The Paylor Games~Katniss' daughter (The next book is sorta up!)

28

I start slowly rising up until I am on stage. Bright lights and colorful people is pretty much all I see. I turn around and see Haymitch and my parents, they smile at me. I look to my right, trying to block out the defining roar of the audience. I see Cesar and Cato sitting and talking, they both notice me and stand up. Cato steps forward slowly and then speeds up, I smile and rush over to him. We hug for a long time, he kisses my forehead twice.

"I'm so glad you weren't faking Cato," I say loud enough for him to hear over the crowd, but nobody else.

"I'm sorry I had to lie to you," He says. I hug him again and we sit down on a small couch.

"I see you two are very happy to see each other again," Cesar laughs. "I know I'm happy to see you two here on stage!"

"I'm just glad to see that she's alright," Cato says quietly, "Those birds really got her. She lost a lot of blood, she was so pale!"

"Do you want to know something?" Cesar asks, I nod, "She was less than a minute from dying." I see Cato shiver out of the corner of my eye. I grab his hand with both of mine because they are freezing, and lay my head on his shoulder.

"They healed me all up Cato, not even any hunting scars left," I tell him. He lifts my hands and looks at them, and he smiles.

"Good,"Is all he says.

"Those birds, they were truly vicious! What was it like? Being in the arena with them? What did is feel like when they stabbed you?" Cesar asks.

I feel my stomach twist, "Horrible," Cato says. "They were so fast and angry! But I didn't have much trouble with them until Ariel got close to me. They seemed to hate her."

"Maybe because it was your job to protect me. Maybe they were triggered to put me in danger. Because if I die, you die," I tell them.

"You got stabbed several times by their long, sharp beaks," Cesar reminds me.

"It hurt," I admit, "Imagine something as thick as a quarter and as long as a small child, digging into your arms legs and side." Cesar grimaces. "That's not even the worst part!" I exlaim, "Their beaks got stuck in you. And they had to twist them to get them out. Tearing up your insides to succeed." I pause."The one in my back and the one in my side hurt the most. I got the one in my side out, but the one in my back... I had to lay there and let it tear me up from the inside out."

"Well you lived, and so did Cato. And that is what's important!" Cesar claps his hands together once and smiles.

"Bin didn't survive," I point out harshly.

Cato and Cesar both look at me with sympathy.

"What was it like Ariel? Watching Cato kill Bin with his sword?" Cesar asks. Even though I know Bin is alive, my throat still becomes raw.

"Worse pain than the bird mutts," I spit.

"I'm so sorry," Cato let's go of my hand and I quickly hold it again.

"I promised I wouldn't hate the victor," I whisper. The crowd awes and I sigh. Haymitch told me to act like Bin is dead and act like I am a little mad at Cato, but I still love him and I forgive him.

"Thank you," Cato says before hugging me. I make a few tears fall before he let's go of me.

"I can't believe he's gone," I whisper.

"What happened?" Cesar asks. "To Bin? The cameras stopped working..."

"I stabbed him and slit his throat. Ariel ran over to him and held his hand while he died and the hovercraft took him away," Cato says with no emotion.