My house is just like I remember it.

The same fire that burns bright in the winter.

The same clock on the mantle.

The same picture of my father hanging above it.

I can see him, as well, walking into the mines with the rest of the workers, getting the packed elevator down, getting told to get out-

BOOM!

The loud noise echoes as I envision the explosion... it must have been loud, and scary... but a painless death altogether.

Then my house explodes, which I can't ever recall happening but probably has at this point. Rubble is everywhere, and the picture of my father is ash, and the fireplace is blown to bits.

Then it all pieces back together, and I can see myself inside it, yelling at my mother.

"Mum!" I shout. "Mom, DON'T JUST SIT THERE AND LOOK AT ME! PLEASE JUST SAY SOMETHING! PLEASE!"

But when she opens her mouth, it's Cato's voice I hear.

"Sage listen, you have to run, I know a safe place but we have to-"

Darkness.

☦︎☦︎☦︎

When I wake up, the first thing I feel is the hard ground below me. I'm not in a tree, because I don't feel the rope round my middle, but I'm also not on the forest floor, because that's soft, and muddy. It's not hard, like this is.

I feel something soft on my arm and neck as my eyes flutter open, and I frown. I look around, very confused at the dim lighting in wherever the hell I am.

"You're awake," I hear a voice say, but I don't think much of it.

"Wh...?" I only say half the word as I reach a hand up to my neck, feeling a... leaf?

Then I look at my hand, seeing a leaf there, as well.

Then, finally, I look to where the voice is coming from, and I don't know what to do when I see him.

Cato.

Sitting in this small... cave, I now see, as my eyes adjust to the low level of light, legs stretched out, arms behind him propping himself up. He looks just the same as always. Same cocky expression, same face, nothing looks like it's changed since he left the Cornucopia without his pack, so I'm still confused as to why he did that.

"What- what's going on?" I ask, my voice gravelly as I look around. My knives and pack are right next to me, and on my other side is another backpack that I know is his when I see the sword, glittering dangerously next to it. My sleeping bag is laid out on the ground and is what I'm lying on, and he is sitting near the cave mouth, keeping watch, presumably.

"A lot," is what Cato tells me. He chuckles before he continues. "If you're asking who's died since you dropped that nest, darling, Clove and the boy from Ten. If you're-"

"Don't call me darling," I snap, my voice easing back into its normal tone. "And no, I was asking why the fuck I'm in a cave, covered in leaves, with you."

I choose to ignore the fact that the last time I spoke to him, he told me he liked me. Thankfully, it seems he is ignoring this subject as well.

He leans forward slightly. "I told you I wasn't letting anyone hurt you, Everdeen. You just didn't believe me."

"How- how long was I out?" Damn him for making me stutter. I don't stutter.

"Two days," Cato leans forward. "Been a real pain getting food, but... it was worth it."

I roll my eyes. "Why?"

Cato's eyes glitter. "You're not dying on my watch, Everdeen."

"So what's with the leaves?" I snap.

"They're healing your sings," he shrugs. "We used to get survival montages for hours back in Two. I picked it up there."

I sigh, avoiding his deep blue gaze as I ask him. "Is that why you dumped your little pack? To save me?"

Cato nodded. "I didn't want to bother negotiating with them. They hate you."

"Well, they replaced you quickly," I tell him. "I don't know whether or not you saw, but my little district partner joined them."

This stops Cato in his tracks. All at once, the smirk disappears off his face and his eyes darken.

"What?" He asks, his voice low, his tone threatening.

"Jasper joined them," I clarify. "Tried to kill me, as well."

He clenches his fists.

"I'll kill him," he snarls, looking down. Then he looks straight at me. "I will kill him, Sage. Okay?"

I don't know what to say to this. He seems so hellbent on keeping me safe, and I don't know why.

"Why do you care so much about me?" Comes out my mouth before I can stop it.

Cato sits back, drawing his knees up to his chest, and huffing out a sigh. He considers his answer for at least a minute, his eyes flitting from me to the ground.

Then he finally says, or rather, mutters, not even looking at me. "You're amazing."

I almost jump. "What?"

He looks straight at me. "I think you're amazing, darling, aren't you happy?"

"No," I say, sitting up. "No I'm not, strangely. Cato, you're a stranger, I barely know you-"

"I barely know you, Everdeen, but I know you're amazing," Cato teases, smirking.

A fluttery, festering feeling starts to take place in my stomach, and I hate it.

"But- but-"

"You're lucky we're in the dark, darling, otherwise everyone would be seeing you blushing," Cato chuckles, sitting back.

I sigh, sitting back before changing the subject. "So how did you know where I was, then? With the tracker jackers?"

Cato shrugs. "I watched the whole thing."

"You wha-?"

"I mean, I watched you cut the branch off," Cato speaks over me. "I didn't see anything else, but I was watching when you sent the nest down, and I saw you run off and steal Clove's knives."

I sigh, looking down. "So, you've been off on your own the whole games, then? Bet your mentor isn't pleased."

"He won't be," Cato chuckles, shaking his head.

