Hunger Games 1. Chapter 1

I thought up this theory while desperately trying to find a way for the Cato x Katniss ship to sail, so please don't judge.

I wrote this like six months ago and haven't posted it yet...so here it is. ( this is the edited version, I just split the first chapter so its not massively too long.)

I don't own the hunger games, sad but true.

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I had watched her, studied her, and tried to understand her. But still her actions brought about more questions than answers. The capital people love her, the common people love her, heck even the other tributes love her. This is a dog eat dog game, kill or be killed and she allies with the smallest, the weakest. We would have taken her in a heartbeat in the careers but she allied with the little girl. Why? The more I watched the more I became captivated…

Of course I had watched the unusual reaping of the district twelve girl everyone had, and I saw her when she paraded down tribute trail on fire. But I pretty much forgot about her until the night the scores came out. I had expected a high score and until they announced her score I had the highest, a ten, but she blew all of us out of the water with a ground breaking eleven. How did she do it? I began to obsess over it for the next few days. During training she stayed far away from the intense sections like weapons, trying out the survival skills as oppose to the offensive. From what I saw she seemed to be like any other average tribute, but she was far from ordinary.

I did not discover how abnormal she was until the games actually began. Standing on the pedestals the only thing on my mind was strategy, I knew without a doubt that I could out run a majority of the other tributes. So I had to get to a weapon, my mentor had advised me to run for and axe if possible, and take out as many tributes as quickly as I could. And kill I did.

The first was the boy from district six, Jason, he had stolen my knife in training and I threatened him, I hadn't intended to kill him first he just got in the way. Something strange happened after the first kill, I felt my body moving but I was no longer in control. My instincts no doubt kept me alive in that moment of shock. Someone ran up beside me and I swung the machete at him, he dropped. Then a girl jumped at me, I dodged her attack and kicked the sword from her hand. She crashes into some crates. That's when I heard glimmer scream, my mentors had arranged an alliance between us, so I stabbed some boy and ran to her aid. At this point my own consciousness had caught up, I was back in control. I rescued glimmer from some random boy, by killing him. Then I marched through the cornucopia, most of the tributes had cleared out, just a few remained.

I caught movement out of the corner of my eye, I turned and slashed at the oncoming boy. Only when his lifeless body hit the floor did I realize he was the young boy from four, he was only twelve. He was the last to die in the initial blood bath. The rest of the careers grouped up around me and the young boys' body, where I still stood in shock. I had killed this child.

"Cato we have to go, they're getting away!" clove shouts at me, she is giddy from the fight. I on the other hand am still sick, but I have to lead this group.

"Okay, let's gather the supplies. Then we can chase the rest of the" 'I stop at the sound of pounding feet running away. I take off running in the direction of the fleeing boy, I recognize him as the boy from district three. My mentor told me to keep him around if possible, apparently he can help us. I get close enough to him to tackle him.

"PLEASE, please don't kill me- I can help you, I have skills." I grab the young boy and drag him to the group, and toss him on the floor of the cornucopia. Clove raises the sword she recently acquired from one of her victims. I grab her wrist and shake my head.

"No, clove. This is the one Brutus told us about." I turn to him, and smile deviously, hoping to scare the boy a bit and make him more cooperative.

"My mentor, Brutus, seems to think you can help us protect our supplies. I am not sure how it is you can do this but I do know that if you don't I will personally kill you." Marvel laughs.

"Ya, and if he's dead. We'll kill you." The group looks at marvel, no one even bothering to comment on his stupid remark. The terrified boy sits up slowly finally able to speak.

"I-uh specialize in explosives. I think I can-"clove point the sword at the kid's throat, he gulps.

'"YOU THINK?" she shouts.

"Clove." I warn, she drops her sword down and huffs. "Continue."

"I know I can rig the explosives from the pedestals up around the supplies, if we put them into a pile. Then no one can touch it but you guys." I smile, he will indeed be useful.

"Okay do it, but I want it done by the time we get back." I turn to the rest of the careers. "We are going to be proactive about winning this game." Glimmer smiles and skips over next to me.

"I like your idea, it so much more exciting than just waiting around for them to come to us." She glares at marvel who shrugs.

"Hey it's a perfectly good plan, if we have all the supplies they have to come to us sooner or later." I ignore the bickering kids, it's something I'm used to by now they been doing it since we met.

"Let's just get moving." I say, grabbing a sword off the wall. The rest of the group all grabs weapons as we move all the supplies into a pile. Glimmer grabs a nice metal bow and arrow set, clove grabs knives of all shapes and sizes, and marvel picked up a couple of spears.

After that we set off into the woods, the sun begins to set and our attention is drawn to a certain area by the smoke of a campfire. What idiot lights a campfire in an arena of kids who want to kill you? An idiot who wants to die. She soon met that fate at the hands of glimmer, but not before she hand the chance to beg for her life. It was sad, but it's the game what else can we do.

"Isn't this exciting, Cato? We finally get to do what we've been trained for our entire life to do." I wrap my arm around cloves miniature shoulders, I cannot agree with her. I hate this, I hate killing, I hate that this is what I looked forward to my entire life.

"No, clove it's not exciting." Her face falls into a look of utter confusion.

"What do you mean?" before I can answer marvel and glimmer draw our attention towards them.

"Cato! Cato, we found the twelve boy and he says he can help us." glimmer walks in front of the short blonde boy and her much taller district partner.

"And how is it that you can help us?" peeta stares at the floor and speaks in a soft whisper.

"I can lead you to katniss." And just like that we gained a new partner.

"How?" I ask, I want that girl on our team. I couldn't care less about what happens to this boy, in fact I might let clove kill him when we catch katniss. Peeta stares blankly back at me, my question still unanswered. "Well?"

I-uh we made a plan to meet up in the middle of the arena just outside of the cornucopia. If I take you to her are you going to kill her?" I shake my head.

"No she won't be harmed." I turn to clove. "Don't let this boy out of your sight. And I need him alive still, so just don't kill him." Clove nods and prods the boy forwards with the rest of the group, who are all still energized from the latest kill. And they should be, we are winning. I should be just as ecstatic as them, but I'm not. Why?

"Cato, Cato? Did you see me kill her? She was all like, oh no please don't kill. Oh no Ahh" she breaks off into a fit of giggles. I have to play along.

"Ya that's actually a pretty good impression." It wasn't, but I humor glimmer. The girl is clingy, and desperate, not my type at all. I want a girl who is not afraid to be herself and doesn't need to hang on someone. Glimmer and I catch up with the group that has stopped for some reason.

"Hey lover boy are you sure she went this way?" clove and marvel begin walking again once they see I'm still with them, but peeta hangs back so I can talk to him.

"Ya I'm sure, that was her snare we found back there." he gestures a few feet off where a rope thingy is hanging from the tree, I hadn't even noticed it. I nod and he begins walking again.

"Baker boy, get your butt up here." He sighs and half-heartedly jogs up next to the miniature psychopath. If he likes her as he claims to, why is he leading us to her? Does he value his own life more than his love for her? It is the only logical explanation. This is a game of survival, risking your life for someone else would be stupid.

"Are you sure we shouldn't just kill him now." Glimmer grabs my arm.  
"Na, he the best chance we have of finding her" I have an eerie feeling of someone watching me "come on lets go." That night the group settles in a clearing in the woods

"Someone get the fire going" I shout as I plop down on the hard forest floor. Glimmer slides in next to me, I don't really like her this close to me but I just ignore it. Clove drags lover boy along beside her as she collects firewood. She points to a log on the ground.

"Pick it up, useless." She has taken to calling him things like useless, waste of space, and baker boy-depending on her mood. Marvel begins laying out his stuff to make a bed, I watch him until I drift off to sleep.

The next day I am the first awake, I glance around the camp at the others. Glimmer is lying next to me curled onto a ball. Marvel is sprawled out next to the still smoking fire. Clove and peeta are to the left of marvel, peeta is lying flat on his back with cloves tiny body stretch out across his stomach; most likely in an attempt to hold him there.

I grab the back pack marvel was using as a pillow and slide it out from under him. Inside is where we packed our food, I pull out an apple and a piece of bacon. As I munch on my breakfast I begin to think about my strategy. There are twelve tributes still alive: us four careers, peeta, the boy from ten, the boy from three, thresh, the little girl from his district, the red head girl, and katniss. If we hunt down katniss convince her to join us, then go after the boy from ten and the redhead girl. Maybe the little girl will be dead by then and we won't have to kill her ourselves.

"Morning Cato." Clove yawns and stretches, she looks so sweet and innocent, till she pulls a knife from her jacket and smiles. She takes the knife and trails it down the side of his face, his eyes pop open.

"Good morning baker boy." She whispers in his ear, then skips off into the woods. The rest of the day was relatively uneventful. We continued to follow the boy from twelve and he continued to not find her. That night we found a similar clearing to camp in, I curled up against a tree. Glimmer, who still didn't take a hint about me not wanting her near, curled up next to me. Marvel again set up a bed of his supplies near the fire to sleep on. This night clove slept next to peeta, I guess she is starting to trust him not to run away.

The next morning we were woken up early by smoke, and I don't mean a little bit of smoke from a campfire; I mean a massive cloud of smoke that covered half of the sky. I made the executive decisions to move out in the direction of the fire. My choice did not go without opposition.

"What the heck is wrong with you?" glimmer shouts at me. I roll my eyes continue walking.

"I have to agree with glimmer here. If we know there is a dangerous fire in that direction why would we go that way, besides if we are going to catch up with the girl from twelve we need to go in that direction." Marvel points behind us. I stop and whip my machete from where it was strapped to my back.

"Is that a challenge?" I growl at him. He shrinks back and shakes his head. Clove, with peeta close in tow, grabs my arm as I'm about to march off towards the fire.

"Why do you want to go towards the fire?" I have known clove for ten years; we met when she began training at the age of five, she threw her knife and it went so off course it hit me in the face. I still have a tiny scar on my chin from the injury. Ever since then we have been buddies, she's the only one who truly understands me, and for all intents and purposes she is really the only family I have left.

"The game maker is smart he would just set half the arena on fire for no reason, I'll bet my sword there's someone over there. And since lover boy has got us nowhere with finding katniss, It's the only solid lead we have." She nods in agreement.

"Okay everyone, we are going to the fire and if you don't like it I'll stab you in the face." Peeta whimpers, drawing cloves attention. "Not you baker boy, you're too much fun to kill now." The group continues on for a while in silence. We are now close enough that we can hear the crackle of the fire.

"Hey guys, get this." Glimmer skips over to my side. "What if the tribute we find is katniss?"

"Oh I get it, then she really would be the girl on fire." Marvel adds and for some reason the whole group, excluding peeta, finds this extremely funny. As we round the corner glimmer bumps into me because she is laughing so hard. We continue laughing until marvel points at the water and yells something. And that's when I see her, katniss Everdeen, floating in the water. The whole group begins sprinting towards her. She jumps from the water and bolts for the woods. We follow close behind, hooting and hollering the whole way.

We finally catch up to her when she climbs up a tree like monkey

"How's everything with you?" she calls down to me. I shrug.

"Well enough. Yourself?" I retort back.

"It's been a bit warm for my taste. The air's better up here. Why don't you come on up?" she's is teasing me because she doesn't think I can reach her. She may be right, the only form of grip by which to climb the tree with are small, too small to withstand my weight. But With some encouragement from the others

"Get her Cato!" clove shrieks, I decide to climb up after her.

"I think I will." After responding to her question I reach up and grab a knot on the tree and heavy my body up. I'm able to find a groove for my foot, I push myself higher. Just high enough for me to reach the branch nine feet under hers. Once I pull my body securely on the branch I realize, at this height if I jump I'll break my leg and I don't have a prayer of climbing back down. I am past the point of no return. I glance up at the girl, who is now scurrying up higher into the tree, I know I won't be able to reach her and she has realized that.

"What's the matter? You stuck?" she leans down from her branch keeping herself just out of reach.

"I'm not stuck." I snarl, she just laughs.

"Maybe you should throw the sword. " She teases and pulls herself up on to her branch, I notice she is being very careful with her right leg. She's injured. The group is getting anxious, they have dropped off all the supplies.

