Eve wasn't blind to the looks Clove was giving her the next morning. If her piercing eyes alone could kill, Eve's face would be shining in the night sky.
The longer her glare followed her around camp, the shorter Eve's patience was strung. "Why don't you say something?"
The cold look in Clove's eyes didn't grow nor did it lessen. Everything about her demeanor stayed the same as she stared her down.
"There's no point." Clove said with masked emotion. "You'll be dead soon enough."
Eve's knuckles turned white against the spear in her hand. "How about you try to make it now?"
Clove's eyes drifted down to the vole she had been practicing her mutilations on. "Careful what you wish for."
"You hear me loud and clear." Eve held her arms wide. "Come on Clove. Make my dreams come true."
"Enough." Cato's voice cut between them.
"Stay out of this." Eve shot him a sharp glare before turning back to Clove.
"What did you just say to me?" He all but growled.
Eve didn't pay his threatening voice any mind as she grinned at Clove. "How about you show everybody how good you are."
"I could kill you from clear across this stage." Eve said, mocking her words from the interviews.
Clove's eyes darted to her and before she could say anything more, a knife was soaring towards her face.
She jumped out of the way, barely missing the second knife as it struck the grass behind her.
Before she made it to her feet, Clove's body crashed into hers.
Eve landed on her back with Clove on top of her, pressing her knife to her throat.
She froze, looking with wide eyes up at the girl from District Two.
It was a turn of events she hadn't expected. She could very well be dead in the next few minutes.
Clove's eyes looked wild as she smiled down at her. "I could kill you from clear across the clearing, but I'd rather make this personal."
Eve didn't move, nor did she speak as her mind turned around what was going to happen next.
"Where'd that smile go?" Clove cooed, tracing her knife over her pink lips.
"Maybe I should carve you one." She said, pressing her knife against the edge of her mouth.
Once the hot burn of the blade cutting into her skin hit, she moved quicker than she ever had in her life.
Her fist connected with Clove's jaw, sending her into the grass.
Eve scrambled on top of her and let another fist fly. It cracked against her jaw and as she was disoriented Eve settled on her chest, closing her hands around her neck.
As Clove's eyes focused on the girl leering over her with blood leaking from her mouth, dread filled her chest for the first time.
Eve enjoyed the fear in Clove's eyes. It showed she did have emotions. She wanted to see more.
She pressed her fingers into her throat, cutting off the oxygen from her lungs.
"You getting nervous, now?" Eve asked as she watched her eyes grow red.
Her mouth opened and closed as she tried and failed to pull anything into her burning lungs.
"Please-" she gasped, squirming under her.
"How many people did you kill in here?" Eve cut her off. "Did they beg you to stop too?"
She eased her hold just enough to let her pull a small breath in. She didn't want her to pass out yet. "Did you listen to their pleas?"
"I-"
"Of course you didn't." Eve pressed down harder than before as she thought about the lives taken by the careers while smiles lined their faces.
"This is for them."
Before she could watch the light fade from Clove's eyes, strong arms ripped her from the girl's body.
"Let go of me!" Eve screamed and thrashed as Cato held her back against his hard chest.
His arms were tightly wrapped around her, pinning her arms to her sides while she kicked her legs.
"You have five seconds to calm your ass down." He rumbled against her ear.
At the sounds of Clove coughing on the ground, Eve's body went limp in his arms.
She didn't know what to do. What to say. Clove deserved to die. She was ruthless and enjoyed spilling blood.
But could she really blame her? She was like Cato. A pawn in the Capital's game.
Eve kept her mouth shut as Cato set her on the ground.
He was looking at her like she was crazy.
A laugh fell from her mouth and she cringed at the sharp sting it brought. Blood dripped from the corner of her mouth and she pressed her knuckle against it.
One thing became sickeningly clear to her as she stopped her own bleeding. Cato didn't try to save her. He saved Clove.
While she looked up at him, Cato's mind was racing.
He didn't know what to do. All he knew was that he couldn't let her kill Clove. Not like that.
When she got out, she'd have to rewatch that scene in front of the entire country. He could see her face now. Flushed with guilt as she tried to look strong.
He couldn't stand by and let that happen. He'd roll over in his soon to be grave.
That's when they saw the smoke in the distance.
Cato looked away from her and to the other tributes. "Come on."
Clove pushed herself to her feet and collected her knives.
Cato didn't wait up as he jogged into the woods.
Marvel lightly grabbed Eve's arm as he coaxed her along with them.
Her mind was blank as she jogged beside them through the woods.
Eve noticed the second fire and halted the group's movements.
"I'll go check it out." She said.
"I'll go with." Marvel said from beside her.
Cato's eyes met Eves. He knew this would likely be the last time he saw one of them. With his money on Eve, he nodded his head and sent them on their way.
She ran beside the boy until her lungs started to burn.
"Hurry up." He barked, pushing her forward.
They made it to the fire. It was huge. Far bigger than anyone would make on accident. Eve knew it was Katniss. She was planning something.
Eve knew the career's alliance was ending. Sooner or later they would turn on each other like she had.
Marvel was staring at the fire in front of him.
She wondered if he was having trouble deciding what to do. After all, the people in the games were his friends.
As he turned around, Eve knew he made his decision. "Let's get this over with, alright?"
"Good idea." She nodded, turning the spear over in her hands.
"We could have a little fun before, if you want." His mouth twitched into a smile.
"I'll let you be the first to lay with the future victor." He so graciously offered.
Her lip curled up in disgust at even the thought of him touching her again. "I'd rather die."
"That can be arranged." He shrugged.
