《Rue's gammes》Chapter 10: Clove

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Thresh has one day.

Foxface used up over a week’s worth of insulin. All that Thresh has left is what he had before the feast. One or two more deaths could determine who wins these Games. Considering the Capitol will want the Games to last less than 24 hours so there is no decrease in the level of action, we are expecting something bad for the “season finale”.

I put the armour on. It is far too big for me, so I pack up everything into my backpack and put it on underneath. The armour is surprisingly light, light but hopefully strong. Thresh puts the other armour on, too. It is almost the perfect size for him, because he and Cato were almost the same size. We eat most of our remaining food. It is a subtle sign to the Gamemakers that we are done. I hope they get it.

We do everything we can to act as a catalyst for the end of the Games. After finishing our food (including the mints), Thresh takes insulin (in his leg so he doesn’t have to take off the armour). Our plan is to go to the Cornucopia, because it seems like a good place for the finale, and to light a fire, so that Clove knows we are there. We will have to use some of the crops from the field, because there is very little wood left.

It turns out we didn’t have to make a fire. Clove is already there. She sits at the opening of the Cornucopia. She is thinner than I have ever seen her, and I only saw her a few days ago. I bet she was the one who set fire to the trees, in anger probably. Only then did the realisation that without the supplies from the bloodbath, Cato or the trees, she has no chance of survival.

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Seeing our armour -her armour- she glares.

“I could wipe the two of you out with one blow,” she hisses, maybe because she is trying to be dramatic but more likely because she doesn’t have enough energy to talk properly, “but I won’t because the Capitol will think up something much better than I ever could.”

“Probably not,” Thresh snorts.

Right on cue, we hear scuffling coming in our direction. A small herd of wolves run towards us. I scramble up the Cornucopia. It reminds me of my last struggle with Clove and Cato. Except this time, we have the advantage. Thresh climbs up after me. He hands me his knife, as I am slower than him. He is stronger than me so he can move faster with the armour on. I wonder if I’d be better off without the armour. Speed has always been my talent; they can’t kill me if they can’t catch me.

Clove hasn’t even tried to escape. As soon as the wolves appeared, when Thresh and I started climbing, she began to walk towards them. I notice that they each have a collar, with a number and a symbol on it. It doesn’t take any of us long to figure out what the numbers mean. Each wolf represents a dead tribute: the fur and eye colour is the same as the hair and eye colour of the tributes. It makes me shiver. I see “Katniss”, a brown wolf with a black coal-like collar. “Peeta” stays at her side the whole time. I hope that the wolves don’t have the minds of the tributes. I couldn’t fight any of them like that.

“Clove!” I yell. “Come back! They’ll kill you!”

“Why do you care?” asks Thresh. “If they kill her, we win.”

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I jump down from the Cornucopia. This time, I am not frightened. I run after Clove. I hear Thresh shouting for me to come back.

I pull off Clove’s armour and put it on the ground.

“Take it!” I shout from a safe distance away. The weight is literally lifted from my shoulders, and I feel mobile again. I begin to head back to the Cornucopia, but stop. I want to know what Clove is playing at.

“Cato!” she calls.

A massive wolf leaps put from behind the others. He is easily the biggest out of them all. He stalks towards her.

“Cato!” she cries, tears streaming down her cheeks. She begins to walk towards him. I am confused, and I know Thresh is too. Can’t she tell it isn’t really him? Even if it was, it doesn’t think the way he does. It’s an animal, nothing more.

“I’m so sorry,” she weeps. She is so close now. She reaches out to hug the wolf. I close my eyes, but too late. Too late to stop myself from seeing her die. From seeing “Cato’s” jaws slice her head almost off. A cannon goes off. A hole opens up in the ground and all the wolves jump in before the hole disappears. "Katniss" takes one last look at me then jumps with the rest of them. I know I’m going to throw up again. And I do.

I wish we had kept a couple of mints. At least we still have the baby wipes.

Thresh climbs down and hugs me.

“We won,” he says. He opens the bag on my back and gives me a wipe.

“Thanks,” I sniff.

Something feels unfinished. There is no celebratory announcement. Nothing telling us to be happy.

Somehow, everything always goes wrong at what should be the best times. This is one of these times.

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