Hi there. It's been a while and I have been a bad writer lately. I am pretty caught up with my life and totally forgotten about this story until I have been reminded with countless PMs to update. Thank you very much for reminding me. And for those who have reviewed, favourite and followed my story, thank you for your support. I hope you guys and girls enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 11

Katniss' POV

It's been over two weeks since the alumni dinner. Here I am, preparing myself for the big interview with Pearson Hardman. It is 7o'clock in the morning, and I am wide awake despite my interview is 11o'clock in the morning. It is not that I am nervous or anything, in fact I am pretty confident that I can get this internship. Since it is still early, a run at the park will be a good idea. Before heading out, I stop at my track as I can almost hear Johanna's snore from the door. I can't help by laughing at her.

As usual, I choose few songs from my iPod before I start jogging. It is like a ritual to me to listen to music while running and taking a stroll at the park. As I am running, my mind begins to wonder. The thoughts of becoming Pearson Hardman's legal intern; sitting in my cubicle; working on cases and whatnot. I can't help it but to smile at myself for daydreaming at such early hour.

After an hour run, I decide to stop jogging and start to warm down. As I am stretching my legs, I start to realize I am at the same spot where Cato apologized to me on that faithful night. The night when I told him I would try to forgive him. I am not too sure whether have I forgive him? Truth is, I have never really spoken to him since then. The only encounter with him was our presentation two days after the dinner. He did try to approach me after the presentation but I gave him a cold shoulder. Thankfully, he got the hint that I still needed space. I am not sure whether I have forgive him or not, but one thing I know for sure that I have found peace. Peace which I have yearned for a very long time.

By the time I am done, it was already almost nine. I jump into the shower and change to a black skater dress and pair it with a brown clincher. By the time I am done, Johanna is up.

"Are you ready for your big day?" Johanna asked.

I look at myself in the mirror to check everything is in place, my dress, my clincher, my Alexa bag and my black pumps. I look at her and gave her a smile, "Well I guess I am?"

"That does not sound convincing," Johanna folds her arms and leans against the wall.

Before I could answer, Johanna continues while looking at her nails, "By the way, Miss Undersee is on her way here. Apparently, she wants to be your fashion police."

I look at my watch and it is half past nine which is still early for me, "Okay, I will wait for her, but I need to leave by ten and before that I will need to grab coffee and …"

"Miss Everdeen!" Madge hugs me from behind to surprise me.

She turns me around to face her and scans through me. I giggle and playfully striking some top model poses which I know I fail miserably. Madge flashes her phone and snaps a picture of me. Then she shows her phone to me, "Do you notice anything wrong with this picture?"

"Erm, my face looks surprised and that's because you took that picture of me off guard."

Madge shakes her head vigorously, "Wrong answer my dear, you look so pale. You need to add some colour on your face."

I know exactly what she wants me to do, and it is time for me to shake my head vigorously, "No! Absolutely no! I am not putting any make up on!"

"Look, Katniss. You are getting the concept wrong about make up. Sometimes, a simple touch up will do wonder. Like just apply fine line of eye liner and a pink lip gloss. If you trust me, please allow me to do some touch up on your face."

I hate to admit it but actually what she said was not wrong. I look like a little pale in the picture. I hate putting on any make up on my face as I feel very uncomfortable, but I know this little sacrifice will probably earn me extra points to get that internship. I reluctantly agree and Madge does not waste any time on me. Within a minute, she is done.

"Walaa, a finished product," Madge takes a mirror for me.

To my surprise, I am actually happy to see myself. She is actually right. A little touch up can do a wonder to someone.

"Thanks Madge, I am very impressed! I would love to hang around a little longer but I think it's time for me to go. I do not wish to be late for my interview."

Madge hugs me, "All the best, girl!"

Johanna on the hand just pats me on my shoulder, "Don't choke on your own saliva!"

"Thanks girls. Love you!" I wave at them and head straight to the café before going to Pearson Hardman.

I reach the café and am greeted by an enthusiastic baristas, "Morning Ma'am. You look lovely today. Anything I can get for you?"

I order my usual black coffee and while waiting for my coffee to be ready, I am just looking outside the window and start to daydream again.

In the background, I could hear someone saying, "Ma'am, your coffee, Ma'am, Ma'am"

I jump when someone touch my shoulder. I quickly turn around to see what is it about and the first thing which captivates my eyes is a pair of icy blue eyes. When I zoom out my focus, I realize it belongs to Cato.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare…" Cato stops his words.

"Wow, you look stunning…" he continues.

I do not expect his presence let alone his compliment, without giving much thoughts and I regret almost instantaneously right after I utter my next sentence, "Yeah, I'm going for an interview in Pearson Hardman."

