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No One Knows Who I Am	By : Marblez Category: G through L > The Hunger Games Trilogy Views: 4841 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games and I will make no profit from writing this story.

Chapter List
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The Arena, Day Eight

He could see.

Huh.

What an odd thought to have, Adya mused silently to himself as he made his way through the front door of the little apartment his family had called home for his entire life, but it was true.

For the first time in years he could see.

How strange…

“Adya?”

The painfully familiar yet also worryingly unfamiliar voice stopped him in his tracks just as he stepped into the tiny front room of the apartment, taking in the faded colours of the walls and ceilings, both marred by large stains as well as splotches of mould and the scratched wooden flooring.

“Mum?”

Turning on the spot he found himself gazing through into the open plan kitchen of their apartment, usually separated from the front room where Adya slept on the lumpy old couch which had always smelt a little weird, and finding his mum bent over the sink, her hands practically glowing red with how sore they were after scrubbing what appeared to be one of his father shirts against the washboard.

“You're home early love…”

Something flickered in the corner of his eye, drawing his attention back to the front room which had been overwhelmed by flames in the blink of an eye.

No.

This wasn't…this wasn't how it had happened…

“Adya!”

He frowned, his eyes desperately searching through the flames for the source of the second voice but finding nothing even as his mum continued to prattle on about her day as though nothing were wrong.

As though her clothes weren't catching fire…

As though her skin wasn't beginning to blacken and melt…

“Mum!”

No!

He tried to go to her but as he did the floorboards, weakened by the flames, gave out beneath his feet sending him plummeting into a pit of darkness.

A canon sounded.

Hands grabbed hold of his arm, stopping his descent instantly and leaving him struggling to adjust to the fact that he now appeared to be standing perfectly still.

Inky blackness surrounded him…

Pressed down upon him…

Left him gasping for air…

“Adya!”

Suddenly he was being pulled forwards by the hands holding onto his arm, stumbling uncontrollably as his feet caught on numerous lumps and bumps which appeared sporadically in the ground beneath his feet.

“We have to move!”

On and on they ran until suddenly the hands disappeared and a piercing scream filled the air, the sharpness of the noise causing Adya's ears to hurt.

“Adya…”

He knew that voice.

Opening his mouth he tried to call out, his voice seeming to lodge in his throat as he coughed and spluttered, something thick and foul forcing its way up his throat and coating his lips, dripping down his chin.

“Adya!”

He coughed and coughed, desperately trying to clear his throat so that he could respond but all he managed to do was cover his torso in the foul liquid.

It took him a few minutes too long to realise it was blood.

A gentle hand came to rest on the top of his head and he turned to find his mother standing beside him, shining like a beacon in the darkness and looking as serene and peaceful as he'd ever seen her and not at all harmed by the fire.

“I've never hated the Games as much as I do right at this moment…”

Cato.

Looking away from his mum he desperately searched for any sign of the boy he had fallen in love over the last few days, the boy who in a perfect world he'd be able to spend of his life falling more and more in love with him every single day until they were old and grey, desperate to truly see him at last.

He was met with only inky blackness.

“I wish there was a way I could protect you from all of this…”

A garbled sound escaped his mouth when he tried to call out for Cato, his hands desperately ranching forwards even as he choked on the foul liquid which was starting to taste more and more like blood with each cough that wracked his body.

Hands came to rest on his shoulders.

“Adya?”

Sam?

“Adya?”

Cato?

“Adya?”

His mum moved to stand in front of him, their eyes meeting, locking and when her lips finally moved all three voices came out,

“Adya? Adya? Adya? Adya?”

Each voice held a different level of concern even as she remained calm.

Serene.

Beautiful.

He closed his eyes, not wanting to connect their voices with her face anymore.

“Adya?”

A sharp stabbing pain in the centre of his back took him by surprise and, with a garbled cry of pain, he opened his eyes…

Choking on the blood in his mouth Adya arched up of the hard ground which his back had just come into contact with, whimpering loudly as he struggling breath.

Trembling hands caught hold of his shoulders, squeezing tightly as they helped him stay upright until a body pressed hesitantly against his back, supporting his body.

