Hello,
I'm still on vacation but I couldn't help but write this chapter. Hope you like it and don't be afraid to leave a comment! Enjoy
We camped by the river that whole afternoon, resting and getting our energy back. The sponsors had liked the stunt I pulled before we had found Peeta. They rewarded us by sending us some dried meat which we hungrily ate as the sun started to set. It wasn't that much, they wanted me to show more. We would go for a hunting trip as the darkness fell, hiding us in its shadows. The sky was clear, meaning the night would be cold. If anyone was stupid enough to light a fire we would be there in seconds. We made sure Peeta didn't have any kind weapons on him in case he decides to attack any of us. He didn't get any water nor food either, making him depend on us for his survival. Clove was instantly watching him the whole time, always with a knife in her hand. She wasn't taking any risks. One mistake and he would drop dead before he could blink.
As expected there was an idiot lighting a fire. You must either me suicidal, desperate or a complete moron to light one when it gets dark. The orange light from the fire casted dancing shadows around the trees where the lonely girl was warming herself from the fire. We all snuck up behind her without any sound. Cato wordlessly gave me his sword and I looked at him with big green eyes. He's living for the hunger games, for the thrill to kill, but he still gave me the opportunity - his opportunity. It was much bigger than any citizen could imagine. He somehow knew what I had to do to get sponsors. He knew I chose the bow to look desirable. By giving me his sword it would look like a love gesture - making me look even more desirable, but it was really just him giving me an opportunity to be me. Finally being able to not think about the sponsors. I couldn't thank him enough. I made sure to give his hand a squeeze when I took the metal sword out of his hand. It felt natural in my hand. It wasn't too heavy and not too light, just perfect.
I quickly snuck up to the girl, the other patiently waiting a few feet away. Her scream echoed in the open night as I jabbed the sword through her chest. It came out bloody on the other side as I pushed it with all my power. She had begged me to not kill her but I needed this. I needed to show them I'm not their puppet. I am my own person and they won't ever be able to treat me like an object again. I killed on my own terms, not completely, but it still felt like a win. The others came up to me, cheering and laughing. I dropped the sword as I jumped in Cato's arms. He spun me around for a few seconds and I knew he felt my gratitude. We looked madly in love but I knew it would only gain us sponsors.
We decided to camp where the now dead girl had lit her fire. Cato had carried her body to a valley so the hovercraft could pick her up. I had gone with him in case anyone tried to sneak up and kill him. "Did you see the look on her face?" Cato laughed. "Oh please don't kill me oh no" I laughed with him. He was kind of funny sometimes actually. "That's a good impression" he said as he bumped my shoulder. I started walking closer to him, *accidentally* bumping into him sometimes. "Are you sure we shouldn't just kill lover boy now?" I asked him after a while. "Nah, he's our best chance of finding her" he said. I knew he was right, but I didn't trust Peeta. I did however trust Cato after he had given me his sword. He knew how much it meant to me and that I could never pay him back for it. All I could do was try to get us sponsors. So I did what I had to do. I bumped into his shoulder again and laughed one of my high pitched laughs. He smiled at me with the most boyish smile I had ever seen. I almost felt bad how much I faked it with him. We stopped laughing and I looked into his deep blue eyes. He took a step closer and I suddenly felt his lips on mine. They were much harder than I thought and he kissed me almost aggressively. I tried my best to make it look real - I wrapped my arms around him and tried to match his pace. He lifted me up and I wrapped my legs around his wide hips. I knew it looked hot and sexy, but I felt nothing. He dropped me after a while and I could see in his eyes how much he had liked it. Fuck. I gave him one of my now famous smiles and we walked back in silence.
The others were gathered around the fire as we got back. It felt tense and no one talked. Marina sat next to Peeta, Marvel across from them and no sight of Clove. Maybe she'd show up soon? I sat down beside Marvel and rested my head on his shoulder. I hadn't talked to him much since we had entered the arena. I didn't want to get closer with him, simply because one of us would have to die. But I needed his comfort and I had a feeling he needed mine just as much. He tried to keep this strong manly facade but I knew he was scared deep down. I noticed how quiet he'd gotten after I killed that girl. I squeezed his hand and he looked at me with a pale smile. Clove joined us at the fire a couple minutes later and she didn't even care to look at me. I didn't know what I had done but it felt like we had taken three steps back.
The fire started to die and two of us would have to get more firewood. Clove was the first to get up. Maybe this was a good time to bond. I needed her on my side so she wouldn't kill me the first chance she got. So I quickly got up before anyone else could volunteer to go with her. She rolled her eyes and took one of the two night vision glasses we got from the cornucopia. I quickly picked up mine and ran after her. She was very fast despite her short legs. We walked in complete silence. I tried to jokingly complain about how the glasses looked on me but she didn't seem to appreciate it at all so I stopped. It was all very uncomfortable and tense, I needed to lighten the mood somehow, or at least break the silence.
