"ᴏɴᴇ ᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ᴛᴏ ʜᴏʟᴅ ᴏɴ ᴛᴏ ᴏɴᴇ's ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ; ғᴏʀ ɪғ ᴏɴᴇ ʟᴇᴛs ɪᴛ ɢᴏ, ᴏɴᴇ sᴏᴏɴ ʟᴏsᴇs ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴏʟ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴇᴀᴅ ᴛᴏᴏ."
― Friedrich Nietzsche
The arrow pierced through the eye of the mutt as it let out a loud yelp and whined. Clove was quick to act as she reached for a knife and stabbed its other eye with it. She got up with blood dribbling down her arms from where the mutt had bit into her. The blinded mutt let out a loud howl and then we heard running coming our way. I rushed over to the edge of the cornucopia and helped Clove up. "I can't believe I really thought it was a good idea to let a mutt eat me alive." She puffed loudly. "Sorry to say this, but as much as I love you, I would never let myself die at the mouth of those things. I've never felt anything more painful in my life." I let out a light chuckled as I pulled her in for a hug.
She clutched onto her arm and blood seeped between her fingers. "I'm glad I didn't let you die to it. Did you see its eyes? They were-"
"Cato's? I know. I can't believe they carved their eyes out and used it for mutts." As much as I disliked the boy, I couldn't help but agree with her comment. "Rot in hell you sick people!" She shouted as loud as she could before wincing. "Shit, that hurt my arm."
The mutts had made it to the cornucopia and were trying their very best to try and get up, whining when they weren't able too. "Snow should throw himself to the mutts, see what it's like to be shredded to pieces by them."
"Stop saying stuff like that. You know what he's capable of." I whispered harshly at the girl.
"Oh, baby. He's already ruined my life. What could he do to ruin the rest? Asides from you of course." She whispered the last part into my ear and even at such a horrible moment I couldn't help but blush at the pet's name she used. I remembered the time my mother had called me baby and shuddered at the thought of her using those type of words to describe, I never like to think I was in anyway related to a baby. Yet hearing it come from Clove's mouth sounded so perfect, like an angel guiding you through life.
~
It felt like hours as we waited on top of the cornucopia and I was starting to worry as Clove's face began to pale. "Just a bit longer, hold on." I cuddled into her side and she used her unharmed arm to wrap around my body.
"You know I'm not going to make it. I've lost enough blood and I wouldn't be surprised if they are using some fucked up technology to speed up my death." Her hand caressed my arm as it rubbed softly up and down.
"You keep saying you're going to die, but every time you end up living. Stop thinking so negatively." I replied, I didn't want to admit that I knew her time was ending soon. I couldn't dare bare a thought that she would be gone in mere seconds.
"What are you going to do this time? Throw a knife into my wound and heal me?" The smugness in her voice broke my heart. She was prepared to die, and I was nowhere near ready. I didn't want to say goodbye again.
"If that's what I have to do, then yes."
By this point the mutts had given up trying to get to us and instead decided to lay on ground by the cornucopia. I felt as Clove started to go limb against me, and I looked up to see her eyes start to droop. "No! Please don't leave me." I held the girl down against the roof of the cornucopia as I shook her body.
"Don't miss me too much." She mumbled. I hovered over her body and allowed myself to kiss her lips gently, careful not to hurt her.
"You have to stay with me." I cried. Tears dropped onto the ground and some even landed on her body.
"I wish I good, Marly. I wish I could, but it's time to say goodbye." Her words began to slur, and her eyes started to close. "I love you." My heart broke as her eyes fully closed and her chest stopped rising up and down.
"Clove! Clove, come on! Please wake up!" I violently shook her body only to see her limbs flail around. "Please! I beg you! Come back to me." My throat began to hurt with the mix of cries and loud sobs that I let out.
I could hear the hovercraft rapidly approaching and I clung onto Clove's lifeless body as tight as I could. The mutts were long gone and so were any emotions left inside me.
I was so zoned out that I almost didn't hear the voices calling my name. "Congratulations Marlowe. You are the winner of 74th Hunger Games." Arms grabbed onto mine and yanked me up and people went over to Clove's.
"Hey! Leave her alone!" I harshly flung myself around in their grip, but it was no use. With their tight hold I was unable to escape.
"No! Stop it! Clove!"
And then reality hit me.
I let out a deep gasp, causing people around me to look my way. I was back. Back to standing in the group with all the girls, the crazy lady with the over-the-top makeup and excessive outfits was stood at the front with an envelope in her hand. I was back at the announcement of the 74th Hunger Games. What had just happened? Was it all a dream? Was it all just made up? I was confused to say the least. I was back home, back in the past. Only it was as worse than I could ever imagine. "Mateo Ordell!" A loud scream could be heard, and then I passed out. I thought saying goodbye to Clove was bad, what was even worse was the fact that it wasn't even real, it was all made up in my head. And now I was having to say goodbye to my baby brother. I hoped to never wakeup again after this. I was done, I wanted no more. Everything was a lie, but now it no longer was. What was I going to do?
(A/N: Quite an unexpected turn of events. I'm sorry if this kind of confused you, I tried to make it easy to understand but incase you didn't, Marlowe has just snapped back to reality and she is no longer in the games she is back to the get together where they announce the tribute. Everything that happened was apart of her imagination. I apologize for breaking your hearts but Clove and Marlowe were never real :()