The Hunger Games - Peeta's POV

Chapter Twenty-Nine - The Feast of Fatalities

The rest I have no interest in. I know what happens, as it was me who was one of the stars. The only thing I wanted answers to was what happened during my lucid dream. What happens at the feast. Katniss told me that Jaqueline was inside the Cornucopia when it opened, but didn't elaborate further.

I have no choice but to listen to what happens. When Katniss finds me. She heals me as best as she could. Go hunting. And then finally, when she mixed the sleep syrup with the broth. I fall asleep, and am silent as Katniss arranges her bow. She leaves me with my knife, and pulls off my jacket, as the sleeping bag and my fever will keep me warm plenty.

She spends about an hour camouflaging the entrance of the cave. She does a rather remarkable job, and it looks as though the cave is just another part of the boulders. There is a small hole around the side, but only someone who previously knew it was there would find it.
When the sun has barely made an appearance, Katniss heads to the Cornucopia. She was moving around, of course, as the night was too cold to stay still. She is hiding behind the rocks that overlook the Cornucopia, speculating how to retrieve the pack, when the centre of the hornet spins, and dispenses a platform, with 4 labelled packs. As Katniss is ready to pounce, Jacqueline appears from the centre. She grabs the pack labelled with 5 and runs into the forest. That was how smart she was. She must've spent the night there, and left the other packs as to not bring her pursuers. Katniss was not over-exaggerating when she said she was smart. Too smart, I had said. As the red hair disappeared into the trees, Katniss must've realised that it was now or never. Darting to the smallest pack labelled 12, a knife skims past her shoulder. It misses, but Katniss turns back to assess her situation. Clove, with snake-like eyes, was preparing her second strike. With no time to loose, Katniss fires an arrow that is destined to sink into Clove's heart, but she dodges, making the arrow slice her arm on the edge. It doesn't affect her throwing, and as the second knife hurdle towards her, Katniss is flung back. It opens a gash just above her eyebrow, and it nearly reaches the top of her forehead. Blood is sent, obscuring Katniss' vision long enough for Clove to barrel on top of her. She pins Katniss to the ground, until Katniss is left, unable to move.

"Where's loverboy?" Me. She's talking about me. "Oh, you came here to save him, didn't you. Too bad he's not going to get help." She says, sickly sweet.

"How do you know he's not killing Cato, huh?" Katniss responds.

"Oh don't be stupid, Cato knows exactly where he cut him." How does he know? He was too dazed to chase something else, how does he remember where he cut me? Or did he let me go on purpose? Even though Clove seems confident, she still warily looks around, as if expecting me to jump on her. Seeing that I am nowhere near, she opens her jacket, showcasing an array of knives, each with a different curve on the blade.

"Cato said that if he let me have you, I had to promise I would give the audience a good show. Just like we did when we killed your little friend. What was her name? Rue?" She traces the edge of Katniss' face with the edge of one of the knives, the one with the curviest and most sadistic look.

"I think I'll start with the mouth. Any last kiss you want to blow for loverboy?" Instead, Katniss spits blood onto Clove's face. Hot, sticky blood. Her eyes remain firmly open, staring down her killer. Determined to die undefeated. Where have I seen this before?

"Alright, let's get started." Her mouth twists into a snake-like smile, and I recognize it. My dream from before the reaping. When the District 4 boy was about to slit my throat. I stared him down, but my saviour was the sand. It swallowed us, and blessed me with a quick end. What saves Katniss?

A force pulls Clove back, sending her screaming. She is held in the air as easily as a feather being plucked from a turkey.

"Did you cut Rue up? Did you cut Rue up like you were going to cut this girl up?" Deep voice. Deep, demanding voice.

"No! No ... Cato! Cato!" Clove screams.

"Clove!" Comes from the distance, but he knows he is too far away. Who plucked Clove from Katniss?

"I heard you! You said you did!" And then the tribute smashes Clove against the Cornucopia. Not once, but twice. She is still alive, confirmed by the rapid rise and fall of her chest. But there is a dent in her skull, and she is beyond repairable. Her killer turns around, and I see Thresh. Of course, Thresh. But I can tell Katniss thought he was going to kill her, too.

"Did you save her?" he asks, still demanding.

"I tried. I did, but he got there first. District 1. I sang her to sleep."

"Sleep?"

"Death. I sang to her until she died." To my surprise, he doesn't attack.

"Just this time, 12. For Rue. No more is owed. You and I, we're even." What does that mean? Even for what? Why does it matter? Katniss nodded, seemingly understanding what he meant, and ran to the safety of our cave.