The hunger games: if Cato saved Clove

Chapter thirteen

Chapter thirteen: tracker jackers

As I lay down, the anthem plays but no faces appear in the sky, it's brighter tonight than I've ever seen it, Glimmer asks to go on watch so we let her. The perfect navy blue sky with the tiny stars reminds me of Caesar Flickerman's suit and I try to imagine what he must be doing now. Probably talking to Claudius Templesmith about Katniss being in the tree with us below her. I try to sing through a lullaby in my head to try and help me sleep, it's a simple one that my mum used to sing to me when I was little but I'm hopeless, I can't even remember half of the lyrics, I can only remember the tune and something about a forest that we would one day escape to, but I now know that it doesn't exist, it never did. That was my mum's way for me to not volunteer for the games.

I roll onto my left side and think of my mum and dad, before I met Cato, they were all I had. I notice my hand is gripping onto my knife in my belt but I don't take it off, if someone comes and Glimmer's fell asleep, it's my only chance of survival.

I eventually drift off into a light sleep and dream about a world where I'm at school and I'm being pushed over by that girl who bullied me, I then recognise it as the time where Cato and I first became proper friends, he walks over and picks up all of my scattered books (I couldn't afford a bag) and helps the four year old version of me up, I thank him before waking up to a loud thud. I look around for the source of the sound and see what looks like a smashed wasp nest, but when one stings me I know it's no wasp, it's a tracker jacker. The agony pierces through my left arm and I struggle to get off the ground, but I do. We run over to the lake and jump in. I do a quick head count one, two and I make three... where's Glimmer and the four girl?

"Where's Glimmer and the other girl?" I ask.

"I think we've lost them." Cato answers in a grim voice.

"What about Lover Boy?"

Cato runs in the direction of the tracker jackers and comes back with blood at the end of his sword and a smile on his face.

"Where did you cut him?" I ask.

"In a place that won't heal." He says the smile growing.

"Look!" I yell. Pointing at the boy who I think is from district three, he's at the other side of the lake filling up a water bottle. We run to him but he doesn't run, he just sits there and adds some iodine to the bottle.

"I can help you you know." He says in a quiet voice.

"How?" Cato questions. "We're fine how we are."

"I can reactive those mines by the start podiums and I can use a spear."

"He could be helpful," I state, "We could reactive the mines and place the around the cornucopia which still has supplies in."

"Or we could try and find Katniss." Cato says, he looks annoyed at something but I realise it's probably the fact that I came up with the idea and not him.

"I say we go to the cornucopia." Marvel says.

"Fine!" Cato says, "But I'm not helping."

"Cato, please," I say in my persuasive voice, "We need you to help."

"Fine," He says again, a little more relaxed this time, "I'll help."