Hunger Games Fan fiction

Chapter One

Takes up from the scene at the Cornucopia

Katniss froze when she saw Peeta in a headlock. Cato smirked when he saw that Katniss had become immobile.

"Cato, please!" Katniss pleaded. "Don't kill him."

As Katniss watched the face of her enemy, she saw his eyes fill with an unnamed emotion before they went cold again. However, she swore she heard him mutter an apology beneath his breath. Swiftly, Cato twisted Peeta's neck, killing him instantly before gently lowering the dead boy's body to the floor of the Cornucopia.

"No!" Katniss wailed when the cannon sounded, announcing her partner's death. She ran for the bow and the arrows that were a few feet away. Picking them up, she notched an arrow, aiming it for Cato's face. Chest heaving, Katniss stared at the last tribute left in the way to victory. Cato only stared at her as the young woman pulled back the string. Not able to kill someone without looking at what she was doing, Katniss locked eyes with the District two male. She knew it was a bad idea, because the moment she saw his eyes, she knew she could never kill someone in cold blood like this. Icy blue eyes stared at her as Katniss hesitated. Cato's eyes reminded her so much of Peeta's although Peeta's eyes were never cold and hard. Katniss saw Cato's eyes lighten as he looked at her; she saw emotion enter his eyes. There was so much sadness and hurt in his gaze that Katniss had to avert her eyes.

"Do it," he said in a low voice. Katniss looked back at him, avoiding his eyes at all cost. "Kill me, you deserve to go home." Cato's words shocked her and she looked up into his blue eyes. Making up her mind, Katniss took a step back. To Cato's surprise, the District twelve female lowered the bow to the ground and shook her head.

"I can't," she whispered. "I cannot kill you even though I hate what the Games made you become. I can't really blame you; I did some things that weren't right, too. I can't lose someone else in these Games. I won't kill another person!"

"They need a victor, Katniss," Cato stated softly.

The young girl shook her head at the boy. Reaching into her pocket where she had stored the Nightlock berries, she pulled them out and offered her hand to Cato. Understanding lit up his eyes as he accepted the berries. Katniss raised her hand to stop him and went to kneel beside her fallen partner's body. She closed his eyes and kissed his forehead before heading back to stand in front of his killer. She hadn't noticed that she was crying before Cato reached out a hand to wipe away the tears that had fallen. Needing comfort, she raised her free hand and pressed it against his, keeping it on her cheek. Looking into each other's eyes, they counted backwards from three, and at the end they raised their hands together and dropped the mortal berries into their mouths.

"STOP, stop! Do not eat them! Both of you are the victors!" Claudius' voice bellowed from the speakers. The announcement had come too late for the berries had already entered both the tributes mouths. Upon hearing the news, Katniss and Cato spat out the Nightlock, but some were missing. The world swayed around Katniss. Reaching out to Cato, she found that the once strong male had already collapsed to the ground. Hand outstretched, she could only watch as Cato's eyes closed and his body slumped down. Luckily, seconds later she felt the ever growing darkness overcome her senses and she, too, slumped down, unconscious. However, just before she completely passed out, she heard the distinctive sound of a hovercraft.

Katniss jolted awake, breathing hard. She could still hear Prim's screams in my head. In her nightmare, Prim was begging for help, shrieking for it actually. No matter what Katniss did, it was impossible for her to go forward; all she could do was listen as her sister screamed her lungs out.

It took a while before Katniss felt her heart rate go back to a normal pace. When she got her heart under control, she looked around, taking in the room in which she was. Why was she in a hospital bed, shouldn't she be in heaven? When she pulled out the deadly berries, she knew she was going to die and she had accepted that, it had even been her plan, so why hadn't she died? Katniss she pulled out of her musings when the door to the room opened to reveal a man who was obviously a doctor. She observed him as he browsed through her charts. The doctor nodded once before turning to face the young woman.

"How are you today, Miss Everdeen?" he demanded."A little confused, I presume?"

Katniss nodded her head, gathering her courage to speak up. "I thought I was dead!"

"Yes, well, you were very lucky. We arrived just in time to save you."

"And… the other person, the one who was with me, is he…?" she couldn't finish her thought, least of all say it out loud. She was afraid of the answer, even if Cato had been a killer in the Games, he was still a human being and she didn't want another death on her conscience, she didn't want another person to add to her list of kills.

The doctor smiled kindly. "He, too, was saved. He awoke yesterday. You have been here for almost a week. He was in the room next to yours; however, if I am not mistaken, he is not there at the moment. You are also free to leave once you feel the strength to do so." With that said, the doctor left the room closing the door softly behind him.

Exhausted from her time in the Games and from her near-death-experience, Katniss snuggled down onto the hard bed and closed her eyes. Sleep deprived, it didn't take long before sleep took her away.