He didn't hesitate to throw his spear at her. He assumed that like the rest of his victims, she would stand frozen in place as she waited for her death. Instead, it sliced past her side as she twisted out of the way.
The second she was facing him, she threw her own spear. He was faster than she expected him to be and he jumped out of the way, leaving it stuck in a tree behind him.
She was defenseless. He knew it as a smile spread over his face. She knew it as a frown fell over hers.
She tried to run, scrambling for the spear that laid behind her, but it was futile.
A pained scream was ripped from her throat as his hand wrapped into her hair and threw her to the ground.
She tried to get back up and run, but it was no use as his foot landed on her side.
With the air knocked from her lungs she fell back to the ground.
"Oh come on." He laughed. "I was expecting a little bit more of a fight."
Her hand closed around a rock hidden in the leaves as she flipped herself over, launching it at his head.
It struck its mark, hitting him directly in the eye.
He cried out and stumbled backwards as he slapped his hand over the injury.
Eve pushed herself to her feet as fast as she could, knowing he would be back on her in seconds.
She was right. With a raged yell he threw himself against her and her back hit the rough bark of an oak tree.
Blood ran down his eye and into his mouth as he sneered down at her. "I'm gonna make this hurt."
Out of the corner of her eye she saw the spear she had thrown moments before stuck in the bark beside her.
Marvel was unable to see it as his blood blinded him. He was only able to see one thing. Her.
"I bet a lot of people are hoping you end up winning this." He mumbled as he traced his bloody fingers over her thigh. "I mean, look at you."
"Let's give them what they want." She said as she pulled the lightweight spear from the trunk behind her and drove it into his neck.
His body tensed as he took two staggered steps back. His already bloody hands shot up to the weapon lodged in his neck.
His breath came out in bursts as the gravity of his situation came to light.
"Help me." It was the words of someone stricken with fear. Someone who was not yet prepared to die. Someone who shouldn't have needed to be.
His knees hit the ground as his body began to shake.
Eve caught him just before he fell.
"You're alright." She assured him as she laid him down in the fallen leaves. "You don't need to fight anymore."
His hands clung to hers as his eyes stared into hers.
"Just breathe." She coaxed, running her fingers through his matted hair.
But he couldn't. Not really. Not with the steal bar lodged in his neck.
"I'm sorry." She whispered, hoping he understood what she meant. What she couldn't say with all of Panem watching them.
She watched as his lungs expelled their last breath. She watched his eyes fade and listened to the canon boom.
With his blood covering her hands she closed his eyes.
She pulled the spear from his neck.
She pushed herself to her feet.
She found his spear.
She went on her way as if nothing happened.
It wasn't hard to keep Marvel out of her mind. Not when the others were still out there.
Cato wasn't on her side anymore. The time was coming when he and Clove would try to kill her. She needed to be ready.
An explosion far louder than the canons went off in the distance. She looked to the sky and saw black smoke coming from the center of the arena. The mines did their job.
A second explosion rang through the air, this time signaling a fallen tribute.
That's when she heard the scream. "Katniss!"
She recognized the voice of a scared child no more than 20 feet away.
She took off in her direction, finding the small girl trapped below a large net.
"Please don't hurt me!" She cried out as Eve dropped to her knees beside her.
"I'm gonna get you out." She said, sawing at the rope with the edge of her spear. "Just try to be quiet."
The girl cried as the trap was thrown off of her.
"You're okay." Eve assured her, grabbing her hand.
"You're Rue, right?" She asked, trying to get her mind off of her fear. "You took Cato's knife?"
She nodded as she wiped the tears from her cheeks.
"That was great." She smiled. "You're very brave."
Eve helped her to her feet. "You're safe now."
She was so young. She shouldn't be there. She should be at home with her friends and family.
"Listen to me." She bent down and held the girl by the sides of her neck. "You need to be more careful. You can't let your guard down for even a second."
Eve's eyes flickered behind Rue's dark curls to an arrow aimed at her head.
She ducked, pulling Rue to the ground with her as an arrow whistled past her ear.
She left Rue laying on the ground as she stood to her feet, watching the girl with braided hair and grey eyes.
She quickly readied another arrow and let it fly. Eve spun her spear and knocked the arrow to the ground.
Eve pulled back her arm, ready to throw her spear into the girl's chest.
Rue jumped between them with raised arms. "Stop!"
Rue was fast, but the arrow Katniss sent was faster.
The weapon that was supposed to be lodged in Eve's stomach now rested in Rue's chest.
Both girls' weapons disappeared into the fallen leaves as they rushed to the young girl.
Eve caught her as she fell, laying her down in Katniss's lap.
"I didn't mean to." Katniss's hands shook as she held the little girl's hand. "I thought she was hurting you."
"I know." She croaked out.
Eve couldn't do this again. Not now. Not ever.
She pushed herself to her feet as her eyes were glued to the 12 year old who was bleeding out in front of her.
Rue's eyes drifted to Katniss. "Did you blow up the food?"
"Every bit of it." She nodded.
"Good."
Eve couldn't let Snow get away with this. She needed him to lose. And to do that, she needed to win.
Rue's face contorted with the pain in her stomach. "Can you sing?"
The girl from District 12 nodded. "Deep in the meadow, under the willows,"
Eve picked up her weapons and walked into the woods with the song echoing behind her.
"A bed of grass
A soft green pillow.
Lay down your head
And close your eyes
And when they open..."
Her voice trailed off as the light left Rue's eyes.
"Where are you going?" Katniss's voice was broken as she called out.
"To kill them."
Katniss is just too good