"Cato, do you want us to come up?" marvel asks, he is answered by an elbow in the gut, courtesies of Glimmer.

"I'll just shoot her down." She takes aim with the bow.

"No, she's injured." Glimmer drops the bow to her side. "She'll have to come down eventually, and if she doesn't she'll just bleed out. Now just make camp down there, I wait for her here." Glimmer is the first to obey, followed by marvel. Clove and peeta continue staring for few more seconds, as if waiting for more orders. I motion for clove to go on.

"Take your pet with you and go build a fire." She nods and trudges off into the woods pulling peeta close behind. I situate myself on the tree so I can watch katniss and not fall off if I happen to fall asleep.

She didn't do much, and I almost fell asleep. My eyes had just began to flutter closed when she started moving again. She reached into her bag and pulled out a bottle, most likely containing water, because she began pouring the liquid on her wounded leg. She flinched when it made contact, she must have a deep wound. I have to admit, for a nobody from a nowhere district she has quite a bit of survival skills. She pressed her sleeve down on the wound, she made a little yelp of pain, I had expected much more. She is tough.

"Does this scare you?" clove tosses her knives at a lizard pinning it to the ground. Peeta, the addressee of her question, audibly gulps. They are the only two still awake.

After taking care of her wound she settled in, I waited till I heard her breathing steady out before I let my self-attempt sleep again. The rest of the careers had already fallen asleep when I started to go. I was the last one to drift off into dreamland, but it wasn't much better than the real world. My mind flashed through images of my victims, the moment they realized I was coming for them, their face as my blade ripped through their body, and finally the way the corpse dropped to the floor. My thoughts finally centered around one specific tribute, the twelve year old boy. He was terrified, probably hiding until he was sure he could escape with the little yellow sleeping bag he had procured. I hadn't meant to kill him, I mean if I didn't kill him he would've died in a more horrific way by the hands of another or by nature. This game had made me a monster, I can't justify it. I can say it's what I was raised to do and I had seceded, bringing pride to my district, no matter I'm a killer. Even if I do win I could never go back to normal life, the victor is the true loser, because they are forced to keep living in this terrible world.

My eyes flutter open just in time to see a tracker jacker nest plummeting towards the camp under me. I sit up and shout to them but it's too late, the nest explodes on impact. Sending merciless killers loose on the sleeping tributes, glimmer shrieks and tries to run, but she is unable to keep on her feet after the wounds she's received. Marvel who was farthest away from the nest, took off he's long gone when glimmer fell. Clove and peeta stumble down the hill in the opposite direction of marvel. They've obviously been stung, but from how they are acting it wasn't too serious. They'll probably be fine. I feel a sharp pain on the back of my neck, then another and another. I swat at the bugs, I'm not sure if I killed them or if they flew away; but within seconds the world starts spinning.

Katniss jumps on to my branch and off again before I can bring myself to react, it feels like my limbs are made of jello. I dive after her, my head spinning the whole way down to the ground. The force from hitting the ground knocks the breath out of me, my vision is going dark, all the sudden I see katniss; I must be hallucinating, she should be halfway across the arena by now. There is someone else with her, a little-miniature person. Who could it be, maybe that girl from a district with a number- wait all the districts have numbers.

"No katniss!" the little one shouts, shh little one I am trying to hide from the girl in the tree- what's her name again? Nisskat, yup that's it. Is she still in the tree-no I jumped out of the tree with her?

"Why? He will try to kill us." Who? I'll kill him, he can't hurt my friends.

"He won't. Did you hear him, he called us friends." How does the little one know what I'm thinking?

"Okay, but I can't listen to rambling anymore." The girl with the pretty hair and beautiful eyes picks up a rock and walks towards me. I like rocks, they are fun to throw. My friend throws knives, that sort of like rocks.

"Just be gentle." The little one whispers, right before a sharp pain on my head makes everything go dark.

My head is pounding, I feel like I've been landed on by a hover car. Ugh, a few times. I try to move my hand to rub my face, but it's restrained. I am tied to a large tree. I keep my eyes closed in hopes to plan an escape before my captors realize I'm awake. There doesn't appear to be anyone near, I strain to hear any source of life: movement, breathing, the crackle of fire even. But there is nothing. I crack open my left eye, there's no one here, it doesn't even look like anyone stayed here. They must have tied me up to give themselves a head start. I tug at the rope, its solid; I'm not getting out any time soon.

"Where did you learn to hunt like that?" a voice ask off in the distance, it's a familiar voice. But I can't put a face with it.

"My dad taught me before he died. My family wouldn't survive without the food I catch." I instantly recognize this voice, it belongs to the girl on fire. They are headed my way, I take deep breaths to steady my breathing and relax to give myself the appearance of slumber.

"Katniss, look" the higher pitched voice gets closer, I feel someone touch the back of my neck. "The swelling has gone down. He could wake up any moment now." The small child removes something from the back of my neck, it feels like leaves.

"Good, once we start this fire we'll have to get moving. I'm tired of dragging his worthless carcass around." The small child strokes my hair in a nurturing way.

"He's not worthless, the careers really will trade supplies for him, and I'm sure. I've watched them, they are hopeless without him."

"Rue, go get some more fire wood please." Katniss's voice sounds tense, and I wasn't the only one to notice it.

"Oh, okay. Is everything okay?" the child walks away, probably to go get more wood. She seems to do what katniss says, they must be allies. There is a prolonged silence, Rue is far enough off that I can no longer hear her footsteps. I feel a sharp, cold metal object press up against my throat.

"I know you're awake." I open my eyes to see katniss holding my machete to my throat. He twisted into an intense glare.

"Good job girl on fire, it was my breathing that gave me away, wasn't it?"

"No, and don't call me that." I shrug.

"Then what was it, I didn't move, or blink. What was it?" she stands up straight after checking to see if I was still restrained. Satisfied that I'm not getting free she sits down and starts building the fire. I watch her every move, in hopes that she will grow uneasy and talk to me. I was beginning to think she wasn't going to answer my question, when she pauses and meets my gaze.

"Your wrists." I look at them, there is swelling from when I struggled to get free.

"Remarkable, are you a detective twelve?" she huffs and goes back to ignoring me. She runs her hand across her braided hair, it's different from what is was in the beginning of the games, there's also a weird purple ribbon holding it together.

"Katniss, I found some-"she stops and stares at me. "he's awake." A huge smile breaks out on her face, it warms my heart. No one has ever been that excited to see me-well not in a long time... I don't even know this girl. The little girl skips towards me katniss throws out her arm to block the child's path.

"We don't know if it's safe, if he's safe." She glares at me, I shrug.

"I won't hurt the child." I direct my next words specifically at the child. "My name is Cato, what's yours?" she shyly rubs her foot around in the dirt at her feet.

"I'm rue." I smile, glancing at katniss, who is furious.

"Well thank you rue." I gesture to katniss. "I heard you save me from this one." She nervously plays with her short black hair.

"It was nothing, katniss didn't really want to kill you-'

"Yes I did." Rue rolls her eyes at Katniss's response.

"You got stung, three or four times. You've been out for three days. I changed your leaves twice." She comes over to me and sits on a large tree root to my left.

"Wow, two days. What happened when I was out?" she bites her lip as she tries to remember.

"The girl form one, and the girl form ten" I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding, clove is still okay.

"What about lover boy?" katniss ignores me and continues working on the fire.

"Oh, he's fine. He and the girl from two are down by the valley." She looks over to katniss. "is all that true, katniss? You and him?" katniss tosses the younger girls hair, then gabs the squirrels they were catching when I first woke up.

After they finished cooking the vermin, they began talking. I think katniss is trying to ignore me. They talked about their home lives, katniss has a sister about Rues age; the one she volunteered for. Her father, who she was apparently very close to, died when she was younger. Her mother has been less than perfect, she completely check out when her husband died, leaving katniss to raise her sister.

Rue's life was completely different, not better, just different. She is the oldest of six children, she has both parents but still lives in poverty. She works from dusk till dawn, giving her food rations to her younger siblings. Rue spoke often of her siblings, they are very important to her. She also has an aunt and uncle that she is extremely close to, her uncle was the one who taught her to whistle.

They also talked about the supplies they had been able to retrieve from the cornucopia. Katniss had gotten a backpack with many items in it: an empty water bottle, a sleeping bag, rope, a bottle of iodine, matches, coil of wire, some food she had already eaten, a knife clove threw at her, and a pair of what she thought was sunglasses; rue quickly informed her that they were night vision goggles, an essential tool in her field of work.

Rue had also grab a knapsack, but it contained significantly less than katniss'. It had an extra pair of sock, iodine, an empty water bottle, and a few nuts and berries. The girls laugh at the size of the sock, katniss joked that they were not much use to the little girl, but rue informed her that she used them to keep her fingers warm in the cold nights. This broke my heart, I've been worried that don't get as much joy out of killing as the others do; while this little girl has been freezing so me and my pals don't come and kill her.

"It's about time for us to move on." Katniss glares back at me finally acknowledging my presence. "How are we going to move him?" Rue spins around on the log she's sitting on and smiles.

"We don't have to do anything, he's awake. He can walk now."

"How did I let you talk me into this?" Katniss grumbles as we walk through the forest. She holds the rope connected to my bound hands. Rue answers from up in the trees with a giggle, she is scouting out where we should go. Or should I say where they should take me. I could probably over power katniss if I wanted to, but I'm kind of enjoying myself with them. For having only met a few weeks ago, their relationship has progressed far beyond a simple alliance for survival; if I'm not mistaken I'd say katniss see rue like a little sister.

"If we go north, we'll end up diagonal from the cornucopia; but the trees are extremely dense so we should be able hide if we need to." The little girl scurries down from the tree.

"Sounds good to me, lead the way." We trudge through the forest, for what felt like hours before the girls settled on a "safe spot." The area they finally decided on is a tiny clearing at the mouth of a cave, it's virtually impossible to see until you've stumbled onto it, as we learned.

After binding me to the nearest tree. The girls instantly got to planning their big trade; rue seems to believe that the careers need me to survive. She also believes they will trade some of their supplies for my safe return. Katniss is afraid the trade is too risky, going out in the open leaves her vulnerable. They finally decide to lead the careers to an empty camp-well what looks like an empty camp-. In that camp will be a message telling them that katniss will meet them at the cornucopia with me ready to make the trade. This gives her time set up at the cornucopia and have her demand ready.

"There's only one problem with your little plan, twelve." Rue turns to face me, giving me her full and undivided attention; unlike katniss who pretty much acts like I don't exist. "What's left of the careers don't need me to survive. This is what they were trained to do. If you go out there, they'll just kill you." Rue turns to katniss, she stands on her tiptoes waiting for katniss to respond to my claims. It's something I've noticed she's done a lot, it kind of makes her look like a little sparrow. The kind that gather in the town square when no one has walk through in a while. Sophia and I used to watch them when our dad went into town to trade the swords he made. She was obsessed birds, well really all animals. She loved "rescuing" them, more like kidnapping them until mom or dad made her let them go. Always giving them dumb little names like dot, flower, or buttercup. But that doesn't happen anymore, not since the accident.

"Okay, so you're useless to us? And we should just kill you, is that what you're saying? "I shrug

"I guess, if that's what you really want to do twelve." She scoffs and marches over to me, putting us face to face. "Is that what you want to do?" I can feel rue eyes on us. Something in Katniss's eyes changes, something has clicked in her mind. I can see it in her grey-blue eyes.

"No, I think you are bluffing. Those kids are just as unsure as we are, they need their fearless leader." She turns to rue and begins stuffing the supplies into the backpack. That is when the first drop of water drips on my forehead and slides down my face. "Rue I'm going to go set up the message camp. You stay in the cave and don't go near the boy. He's is dangerous and I am not kidding." She nods as she helps katniss pack up the supplies.

"So you are going to just leave me out here. While it rains." I give her a fake pouty face, she flashes back an unapologetic smile.

"A little rain never killed anyone" it took her about fifteen minutes to finish packing and finally leave. She gives me one final glare before leaving, my mischievous smile gives her pause.

"If you hurt that girl, I'll make you pay tenfold."

"Tt-what makes you think I'd do anything to her. I don't hurt children." She scoffs.

