Learn To Fly - A District 2 tribute story

'Run and tell all of the angels, this could take all night. Think I need a devil to help me get things right.' - Foo Fighters

I imagined how I would shine with pride after I volunteered. I had to be the chosen career, I was ready.

I was imagining standing upon that stage, imagining the same, two weeks later as I victor. I walked to the readings with my older sister. They weren't a cause for sadness here. For ages, only careers participated.

"Clove, are you volunteering?" A girl, eighteen pushed me as hard as she could against a nearby building. I knew her from the academy where we trained together. She had a particular hatred for me, and my talents with knives.

"What's it to you?" I hissed back at her. If she hadn't been flanked by three other females twice my size, odds would have been drastically shifted. As it is, I didn't want to get blood on my yellow dress.

"Listen rat." She pulled my hair back violently and stared hard into my eyes. "You know how this thing works, they pick a random volunteer. If you even think about lowering my chances on my last year. Well you better hope that one of us gets picked, because if we both don't. I'll kill you."

She didn't scare me. This girl was pathetic, nothing but a phony bitch. She had the maturity level of a twelve year old boy. Her and her friends spent less time training than they spent gossiping. She also seemed to get around with said boys too.

"Ok." I said, pushing her off of me. I smiled and turned on my heel, making my way to where the draw would be made.

Clove, victor at age fifteen.

It sounded wonderful on my lips as I strode toward my section.

Clove, district 2.

I imagined introducing myself menacingly to the other careers in the games. How the lower district tributes would cry as I held my knives to their throats.

I didn't particularly get joy from killing anyone, and I had never done it in the past. But the games were a completely different area. If someone were to come at me, in an attempt to take my life. Well, let's just say they wouldn't get far. And eternal glory? Well obviously it was worth it.

I watched the video we watched every year, the video I nearly fell asleep watching last year. Every reaping before this was a bore. Especially last year, when I was fourteen and wasn't the chosen volunteer.

I counted the female volunteers in my head as they fished the female name out of the bowl, my hand at the ready. One possible career my age, seven others older and one younger. All of their hands would shoot up along with mine.

Deborann Goolding.

A little girl who looked no more than twelve burst into tears, but instead of turning like everyone else I shot my hand into the air.

"I volunteer as tribute!" I shouted. It was polite to wait for them to ask for a tribute, but like the past few years, no one waited.

I hadn't been focusing on the saddened girl, or the fact that I was the only volunteer who had reacted so quickly. When the peace keepers brought me onto the stage. My heart pumped in my chest, as I grinned out onto the audience.

"Clove Mentis." I said into the microphone that was pushed to my lips.

I breathed in the warm air, as another tribute was chosen, and the boys volunteered.

A brawny and handsome older boy whose name I knew by heart joined me. I was half surprised to be joined by him in particular. He was one who all the girls at the career training academy had been head over heels for. It seemed impractical to me, having a crush on someone who was to put their life on the line.

But he was attractive, and I felt smaller standing next to him. I knew I wasn't pretty, and that was part of why I spent so much more time training. To compensate.

I took the few moments I had while standing there to seriously reflect on the fact that I was either going to kill the boy to my left, or vice versa.

It didn't last long, the moment after I was being taken to a special room and my parents were let in.

They weren't upset, or even worried about me. If they were they didn't show it. My father looked me in the eye and told me.

"You're my only child, I want a winner."

And I was a winner, but after seeing Cato I started to question my confidence. I made the immediate decision to stop thinking cockily for my own good. Alliances and cleverness was how I was going to win this thing.

And as I boarded the train along side him, I only wondered if everything I'd heard about the handsome boy was true. Particularly that he could snap a neck with his bare hands.

I felt like a fool for not feeling frightened. I felt like a monster, for feeling jealous of this rumored skill.

...

I wasted no time once we boarded the train.

"Clove." I offered Cato my hand.

He shook it, almost cracking a smile. "Cato."

"We trained at the same school." I said, sitting down on a fine looking leather couch.

He nodded. "Didn't know that."

Yes he did, there were no more than 40 kids at that training academy, not all of them brave enough to volunteer. Some just went to make their parents happy, or because it gave them a higher social status.

I ground my teeth at his nonchalant ignorance, and the way he could make me feel inferior. Boys loved that, putting girls down to make themselves seem like the superior sex. It was just what they did.

Enobaria sat us down the minute we boarded the train, while Brutus was nowhere to be found. I sat in on a leather couch beside Cato. He slouched coolly, his legs spread. It was more than obvious he was the opposite of nervous. I had a bit of a gnawing in my stomach even since my fathers words with me.

The short blue dress I was wearing was a little itchy and I wondered when I could get into something more comfortable.

"Careers." She said as if she was surprised. District two had careers every year.

I looked over to Cato but his where were locked on the older woman. I suddenly felt like a child stuck in an adult conversation.

"I beg your pardon?" My words were polite but my tone wasn't quite there.

She turned on me. "I want you two to know that you're just two more tributes. You're careers, but to win you need to think like you're from a lower district. You need to believe you're fighting for your life just like everyone else."

I took in her words. And there was reason inside them.

Enobaria continued with explaining how she wanted us to act for he cameras, and asking us about our strengths and weaknesses.

"I was the best with knives." I told her. "Where I trained."

There were four training academy's in districts two, they were all quite similar.

"You'll have to be." Cato said. "People aren't going I want to sponsor a 14 year old at impulse."

My cheeks burned. "I'm fifteen."

He raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that?"

I balled my fist, prepared to dive for the first hard metal object I could find.

"Stop arguing." Enobaria said. "Save it for the arena."

As she walked away I shot Cato what I tried to make look like an intimidating glare.

"Relax kid." He said, smiling at me. "We're on the same side."

"For now." I told him.

He smirked, widening his eyes accordingly. "For now."

Leave a review if you want more, i was inspired by the lack of Cato/Clove in the movie. And I ship them hard haha soo.

Also I'm aware I changed her age.

thanks for reading.