Chapter Eighteen, Nest Of Growth

❝ there's holy ground beneath them, ❞

❝ and sparks fly when they kiss ❞

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I HAVE BEEN UP FOR AT LEAST HALF AN HOUR, waiting for the sleeping boy next to me to finally exit his somber. I pick at my nails, braid my hair, jump around the cave to try and cure my boredom, in vain. 

I reach into my bag, drinking a little of the water, relieving my constant and consuming thirst. I also insert a few bits of meat into my mouth, slowly chewing onto them, hoping for the taste to stay sitting on my tongue for a while.

I didn't want to leave the narrow space, dreading the sentiment of solitude I had faced too many times recently. Plus, I was supposed to be in love with Cato, leaving him would be a form of self sabotage, denying my supposed need to be close to him, to satisfy the watchers' emotions.

Instead, an idea forms in my mind and a mischievous smile accompanies my features. I suddenly leap onto the boy, violently extorting him out of his unconscious state. His frightened face and wide eyes is enough to send me into a fit of girlish giggles.

"God, I don't know why I didn't think of that earlier!" I say, clasping a hand over my mouth, trying to appease my continuous laughter.

"Very funny, Everdeen." Cato groans, loudly yawning. I roll my eyes at his response, wondering if he already forgot our winning strategy. My thoughts are directly answered by his arm swiftly snaking around my waist. 

I try to ignore the tingles that travel in my bones, reminding myself this was just for show. Instead, I lean closer to him, playing with his fingers. I could tell by the quivering of his bottom lip that I was managing to make him nervous under my touch, which definitely amused me.

The whole act was also definitely triggering some feelings to dance around my heart, but I force myself to push them down every time.

The boy from 2 smiles, before whispering "Remember we're madly in love, so it's alright to kiss me anytime you feel like it." 

I try not to let the shock at his unexpected bluntness appear on my expression, coking my head to the side and smirking instead.

"I'll kiss if I want to," I reply, playfully glaring at the blond. "Which might be in a very long time."

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Cato and I had decided to leave the dark cave for a bit, determined to try and end the games as soon as possible.

"You have no idea at all where Clove is?" I ask, raising my eyebrows curiously at the boy. Perhaps he still felt the need to protect his district partner.

"Nope," Cato says, popping the 'p' in his phrase. "I swear, if I knew, we would be done with her" he continues, attempting to convince me. I cross my arms over my chest, not completely trusting his words.

"You're cute when you're jealous" he adds, smirking.

"Please, I am not jealous." I loudly declare, punching the boy in the shoulder angrily. I have to hold my lips in a tight line to prevent myself from grinning at the hidden compliment.

"If you say so." Cato shrugs, placing his arm around my shoulders as we continue our walk in the seemingly empty forest. 

At that, I realise why the arena seems so vacant. We were making an incredible amount of noise, bickering and walking loudly through the trees.

"We should separate," I mutter to the boy, nudging him. "The reason we're not finding anything is because we're too loud".

He nods, knowing my statement was true, no matter how none of us wanted to leave the other, even for a few hours. It felt good to have Cato be close to me, because it meant no one dared to intercept or to attempt a murder. The two most lethal tributes against one did not seem like a fair fight.

"I'll go to the right, and you to the left, okay?" I describe.

"Right. Meet me here in about an hour. And uh- scream if you need help" he replies, peering at me anxiously.

"You too Cato." I whisper, before disappearing in the midst of the trees, a blade in my hand.

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I smile in delight at the sight of the murdered goozling, entering my bag. I plop a dried piece of apple into my mouth, slightly aiding my growing hunger. My silent hunt had indeed been quickly rewarded by the appearance of a few animals, unaware of my discreet presence.

I wipe my bloody knife onto the ground, prepared to pursue my quest for more food. However, the sudden shriek of the cannon causes me to jump and unconsciously drop my weapon on the floor. I pick it up immediately and whip my head, scanning my surroundings.

Alerted, I then sprint towards Cato's location, worry guiding my speed. I run between the tall trees, desperately trying to calm my beating heart. My fear that Cato's death had been the source of the cannon growing. This could be my fault, again. I should never have let him go, not even for a minute.

I crash into the boy, who also seemed to be running towards me, and relief floods over my senses when I know the cannon wasn't meant for him at all. I grab his face, both of us foolishly grinning at the other, both expecting the worse.

At that moment, it seems like Cato and I have morphed into one, our emotions moulded into the same shape. He brings me closer to him, running his hand through my hair, as if to convince himself I was real. 

