Dangerous Affection- The Hunger Games- A Cato Love Story

Chapter 15: Alliances

Chapter 15- Alliances

It is morning, and I hadn't slept a bit.

I had nodded off some, but I would snap back to the real world at the tiniest of noises. The thought of being killed at any second keeps me constantly on edge.

Instead of sleeping like I should be, in the very early hours of the morning my mind is occupied by Cato. The fact that he had talked to me had my mind spinning and butterflies in my stomach, not to mention my heart racing double time. I now know Cato has a plan, but I don't have the slightest idea what it is.

I feel my back getting stiff, and I decide to pack up and do some hunting. I grab all my things, and quickly find my way down to the ground. I find myself headed in the opposite direction of where Cato and his group had gone, not worried about running into him, but the knowing the others won't hesitate to kill me.

After wandering for what seems like forever, my mind is too preoccupied to think straight about hunting. Instead, I gather some berries, telling myself they can fill my rumbling stomach. Only when I hear hushed whispering do I turn my head to the side, listening.

"Do you want to die?!" What sounds like a young boy's voice reaches my ears.

"Well, no, but-" A girl's voice replies, but was cut off.

"Then shut up!" The boy shouts at her.

I pinpoint the sounds, and start heading that way. It may not be the smartest of ideas, but then again, I'm not really thinking straight at the moment. They are only a few yards away, and I find them crouching in a ditch. Both of their heads shoot up, and their eyes go wide with fear.

"Don't hurt us! Please!" The girl starts to sob, and it worries me a bit that she's this vulnerable in a Game like this.

"Sadie, quiet down!" The boy shushes her. "Look, Alexandra, can you get on with it? We prefer a quick death, if that's an option."

The boy talks as if he doesn't care, but his voice shakes and the fear in his eyes cannot be mistaken. Even if it would get me out of this Arena faster, I know I can't kill two innocent kids. The girl, Sadie, can't be more than thirteen, and the boy... He is the same one that was following Ryder and me in the Training Center only a few days ago.

Lucas and Sadie are now huddled together, and only Lucas' eyes look into mine. I don't know what to do, so I hold out my hand.

He stares at it warily, his eyes flicking back and forth from my hand to my face. "Take it." I encourage him.

He ignores my offer, but does scramble up from the dirt, and helps Sadie to her feet.

"So..." Sadie chokes and coughs, and restarts. "So, you aren't going to hurt us...?"

"I'm not the type to hurt someone that hasn't given me a reason to hurt them," I tell her softly.

A ghost of a smile crept across Lucas' face, but Sadie smiles big, and runs into my arms. She may be older than Lucas, but I can tell she has the heart of a small child.

I pick the leaves out of her fiery red hair, and brush off the dirt as much as possible. "Have you eaten anything since we got here?" I ask them.

They shake their heads. "I thought I remembered some berries that were edible... But then I thought of some others that, well, weren't, but I wasn't sure which was which... So we didn't try either." Sadie tells me.

"Well, how about I show you some, and then we get some real food." I tell them, and Sadie agrees instantly. Lucas doesn't look too eager about teaming up with me, but I see that he will if Sadie wants to. I find myself glad that Lucas isn't so quick to trust people- around here, a thing like that will get you killed.

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Sitting around our little fire, eating the meat we caught- well, I caught- we have our own little alliance formed, and I don't mind that they might not be of much help. They are fun to talk to, and if I don't think about how they will have to die if I am to get out of here, I can almost look at them without flinching.

"I've never met someone that could hunt as well as you!" Sadie exclaims, that smile now permanently etched across her face.

Thankfully, I'm saved from having to respond to that. Not so thankfully... It was because a knife had just whipped past my head, and is now implanted into the tree in front of me. Lucas reacts fast enough to tackle Sadie to the ground, which literally saves her life. I hit the ground hard, scrambling for my bow and arrows. Luck is with me, and I manage to notch one, and I take a knee as I aim for the blur in the trees. I fire after a moment's hesitation, but my aim is off and it hits the person in their thigh. A low pitched scream escapes the guy's lips, and after trying to take a step, he drops to the ground, clutching his leg. I pick myself up off the ground and make my way over there, and stop before him. I meet his eyes, and listen as he groans something barely audible.

"Please... Kill me."

I let another arrow fire straight into his heart.