"I beg to differ." I drop my gaze to the floor as my mind rushes to the face of the twelve year old from district four. I shake it off, I have to be strong.

"That's different, if I wanted to hurt either of you you'd already be dead." She rolls her perfect blue-grey eyes.

"Not really." I can tell our conversation is over as she turns to the entrance of the cave. "Bye rue, be safe." She peeks her little head out of the cave and nods.

"Good luck." Rue chirps. I settle down against the tree, my plan is to sleep until the girl on fire returns. I close my eyes and listen to her footsteps grow softer and fainter as the seconds pass. The silence is relaxing, I quite enjoy the forest. In district two we don't have very many trees. Just lots of buildings, and large angry people.

The snapping of a twig next to me draws my attention.

"You're not very good with obeying orders are you?" I ask the tiny girl who has tip toed out to sit by me. She shakes her head.

"No, I-uh… I just have a few questions for you?" I gesture for her sit next me.

"Ask away, I have nothing else to do." My tiny captor nestles into the grass beside me.

"Ookay, question one. What is your favorite time of day?" I stare at a tree and its leaves as they sway in the wind. Thinking over her question doesn't take long.

"Night, when the stars come out." She smiles.

"I like early morning, when the sun peeks over the horizon. That's when I start work, do you work?" I nod as the large droplets of water smack my face. Rue has positioned herself out of the rain, something I am unable to do.

"Yes, a little. When I wasn't training. My father is a skilled swords craftsman, I help him on occasion and sometimes I'd take a couple of shifts in the mines."

"Favorite color?"

"Red, you?" she smiles

"Purple and yellow." She points to some flowers growing off in the distance. "Like those."

"They are pretty." I say, earning a smile.

"What is your district like?" I sigh.

"Insipid, dull, bland. Need I go on?" she giggles.

"You're funny…thresh is funny, too" her bright smile slowly fades away from her face.

"Is it okay if I ask a few questions as well?" she nods. "okay, how do you know thresh?" she sits up a little straighter in preparation for my question.

"He and his family live next door to mine, and he works in the same corner of the fields that work in. he's my best friend. Do you have any best friends?" she ask, man this girl is inquisitive, in a cute little kids way. Sophia was like that too.

"Just one, clove. We met on her first day on training. She threw a knife and it gave me this." I angle my face so she can see the scar on my chin. "Everyone else is either scared of me or not worth being friends with."

"Oh, are we friends?" I give her a reassuring smile and nod.

"If you want to be friends with a big brute like me." She giggles and nods, the rain starts to pick up, now drenching me. Rue, who now is getting hit by the rain, scoots closer.

"I'd like that." She pauses, as if electing whether or not to speak. "We should get out of the rain." She finally says. I nod

"Ya go get in the cave, we don't want you getting sick." She stands up.

"But… what about you? Won't you get sick too?" I shake my head.

"No I'm stronger and older. You go in there and get some sleep katniss will be back soon." She nods and turns to head towards the cave. Suddenly she stops.

"Who is Sophia?" her questions hurts more than a stab wound, it's been three years and hearing her name still stings.

"Go get some sleep." She plops down in her spot.

"Not until you tell me who Sophia is."

"Okay-"just stop-stop saying her name, I think to myself. Taking a deep breath, I sit up taller to give myself a strong look. I don't like looking weak. "Where did you even hear that name?" she shrugs.

"You kept talking about her when you were ranting in your sleep. Katniss said it must be your girlfriend, but I didn't think so..." her teeth begin to chatter.

"I'll answer you, but first go get that sleeping bag and cover up or you are going to freeze to death." She nods, quickly bouncing off to get what I told her. She returns within seconds, wrapped like a caterpillar in a cocoon. She snuggles up next to me.

"Who is she?" she stares at me with her sparkling brown doe eyes.

"She was my little sister."

* * *

There will be more...eventually. so if you like it hold tight the rest is on the way. (If you read the first version they are exactly the same just split into two chapters.)

please comment, follow, or favorite.


	2. Chapter 2

hi here is the second part of chapter one for my first readers (sorry this is so confusing, its just the first chapter was 13,500 words and that's too much.)

I hope you like it, sadly I do not own hunger games.

please review, if you like it tell, if you don't tell, or whatever is on your mind. just share in the reviews thank you.

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(Katniss's P.O.V.)

I silently approach the camp, the rain put a bit of a damper on my plan. The fire didn't burn as long as I had hopped but it will defiantly attract attention. My clothes is soaked, and it's cold and windy. It's much better the deeper I get in the forest.

I listen closely for any sign of life. If rue obeyed, which I highly doubt she did, she might be asleep. I can tell instantly that she did not obey. I hear her voice, then Cato's but it's calm and much less annoying. I silently creep close enough to hear.

"Was?" rue asks, Cato's face is solemn

"I was fifteen and she was eight. She wanted to play I told her I busy working at the mines. I wasn't but I told her that so she would leave me alone. Then I went off to do some extra training." He pauses, is grave expression is filled with something I know well; loss, pain, and death. "She was so kind and caring, so she made me lunch. Her plan was to surprise me. She snuck into the mine and waited for me, and of course I never came by. I was too busy training. Then it happened, the tunnel was unstable but the foreman decided to go ahead and use explosives." He stopped, but I knew where it was going. We had had something similar happen. But it was with full grown men not a child, mines collapsed all the time.

"Cato you that wasn't your fault." Rue says he nods.

"If I had just went and played with her, she wouldn't have been anywhere near the mines." I could tell he was crying, the rain hid his tears but not his expression. Rue hugs him.

"Tell me about her." He nods.

"She was about your height, with light blonde hair, and bright blue eyes. She always had a smile on her beautiful face. She loved to laugh, and play games; I bet you love to play some of the games I used to play with her." Rue nods and smiles. "She loved animals, always bring a new one home asking if she could keep it. The answer was usually no, but she never let that stop her from trying to hide it in her room." Both rue and the brute laugh at this. "One time she found a baby skunk, she kept in her room for almost a week until my mother found it. She smelled it." Rue leaned her head against the large boys shoulder as he reminisced about his lost sister. Her eyes drifted with each story of him and his sister's crazy adventures. Some of his stories reminded me of prim's antics.

Rue was completely out, but he continued to tell stories. His voice was soft and kind, it almost made me want to drift off into sleep. But I had a mission. I push past the trees, causing Cato to jump slightly.

"We have to go." I glances down at the sleeping child on his shoulder. "I'll go put her in the cave then we'll go."

"And leave her here alone? I don't think that's a good idea." He whispers, I march over to them and pull her tiny body into my arms.

"Well, it's a Good thing I didn't ask you." I lay the sleeping bag out in the back of the cave and tuck her down into it. I can hear the rain increasing, as it pounds on the cave top. I use the same barriers I used to leave the careers a message to write on the wall of the cave.

"Rue, I am taking Cato to trade. Be back soon. Stay in the cave and I mean it this time."

I wait for katniss to finish with rue, well I can't really do anything else. I'm still tied to the tree. The rain is coming down so hard that it sort of stings, puddles are forming on the saturated ground. When the girl on fire finally exits the small cave, I can feel myself starting to shiver. If she would untie me I could warm up.

"Hey, it's cold. Untie me." she scoffs.

"Ya, that's not going to happen. Not until we are leaving." She squats down and starts playing in the dirt.

"But I thought that's what we are doing?" she ignores me and continues playing in the dirt-wait she has something in her hand. Its rope, she's making some type of snare.

"I can help you with that. I used to make the snares for when my class would play hide and go seek." She frowns at me.

"I'm fine." She stuff the finishes trap I her bag. "What kind of hide and go seek do you play?" I smile at her.

"The fun kind." She sneers at me as she approaches to untie me. "finally."

She leaves the ropes around my wrist, but removes all the others.

"What, are you afraid I'll run away? "Rolling her eyes, she trudges off in the direction of the cornucopia, I follow close behind. "So, twelve, how was your trip?" she ignores me. So I try again.

"Did you think this really going to work? You know the careers are just going to kill you and probably me too." Without any form of warning she whips around and tosses a knife at my face, I doge it. I didn't even know she had a knife on her.

"Wow, you should have shown us those skills at training. We might have asked you to join us in the careers." She huffs and marches up to me, she has to look up at me because I tower over her.

"Just shut up, I would enjoy this trip a lot more if you wouldn't talk." I sigh.

"You know what would make this trip more enjoyable for me?" before she can respond I fling my tied arms over her head pulling her close in an awkward hug. Her head is pressed up against my chest. "If you would untie me. I'm not going to hurt. I could have done that ages ago if I wanted to." My triumphant smile melts as I feel the sharp metal pressed into my back.

"Not going to happen." Before I can respond both of our attentions are draw when we hear a voice.

"Of course you know what you are doing, did they train you for this in two as well?" peeta shouts angrily. Who's he talking to?

"As a matter of fact they did. Do you want me to show you what they taught us to do to people with an attitude like yours in my district?" clove shouts back. Katniss removes the knife and ducks out of my hold. Both of us are too shocked to respond.

"If you weren't such a pretty girl I would punch you" peeta stops as clove moves closer. They are toe to toe and face to face, since they are about the same height; clove is a little shorter.

"Funny I was about to say the same thing to you, bread boy." she cocks her head and smiles, a genuine smile. The kind I haven't seen her have since her father killed her mother, she used to be a happy child but something changed after her mother's death. Her father was executed by the counsel, but she never got over it, until now.

Katniss moves towards the couple, I grab her shoulder.

"What are you doing?" she whispers gawking dumbfounded at my bound hand gripping her shoulder.

"If you just walk up there, clove could kill you on accident. Here give me the knife." I drop my hand she continues wear an irritated face; it sort of a permanent thing for while she is around me. She hands me the begrudgingly hands me the knife, I cut myself free. "Clove! Lover-boy.!" Clove instantly looks in our direction. She points and peeta also see us, as she takes a step in our direction concern flashes across her face. Just like that they're gone. Sliding into the gorge behind them.

"She can't swim!" I leap in her direction. Katniss follows close behind.

"Peeta probably can't either." I run and dive into the rushing water, katniss doesn't follow; but I don't have time to worry about her. I find clove fighting to keep above the water, and failing miserably. I grab her and toss her on my shoulder. She sputters and spits water from her mouth.

"Peeta!" She calls to the boy struggling to keep hole on the side of the ravine. I swim over to the edge and yell for katniss.

"Twelve a little help." I rope smacks me in the face. "Thanks." I grab bread boy's shorts and drag him up with us. Once I reach the top katniss pulls clove off my shoulder and on to solid ground. I heave the barely conscious boy on to the ground.

"Cato, come check this out." She plucks a black worm like creature off of cloves arm. I snatch the leach from her hand smash it under my foot.

"Get those off them, they'll suck their and poison their blood." She immediately starts plucking them from cloves skin. I do the same for peeta, but I can tell it's too late the veins surrounding the bugs bite have swelled and turned a hideous black color. I grab Peeta's face and slap him till he's awake.

"Hmm, w-where is clove?" he grasps blindly at the forest floor. I grab his hand.

"Katniss, he's not going to make it." I glance over at her, she is still ripping leaches from cloves body. I grab peeta and move him closer to katniss and clove. Clove is mumbling and shaking, her body is almost completely covered in dark veins. I let Peeta's hand go back to grasping at nothing, and scoop up the tiny body of my district partner. She's colder than normal. I crush her body against mine and rock back and forth.

"Don't leave me." I whisper, her eyes crack open, and her mumbling increases in volume. It becomes just clear enough to understand.

"I-i-i-I-I…" I grab her and hold her face to face with me. Her pupils are completely dilated.

"Calm down, please. Just looking into my eyes." Her breathing evens out, and her eyes return to normal as she gazes into my eyes. It's a technique my grandma taught me she used it with her patients in district two.

