𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧

── questions answered

          𝔗he state of shock that I had been in since Cato had kissed me had not left, not even when he had lead me further into the woods, given me food and set up a sort of camp for us. When he'd eaten, Cato had sat opposite me, watching me with wide eyes as I still tried to process it all.

"Mitzi, you have to eat. Get your strength back." Cato urged gently, still watching me. "Say something, please."

"What do you want me to say?"

"I don't know, anything."

"Is this part of your master plan to get out of the games?" I looked up at him, my eyes narrowing. I knew Cato, knew how clever he was and how this was something that he was capable of. He was most likely luring me into a false sense of security and then he was going to kill me.

"If I wanted you dead, I would have killed you at the bloodbath." Cato motioned to the spear.

"You don't miss." I confirmed.

"I wasn't aiming for you." He shook his head. "You said your weapon was a spear and I couldn't let you die. I couldn't let you not have a chance."

"What would I do with it? I don't wish to kill and I can barely fight." I huffed, rubbing the bridge of my nose as I continued to try and calm my brain. It was taking me a while to process everything, process that the tall man ahead of me had kissed me and saved my life in the space of about five minutes. "I still don't understand why you saved me."

"What don't you understand? I thought I made it clear."

"Kissing me explains little about saving my life in an arena where you're supposed to kill all those around you." I shook my head at him, pulling my jacket closer. "I know you're not stupid Cato, but I can not see why you would do such a thing?"

"Does it have to be because I am clever? Because of the games? Can it not simply be because I care for you?" Cato's voice became hushed, as he seemed to make himself into a tighter ball, his knees drawing up to his chest as he watched me. 

"You are too clever to care for someone in the arena."

"Maybe I am not." Cato mumbled, "and it was before the arena."

"What?"

"I cared for you before the arena." Cato watched me, as my shoulders slumped at the admission. "On the rooftop, just before we went, I was going to tell you but I thought better of it. So I gave you the spear."

"Cato..."

"Tell me you do not care and I will go." Cato replied. "Tell me that and I will leave, you will not see me again for the rest of the games."

"I-" I trailed off. I couldn't tell him I didn't care because some part of me knew that I did. I liked his voice, the half Capitol, half district accent. I liked his hair, I liked how he watched and listened. I found it amusing that he had tricked the entire Capitol into believing that he was another dumb warrior, when he was much more clever. I liked our talks on the rooftop, I liked all of it. "We're supposed to be enemies."

"And?" Cato shrugged. "I care for you, truly and I know that."

"Cato, please."

"Tell me you do not care and I will go."

"I cannot say that." I replied, trying to find an excuse. "Only one person lives, you know this."

"For now, we are both alive. Mitzi." Cato sighed. "Please."

For a moment, I said nothing, thinking over everything in my head, before I stood and slumped down beside him, holding my hand out. His lips quirked up in a small smile, intertwining our fingers as I clung to them.

"If you kill me in my sleep, I will haunt you."

"I'm not gonna kill you." Cato shook his head, before tugging me even closer to him as I allowed myself to relax. I knew this wasn't the place to relax, that quite frankly this was one of my more stupid ideas, but Cato's arm around my shoulder was comforting. 

The sky went dark in a matter of minutes after that, both of us peering up, through the clearing of the trees, at the sigil to see who had died that day. There had only been two cannon shots.

The first to appear was the District One boy, Marvel, and then the second was one that I had hoped not to see, District Twelve, Katniss.

"Oh."

"What?"

"Katniss is dead." I muttered, slumping down as Cato watched me carefully. "Oh."

"You knew the girl on fire."

"I saved her. She almost ran into me, half delirious and my mother wouldn't want me killing anyone, so I saved her." My hand reached for the ring on my neck, squeezing it gently. I wracked my brain for a moment, before remembering (from my brief time in school) the symbol of goodbye from District Twelve. I'd seen it on the train, watching the reaping.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm saying farewell." I kissed my three fingers, holding them up to the sky, where I hoped a camera was watching me. "I promised her that I'd look out for her sister, and that means saying goodbye and being respectful."

──⭒─⭑─⭒──

That night was one of the first nights that I slept peacefully. Cato refused to wake me up to keep watch, staying up through the night as I slept beside him. Despite my annoyance that he would tire himself out, I couldn't deny that the long night's sleep had provided me with a renewed amount of energy that I had not had since the first part of the game.

"So," I chewed on the rabbit that Cato had caught, both of us walking together as we attempted to find a food source. "Who is left? What do we do?"

"District 12's one is alive, though he's as good as dead." Cato shrugged casually. "I got him good, clean slice across the chest. Then there's your district mate."

"We're not killing Thresh." I shook my head.

"Why?" Cato questioned. "Someone has to."

"It won't be us."

"Why?"

"I went to school with Thresh. We grew up together, worked together and all that." I sighed. "I will not be killing him, nor will you."

"Alright." Cato nodded. "If that's what you think is best."

He didn't sound convinced, but he said nothing more on the matter.

"Then, there is Clove." He explained. "She will be hiding now that the Careers have disbanded, but she's not to be ignored. Her skills with a knife are unparalleled, especially from a distance."

"And Foxface."

"Foxface?" Cato seemed confused. 

"The one who looks like a fox. She has no allies, but she's been surviving on her own. If I can remember, she was incredibly good at survival skills."

"We should hunt her out." Cato hummed. "Her first, then District 12. Leave Thresh and Clove to kill each other."

The unspoken statement of it would then be down to them filtered through the air. When that happened, who knows what would come of it. There was the sound of trumpets, booming around the arena as Claudius Templesmith's voice filled the arena. Cato and I paused, my hand finding his as we both looked up. He squeezed gently.

I was stunned for a moment. Rule change. There's been a rule change.

"Two tributes can win, either from the same or different districts, as long as it is one male and one female." My lips twitch into a smile, before Cato's arm is around my waist and he is swinging me around quickly. I begin to laugh, clutching onto him as he finally set me down.

His hands found my cheeks, pulling me closer as he stared down at me.

"We can win." I nod, holding onto his wrists. "Mitzi, we can win!"

In that moment, any fear and apprehension inside me falls away as I lean up to kiss him, standing on my tiptoes. We could win.

──⭒─⭑─⭒──

Hiya,

So, Mitzi and Cato are sweethearts and Cato just ignored all of his instincts telling him no and decided that he cares for Mitzi deeply. Them realising they can win together is also very cute, and I'm so excited for them!

Let me know what you think,

Love Li xx