Just Tell Me You Love Me Already

Chapter 25: Dreams and Visions

Cato's POV

After I kill Thresh I step back and let a hovercraft come over and pick up Thresh's large body. I walk back along the way that Thresh came from and I find a tent. Unzipping the tent I climb inside and find a sleeping bag, 2 backpacks, and some food sitting inside. So this is where he was the whole time. I'm guessing that in his backpack were the tent and possibly the sleeping bag. The second bag, the one labeled 2 is untouched; it's not even unzipped like the one labeled 11. I step over and unzip the bag; inside I find a skin-colored armor mesh. I feel it in my fingers, it's flexible yet hard, something that is probably very expensive in the Capitol.

I take the first armor and put it on under my clothes. It reaches all the way out to my fingers, covering my palms and the back of my hands. The armor is so light I can't even feel it. There is a second set of armor in the bag, a smaller set, one meant for Clove. I pick it out of the bag and hold it in my hands; I remember holding Clove's body after she died, a painful memory. I step outside the tent, it is still pouring rain. I sink down to my knees and sit in the wet mud, the rain pours down over me, making my face wet. I can't even tell my tears apart from the rain droplets that fall onto me. It was Clove who was saying that we would need something to block Katniss's arrows and it took Clove's life to try and get this armor. I hug the other armor to me, remembering Clove in my embrace almost every night since the Reaping. I remember Clove's smile, the way her eyes lit up whenever she saw me. I remember watching Clove progress through the advanced class, how amazed and jealous I was about her success. Now Clove is gone, never to walk this earth again. I have killed the person who killed Clove, but to get home like she wished me to, I have to kill three more.

The last 3 left in the Arena all have part in Clove's death. If I hadn't been chasing the girl from 5 then I could've come to Clove's rescue when she needed ne, if Katniss wasn't there then Clove would've never been caught by Thresh, if not for Peeta, Katniss would have never been at the feast in the first place.

I can still feel my sanity slowly slipping away; bit by bit I'm losing it, like water flowing through a broken dam. With Clove I had everything, without Clove I am nothing but a shadow, a sliver of a shadow. The cool rain pours down over my face. I realize that I am tired, I haven't slept for days, and before I know what's happening I fall to the ground, darkness swirls around me.

When I wake up the sun is shining and the field of grain looks golden. I sit up and find that all my wounds have been bandaged, looking around, I see Clove sitting on a rock that I didn't even realize was there.

"Clove?" I ask.

"Yes?" she smiles at me.

"You're, you're alive, but, but, I saw you die, you died in my arms." I stutter.

"I'm not gone, silly Cat. I'll always be here with you, in your heart."

"So you're not real." I say disappointed.

Clove laughs, "I guess I'm not."

"What are you doing here?"

"I don't know, you tell me," she says. "I'm in your mind, you conjured me here."

"I guess it's because I miss you." I tell her.

"I miss you too," Clove smiles at me, "Though you are an idiot."

"Oh? How is that?" I ask her.

"You fell asleep in mud in the middle of a field while it's pouring rain." Clove points out. As a second though she says, "In the Hunger Games too, someone could easily come across you and chop off your head."

"Then I could join you."

Clove's face darkens. "Don't do that; don't die to be with me."

"It would be worth it."

"No, it really wouldn't be worth it. And I would be very pissed off at you if you did, if you really want to make me happy, Cat, then you'll try your hardest to live, and to get home."

"I will," I promise her, "I'll try."

"Good," Clove says, hopping off the rock, the sun is shining on her dark brown hair, it looks beautiful. "I'll wait for you; I'll always wait for you..."

I wake up to see that the sun is shining; it's got to be noon by now. I am practically stuck in the dirt, since it dried with the left side of my face in it, but I'm able to pull myself out. All I have left is my sword; my spear was taken from the Arena along with Thresh's body, since I didn't desire to take it out.

I look back at the tent, I already have a sleeping bag, and taking Thresh's tent doesn't seem right to me, though I'm not sure what is right and what is wrong anymore. I somehow manage to get back to the Cornucopia, Where I take off my backpack and wash myself off in the lake there, bringing back memories of Clove and I swimming, painful memories. After I've washed off all the mud I climb out of the lake, slinging the backpack on me. I don't care if I'm soaking wet, I'm going to hunt down everyone else so I can get home, like Clove wished me to. Though, I clean and bandage my wounds from my battle with Thresh, he was not an easy kill.

About an hour after I roam around in the forest, I hear a cannon blast, so one of the four of us left is dead. I wonder who it is until I see a hovercraft dip down and pick up a body, the red hair glints in the sun light. It's the girl from 5 the smart one, the one Clove disliked. Clove, Clove, Clove, Clove my mind whispers her name to me twenty-four seven it's driving me past madness, I already know that I miss her, no need to rub it in, brain.

Cato, male Tribute from District 2, died when Clove, female Tribute from District 2, passed away from a dented skull. All that is left is his body, still a pumping heart, but no soul, and no heart, no love, no mercy left. The last bit of mercy was spent on Thresh, there is now none left. When Cato's shadow self comes across 12, they'd better be ready.

(A/N wanted to end here but this little bit next would be a sad next chapter)

I head towards the place where 5 died, I find signs of people, but am not able to track them back to wherever. Though, earlier I swear I heard yelling. I travel all around, looking for signs of life, I find nothing. At nightfall I stop and rest in the sleeping bag, eat the rest of the food in my backpack. It's now mine, not Clove's, that hurts too, I push the thought away. There are 3 of us left, the Game Makers are bound to push us together tomorrow, somehow, might as well eat to my fill now.

At night, 5's face appears in the sky, the Games are narrowing down and no one in the Capitol will be able to tear their eyes away from the screens, afraid to miss something important. I try and get some good sleep for the final show down tomorrow.