Melting Ice

Chapter 9

1 year later

Cato

"Ah! No! Ow!", I scream each time the whip comes down. One minute left...

"Take him take to his cell", orders the peacekeeper.

Clove is waiting impatiently but the glass panel, waiting for the moment when I can hold her once again. I notice a cut down her arm and a burn on her shoulder, it's to painful to ask what happened. Torture is getting easier to live with, we learnt that it has a schedule, almost like a clock. Once we are together, she breaks down into tears as she sees my back.

"My poor Cato", she cries, "I want to go home". She always comforts me, now it's my turn. I lift her up like a child and sit her across my legs as she continues to cry.

"I know, I know".

"Orders from President Snow, Clove come with us", orders a peacekeeper.

"What?", she mumbles still half asleep in my arms. They drag her out of the room and down a staircase. All i hear is her scream.

Brianna

My name is Brianna Hadley and I'm 1 today. Mummy and daddy have been taken away by a bad man and I need to safe them. Madge won't let me...she says it's to dangerous. I live in District 12 with the kind people who found me: Madge and Gale. Gale goes out hunting everyday to feed Madge and me but I alway say that they can have my share. You may be thinking it's a bit strange for a one year old to be speaking a writing this fluently, that's because I apparently have a very special gift and my brain works well. Although, I don't think my brain is better, I just absorb information quicker.

Each year, 24 people play a game where they hurt each other. No one will tell me anything else about it apart from I will never participate. On days like these I really want mummy and daddy to be here with me. I can only just remember their faces, only just. One day I will meet them. At times when I have a bad dream, I try to picture mummy and daddy with me. They must be old now, I wish some one knew them, I wish someone would answer all my questions.

Isabelle

It has been a year since the kidnapping of Clove and Cato. Districts are angry, really angry. Secretly, us mentors have been meeting up every few weeks to put together a plan. Today, all the planning will go into action.

Xander, Kayla's friend(who we all think has feelings for), has been finding out as much information as possible about where they are and when it's best to go. Guards sleep four hours each night but set traps and alarm systems in their place. Xander drew out a map of where each one is but we still can't be certain. Cane, Gloss(district 1), Cashmere(district 1) and I are going in last. Everyone else is going to set bombs off in surrounding areas to cause distraction. When most of the attention is grabbed, us four will break in with a little help from District 3 to turn off the security system. Hovercrafts will be waiting outside to lift us to safety.

Haymitch(district 12), told us that Brianna is safe there. We trust him and hope that they can keep her safe throughout the attack.

Once everyone is armed and on the hovercraft, we go through a last minuet prep talk.

"We can do this!", yells Gloss, "We can save them and maybe end this whole thing!".

"Woah, baby steps", laughs Cane, "How can we be certain Cato and Cloves cells are together?".

"It doesn't matter, I will hack the system to find out", says the district 3 man.

The hovercraft begins to drop the bombs as soon a we centre the Capitol. Bang! Bang! Screams echo throughout the Capitol, it warms my heart. We only drop a small bomb of the palace to get people out. Our team climbs down on ladders, carrying hand bombs and backpacks full of weapons.

"It's time", I say as we jump out.

Two guards stand outside the gates and without thinking, I whip out my gun and shoot them both twice; one in the heart, one in the head. Cane roots through there pockets and finds even more weapons and what looks like a tracker. He shoves it in his bag before getting all of us to cut open the gate.

"It won't open!", I yell in frustration.

"Look!", shouts Cashmere, "What's this?". She points to a window with no glass, only bars. It looks big enough for someone to fit though. We all run over to it and crouch down so we are level. Someone is sitting in the corner, sobbing and muttering sentences. Something like, "President Snow, kill, trapped, Clove". Clove?

"Cato?", I whisper but it sounds more like a hiss. Nothing, "Cato!", I say a bit louder.

"Who said that?", he replies after he calms himself from the shock we gave him, "Clove?".

"No, look behind you", I tell him.

"Holy shit!", I says when he is level with us, "Get me out of here!".

"Hold on", we tell him, "Okay everyone, we need those chainsaws".

Minuets later, we have made a fairly reasonable dent in all 6 bars.

"Keep going!", I yell. Bombs still go off around us but nowhere near enough to harm us. The metal soon collapse into his cell and one by one all of slip in.

"Where is Clove?", I ask with fear in my eyes.

"They took her somewhere downstairs the other day. I don't know where though", he admits as if in shame.

"We won't stop until you are both safe", Cane says.

We smash down his door, shoot more people until we find a staircase going down. Cato is handed a gun and spear to protect himself from the guards as we run downwards. More guards greet us outside one particular cell.

"Move!", Gloss threatens. His is extremely muscular so he is a big threat. The guards hold up guns to us but before they can shoot, Cato shoves a spear through one, making the other one shoot awfully. He drops his gun and presses a button on his arm. Suddenly, more guards appear, surrounding us. We are going to die, we are going to die, we are going to die. I brace myself for the goodbye, like it's all I have ever known.

More and more bombs go off each second, getting louder each time. I hear shouts and screams from above us. A rope like the one from the Hunger Games crashes through the ceiling and without thinking, we all grip it and are pulled upwards.