Chapter One: First Words
Seven-year-old Clove always hit the target with her knife. Her father said she was a natural. She intimidated all the girls and all the boys hated her. But she didn't care. She didn't need friends. All she needed was the Hunger Games.
She watched them every year, trying to learn new skills from each victor. Her whole world revolved around the games and eventually becoming a victor. No one in her family had ever done it before, but she planned on being the first. Reapings don't always go as planned, unless you plan on volunteering. Clove planned on doing just this. When she was 17 or 18, she planned on volunteering and replacing whoever was reaped, so that she could then fight in the games and represent her district with pride.
"There's no way you won't be a victor some day, princess," Clove's father told her and kissed her forehead after another training session. "I think it's time we enroll you in the academy." Cloves eyes lit up at this. Girls were not usually let into the academy this young. They were considered too weak, especially at such a young age. "Would that make you happy sweetheart?"
"Yes yes yes yes daddy," she squealed. She jumped into her father's arms and he laughed.
The academy was where District 2 sent their most promising children where they were trained to become the ideal tribute for the Hunger Games, or "careers" as the other districts called them. They almost always won, and Clove planned on that being her someday.
"Great," her father said as he put her back down. "Just make sure you show them how tough you are. You're a young, pretty girl and they will consider you too weak before you even do anything. So, show them that they're wrong."
Two weeks later, Clove was admitted to the academy as the youngest girl in more than 50 years. Because of this, she did not make friends easily. She was already acting as a tribute, and didn't need or want any friends. She was stronger alone. But then there was Cato.
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Two years later, nine-year-old Clove sat on the side of the lawn outside the front of the school, watching the boys in her class practicing combat. This was one of her only weaknesses. While she was fast, smart, and incredibly skilled with a knife, she was small. She had not practiced combat before either because she generally didn't talk to other kids much. She had no interest in talking to these boys, but there was one who stood out above the rest and if she wanted to improve her combat skills, she'd have to talk to at least him.
She sucked in her pride, stood up, and marched up to them. "Can I join in?" she asked. Some of the boys looked dumbfounded. After a few seconds, most of them burst out laughing. Clove stared their leader in the eye the whole time, refusing to back down just because she was a girl. When the laughter died down, he looked back at her.
"And what's your name?" he asked.
"Clove," she said and the boy's eyes widened.
"Oh," he said, "You're that girl everyone has been talking about. I hear you're pretty skilled with a knife." Before he could say anything else, she took a knife out of her shirt pocket and flicked at the wall behind him. It whizzed right by the boy's ear and hit a poster of President Snow right in the eye. Most of the boys looked stunned. "Well," he said, "You are pretty good. What do you want in with us for?"
"Being a tribute requires more than one skill," she said.
"Oh you want to be in the Hunger Games?" he asked and Clove nodded. "Alright then, come on and join us."
"What's your name anyway?" Clove asked the boy.
"Cato," he said, "You ready?" Clove nodded and Cato charged right at her. In one move he flipped her onto her back on the ground. "Well you need to at least try," he said, laughing as he helped her up.
"I don't know much about combat," Clove said.
"Well that's obvious," Cato said and Clove smirked at him.
"Can we just try again?" Clove asked and Cato smiled.
"Sure little girl," he said and she glared at him. After a few hours, Clove could at least fight him off slightly. She could hold him off for a few minutes, but Cato pinned her to the ground eventually, every time.
"Alright," Cato said, "I think we could stop for the day." He pulled her up off the ground. "You know," he said, "you're not like other girls. You're a lot more interesting. I like you." Clove ignores this compliment. She wasn't trying to gain friends.
"Same time tomorrow?" she asked and Cato laughed.
"Sure Clove," he said, "See you tomorrow."
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"Come on little girl," a boy yelled at 14-year-old Clove as he pinned her to the ground during training. Clove tried to push him off, but he held his ground. "How do you think you're ever going to win the Hunger Games if you can't even fight me off?" The boy moved his arm onto Clove's throat, compressing her windpipe. Clove gasped for air as she kicked and scratched at the boy, but she could not break free from him. He started laughing at her struggle.
Suddenly, the grip loosened and the boy's laughter turned into screams. Clove pushed her herself off the ground to see Cato holding the boy in a headlock.
"Lay off her," he yelled, "Or I'll make you pay for it, you understand?" The boy nodded slightly, Cato released him and he took off across the room. "You okay?" Cato asked her and reached up to brush a hair out of her face. She slapped his hand down and glared at him.
"Yes I'm fine," she snapped, "I was handling it fine on my own." Cato laughed a little at this.
"Handling it?" he said, "He was ready to suffocate you!" Clove rolled her eyes and stormed off and out onto the school lawn. "Clove," Cato yelled as he ran out after her, "Clove wait up!" Clove sat down under her favorite tree and stared out up at the clouds. Cato sat down next to her, "What's going on?" he asked. Clove looked over at him and sighed.
"I'm already 14. I've been through two reapings and I still can't fight off one stupid boy," she said. Cato put his arm around her and pulled her in closer.
"Then we'll keep working on it," he said, "You'll be able fight them off in no time."
"That's going to be the death of me in the arena," she said, almost ignoring him.
"Then I'll go in with you," he said, "If you get reaped before you feel ready, I'll go in with you to protect you. The two of us would be unstoppable." Clove looked back up at him and smiled, totally unaware of what he was promising.
"We would be great together in there," she said and smiled. Cato smiled down at her. Then, he leaned down and kissed her. They had never kissed before and it took Clove by surprise. At first she gave into it and kissed him back. He was the only person who really understood her.
But then she snapped out of it and broke away from him. "What's wrong?" Cato asked and Clove shook her head and got up.
"Nothing," she said awkwardly, "Everything's fine. I'll see you later." With that, Clove took off back toward the school. She had not joined the academy to get a boyfriend. She had joined to become a tribute and that was wasting time.
