The Beginning of the End (Clove Kentwell)

Chapter 22

Iris grabbed the axe out of the shed, it was a little heavier than Iris liked but it would have to do. "Do you have an axe holder?" Iris asked Prim turning around. "No but I have a bit of leather in my room." "May I make something out of it?" "Of course I am never going to use it." Prim said almost delighted. Prim walked up to the door and went inside as Iris followed behind her. Mrs. Everdeen and Clove were not on the couch anymore but Iris didn't think to much about that. Prim opened the door to her room and let Iris come in. Prims room was about as small as Iris's but Prim had a lot more things in it like a desk a slightly bigger bed, chairs, the things that filled her room made it look smaller than it actually was. Iris walked in with the axe in her hand and stood by the door. Prim went to her desk and opened one of the doors she then murmured something to herself as she closed it and opened another door. She closed that door and stood up walking over to her bed and looking under it. "Do you need help?" Iris asked. "No I'm just fine." Prim replied back with her head under her bed. Iris smiled then nodded looking down at the ground. Prim suddenly jumped up with a piece of leather in her hands. Iris walked over to Prim and put out her hands as Prim gave her the leather. Iris ran her hand over it and smiled. "Thank you so much." She said looking up at Prim. "It's really no problem I have never used that thing so I'm happy someone else could." Iris smiled then turned on her heels to leave Prims room but suddenly a hand stopped her. Iris turned around confused, "C-Can I come with you to see what's in the woods?" Prim asked almost stumbling over her words from how fast she was speaking. "Prim......you could get hurt and I don't know if I could save you." "That's a lie.......you just survived two hungers games in a row.....I think you could handle a little animal." Iris raised her eyebrows at Prim, "Well played but no....your mother would kill me if I let you." Prim sighed and Iris turned around but just before she left her room she spoke, "I mean you could always go talk to my brother." Iris didn't even have to turn around to know Prims face was red. Iris walked out chuckling and heading for the front door.

   Iris opened the door and went to step down the steps but almost tripped over smithing making her lose her footing and fall over catching herself with her hands on the dirt. "Oh my.....I'm so sorry." She heard Mrs. Everdeen say in a concerned voice. "Don't worry I'm fine." Iris said slowly getting up. "Are you sure?" "Yes Mrs. Everdeen, I apologize for tripping over you." "No you don't be sorry, but where are you headed off to in such a hurry?" Iris stood up dusting herself off. "The woods." Mrs. Everdeens eyes got wide, "How on earth are you going to know where your going?" "I don't-" "You go find Gale before you leave and force him to come along, he knows that forest like the back of his hand. Yup the only people who did was him and....my sweet Katniss." Mrs. Everdeen said looking up at the sky. Iris put her hand on Mrs. Everdeens arm making her look down as Iris smiled at her. Mrs. Everdeen smiled back at her, "Go get Gale." "I will." Mrs. Everdeen rose her eyebrows. "I promise." Iris said smiling then walking off with the leather in one hand and the axe in the other.

   Iris went and sat on the edge of a small dam, setting her axe down beside her and the leather in her lap. She looked around for something sharp to cut the leather with. Iris looked to her right and saw a small piece of concrete that was breaking off the dam. Iris picked it up and felt the tip to make sure it was sharp. Once she felt like it was good enough she started cutting the leather in her lap, on the first cut she tried to hard and the rock slipped off the leather coming and cutting her hand making it bleed. Iris bit her lip from the pain but had to fight through it and keep cutting. Once she cut it how she wanted she gently reached in her pocket and pulled out some string. Iris weaved it through the little holes she cut in the leather and pulled them together tying it. She slipped it over her head as it fell on her back perfectly. Iris grabbed her axe and slid it into the holder, it fit perfectly and Iris smiled as she stood up again. Iris looked down at her bloody hand but pushed the thought away and hopefully the pain as well.

Iris looked behind her at the town and back to the border of the district. She thought about going and getting Gale but they didn't get off to a real good start so she decided to go in her own. Iris slipped through the fence with ease and head for the forest.

