Not The Plan

Chapter Fourteen: A Change In The Rules

Clove felt lighter than ever as the days slowly passed. Since Marvel had died it had just been her and Cato, having no interaction with the other tributes, only a few still alive. Even though she was devastated that Marvel, her only true friend from the game, was spending time with Cato, it almost made her feel like they were back in two again. But with the idea of their impending deaths weighing down upon them, they began to worry more and more. The baby had been a subject both of them chose to ignore. It was too painful to talk about the idea of Clove dying without imagining their baby dying too.

"Who's left?" Clove asked groggily one day as she lay against Cato's chest, listening to the beat of his heart slowly lull her to sleep.

"12," Cato grumbled out "11 and that other girl."

"Who?" Clove asked with a yawn. "The smart one," Cato said, not bothering to elaborate "She was a redhead." Clove nodded quietly against his chest. Meanwhile back in the capital Brutus and Enobaria were pacing around anxiously as they watched their tributes on the screen. With both Gloss and Cashmere too depressed about the loss of their tributes to be around them, Finnick and Johanna were watching with them, both invested in whatever was going on between Cato and Clove.

"Clove has to win," Finnick said, breaking the silence "People will riot if she doesn't."

"How do we even know she's pregnant?" Brutus challenged "She could be making it up."

"Are you telling me my tribute is a liar!" Enobaria challenged "Clove has been throwing up for days and had to miss a day of training because of how sick she felt, she cried to me about it so don't insinuate for a second that she's lying." Finnick stood up, noticing the tension between Brutus and Enobaria.

"Let's all take a deep breath," Finnick said slowly, moving in between the two of them as a barrier so they wouldn't get into a fight "There could be a way to solve this."

"Like what?" Johanna asked with an eye roll "There's no way to save both of them."

"Maybe there is," Haymitch said, making everyone jump in surprise not noticing him enter "I just talked to Crane about making there be two victors."

"Why would you do that?" Finnick asked curiously.

"For his own tributes," Enobaria said with an eye roll.

"That's true," Haymitch said with a grin "But I think those two could benefit from that." Enobaria wanted to attack Haymtich right then and there. He was already acting smug like one of his tributes had already won. Brutus sensing her anger, slowly laid a hand on her shoulder, grounding her. "Are you too afraid of my tributes?" Haymitch asked tauntingly "Can fangs not handle a teenager? I didn't know you were still so weak." That was the turning point for Enobaria, no longer able to hold back her anger she lunged at Haymitch, the room erupting into chaos. Haymitch seemed unfazed as Brutus pulled a shaking Enobaria off of him. "What would you do if Eloisa saw you right now?" Haymitch asked, instantly hitting a nerve "Do your kids see you as an animal with your fangs?"

"Don't bring the kids into this," Brutus said, his voice dangerously low "Now get out and don't you dare talk to Enobaria that way again." Haymitch left, Enobaria seething in anger as she sat back down, focused on Clove.

"Don't die," Enobaria whispered quietly "Please don't die." Back in the arena, an announcement sounded through the entire arena

"This is a one-time announcement but this year, two tributes can win, so long as they come from the same district. That is all" Clove gasped, making eye contact with Cato.

"We could get out of here," Clove said, realization dawning on her "Holy shit Cato we could get out of here!"

"We could win this together," Cato said, his eyes widening "The baby could live."

"The baby could live," Clove said, tears forming in her eyes. Without another word the two were in each other's arms, both crying tears of joy, hope being the only thing holding the two of them together.