The Games We Play

The Start

I...care about him.

I trust him.

I feel comfortable with him... but I knew my feelings had no place in this Game. Maybe this is why I cared less and less when I saw Cato with Glimmer. I got less irritated whenever I saw them. I even felt a bit pity when I lost two allies. I knew this wasn't the place to be jealous. Yes. I, Clove Holt, finally admit that I was jealous. Slightly.

I don't know if this is love but I wanted to figure it out. I haven't really felt love from my mother. I did feel a bit from my grandmother, whenever she'd wake up from her own world. I guess if this is love I have for him then maybe yes, I do love Cato. No, I didn't just like him. I love him. I love him in my own way. I don't want to be like Peeta, who gushed about Katniss on screen. I wasn't like that. The love I may be feeling for Cato is not loud or scandalous. It is silent and unnoticed.

And, hopefully, something that will not ruin our show.

"You're quiet." I jumped a bit when Cato interrupted my thoughts. He wore a smug smirk, "You're watching me."

"Don't flatter yourself." I turned away.

Cato laughed, "You're turning red, little Clover."

"Damn you." I hissed at him.

"I love you too."

As if on cue, Marvel and Three emerged from the trees. "We're done! That was fun." Marvel laughed as he jogged towards us. "We'll just wait for the trap to work and..."

I stood and shoved Marvel off, "You talk too much."

"What the hell is your problem?" Marvel frowned.

This is the Cato I hated so much. This is the Cato I just couldn't stand... the Cato who could make me feel so many things with his words and actions that I couldn't function well. His words, no matter if it seemed like a joke to him, made me vulnerable. This Cato, the real Cato, made my brain incoherent and my heart pounding.

Fuck you, Cato.

"Hey. Look."

I don't know if we're now known as the Careers who are always being lured by smoke but somehow I figured that we are. In a distance, in the forest, there was smoke floating up to the sky. I guess it was probably a tribute creating fire to cook something. Do these idiots ever think? Creating fire in the Games is just a clear signal to the other tributes on your whereabouts. I thought as I turned to Cato, who had already leapt to his feet and nodded at me.

"Let's go!" Cato commanded.

I frowned, "What about him?"

District 3 looked at us. Cato thought for a while, "He's coming. We need him in the woods, and his job's done here anyway. No one can touch those supplies."

"What about Lover Boy?" Marvel frowned.

Is it possible that the Girl on Fire is behind this? Is this a trap?

"I keep on telling you, forget about him. I know where I cut him. It's a miracle he hasn't bled to death yet. At any rate, he's in no shape to raid us." That's true, I nodded at Cato's statement. He took a spear, which was in the pile of weapons by the Cornucopia near the food supply, and thrusted it in the hands of District 3. "When we find her, I kill her in my own way. No one interferes."

I frowned but I was in no position to argue now.

The four of us set off to the direction of the smoke, which was as clear as day. I couldn't help but think about what Marvel asked. What is Lover Boy was already fine and this was a plan to be able to lure us to our deaths?

Impossible, I shook my head. There's four of us. Three are Careers. How many could they possibly be? Two? I smirked and shook the idea out of my head. Katniss wasn't that intelligent to be able to cook up a plan this complicated and this risky, right?

We had easily tracked the fire but when we arrived, no one was there. It was just a burning mass of leaves, and sticks. I turned to Cato in slight alarm. It seemed like he also realized that this was a plan... but what? What kind of plan was this? Who managed to do this? What is that tribute thinking?

"What is..." Before I even managed to speak, I saw another smoke. I frowned. I don't want to be made stupid in front of the entire Panem. Whoever was doing this is going to be killed by me in the worst way possible. "I don't know about you but I am going to kill whoever is behind this."

Alone or not, I ran towards the direction the smoke was coming from. I heard footsteps behind me, I was actually glad they followed.

But like the first one, there was nothing. In my anger and irritation, I took a knife from my vest and threw it off a random tree. There was silence, even Cato didn't speak. "Whoever did this..."

There was a loud, deafening boom which broke me off.

"Shit. The Cornucopia. It came from the Cornucopia!" Marvel gritted his teeth. For the third time today, we ran as fast as we could. On our journey back, there were a few more – not louder than the first one.

District 3 did his job well.

The Cornucopia, once our paradise of overflowing supplies, became barren. All of the crates we had - full of food, weapons, medicines and other things – were all ruined.

Cato began cursing so loudly. This was Hunger Games Cato.

He clenched his fists and brought them up to his head. He screamed out loud and nearly pulled out his hair. He had begun a tantrum, just like the time when Katniss' eleven was shown, and had thrown himself to the ground and started pounding it like crazy.

Marvel, Three and I avoided him. I made my way towards the crates. Marvel looked around for our pile of weapons. Three started throwing stones on the places he had put the bombs.

I kicked around and found absolutely nothing. I was about to tell Cato about this but he already knew. He already had his arms around District Three. I winced when I saw Cato break the boy's neck. It was an instant death.

"Cato."

"Don't..." He growled at me.

"Cato, just..."

Marvel went to us, "Whoever tried to steal from us, they probably died." He pointed up to the sky, "We'll see the identity tonight."

"He's right. Calm down." I insisted. I went to him and laid a hand on his arm, "Just...stop. Let's get out of here. We have to find a new place to set camp in."

"Where do we go?" Marvel asked. He seemed very willing to help me now.

"The lake. We need water. I still have iodine. District Three taught me..."

Cato sneered, "No one will speak of him."

In silence, we went towards the direction of the lake. We have no intention of going back to the Cornucopia. There was nothing there left for us. For the rest of the Games, we will set camp by the lake... but I don't think we can last long.

The odds were not in our side anymore.

We had no supplies.

We don't even have the identity of the one responsible for the destruction of camp.

Can we still win this?