Melting Ice

Chapter 7

One week later

I remove myself from Cato's arms that morning and check the clock. It read 8:31.

"Cato, time to get up", I say as I stand up in my pyjamas and slip on slippers.

"No", he moans, "Come back to bed, I'm cold".

"We really need to go soon. I'm going to dress Brianna", I announce before walking into the room next to ours.

"Good morning princess", I say to her smiling face, "It's a big big day".

With Brianna on my hip, I search through the chest of draws until I come across a light pink and white polka dot dress with a matching bonnet and shoes. Before I dress her, I give her a quick bath and feed her milk. Yes, I do breast feed her but it generally comes from a bottle due to lack of time we have had lately. Unlike most babies, she sleeps through the night without waking to be feed and because of this, I feed her a lot mode during the day. When she is ready, I put her ready in her pram whilst I take a quick shower and change into a black mini skirt, gold crop top and matching heels. I also straighten my hair and attach a bow at one side.

We then return to Cato and mines room and see a fully dressed Cato holding a rose.

"For the most beautiful girl in the galaxy", he says. I release my grip of the pram and onto Cato's neck as we kiss gently. We stand in a hug for a while before he lifts up Brianna.

"And for the most cutest baby in the world...", Cato pulls a pink teddy bear out of his back pocket and into Brianna's small hands. You can tell she is thankful by the happiness shown on her face.

"We better get going", says Cato.

Cato and I decide to bring Brianna with us this time. Once we arrive, we are escorted to a room which is split in half by a glass panel. Seconds later a clock appears on the wall, counting back from 10. 10 seconds to what?

2...

1...

Kayla burst through the doors in her arena outfit: leather trousers and a thermal jacket.

"Clove!", she screams.

"Listen to me! You have an alliance right?", she nods, "You never leave them until it's just you lot left. The cornucopia is your best friend okay?".

"You can do this Kayla, your stronger than them", shouts Cato.

"Are you okay", I ask her.

"I'm fine, I will do my best for you", she replies.

"That's all we can ever hope for. I will get gifts to you...somehow", I tell her.

"Please".

Then everything goes black, I grasp onto Cato's arm.

"What's happening?", I whisper.

"I, I don't know", he replies.

"Kayla?", I yell. No reply, no sound either.

When the lights comes up, Kayla is gone, the glass panel is gone. President Snow sits I front of us.

"Please, take a seat", he says. I sit on the one seat holding Brianna and Cato's hands on my shoulder, "This must be Brianna".

"Yes, it is. Where are we?", I ask.

"It doesn't matter. What matters is what I'm about to tell you; people in the districts aren't happy, they are still mad".

"Just kill me then", I say.

"I'm not going to do that. You and Cato need to find a way to distract the angry people throughout the games".

"How?", Cato asks.

"May I suggest...a wedding?", Snow says. I instantly turn to Cato with fear in both our eyes.

"No. We are both to young. First, we have a baby now this? Clove went through nine months of pain and humiliation. Longer than any game she has ever been in", Cato snaps.

"Very well...I could just kill you all now and put all this to an end. Primrose and Ryan are already dead".

"What!", yells Cato launching himself into President Snow.

"No!", I say through gritted teeth as I pull him back,"What do you want from us!".

"I think a little holiday for you two in my palace would do the trick".

"What about Brianna?, I ask.

"Brianna hasn't done anything wrong".

1 month later

"No!", I scream as I see Brianna being shot, "Stop! You evil man!". I try to calm myself and tell myself it's only a hallucination, which it is. President Snows little holiday consists of 12 hours of torture a day, every single day for the rest of our lives. Today, I'm having hallucinations, yesterday I have electrocuted, who knows what tomorrow will bring. Cato and I have no idea what is or has happened in the games nor where Brianna is. We can't even be certain she is alive.

"That's all for today", a peacekeeper tells me as I dragged out the room and slung back into my cell. Cato has a cell next to me but I'm pretty sure I can hear his screams across the hall. A glass panel separates our cells, I also use it as a mirror at times. Bruises cover my body, everywhere. I see four new ones today...great.

Cato returns with bloodshot eyes and a gash across his cheek minuets later. The glass panel lifts once both Cato and I are locked in our cells. I drag myself over to Cato, who is sitting in the corner muttering swear words to himself. Something tells me not to say anything, just yet. Instead I kneel and wrap my arms around his neck and sing into his battered and bruised ear the song which I sing to him everyday since we have been in this death trap:

Deep in the meadow

Under the willow

A bed of grass

A soft green pillow

Lay down your head

And close your eyes

And when they open

The sun will rise

Usually, I only sing the first verse but tonight, I continue

Here it's safe

And here it's warm

Here the daisies

Guard you from every harm

Here your dreams are sweet

And tomorrow brings them true

Here is the place where I love you

I heard Katniss sing it to Rue when she died and it stuck in my head every since.

"I'm here Cato", I say before gently kissing him on the cheek.

"Your dead", he says.

"I'm real, it was all a hallucination".

"They shot you, they burnt you", he cries in a wobbly voice. Tears stream down his face.

"It was pretend, I promise".

"It was so real".

"I know, I know".