Crouching low behind the bushes with nothing but your bow, your backpack, and several knives hidden in your jacket, you jammed your hands in the pockets of your jacket as you waited for the things from the Gamemakers to arrive. Curiosity overtook you now as you wondered what your pack would contain. After all, you hardly had anything from your own district in a while. And the only living member of your family is your mom. What can she send you besides a few more blades, or a note? Or even her scrambled eggs? Your stomach growled a bit at the thought of food, but you had to remind yourself that you already ate what was left of the berries and the squirrel this morning, and right now is not the best time to think about food.

Soon, you saw the first rays of sunshine creep from behind the tail of the Cornucopia. At the same time, the mouth of the Cornucopia opened up to reveal four packs set on a table. All of them seemed to be the same size, with the same design, except for the marked district numbers--2, 5, 11, and 12.

Just as you were going to jump from your place and dash to get your pack, out runs Foxface from another section of the woods. The instance she got to the Cornucopia, she snatched up her bag that said 5 on it and ran, slinging the bag on her back as she took off.

Great! Leave it to Foxface to be able to figure out a plan to get her pack first! Now with her on the run, she's cost the rest of you some precious time too. Any moment now you would be engaged in a full-on fight with Clove or Cato or Thresh, and then you could be dead before you knew it!

Quickly, you dashed out of the bushes and ran all the way to the table at the Cornucopia, your eyes set on the table right in front of you. As you neared it, you snagged the bag that bore the number 12 on it, and was just about to leave when you heard a knife whistle through the air. In response, you took out a knife from your jacket, deflected the blade flying through the air, and flung it hard at the general direction of the assailant. As you turned around to face her, your jaw dropped.

The person who just tried to kill you was none other than Clove.

Fear immediately shot through your system as you watched Clove take out the knife from her left arm, and you were just slinging the bag on your back and nocking an arrow when she sent the knife flying back in your direction. This time you weren't so lucky, the blade immediately slicing just on your forehead, above your left eyebrow. Without a second thought, you sent the arrow flying again towards Clove, already knowing that it would miss its target. Then suddenly, Clove was on top of you as she knocked you to the ground, and for a while the two of you held out a brawl on the ground, she trying to stab you with the knife in her hand, you trying to get her off, but to no avail.

"So, we meet again, (Y/N)," Clove said slyly, her eyes glinting with fury and evil as she held a blade to your throat. "What a pleasant surprise."

"What are you doing?!" you hissed, your teeth set in an angry grit.

Clove shook her head. "You think we'd still be friends now, (Y/N)? After what you did to my other fellow tribute?" Her grip on the knife started to grow tighter, her teeth also set in a grit. "It's all your fault, (Y/N)! He's completely unable to fight because of you! And he's my only chance of getting back to District 2 alive. We would have both been crowned victors! But no! You somehow cast this spell that made him fall for you! He's in freaking love with you, (Y/N), and thanks to you, he backed out of the feast instead of fighting with me!"

"Well, if it helps, Peeta also stepped down," you told her, your fists clenching hard at your sides. "And I'm surprised Cato made that choice. Who would ever want to risk their life in a feast like this?"

An unearthly frustrated shout emitted from Clove's throat as she forced the blade deeper by your throat. "Maybe some of us should consider the sacrifices we make," she sneered. "Forget it, District 12. Instead of being helpful to us as Careers, you were completely useless. So why don't you just die off already? Just leave the arena, and we'll somehow find Peeta and take care of him too. Kill him off before he realizes what's going on. Because this is the year District 2 takes the crown."

You shook your head. "No, Clove."

"Yes, (Y/N)," Clove said, mimicking your tone. "Yeah. Nice try." She took out a dainty knife and analyzed your face. "Too bad you don't have anyone by your backs, anyway. You know that girl we caught? What was her name again? The name of your second ally? Rue?"

At the mention of Rue's name, you roared and spat out blood in her face, taking her focus away for even just a brief moment. How dare she mention Rue in a situation like this? And how dare she mention her name in this kind of context? Clove's treating every tribute like a live pig about to be slaughtered and shipped off to their demises. How could she even bother thinking like this?

