Love is not a game (Hunger Games Fan Fiction)

Chapter 18

Chapter 18: 

"C'mon Cato! We can't just leave that weakling in charge of the camp!" Glimmer whined as we continued to trudge through the forest. We had been walking since the sun first came up and it is now around midday. There has still been no sign of Katniss, much to my disappointment. 

I am beginning to get restless. What if we don't find her and she doesn't get killed? My family will surely pay for my inability to complete my objective. Glimmer continues to complain, eventually getting on my last nerves. 

I turn to yell at her when all of a sudden I hear something. It sounds like something flying through the air. I squint my eyes and peer up into the sky, causing the others to mimic my movements. 

"Is that a...?" Clove trails off and I nod my head urgently and collapse to the ground, pulling anyone within reach down with me. I turn around to see a large burn mark on the ground where, only seconds ago, Clove was standing. Panic fills my bloodstream as I look around, trying to see through the smoke. 

Where is she? 

A cough sounds from below me and I look down to see Clove staring at me with wide eyes. Her mouth twitched slightly and she gave me a grateful smile. "Thanks for saving me." She whispers with a strange look on her face.

I thought she was dead. The strangest thing is that I felt as if a part of me had died then too. The feeling of relief that I felt was tremendous to see her alive. I momentarily forgot about the others and the huge fire surrounding us. 

"Hey look!" Glimmer yells, glaring at Clove and I. She points to the trees surrounding us, all covered in fire apart from one patch.  

I stare into the distance and a huge smile lights up my face. The Capitol have practically handed Katniss to us. 

This will be easy. 

"Follow the clear path and stay clear of the fire!" I instruct, checking to see if everyone is here. I sigh in relief to see four familiar determined faces staring back at me. "Keep your weapons at the ready!" 

I feel as if I'm from one of those stories that my mum used to tell Jamie and I every night before we went to bed. The stories usually included evil villains that were capable of killing everyone that you loved and cared for.  

Much like the Capitol, I suppose.  

The stories always ended the same way though; tragically. Often times, the hero would have to sacrifice themselves in order to kill the villain. There weren't usually happy endings but for some reason, I was obsessed with those stories. It had always been my dream to save the day. 

I guess you should be careful what you wish for. To be more specific, I should be careful of what I wish for. For example, look at the situation I'm in now. 

So, much like the characters in the stories that I was so familiar with, we walked stealthily into the forest, apart from Peeta who sounded like an elephant when he walked.  

Soon, the path that the fire had formed for us began to disappear and a small pond came into view. 

"We must be close." Clove said, voicing everyone's thoughts. I think that by that point all of us were dehydrated because we began acting like children at the sight of the source of water. 

"Race you there!" Glimmer screamed childishly, causing the rest of us to laugh and chase after her. A loud splash sounded from the pond in front of us as a familiar figure struggled to escape from the watery clutches. My face immediately brightened at the sight of her as she tried to climb the slippery rocks. 

"There she is!" I yelled, picking up my pace. The others immediately began to whoop and shout in joy and celebration, relieved that we finally managed to find her. That was all she needed to be able to pull herself out of the water, meaning that she had a good head start. 

We all ran across the rocks that surrounded the pond, whooping and shouting the entire way. Eventually, she had escaped from our vision and we all gazed into the distance for any sign of her. 

"There she is, up in the tree!" Someone yelled from my side. I quickly snapped my head upwards to see Katniss perched on a high up branch. She looked down at us and a sudden wave of anger washed over me. 

You are the reason that my loved ones might die. 

All around me, people were trying to talk to me and hand me things. I just ignored them though, eager to get the job over and done with. Without hesitation, I grab my sword and use it to help me climb the tree. As soon as I am about halfway up the tree, I slip and tumble to the ground.  

My cheeks flush with embarrassment at the thought of the viewers at home laughing at me.

Glimmer begins to shoot arrows at her, attempting to hit her. She quickly dodges them and grins down at us, causing my anger to grow.  

"Why don't you throw the sword?" She asks rhetorically to which I scowl in return. 

You are dead meat. 

I am about to throw myself at the tree and attempt to climb to where she is again when a voice stops me. 

"Wait! She can't stay up there forever, why don't we just wait until she has to come down?" Peeta suggests, making me glad that we had run into him.  

"Yeah, we'll wait until morning then." I agree before sitting down underneath the shady tree. 

Tomorrow, you are going to die.

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Author's Note: 

Well, there's the next chapter! For all of you guys that have either: 

1) Read the book because you are AWESOME!!!  

2) Seen the movie (Which isn't as much of a life-changing experience as reading the book in my opinion) 

Then you probably know what's in store for next chapter. 

Please vote, comment and tell me what you think. 

Double updates in one night- I'm pretty happy :D 

-Emily