To Be A Career (A Very Clove Story)

Chapter 12- To Be Hurt

I'm up and running before I even realize it. The tracker jackers are zooming behind me.

I see Katniss up in a tree, and I cuss as I run out of the tent.

"To the lake! To the lake!" I hear Marvel shouting. I follow him, not bothering to see who's following.

The demon wasps are tailing us. I hear screaming, and I turn around to see who.

It's Glimmer and Fish Face. They got stung, and they're on the ground, screaming. Glimmer is blowing up like a balloon, and Fish Face looks as good as dead. A tracker jacker stings me, and shocks me back into reality. I run towards the lake. It's what they deserve, I think as I hear Glimmer's scream.

I run faster than I knew I could. The tracker jackers are coming closer, and I run faster.

I hear a cannon blast, and I wonder who it's for. Fish Face, Glimmer, maybe even Katniss. I saw her. I hope it's hers. That's what she deserves for dropping that nest on me.

I finally reach the lake, with two more tracker jacker stings. I pull out the stringers as I jump into the cool water. The tracker jackers aren't down here, and I sigh under the water. I bump into Cato. I'm glad he's alive. I can't breathe, and I head out of water. The tracker jackers have mostly moved on.

Marvel and Cato's heads pop up, and I swim over to the edge of the lake. I get out, and start to run. Peeta, who I've completely forgotten about, is ahead of me. He's heading towards Katniss, I'm sure of it. I follow him. That bitch is going to die.

"What are you doing?" I hear him hiss at her.

He says something I don't catch, and she runs. I run after her, but Peeta stops me.

"Let go of me!!" I yell at him.

"I can't let you kill her," he says calmly.

I try to free myself, but I can hardly turn my head, let alone reach for my knives. I bite his arm, which causes him to let go. I free myself, and I grab one of my knives.

I go to kill him, stab him until he can't scream. She could be dead.

"Get ready to die, Lover Boy," I growl at him, going for my favorite knife, the one within my easiest reach. Cato beats me to it, cutting Peeta's leg with his sword. He starts bleeding like crazy, and we go to leave him. Marvel runs to us, sees the scene before him, Peeta's bleeding leg, and my surely manic expression. He follows us.

"Why didn't you go after her?! You could have killed her!" Cato yells at me.

"I went to go after her, but Peeta stopped me! That's why I was about to kill him, idiot!" I yell back at him. Yes, I do like Cato, but I don't like to be insulted.

There are ways you could have gone around him! I overestimated you, Clove. You're almost as stupid as you are a killer!" he exclaims.

I let out a laugh. "Oh, I'm the killer here? How many people have you killed, Cato? Never mind. The numbers don't matter! Why? I'll tell you why. This is the Games, we're all killers!" I yell.

"I'm not a killer!" Marvel cuts in.

'Shut up, Marvel!" Cato and I say at the same time.

"Shutting," he says. We walk along in angry silence. No one won that one. I imagine myself as the victor, and I smile. I'll kill them all, except maybe Cato. Okay, I'll admit it, as mad as I am at Cato, I don't think I could kill him. And that just makes me mad, because that's just sad and pathetic. I'm not sad and pathetic. I'm a Career, we don't do sad and pathetic.

A boy stumbles out in front of us. District Three, I think.

"P-please don't kill me!" he stutters, tripping over his own feet.

"So, who's going to kill him?" Cato asks, completely disregarding his begging. District Three seemed to have stopped breathing, because he's very pale.

"Why don't I kill him, since I'm such a killer?" I say, reminding him of his words.

"You're being stupid, Clove," Cato states.

"I wasn't the one who let their heart get broken by a slut," I remind him.

"Shut up!" he yells at me.

"No," I say.

"You're a bitch!" he yells at me. That stings. And burns, and just really hurts. I don't let it show on my face.

"Love you too, Kitty Cat," I say with a smile.

"He lives!" I hear Marvel sat.

"What are you- Oh, I forgot about him. Why does he all the sudden get to live? Who let you decide?" I ask him.

"Well, you and Cato were fighting like three-year-olds, so I assumed you wanted me to choose. And he didn't kill you, so I think that he'll live," Marvel says.

"We were not!" I argue.

"Clove, drop it," Marvel says. I glare at him, and turn towards the boy in question.

"What's your name, kid?" I ask him.

"Adrian," he says, trying not to stutter.

"Okay then. Let's go, we have an Everdeen to find," I say.

"No, we should set up camp first. Then we can find her," he says.

"Okay, let's go back then, Mr. Bossy," I say, heading back the way we came. They follow. We get to the lake, and I start to gather our stuff. They do, too. I look around, and I see the remains of the tracker jacker nest. I kick it and watch it crumble.

Something isn't right here. I can't say what, but something isn't right. Someone is watching me. I don't know who. I turn around, but I don't see a soul. I think it's Rue, but I don't day a word. I don't feel like Cato yelling at me for being paranoid. He's suddenly blaming me for everything, for things I couldn't help. Maybe he's just upset about Glimmer's death, taking it out on me. Which would mean he still has feelings for her. Of course he does.

I sigh quietly and quickly.

"Let's go," I say. I'm sick of this place.

"Okay," Cato says. He walks next to me, leaving Marvel with Adrian.

I don't feel like talking or fighting, and apparently, neither does he. He talks to Marvel a little bit, teases Adrian, but completely ignores me. I walk ahead of him, just to see if he cares. He doesn't. Or at least he doesn't say anything.

We make it to the Cornucopia. The golden horn is shining in the sun, and it looks like a picture, No blood, no dead bodies. The Games could just be about to begin.

"We're staying here," Cato says, already decided. I nod and unpack, not saying a word.