Just a Game

Chapter one

Contact with Fire


The tributes each year were interesting to Cato every year. Most the of the time he figured out the tributes before they even entered the arena. He would observe the teenagers and make the conclusion if they were going to kill or to be killed. In the end Cato was good at figuring out people and the way their mind works. Simply by watching the interviews that showed on T.V.

With only one day until all 24 tributes are thrown into the arena, Cato still hasn't figured out the "Girl on Fire". He'd watch her during her training: the way she handles her problems and keeps her head high even though she's only from District 12. Cato stared at the screen after his interview was finished and she twirled in her flaming dress. With only 24 hrs left to understand the girl more he watches the reruns of her on the television; the reaping, the interviews, the simple clips of her arriving to the capital.

"Does Cato have a crush on the girl on fire?" Cloves says as she walks into the room.

Cato doesn't budge as he focuses on the screen. "Trying to figure out this girl," Cato grumbles.

Clove dismisses the subject. "You should be training, or at least resting," Clove tells him.

"I'll rest when I win this damn thing." He doesn't move from his position, even when Clove throws a knife by his head, it hits the wall.

Clove snorts at his reply. "You mean you'll have plenty of rest when your dead." Clove chucks another knife and it hits a portrait of President snow right in the middle of the president's head. She chuckles. "You and I both know that I'm going to win this." She says by his head.

Cato keeps still and flings Clove over the white couch. Now it's his turn to chuckle. "We'll see about that." He drops the remote next to Clove and walks out of the room.

"Asshole," she mutters and rubs her shoulders as she gets up from the floor.

Cato hits the main floor button, or what you would say a lobby. By the time he leans against the other side of the elevator the door flicks open and the camera's start filming Cato walk to the training room. He rolls his eyes at all the camera men and barges into the room.

"Stupid camera men." Cato says as he enters the room. When he looks up into the training room there is the Girl on Fire standing in the corner where the archery station is.

"I thought careers got there own training room to train." Katniss says gripping the bow in her hands.

Cato looks at her and gains his posture. "Us careers aren't very different from you, 12." Cato walks to the other wall of the room.

"A Career is actually saying that they're the same as my district?" she says with sass.

Cato focuses on her, not taking his blue eyes off of her. "I never said that," he chuckles. "I mean Careers aren't given any special treatment. We're just the same as you." He stops a couple feet away from Katniss and folds his arms over his chest.

Katniss snorts and breaks the eye contact and places her bow on the stand. "I am not the same as a Career."

Cato nods understanding what she is telling him. "Yeah?" he takes a couple steps towards Katniss. "What makes you so sure Girl on Fire?" He says behind her.

Katniss turns quickly, startled by Cato. "What?" she questions.

"What. Makes. You. So. Sure?" he lowers his voice and says it bit by bit. "Girl on fire?" he rises an eyebrow at her. "What makes you so sure that we don't have anything in common?"

"Because we don't." Katniss cuts in.

Cato shrugs. "We both volunteered-

"For different reason-

"We both got the highest scores of the training trail. We are the likest to win. We both want to win. And we both will do whatever it is to win, and you know it." Cato steps closer to Katniss. Katniss moves backwards but hits the rack where the bows are hanging. He lowers his head to her ear, "You have a sister waiting for you at home and I have a whole district awaiting for me to arrive home as a victor." Cato backs his head up from her ear. He stares down at Katniss with frustrated eyes, after all he said Katniss still has the fierce eyes. He still can't add Katniss up so he does the only thing that he can think of at the moment; he kisses her.

Katniss freezes and locks up. A second ago, Cato was staring at her and then his lips are on her's. Once she realizes what he's doing he pulls away from Katniss and walks to the door. "What was that for?" she practically yells.

Cato cranes his neck to look back at Katniss. "Something to remember me by. Because tomorrow in the arena we'll be completely two different people covered in other tributes blood." Then the door slams shut.

Katniss jumps at the slam of the door. She looks around the training room and sees that she's been training for about two hours. Gathering herself together she walks to the door and exits the training room. When she enters the lobby she sees the cameras and the weird Capital people. Walking past them all she heads into the Career confronted her.


First Hunger Games Fanfic. I would gladly appreciate some feedback.