clato fanfic

Something is wrong. Something is terribly wrong.

I pivot sharply and sprint for the Cornucopis, completely dropping the chase of the girl from 5. When the Cornucopia comes into sight, all I can see is her. Clove is sprawled on the ground with a large dent in her skull, but she isn't bleeding. It doesn't even register with me that our pack is gone until later, seeing as though I have bigger things to worry about.

I stop in my tracks. "Clove." I breathe, tears starting to trickle down my cheeks. I run over to her and fall to my knees, brushing the hair out of her face.

"Clove..." I say quietly, trying to suppress the tears now streaming down my face.

"Cato!" she manages with a weak voice, looking around blindly.

I grab her hand and hold it against my cheek.

"Stay with me." I beg. "Don't do this to me, Clove!"

Tears start to spill over the rims of her lids. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." her voice trails off, and it's as if she's slowly slipping from my grasp. I hold on to her tighter, dropping her hand.

"We were supposed to be victors! We were supposed to go back to District 2 and help our families! We were supposed to be together!"

"I can't, Cato. I can't..." Her eyes flutter closed and her breathing becomes shallow.

"Don't leave, please, don't leave." I whimper.

The cold shock of realization hits me like a kick to the chest. It's futile; she can't be saved.

"I'll win for us, Clove. I swear I will." I say, my voice rising in anger at the person who did this to her.

"Don't forget about my sisters." she says, slipping deeper into unconsciousness.

"I love you." I admit. I've known it since the night before the tracker jacker attack, and maybe even before then. I just had to tell her before she left me for good.

"I… I…" she breathes.

Before she can finish her sentence, the cannon sounds. Her cannon. Until now, I hadn't associated that sound with pain and suffering. But now it feels like a bullet in my heart. It echoes in my head, slowly draining me of my sanity.

I'm sobbing now, clutching Clove's lifeless body to my chest. Cries of pain and agony escape my lungs. I'm holding nothing back now. Let Panem see how emotionally attached to Clove I am. Was. Let them see the real me; I am more than a killing machine, I am Cato Eeron.

It takes all of my strength to leave her there, but somehow I manage to do it. I kiss her forehead one last time and pull myself away from the scene, back towards camp.