As soon as she stepped into the forest she looked around feeling free until a spear landed between her legs and she turned around but no one was there. Iris looked back down between her legs but there was no spear. Iris saw shadows of people running through the forest but none of them ever came into the light for her to see. "Hello!" Iris yelled. "Whoever's doing this isn't funny." Iris heard a twig break and she turned around tripping on a roof making her fall over. Someone fell on top of her and she tried to shove them off but they wouldn't budge. Iris finally got them off and looked over to see a lifeless body looking back at her. Iris jumped up seeing Clove with a concerned look but she looked different. Almost like she was more innocent or she had less of a story behind her eyes. Cato came running up to her with his knife in his hand. Iris took off sprinting further into the woods, but as soon as she turned around Clove and Cato were gone. Iris stopped running and looked around but then she heard someone whistling at her. Iris looked up in the trees to see Katniss looking down at her smiling. Iris smiled back at her but then Katniss fell out of the tree lifeless onto another body on the ground which looked like Foxface. Iris tried to run up to them until someone came and tackled her making her hit the ground hard. Iris looked up to see Thresh holding his knife above her face, tears streamed down his face but suddenly no emotion as he fell over also lifeless. Iris looked up to see Clove walking over with the same expression as before. "Get away from me!" Iris yelled getting up and running away. But suddenly she ran right into the arms of Cato. He held her so tight Iris couldn't breath but then Clove showed up once more and threw a knife hitting him in the hand and Iris pushed him. He disappeared almost like he just faded into the ground. Iris turned back to see Clove walking up to her. "Leave me alone!" Iris yelled again running away but Clove appeared right in front of her. Iris looked at her out of breath then just squeezed her eyes shut hoping Clove would disappear as soon as she opened her eyes.

Iris opened her eyes and saw Clove standing there with open arms. A tear ran down Iris's face, a tear was something Iris hadn't felt in a long time. Clove came closer putting her arms around Iris. Iris melted into her soft touch, "Remember the past....our past." Clove said before also disappearing. Iris looked around as more tears fell down her face. Now there was nobody, no shadows, no people in the trees, no people at all. Iris leaned up against a tree and slowly slid down it as more tears streamed down her face. "I don't know what to do anymore." Iris whispered to herself. "My thoughts are not my own, sometimes I feel like my body isn't my own. I don't know what to do anymore........I'm a mutt, I'm a mutt, I'm a mutt." Iris kept whispering those words to herself as salty tears fell down her cheeks.

Suddenly she felt a soft hand on her shoulder. Iris opened her eyes to see her mother standing there with a smile on her face. Iris stood up hugging her tight. "Mom what do I do?" Iris repeated her same question from before. "Oh Iris I can't tell you what to do but I can tell you what I think." Iris pulled back from the hug looking at her mother desperately. "I think....you should always do what you believe..... I think you should stay strong even in struggling times...... I think you should keep all of your friends close because right now they are the only thing helping you.......and finally I think you should remember your past and what really happened in the games...she will wait." Her mother paused smiling, "Someone with that much love will always wait." Her mother took a step closer to Iris and grabbed her hand. "Now I will tell you to do one thing and that is take care of your brother for me." Her mother said in a stern but joking voice. Iris smiled almost laughed as some more tears fell down her face. "Now....you don't let some person define you......you go be who you want to be and I will be right behind you no matter what." Her mother said wiping away Iris's tears. Iris smiled feeling her mothers hand in her cheek, she leaned into the warmth closing her eyes, but suddenly the warmth disappeared making Iris open her eyes and look around. Her mother was no where to be seen but Iris could still feel her.

Iris looked around and found a squirrel sitting on a rock nearby. Iris slowly pulled out her axe and quietly walked towards it. Once she was close enough she firmly grabbed her axe and swung quickly killing the squirrel. Iris smiled and grabbed it stuffing it in a bag she brought. Iris looked around trying to remember her way out but she didn't recognize any of it. Fear hit her as she yelled for someone regretting not bringing Gale with her. Iris put the axe back in her holder and looked at the trees and found the mossy side, so she started walking that way. After a little bit of walking Iris stopped dead in her tracks when she heard a man yell her name behind her.