star crossed lovers ➸ cato hadley

xii. dangerous illusions

"You can leave whenever, you know that right?" The female spoke, leaning her head on her hand as she laid on her stomach. The blonde hair boy traced the scars on her back, feeling the whip marks that indented her skin.

"But where's the fun in that?" The male spoke, a cheeky smirk on his face as he leaned down and kissed her wounded back. She shivered, not due to the cold, but to his touch, just like she had all the other times. He hated watching her brutally hurt herself, knowing that there was nothing he could do about it. So every night they had together, he would kiss each scar. He would promise to hurt President Snow, like he hurt his own grand-daughter.

"You're going to be the death of me, Finnick Odair. I can just feel it."

"Then let me make you feel something else." The famous Victor answered, pulling Rosen Snow close and kissed her like there was no tomorrow.

     As Rosen stared at the District Four tribute, she couldn't help but remember when times were simpler and they could just be themselves. Now they were forced into this situation with no survival. There was no hope or saviours for the two, only death.

"You going to stand there looking pretty, or are you going to help?" Finnick asked, pulling Rosen's attention from her mini daydream.

The pair hadn't brought up the plan to protect Natalie since they started the games. It was far too risky with the Capitol watching their every move and the fact they had no time alone away from the three teenagers. Not that she complained. Rosen felt protective over the victors, they were the youngest tributes in the quarter quell and the most hated. Finnick had told her that most of the tributes thought it was their fault they all ended up back in the Hunger Games.

Victors was meant to be granted immunity but one act of the defiance and it all came crumpling down. At first, she didn't blame them. That was until she met Natalie Mellark. Rosen had heard the rumours of the female trying to take her own life and it had saddened her. She was tortured with guilt and it wasn't until then that Rosen realised Natalie was just another piece of President Snow's game.

     Rosen and Finnick had brought their pile of fish back to the group, who had seemed delighted at the sight of the food in front of them. Once cooked, they had eaten and let their bodies recover. "Have you thought of any baby names yet?" Rosen asked Cato and Natalie.

Natalie had sat in front of Cato with his arms wrapped her around her stomach. They looked like a pair of lovestruck puppies, despite all the horror around them. It had made Rosen want a love like theirs. She had often thought she could love Finnick like that but the two had only ever stayed as friends-with-benefits, nothing more.

"We've not really had a chance to discuss it." Natalie admitted. She had try not to think about their situation. That the possibility of them dying or her living without Cato and Peeta was right around the corner. She would rather spend as much time with them as she could before they reached that decision.

Before anyone else could say anything, a scream caught the group off guard. Both Finnick and Cato rushed to their feet, weapons in hand as they instinctively stood in front of Natalie and Rosen. A tsunami crashed over a sector of the forest and into the Cornucopia, a canon sounding around the area.

"Someone's here." Peeta announced, picking up his sword. The victors and the lone tribute rushed to the treeline, watching as three other victors walked out of the forest all covered in blood.

At first nobody could tell whether the intruders where friend and foe, but as Rosen spotted the familiar short hair, she was off. "Johanna!" Rosen screamed, rushing over to the woman and embraced her with such force that they ended up crashing to the ground. Finnick took off immediately after, not having time to slow down before he joined the two girls on the sand. The trio temporally forgetting where they were and their troubles.

"Looks like we've got new allies." Peeta mumbled to Natalie and Cato, who hadn't looked the slightest bit impressed. They had only wanted to be with each other and now they were somehow stuck with five other people. It was more people they would have to kill in order to survive and the greater the betrayal.

"Well I got them out. We all the way deep into the jungle where I thought it was going to be safe. That's when the rain started." Johanna stood up, pausing to help Rosen up, "I thought it was water, turns out to be blood. Hot thick blood. It was coming down and choking us."

"We were stumbling around, gagging on it blind." She sighed, and tilted her head back as if to collect her thoughts. "That's when Blight hit the forcefield. He wasn't much, but he was from home."

"What's wrong with her?" Cato asked, nodding towards Wiress, who was frantically muttering random things that nobody could make out.

"She's in shock." Beetee told him. It didn't surprise Natalie all that much considering the three tributes were covered head to toe in blood.

"Tick tock." Wiress spoke, walking over to Johanna. The irritated woman rolled her eyes at the sound of her voice, trying to continue talking to Finnick and Rosen. However, Wiress threw her hands onto Johanna, which had only angered her more. Johanna began to push Wiress back until she fell to the ground.

Immediately, Finnick and Rosen sprinted into action. They pulled Johanna away whilst Peeta walked Wiress to the water to help clean the blood that stained her skin.

"Let's go Ros. You can tell me all about lover boy."

     "You know I only have eyes for you, Jo." And with a grinning Johanna, the two took off.

➳

     As soon as the Rosen and Johanna came back, the latter went to the water to rid herself of blood and was now cleaning her axe. Rosen had went straight to Beetee whereas Finnick, Peeta and Cato sat talking amongst themselves, about what Natalie did not know.

     "Tick tock. Tick tock."

"I-I can't. Have fun with Nuts." Johanna called out as she took her axe and stepped out of the water, however she was cut short as the tress was struck by lightening once again.

"Tick tock." Wiress repeated as she sat in the water, her skin and suit almost devoid of blood. Natalie stood against the edge of the water staring at the arena, the waves splashing against the tops of her boots as realisation finally hit her.

Each sector had its own threat; first was the lightening storm which had hit the tree twice since the start of the games. Next was the blood rain that Johanna, Wiress and Beetee had encountered then the poisonous fog that Natalie and the others were caught in before being attacked my the moneys.

Now only a couple of hours ago, they had saw the large wave sweep through the arena. "Tick tock." Natalie whispered to herself. "It's a clock."

XXX
once again, sorry for this mess.
but hopefully y'all liked Rosen POV, you'll definitely be seeing more of it in part three and I can't wait you to see her story start unravelling.