I picked up a stone from the ground and held it in front of me. "You know, my dad could turn this stone into a real crystal. He makes flowers out of them. It's actually really cool. That's how he came up with my name. The crystals always glimmer so pretty in the morning lights" I said and smiled to myself. No reaction from Clove. She only looked straight forward and kept walking. "I miss them. I know we're not supposed to talk about it but I really do." Still no reaction. But I couldn't stop talking at this point. It all just came out without me being able to control it. "I'm a really good singer believe it or not. I used to perform at the cafes sometimes. My favourite memory is when the whole cafe joined me, you could hear it miles away" I laughed at the memory. "Do you ever stop talking?" Clove said. She said it coldly but I could see how one side of her mouth slightly pointed upwards. My babble was working on her? "Nope" I said and gave her a slightly goofy smile. She rolled her eyes and turned away from me. I did however notice how both sides were now forming a tiny smile before she turned away. Maybe she wasn't as horrible as I thought. She just kept a hard facade, not letting anyone in. The only person I've seen her really talk to is Cato.
I almost jumped as she started talking again. "Maybe you should try to sing them to death". Did she just joke with me? "You know what, that's not such a terrible idea actually. I could sing them a lullaby and kill them in their sleep". She actually snorted at it. This was a huge win. "Yeah sure whatever Glim Glam". We started picking up some firewood and I didn't want to end our conversation. "So do you miss your family?" I asked her as I gave a shy smile. Her almost smiling face turned stone cold in a second. Did I mess it all up? I thought she would go back to ignoring me but she did something worse. "Mind your own fucking business for once, yeah?" She almost screamed at me. I took a step back and watched as she started walking back to camp. I really did mess it up big times. No family talk, noted.
The mood was even worse when I got back than when we had left. Cato barely talked to me, Clove was sitting far away from everyone, Peeta looked like he was about to cry, Marina looked like she would rather get a spear in her heart than spend another second here and Marvel... Marvel almost looked sick. His head was hanging and he wasn't as bubbly as he usually was. I sat down next to him and gave him a bottle of water. It was my last bottle so we had to go back to the river to refill them tomorrow. I hoped Marvel would feel better tomorrow or this might be his downfall. I opened my bag and debated on whether to give him my last dried meat or not. But I needed him so I decided to give it anyway, I can just try to hunt something once the sun starts to rise. I touched his forehead, it was burning hot. He needed medecin or he wouldn't make it through the night. I didn't want him to die, and I knew what to do to save him.
I walked away from the group, telling them I had to pee. I walked deep down into the forest, my fingers desperately grasping the knife I hid after the bloodbath. This could be my final moment, Thresh or anyone could easily show up and kill me, and the others wouldn't be quick enough to save me. But Marvel needed this, he needed me to do this. So I stripped down and started to touch some parts of myself. I never went... there, but they definitely saw some things. I felt repulsed by myself. It made me feel used in a way I never had before. They better send me some medicine for this. I waited for some time and I almost gave up when I heard a beeping sound. I opened the box and saw a bottle with antibiotics. Thank god. I hurried back and gave Marvel one. He looked absolutely horrible and I was worried it was too late. I gave him a hug and tried to smile at me.
I rested my head on Marvel. He didn't seem to mind my presence despite what I had just done. I let silent tears stream down my face. It was dark enough to disguise my tears, not allowing anyone to see them. My eyelashes slowly started to get heavier. We took shifts on guarding Peeta and looking out for other tributes. We had to sleep when we got the chance. So I let my eyes close and my mind drifting away to happier places with singing and dancing people. The last thing I saw before I fell asleep was a brown haired girl watching me through the flames.
I had fallen asleep on Marvel' shoulder. No one had woken me up for my shift so I wondered if that person had accidentally fallen asleep. It didn't matter now anyway but I felt well rested so I kind of had to thank that person. Thank god no one showed up or we would all be dead. I gently woke Marvel up. He looked much better today thank god. The others were still asleep so I decided to wake Cato up. We had to fix the tense mood between us after the kiss. I touched his shoulder and he jolted up and grabbed his sword. He held it against my throat but I didn't move. Once he realised it was me he lowered the sword, still with widened nostrils. I scared him. "Sorry" I mumbled and quickly got over to Marina. She smiled at me when I woke her up. She wasn't a threat but we weren't that close either. She woke up Peeta so I didn't have to. I walked over towards Clove. She was lying with her back against me so there was a big chance she would slit my throat before realising it was me, not sure she would care even then. "Don't you dare touch me" a voice said before I was even close to her. Geez she seemed to be in a great mood today.
