FIRE ON FIRE ( cato hadley! )

chapter eighteen

——☆ FIRE ON FIRE
chapter eighteen: the feast

    JUST BEFORE DAWN, Lilia approached the Cornucopia cautiously, hiding behind the trees. After a few moments, her eyes were drawn to the girl from District 5, who appeared from inside the Cornucopia and quickly grabbed her pack. Then, just as quickly as she appeared, she was gone.

Seconds later, Katniss Everdeen appeared from the bushes, just a few yards away from Lilia. She moved quickly, with a determined look on her face as she raced toward the Cornucopia.

Lilia cursed under her breath. If she were going to get her pack, she would have to do it fast. As the girl braced herself to run, a figure jumped out from behind the Cornucopia, stopping her in her tracks. It was Clove.

The brunette girl from District 2 raced toward Katniss, attacking her with lethal throws. Lilia's breath caught in her throat as Katniss fired an arrow, but it sailed past Clove, who then tackled her to the ground.

Should she go now while they're distracted?

Lilia almost moved from the bushes when Thresh arrived to the scene, grabbing a large stone and smashing it down on Clove's head. The attack was followed by Clove's body collapsing to the ground, dead. Lilia was stunned, her mind struggling to process what was happening in front of her.

Once Thresh and Katniss left the scene, Lilia didn't waste a second. She broke into a sprint toward the Cornucopia. When arriving to the table, her eyes immediately fixated on the number four. Quickly, she reached forward and grabbed it, her fingers clutching the pack tightly.

As she turned to leave, a pair of strong arms grabbed her from behind. Lilia screamed, the sound piercing through the silence. Without thinking, she twisted her body and pulled a knife from her belt, swinging it around toward her attacker.

But then she froze, the blade stopping inches away from a familiar face.

Cato.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he said quickly, holding his hands up in surrender. "Lilia, it's me."

For a split second, Lilia could only stare at him, her heart still racing from the shock. Then, without another thought, she dropped the knife and threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Lilia," Cato breathed, pulling her close. "Why did you leave?"

The girl looked up at him, her voice breaking, "I thought you and Clove were going to take me out. I couldn't trust you anymore."

Cato's expression softened, his grip on her tightening, "I wouldn't have let that happen."

"I just needed to be safe," Lilia explained. "I'm sorry."

The boy shook his head, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. "It's okay. Let's just get what we need and get out of here."

With a quick nod, Lilia released him and watched as he grabbed his pack from the Cornucopia and turned to face her.

"Come on," he urged.

Together, the two tributes moved back into the forest. After several minutes of navigating through the trees, Cato stopped at a small clearing hidden between a cluster of rocks. Lilia looked around, taking in the sight. It was hidden well enough to keep them out of sight from the others, but she didn't think anyone would be attacking them tonight.

"This is it," he said, gesturing to the makeshift camp he had set up. "It's not much, but it'll do."

Beside her, the boy set down his pack and bent down to the shelter, searching through the supplies. Lilia nodded, her eyes searching the area until it fell on a second sleeping bag. It was Clove's.

"I'm sorry about Clove," Lilia said softly, breaking the silence.

Cato didn't look up. Instead, he shook his head, his expression blank, "Don't be. She was planning on killing you."

Lilia hummed, "I'm sure she was. I never trusted any of them."

"Yeah, and she didn't trust you either..." Cato's voice trailed off, and Lilia could sense there was more he wasn't saying.

"What is it, Cato?"

He hesitated, his gaze fixed on the ground. When he finally spoke, his voice was barely a whisper.

"She killed Adrian."

The words hit Lilia like a punch to the gut. Her breath caught in her throat, and she staggered back, her mind struggling to process what he had just said.

"What? How...?"

Cato's jaw tightened, and he looked away, "I saw it happen during the bloodbath. She cornered him, and..."

The blonde boy looked away, as if unable to bear the weight of the memory.

"Wait..." Lilia's voice trembled with disbelief, her eyes narrowing as she looked at Cato. "You knew?"

"Yes," he admitted. "I knew."

Lilia took a step back, her mind racing. He knew the whole time. He knew that Clove had murdered Adrian, and he hadn't said a word. For the past two weeks, she had been in an alliance with the girl who killed her best friend, and Cato had kept it from her.

"How could you keep that from me?" Lilia demanded, her voice rising. "I trusted you! And Clove, she..."

Lilia couldn't even finish the sentence.

"You think it was easy for me?" Cato shot back, his voice filling with frustration. "We're in the middle of the Games, Lilia! If I told you, you might have done something reckless and gotten yourself killed!"

Lilia shook her head and turned away, her chest heaving with anger. She could hardly stand to look at him, the boy she thought she could trust. For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then, Cato finally broke the silence his voice coming out much softer, "Lilia..."

In an instant, Lilia's hand moved to her belt, drawing her knife back out and pressing the blade to his neck. Her gaze stared into his, her eyes filled with rage. She could kill him right then and there. She knew she could.

All it would take was one swift movement, one more inch, and it would be over. Cato would be gone, just like Glimmer, Marvel, and Clove. Just like Adrian. But as she stared into his eyes, she did not see fear, but regret. He wasn't begging for his life. He was merely waiting for her decision.

"I'm sorry, Lilia," Cato finished. "I didn't want to lose you."

For a moment, she held the knife there, her grip tight. She was so close to ending it, so close to letting out her anger. But then, she was reminded of the boy who had saved her, had protected her, who had been there when she needed him.

With a sharp breath, Lilia stepped back and lowered the blade, releasing him. Her voice was cold, almost a whisper, "You just did."

Without another word, the girl turned and walked away, leaving Cato standing alone in the darkness. She didn't look back, didn't see the look of despair on Cato's face as he watched her go. The forest swallowed her up in the darkness, and she was gone.