The blood on these hands (Clove Kentwell)

Chapter 9

As the elevator reached the roof Iris saw Clove sitting on the edge of the building. Iris walked over to her and sat shoulder to shoulder with her, being this close made Iris's heart beat out of her chest. "I'm scared." Was all Clove said to Iris. "I know me too." Iris said to clove trying to comfort her. "Listen I know I am not very good at this whole comforting thing but I promise you this I will always look out for you and have your back in the arena." Iris said knowing she probably sounded cheesy and stupid. "But what if we are the last ones in that arena." "Is that even a question I die no questions asked and if you don't kill me I will kill myself." "But I can't lose you." Clove said as she looked at Iris with tears threatening to fall. "You don't need me, do you know how much your family and everyone will love you if you win this and go home. You will be able to live your life not a robots life." "First of all I do need you more than you know, more than I even think I know but you know who else need you...... your whole family Max your mother your dad." "Nope." "What?" "I don't have a dad it's just me, my mother, and little max." "What happened?" Clove asked not even realizing she was invading Iris's privacy. Iris stayed silent for a moment as she told herself that she won't break in front of Clove. "You know you can talk to me, it's not the first time I've seen you cry." "What when have you ever seen me cry?" Iris asked defensively. "When you were wiping away your tears the first night in the elevator, I just didn't say anything because I knew it was private but now I am asking why we're you crying in that elevator." Iris still stayed silent thinking back to that elevator ride that seemed so long ago, as she was lost in thought she felt Clove scooting closer as she wrapped her in a side hug rubbing her hand up and down Iris's back comfortingly. "Well it started when I was six my dad started getting behind on his bills for his shop that he owned, but he had talked himself out of it so many times before that I didn't think much of it until we were sitting at the dinner table eating one of my favorite meals, fresh bakery bread with goat cheese and basil leaves and there was a knock at the door. My dad got up to answer it and being the curious six year old I was I was right behind him." Iris's talking had turned into voice crack after voice crack but she swore she wouldn't cry in front of another tribute especially Clove. "When he opened the door he was immediately pushed back into me so as I tried to get out of the way he tripped over me and fell. The peacekeepers came in and beat him to death. And I was just there watching the whole thing. Stupid peacekeepers didn't even give him the luxury of dying a peaceful death! They made him suffer and for what!" Iris's talking had turned into yelling. "Hey it's okay I am right here with you. I am right here." Clove said calmly into Iris's ear. Iris broke her promise to herself as she started crying right there on the spot thinking about her dad. She felt Cloves arms wrap around her as Iris cried into her chest. "Little max didn't even get to grow up with a dad because of them. They are monsters all of them." Iris said still crying. "I know but it's the past there is nothing you can do." "Yeah but there was stuff I could've done. I could've done anything to help but no I just stood like a freaking idiot while I watched him die." "You were six there was nothing you could have done." Clove said trying to make Iris feel better. "I just wish I could hug him one more time, tell him I love him one more time, just go into the woods one more time and jack around with him." Iris said while still crying but smiling thinking about all the happy memories she had with her dad. "What if we jumped?" Iris said while looking over the edge of the building. "No, are you crazy." Clove said while pulling Iris back closer to her. "What it's not like they need us it just makes it easier on the rest of the tributes." "So what, I would rather go down with a fight then go down because I gave up and jumped off a building, and I am not letting you do that either. To many people need you Iris and they wouldn't want you to give up especially not your dad." Iris looked at clove on her last statement having no more tears to cry. "Now enough of that mushy talk I'm not a big fan of it. Everything changes tomorrow and hey that bet still stands. Clove said with a small smirk. "What bet?" Iris questioned her noticing her smirk. "That I couldn't get a knife to your neck." "Oh that bet. Yeah I still believe you can't." Iris said with a teasing smile on her face. "We'll see about that." Clove said as she stood up and offered her hand to Iris, Iris took it also standing up until Clove pushed her to make her off balance. "Beat you to the elevator." Clove said as she took off sprinting towards the elevator. "Hey not fair you pushed me." Iris pouted as she took off after her. "I win." Clove said as she reached the elevator first. "Yeah yeah whatever." Iris said rolling her eyes stepping into the elevator. Clove pressed the floor 2 button first. "Really." Iris said as she reached around her and pressed the floor 5 button. Clove smiled as the elevator started going down but right before it got to the second floor Iris turned to Clove and engulfed her in a hug. "Whatever you do don't die, please." "Oh please I think it's you we should be worried about dying." Clove said as she hugged Iris back. As the elevator stopped the two separated. "Goodnight." Iris said as Clove stepped off the elevator. "Goodnight princess." Clove said as the elevator doors closed and once again for the final time Clove gave her signature wink. Iris smiled to herself as the elevator started its way back up to her floor.

    As the doors opened she was met with an angry Porter and guilty Gabe on the couch. Iris's stomach flipped at the sight of them as she went to go try and sneak into her room. "Where do you think your going?" Porter asked angrily. "Um to my room because it's late." "Yeah it's late and yet you are just now getting back." Iris didn't say anything she just looked down guiltily. "Hm that's what I thought, see Gabe here told me everything about you and that stupid Clove girl." "Stupid? She is anything but stupid-" "Yep just as I thought she is using you and she has gotten to your head." "No she's not like that." "Honey all of them are no matter how hard you try to change them they will always use you to get to the top." "No you don't know that, you haven't even talked to her a day in your life." "I don't have to with Gabe here's explanation and the fact that she is a career kinda shows a lot." "What did you tell him!" Iris said yelling at Gabe. "Nope he's not in the conversation it's just you and me." Iris didn't even respond she just stormed off and went to her room.

   As Iris let the warm water run down her back for the last time she thought about what Porter said. What if he was right what if all she was doing using her to win. She did get the highest score so using her was their best advantage. She used her favorite soap for the last time and scrubbed until the sent was soaked into her skin. She got out and put shorts and a t-shirt on to sleep in. As she got in her bed for the last time she was left to think about what Porter said and Cloves actions or words, she started silently crying as she thought of how she opened up to Clove just for her to use her. She sat there silently crying as she drifted off the sleep in her comfortable cloud like bed for the last time.