Fatal Attraction [Catoniss - The Hunger Games]

Ten;

I was woken the following morning by the sound of leaves rustling. My first instinct was to wake Marvel but I was surprised to see that he wasn't actually there and I was now sleeping on a log.

I looked around, trying to see if I could spot Marvel, but there was nothing other than the sound of leaves crunching and that had me terrified.

I reached behind me, grabbing at the first thing I could lay my hands on, which happened to be knife I had found at the bottom of my bag and I waited for whoever was making the noise to make themselves seen.

It was only a matter of seconds later when a body feel through the clearing, muttering profanities under his breath as he held onto a wound which looked like it was building.

"Cato?" my voice was barely a whisper when I realised that it was him.

"See. Told you I would be fine," he tried to make a joke as he fell to te ground beside me and I took the time to look at the wound. It was a pretty deep cut and we needed something to clean it with, otherwise it was only going to become infected and he would die from that rather than in battle as he should do.

"I wouldn't call this fine," I muttered as I ripped part of the fabric off my sleeping bag and tied it round his leg, slowing down the flow of the blood until we could find something to sort it out with properly.

"Clove thought she could take me on. If you think this is bad, you should see her," he laughed again but I wasn't see how this was funny.

I didn't want him to die. Even though I was sure he was going to turn on me in the end and he was going to kill me, that didn't mean thatI wanted him to die. He had just as much as to live for as I did.

Sure, he would get the honour and the pride if he won, but he would also be able to see his family again. His friends. He would go home and they would love him, other than the fact he associated himself with a Tribute from District Twelve.

If I won, I wouldn't get any of that. I would simply join Haymitch in the short list of people who had won The Hunger Games from District Twelve. There would be no parade or cheers of celebration from the honour of winning the games, I would just get to see my family again and be spared the heartache of having to endure this again.

"Is she dead?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer to that one.

"I had to kill her. If I didn't then she would have come after you and I meant what I said Katniss, I will keep you alive and I will be the one to make sure you go home," Cato smiled as he shifted a little closer to me, his hand holding the fabric against his wound to relieve some of the pain he was feeling.

"I bet your district are loving this," I couldn't help but laugh as I said that comment.

I could imagine them all gathered in the square, waiting for the moment he pulled his sword out and stabbed me where I was sitting.

Truth be told, I was waiting for that moment as well. I was waiting for him to tell me that this was all one big joke and he had no intention of helping me out of here alive, he was simply waiting for the right moment to kill me.

Now would be as good a time as any to kill me. It would certianly create lots of joy in the Career Districts, even The Capitol would be pleased with the way he had lured me into a false friendship and then gone back on that when I thought he was going to save me.

"You are only here because of your sister. That's something far more special than being here because you volunteered," Cato said and I looked up to see something in his eyes, there was a sincerity behind his words and I couldn't help but smile at him.

"Pretty sure this friendship shouldn't be happening right now," I laughed as I pointed between the two of us.

"Well, it's never happened before, so I guess there's a reason for that. But I can keep you alive and you are the only one who really understands me, so I guess I don't really care what should and shouldn't be happening," Cato smirked as he came to a stop, winding his arm around my shoulder as he pulled me into his chest, moving his hand up and down my arm as I made myself comfortable against his body.

This was something so wrong but it still felt so right at the same time. He was actually here for me and he was showing me that he wasn't the Big Bad Wolf, there was a side to him which did actually care about me and want to help me get home.

It didn't seem to matter how hard I tried, there wasn't any way for me to be able to hate him. I couldn't even run, I mean I could try, but I would always find myself back with him in the end. I knew he was strong and he could therefore be the one to keep me safe.

Even when I was Gale I had never felt like I did now. Gale could keep me safe, but he didn't make me feel safe, at least not in the way Cato does - though I suppose that does have something to do with the fact Cato is a trained killed while the only thing Gale has ever killed is a deer.

"Morning Katniss," Marvel grinned as he suddenly appeared with a rabbit in his hand. "Breakfast?"

"Damn. I could use some food," Cato chuckled and that made Marvel jump a little since he hadn't spotted him when he first appeared.

"We have rabbit. I can't promise anything amazing, but at least it's something," Marvel chuckled as he set about skinning the rabbit with one of the knives from the floor.

I was used to murdering my food but I had never had to see how it ended up on my plate. My mother did that while I was preoccupied with other things and, if I didn't give the food to my mother, then I was selling it at Greasy Sal's so that I could buy some fresh food.

I could kill a deer and that would probably last us a good week, two if my mother rationed the portions we each had to eat. Though there were times where we simply went without so that Gale's family could have something.

"Thank you," I whispered as I turned my head to Cato who was looking down at with a slight smile on his face.

"For what? I haven't done anything," he replied and the look of confusion on his face was actually rather cute, but I wouldn't call him that to his face. If there's one thing a Career wasn't then it was cute.

"Everything you've done for me so far," I smiled as I moved my thumb over the bruise under his eye. I knew who had done that to him and I knew why they had done it, but apparently it hadn't been much of a warning because here he was now.

His arm around my shoulder as I ran my fingers over the bruises on his face, only pausing for a couple of seconds to look at the damage.

"There's no need to thank me. I would do anything for you Katniss," he said and then placed a kiss on my cheek before he pulled away and tugged me back into his chest where my head eventually fell, the silence consuming us as I listened to the steady sound of his heartbeat.