the girl who played with knives || clato ✔️

32

Cato

I wake to a whisper and Clove's lips pressed to my ear.

"Cato," she hisses.

"Mmmmmmhhm," I groan.

"I saw someone here... it was a girl, I think from Fi-"

"What?"

"Yeah, she said her name was Fynch."

I think about this for a minute. Fynch? Do I remember a snippet of an interview?

"And she got away?" I ask.

"Well, yeah-"

"You can't let that happen, Clove."

"What?"

"Every dead tribute gets us closer to home. You can't let opportunities like that slip."

"Okay, fine, but-"

"I'm trying to get us out of here."

"I know."

"So promise me."

Clove sighs.

"I promise I'll kill everyone we come across," she snaps.

Clove

The night air is extremely cold, as well as the air between us since that last little conversation, and since we're both awake, we decide to get moving to warm up.

"Clove," Cato says, staring down at me after we've been walking for a while, fire doused, bags on our backs, weapons ready just in case.

When I look up and say "What?" he doesn't answer, just sighs.

"Cato, what?" I say after about five minutes of unbearable silence.

"I'm sorry, Clover-"

"You haven't called me that in forever," I say, surprised. "Never mind. Sorry. Continue."

"I'm sorry," Cato says and I go to say "It's okay." but he's still talking.

"The Games have just... the stress, the- the fear. It's gotten to me." Fear? But Cato's the one who's supposed to be fearless.

Cato sees my face and continues.

"Yeah, Clove, even I get scared. And it's mostly because of you..."

"Well," I say, smiling. "Don't be afraid anymore. We're both gonna make it. Don't worry. And when we get home, I'm never leaving you." I reach across the herculean gap between and us and grab his hands and we're one again, all quarrels forgotten.

"Okay," Cato says, grabbing my other hand.

"Okay."

And he kisses me in the rosy light of morning and it's warm again.

Cato

"We really need more supplies," Clove says about mid-morning.

"I agree. We should go hunting today," I say.

We're both lying on the forest floor just relaxing in the sun.

"Okay, I'll go that way, you go the other. And we meet back here at dusk?"

"Hell no," I say and Clove furrows her brow. "We're not separating."

"Cato, we have better chances of catching something if we split up. It'll be fine," Clove says.

What's going through her head? This is ludicrous...

"Just for today, Cato."

I sigh and sit up, wielding my sword.

"Okay."

Clove

He gives me a little kiss goodbye and then we set off in opposite directions, tracking game.

I find a beaten trail that was either made by Fynch as she left or a fairly large animal. I hope not too large...

I track the trail for a while, until I spot it: a doe in a little clearing. I sneak up on my toes and draw out a slim little knife that I can use to just wound it a little before taking out the big one and-

Suddenly the deer looks up straight at me, then bolts off. I spring to my feet and speed along after it but fricken hell it is fast.

I hurl my knife and it sticks in the deer's side, barely even slowing it down. I'm just getting another out when we reach a steep decline, which the deer bounds down with ease, but it's too steep for me.

"ASSHOLE!" I yell at it, then giggle breathily at my own silliness.

Then I realize where I am and fall silent. This is that cliff across from the Cornucopia, the one Thresh disappeared over.

And I don't want to admit it, but Thresh scares me. He's ten times bigger and stronger, and though I'm more nimble and good with knives...

I find myself backing away slowly. Surely he heard me. Surely he's-

"Ah!" I yelp as I bump into something behind me.

Just a tree. Just a tree. Calm down.

But now there's another reason for alarm, 'cause I don't have the faintest clue how to get back to Cato from here.

And I'm lost and completely alone. Or maybe I'm not.

Cato

I just hunt in peace for a while, wandering a wobbly line from Clove and I's base.

It's late afternoon, and I've just finished off some berries and squirrel for lunch when those trumpets signaling an announcement blare again.

"Attention, tributes!" Claudius Templesmith says. "There will be a feast held tomorrow at the Cornucopia."

My ears perk up. A feast? We're not too hungry. Yet, especially if we can't find anything today, we could use the food.

"Now hold on. Some of you may already be declining my invitation. But this is no ordinary feast. Each of you needs something desperately." Protection from Katniss' arrows? "Each of you will find 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 will be your last chance."

Our last chance... Clove and I- Clove... where's Clove?

Clove

After I hear the announcement, I shudder a little at the thought of the feast. What will we get? What will be in our bag? Food? Or armor of some sort...?

Of course we'll go, though. I start to walk towards where I think the Cornucopia is. Surely Cato will have the sense to meet me here tomorrow?

Tomorrow at dawn. Something we need desperately...

Cato

I jog briskly back to our base. She's not here, but we said we'd meet at dusk, so I'm not too worried... well, maybe I'm a little worried.

And by the time the sun is going down I'm getting fidgety. When it's well past dusk I start to panic.

"Clove?" I call into the darkness, brandishing my sword. "CLOVE!"

Oh no, oh no. Where's Clove? Where is she?

"Clove?"