"I kept my eyes- eyes always on him. My baker boy…he never left my sight.' She shrieks and twist in pain. "Baker boy." She reaches out her hand I scoot her close enough to hold his hand. Their fingers interlock for a second before her arm goes limp. A cannon breaks the silence, the rain slowly dies down. Its mission fulfilled, the capital will pay for what they did to my dear clove. I drowned out Peeta's painful screams with my own sobbing,

I sat with her body for several hours, katniss didn't ask me to leave since she was dealing with the still dying peeta. I let her handle him, as I cuddled with clove's lifeless body. She was one of the last people I cared about since Sophia's death, all that is left is my grandma. She is actually one of the ways that I really got to know clove. After cloves tragic childhood experiences, the council declared her mentally insane and sentenced her to death my grandma, the village healer, begged the council to let her try and treat her. For six month clove lived at my grandma's house being "treated" there wasn't anything wrong with her she just needed love and care. My grandma used to tell that to anyone who asked what her plans for her were. Once she was officially declared sane, clove moved in with her aunt and uncle who have been wonderful parents to her. I know they are grieving just like me back in district two.

Peeta's screams finally subsided and my tears had dried. The cannon's boom marks the end of my grieving, night was almost upon us and we needed to get back to Rue. I laid cloves body out next to peeta, katniss had gathered flowers and she sang to their lifeless bodies. It's a nice gesture, but completely unnecessary they can no longer hear her angelic voice.

"It's time to go…" she sits slump down next to the bodies. "Twelve, we have to go." She ignores me and continues to silently stare in the direction of the ravine. I reach down and gather her up in my arms, her face is blotchy and red. She's hyperventilating and shaking. I cup her face and shush her, in an attempt to calm her. It's unsuccessful.

"Look into my eyes."

So it's true, I didn't love peeta. He is my friend and no one deserves to die like this, and least of all him. He suffered, he screamed, for hours and I couldn't do a single thing to easy his pain. When my throat was sore from crying, and eyes are completely out of tears, I gathered some flowers to make their funeral feel more official. I sang, I think it helped me.

However, I crouched next to his lifeless body for hours, unable to make myself move; no really wanting to either. I knew I needed to get up, Rue would be waiting on us and it was getting dark, but I just couldn't leave him.

When the brute told me we had to get going, I agreed. But I still couldn't. I wasn't mad when he picked me up, he was doing what he felt he had to survive. I don't know why he's decided he needs me for that. But for some odd reason he did, and I'm just going to have to deal with it.

I couldn't control my body's shaking, or the tears flowing form my eyes. I was a mess until he gently grasped my face and whispered the words that will haunt me forever.

"Look into my eyes." I did. It was as if they burned into my soul. An endless black hole surrounded by and ocean of incredible blue, all enclosed by a thick dark ring. They are perfect. I was instantly calmed, this new found tranquility gave way to exhaustion and I was out within minutes. The brute gently carried me back to the cave and Rue.

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Cato's pov

I carried her unconscious body back to our camp site, it appeared to be untouched. Upon entering the cave, I discovered it hadn't been. Rue was waiting in the back of the cave where we left her.

"Is she okay?" I shake my head, and cross by her. Laying katniss on the sleeping bag I sigh and plop down on the floor.

"She's just exhausted-have you been crying?" her brown eyes are puffy and red. She quickly looks away.

"I-I heard the cannons and… you guys didn't come back. I was scared. I thought- it was…" a fresh tear streams down her face. I reach out to her and pull her into an embrace. She cry's into my shoulder. This is not really what I had expected to be doing when I volunteered for the games. I pat her back and rock her in my arms, until she has calmed down.

"So what happened out there?" she wipes her eyes.

"Peeta and clove." I stare out the entrance of the cave holding back my tears as I think of my tiny district partner. I feel Rue's petite arms wrap around my neck, a hug, she is hugging me.

"I am so sorry… do you think katniss will be okay?" I nod my head.

"She'll be different, but she will survive. She is strong."

"Ya." Rue nods in agreement. I glance at Katniss's fade berry message, then I see the pile of white rocks.

"Do you want to see something cool?" I ask Rue she nods and jumps up to follow me. I grab the white rock and scratch the wall with it, leaving a long white line.

"Wow, what is it?" she touches the white powder left by the rock on the wall.

"It's called chalk, we have a lot of it in district two. It's in the mines. You can draw on any hard surface with it. You want to try?" I hand her a piece. She takes it and marks a flower on to the cave wall. I grab another piece and scribble my name on the wall. She continues to draw trees, butterflies, and flowers around the cave. Soon the cave is a collage of nature images and we have used all the chalk we could find.

"That was fun!" Rue bounces around the cave.

"You want to learn how to play a game?" she nods her head and plops down in front of me. "it's called red hands. I'll put my hands out like this." I hold my hands out palm out. "Then you'll lay your hands on top of mine. Now I'll try to slap your hands before you can pull them away." She nods, I quickly jerk my hands over in an attempt to slap hers, but she's too fast.

"Like that?" I nod.

"Yes, now we switch." We did this back and forth until my hands grew tired. The whole time we giggled and talked.

"You're not as scary as you try to be." I pause.

"What?" she nods.

"You tried to act all scary and intimidating, but really you're just a big teddy bear. You would never hurt anyone." the haunting image of the young boy I slaughtered flashes in to my mind.

"You're wrong, but I'm glad you're not scared of me…I have another game we could play it's similar to hide and seek if you've played that." She nods her head. "Well I will count and you can hide, then if I find you run for this bottle." I pull the empty canteen out of the pack. "And if you get there first you get hide again, but if I do I get to hide." She nods. I cover my eyes and begin counting. I hear her patter of out of the cave. Once I reach thirty I sprint out of the cave and begin searching. I hope she doesn't get to far away. Maybe this game wasn't the best idea.

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katniss pov

My head is pounding from crying, my back is sore form sleeping, and my heart hurts from lose. I crack open my eyes, I'm curled up in the back of the cave, the walls are covered in chalk drawings. Someone, probably rue, seems to have been extremely bored. I slowly sit up and scan all the images coving the walls. Many are pictures of trees and plants, there are a few animals and a lot of butterflies; but right smack in the middle is Cato written in a large thick print.

Instantly images of myself sobbing and falling apart flood my mind. I was weak, and Cato had to clean up after me. I could barely manage the proper respect for the fallen, I decorated their bodies and sang them a song. In twelve their families and friends would have surrounded them and sang, their favorite flowers would have been blanketed on them. Once the grieving period, a day or two, was over they would have been buried in the exhausted tunnels. I had no idea what flowers either of them like so I gathered what was closest, nor did I know a song they enjoyed so I sang my favorite. Then when we were finished we left their bodies there, alone.

Suddenly I see Rue bolt into the cave, her hair is filled with bits and pieces of grass and leaves. She struggling to trying and catch her breath. She throws her body behind the corner of the cave in an attempt to hide. I quickly crawl over to her.

"What's wrong? Why are you hiding? Who is after you?" she shakes her head and sucks in a deep breath.

"Cato." Is all she can manage, I guess he finally came to his sense and decided he's ready to end this. I grab my knife and sneak out to the edge of the cave. Rue grabs my arm.

"No katniss it's just-"I shush her and slide out along the wall. I hear his footsteps getting closer, I prepare myself. Just as he reaches my hiding spot I launch, my body at him. He is caught completely by surprise. The huge smile on his face melts into confusion. Out of the corner of my eye I see Rue, she is running at us yelling. Stay back where it's safe Rue I'll take care of him. She is yelling something but I just ignore her. The force of my body hitting his tosses us both to the ground, I use my knees to pin him to the ground. Placing the knife to his throat I press just hard enough for him to be stuck.

"You thought you could take out the little girl while I was sleeping, well guess what, you though wrong." I growl at him. He stares at me stunned, then he breaks out laughing. I don't understand what is funny. I lift the knife, before I begin to yell at him. But he takes that opportunity to flip me over, now my back is against the floor and he is holding the knife.

"Calm down, we're just playing. If you'd listen to the kid she'd of told you." He scans me as I lay unable to move on the forest floor. "Wow, twelve. I never notice how adorable you are. It's cute actually, how much you care about the kid." He stands and offers his hand to me, I take. He lifts me up to my feet.

"Katniss, Cato taught me how to play a bunch of games and we colored with this stuff called chalk. Did you see it?" I nod my head.

"Ya, it's pretty." She bounces into the cave. I give Cato a sideways glance. He flashes an attractive smile. I ignore him and follow Rue.

"You should play with us. It's-"we are all surprised by the loud grumbling of Rue's stomach, even her herself pauses when the noise starts.

"Are you hungry?" she shyly shakes her head. I glance at Cato.

"We'll have to go hunting, I meant to set traps yesterday but-you know I forgot." I say, Cato nods in agreement. I grab Rue's hand.

"Can you stay here while we go hunt?" she nods her head. I glance back at Cato, who isn't there. Great we lost the brute." After I finish packing up some supplies, I'll head out." Rue nods. I grab my knife, Cato left on the floor after he disappeared, then I grab the pack with the snares I already made.

"I'm back." Cato pops his head into the cave, in his hands is the biggest bundle of chalk. Rue jumps up and grabs a piece.

"Where did you find all this?" he beams

"When we were playing I saw another little cave, even tinier than this. It's full of the stuff. Now you won't be bored while we hunt." As we set off to hunt Rue waved bye and went to coloring.

We trudge off a mile or so away from the caves before we started setting the traps.

"I'll go pick berries, if you'll take the knives and catch some birds or something." Against my better judgment, I hand the brute my knife. He smiles.

"How do you know I can hunt with knives?' he scoffs, "are you admitting to watching me during training?"

"How could I not, you were kind of a training room hog." I respond. He laughs.

"At least I wasn't hiding my talents, girl on fire." he mimed a bow and arrow. I'm feeling pretty useless without it. He steps closer, he has some serious personal space issues. I shove him back.

"Just go get some food" he laughs and agrees. I march off in the direction of berry bushes. I see two kinds of berries, one is Prim's favorite, blueberries. The other is the highly poisonous Nightlock berry. I fill my bag with the blueberries. And begin searching for more

That's when I heard the explosion, it shook the ground. Birds went flying in all directions, animals ran in an attempt to flee. I instantly ran to Cato's previous location and screamed his name. It wasn't a cannon that made the explosion, but he could've been injured.

"Cato!" I scream, no response. I race in the most probable direction he could've went heart was pounding, the only thought in my head was, if he dies I'll never know why. Why he saved me? Why is he help me? These questions ran on a loop in my mind until I smacked into a moving tree. I glance up at the structure, only to discover that it is a person. I believe his name is thresh he's from the same district as Rue. He glares at me, then his face changes; he's looking at my braid- Rue did it for me the first night we spent together. He grabs my arms and picks me up, like I weight nothing.

"Take care of her, please. I'll be ready for her soon; just take care of her." He stares at my braid, more likely the purple ribbon Rue had used to tie my braid together. Then he drops me and limps off, I jump up and continue running after Cato.

I soon find him pulling his knife out of an extremely large deer, I've never seen a deer this large in district twelve. Maybe a sponsor sent it, stuff like that doesn't happen often but it has been known to happen on occasion.

"Hey, twelve. Did you hear that explosion?" he turns to face me and his face drains of blood. He grabs my arms. "What happened?" I glance at what he's referring too. Blood, covering my arms where Thresh grabbed me. That's when the canon booms.

"Thresh." I drop my head and sigh. "I just saw him, he must have been injured. That where all the blood came from." Cato pulls me into a hug, it was odd. He was so large and it almost felt like the action seemed foreign to him. But I sunk in to his warmth, not thinking about the blood, or the rest of the tributes, not even thinking about how I'm going to tell Rue. All I thought about was the strange feeling inside me. The feelings for this big brute.

"Let's get this blood off you then we'll take this back to rue." He gesture to the deer. I nod and we walk hand in hand to the nearby river. We fill the canteens, and jump into the water. My dad taught me to swim when I was young, I enjoy it, peaceful and calming. Cato reaches out to me, I give him my hand, and he gently scrubs at the blood stains on my arms. I stare in his beautiful blue eyes. He leaned in slowly, I did the same. I've never kissed anyone before, but this kiss was better than anything I had ever imagined. And for a moment we were just two kids in love, nothing keeping us apart, no one trying to kill us, and no one watching.

Then that moment ended.

"KATNISS! CATO!" Rue screams, both Cato and I dove out of the water and ran for the cave. Out of the corner of my eye I notice Cato has pulled out his knife. We reach the edge of the small clearing when the cannon fires. We break through the trees to see marvel hunched over Rue's lifeless body.

