Chapter 16

Jason's P.O.V.

"I'm gonna go hunting." I said to Vena. She smiled at me. "Great! See you soon! I'll start the fire."

I grabbed my sword and began to walk through the woods.

Where were all the animals?

I had walked at least a mile and had not seen a single sign of any animals.

"You're a lot like Jason that's all."

I froze. 

Snow?

I followed the sound of her voice. 

"Oh." another voice said.

Orchid?

I finally found them. They were sitting down, next to a fire, talking and eating. I squatted down behind a bush and looked through the leaves.

"What happened between you two?" Orchid asked Snow.

"Why do you want to know?" Snow asked absentmindedly.

They were definitely talking about me.

Orchid spoke again.

"It's just...the way you talk about him...it's not angry or anything like that like it should be considering he tried to kill you. You talk about him in a sad and wistful kind of way."

I heard Snow laugh sadly. "I guess I do, don't I? Where do you want me to begin?"

"How'd you meet him in the Games?"

Snow paused before speaking. She told Orchid the story of how she saved my life.

"Then what happened?" Orchid asked after Snow finished.

Snow said something about how she saved my life (again) from the wolves. I wasn't paying attention at first.

"The next day...he kissed me."

That's what got my attention.

"He kissed you?" Orchid asked in surprise. I managed to peek out of the bushes slightly without being seen. Snow was looking at the ground with a pained expression. 

Still, that didn't mean anything.

Snow finally nodded and spoke. "B-But I couldn't let him. It's hard to explain. H-He said he loved me. But I couldn't let him. If I did, he would be dead by now." 

Couldn't let me?

Why couldn't I kiss her? And why would I be dead just because I said I loved her?

"Why?" Orchid asked, practically reading my mind.

"If I told you, they would try to kill you like they did Jason." Snow murmured.

What?

Orchid seemed to understand and didn't press Snow for answers. Instead she just asked what happened next.

"I ran away." Snow said. "And camped out in a tree. The next day, when I came back to talk to him, a girl, Vena from District 1, jumped out from the forest and tried to kill me. At first I thought that Jason was hurt, but then he appeared and tried to kill me too. After I trapped them, I spoke to them briefly. They kept talking about how I wanted to kill him."

"Did you?" Orchid asked.

"No!" Snow said without hesitating. "When I ran away, it was because I was confused and conflicted, not mad. I would've never tried to kill him!"

Was she telling the truth? Or was she lying?

Snow sighed and shook her head. "My theory is that Jason and Vena were together from the beginning, and that they planned to kill me."

Why would she think that? Snow was the one who wanted to kill me!

"Then why would he say he loved you?" Orchid said.

"I don't know." Snow said still shaking my head. "To mess with my mind?"

No, no, no.

I said I loved her because I did. In reality, I guess I still do.

"Why would they think you wanted to kill Jason after you saved his life three times?" Orchid asked.

Snow shrugged slightly. "Who knows?"

She seemed genuinely confused.

They didn't say anything for a few moments.

"Did you...love him?" Orchid asked softly.

This caught my attention. I waited as Snow thought in silence.

She finally looked down and opened her mouth. "I-"

At that moment, my foot stepped on a branch and snapped it. The noise rang out. I cursed myself silently.

Snow immediately stood and pulled out a knife.

I knew what she was going to do.

I could not move.

I barely had time to think before her knife flew at me and hit the tree right behind me. Less than a centimeter from my head.

Somehow I managed to stay still and not scream.

"Why'd you do that?" Orchid asked after Snow put her arm down.

She gave Orchid the same explanation she gave me.

Orchid nodded. "Well, we better hunt to keep our food supply up."

"Yeah sure." Snow said absentmindedly. Her eyes were still focused in my direction. 

We locked eyes for a few seconds. 

Her gaze was intense but shaken. 

Weak.

Sad.

I managed to step back, obscuring my view of her. 

My feet stumbled awkwardly before I finally broke off into a run.

Snow's P.O.V.

"There's not many animals." I commented as we trekked through the woods. 

Orchid shrugged. "A bunch of trees fell down a day ago. Most of the animals scattered. That's why we're relocating."

I  nodded. 

A slight, but sudden movement in trees ahead caught my eye.

"Wait." I said to Orchid.

She stopped and pulled out her knife.

A wolf walked out of trees.

I trembled slightly, remembering my last encounter with it.

But the wolf wasn't attacking. In fact, it walked right up to me and stuck it's tongue out happily like an obedient dog.

"It's...not attacking Snow." Orchid said obviously just as confused as I was.

"I know." I murmured. Carefully and slowly, I bent down and pet it's head. 

It rolled over playfully. 

"That's weird." I said.

"Look, a parachute." Orchid said, her eyes were focused on something in the distance.

I stood and walked to where the parachute landed. The wolf followed behind me happily.

I untied the strings and opened the jar slowly. Inside was some Capitol food and a note.

"Guess we don't have to hunt today," Orchid said. 

I nodded and handed her the jar after taking the note out.

"What does it say?"

"No love, no death. Stay on your feet. Enobaria." I read.

"What does that mean?" Orchid asked.

"It's...complicated." I said bluntly.

I wasn't one hundred percent positive but I was pretty sure Enobaria was telling me that as long as I didn't love anyone, no one would die.

I wasn't sure.

"Let's find a place to sleep." I said to Orchid. "It's getting dark."

She nodded in agreement.

By the time we found a suitable place, the anthem was already starting.

"No deaths again." I commented as we scaled a tree. "The Games are getting too boring for the Capitol's taste."

"What do you think they're going to do?" Orchid asked nervously as I set up the sleeping bag.

"That's the thing." I sighed. "You never know. They could blow us all up if they wanted to. But they don't. The whole point of the Games is to show how they can easily force us to kill one another. It's designed to show how weak we are, and how little strength we posses."

"Can I ask you something Snow?" Orchid said quietly.

"Sure." 

"You never did answer my question."

"Which one?"

"Did you love Jason?" 

I sighed. "What do you want me to say?"

"I want you to say the truth."

"I-I think I did." 

"You think?"

"I don't know anymore Orchid." I said leaning my head on the trunk of the tree. "I think I loved him, but I don't know anymore. It's complicated."

"Isn't everything?"

I laughed and nodded.

There was a few minutes of silence before Orchid spoke. 

"I think he really did love you."

I turned my head to look at her. "What makes you think that?"

"I've known him since I was a baby Snow. Even before the Games, he used to always glance at you. He talked about you a lot too. He really admired you."

"Admiration and love are completely different in my book Orchid."

"Why?"

I shrugged. "I've been admired before. A lot actually, though that admiration was often shadowed by hatred. I've never really been in love before."

"How do you know that Jason didn't love you?"

"He tried to kill me."

Orchid sighed. "Jason is afraid. He's weak when he's afraid, but eventually he gets over it. You just have to wait for him."

"What're you saying?"

"I really do think he loved you Snow. I don't think he and Vena were together from the very beginning. I think she convinced him that you were dangerous and trying to kill him. And he was desperate."

I didn't speak.

"He's afraid of you Snow. But I know you he loves you." 

"Those two things don't mix."

Orchid didn't say a word.

Eventually I heard her steady breathing and knew she was asleep.

I turned onto my side and tried to force myself to sleep.

I didn't dare hope that what Orchid said was true.

I just couldn't.