A surge of happiness flows in my veins, and I know that no one's ever caused such emotions to flow in my being before him. The manner in which he looks at me, as if I was the only person in the world thrusts me into a giddy haze and two victories being made possible was all I could ever wish for.

My instinct takes complete control of my senses, and I choose to smash my lips onto Cato's under the joy and relief of the moment. Still grinning against the kiss, he doesn't hesitate to return it, moving his lips against mine actively. He envelops my body with his arms, pulling me as close to him as possible. My hands travel from his chest to his tangled hair. Our tongues battle for dominance, and I can imagine the excitement and thrill of the Capitol at this. Our lips move in harmony, translating the pure ecstasy of the moment. Kissing Gale was like kissing a wall, in comparison to this. Breathless, I break the contact of our reddened lips, a smile present in my features, matching his.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting for that happen" he says, his cheeks occupied by a rosy blush.

"I have a small idea, actually." I joke, playing with his fingers, a habit that was recently growing on me.

"Well, fuck me then." Cato sighs, running a hand through his hair, still grinning from the kiss.

"In your dreams." I pipe, teasing the boy.

"Oh yeah?" he answers, his eyes flicking down at my mouth before pecking my lips a last time. 

I can predict the swarm of sponsors that will fall under our protection after this display. Our alliance put our survival on a pedestal, and threw my heart into an unstoppable frenzy. 

After this, we decide to spend a little more time in the forest, seeking the tribute that had recently died, translated by the boom of the cannon.

I discreetly cross my fingers, hoping it would be a lethal tribute, making our victory easier and smoother. Quickly enough, I'm able to make out the outline of a figure in the viridescent grass, to my left. Without hesitating, I run towards it, unsure on who's expression my gaze would fall onto.

I crouch down, and Foxface's agape, blue eyes cause a wave of chills to crawl under my skin. I inspect her features, and immediately notice specks of purplish dots around her mouth, ajar. My focus shifts to her open hand, revealing a minor quantity of berries sitting in her palm.

"Shit, those were mine." Cato states, pointing at the fruits.

My eyes widen as I'm brought back to training, when I was learning which berries were poisonous or not, and I instantly recognise these. Nightlocks. Berries that could make your heart stop in an instant.

"These are nightlocks Cato, they kill you in a second" I angrily mutter, realising how rapidly his life could have been stolen from him, due to his blatant ignorance.

"Good thing she tested them for me then." he shrugs.

"You should really be more careful" I answer, rolling my eyes at the boy in front of me.

"Why? Are you worried about me?" the boy asks, a smirk sitting on his lips.

"Never." I reply, unable to prevent my mouth to quirk up a little.

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My hand connects with the hilt of my knife as Cato and I choose to make our way back to our secluded spot, having seen and felt enough for a day. There's only Clove and Tresh left. Two of the most murderous tributes. Nothing I couldn't handle.

I am thrusted back into reality by Cato's sudden shriek as he crumbles to the ground in a second. I whip my head towards him, shocked by the shift of the somewhat calm atmosphere that had settled. 

I crouch down next to the boy, desperately trying make sense of his abrupt scream, fuelled by pain.

"Fucking bitch" he manages to mumble, wincing as he points to a small knife, jammed into his thigh.

"Oh god" I say, recognising Clove's mark. At least her aim wasn't as effective as mine, and her knife failed to land into Cato's heart.

If there's one thing my mother taught me was to never remove something implanted in your body, the risk of excessive blood loss too strong. 

Yet, there was also the risk of an infection present in the situation, causing indecisiveness to flutter in my heart. I run my arm around his leg, the blade leading to a slow spread of red liquid around his injury.

"Let's go back to the cave, quick" I describe, placing Cato's arm over my shoulder and my own arm around his waist, trying my best to aid the wounded boy, no matter how much he weighs. 

He hoists himself up, slightly using my grip, trying to ignore the intense suffering that spread in his body.

My eyes dart around our surroundings, and I know that Clove has run off, unable to defend herself against the two of us. He moans in pain, his hand desperately squeezing my shoulder. 

Luckily, we weren't too far away from the cave, and I hoped that we would be welcomed with the presence of the gift from a worried sponsor.

I try to whisper as many words of encouragement to Cato as I can, but I know they're useless. The only thing I was sure of is that I was going to find the girl from 2 and kill her, as slowly as I possibly could. Clove Kentwell didn't know who she messed with.

A/N

THEY FINALLY KISS.