"…it has to end, I'm sorry. If she's right you'll be okay." I froze, staring at Rue's body. Her throat surrounded by a ring of blood. The knife that created that ring sat in marvels hand. I take a step in his direction. When a hand reaches out and grabs me. It's Cato, he pushes me behind him. Then he launches himself at marvel, who throws up his hands in defense. I run to Rue's body and cradle her.

Marvel is yelling at Cato, but I don't listen to them. I let my tears again fall on the body of an innocent child murder for the sake of entertainment. After another cannon booms Cato joins me next to her. He wraps me in a hug and cups my face.

"Twelve, she's at rest." I shake my head, he rubs his thumb on my cheek. "Look into my eyes, twelve. Let's take care of her." Those words haunt me. Thresh had said them, now Cato, but I can't; I let her down, I left her. She has a handful of chalk in her hand, we can only guess that she was going to the other cave to find more space to draw.

Cato and I gather yellow and purple wild flowers. He says she told him they were her favorite color. I redo her hair and tie her ribbon in it, as we do this I notice a few birds have started to settle around us. Probably just returning after the explosion. As I start to sing the meadow song the birds sang along, a beautiful song I know Rue would have loved. Once we finished we laid her body in the tiny cave she decorated with the chalk.

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Cato's pov

At that point the sun began setting, we had to find shelter. It's the final four something might happen.

I hate to say it's good to see katniss cry, but it is. I've heard stories of people who win the hunger games and are never the same: they don't cry, or love, or care about anything. If she can cry she's still there, she's not broken.

"How are you doing?" I reach out to her, she takes my hand as we walk.

The only surviving tributes are me, katniss, fox-face (as it seems everyone has taken to calling her), and the boy for three, who rigged up the explosion. It's possible they will try a feast to get us together or send some type of mutt after us. They could flood the arena, they done that before; they could set the whole arena on fire. They did that once in the beginning. The possibilities are endless, but no matter what we need to find shelter.

"It doesn't feel real. You know what I mean." I nod I did know what she meant. Ever since being injected with the tracker everything has felt different.

"Ya." I lean in and kiss her on the forehead." So what are you thinking for shelter?" she glances around the forest.

"We could look for another cave, or go to the cornucopia, or…" she trails off in thought as the panem symbol appears in the sky and the stupid theme song plays. A picture of the boy from three appears.

"I thought he was still alive." Katniss and I glance at each other, surprise on both of our faces. He must have died in the explosion, that way his cannon was covered by its sound. Next, Marvel appears smiling in the sky. Then, Thresh flashes on the screen. Followed by Rue's tiny face. The song finishes out with her.

"We are in the final three." Katniss states, it doesn't sink in for a couple of seconds. The final three, there is a strong possibility one of us will win. If I was the same Cato that came into these games I would kill katniss now and hunt down the redhead. But I'm no and I won't.

"Let's climb in a tree, and tie ourselves up." Her decision surprises me. She doesn't even address the fact that only one of us is going to make it out alive. It has to be her, she has a sister and a mother to live for. What do I have, a dad who blames me for my sister's death, and a mom who is never around? I guess I do have my grandma, she's strong she will survive.

"It has to be you." Katniss frowns at me.

"What?"

"You have to be the one to make it out of here." She shakes her head.

"No, we'll find a way." I try to protest. "No! Let's worry about that tomorrow-"her sentence is cut short by a cannon. We both take off in the direction on the cannon fire. We find foxface, she has been pecked to death. Her body is lying next to a bowl of berries, mashed to use for writing. And a rock with five word written on it.

"This is not the end." I shake my head.

"Marvel must have gotten to her too." Katniss glances at me with confusion.

"When marvel-well he kept saying. "It's not the end" and "he was doing us a favor by winning."

"Do they mean the game isn't the end or death?" I shake my head and shrug.

"I don't know, let's get going." We walk towards the cornucopia, what else is there to do. We really figured there would be a something happening.

Once we reached the cornucopia we are exhausted, neither of us have eaten in two days. And we are both running on a little amount of sleep.

"Let's climb on top-"her statement is interrupted by a horrific howling, our eyes meet, we both say in unison.

"The finale." We take off running for the large metal structure that started it all. I notice the pile of supplies is in bits and pieces all over, it must have been what exploded. We make a b-line for the cornucopia, but then katniss veers off to the left. My eyes catch the thing she going after, the bow and arrow set, just as I see the owner of the hideous howling; a large dog with a collar that has the number six on it.

"Twelve, hurry." she grabs the bow and sprints to catch up with me. Once she is close enough I pick her up and throw her on the cornucopia. Then I climb up myself. She is already shooting her arrows at the dogs when I reach the top. It turns out the dogs each stand for the fallen tributes. Katniss took out both from one, six, seven, and eight. And the boys from nine, and four. She has one arrow left and the dogs are getting closer.

I begin tossing knives at the dogs, my aim is perfect but we still don't have enough. I take out both of three, and the dog version of peeta. The boy from five manages to scramble up with us, he dives at katniss. I throw my body in the way, the dog clamps his jaw around my arm. I pound its head with the fist until I hear the sickening crack of its sulk. Its jaw goes limp and my hand is free. I turn back to katniss as she throws the water canteen from the pack at the dog trying to climb up the wall. It knocks him off his balance and he falls.

Seven left.

I toss my knife at one of the dogs, she goes down. I see her name tag, two. It's not her it's just a capital invention to throw us off.

Six left.

Katniss uses her last arrow to kill the boy from ten

Five left.

I throw my last knife at the last dog from five.

Four left.

The two dogs from ten, one small and one large, both manage to get up on the cornucopia. I dive on the back of the largest one, wrapping my arms around its large neck. I twist and he falls, I kick the carcass down.

Three left.

Katniss is beating the other with her bow. When all of the sudden a dog jumps up and grabs her foot in its mouth and pulls her off the safety of the high ground. I dive after her and on to the dog. The dog flips over and bites right side. I can't tell I'm not going to make, I toss my body over Katniss's. Just as the dogs descend on us.

The pain is unbearable, but I can't scream. I am face to face with katniss.

"Look into my eyes." I whisper to her as she shakes her head. "Don't let them break you, don't let them use you." My eyes begin to see nothing but shapes and blurs, everything is going dark. Suddenly, just like that it's all gone...

I've often wondered what death would be like. Would it be painful? Dark? Long? But this is not what I expected.

"Beep…beep…beep..." the monotonous beeping pierced through my clouded thoughts. I feel a cold waft air climb across my body. As my body slowly wakes up I listen for any sign of life, not much unlike the last time I sat mostly unconscious listening, I hear nothing. Except that stupid beeping. It appears as if there isn't anyone in the room. I crack open my eyes and scan the large monotone room.

The ceiling is made of stone, and so is the floor; there is one door and there aren't any window, maybe it's underground. Maybe I've been buried alive-no the room is too big to be any type of crypt. After further investigation it looks to be some type medical room, cots lining the walls, and a whole strew of medical equipment- all making stupid noises. After glance over what seemed like the whole room, my eyes land on the only other occupied cot.

"Katniss?" my horse whisper sounds like a terrifying shout in the otherwise silent room. I attempt to sit up, but my arms and legs are restrained. She is laying peacefully on the cot, her dark hair in a braid similar to the original. She has none of the cuts or bruises she had, what feels like, just hours ago. I begin to struggle with my straps, in order to reach her. When I hear approaching footsteps.

I'm starting to panic, something isn't right here. The approaching footfall seem to double in numbers and grow increasingly closer. I fight and struggle breaking one of my arms free, I quickly undo the others. Before I can get out of the hospital bed, the door swings open and the room is filled with men in white uniforms. Some of the men are peacekeepers, but a large majority are doctors. They rush to Katniss's bed and surround her. One pulls out a scalpel and cuts a jagged slit on her leg, the others are also cutting and creating bruises. I dive out of the bed and on to the nearest doctor.

"What are you doing to her?" I scream as my body crashes into the elderly doctor, we both tumble to the ground. Quickly peacekeepers rip me off the old man, after seeing his kind face I feel a little bad, but it's quickly turned to anger when I see the scalpel in his hand he used to cut katniss.

"Sedate him." one of the doctor's shouts as I attempt to jerk out of the grip of the two large men holding. It's no use I'm not strong enough, my arms still feel like noodles and my legs can barely hold me. I feel a pinch on my arm within seconds my head in clouded, I feel my body being dragged back to the cot. The last thing I see before passing out is the long scar on the side of the peacekeeper face. The last thing I hear is the peacekeepers whispering.

"No one has ever woken up this early, should we tell the president?"

"No" a gruff voice says. "he has other things to worry about."

catoxkatnissxcatoxkatnissxcatoxkatnissxcatoxkatnissxcatoxkatnissxcatoxkatniss

hey thanks again, please review.


	3. Chapter 3

so I am about to start a rant, skip ahead if you don't want to hear the sorrows of a writer whose readers don't care enough to comment. I love, love hearing from y'all it gives me the strength to keep writing, but very few of you feel the need to comment. it makes me sad. so please comment.

this is the second chapter for those who read the original story, if you don't know what I'm talking about just keep reading.

I don't own the hunger games. I do own a few characters in this story, but that's because they don't really exist.

oh and I found the perfect song for the CatoxKatniss ship little do you know- Alex and Sierra. look it up listen to it, it's perfect for them.

Catoxkatnissxcatoxkatnissxcatoxkatnissxcatoxkatnissxcatoxkatnissxcatoxkatniss

Katniss pov

They said it would get better, that the nightmares would stop; eventually everything you see wouldn't remind you of them, they said. They were wrong. Every night is disturbed by flashbacks and horrific dreams: every time it rains I think of peeta, every child's scribbles remind me of rue, and every tall muscular man with blonde hair causes me to pause. Everywhere I turn is reminders. But that's why I have to keep doing what I'm doing, to preserve their memories I must rescue the helpless children from the injustice of the hungers games.

To achieve my goal I teamed up with some genius people, they approached me four weeks after my victor ceremony.

"Katniss?" the prim and proper voice of Effie was followed by a loud staccato knock. "You have visitors." Her voice laced with disapproval, but I know better; I've seen her eyes, they have something familiar. At first I thought it was pity, but then I noticed it's always there, even when she thinks no one is looking. "I wish we had had a little more warning, at least then you could have showered, or put on real clothes." She grumbles, and she has the right to. I think it's been three weeks since I showered- or maybe four- and I've only gotten out of bed to use the bathroom. I'm a pathetic mess, but I don't care, no one cares I served my purpose I entertained the people for a short while. Now I'll be thrown away like the rest of the capital trash.

"I don't want any visitors" I roll over and pull the covers over my head. "it's probably those jerks from the advertising department, wanting me to tell them when I'm ready to start selling my time." I'll never be ready, he told me not to let them use me and I won't. I haven't quite gotten a hold of the breaking thing.

"Katniss?" a deep voice beckons me out of under the covers. I am greeted by a suave man, probably in his late forties. He has dark brown hair mixed with bits of silver, his eyes are a dazzling brown. The odd thing about him is he is so normal compared to-for example Effie, who currently has purple hair with a slight pink tint to her skin, and yet his very plain presence demands attention. He extends his hand to me, now I wish I had taken a shower. "I am Naysmith, Ivo Naysmith. I can't believe I get to meet the mocking jay in person."

I look up at Effie confused.

"You'll have to excuse her, she's been somewhat of a shut in since the games. She is unfamiliar with the term." He lets out a tiny gasp.

"You are a symbol katniss, you are the people hope. And me and my people want to use that to your advantage." Ivo went on to tell me that he works for a new organization, called a charity, its purpose is to help the poor people. Being that I am from one of the poorest districts this makes me a prime candidate to be the spokesperson for it.

"The charity will have four phases: one, raise public awareness by any means possible, shock the people. Two, provide the children of every district with the necessary food, clothing, and training. By a method I like to call adoption, the capital people will receive a picture of the child they are paying for this will form an attachment and get them emotionally invested. Three, build schools and training centers for children. This gives everyone a fair shot in the games, for as long as it's still around. Of course we'll make our first moves during the victory's tou-"I stop him.

"Wait, wait, wait. As long as it's still around?" he nods

"Yes, the ultimate goal of our organization is to end the hunger games, forever."

