CHARADE | Glimmer (THG)

Chapter Nineteen

I slip back to the camp as the sun's rays alight the ground, the Bryonx berries safe in my pocket. As I unzip my tent and crawl inside, Clove is sitting up. I pause but she doesn't look my way as I move inside and zip up the tent. She's arranging her knives in a row on the tent floor from smallest to largest. As I watch, she picks up a particularly nasty looking one and slides it into her jacket pocket.

Her movements are slow and I wonder at first if she's sleep walking or something, but then she murmurs, "Where have you been?"

"Had to go," I say, and then because she doesn't look convinced, I add, "And then wanted some time alone to think."

"Didn't realise you did think," Clove says coldly as she picks up another knife.

"The sunrise was pretty," I shrug.

"Hm," Another knife in her jacket. This time with a twirl of her hand, "What was on your mind?"

"Marina. Alvis. Peeta."

"Mine too," She mutters, scowling as she snatches up another knife, "Cato likes to keep his promises. I've never understood why."

"Promises?"

"Him promising to keep Peeta alive until we find Katniss. Sparing Alvis so he can do those stupid mines. And," She points a knife, a small and jagged one in my direction, "Keeping you around."

"I'm useful, Darling," I smirk, "The sponsors love me."

"You're also insufferable," She growls. She picks up the last of her knives and stalks towards me, "Soon, I'm going to rip you apart shred by shred. Let's see how many sponsors we get then."

My smile doesn't waver, "Understood. But I don't think I'm the biggest threat here. Who do you want to kill first?"

She stares at me, hard, and again, somehow, through all the animosity and hatred she's directed my way, I can see the scared fifteen year old girl underneath. Maybe I'm imagining it. But my question is enough for her to waver.

"I say Thresh," I murmur, "Then Katniss, and Peeta. Alvis, and then me. Marina."

Her eyes narrow, "Of course you'd say that. You want to live."

"But you've also got to consider this logically," I murmur, "This is like a game of cards. Which of your opponents has the biggest hand that you need to remove?"

"I don't play cards."

"But you see my reasoning?" I urge, "I'm insufferable but not a threat. It's the most dangerous players that have to go first."

"Or the expendable ones," Clove mutters. She shoulders past me, unzips the tent, and steps out into the sunlight.

                                                             ***

The day brings labour. Under Alvis' direction and Cato's watchful eye, we spend the morning organising our food it one gigantic pile.

"Doesn't this feel more of a target to you?" I grunt to Clove and Marina, as I lift a crate of apples onto some sacks of grain.

"It's what Cato wants," Clove says evenly, as she moves away to grab some more food.

The crate of apples fall back towards me as I try and heave them upwards, but hands reach out and steady mine. Marina.

"Careful," She grins, "You're one person here that I don't want to see dead."

There's anger in her eyes when she looks at Cato, but from the conspiratorial wink she throws at me, I know she's considered what I told her last night.