"Well, we killed her," Clove continued, wiping the blood away from her cheeks. "We killed her. And soon, we'll get rid of you, your district partner, and everyone else. Easy pickings for us. Easy killings for an easy victory."

To this, you worked up another mixture of blood and saliva and spat it out on her face again, making Clove cringe in disgust.

"Oh really? Is this how you really want to end your life?" Clove asked, tracing your face with the dainty knife. "Have it your way, 12. I guess...I think we'll start your demise off with your lips." With that, she held the knife up and over your lips, the point hovering just dangerously close by your skin. "Shame that you would never get to kiss him while you're here. Want to blow him a kiss before you go?"

You growled in an attempt to unseat her, which Clove took as a no.

"Alright, then," she purred softly. "Say goodbye to everything you had, 12. You'll never be in here any longer, anyway."

For what you life was worth, you swore not to back down. Maybe it would mean leaving your mom to be the final survivor of the family, or leave behind a heartbroken Prim and Delly and Katniss, but it was for your dignity. If you were to die, then at least you would die with your head held high.

But just as Clove got set to plunge the blade deep into your face, something picked her up and off your body, and you sat up quickly to see Thresh holding her by the hood of her jacket. A slight pulse of dizziness vibrated from your head wound through your system, but you managed to hold on, keep your sight focused on Thresh and Clove. Having heard Thresh yell before, you braced yourself for what's to come.

"YOU KILLED HER?!" Thresh roared. "You killed her, didn't you? You said so!"

Clove blanched, glancing down at the rock in Thresh's hand. "No no! It wasn't me, I swear!"

"I heard you! You said her name!" Thresh cried. "What did you do? Cut her up, like you were going to do this girl here?"

"NO! I--CATO!" Clove screamed. "Cato, help! CATO!"

"CLOVE!" you heard Cato call out, feeling your heart wither slightly at the sound of his voice calling her name. Of course. Clove was right. He'd go for his district partner first to ensure victory...but then something went amiss.

Thresh immediately raised the rock in his hand and slammed it hard on Clove's temple, then bashed her into the side of the Cornucopia. A sickening crunch could be heard as she hit the cold hard metal, and then Thresh dropped her on the ground, where she lay limply like a doll, her eyes still open but no longer focused.

Thresh then rounded to you, but he didn't approach you with his rock raised. Instead, he just pointed a finger at you, almost accusingly.

"Just this time, 12," he warned you threateningly. "For Rue." Then he grabbed his bag and was out of there.

"Clove!" you heard Cato's voice call out again.

Fear shot through you again as you picked up your bag, already laid forgotten in the grassy expanse, got up, and ran away. The last thing you wanted Cato to see was you, alone with Clove's body, and have him think that you were the one who killed her. As you reached the woods, you heard a cannon boom--the first time in a very long time--and you knew that Clove was dead. She already was a goner the moment Thresh hit her with the rock. Cato would be too late to revive her.

But no. He saw you too. The moment he reached Clove's side, he saw you run away, and after making a rushed promise to Clove to win the Games for her, he ran over to you, chasing you down through the woods.

"(Y/N)! WAIT!" he called. "(Y/N)!"

The sound of his voice, filled with anguish, only made you run faster. No. You can't face him now. Not when he thinks that you were the one who killed Clove. And then as you reached the mouth of the cave, with Peeta still asleep, you threw the bag down on the ground and began to cry.

Was Clove right? That it was because of you that Cato didn't even think about winning the Games at all for the sake of bringing victory to District 2? Perhaps it was right that you let Cato go from your memory. He brought you back to Peeta. Now he had to win the Games for District 2, with Clove gone.

You trusted that you had no feelings for Cato. But you couldn't help but feel...betrayed by both he and Clove. A dreaded feeling settled in your heart, followed by cold that made you feel frozen to the bone.

Then fatigue and faint overtook you as your head gave another nasty stab, and you collapsed to the floor beside Peeta, the world turning black before your eyes.