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Cato's pov

So it turns out Silka has a major crush on atlas, and she gets extremely shy when he comes around; he's really a nice guy once you get to know him. I know all this because the only new things in here is the drama and I've been here way too long.

Mainly because I can't level up; to graduate you must pass all twelve levels. The first is acceptance, you must accept that you didn't die and now you can't tell anyone who you were. I pasted this one easily. The second is capital culture, you have to understand how the capital is run socially. The rest continue like this, all things we need to know to survive in our soon to be home. I've been having trouble with stage eleven, assignment. Silka and Atlas believe I would make a great peacekeeper, I am sure they are right but I don't want to be a peacekeeper, I want to be a trainer. I've already been informed by several sources that it's next to impossible for an FT to work in the games, but next to impossible means there's still a chance.

"Cato, come here please." Silka calls me, she and Atlas are sitting at a table with a capital woman. If she's here talking to them then she must be an older FT. I grab a chair sit next to Atlas.

"Cato I would like you to meet one of the most successfully assimilated women in the history of the FT assimilation." Atlas says.

"And she's the only successful FT to work in the games." This peeks my interest, the pink woman flashes a smile and offers her hand.

"Hello, Cato. I am Effie Trinket. I here to help you do what you want to."

"So wait, the pink chick with the purple afro is going to help you become a trainer? I wonder if she'll-"clove stops herself, clove is also stuck. She and Peeta are stuck on the final stage, well I say her and peeta but Peeta could move on when he wants he'd just waiting for clove. Clove accepted being a baker's wife, helping Peeta in the bakery. But she can't quite accept the makeover part.

"No, clove I'm pretty sure she can't stop them from dying you blue." I joke with her, but her face stays stoic. "What?" she sighs.

"I've been thinking about it and… I'm not meant to be a baker Cato. I'm a warrior. And… I want to be a trainer also." She drops her head with shame. "I know it's embarrassing." I pull her into an embrace.

"No, it's not. It makes sense, I'll talk to her for you."

"Talk to who?" from the way Clove jumps at Peeta's question, I take that she hasn't told him of her plans.

"The new counselor." I point to where Effie is standing, across the room talking to rue and thresh's assimilation partners. When Peeta's eyes land on the pink lady his jaw drops along with his cup of hot chocolate.

"That is katniss and my districts trainer. Effie."

Catoxkatnissxcatoxkatnissxcatoxkatnissxcatoxkatnissxcatoxkatnissxcatoxkatniss

hey y'all thanks for reading, please comment, I want to hear your opinions.

have a good week.


	4. chapter 4

Hi

so i'm really sorry for the long wait, and sorry (again) for this chapter begin so short, there is more coming soon, i promise. I've been super busy with school, choir all-state, and musical tryouts are this week. We are doing once upon a mattress and I'm trying out for one of the main characters (princess Winifred), I've never had a main part, but i want it so bad, wish me luck.

i don't own the hunger games characters.

**Catoxkatnissxcatoxkatnissxcatoxkatnissxcatoxkatnissxcatoxkatnissxcatoxkatniss**

Katniss pov

"It's not enough." Ivo flings his pen across the room, dropping his face in his hands. "The games are in four weeks, if the schools aren't finished districts twelve, eleven, and eight's tributes won't have a prayer of survival." The disappointment in the room is tangible. Everyone here has dedicated their heart and soul to help these children, but we just can't it's not possible…

"Wait! I have an idea." All eyes turn to me. "An auction. We can sell my dress and some of the other tribute's costumes. Its guaranteed to get us the money we need to finishes the projects." There was a moment of silence, then others begin tossing in ideas.

"Oh, what about the weapons from the ring, your bow and arrows, clove's knives, and the big kid's machete." Sara, a younger girl from district eight, suggests. Both Cato and Clove, prior to the games, would have been appalled to see their weapons beginning used to help the weaker kids; but I think the Cato I know and… loved, would be proud.

"And also, what if we auction off a ticket to visit the training center and view where the tributes train. Oh! Or a tour of the training center with you katniss." It wasn't two seconds later that the whole room had ideas of something to do at the auction, but I know what would seal the deal.

I didn't want to let them use me; I refused to do photo shoots, show up on talk shows, or even attend my own victory parties. I certainly wasn't going to become the capitals new play thing, but that would make an hour worthy gold to the disgusting, repulsive, creeps of society. We need their money though. I'll talk to Effie tonight at diner.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT! Are you crazy katniss?" I stare down at my plate, the chef made a lovely meal of potato soup and these wonderful rolls.

"Sit down woman, cant this wait until we're finished with the food. Or at least until I'm finished with this." He holds up his glass filled to the top with some type of alcoholic beverage, take your pick.

"No Haymitch, this can't wait. She has fought for the right to stay out of that- that filth. They pounce on the broken victors before they have a chance to get back on their feet, and katniss fought them off. I won't let her give all that up, it's not worth it. We will find another way to the money." I know not to push Effie anymore, but she's wrong it will be worth it. If my suffering for one-maybe two hour will save these children from a terrible and painful death, it will be worth it. Saving these kids has become my new reason to live, we are this close to ending the games forever but it won't be until next year. We will have to witness one more slaughter and it's not just any slaughter it's the quarter quell, anything can happen.

**Catoxkatnissxcatoxkatnissxcatoxkatnissxcatoxkatnissxcatoxkatnissxcatoxkatniss**

Cato pov

"Like all girls my age I never thought my name would be drawn from that bucket." Effie, well a make-up and modification-less version of her, gives her testimony of her pre-hunger games identity. "I was just a little girl, I dreamed of growing up and marring the boy of my dreams. Of course neither of which happened." The audience, the six FT's still here and their assimilation partners, laugh.

"My name was called and I walked down the aisle, no one dared volunteer for me. And I wouldn't have had it any other way. I joined three of my fellow district mates, the other girl and the other boy died with me. After the games I decided I wanted to work as an escort so that I could make a connection with the tributes before they ended up here. Then maybe I could help them transition more easily into their new lives. And also, I get to see my family and friends once a year, of course it's from afar but it's better than nothing." The natural blonde chuckles. "But I am here today to encourage all of you to embrace your new life, be what you want to be. Do what you want to do. Thank you very much for having me here to speak with you. Is there any questions?" rue jumps up with her hand waving back and forth.

"Yes, dear, what is your question?"

"I want to know, is it hard to remember your backstory? I'm graduating soon and I so worried I'll forget and say the wrong name or age or something."

"Well at first it was, but I surrounded myself with other FT's. Your assimilation partners will connect you with the others in the area…" it went on like that for hours, tributes would ask questions and Effie would answers. I tuned it out until foxface tentatively raises her hand.

"I don't want to be- I mean you don't have to answer this if it's too personal. But how did you-you know- die?"

"Me and hay-one of my district partners, we formed an alliance." Her eyes drift off over the crowd, the corner of her mouth pulls up into a dream-like smile, and her eyes twinkle. "I saved his life, and he saved mine." She scoffs "we decided it would be best for us both if we split up. I was attacked by some of the capitals mutts. Hay-my former partner tried to save me but he couldn't, I've watched him blame himself every day for my death… that's another thing we have to deal with, grief; others and our own." Her eyes meet mine. As if she knows the nightmares that keep me awake at night. As if she knows the pain I feel when I hear of my home, or when I hear about… katniss.

"But what we always have to remember is that it. Is. Not. Our. Fault." She looks at me "but we can help them." the tone of her voice told me there is something I need to know. After she finally finished her speech, she pulled atlas, Silka, and I over to speak to us privately.

"She's doing what?" I slam my fist on the table.

"That's mahogany!" the eccentric woman shouts, everyone stares at her. "Sorry. Um, yes she believes this will attract a plethora of wealthy investors and with the games coming up, the poor districts need the training center sooner rather than later. "

"How noble of her." Atlas says skeptically, I glare at him. "What? She is playing the system, the president is weak so she getting away a ton of things she shouldn't-"I jump up from my seat.

"Shut up, you don't understand the suffering of her district-heck I don't even understand it." I continue yelling at atlas, my volume rises. Atlas stays quiet until I've completed my rant, then he laughs. He slaps me on the back and laughs. At this point I'm livid, but he seems completely unfazed. I look to Silka for some sort of explanation, but she is nodding at Effie who is also smiling.

"Well, Miss Trinket your plan might just work after all." Atlas slaps me on the back, again.

"What Plan?"

**Catoxkatnissxcatoxkatnissxcatoxkatnissxcatoxkatnissxcatoxkatnissxcatoxkatniss**

**so that was it, hope you liked it.**

**if you like hunger games (which i hope you do if you are reading this) then you'll love the t.v. show the 100 (or the book- but i ****haven't ****read it yet) its on cw or ****Netflix ****its great. its kind of a mixture of wall-e (the pixar movie) and the lord of the flies. watch it and comment and tell me if you like it.**


	5. Chapter 5

Hey y'all, I can't tell you how excited I am for this chapter. This story kind of strayed from my original plan, but I think this chapter finally got it back on track.

Also, I would really like to thank Luxraylover for your comment, it was invaluable for the writing of this chapter-and as I've said many times comments (especially comments of that length) are extremely encouraging to authors. So thank you, very much.

I don't own the hunger games.

Please enjoy, and comment.

CatoxKatnissxCatoxKatnissxCatoxKatnissxCatoxKatnissxCatoxKatnissxCatoxKatniss

(Peeta p.m.)

"Good morning, theta." I wave to one of the other assimilation coaches, I usually run into her when I'm getting hot chocolate. I love hot chocolate, I first discovered it the last night before we went into the games, as I lay dying something crossed my mind; I shall never drink that delicious drink, again. Not only I have been given a chance to live, I have been given a chance to drink hot "coco". I wake up every morning and get a cup of my favorite drink for both me and Clove.

Speaking of my violent sunflower, there she is at the end of the hallway. She and Cato are talking to Effie, they've been doing a lot of this lately, but every time I get close enough to hear what they're saying they all stop talking, like they don't want me to hear what they're saying.

"Hey guys." I say, skeptically, and hand Clove her cup. She smiles and takes it. Now I'm really worried Clove doesn't smile, well at least consciously. "Are you okay, you've been acting weird lately?" she shakes her head.

"No, everything fin-"Cato grabs her shoulder.

"You have to tell him." Oh gosh here it comes. A knowing face and head nod, push her to speak

"No don't tell me, you're leaving me for Cato. What does he have that I don't? I mean, I guess he's taller, and has the whole blonde hair blues thing going for him- It's all the hot chocolate, isn't it? I can stop I promise, well no not stop- just limit myself. I can do one-no two cups a day I promise." Clove stands frozen, maybe in shock, or maybe confusion. But luckily Cato stops my ranting, before I made anymore promises I can't keep.

"No, no, no!" Cato shakes his head. "Me and her-we- us. We're not together. But Clove does have something to tell you." He pushes her towards me. She glares at him and sighs, her hand subconsciously reaching for the knife she would have if her assimilations partners, sparkle and kilo, hadn't take them (yes all sixty or so) away. She did manage to smuggle one on her smaller knives away for a few weeks, but she pulled it on the boy from eight and her coaches to it away. Now she reaches for the empty sheath when she's nervous about something; because if I know Clove, she'd much rather stab her problems than face them. I reach out and take her knife throwing calloused hands, eyes locked on to hers.

"It's okay you can tell Me." she nods, still keeping eye contact. Her hands shake, she is really nervous about what she's going to say.

"I don't like the life they planned for Me." she points down the hall towards the assimilation partners dorms. "I'm not meant to work in a bakery-I'm a warrior, born and raised to fight. I just can't live the mundane life of an average capital person." She drops her head, to hide her tears. I cup her chin and raise her head back up to meet my eyes. I pull her into a hug.

"It's okay, I understand. I'm not going to force you to stay with me. I love you, but if you don't like me like that- I understand." She pushes me back, giving me an extremely annoyed face. For a second I thought she was going to punch me. Luckily she didn't.

"Shut up, baker boy. I am trying to say I don't want to work in the baker, not that I don't love you." As if to prove her point she grabs my face and kisses me, short and full of passion, just like her. As soon as we stop kissing I rest my forehead on hers, my brown eyes staring in to her beautiful hazel ones.