My feet were really hurting at this point. We had been walking for hours and I didn't quite know what the plan was. My water bottle was completely empty and I noticed how my body started to scream at me to do something. I had suggested refilling them an hour ago and they had all nodded, but I still didn't hear any signs of water. I didn't want to be the whiny little girl so I just shut up and let the others lead me. Soon enough we hear pouring water and I let out a satisfied sigh. We refilled the bottles and poured some iodine in it and sat down to wait. We had to wait thirty minutes for it to be clean enough to drink. I took the opportunity to stretch my legs and observe my fellow *teammates*. They all looked pretty tired. I watched Clove playing with one of her knives. It was sharp enough to kill a man but she played with it like a child would play with a doll- completely fearless. I caught myself smiling at the sight. She looked so... harmless but yet so lethal. I didn't know for how long I was staring at her but she suddenly turned her head around and looked me in the eyes. I blushed out of embarrassment and walked over to Cato.
"Hi" I say. He looks up and nods. Is he sad about the kiss? I sat down beside him and started nervously playing with my shoelaces. "Look.. I'm sorry about the kiss. I never wanted to make you uncomfortable" I whispered so the others wouldn't hear. He looks at me with a confused expression. "I thought you were the one not liking the kiss" he said. I looked down at my shoes again, not daring to meet his blue eyes. I didn't like the kiss, I didn't mind it at all but I didn't like it. I did however have a role to play, but I couldn't lie to his face. "I just get nervous around you, that's all" I said quietly. It seemed to work because Cato soon moved me closer and laid an arm around my shoulder. I leaned against him and sighed. The sun was warming my face and everything was just.. okay. It was like we almost weren't hunting other kids in a big arena filled with cameras and traps. But reality always finds a way to remind you that this is life and not a dream.
A big dark cloud was forming in the sky and an unpleasant smell filled the air, making it harder to breathe. A fire. And fire means someone is definitely running away from it. We quickly packed our bags and started walking over the big rocks around the river. Our energy had returned and we were all joking and laughing. Finally someone to hunt.
We saw her as we walked up on the rocky mountain. The girl from 12th looked at us with big eyes as we noticed her. She was bathing in the river and looked completely exhausted. "Oh there she is, there she is!" Marvel screams and points towards the girl. "She's mine, she's mine" I shout while laughing. "Not if I take her first" Marvel responds, also laughing. The girl quickly takes her bag and starts running into the woods. We follow her as we shout things to psyche her out.
We're so close to her when she decides to climb a big tree. The tree is super tall, for sure taller than 200 feet. Cato starts climbing after her with his sword and we cheer on him as he gets closer. "Kill her Cato, kill her Cato" Clove screams beside me. I've never seen her so excited before. She was living for the thrill of it all. "I'm coming for you" Cato says as he climbs closer and closer. I noticed a burn on the girl's leg. Ironic how the girl on fire was the one getting burnt. I watch as Cato grabs an unsteady looking branch. He falls down and I gasp while hurrying up to him. Both me and Clove are there in a second. He gasps for air and we help him up. Thank god he's okay. She'll burn in hell for this. "I'll do it myself" I hear me say as I aim for the girl in the tree with my bow. I miss the shot. She's maybe 100 feet in the air and the shot is difficult but I should've been able to shoot her. Cato takes the bow from me but misses the shot too. She starts mocking us and I feel my ears starting to burn with rage. "Let's just wait her out" our prisoner says. Of course the lover boy wants to protect his love. I roll my eyes. "She gotta come down at some point. It's that or she'll starve to death" he says when we stare at him. He got a point. We start preparing for the night, lighting a fire and picking up some firewood.
It was getting dark and the girl had still not moved in the tree. We had decided to camp right under it in case she tried to get down. I was sitting next to Cato with my hands around the bow and the hidden knife. It was my shift so the others were asleep. My eyes travelled to a certain brown haired. She looked so peaceful. I could see how her chest raised and fell as she breathed. The fire allowed me to see her features and the pretty freckles on her cheeks. The always frowned eyebrows were now softened and her eyelids sometimes flattered as she dreamt. I couldn't take my eyes off the sleeping girl. I wanted to move closer to her, let her sleep on my lap and protect her from the world. I didn't know why I felt the need to be close to her. I've never experienced this feeling before, it made me confused. Did I... like... her? No. I've barely talked to her, yet she's all I can think about despite the fact that we're in an arena filled with deadly traps and kids. She wants to kill me, she hates me. I can't like her.
I realised my shift was over long ago and decided to wake Marina up. She was sleeping only a few feet away from where Cato and I were sleeping. I poked her arm and she slowly opened her eyes. I went back to Cato and realised how cold it was, so I cuddled up close to him. I could hear his steady heartbeat and it was weirdly calming. I knew I had an image to keep up, so I kissed his cheek and closed my eyes. I didn't dream about Cato though, I didn't dream about Marvel either and I definitely didn't dream about Peeta. I dreamt about Clove. Her body close to mine, touching my arms, my hair, my lips... It was the last thing I remembered before I opened my eyes to screams, bees and... pain. "CLOVE, MARVEL, CATO" was the last thing I screamed before the pain took over completely and paralysed my body.