UPHILL BATTLE (Cato)

Ten: Absolutely not

It was mid afternoon.

A canon boomed in the distance.

Clove's head shot up, her eyes lit with bloodlust. Cato smiled,

"Hopefully Marvel's killed someone."

I felt sick. I may have been allied with the Career pack, or what was left of them, but I didn't enjoy the knowledge of a tribute's death. I was a District Ten girl, after all, no matter what.

It was a few moments later that a second canon went off.

"A... second kill?" Clove added, although slightly less sure then she had been at first.

Cato shrugged, "Probably nothing. He'll be back soon."

I shook my head slowly, rolling my eyes. Too cocky. Though it was unlikely that Marvel could've been one of those canons, one couldn't dismiss it.

Time passed at speed, resting, sharpening weapons and taking doses of the medicine until the powerful Capitol substance could heal my wound fully. When the hovercraft picked up the first body, we all squinted and stared, carefully watching and attempting to figure out who it was. Long limbs, short hair, visible crimson stains.

It seemed to be him, and I met Cato's eyes grimly. Clove shook her head.

The second body was more recognisable, small with curly hair, flowers falling from the tiny figure like snow. I winced.

One question though. Who was left?

"Seven of us now. Fire Girl, Lover Boy. The big guy from Eleven. The girl from Five. Us three." Clove answered the question in all of our minds. I wondered how Ben died. Though I'd disliked him, I felt guilty that I hadn't even noticed.

" Four to kill. " I turned my head as Cato spoke, gazing at the side of his face as if he would disappear when I looked away. His expression was somewhere between uncaring and gleeful. His blue eyes glinted, meeting mine in an instant and I could see the bloodlust within them.

I always felt somewhat scared of the blonde when he looked like that - like he would snap your neck without batting an eyelid. And I suppose he would. After all, that's how the boy from Three died. Wrong place at the wrong time.

A day or so went by. At night, our assumptions about Marvels death was proved correct.

An announcement was made. Two tributes could win the games, as long as they were from the same District.

Upon hearing this, as Cato and Clove looked at each other in excitement and glee, I realised something. Jenny's words fluttered in my head, 'as long as you split off from them before they turn on each other...'

My heart pounded, wrenching in my chest. I had to. Now that this announcement had been made, it was even clearer. I should've left when I had the chance. Now, I had to sneak off in the night, or they would kill me off. After all, I was no longer useful to the pair from Two, the other Careers already dead and only seven of us left in total.

It hurt my heart to think that Clove, and especially Cato, could see me in such a way, but they had been raised like that and it was my own fault to have thought differently.

I woke to a hand over my mouth. Blue eyes stared down at me. I struggled, writhing under him as I saw the fearsome going of a sword clutched I'm his hands. He brought it up, and I closed my eyes, waiting for impact, but I opened them again when I felt nothing.

Cato stared at me in sorrow and frustration. I could see the war in his eyes.

 "I don't know why. I just... I can't kill you."

 I watched him warily as he stepped back, letting go of me. I grabbed my stuff, turning and running into the night, his silhouette standing in the moonlight. I didn't look back.

I'm the morning, I woke up in a ditch, in a part of the forest I didn't know very well. Good. That meant that I was far from the Career pack's camp. It felt odd to not include myself in that group, but by escaping in the night I had officially destroyed that alliance.

Another announcement was made. A feast would take place at the Cornucopia, at dawn.

I knew that Cato and Clove would be there. The boy from Eleven. Perhaps the Girl on Fire...

There had been feasts before, in previous games, and every time it had been a bloodbath. Evidently the Gamemakers had gotten bored, as there had been no canons since Marvel and the girl from Eleven.

I had to go.

I watched carefully as a table slowly lifted out of the grass next to the Cornucopia. The sunlight shone on it like a spotlight, and I was so transfixed by it that I almost didn't notice the shadowed figure break out from inside the Cornucopia, running straight for the packs.

I studied her intently and recognised her as the girl from Five, whom I'd forgotten about. I mentally clapped at her cleverness - to go for the packs now would guarantee her escape, as no one would chase after her. If they did, another tribute could take their pack, and what would they do then?

The girl grabbed her pack, and the moment she disappeared back into the undergrowth I saw a flurry of movement as another tribute made a break for it.

I saw the familiar braid and realised it must be the girl from Twelve. I itched to get my pack before it was taken by someone else, but I knew the Careers would definitely go for the Girl on Fire, and therefore it was safer to stay put.

My breathing quickened as I saw a shorter tribute I could recognise as Clove go for Twelve. I couldn't see Lover Boy or Cato nearby, but I knew Clove could take her down alone.

As they tumbled and sprawled hissing at each other like cats, I noticed the boy from Eleven sneak round the edge of the Cornucopia's shining metal side. My eyes widened and I realised what was about to happen as the muscular boy lunged for Clove.

I couldn't keep still a moment longer, breaking desperately from my spot as Eleven held the small girl against the side of the Cornucopia.

He yelled angrily and Clove was begging and screaming and I was drawing closer and closer.

She screamed Cato's name in pure fear and in a sudden movement Eleven threw her into the metal once, twice and her crumpled form fell sideways like a rag doll.

I skidded on the grass and landed on my knees beside her. Suddenly she wasn't a bloodthirsty Career who could kill me in an instant, she was a girl, like me, and I'd just lost her.

I let out a wail of horror and pain, feeling my vision blur and I collapsed with tears stinging my eyes. The rest of the arena seemed to disappear and I began to shake Clove, begging for her to wake up.

Hands pulled me away from her and I fought, yelling and tugging at the muscular arms which trapped me into Cato's chest. He held me in place until I was calm, and stroked my hair.

Finally, I pulled back.

 "Where is he? Eleven. I need to kill him."

 Cato blinked, and his face scrunched in anger, "This was him? I though Fire Girl did it."

 " No. That monster killed Clove. " I felt strangely calm, as if all of the anger had been leeched out of me. 

Time for payback.