"You can do whatever job you want as long as you come home to me. Clove I love you."

"I know." Winking as she twirls around and skips away. Like a violent pixie of death, her gorgeous hair bounces with every step. I just watch her as she goes, my perfect girl with the knives.

CatoxKatnissxCatoxKatnissxCatoxKatnissxCatoxKatnissxCatoxKatnissxCatoxKatniss

(Cato P.O.V.)

"We have to do it. I know there is a lot of flaws and we are leaving a lot to chance but I willing to risk everything for her." Effie and Atlas explained the plan to me, and I agree with them. We have to do it.

"Good, because you have to be all in. If she sees you too soon, you could be putting both you and her in danger. The president is on his death bed, but if catches wind of our plan he will order you both to be eliminated." Silka gulps audibly.

"Have you thought of how she might react, she thinks you're dead? Cato, I'm only trying to help you- but she's lost a lot and sometimes things like that can mess a person up- she may not be the same girl you left in the arena." Our eyes lock, I understand what she's saying. I've already thought of that many times, too many to count.

"Yes and as I said before I'm willing to risk it."

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(Katniss P.O.V)

Tonight's the big night, the party and the after activities. I march down the hall towards the ballroom, a low rumble from the chatter in the large room, is radiating from the large doors. A shiver runs down my spine, I don't know if I can do this. But it's too late for cold feet I made my decision and now I must live with the consciences. I catch a glimpse of myself in the window as I walk by, I look beautiful, cinna's greatest master piece, he created a new dress for this event. It's a sparkly, semi-tight fitting, gold dress with to big sections-one on each side- missing, exposing my bare skin, something I was-and still am- extremely uncomfortable with. The gown has a long trail, my simple black heels, and up-done hair complete my sophisticated look.

"Oh there you are!" Effie peeks her head into the hall from the ballroom. Her hair is done in an unnatural red, and her dress is a bright blue, giving her a comical/whimsical look. "Come, dear, lots of hands to shake, lots of people to greet." She grabs my hand and drags me into the bright ball room. The whole room is decorated in silver, I have no doubt Cinna knew this when planning the color of my dress. People of all sizes, shapes, and colors dance around the room to the soothing tune coming from a full orchestra.

As Effie paraded me around the room shaking hands with this wealthy person and that famous person, I saw a man out of the corner of my eye. Suddenly I felt the need to vomit, the man walks just like Cato, I know I'm crazy a million people must walk like that but I could keep it together. I bolted out of the room, followed by my angry escort. Effie shrieked about me making a scene, but I didn't stop I just kept running until I passed through the large doors I entered just moments before. But unlike when I enter the hall isn't empty. I run right into the arms of the president's nephew.

"Hi, Katniss." He steady's me, but he keeps his hands on my arms. I hate the way he looks at me, like a prospective buyer at a cattle auction. "Where are you off to? You're not leaving are you, I was really looking forward to a dance." I've met the president's egocentric nephew a total of five times, all of which resulted in me wanting to shower because he is a total creep. His skin is pallid and ashy, and his long, stringy platinum blonde hair completes the monotone look.

"No Otto, I'm not leaving. Just stepping out for some air. It's crowded in there." I politely shake his hands off me. But He grabs my hand bring it close to his lips to kiss.

"That is good, is it not? Lots of support for your school." He holds my hand near his lips, with every word he speaks I feel his warm breath on my skin. "Chances are the bulk of the attendees are here for the special-"he pauses "opportunity up for auction, I know I am." He brings my hand to his cold, wet lips and kisses it.

"Yes, well that is the hope. Now I really must finish greeting the rest of the is nice to see you." He bows.

"Likewise." I quickly turn around and fast walk back into the ballroom, away from Otto snow. Effie is waiting.

"I tried to stop you, but of course just like typical Katniss, you ran off without thinking it through. Now what can you tell me to justify that kind of behavior?" I glance around to see if anyone is listening to us.

"I saw him-well, I saw someone who looked like him." Effie's face falls in a weird way, her eyes immediately start bouncing around the room, as if in search of the mysterious man I just told her about. Finally she seems satisfied and begins introducing me to the rest of the guest. I met the head of the peace keepers, several actors and actresses, eight high ranking officials who work directly with the president, and one extremely wealthy, extremely eccentric lady who Effie didn't seem to keen on me meeting.

"Who is that?' I point to the most natural looking woman in the room, her face a mask of wrinkles, and her hair is tall mound of white up-done hair- it sort of looks like a wedding cake. Her dress looks like it's made of a quilt- in fact after meeting her I'm sure it is made of a quilt.

"She's no one, let's go meet the head of peace keepers." Effie grabs my arm, I yank it back.

"I already met him, I want to meet her." I march over to her and the three or four average capital women talking to her. "Hi, I'm Katniss everdeen." I reach my hand to shake hers. She smiles.

"Yes, I can see it." She takes my hand and just holds it. "I see why he loves you."

"Who?" before she can answer Effie marches over.

"Katniss this is Mrs. Rollo. Now we must be off to prepare for the auction. You must-"Mrs. Rollo cut Effie off.

"You can call me Cindy." She looks at Effie. "Not you." Effie grabs my arm and pulls me away.

"We really must be going, say bye Katniss." I glare at Effie

"Bye, it was nice meeting you." I wave to her, I like that woman. Why is Effie trying to keep me away from her?

"Okay, dear, you have to go see Cinna before the auction. He's waiting in your dressing room…" I tune her out and gaze around the room, tons of people are dancing-an activity I'm glad to have avoided. I would rather dance than do this auction. Then I see him, and he's headed my direction. Otto Snow.

"I have to go." I say to Effie, who is still in the middle of her lecture/schedule.

"What?" I don't have time to answer her, I quickly disappear into a crowd of colorful women. I slip and slide through the crowd until I'm satisfied that Otto can't find me. That's when I smell it, food.

There is a table, which covers half the room, filled with mounds of food. All kinds of colors, sizes, and shapes: Meats, breads, casseroles, soups, stew, cakes, pies, cookies, and much, much more. All of it smells good, especially the district twelve table with traditional dishes of my districts, such as squirrel stew, goat cheese sandwiches, and roast pig. I make my way to the end of the table to grab a plate.

"Hey, girl-"I hear a male voice, trying too hard to sound deeper. I stop him and without looking away from the food I say.

"I'm trying to get food, so if you want to use that line, you better not start." The boy laughs, I roll my eyes and continue filling my plate with food. The boy follows me, I ignore him. I make my way through each section of food, until I reach the district twelve food. I grab a little of everything till I see a cake in the corner, it's decorated like a tree. I just stand there and stare at it.

"Are you okay?' the boy ask and something in his voice sounds familiar. I turn in his direction. He's a tall muscular boy, with dark blue hair and matching blue eyebrows. His skin is unnaturally tinted yellow, but still something about him seems familiar.

"Yes, it's just that cake looks like ones my friend used to make."

"Oh, well I'm sure your friend makes much better cakes than that." I smile at the poor boys attempt to cheer me up.

"Ya, you're right. What's your name?" the boy pauses to think, as if he doesn't know his name.

"Rush, Lynton Rush." I shake his hand,

"Nice to meet you, Lynton. I'm Katniss-"his laugh drowns out my last name. "What?"

"Everyone knows who you are, twelve-"before he can finish his statement Effie grabs my arm.

"Katniss there you are we must be going."

"Okay, but first let me say bye to-"I turn to where Lynton was, but there is no one there.

"Bye to who, dear?"

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	6. short chapter and authors notes

okay so I know this is short and y'all have been waiting a while, and I am very sorry but you'll forgive me I promise.

One of the ladies at my church (a good friend of my mom) her niece was born a few weeks ago, she had a heart condition (something with the development of her aorta) well the baby past away and the funeral was yesterday, she was twelve days old. honestly there has been so much death in my life recently and i haven't really had the motivation to write while this is all going on, but ill try.

but this week we are going to visit my crazy great grandpa in idiana so i'll be trapped in a car with nothing to do, I'll probably get a chapter or two finished.

sorry again for the delay and as always RATE, REVIEW, AND COMMENT. thank you

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(P.o.v. Peeta)

"Did you send my cake out?" I ask the rotund chef, Wilcox.

"Yes, I did. Were you na' finished? So'ry, but it looked real good to me. I like em tree details." Effie is a good friend of Wilcox, they were in the games together, so she got me job working at Katniss's big party. I was put in charge of the district twelve food, which I did extremely well- if I do say so myself. Cato and Clove both got makeovers and are milling about the party, Cato needs to make his name known before the auction, he will defiantly be known after that. But of course that's all worked out in the plan we discussed five days ago…

_"__What plan?" Cato stares down Effie with a confused glare._

_ "__Well, you see-uh-well…ya, um" Silka trips over her words. Atlas pats her on the head, and steps in front of her._

_ "__We, as your assimilation coaches, want what's best for you and-to be frank you're nothing without Katniss. We discussed it several times, and we knew we had to get you two together again. When Effie informed us of your lovers' decision, we knew this was our big break." Setting up the story for Silka to finish he sits down._

_ "__Yes, so as you know the auction is in five days, so there will be-um- five phases to the plan. First you all have to finish your assimilation; Cato you have to pass the background quiz, and so do you Clove, since your background has-uh- changed. Peeta you just have to have your make-over, so you'll be out first." I tense, they want me to leave Clove. I can't-I mean-I won't. Clove must have had the same thought, because I feel her hand wrap around mine and clutch for dear life. I shake my head._

_ "__That's a no go, baker boy stays with me." Clove almost growls, her free hand instantly flying to her empty knife sheath._

_"__Now Peeta, Clove, dear." Effie coos in her prim and proper mother's voice." listen to the rest of the plan." I nod and Clove glares, and reluctantly nods. Silka continues._

_ "__You should be out tonight, then you will start working with an old friend of Effie-"_

_ "__I shot him with a poisonous blow dart." Effie interrupts with a pleased voice. Everyone stares at her. "What...? Continue." She did a flicking motion to signal Silka to continue._

_"__Anyways-um- yes, then you'll work with Wilcox preparing the food for the party. While you're there you'll sneak a message to Cinna. He'll be-"_

_ "__Why does baker boy have to do it, why can't Miss Priss do it, wont she be working with him?" Clove points at Effie, who slowly rises from here seat and pushes Clove's pointing finger away from her face._

_ "__Because I'm leaving, Atlas and I are going to the president's mansion to-hopefully- rid ourselves of a little problem." Atlas nods. _

_ "__So you will sneak the note Cinna and then you've completed your part, after that just work on the food and we'll come and get you when the mission is complete." I nod._

_ "__But what about Clove, what will she be doing?" I ask._

_"__Clove has her own mission, she will-" _

"Ciabatta! Ciabatta!" Wilcox's shouting, my new name, interrupts my thinking.

"Here" I shout and walk out in to the open. Wilcox is in a panic, he runs to me, grabbing my arm, and stuffing me back in the pantry. "What's going on?"

"Shh, just hide. They know."

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	7. Chapter 7

hi, thanks for returning to read my story. So as I mentioned in the last chapters author notes i went to visit my crazy grandpa, well he's crazy because he had Alzheimer's, sun-downer's, and his wife (who he dearly love and had been married to for 67 years) passed away last year. well anyways we went to visit him for christmas and he wasn't doing very well, but we left after christmas and he passed away a few days later. So we made the trek from Oklahoma to Indiana again for the funeral, it was as all funerals are depressing. I would normally not be in the mood to write, but my sister read my story and threaten to hurt me if i didn't give her another chapter so here it is.

Oh! and on a happier note I got that part I was trying out for in my school musical!

so here it is, i don't own any of Suzanne's characters.

please rate, review, and comment. please.

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(P.O.V. Katniss)

"Let me see." Cinna calls after me. I slip my arm into the sleeve of the new dress Cinna designed. It is a mid-thigh length dress with long, tight, sleeves. The left half of the dress is black, the right half is yellow with black flowers. I glance in the mirror, and take a deep breath.

"I can do this." I whisper to my reflection.

"Can I see it?" I hear Cinna's voice just outside the changing room.

"Yes." I pop open the door and step out. Cinna greets me with a smile, which I return.

