work.
...
As Clove was walking back she heard the sound of a cannon fire. She froze for a moment before breaking out into a full sprint towards the cave. The only people that were left were Thresh, Cato, and Peeta. The thought of the unknown drove Clove to pick up her pace. Peeta wasn't much of a threat but Thresh was a different story. If he had found Cato and taken him off guard there was a good chance that he could be dead. Her feet slammed against the hard earth and her breathe was low and shallow. Fast-er fast-er fast-er her feet chanted. As the clearing approached Clove skidded to a halt.
"Cato? Cato!" she shouted as she looked around wildly.
"Clove?" she heard Cato's confused yet relieved voice respond.
"Thank god." she muttered to herself and she leaned against the outside of the cave wall to catch her breath.
"Clove," Cato said once more as he walked into the sun light. He pulled her against his body in a short hug. "What happened?"
Clove held up one finger to indicate he needed to wait as she dug through her bag and grabbed her canteen. She chugged the water like a dying man, not caring if a small stream dribbled down her chest and into her shirt. She pulled the canteen away panting.
"I did it, I found him." she said with a tired smile. Cato broke out in a grin. He picked her up and spun her in a circle.
"You did it! Y-you actually did it!" Cato said with a laugh.
"Was there ever any doubt?" Clove replied with a raised eyebrow and a scoff.
Clove never got an answer. Instead Cato cradled the side of her face and brought their lips together in a slow, sweet, kiss. Clove smiled against his lips as his eyelashes fluttered her cheeks.
"We're going to do this, we're going to make it." Clove whispered when they broke apart.
"Was there ever any doubt?" Cato asked with a lopsided grin. Clove pushed his arm.
"What was the cannon I heard on the way here that caused me to shift into overdrive?" she asked him.
"I killed the bread boy." he said while angling his head in the direction of the tarp.
"Yikes. I got the Girl On Fire though." Clove told him. "I don't know about you but murder is exhausting."
"That means the only person left is Thresh." Cato said knowingly.
Clove sighed and closed her eyes. "Let's get inside. I've had a very productive day and I need my beauty sleep." she told him as she grabbed his hand and pulled him into the cave.
They took turns sleeping, even thought night fall was still hours away. Clove was curled up inside the sleeping bag when Cato woke her.
"My turn." he said with a yawn.
"Fine." Clove mumbled as she crawled out of the toasty warm sleeping bag. She stood up with a stretch and walked out into the sunlight. Despite the fact that she was exhausted from her run, Clove felt content. For her, the Games were over. She and Cato had it in the bag. All they had to do was find Thresh and they could go home. She and Cato would get their own house in Victor's Village, have their baby, and not worry about getting killed every five seconds. Of course, there was still the matter of actually telling Cato she was pregnant. He most likely still had a concussion from his hit in the head, and there was no telling weather or not he would get his memory back. She didn't think he would actually buy her story of a bird falling out of the sky and hitting him in the head, but hey, everything worked out right? For the first time since the Games started Clove felt as if she could relax.
The sun began to set the temperature began to slowly drop. In the morning after a long rest and recuperation they would head out and look for Thresh. It felt good not to be on guard 24/7.
The snapping of a branch made Clove laugh. If another deer had followed her again she might as well let it live. They had enough food to last them a while anyway. She turned around expecting to find a deer but instead came face to face with Thresh. Clove leaped back and reached for her knives only to find her holster empty.
"Cato." she said in a small voice.
Thresh was upon her quickly. Her body was slammed against the ground with enough force to knock the wind out of her. A large callused hand pinned her down while the other hand held a rock.
"Cato! CATO!" she screamed.
"He's not coming stupid girl." Thresh sneered.
Where was he? Oh god he was asleep. No no no.
The large rock came crashing down next to Clove's head, mere inches from her skull.
"CATO!" Clove cried. Her lungs felt as if they were on fire, her heart was pulsing against her rib cage in a beat that sounded like save-me save-me save-me.
The silhouette of the rock was blinded by the sun as Thresh raised his massive arm to the sky. Out of the corner of her vision Clove saw the racing figure of Cato approaching her.
You're too late. She thought to herself. It's too late, just run Cato. Her mind screamed.
Thresh backed away from her as Cato ran towards him, sword in hand. Clove scrambled backwards in shock at being released. It seemed that Thresh cared more about defeating Cato then herself. If she had time to think Clove would have been offended, but when you life is hanging by a thread there's no time think at all.
Cato tackled Thresh to the ground and held his sword against the other man's neck. He dug the blade in sharply until a steady steam of blood began flow down Thresh's neck. With one final push of the blade a cannon boomed loudly. Cato stood up slowly and turned to face Clove.
"I want to go home now." he said in a steady voice.
Clove let out a long breath and closed her eyes. She pushed herself off the ground and into a standing position.
"The one thing I choose to take from the arena is Cato, the District Two male tribute." Clove said firmly while looking up at the sky.
She waited several long agonizing seconds before the booming voice of the Gamemaker echoed throughout the arena.
"Ladies and Gentlemen I present the winner of the 74th annual Hunger Games Clove Williams! And the object of her choosing is none other then Cato Thomson!"
"Wait, I didn't win too?" Cato said with a frown.
"I guess not," Clove said with a laugh, "But none of that matters now anyway, right?"
Cato grumbled out a response.
"Don't pout, you have plenty of time to get used to the idea of not being a winner." Clove said with a grin.
"Hey, I'm getting out of the arena alive, that seems like wining to me." Cato pointed out. "Plus when the two of us get back home we'll only have one house in Victor's Village, which works out good." Cato said as the hovercraft appeared in the sky.
"Three." Clove said quickly.
"Three what?" Cato asked.
"When the three of us get back, I'm pregnant."
So I hope you enjoyed reading this. I don't think this chapter was my best work but hey, I tried.
Please please review!
Let me know if you want an epilogue!