Hello! A new chapter is here! Only two more parts are left! The story is soon to coming to a close! So expect the next part soon! Enjoy!
The next day is hectic for me. It starts out with more hunting trips. Then I'm off to school, not as bored as usual for Rowan is his usual entertaining self, but everyone else seems to be in a better mood as well. After school, I head for the first day at my new mining job. I wonder how Katniss will react to the news of me taking the job that killed both our father's. I know as delighted as my mom was for me to have gotten a job, when I told her it was mining her smile fell a little, clearly remember my father's demise. When I stopped by the Everdeen's to drop over some of the game I caught and told them the news, I couldn't miss the look in their eyes as they too pictured me receiving the same fate fallen upon their loved one. But like my mom they congratulated me. For we all know money is far more important.
Turns out the work is much more difficult than presented in the classroom. But I learn to manage. Sweat covers every inch of me, as I swelter in the condensed air of the shallow space. But I work through it, wanting to prove my worth. I get glances of approval from guys I know to have recently graduated from school. Even those who have been working in the mines since before my father seem to be impressed with my ability to learn as I go.
The only semblance of a recap that I get of the games while in the mine are from the projectors up near the entrance. So it's been hours since I've last been hinted about Katniss. The last update was of her dejectedly being cooped up another day in the cave since the weather in the Games is anything but friendly at the moment.
When the bells ring out and the group that I've been assigned to is lead on the rickety elevator shaft up to ground level. I have to hide the exhaustion that makes it hard for me to keep my eyes open. I haven't been so active in so long. My body is sore and muscles that I rarely use are screaming for rest. I'm patted on the back multiple times for my hard work. Dust billows off my clothes and I can only imagine how much is on my face. But looking past the physical exhaustion I feel, my confidence has grown immensely.
"Theodore, did well in recruiting you," says Reynolds, one of the most well known members of District Twelve, for he is someone who doesn't need to work, cause he has money, but insists on volunteering down in the mines to prove to people that he is above it all. I respect him for it and having him praise me adds to my satisfaction with being here. I finally have a place, surrounded by people who I can prove my worth to.
I return home, all energy drained. I stumble into my house my limbs growing heavier by the second, only to be swarmed by my mom. She frets over me, taking of my dust covered jacket, helmet and boots. She pulls me into the bathroom where a hot bath awaits. "Get in before it cools off." She leaves me to get cleaned up, but honestly I fell asleep the minute the warmth of the water spread across my tired body. I startle awake after my head leaned too far over and my mouth landed in the now black water. I get out feeling better for being clean and somewhat rested.
After I'm dressed, my mom already has a plate of meat and vegetables awaiting me along with some cheese that Prim came over to give my mom today. I shovel it in my mouth since I haven't eaten since lunchtime at school. I sit facing the TV now having the chance to catch up with the Games. I've never missed so much before and it was liberating having other things to worry about.
Right away, I feel bad for admitting this, but it's true. I hate having to worry about Katniss because it's all I can focus on. Today was the first day that I've done anything without being fully transfixed on what was happening to Katniss. It was nice, not feeling down as I watch her with Peeta. I felt like myself again.
As I think of this, the camera switches from the District Five girl as she eats her last resource of food and moves on a search for more to Katniss curled up to Peeta. My mom has placed a cup of tea for me to drink and I sip on it while Katniss and Peeta talk intimately about the start of Peeta's attraction to her. " We were five. You had on a red plaid dress and your hair… it was in two braids instead of one. My father pointed you out when we were waiting to line up," Peeta admits.
"Your father? Why?" Katniss questions.
"He said, 'See that little girl? I wanted to marry her mother, but she ran off with a coal miner,'" Peeta says.
"What? You're making that up!"
"No, true story. And I said, 'A coal miner? Why did she want a coal miner if she could've had you?' and he said, 'Because when he sings…even he birds stop to listen.'" Peeta then confesses how hearing Katniss sing made him fall in love with her. Katniss is reluctant to believe him, but the way Peeta talks and describes the day, there's not doubt clouding the fact that Peeta is telling the truth. He's not playing in this act, his living it wholeheartedly. Katniss seems to grip that too. Her once happy attitude has shrunk away as she says, "You have a remarkable memory." She looks confused, and uncomfortable. But I think only because the confession is not in the confines of their own seclusion, but for the whole nation to view to draw feelings of their own from.
"I remember everything about you." Peeta draws away a strand of loose hair from her face, "You're the one who wasn't paying attention."
"I am now," Katniss says barely above a whisper.
"Well, I don't have much competition here."
"You don't have much competition anywhere." Katniss concludes by going in for a kiss. I don't really know how to react to the confession. I only stare blankly at the screen, replaying the sentence, "You don't have much competition anywhere" over and over. I try to shake off the lingering hope at the word "much" in the sentence.