"Beautiful." I let my gaze drop to the floor. I feel cinna's hand pull my face up towards him. "You are beautiful, and you are strong. The districts owe you much more than even you realize. And…thanks to my creation you are going to show everyone how amazing you are." I chuckle

"If I don't fall on my face." We both laugh about this for a second. Then we here the knock on the door, I know what the knock means. From the sympathetic look Cinna is giving me, I know he is aware of the knocks significance. I slowly walk towards the door, then I notice a letter. I probably noticed it out of a desperate attempt to stall. "What is that?"

"What?" I grab the unopened letter and hand it to my stylist, he opens it and quickly scans the note. A smile creeps on to his face. He begins franticly digging through his cabinet, which is strange because Cinna is the picture of calm, cool, and collected. When he emerges, he has my original Mockingjay pin- I gave it to him on the victor's tour, after he made a new more modern, silver one.

"Put this one on, it's only fitting." I unpin the new Mockingjay pin and Cinna pins my old one on. "Now go, you will be remarkable." I want to know what that note said because now he's same old happy Cinna, not the solemn man I walked into this room with. But I don't get the chance to ask, both Cinna and Effie herd me out the door and down the hall to the large ballroom doors. I take a deep breath and push the doors open.

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Clove P.o.v

I glance around the room, completely not amused by the capital-wide pass time of constant chatter and idle gossip. Oh and you can't forget partying, unlike me, they love parties. I don't do well in large crowds, I think as I reach for my knife, it feels good to have one again. Crowds make me nervous they haven't treated me well in the past, they judge but never really know, and they speak but never ever listen. No one really listens, well no one but my baker boy. I think about my stupidly perfect boy, he listens, and waits. I muse over Peeta's soft blonde hair and gentle brown eyes. But I'm here for a different boy tonight; I am searching for one superficial capital boy in a sea of superficial capital boys.

_"__Clove has her own mission, she will be mingling with the party guest. Making sure the party is a hit." _

_ "__What?! No way, if peeta gets to be a part of the mission so do I." atlas frowns at her._

_ "__And who says you get to demand that, little girl?" I spring from the place I had been sitting, which irrelevantly is baker boy's lap._

_ "__Nobody asked you old man." I ferociously glare at him, rising from his seat he towers over me. I mentally scoff, I've fought bigger. I feel a large hand gently grab mine and pull me down._

_ "__It's okay clove, I'm sure mingling will be exciting." Peeta tries to calm me, knowing if I get into a fight with atlas one of us will end up dead. Effie also agrees._

_ "__Yes dear, and you will have the best view of the outfits- oh how I envy you- but back to your mission I need to give you a few specifics." She motions for me to follow, I cross my arms angrily, but follow. Peeta rises to come with us, Effie quickly and very much out of character demands him to stop._

_ "__NO! You can't come! I mean it will be boring, just costuming and such. There's no need to pull you away from the planning for this." I roll my eyes._

_ "__But it's perfectly fine to pull clove away." I say, Effie gives me a look that silences me, almost saying I'll tell you more. Peeta catches the look, then looks to me. I mouth, 'I tell you later' he nods. I follow Effie out of the room._

_Once we're out of hearing distances she stops, an uncharacteristically serious face greets me._

_ "__Your mission is the most important-"I stop her._

_ "__I get that the party is important to you, but I'm really not the party type, anyone would be better for this "mission"-"this time she stops me._

_ "__That's not your mission, I only told you that so I'd have an excuse to pull you away from peeta. Your mission is much more… uh, delicate than I believe he can handle." She tells me the plan, detailing exactly how I am to "distract the presidents nephew" I listen, it isn't exactly what I had in mind but I do it._

_ "__I'll do it but I need my knives back." Effie glares at me_

_"__No."_

_"__Then no deal…" she glares, extracting one of my favorite knives from her large purse._

_ "__Okay, but only one and you better not use it. It would be very rude to kill someone at a party." We walk back to the group. Peeta is talking to atlas._

_ "…__lucky because if she gets into a fight…well nothing good can happen. Run, that's your only chance." Peeta lectures the older peacekeeper_

_ "__I know you're bigger than her-don't be lulled into a false sense of security, she will kill you." Cato adds with a smile._

_ "__Exactly and if for any reason you do happen to get into a fight with her, don't bother. Just lie in the fetal position and take your beating until a professional." He gestures to himself and Cato, and takes a sip of his hot chocolate." can make it to your location. Oh! And try not let her see you cry, it will only encourage her." Peeta nods at the conclusion of his lecture, atlas shakes his head with a smile. Maybe the smile is from what peeta said, but most likely it's from me sneaking up behind the unknowing peeta. I take my newly reclaimed knife and trail it down the side of his face, standing on my tiptoes I get as close to his ear as I can._

_ "__Hey, baker boy. Look what we got back."_

My memory is interrupted by the very boy I am, supposed to be, seeking; his deathlike paleness is something easy to spot in the crowd of vibrantly colored citizens. His semi long platinum blonde hair hangs limply in front of his dark eyes, everything about this boy is bland. He slithers through the crowd eerily searching for something or someone, I make my move. Marching towards him, I stare him down until he spots me. His pale lips turn up in a spine-chilling smile.

"Why I don't believe I know you, I am Otto Snow."

"Hello, I am Clarisse." I extent my hand, he takes it and kisses it. His lips are cold, eew. "I'm new here, I just recently took a job as a trainer for the seventy-fifth hunger games."

"I knew it, you look like a career district girl. Let me guess district one?" I shake my head.

"Two, but good guess." The music from the dance floor grows louder, I glance in that direction- in an attempt to signal I want to dance.

"Do you dance, Clarisse?" I smile.

"Is that an invitation?" he grabs my hand and leads me out on the dance floor. His hand snakes around my back pulling me just a little too close. I can't deny he is a good dancer, but something about the whole exchange seems off. We spin and sway to the music in silence. I can't help but think about my baker boy, he's a talker, he doesn't like silence; don't get me wrong if someone else is talking he'll listen, and when he talks it's about meaningful stuff he genuinely tries to get to know everyone he meets. He's not okay with just knowing your name he wants to know about your family, and your home.

_"__So what's your favorite color?" the waste of space is talking again, ignoring his question I march through the dense forest we stumbled into. Soon I will find Cato and he'll kill this annoying boy._

_ "__Okay no favorite color, what about favorite animal?" he just keeps talking, I mentally face palm. How much trouble would I get into if I just killed him now? He continues, undeterred by my silence._

_ "__What about family, do you have any family?" I turn and fling my knife at his face. He ducks just barely missing his death. "What was that for? I only asked you about your family." _

_ "__Why must you keep annoying me? You know I could kill you." He picks my knife up off the floor, staring at it for a second._

_ "__What does it matter when I die, now or in a few days? I won't make it out of this arena." He hands me the knife. "I am going to make the best of the time I have left, that's what they teach us in twelve." I stare at him and shake my head._

_ "__You are a strange little boy." I take the knife, watching my reflection in it. "You know what they teach us in two?" he looks to me expecting an answer. I launch myself at him, knocking him down and placing my knife to his throat. "Kill or be killed." He audibly gulps, I pull my blade away and continue to march through the woods. He jumps off the ground and follows._

_ "__So… what's your favorite food?"_

A smile creeps to my face, reflecting on how annoying peeta was. The creep I'm dancing with takes this as a sign that I'm enjoying our dance. Or- even worse- that I'm enjoying my time with him.

"You want to get out of here." He says it more in a statement than a question. We walk off the dance floor, as soon as we are out in the hall I have to keep him there for fifteen minutes. Then the auction will be over and Cato's only competition will not be in attendance.

The sickly looking creep quickly pushes me out of the room and into the hall. I let him, even though I could easily break his arm. He backs me up to the wall, trapping me with his arms.

"I have one question-"I stop him.

"No questions, isn't it a little public here." I gesture to the small group of chatting people across the hall. He nods and we walk down the hall, I lead him into a small closet. Closing the door and pressing my lips to his, just fifteen minutes. I can do this. We kiss, he's all in to it- which is good I guess, I mean I'm supposed to be distracting him and I'm doing a good job. But I'm completely bored. He freezes after a couple of minutes, remembering his question.

"Who sent you?" I shake my head. Using my sweetest and most innocent voice

"No one." He may have believed me if his communicator hadn't have gone off. His face darkens as he reads something of his illuminating screen, I quickly grab my knife and press it to his throat.

"So you're working with the rebellion?" I shake my head.

"No I work for no one, I am helping a friend." He looks at my hand holding the knife and smiles.

"You know I thought you looked familiar, you're clove aren't you. Wow you're so much prettier in person. Does your friend happen to be Cato?" I narrow my eyes at him. He laughs "I thought so. You see my uncle just called for peacekeeper's to take you, Cato, and your little baker to his office. And I have a feel you won't be coming out." He tries to laugh but I press the knife hard against his pale throat.

"You better be glad I'm under orders to keep you alive." I smash the dull end of my knife on his head. Now I have find my baker boy.

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P.o.v. president snow

I don't have much time left, honestly, I got a few days. This news has spread to the people it shouldn't have, particularly the young miss trinket. She visited me this morning, she's very polite and pretty. I remember when she was reaped for the fiftieth hunger games, a particularly special games with double the tributes. She was reaped alongside the winner Haymitch, she had a relationship with him much like that of the current victor and her fallen partner, Cato. That must be why she is trying to help him.

But despite her trying to persuade me that the little group she's been training is not a threat. I know better, I've called the peacekeepers to bring them in. I can't have them messing with my favorite little victor's party. My nephew has been very excited about the auction. I can't have a little rebellion getting in the way of my favorite nephews happiness.

I finally know how to stop the rebellions, once I'm gone they will see. I have a plan to forever keep panem alive.

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okay thanks for reading.

please review and follow... does anyone even read this stuff down here? just wondering.


	8. Chapter 8

I am soooooooo sorry to anyone who read this before i didn't check it before posting. well here it is the final chapter

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"Dad are you making this up?" the young girl gives her father a distrusting look. He chuckles and shakes his head.

"No, I'm not making this up. Everything I've told you is true; your mother can back me up."

"But it just doesn't make sense, you guys were only in the games for a short time how could you be in love-and how would haymitch have not known that Effie was maysliee? You're story doesn't make sense." Cato rolls his eyes.

"Well, Sophia. I gave you the shortened version and haymitch is a drunk-if you don't like my story than you can just go to bed." The older man got up to leave his oldest daughters room.

"No!" she pops out of her bed and grabs his arm "I like your story, please continue."

"Okay, where was I?" the young girl flips her blonde braid over her shoulder.

"Clove was going to save peeta, the president had made his mind up about something, and the auction was about to start."

"Ah, yes. Well-" Just as he began to finish the tale, a familiar voice echoed through the room.

"What do you think you're doing?" katniss stands at the bedroom door, one arm holding her youngest son, griffin, the other resting on her hip with the scariest mom glare known to man. "Sophia, I told you to get in bed an hour ago."

"I was just telling Sophia a bed time story." Katniss marches up to her husband, who towers over her and is double her size.

"You were? Well did you finish organizing the peacekeepers?" Cato leans down towards his wife.

"Yes, I did." He pecks her on the cheek. She set the two year old griffin on the floor.

"What about the correspondence with district governors, did they all reply?"

"Yes, they all responded and they are all ready." He pulls her into an embrace.

"What about the-the-the?"

"It's all done, you can relax." He smooths her brown hair away from her face, she sighs.

"Okay, then I guess you can continue with your story-" she stops when she notices griffin has climbed into bed and both he and Sophia are sound asleep. "Well, your audience has fallen asleep, sorry."

"That's fine, they know the rest." The president wanted to immortalize himself, so he decided to end the reign of the presidents. He gave his control to katniss, apparently he liked her dedication. Soon after the "dead" tributes revealed themselves as not dead. Katniss and I got married, had three kids: Sophia, Octavia (after my grandma) and griffin; together we reorganized the government to serve the people. Peeta and clove got married and opened their bakery, clove works part time training peacekeepers, and they have two kids: Augustus and Lilly. Haymitch and Effie also got married.

"Well, let's go to sleep. We have a big day tomorrow."


End file.

Hunger Games, Adventure, Romance