Don't Forget- Cato Hadley One Shot

        The cannon sounded after Hazel retrieved her knife from Peeta Mellark's fallen body. She wiped the blood off the knife onto her pants. She could hear the sound of loud footfalls coming her way. She didn't know what it was that had encouraged her to fight this long, but it was dwindling fast. If she absolutely wanted to, she could putting up a fighting chance for Victor. She didn't want it, didn't need her district to be proud of her. There was no victory in killing some mother's darling child. Hazel squinted up towards the sky. She was sure that the hovercrafts were waiting for her to scatter so they could retrieve Peeta's body and ship him off to his district to be mourned by his mother and father. She dropped her backpack down to the ground and bolted. She was close to her grave, she didn't need the deadweight to slow her down. 

        "C'mon, Hazel, I just want to talk to you," Cato taunted, Hazel winced at his voice. 

        With a shake and a sarcastic laugh she replied, "Sorry, Cato, but I don't think I'm going to like what you had in mind." She scaled a tree, sap sticking to her palms as she climbed higher. Even though she had no intention of playing cat and mouse with Cato Hadley, she did want the satisfaction of teasing him. She had stole his kill, she had murdered Katniss Everdeen without hesitation. Cato's every thought was now directed towards torturing Hazel Green. 

        The blond haired killer stood below Hazel. It would have been easy to scale the tree and pull her down, she had intended it to be easy. Cato knew every trick up her sleeve, and he wasn't willing to fall for a single one of them. It would be easy to kill Hazel. He had imagined it a thousand times ever since he saw her reaped. He could scalp her of her long copper hair. He could cut each of her fingers off while she screamed, wait until the people at the Capitol saw this, he'd be a legend. For now, Cato just had his mind set on knocking the angel from the air. 

        "You're so gullible, Cato," Hazel sighed, she swung her feet, knowing every second she stalled, Cato was growing more furious.

        "I only want to talk to you," Cato feigned innocence, he took a step back pretending to be hurt by Hazel's taunts. 

        Hazel snorted and rolled her eyes, "I'm fine talking to you from up here, thanks." She brushed hair out of her face and continued to stare down Cato. "I feel bad for you, Cato. Are you honestly that stupid to not realize what the Capitol is going to do to you?"

        Cato continued to stare down Hazel, waiting for her to continue her speech. Hazel leaned against the trunk of the tree, a bitter smile playing on her lips, "They talk about the honor of winning the Games, but they don't talk about what happens later. You're their little pet. You have to listen or they'll go after your family, one by one just to proof that they have the upper hand, that you still have something to live for, that you're weak.

        "I bet you'll have nightmares, Cato. You've killed a lot more people than me, and I haven't got the cleanest slate, either. Every day of your life you'll wish you hadn't lived, that you weren't the one out of twenty-four. You'll try whatever you can to numb the pain, morphine, liquor, heck even sex, whatever can keep you awake. I bet you'll sleep with a knife, always afraid, always afraid someone will take you back to the arena, to your personal Hell."

        Cato's grip tightened on the hilt of his sword. Who did Hazel think she was? How did she know any of this? Thoughts raised through Cato's mind and for once in his life he felt panic climbing up his throat. Hazel looked so sincere as she sat on her little perch waiting for him to say something, anything. 

        "I-I don't believe you," he managed, wincing as he realized his words weren't even close to genuine.

        Hazel sighed and rolled her eyes, wiping a hand across her forehead, smearing blood and dirt across her once pale skin. She played with the knife in her hands, a nervous look playing on her features as she made out her plan. "The Capitol puts twenty-four of us in the arena, and one comes out. Look, its between you and me, Cato. One of us gets to go back to our district, and it's not going to be me." Cato jumped in surprise as Hazel drove her knife with a scream into her stomach through the remaining bits of her jacket and her shirt. Cato dropped his sword, catching her as she fell from her perch.  She smiled sadly up at Cato, her green eyes shining with tears. 

        "You win." The cannon signaled the end of the Games. Cato realized something he hadn't accounted for. He had fallen for Hazel Green's trick. He had fallen in love.