"That's great to hear! You will nail it without breaking a sweat," Cato smiles widely.

I feel a little uneasy with the sudden friendliness, and I start to be cold towards him, "K.."

He looks a little taken aback, but he still continues talking to me, "Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you. It's just that your coffee is ready but you did not respond to the baristas earlier on."

I grab the coffee from his hand before he stretches his arm to pass it to me and I just leave him in the café without saying anything else. I hail a cab as I step off the curb and I am off to my dream internship job. On my way to the interview, my mind automatically wonders on Cato. I feel a little awful about my behaviour towards him. He is just being nice but all I did is being an ass to him.

"He deserves it," I whisper to myself.

Cato's POV

It's been two long weeks and Katniss is still giving me the cold treatment. I understand she needs space, but it is killing me for some weird reason. I know I should feel relief that she said she would try to forgive me, but I have no idea why I feel something is not complete.

It's almost ten in the morning. I am starting to get sick of the food in the campus, so I decide to walk over to the café nearby the campus. The café where I had my first discussion with Katniss. The image of her hair being let loose is still clear in my mind and she sure looked gorgeous.

When I reach the café, I am looking at the menu displayed on the top of the counter as I am still indecisive but my concentration on the menu is taken away when I hear the baristas is calling some customer to get the drink. I look around and see a familiar feminine figure is standing by the window.

I look harder and even though the figure was standing sideways, I can almost recognise it is Katniss. Boy oh boy, I am lucky to actually be in the same place as her. I tell the baristas that I will take care of the matter and grab the coffee from his hand.

I tap her shoulder lightly with the hope to gain her attention and her body language seems shocked because of the body contact. So I brace myself to apologise to her, "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare…"

When she turns around to face me, I am blown away with her beauty. Her grey eyes are the first to mesmerise me. She is not dress in her common casual clothing. She looks gorgeous in the dress and not to mention, she smells so good. My heart skips a beat; no I think more than a beat. She is staring at me and I know it is my cue to break the silence,

"Wow, you look stunning…" that's all I can say to her.

I am actually expecting her to reply me in short, but what comes out from her mouth surprises me, "Yeah, I'm going for an interview in Pearson Hardman."

I feel ecstatic. She is actually talking to me. I can actually feel fireworks in my heart. I can't control my happiness and I am literally smiling from ear to ear, "That's great to hear! You will nail it without breaking a sweat."

Within a split second, she breaks my bubble by replying me, "K.."

Nooooooooo, how can she do that to me? I feel as if like I am a five years old kid when the candy is taken away from me. But oh well, at least she accidentally exposed one tiny bit of her wall and I know what she is doing now. I look at my hand and I am still holding her coffee, "Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you. It's just that your coffee is ready but you did not respond to the baristas earlier on."

She practically grabs the coffee from my hand before I have the chance to go closer to her and leave me here without saying any word. Not even a simple thank you. As she walks further away from me, I find myself checking her out. Her curves are just nice in every inch of her body. She will definitely nab ton of guys' heart in her future firm. Without realising, I am actually clenching my fist so tight just thinking about it.

Katniss' POV

I am making my way out from Pearson Hardman's building.

My interview went pretty well. I was interviewed by this senior partner named Gloss Ritchson. He is the youngest senior partner in the firm and he is a very fine looking guy. He had so much of charisma and made the interview felt like a conversation. I felt comfortable during the whole process. When the "conversation" ended, I was expecting he would say something like I will give you a call later or something along the line, but to my surprise, he offered me the internship position. He also mentioned that if I performed well in my studies and at work, he would consider securing a permanent spot for me in the firm as Associate.

I will be starting my internship in a week time and I can't wait to tell so many people about it, Prim, Uncle Haymitch, Gale, Madge, Johanna. I call Prim first and she is happy for me. She even makes me to promise her to get her dream dress using my first pay-check Uncle Haymitch who is also with Prim, congratulate me and say how proud he is.

As for my three friends, I will break the news to them when I see them later. I hail a cab and head straight to my campus. Traffic is horrendous and it takes almost 2 hours to reach my campus. It is almost 3 when I reach the campus. My stomach is growling as I only had coffee in the morning. Not to mention, I feel a little light-headed due to caffeine-effect. It is really not a good idea to have coffee with an empty stomach. I head to the cafeteria to see if there is anything left for me.

When I reach the cafeteria, I hear someone yelling my name. I look around and notice Gale and some bunch of other people which I can't seem to recognise because they are sitting at the end of the cafeteria. The only reason I am able to recognise Gale because of his tall physique. I give him a signal indicating I will get some food before joining him and the rest.