He gasped.

It felt like his back was on fire, the pain was so intense and yes, he did know what that actually felt like so it was very easy to make the comparison.

“Adya…”

Sam’s voice was trembling as much as his hands as the younger boy attempted to wipe away some of the blood dripping from his lips only for it to be instantly replaced by even more as Adya was forced to cough in order to clear is airway.

A choked sob escaped his young friend.

“I'm sorry,” he gasped, his hands now moving across Adya's heaving chest as he allowed the wounded boy to lean back against him fully. “I'm so sorry…”

“Not…your fault…” Adya managed to get out between pained grunts and wet coughs, bubbles in the blood popping as he spoke and sending tiny spatter of blood across his cheeks. “Not…not anyone's…fault…just…”

He broke off with a deep cough, his lungs seizing and stilling for a terrifyingly long moment before he was finally able to draw in a pathetic amount of precious air.

“Adya…”

Sam was barely holding back his sobs now and hot tears fell against the bare skin of Adya's neck, an odd sensation when combined with the slick blood dripping down his chest, his clothes soaking it up so much that they had begun to stick to his skin.

“Hurts…” he couldn't help but whimper as another stab of pain seemed to pass through his body, starting out in his back and ending somewhere in his stomach. “Didn't…didn't think it'd be…like this…wanted it to…to…to…”

He whimpered, tears forcing their way out of his sightless eyes as another stab of pain spread through his right shoulder, causing the limb in question to flail uncontrollably against his side, his hand starting to go numb.

“…to be…quick and…pain…painless…” he managed to forced out, shutting his eyes as he tried to hold back a cry of pain, clenching his teeth and locking his jaw even as he was forced to cough once more to clear the blood from his lungs. “I don't…”

“Adya!”

Cato's almost hysterical scream preceded him actually entering the clearing surrounding the Cornucopia, his footsteps heavy and unsteady as he skirted the damage left behind from the explosion and hurried across to where Sam was cradling Adya in his arms, the young boys trembling increasing the closer he got.

“Adya!”

This time it was as though his name had been punched out of Cato's gut, deep and filled with more pain than Adya had ever heard in someone else's voice.

Sam shifted beneath him.

“I…”

Sam’s hesitant voice cut off with a sudden cry of fear, his body disappearing suddenly from beneath Adya's as though he had been literally yanked out from under the wounded Tribute and sending Adya crashing down to the ground with a choked cry of pain, blood spraying up from his mouth as he coughed yet again and falling down against his face and neck.

Something crunched loudly seconds before something heavy was dropped onto the ground a couple of paces away from where Adya was lying and it took him a couple of seconds to realise that he couldn't hear Sam anymore.

Not even the younger boys frightened breathing.

“S-Sam…?”

A body dropped down onto its knees beside him and gentle hands pulled him up so that his head was pillowed on a pair of strong thighs before attempting to wipe away the worst of the blood like Sam had done only moments before.

Sam…

“What…what did…?”

“He's dead.”

Cato's voice sounded almost hollow as his hands continued to move across Adya's body, gently reaching under him and searching out the worst of his wounds.

It didn't matter how gentle he was, though, it still felt like agony to Adya.

Crying out he turned his head to press his face against Cato's thigh, blood dribbling almost constantly out of the corner of his mouth and down his cheek.

“Adya…”

“Quick?” he managed to ask, his hands moving to clutch at Cato’s forearms when the Career finally stilled, his arms cradling Adya's body gently. “Sam…was it…?”

“I broke his neck,” Cato responded, his voice choked. “He wouldn't have felt a thing.”

Adya tried to smile but at that moment a lancing pain spread throughout his lungs, freezing them in place until it had passed and leaving him gasping for air.

“Adya!” Cato cried out worriedly.

“Hurts…”

“Who did this?”

Surprisingly it wasn't Cato who asked but Marvel sounding surprisingly angry.

“…bow…” Adya choked out. “…shot at…”

Thankfully that was all the three Careers needed to hear to get their answer.