The kiss lasted only a second before a noise alerts the pair, Katniss quickly into a defensive stance with bow drawn. Peeta's the first to move, checking outside the cave. He's out of sight, but as he let's out a cheer, instead of a yell, we're informed that there's no harm. Peeta comes back in handing Katniss a parachute with a basket attached. They open it to reveal an array of food. Bread, chees, apples and lamb stew all waiting for them to feast on.
"I guess Haymitch finally got tired of watching us starve," Peeta says eyes shining. For him this must be the best day he's had in a while. First Katniss confesses her feelings and now this…
I try to shake the bitterness off by gulping down the tea I've neglected. It's gone cold and only adds to the bad taste that lingers in my mouth. "I guess so," Katniss replies. The pair is careful not to devour it all in one go. Instead, they carefully divide the meal up and begin by eating sensible amounts of each food, keeping plenty leftover.
They make a promise to eat more sometime later if hunger arises again, but only a snack to keep them from starving. I clean up my plate and cup of tea that I finished even if it was no longer edible. My mom just finished putting Posy to sleep. Posy was the picture of happy this morning even after I took the jacket away from her. I make a note of it to let her have the jacket more often since she deserves to have the one physical thing of our father to remember him by.
It's gotten quite late into the night and I begrudgingly still wish to watch although today's events are not up to par on my account. But nothing else happens.
With Katniss that is.
One second the camera fully focused on Katniss and Peeta as they laugh over moments spent with their mentor Haymitch. The camera in the Capitol shoots to him, where he humbly bows at the attention. But suddenly Thresh is on the screen.
We haven't seen much of him as of late. The grass area that he resided in for most of the games is too wild for even the camera to capture him directly so usually shots of him are short and rare. But we are greeted to see him in the woods drifting along in the eerie quiet after a sudden flash flood forced him to evacuate the area.
He's on alert as if he heard something suspicious. He has a tight grip on a rock, still his only weapon of defense. As he scans the area he makes no noise, but it doesn't matter. The camera zooms in on Cato stealthy sitting to ambush Thresh. He's smiling as he does, the anticipation of violence making him twitch with excitement.
As Thresh turns his back, Cato finally makes himself visible. But he doesn't attack right away, he just struts out cracking his neck before saying, " I know it was you." Thresh moves to face him. The rock stays firmly clutched in his hand. " Life for Life," he simply states, no ounce of remorse for his actions.
Both stand knowing one is not going to make it out of this. Thresh is the first to move. His burly body faster than you would first perceive, but still not enough to take Cato by surprise. Cato sidesteps away from him swinging his fist making contact against Thresh's chin, whipping his head back violently. Thresh shake of the blow, lifting the rock up to hit Cato square on the shoulder, earning a roaring yell from him.
Cato done fighting without a weapon, pulls out one of the knives I remember his ally wearing in her jacket. He swings it with accuracy that Thresh isn't fast enough to avoid, leaving him with a bloody gash on his forearm. Nothing too serious, but you can see it unnerves him; all the while Cato lets out a whoop of victory, at the sight of his bleeding opponent. "Come on!" Cato yells and draws forward, his smile back as he slashes at Thresh.
They both manage to land numerous hits on each other, but as Cato slices deep into the wrist of the hand the holds the rock, so deep that you can see bone, it drops from Thresh's hand, leaving him defenseless.
Cato kicks it before Thresh has time to pick it up. He then kick his heal right into the wound, drawing a shout of pain from Thresh who reacts by grabbing Cato's leg and tugging him down on the ground. They grapple for the knife and for a second I think Thresh is about to get ahold of it when suddenly a silver object shines from Cato's other hand and a second knife punctures into the side of Thresh's neck. Thresh shudders and pulls away from Cato.
His eyes bulge in shock and we see that his hand just grasp the rock, only to be a second too late. The rock drops, alerting Cato to it. Cato laughs, wiping the blood off his forehead. He stands, picking the rock up and playfully tosses it in the air before slamming it down against the side of Thresh's temple. "How does that feel?" Cato throws the rock to the ground, kneeling down to pull his knife from Thresh's neck. He wipes the blade clean on Thresh's shirt, before putting it away.
Cato moves to retrieve the two bags that Thresh carried. We see the pack that was meant for District Two at the feast that Thresh swiped. Cato rips it open and when he sees what inside, he let's out a howling laugh. He looks crazed as he topples over, blood dripping down his face as he holds his stomach from laughing so hard.
When he calms down and pulls out his secret weapon, I fear for Katniss more than I ever have during the whole Games. Caesar Flickerman narrate as Cato places on his gift from the Capitol, "What you're seeing now is a special type of armor designed by our very talented Beetee Latier. It will help deflect away any weapon, for example… an arrow."