"Oh c'mon Cat. There are excess of food which I save them for you," he yells.

I smile to myself and walk towards his direction. Gale has always been my telepathic friend. He seems to do the right thing at right time. As I am walking nearer to him, I realize Madge and Johanna are there too. I pace myself even faster as I can't wait to break the good news to them.

Madge is practically jumping on her seat and I can see Johanna looks pretty excited too but as usual, she tries to keep herself compose.

"So?" Madge holds my hand.

I put on a straight face, "So? I don't get what you mean."

Johanna says in a pretentious bored voice, "How's the interview?"

I look down to show that I am "devastated", "Don't ask…"

Suddenly, I feel a smack at my head and it is Gale, "Will you stop acting? You can't lie for God-sake."

I cough out air because of the impact, "Ouch, that hurts, you know?"

"I guess if you are acting now, the interview went well?" Madge giggles at the side.

I shake my head, and this time I hear Peeta's voice from behind.

"What has gone well?" Peeta joins in the table and sits beside me.

I look at him and he smiles broadly. His warm blue eyes never fail to send a warm sensation in my heart. He always looks optimistic with things but sometimes too optimistic. I am more of a sceptical person. But his smile always reminds me there is still goodness in this world.

"Her interview!" Madge answers him.

Peeta looks surprised and curious at the same time. He leans in closer, "So…how's it?"

This time, Gale stands up from his seat and he is coming to my direction. At this point of time, I know this does not look good. He effortlessly carries me in a bridal style.

"Hey, let go off me," I tell him off and try to escape from him but he is just too strong for me. He locks me at the right place where I can't fight it off. Damn him.

"So, are you spilling the answer or what?" Gale playfully threatens me.

I stare at him, "Make me!"

He heads out from the cafeteria and is walking to the lake. I can see his evil grin.

"You know, if there is one word to describe your look, it is devilish," I tell him off.

He looks at me and laughs sarcastically, "Have you heard a saying, pot calling a kettle black!"

I know he is referring to me because I refuse to tell him and the rest the answer. He stops his tracks when he reaches the lake.

"So, are you going to spill it out or what?"

"Spill what?" I act dumb.

"Well, if you're not then I will…" Gale's voice starting to faint.

I look at him, shooting daggers at him, "You will…?"

I can hear the girls are laughing and Peeta is telling Gale to stop. Within a split second, I can feel my body swings from the back and I am up in the air and that's when my mind goes blank. My senses are numb. Water starts gushing into my nose. I think I am in control as I know how to swim but I am terribly wrong. Fear is starting to strike me. My mind is racing because I know something is wrong but I can't exactly point a finger at it. I feel piercing cold but the feeling is fleeting because my senses and horror is multiplied with what I see. In fact, I can't see much, the images captures in my eyes are just greenish. That's when I realize I am still under water.

I open my mouth to scream, but the cold water flows in, choking me. The panic feeling multiplies. I can't remember how long I struggle. One second feels like a decade ambles by. I try to beat my hands and legs in all directions but I feel cramps at my legs and my light-headiness isn't helping at all. I am still suspended in water and the only thing I can touch is water. I shake my head frantically, trying to see anything which can help me to escape from this fear, but all I see is the ominous colour.

I try to breathe again through my nose but only to be reaffirmed with the water breaking and entering my lungs. I can feel the cold water in my lungs and it is filling me up. I can hear voices but at this point of time, I really do not care anymore. I just close my eyes, thinking this is just a horrible nightmare. I feel my lungs start aching. It feels like my chest is going to burst because the air in it wants to come out so bad but I don't want to let it go. It is the only air I have left.

I can see images flickering in the darkness. I see everyone is smiling at me, my late father, Prim, Uncle Haymitch, Gale and oddly enough, Cato. Cato's images are the longest which I can't decipher why I am seeing him, but screw logic. I feel sad that I will not be seeing all of them. I try to breathe again but only to be rudely reminded with more water flowing in. The water in my stomach rushes out. I puke in the water and taste the puke as it comes out. I feel disgusted. I close my eyes and shake my head to shake off the puke around me. I realize I stop fighting with the water and accept that this it it. Katniss Everdeen, the girl on fire is going to die because of water. And soon, my mind is drifting off.

Peeta's POV

"Gale, stop it. Put her down," I feel anxious with Gale's action. God knows what he is going to do with her.

"You bet I will," Gale looks at me and gives me a smirk.

He swings her and throws her into the lake. My heart sinks and I run after her but he holds me back.

"Chill dude. It's Katniss. She can swim like a fish but of course I am the better fish," Gale exclaims.

I ignore his reasoning and try to go after her but he manages to pin me down.

"Peeta, we did this so many times and everytime she will come out of it even more alive," Gale laughs hysterically.

