I heard Cato curse under his breath. Then he screamed: "SHIT!" and it took me by surprise. He screamed again and ran in the direction we came from back to the camp.
Marvel and I quickly followed but lost him shortly after he crashed through the first layer of trees.
We did not see them again until we reached the clearing, but we sure did he him long before that. Screaming at the top of his lungs.
When Marvel and I arrived Cato had already yanked the spear away from the boy from 3 and was approaching him threateningly.
"What the hell happened?" He screamed in his face. Marvel and I were still running into the clearing when the frightened boy began to respond
"I I I I…" he stammered, "The girl from 5, the one that looks like a fox…" he started, "she came and stole some supplies and… and I chased her, I almost got her too. But then I came back because I wanted to guard the camp and the girl from 12, the one that killed Glimmer," He pauses and glances at Marvel who cringes at the sound of his partner tribute's name. "She came and shot two arrows at the bag of apples and…" he stopped, "and everything went black. I woke up just a while ago and heard you scream and Katniss, Katniss was already gone." He finished and stares at Cato with a sincere apology in his eyes. "I'm sorry." He says to Cato and then looks at the ground, well aware of the fact that his short life would be ending very soon.
Honestly, I felt kind of bad for him. He is a thirteen-year-old boy who clearly tried to do his job. But he slipped up. And making even the slightest mistake in the games will cost your life. And he knew it.
"I really did try my best." He says, looking straight up into Cato's eyes.
"That's not good enough." Cato spits back. In a blur of muscles and screaming, the boy lays on the ground, lifeless, neck broken by Cato as the cannon fires.
Cato, Marvel, and I stand around the boy's corpse in silence waiting for the hovercraft to come and take him away. When the hovercraft finally comes, Marvel practically stomps away from us into the forest.
"Where are you going, Marvel?" I yell behind him.
"I'm going after her. I am going to kill the girl on fire." Marvel says. Anger flushed over his face, ears practically steaming. I could see his heart beating through his chest. His anger was contagious. Looking at him made me angrier than I'd almost been in my life. And Cato, well Cato was already the angriest out of all of us.
"Fine. Go. Avenge Glimmer. Whatever. You have no idea what this girl is capable of. She's going to kill you." Cato says in the most evil way he can.
"KATNISS!" we hear the scream in the distance.
"The little girl is caught in my net. If I can't physically kill the girl on fire, then I will kill her emotionally, and then you guys can finish her. The girl on fire can not win the games, she will not." Marvel finishes and sprints into the woods.
The next time we saw Marvel he was in the sky, the first of today's fallen, followed by the little girl, who was- of course- not followed by Katniss Everdeen.
"He did it. Well he did what he set out to do." I say to Cato and he only responds with a smile before he lays down to sleep.
2 Who Originate from the Same District
Cato and I wake up a few hours later by the voice of Claudius Templesmith booming down to us in the arena. First, he congratulates the 6 of us left in the arena. Only 6: Myself, Cato, the girl who looks like a fox, the huge boy from 11, Katniss, and lover boy.
"There has been a rule change," Claudius begins, "The rule requiring one lone victor has been," he pauses, "suspended." He continues, "It has been decided that two victors may be crowned if they both originate from the same district. This will be the only announcement." Claudius finishes and the air grows silent.
"Oh my god!" I say, looking at Cato, stunned.
I start giggling and talking about the rule change when all of a sudden Cato silences me by pressing his lips to mine. It caught me by surprise. I have never kissed anyone before. I guess if I'm going to die in here then why not? All of a sudden, Cato pulls back, leaving me wanting more.
He looks at the ground, cheeks flushed as he says: "I'm sorry… I" He didn't finish his apology because this time it was me doing the silencing by pushing my lips onto his, even more fierce then before. He grabs my face in his too strong hands and I wrap my arms around his muscular back. This goes on a little while more.
Finally I pull back and just smile at him. "We can both make it out." he says, a huge smile spread from cheek to cheek.
"I know." I say back with just the same excitement that I heard in his voice.
Cato leans in and quickly pecks my lips with his own and then he wraps his arms around me in a loving and excited embrace.
We were hugging when I feel his warm breath on my neck and hear his voice, soft and gentle in my ear: "I love you." He says, which takes me by surprise. I pull back out of the embrace, not realizing how offended I looked until I see it reflected back to me in his eyes.
I quickly pull him in and kiss him again, letting him know that I feel the same. I pull back, but only slightly. I press my forehead to his and say back: "I love you too." I say and his lips meet mine again, hungrier, more passionate than before. I twist my hands through his matted hair and he pulls me closer, his hands firmly wrapped around my waist.