[When I got my Hunger Games copy- after much drama- I was hoping to find more details on Cato and Clove, as there was so little about them in the movie, and I was disappointed to find the book had even less details. So I wrote this as a consolation to myself and those who felt the same!]

Clove's POV. There will be three chapters. All kinds of reviews are welcomed. And Happy reading!

Chapter 1- Into the arena

All my life, I've been trained to be a fighter, to be the best and above the best at the one skill that I have practiced my whole life to master, and most importantly, to be able to kill with that skill. So when the time comes, I could volunteer for the Hunger Games and bring pride to my district. There have always been two choices – be the winner or die a fighter. Because the kind of life not bound by these two choices is to stay in the drain; not able to move and definitely not able to climb out, stuck in the mud forever. And in district 2, no one will choose that life if they have two other choices besides. So we are trained to fight, to kill. The message is clear – kill all and be the victor or kill one more before you go down. Uphold the name of your district. And that's what I focused on every single time I aimed my knife. I must never miss a target.

So when the reaping day came and they asked for the girl volunteer, I was seized by desperation. Desperation to grab the one chance I have to get out of the drain. So I volunteered. Without thinking twice, before I hesitate and change my mind. Then they asked for the boy volunteer and I saw Cato raised his hands after hesitating a moment. I wasn't expecting Cato to volunteer. In fact, I was sure he was going to volunteer next year, so why this sudden change of mind. For some reason I felt a sort of uneasiness as I watch him take the stairs to join me onstage.

When we shake hands, I gave him a questioning look but he only gave me a blank stare and said,

"So here we are again, fighting together, as always."

We used to train together in our career training center in district 2. We hardly talk, only sometimes. Cato doesn't like to talk much; he just settles most things with his sword. Sometimes we sword-fight and sometimes he would offer to be my target just for fun when I throw my knives, wearing a body armour of course.

And now here we are in the arena, the game had begun. A few have been killed, some left to be killed.

"Somebody make a fire," says Cato fuming.

Of course Cato is seething with anger, girl on fire just made us look stupid in front of everyone. But that's only because she is thirty feet above us, on a tree. Well, lover boy is right, she can't stay there forever.

So after sometime, we sat around the fire. By we, I mean Cato, myself, Marvel and Glimmer from district 1 and of course lover boy. That's who we have made allies with, at least for some time.

"Just wait till I get my hands, no, my sword into her, and I'll make it slow." growls Cato playing with his sword.

"I'll give anything to watch," replied Glimmer with a flirty smile.

Cato looked over at me, and I gave him a slight smile. I know that right now inside his head, he's going over twenty possible ways of killing girl on fire with his sword. That's Cato, always devising multiple ways to kill someone, in case one didn't work out.

The wood is quiet and its dark now. And I'm exhausted.

"Maybe we should get some sleep," I suggested.

"Go on, I'll keep first watch, "replied Cato.

So, I lay down on the bed of dry leaves and twigs, using my bag as pillow. I drifted on and off, waking up at the slightest sound. I hold tight to my knife, just in case. Marvel's snoring, lover boy lie on his back, eyes closed but I know he's not asleep. Glimmer seems to be in deep sleep right next to Cato, must be tired with all the flirting. Cato sits with his back against a tree looking at the sky. He looked over at me when I shifted my leg. He didn't smirk or say anything. He just looked at me, a blank stare, the same stare he had given me on reaping day. Somehow that stare disturbs and frustrates me at the same time because I don't know what he's thinking. If I asked he would probably say with a smirk,

"Umm, I'm devising the best way to kill you."

When he looked away, I closed my eyes again. My mind drifted to the small discussions we had during training in the Capitol. Cato and I had debated whether we should make allies or go by ourselves. We decided it's better to go with the usual, to make allies with the other career tributes until the real game would begin when we decide to separate and turn on each other.

"It's the quickest and most convenient way to end it, they have done it every year, and it's proven to be effective," he had said.

So I agreed "Right, so let's do it, let's go say hi to our allies."

Cato grabbed my hand and turned me around, so I could see the District 1 guys and said with his signature evil smirk,

"Should be easy, they just glitters a lot, that's it. When we are done with the others, you can take down the boy, the girl's mine."

I gave him a look and he said, "Just want to see if she glitters in death too."

"Might as well play some games while we are still at it," he added with a smirk.

"What game?" I asked.

"Watch," he said making a beeline for district 1, I followed. He went straight to Glimmer with a smile and introduced us. The thing is Cato usually smirks; he doesn't smile, unless he is up to something, so I know what he is up to. Either Glimmer is falling for his game or she's playing along, she gave him a dazzling smile and starts to chatter away.

I remember wondering if she was always going to chatter like that throughout the games. Suddenly I was looking forward to the part where we are done with the others and left with only district 1.

That's what I thought during training. But now, today, right here inside the arena, the thought is making me uneasy again. What happens when we are done with district 1? Cato and I had avoided discussing about what happens when we have killed everyone else. I tried to get there when we were discussing strategies but he seems to be avoiding the subject so I decided what will happen will happen. What does it matter, as long as either one of us won, it'd still be district 2. What does it matter which one of us kill the other, right? We are not supposed to care about that part, right? I have never let myself focus on anything besides the games, before or after the reaping. I'm not about to change that now, not at this critical moment.

And I was done sleeping for one night, so I called over to Cato,

"Hey, it's my turn to keep watch, you can sleep."

"I don't feel like sleeping at all," he says.

But exhaustion must have gotten the better of him, cause he started snoring after sometime, his back still against the tree, not even bothering to lie down. I watched him sleep; he doesn't look so dangerous in sleep, not so much like his usual self. And I think about his other self, the one that I'll never get to know.

I must have drifted off for some time. Something is buzzing around me, maybe bees, and then I heard Glimmer gave a shriek and Marvel swearing. I opened my eyes and saw them, tracker-jackers, they're all around us.

"Run!" shouted Cato.

We started to run. Glimmer's surprise shriek turned into a painful one. I looked back and saw that about twenty or more tracker jackers were on her, I stopped without meaning to, but Cato grabbed my hand urging me to run, so we left her and ran.