Tangled in the Great Escape (a clato fan fiction)

Tangled in the Great Escape

"You'll be free child once you have died

From the shackles of language and measurable time

And then we can trade places, play musical graves

Till then walk away, walk away"

-Bright Eyes (Landlocked Blues)

Cato was always away on "business" leaving a broken Clove alone in their big house in the victors village. She lost herself shortly after the games ended and she witnessed Cato murder the "star crossed lovers from district 12" they both know their love was fake and their deaths meant Cato and Clove could go home but Clove would have rather died than watch fire girl and lover boys deaths every night when she closes her eyes.

The hunger games killed her on the inside. She knew it the moment her name got reaped less than a year ago. Cato and her had been together a year and a half before the reaping and even though Clove had doubts about her ever returning home she did. Well not completely; she does not sleep when Cato is gone and when he is there she curls up next to him and usually sleeps like a baby.

Cato is gone in the capital now and should be returning tomorrow and clove is doing okay but still not back to herself she had been told once before by some doctor that she might never be her old self again. In a way she was relived about it; she wouldn't be a ruthless killer, but she knew the price of that would be waking nightmares and an awful case of depression. But they have medicine for that, she doesn't like the way it makes her feel but she feels it makes Cato proud of her when she takes it.

Her wounds from the day Cato left are healing but just a couple of minuets ago she'd had a nightmare and became a wreck and did it again.

She found the knife she used to train with in the cabinet under the sink and made three nasty gashes on her left fore-arm because she couldn't deal with the pain she felt after murdering all those children.

She would never actually kill herself because that meant Cato would spend the rest of his days without her and she didn't know it but if she died he wouldn't have a reason to come home because home was whenever he was with her.

She pressed one of the fancy white Capitol towels on her arm and started to feel tired. This was nothing new, she'd have a nightmare, cut, dry it then go to sleep so her body was just used to the routine.

It was late probably two or three in the morning and had only slept about an hour before the images of the dead tributes flashed before herself, and then worst of all Cato dyeing before herself again and again but she can't do anything but stand there even though he calls for her help. But it's like her feet are glued to the ground and all of her knives are missing. It calms her when she hears his cannon but then it starts all over again, some huge tribute like Thresh or some supernatural animal comes for him and slowly kills him as painfully as they can. But that's when her screams get loud enough she wakes herself up.

But even now as fatigue settles over her she is afraid of falling asleep. So she does the only thing she can do: crawl into bed and wait for Cato to come. But this time it looks like fatigue won the everlasting battle she has with herself.

So tell me what you think...

-J