FIRE ON FIRE ( cato hadley! )

chapter thirty-four

——☆ FIRE ON FIRE
chapter thirty-four: separated

     THE SKY GREW DARK as the group approached the lightning tree, tracking through it's large, twisted branches that seemed to spread several yards. The air was cooler at night, but the humidity remained think with the scent of the ocean. At the front of the pack, Beetee stood, his eyes locked onto the towering tree.

"Here we are," Beetee said, glancing at Finnick, Peeta, and Cato. "You three need to stay here and protect me until midnight. I need to set up the wire, and we can't afford any interruptions."

Cato immediately shook his head, "I'm not leaving Lilia. No way."

Beetee's expression grew serious. "There are two Careers out there, and I need the strongest of you to protect me. If something goes wrong, you need to be ready to attack."

"I don't care," Cato replied, his fists tightening at his sides. "I'm not leaving her side."

Lilia stepped closer to Cato, placing a calming hand on his arm. It was clear that there was no avoiding this, and their only option was to go through with Beetee's plan.

"It's okay, Cato," Lilia spoke, trying her best to assure him. "I'll be fine."

"Cato, you agreed to this plan," Beetee continued. "This is what we decided."

"I don't trust you," Cato snapped, his voice low. "I never have."

"Well, trust me or not, you must stay."

Lilia looked up at Cato, her heart aching as she noticed the fear in his eyes. Reaching up to touch his cheek, the girl spoke to him, "Hey, I'll be right back."

"Fine," he growled, turning back to Beetee. "But if anything happens to her, it's on you."

Beetee nodded, his eyes grateful. "Thank you, Cato."

As the others began to turn away, Cato's hand shot out, urgently grabbing Lilia's arm. He then pulled her close, his breath warm against her skin as he spoke, "Lilia, I need you to be safe..."

Cato's words trailed off as he fixated his eyes down on the girl. There was a flash of emotion in his gaze. Deep emotion. It was something Lilia had never quite seen before.

Then, after a brief moment of silence, the boy finished, "I love you."

A silent gasp escaped Lilia's lips as she heard the words echo in her ears. This was the first time he had ever said those words to her. Only her. He heart ached as she looked into his eyes, replying, "I love you too, Cato."

Without thinking, the girl reached up and pressed her lips against his. Cato replied instantly, holding her waist as he returned the kiss with a desperate force.

From behind, Johanna rolled her eyes as her voice cut through the moment, "Come on, lovebirds, our time is running out."

Reluctantly, Cato pulled away, his gaze lingering on Lilia for one last second before he turned and joined Finnick and Peeta by the tree. After watching him go, Lilia, Katniss, and Johanna set off toward the beach.

"Be careful out there!" Finnick called after her, sending her a thumbs up.

Turning to face the boy, Lilia called back, "Keep your fingers crossed!"

And then, they were gone.

As the three girls moved through the leaves and the vines, the jungle seemed to close in around them, the darkness making it incredibly hard for them to see.

"Do you really think this will work?" Katniss spoke up. "Beetee's plan?"

"I don't know, but it's better than sitting around waiting to be killed," Johanna replied.

Lilia sighed, "Let's just get this done and get back as quickly as possible."

Suddenly, the sound of a snap caught Lilia's attention. The girl turned around and gasped, looking at the wire on the spool, which was now cut cleanly.

"Wait, something's wrong," Lilia shouted. "The wire-"

But before Lilia could finish her sentence, Johanna Mason lunged toward Katniss in a sudden attack. The sight of Johanna's axe blade moved through the air, cutting open Katniss's forearm. The girl screamed in pain, the sound piercing through the silent night.

"Stay down!" Johanna commanded.

Lilia's eyes widened in shock as she witnessed the actions before her.

"Johanna, what are you doing?" Lilia shrieked.

Instinctively, Lilia's hand reached for her spear, fingers closing around the weapon. She aimed to strike at Johanna, but Johanna moved faster, sidestepping the attack.

Before Lilia could recover, Johanna swung the back of her axe, its heavy weight connecting with the side of Lilia's head.

The impact was sudden, and pain exploded in a blinding flash. Lilia's vision grew black, her last thought of Cato and Finnick.

What happened to Cato?

Did Finnick know about this?

"It'll be over soon," Johanna whispered, and then disappeared into the night.

The last thing Lilia Conway saw was the arena above them starting to crumble, debris falling from the sky. The muffled screams and crashing sounds of the collapsing arena filled her ears as Lilia's vision faded to black.