I just look at the lake, hoping what he just said is entirely true but I am wrong. After few seconds in the water, I have yet to see her head resurface.

"No, Gale. She is still not floating yet," I point to the lake.

"She is probably playing with us. Trying to scare the shit out of me. But I am not buying that bait," Gale continues to laugh.

He yells, "C'mon Katniss, I shall see how long your lungs can take you to drag this drama!"

I can hear Madge's voice is starting to panic, "Gale, I think we should check on her, there was a struggle before that, and now the water is still."

Gale looks at the lake and he starts to loosen his grip on me. I find the right opportunity and escape from him. Before I jump into the water, I see another figure runs pass me and does what I intend to do. The last thing I see is he dunks his head underwater and he shouts for Katniss.

Cato's POV

I am lying on the spot where Katniss forgave me that night. I am listening to Incubus from my iPhone. As I am enjoying the music, my hand accidentally touches on my screen and it plays some foreign song. When I say foreign song it means song which I never hear before but for some weird reason, it is in my random playlist. It is some sappy song but I find the singer's voice is pretty good. For once, I decide to just stick with this song until it finishes and I will switch to Incubus back. I look at my phone, and it's LeAnn Rimes – How Do I Live Without You.

Because the song is slow, I can hear my surroundings even though I blast the volume to the maximum. I hear some familiar voices are laughing and shouting. When I look around to see what it is, I see Gale and the rest of his friends. I also notice Peeta and I squirm a little. I can hear someone else's voice and without a second, I know it belongs to Katniss. But I can't see her around until Gale swings and throws someone from his hands.

I see Katniss is literally flying up in the air and canon ball into the water. I have no idea, but I can't feel my heart when her body meets the water. I see some struggle in the water and within the next 10 seconds or so, it stops. LeAnn Rimes' voice is still cringing in my ears as the song is still playing. That's when I feel a pang in my heart.

Something is wrong. This is a bad joke.

I toss my phone away and took of my shirt. I run as fast as I can towards her direction. I run pass Peeta and take a leap into the lake. I can't control my emotions, and I shout for her name, "Katniss!"

The lake is rather polluted and it is hard for me to catch a sight of her. There's no sign of movement around me and I start to panic. A lot of negative emotions come into play. What if Katniss get hyperthermia from this? What if Katniss hits into coma from this? What if Katniss suffers brain damage from this? What if…Katniss dies? The last thought makes me tear but I can't feel the warmth of my tears as I am in the cold piercing lake water.

I realize by feeling anxious, I won't be able to find her. I swim to the top to get some air and dunk my head into the water again, hoping to find Katniss alive. I go deeper into the water and I see hair splaying and I feel a little relief. At least my first worry is solved, which is finding Katniss. I grab Katniss around her waist and hug her to me. I use all my strength and might to bring us out from the lake. I can't waste any second because she has swallowed so much water.

Her body is lifeless, there is no sign of life in her. I kick my feet even harder to bring us to the surface. I see one figure is approaching me in the lake, and it's Peeta. As much as I do not want his help, but I know Katniss need to be out from the lake as soon as possible. So another help will speed up the process. Before I know it, I can see the light and I feel myself approaching the edge of the lake. I carry her and place her flat on the ground. Peeta follows me from behind.

My attention is all on Katniss. The sight of her terrifies me. Her lips and face turn blue. It seems the fire around her has dimmed which breaks my heart. I put my ear close to her nose and mouth to listen for any slight breathing.

There's none.

Without thinking much, I place my hands on her breastbone. I press down with both hands over her breastbone to perform a compression. I tilt her head back to open the airway.

There are no signs of life.

I begin to tear again. I resort in giving her rescue breaths. I pinch her nose close and seal my mouth over hers and breathe out slowly for about one second. I look over to her chest but it did not rise. I give a second rescue breath.

But still no reaction.

I start to panic and my tears start to spill uncontrollably.

"Katniss, please. This is not funny anymore. Wake up…please" I am literally sobbing and choking in my own words while looking at her lifeless body.

I attempt another chest compression. Hoping to bring her to life, "Katniss, don't do this to me. There're so many things that I need to tell you…"

I compress her chest so many times to remove the water from her lungs. I can't think straight anymore and I am losing sight of her because of my tears. The thoughts of not having Katniss alive in this world, stings my heart. That's when I realise a very strange feeling in my heart. I know before this I mentioned to her that I had a crush on her when I was younger. But right now, seeing Katniss' lifeless body in front of me, I just can't control my emotions anymore. The feeling of losing her is just too much for me to bear and the next sentence utters from the bottom of my heart,

"I love you, Katniss…"