Four Leaf Clover

Chapter Twenty-Three

I panted for air, swallowing the sick feeling I had in my stomach. I lifted my head from where I'd been hunched over, looking around, before seeing something growing, some feet away.

I slowly got up, wincing at the pain I felt in my leg, but forced myself up, limping for the bush, grabbing my knife on my way there.

Once I was right in front of it, I looked down on it. And, all of a sudden, all of that overwhelming grief turning into what I felt during that fight, but tenfold.

I bent down, grabbing one of the flowers from the bush, not caring for how the thorns stuck into my hand, my fingers too, blood coming out, getting onto the stem of the flower. I used my blood-stained knife, cutting a reasonable amount for there to be a stem on the flower. I did this twice.

I stood up, putting my knife into its sheath, holding the two flowers. I brought my hand up, which was still slightly bleeding. I gently touched the white petal, staining the once pristine white rose petals, red.

The more I observed the once perfect white roses, the more anger I felt. I felt angry, no, that's an understatement. I'm infuriated.

I limped back to Rue and Felix's bodies, bending down, gritting my teeth in pain at my leg. I put them both on their backs, making it where they both seemed to be clasping one of the blood-stained roses each.

I grabbed the small dagger that Felix had tried to use, there being some of his blood on it. I wiped it off on my blood-stained clothes, which, at this point, had dried. I then tucked it into my waistband, on my back. You never know.

I stood back up, sniffling once more, before wiping away any leftover tears. I grabbed my knife, pulling it from the sheath, feeling pain surge through my chest.

I gripped my knife tighter, my breathing getting heavier. My mind was clouded with anger, grief, and now worry. Amidst my rage, I haven't seen hide nor tail of Clove. I felt more strong emotions fill me, where could Clove be? Was she dead like Rue and Felix? That thought alone made me feel so much worse.

I shook my head; I need to clear my head. And I only know one way to deal with how I felt inside.

Taking it out on others.

✥

Clove's POV

I can't take this anymore. Marvel hasn't returned and Cato keeps saying that he will return, also preventing me from going out and looking for Ellie.

I rubbed my eyes, surely looking like absolute shit. I've been sick with worry, not really thinking about much other than Ellie. She's taken over my mind and I can hardly figure out why. Yes, I shared many close moments with her, but...fuck, I can't take thing anymore. I'm going insane sitting here and wallowing in worry.

I got up, looking to Cato, who was messing with his knife.

"Cato, we have to do something." I sighed, feeling all the emotions I've been pushing down coming up, hardly able to mask it anymore, "We must go out and find Ellie. Marvel isn't coming back, no one is."

Cato looked up at me slowly, an enraged look on his face, him standing up, speaking slowly, his tone threatening, "No, we stay here. Marvel will come back."

I shook my head in disbelief, what the fuck is wrong with him? I remember Ellie and Cato fighting before the tracker-jackers fell. I was pretending to be asleep but heard it all.

"This is about Ellie and yours fight, isn't it?" I shot back, Cato somehow looking to get angrier.

"What did you just say to me?" He spat, me only getting angrier too, him walking closer, getting in my face, but I held my ground. "What happened to her is her own fucking fault, it has nothing to do with me. She can be dead for all I fucking care."