To Be A Career (A Very Clove Story)

Chapter 22- To Be Making Strategies

I wake up, and the day is ordinary. Too ordinary. There's something strange about the quiet. Unless something very exciting is going on somewhere else, I think something's going to happen.

I rate us all up. Cato is the most skilled, Thresh is the strongest, Finch is the slyest, Peeta's a crowd favorite, and Katniss is something interesting. So where does that leave me? The leaves me as the killer. I can, and will, kill. It's what you have to do. Welcome to The Hunger Games. I guess I understand why Katniss blew the food. That equaled the playing field. That food gave us an advantage. It gave me an advantage, and I didn't realize it until it left. That just might make me the stupidest person I know.

"Clove?" Cato asks me.

"What?" I ask him. I'm honestly confused. Did I miss something?

"You've been kind of quiet. It's strange," he acknowledges.

"I was thinking," I admit to him. Yay for honesty, I guess.

"About what?" he prys.

"You don't ask people what they're thinking about. It's strange. But I was debating our odds of getting home," I say to him.

"I hope you came up with a 100% chance of making it home."

"Well, you can never be completely certain, but I think we have a pretty good chance," I tell him. The day goes on, ordinary as far as days in the arena go.

Of course, it's time for the anthem. I hear the trumpets, and I sit straight up. Cato gets up too as the trumpets stop.

It's my best friend Claudius Templesmith, announcing a feast.

"A feast," he whispers.

"We could always use the food," I agree.

"Now hold on. Some of you might already be declining my invitation. But this is no ordinary feast. Each of you needs something desperately," Claudius continues.

We don't need anything, but protection from Katniss's arrows would be useful.

"Each of you will find that something in a backpack marked with your district number, at the Cornucopia, at dawn. Think hard about refusing to show up. For some of you, this is your last chance." Trumpets, anthem, and over.

"We better get going, then!" I say to him. We begin packing, and he's dreaming up plans. I can tell.

"I'll take Thresh. I think I know where he's been this whole time anyways. I'll get to where I think he is, and you'll go to the Cornucopia. Get what we need, and take District Twelve's pack. You'll kill Katniss and the ginger from Five, I'll kill Thresh, and we'll let nature take care of Lover Boy. And then it's hello District Two," Cato says excitedly. He's talking so fast; I can hardly understand him.

"Before we execute your plan, calm down. The last thing I need is for you to hyperventilate," I say to him.

"You are probably right. Go in there and kill Katniss. Ginger would be useful, but she's our main focus," he reminds me.

"Sir yes sir," I tease him.

"Oh, shut up," he says to me. I comply, and focus on finding the Cornucopia.

We find it, and the sun is still down. I stifle a yawn. No need to give away my position. I can tell we have to split up soon.

"I should go," he suggests

"You should," I agree.

"Be careful in there, Clove," he reminds me. I can't help myself as I give him a kiss.

"The next time I see you, it'll be a good one," I promise him.

He turns to leave, and then turns back around and gives me a kiss on the forehead. Then he leaves for real.

I walk around, examining the angles. The Cornucopia sit perfectly in the middle. I'm nervous. I know I can kill, but how well? Can I kill Katniss and the ginger whose name I never can remember? What if Cato's wrong about Thresh's position? This could all end in a fatal disaster. I need to come up with a new plan.

I need to calm down. If I'm nervous, then I'll definitely be dead. And that would kind of suck.

I pace the area. I don't see anyone; all I see is the overly bright moon hanging over my head. I count the stars as they vanish. I see the sun begin to rise in the corner of the sky. I get ready to run. But nothing happens. Didn't Cladius say the Cornucopia at dawn?

"Dammit," I mutter under my breath. I almost go running towards Cato when the first ray of sun hits the Cornucopia. There's a disturbance on the ground, and the horn splits in to. There's a round table with a white table cloth, with four backpacks. My backpack and Thresh's backpack are both large and black. There's a medium sized green one with a five on it, and a very small orange one. I need to go in there, kill, and grab all of the backpacks. Then...get the hell out of there.

I see a figure dart out of the Cornucopia. The ginger! She grabs her backpack and runs off. I want to go after her, but not with my own backpack sitting on that table. I have to get there. I run out of my spot, and I see Katniss. I get out my knife, and I aim it for her right arm. She spins past it, and it doesn't hit her. She gets out a bow, and sends an arrow at my heart. I turn without hesitation. Her arrow hits my left arm. It's not terrible, but it needs attention soon. I pull the arrow out of my arm.

She's cost me time. She's at the table, her hand reaching for that orange backpack. She grabs it up on her arm and I send a second knife. It slices her forehead, which opens up a wound above her right eyebrow. The blood flows down her face and temporarily blinds her. She sends an arrow in my direction, which I dodge easily. This will end here; this will end now.