Wrong Place, Right Time - Cato Hadley x OC

Chapter 14: The Feast

My "light slumber" from the night before didn't last long. Before the sun rose, I was startled awake when I heard a rather heavy gust of wind, and I couldn't fall asleep again.

My hand was killing me, making me more anxious for the impending feast. I know I have to go, though. If I want any chance of winning these Games, I have to have two good hands. 

I hope I don't run into anyone, I think to myself. The idea of solely relying on knives to protect myself scares me. I can throw them well enough, even with my hurt hand, but up close combat seems impossible. Seeing Cato up close is also nerve-racking to me. I don't think I have it in myself to attack him, even if he did take the boy I once loved so much away from me.

As the sun rises, my nerves do too. I reach into my shirt and spin the pendant on the necklace Morgan gave me before I came out here. As if Morgan is here with me, my racing heart slows as I prepare for the feast. 

The sun is high enough for me to see outside, but it'll be at least an hour until the feast. I head out to check my snares to make myself a much-needed breakfast. My lack of lunch or dinner yesterday catches up to me, as my head feels so light when I exit my cave. 

I caught a salamander and, to my delight, a wild turkey. I am so tired after I retrieve them, however, that I have to sit down to allow my head to level. I reach into my backpack for water, only to find just a few sips left. The stale taste makes me cringe as I swallow it, and I decide after I eat that my next priority will be to refill my bottle.

After gathering myself, I head to a somewhat guarded area to prepare the fire to cook my turkey. I'm running low on matches; I realise when grabbing one from my bag, so I decide to use it well and cook both the turkey and salamander. 

Once they were cooked to my liking, I indulged until I felt full, but not enough to cramp my stomach. I place the rest of my meal in my bag to ensure I have some for later. 

My hand bled through the makeshift bandage that was my sock, so I had to switch it with the one still on my foot. The discomfort of not having socks on in my shoes is present, but I tell myself to suck it up while I head back to the nearest stream. 

By the time I filled and cleaned my water, the sun had almost fully risen. I take one last bite of my turkey before I start heading back to the Cornucopia. 

The trek back takes longer than I had expected. I had to stop and think about which way was right before I eventually made it to the edge of the trees.  

I stand in silence for a second and take a deep breath. My spear is strapped to my back to intimidate people, but I'm holding the knife that will be better for throwing, the one for up-close combat is strapped to my belt.

While I'm readying myself, a flash of red hair whips through the clearing, snatching the medium-sized green backpack on the table that is labelled "5". She grabs it and gets out so fast I'm not sure if I had only imagined her. 

It's my time, I decide, and start my take off to the clearing. 

I'm running almost as fast as I can, I want to save some strength for my escape. My eyes lock on the remaining four backpacks on the table. The one with "4" on it is small and brown, similar to the one for Twelve. Eleven and Two are both huge black bags; I'm not sure what they would need that's that big.

The table is getting closer and closer; I'm about to slow down when a knife comes barrelling in and barely misses my face.

I whip my head around to see the girl behind the knife whipping at me. Clove is reaching in her jacket, grabbing another by the time I threw mine at her. It may have grazed her arm, but she barely reacted, so I couldn't be sure.