Bad Boy Better Run (Clato)

Chapter Twenty: If I Had Been There

IMPORTANT AUTOR'S NOTE FIRST: Basically, 90% of you said Clove should survive being beaten by Thresh (you little romantics...). Originally, I was going to kill her off there (hence me writing in Cato's point of view for the past few chapters. I'm sneaky.), but, we'll see. I came up with a pretty good ending that I'm pleased with, but I might change my mind. If you're looking for a tragedy, don't worry, I'm going to kill people off like I always do. If you're looking for fluff, don't worry, that's in there too. However, that's going to be in the next chapter.

ALSO (PLEASE READ): I've entered, as I've mentioned before, The Writing Games, (the link to it is in my bio), with my character, Braden Smith. If you'd like to check it out, please do. The Games have just begun and I sent in my first task entry last night, I don't know if it's been posted yet though.

ONE MORE THING: I've created my very own competition: The Creativity Games. For more information, go to my stories on my profile! I've posted the entry form and all the information you need to know, so check it out! And enter! Please! Haha.

~

[Continued in Clove's Point of View]

I snickered as I helped the wimpy little Girl on Fire down. Cato had run off to take the District Five girl, and soon after he'd gone, Katniss showed up. It was fate. Smirking proudly, I took the most delicate-looking knife I had on me, and cut Twelve's cheek right then and there. Crimson blood stained my knife and bubbled where the cut was. She cringed as I cut her, and I relished every second of it.

Taunting her about Loverboy, I continued dragging my blade across her cheek.

"Oh yeah...and what happened to your little friend? What was her name again? Rue? We're going to kill you. Just like we killed her, " I hissed, chuckling at my own words.

Just as I was about to plummet my knife into her face, a brute force lifted me up off of the ground, and I dropped my knife in surprise. My back was slammed against the jagged, metal side of the cornucopia and I winced.

Training my eyes on what - or who, rather - slammed me into the cornucopia, I stared up into the dark face of Thresh. The boy from District Eleven. He couldn't have possibly heard what I'd said about Rue...right?

Fumbling around in my jacket for another knife, I began inwardly panicking. Why couldn't I get a hold of my knives? Where were they? Where was Cato? Why wasn't he back yet? Was I going to die?

Thresh gripped me tighter and shoved me against the cornucopia once more. He leaned towards me, rage flashing through his eyes.

"What did you say about her? You killed her? The little girl?" he growled, his breath fanning my face. It smelled awfully, though I suppose days without a way of brushing your teeth did that to a person.

"No!" I exclaimed. "It - it wasn't me! It was Marvel!"

I was practically begging for my life, but I couldn't help it. I didn't care. I needed to live. I wasn't the prey - I was the predator. This was all wrong.

"You were gonna kill her too?" he snarled, shaking me.

Not bothering to answer him, I felt tears pricking my eyes and that's when I began screaming at the top of my lungs. Screaming for Cato, screaming for my life, just screaming. Cato's name left my name repeatedly and in my frazzled state I was able to hear him screaming my name back. Or was it just my imagination?

Thresh dropped me, and I hit the grass with a dull thud. Was he just...going to let me live? Relief flooded my veins for a split second, but then I saw it.

A large rock was grasped in Eleven's calloused hands, and he was approaching me looking as angry as ever. No, he wasn't done. He was going to kill me. Me, Clove. I'd trained for this my entire life and now I was going to be killed by a measly little outline district tribute.