I like his laugh, I realise, as I smile warmly at him. When he laughs the dimples on either side of his mouth get deeper and his whole face lights up. When he laughs he doesn't look like a bloodthirsty killer. He looks sort of... nice.

I snap myself out of this thought as Cato says. "We should go hunt. There's only a few hours left of daylight and I know you'll be hungry."

He starts to reach over me for his bag and his sword, but I stop him.

"Wait, you said we," I look at him, frowning deeply. "Did I agree to this?"

Cato shrugs. "If you wanna stay alive, Everdeen, you will."

"Oh please, you won't kill me."

"No, but you need my protection."

"The only protection I need is my own, thank you very much-"

"That's not true and you know it," Cato looks at me. "You might be able to climb trees, Everdeen-"

"I can also hunt-"

"-but hand to hand combat?" Cato raises his eyebrows. "You haven't got a chance. Plus, it gives us a chance to get to know each other."

I study him, my eyes moving up and down his body. "Who says I want to get to know you?"

"Your red cheeks," Cato grins, extending a hand.

I almost slap him with mine.

But instead, I do something that will either pay off well, or result in terrible consequences.

There's only one way to find out.

I shake.

☦︎☦︎☦︎

It sickens me how much Cato watching my back whilst I hunt feels like what Gale used to do back in Twelve.

I really don't know what to think of it.

But, but sundown, we have a good catch. Two squirrels and a few blackberries, which Cato gathered.

By the time we're walking back to the cave, the sky darkening and no cannons having gone off, I feel a bit braver around Cato. He watched my back today, and he trusted me to get us food. That made me feel... appreciated. Happy, even, but I'll never admit that, not even to myself.

On the way back to the cave, Cato looks to me. "So, Everdeen, tell me. You've got two sisters. Any more siblings?"

I shake my head. "No. Just Katniss and Prim."

"You know, you could give me more than that," Cato tells me. "What about your parents?"

I press my lips together, breathing out my nose. I don't know if I want to answer this when the cameras are no doubt broadcasting everything we're saying to the whole of Panem, but for some reason, my lips move and my mouth speaks.

"Well, my mother's a healer," I say. "She, uh... she grew up in the merchant's area of the district, but... when she fell in love with my dad, she... she moved to the Seam."

"The Seam?" Cato seems to be interested, looking at me more intensely than I can handle.

"Yeah, the Seam, it's what we call the coal miner's area," I explain. "Everyone that lives there has dark hair and grey eyes, like me. And it's the worst area of Twelve for poverty, as well."

"So you didn't grow up with much, huh?" Cato checks, as we reach the cave.

"No," I say honestly, stepping inside and setting the squirrels down. "We'll have to skin and gut these, by the way," I tell him. "Hope you're not squeamish."

He chuckles. "Of course not, darling."

We each take a squirrel and begin to prepare them, and over that, Cato resumes the questions.

"So what about your dad?" He asks, as I hand him one of my knives. "You mother must've loved him a lot if she was willing to leave a nice home."

I look down. I was preparing myself for this, but it doesn't mean I'm ready for it when it comes.

"Yeah, actually, um... she did," I nod. "She did... love him a lot. But..."

I bite my lip, because I don't want to cry whilst discussing this.

Cato frowns. "But what?"

"But, um..." I say, blinking rapidly. "He actually, um... he died in a mine accident five years ago... I was thirteen."

I look down, concentrating on the squirrel as I continue to speak, because once I open my mouth, apparently, I can't stop.

"He was amazing," I say, my eyes glassy. "He- he, um... he could sing, like, really really well, and he was so so kind, and he would never raise his voice at me, no matter how angry he was."

I skin the squirrel in quick cuts, my hands shaking as a tear splashes out my eye.

Then I feel a hand on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Cato's voice is deep and surprisingly warm. "I'm, uh... I'm sorry that he had to leave you, Sage."

My stupid fucking name in his mouth makes another tear fall, as I determinedly continue to work on the squirrel. I have finished skinning by now, and am now preparing to gut.

"Thank you," I say, once I am sure I won't burst into tears. I still don't look at him. I'm not sure I could handle it if I did. "Um- what about you? Y-your family, I mean."

Cato sighs, turning slightly. "That, darling, is a loaded question."

I sigh, shaking my head. "And presumably not one we should have over skinning squirrels?"

"No, probably not," Cato says, a small smile etched upon his face. "But... thanks for telling me about your family, Everdeen. You clearly... well, it's obvious how much you love them."

I smile slightly back. "I do."

Cato sits back after a minute, looking confused. I am halfway through gutting my squirrel when I notice he hasn't even started.

"What?" I look at him. "Are you squeamish?"

"No, I'm not!" Cato is defensive, but then he looks down, muttering. "I just... I just don't, y'know..."

"Don't know how?" I can't resist laughing at this. "You're telling me the great Cato Hadley can't gut a little squirrel?"

"Well, I've never had to before, okay?" Cato tells me. "Just- help me, please?"

I sigh, still grinning, as I hold my hand out. "Give it here."

He does, and as I begin to gut it, I can see the concentration in his eyes.

It's... nice.