Cato wakes me before dawn breaks. I know what is coming, and how I'm risking my life for Cato. But I want to help him. I sit up, and take in my surroundings. The entrance to the cornucopia is empty, there is nothing there. I look at Cato, confused. He is looking around warily.
"You think this is a trap, don't you."
"Marvel put the idea in my head." He snaps back.
"Claudius announced it, it's extremely unlikely to be some kind of ambush."
"But I still don't trust it. You know what those gamemakers can be like!"
"They're not going to launch an ambush for every tribute left in the games, are they!"
"They might!"
"Don't be stupid!" I whisper angrily.
"I'm not!"
"You are. This isn't a quarter quell, they're not going to try and wipe out all the tributes, okay."
"I just don't want to lose you." He says, looking down at the floor.
"Then stop worrying. You won't."
"I'm going to go and hunt down 11. Be careful out there, please, Midge. I meant what I said."
"Okay, Cato. I will." I hand him my pack, and we vow to meet back at the hollow unless something goes wrong.
"One last thing." Cato says as he stands up. He takes my face in his hands and kisses my lips roughly. "Be careful. I love you." He whispers, then walks away. He doesn't look back.
I try to contain the emotions whizzing around my head as I turn back to the cornucopia. At some point throughout my hushed conversation with Cato, a table has appeared in the entrance of the cornucopia.
I look along the treeline for movement. I see none. Could the cornucopia be trapped? Mines, or something similar maybe? Then, there's a flash of orange. Like fire. The same colour I saw when I threw my knife at the white fur which I now presume was a rabbit. Felixia.
She darts out of the cornucopia, grabs the medium sized green rucksack with a 5 on it and sprints across the grass away from the cornucopia. I wonder what she needs. She looks in good shape, she doesn't look injured at all.
I decide to go for it. A split second after another girl. It's Katniss. Excitement and adrenaline courses through me and I throw my knife at Katniss's right hand side. She deflects it with the silver bow, and turns, an arrow positioned in the bow. She pulls back on the bowstring and fires. I move to the side slightly, but the arrow still catches me in the left arm. Pain surges down my arm and across my shoulder, but I pull it out and run after her.
She is collecting the little orange backpack with a 12 on it and slips it on around her wrist. I grab the one with a 2 on it, and sling it across my back as Katniss turns. I throw a second knife, and catch her above the eye, causing a huge gash across her forehead. She staggers backwards, blood streaming down her face, into her eyes, her mouth.
I run into her, taking her down on to the hard floor. "Where's your boyfriend, district twelve?" I say, breathing heavily, with a huge grin on my face "Still hanging on?"
"He's out there now. Hunting Cato." She snarls, blood oozing from the cut in her forehead. "Peeta!" She screams as loud as she can.
I open my eyes wide in surprise, and jam my fist against her windpipe. I search the treeline for movement, but see none. "Liar." I grin maliciously. "He's nearly dead. Cato knows where he cut him. You've probaby got him strapped up in some tree while you try to keep his heart going. What's in the pretty little backpack? That medicine for Lover Boy? Too bad he'll never get it." I smirk.
I promised Cato I'd make a show, and so I will. For Cato. I open my jacket and choose my favourite knife. It has a curved blade, and I notice it matches the curve of her lips. "I promised Cato if he let me have you, I'd give the audience a good show." I'm not letting her know that Cato is also injured, like Peeta. We're both fighting for the ones we love.
Katniss struggles, trying to tip me off her. "Forget it, district twelve. We're going to kill you. Just like we killed your pathetic little ally... What was her name? The one who hopped around in the trees? Rue? Well, first Rue, then you, and then I think we'll just let nature take care of Lover Boy. how does that sound?" I say, smirking. "Now, where to start?" I survey her face, and wipe away the blood from her wound with my sleeve. Her lips do seem like a good place to start. She tries to bite my hand, so I grab her hair and force her head back to the ground.
"I think... I think we'll start with your mouth." I smile cruelly. This will be fun. I trace the tip of the blade along the outline of her lips. Katniss doesn't close her eyes, just stares at my face. Her eyes bore into mine. "Yes, I don't think you'll have much use for your lips any more. Want to blow Lover Boy one last kiss?" I ask, looking around the treeline then back to Katniss's outraged face.
Then she spits a mouthful of blood and saliva at my face. Rage overwhelms me as I swipe the disgusting substance off my face. "Alright then, let's get started." I press the tip of the blade against her lip and push downwards. A fresh drop of her blood appears, and I drag the knife down a little.
Then I am ripped from her body. The knife flies from my grasp. I am flung into the air by some unknown force. Katniss is still lying on the floor, as the force grabs me by the collar and turns me round. I look in to the eyes of the huge brute from district 11, and I know Cato has failed. My feet dangle off the ground, and my heart is hammering through my chest. He flips me around and throws me to the ground. Stunned and dazed, I look up at him as he yells in my face.
"What'd you do to that little girl? You kill her?" I scramble backwards, like the cripple from ten did when we hunted him down. It's so different to be the prey rather than the predator.
"No! No, it wasn't me!" I cry out.
"You said her name. I heard you. You kill her?" Another wave of rage cuts across his features. "You cut her up like you were going to cut up this girl here?" He says, picking up a huge stone.
"No! No, I-" My voice falters as he brings the stone up towards me. "Cato! Cato!" I scream. I don't want to be alone like this any more. Why did I make him stay, why did I say I'd go alone? I'm so stupid!
"Clove!" I hear him answer, but he sounds too far away to come to my rescue. Has he fallen over, injured himself more? I look back to the boy, frantically trying to form words in my head.
Then he brings the stone down on my head, hard.
I crumple, my eyesight going blurry. I can faintly hear words of conversation. This is it. I'm going to die. I breathe quickly, and hope for Cato to come. My head throbs, but I cna't move to touch it, to see if I'm bleeding. Through my blurred vision I see Katniss scamper away, the orange backpack swinging from her wrist. The boy comes back to me and rips the bag from me. I can do nothing to stop him. Then Cato's here.
I can hear his voice. "Stay with me, Clove, please." Finally, I can see his face, his piercing blue eyes the only thing I can focus on. I try to speak, but I can't. "Please." He says, and something warm and wet drips on to my cheek. It drips in to my mouth, and through the blur of my mind, I can taste it. It's salty, like tears. "Midge, please, please stay with me. I don't want to do this alone. Please, stay with me." His warm hand touches my cheek, wipes the tear away.
"I love you." He says, but I can only hear it faintly. His blue eyes are the last thing I can see as my blurry world fades into nothing.