“Find her!” Cato barked sharply, his hands tightening briefly on Adya's body as Marvel and Clove turned and left the clearing without another word, causing Adya to whimper ever so slightly in pain. “Adya, I'm sorry…”

“Not…your fault…” Adya repeated the same words he'd offered Sam moments earlier, reaching out with one hand to find his boyfriends face with the arm he could still move and feel, frowning as he found the older boys cheeks wet with tears. “Not…not anyone's…fault…s’just the way it is…in the G-Games…”

“I was going to win this for you,” Cato sobbed, not even attempting to hide his emotions now that they were alone and he didn't feel the need to keep up the act of being a Career Tribute any more.

Now he was just a boy.

“I was going to get you home…”

“I am going home…” Adya mumbled before giving in to the urge to cough up more blood, gasping at the new pain this created somewhere inside him. “It hurts…”

Sobbing almost uncontrollably the older boy leaned down to press their lips together, heedless of the blood still dripping from the corners of Adya's mouth.

“I'm sorry…” he gasped against Adya's lips. “I'm sorry I wasn't here. I'm sorry I could stop her. I'm sorry I couldn't save you. I'm sorry I can't…”

“Shhh…” Adya murmured, pressing his fingers across Cato's lips. “It's ok…”

“It's not ok!” Cato choked loudly.

“Yes, it is…” Adya murmured, offering his boyfriend a sad smile as he gently began running his fingertips across Cato's quivering lips. “I knew the…the moment that my name…was…was c-called out that there was…”

He broke off, coughing sharply and uncontrollably.

“…that there was no way I was going to be coming home in…anything but a coffin…”

“I was going to save you…”

Smiling sadly he spoke truthfully and honestly,

“You did. You did save me, Cato, and I…I have felt more…alive and at…at peace these past few days with you…than I have in…in the three years since…since I…”

Unfortunately the pain was such that he could continue.

He could only hope that Cato understood.

“You made me feel human,” Cato murmured softly before pressing their lips together again. “You made me feel loved and…and I'll never forget that. I just wish…”

“I want you to try and…win this thing…for yourself now…” Adya literally had to force the words out, the pain almost too much. “I want you to live and…remember me…”

“I could never forget you…”

They kissed again, only breaking apart when Adya coughed up blood against his boyfriend’s lips for which he tried to apologise but was reduced to more coughing.

“I love you, Adya…”

“…love you too…” he finally managed to get out, his lungs now feeling as though they were filled with shards of glass. “C-Cato?”

“Yes, love?”

It was too much.

The pain…

The fear…

The longing…

He just wanted it to be over.

“It hurts…” he whimpered, tears flooding from his eyes. “Please…make it stop…”

Cato's breath seemed to get stuck in his chest for a long moment before he released it in a long stream of air and even that seemed to be filled with pain.

“Adya…”

“Please…”

He heard Cato reach out slowly and pick up the sword he had obviously abandoned when he dropped down beside him, dragging the tip across the scorched earth before slowly, hesitantly bringing it up to press against the centre of his chest.

“I love you, Adya,” Cato all but sobbed, leaning down to press their lips together in a demanding yet gentle kiss, lingering as long as possible. “I love you.”

Adya smiled sadly.

“I love you too, Cato.”

Silence fell between them and Adya found himself picking out the sound of the birds singing happily in the trees, their light voices helping to ease his building fear.

And then suddenly there was sharp pain in the centre of his chest, the point of Cato's blade driving deep into his chest in one, smooth movement.

And then, blissfully, he knew no more.

The End

A/N - I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Made the mistake of writing this at work between customers who gave me weird looks for being close to tears. Would you believe that this is where I originally intended to leave it? Yup. And then my brain, evil thing that it is, went “But why? You know they'll never forgive you. Write a sequel. Go on. Here's a couple of really tempting ideas that I know you won't be able to turn down…” And so, sometime in the near distant future, a sequel will begin for those of you who want to read it. I hope you've enjoyed reading my first Hunger Games story. Going to go and write something sickeningly cheerful now to recover from this emotional roller coaster. X
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No One Knows Who I Am