Sharp Objects

chapter twenty seven

The minute my eyes open,I know exactly what I have to do.

Today is the day were cato and I leave the arena. Today is the day we kill the others: Thresh,Alyssa,Loverboy Peeta,and Katniss;the girl on fire. Today,we kill them all. Today,we win.

I stretch my arms out and yawn simultaneously,causing my branch to wobble slightly. A moment later, I hear stirs from below and know that cato has woken too. Within minutes, he is shouting at me to get moving, because we have a feast to get to.

It must be the early hours of the morning, because it is still pretty much dark, although the sun is peeking though the clouds, sending the moon away. Tonight will be the last night that I will see that moon. Tomorrow evening I will be on my way home with cato, back to Albert and Harper and miss cointoyke. And I can laugh in those two girls faces when I step off of the train as a victor, my subtle Capitol makeup and not-so-subtle victory smirk plastered across my face. And Cato's will match mine, except he won't be wearing makeup, at least,I hope so anyway.

And,who knows what will happen us after that. Once we live in the Victor's village together, we'll see each other every day.

I know I may be being stupid,but I think that, even after we have left this god-forsaken arena and this controlling Capitol, once we are back at home in district 2, where we belong, I think we might stay friends.

Oh,come on clove, you were hoping for more then that, but you're just denying it again.

Ok,so maybe I do hope something will happen between us two, although I sincerely doubt it, considering cato is going to be the girls of district two like the criminal on a WANTED poster is to the peacekeepers. Still,it doesn't stop me for hoping.

"Clove,hurry up!" Shouts cato, bringing me out from my inner trance "we need to get to the cornucopia by dawn, that's when the feast is, you need to get a move on!" I hear him huff in annoyance below me, and sigh to myself, reluctantly rising from my comfort seat to help tidy up our supplies and move out towards the starting field.

I pack my stuff back into my pack for the last time,pulling my outer jacket on over my knife vest and returning the blade from under my pillow to it's rightful slot at my waist. Then, I quickly retire my hair back into it's ponytail and secure it at intersection to keep it from blowing into my face. I need to have a clear vision today. It is vital to my survival.

I bet every other tribute has exactly the same idea as cato and I: to get rid of all the others when they turn up at the feast. Apart from maybe Alyssa, who I know for a fact doesn't have any weapons. I have to admit, she's a clever one,that sly fox girl. She's survived until now stealth alone. I'll say that's pretty good feat for someone in district 5. But Thresh, Katniss and loverboy will have bigger plans up their sleeves. They won't be trying to avoid everyone and evade death by means of stategy, like Alyssa might certainly will; they will be there with weapons in there hands, trying their best to take us out one by one.

Thresh has his sword, and Katniss has what I have know figured out what to be Glimmers bow and arrow (how else could she have blown up the mines without dying herself?), and they will be spending every minute from dawn trying to kill me. To kill us. Katniss and loverboy will want to go home,just like us. We are in competition for those two halves of the Victor's crown. And I'm not going to let go of my half without a fight.

I finish packing up my supplies and begin to climb down from the trees,as gracefully as I can,unlike cato, who simply falls from the tree,again. It's had to believe,and yet so great to think, that this is the last time we will sleep in the woods. Tomorrow evening, I will be back home in my bed, a victor.

"Last day,Clove." Says cato from beside me as I rearrange the weapons on my person, ready to kill "lat day,tomorrow,we'll be back in 2. Tomorrow we'll be Victor's." He looks at me and smiles,a general smile that reaches his bright blue eyes in such a way that the light of the morning sun filtering through the trees seems to make them almost sparkle. I return a smile without thought, a genuine smile that hopefully reaches my chocolate eyes.