𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧

── explosions

          ℑ had never truly been a patient woman. 

Ever since I was small, my father had been on my back about staying calm and waiting. Especially when it came to things like waiting for a calf to be born, or learning how to milk a cow, or waiting to train the dogs. It was a flaw of mine.

I hoped that he was proud of me now, of how I waited for thirty minutes, to allow Katniss to get into place before setting fire to the first pyre that we had built. From there, I was quick to run towards the next fire, setting it alight, before finally heading for the third. As the last caught light, I sighed in relief.

I had done my job, in a mere thirty minutes, and now I could leave and hope that Katniss would do hers. 

I was only able to walk two steps before an explosion rocked the ground, sending me forward as the ground rocked. A gasp left my mouth, turning to peer up through the space between the trees as I watched dark plumes of smoke in the direction of the Cornucopia.

Katniss had done it.

I could have laughed at the feeling, though the growing tightness of the trees around me, reminded me that there would be people hunting both of us now for one of us set the trap and the other followed it through.

There was a further two explosions before I deemed it safe to hurry away once more. I had decided to double back, towards the first fire, knowing that the careers would most likely think that I would run from that place. It was a double bluff, and hopefully a good one.

The path is not well worn, and I'm light on my feet but every shadow and flicker of movement looks like a person, no matter how much I try to ignore it. Night falls quickly, and I clamber a tree to look at the deaths. There are only two; the boy from District Three and the boy from District 10. I try to count how many are left; the boy from One, Cato, the girl from Two, the fox-faced girl, me and Thresh, Katniss and Peeta.

Eight. Eight left. 

I had made it to the final eight, and that on it's own was an achievement. To have both District partners living, especially from an outlying district was one that was nothing short of a miracle. By now, they would be interviewing my parents, Rue and my other friends from school, asking them if they knew that I would live this long.

That night, I fall asleep clinging to my mother's wedding ring, thinking of what I would do if I won and if I made it back to her. 

So far through these games, I had refused to give myself any hope that I might last long enough to make it home. But now, now I was allowing myself that hope. I was allowing myself the thought of seeing my parents, Rue, my cows and my dogs again.

──⭒─⭑─⭒──

A cannon blast wakes me the next morning.

I almost fall out of the tree, but I regain myself as I search for how close it was. There is no one beneath me, and the mud hasn't been disturbed, so I lower myself to the ground. I'm close to the first fire now, but I still haven't seen anyone, not even Katniss.

The fire is smouldering by the time I reach it, not even smoking anymore and I take a moment to settle there. I need a bit of calm before I carry on, knowing that from here, everything gets harder. Tilting my head back against the tree, still clinging to my spear, I allow myself to take a few sips of water and let my eyes fall closed.

But that was to be my downfall, for when I opened them again, there was a man across the clearing. It was the career, the man from District One.

I scramble backwards, holding the spear in my hand as I watch him. I want to run but I know that he would easily run me down.

"I want that." He points a sword at me, something I know he isn't as confident at using as he is as the spear in my hand. "Give me that spear."

"No." I shook my head, tightening my grip as I looked for the others. Surely if he was here, then Cato and his district partner wouldn't be far behind. I was so screwed. "I don't want any trouble."

That was the wrong thing to say, for the man advanced towards me, swiping back and forth with the sword as I dodged backwards each time. I didn't want to fight, to injure or to kill. I couldn't handle that.

He yelled in anger, as he brought the sword arcing downwards. I fell over as the blow caught the spear, sending me back onto the floor. Tears began to well up in my eyes, as the thought of my misplaced hope at getting home filled me. I wouldn't see my mother again.

The boy swung the sword, bringing it down towards me again, as I pulled my spear closer and held it up, hoping that it partly blocked the hit. It did, but the force made my arms shake. 

As he reached up again, I gave myself into the fear that I was going to die. My eyes fell closed as I waited for the final blow.

But it never came.

Instead droplets of what felt like rain fell onto my face, as a heavy force landed on my chest. I opened my eyes, coming face to face with unseeing brown eyes, as I struggled to get away from it. A loud canon blast confirmed my fears. Dead.

"No, no, no." But it wasn't me who had died.

"Mitzi!" There's another voice in the clearing now, as the body is yanked off of me and thrown to the side, and suddenly, I'm met with ice blue eyes like cold steel, worry clear in them. I begin to scramble away from Cato, who drops the bloody sword in his hands to reach for me.

"No," I shook my head, brushing at my face and fighting a cry at the sight of the blood that came off of it. There was blood, so much blood and none of it was mine. I was alive, but someone had been killed for me.

"You're alright." Cato seemed to be trying to convince the both of us as he crouched beside me, trying to find injuries beneath the blood as I batted him away. 

"Wha-" I looked between the body, with blood pooling around it, and then back to Cato. "What have you done?"

"You're alright." Cato sighed in relief, sitting back on his legs before he looked around. "Come on, we've got to go. We've got to leave. There'll be a craft coming to pick up the body."

"Cato!" He stopped gathering his things to turn to me, eyes wide at my shout. "What have you done? What are you doing?"

"Mitzi, I'll explain it later, but we've got to go." Cato hissed, shouldering my pack as he reached down to set me on my feet with ease.

"You saved my life. Why did you save my life? What are you doing?" I babbled in a somewhat nonsensical manner, my legs giving out as I collapsed once more. Cato reached down, patiently picking me back up. 

"Come on." Cato tugged at my hand, pulling me away from the body. "Clove will have heard this. She'll be trying to find who killed Marvel."

"You just killed your Career partner." I spat out, looking up at Cato. He still looked similar to how he had been in the Capitol, though his hair was more grimy as his skin was. A scar on his cheek told me that his time in the arena had not been as unscathed as my own had been. "What are you doing, Cato?"

"Mitzi. Later, please." Cato pleaded, continuing to tug me away. "We have to leave."

I finally managed to pull my hand free, stopping in my tracks as I stared at him.

"Not until you tell me why you saved me?" The teenager stopped, before storming back over. His hands grabbed my cheeks, and for a moment I thought he would snap my neck, before he leant down to slant his lips across mine. My mind went blank.

He kissed me like I was porcelain that would shatter at a single touch. He kissed me like I was a bluebell, something to admire but not crush. He kissed me like I was the first breath of spring after a harsh winter. 

But worst of all, Cato Hadley kissed me like he cared for me.

──⭒─⭑─⭒──

Hiya,

So, they finally kissed. Cato killed Marvel to save Mitzi and now we're getting into the juicy part of the games. Poor Mitzi is not having a great time, her emotions are on a bit of a roller coaster right now mainly because of Cato, but we're gonna have fun.

Let me know what you think,

Love Li xx