Based on: If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out by Cat Stevens.
For Hunger Games ::: Contests and Character Chat (Holly and Mistletoe Competition 2013)
Tet: Write about someone/something sacrificing someone/something for someone/something they love.
Dedicated to Zero, cause she likes Glarvel and Clato. Happy New Year's (this is your present)!
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Cato knew that Clove liked him. He was the only boy that had ever gotten five knives thrown at him in two minutes. Cato decided to protect her, because he really didn't have anything or anyone else to protect.
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It took four years, three months, and seventeen days for Cato to love her back. Two of the trainers were getting married, and all the trainees were invited to the event. When the ceremony was over, Cato saw Clove heading towards a patch of trees. She scaled the smallest one and pulled a knife out from the folds of her gray dress.
She was the most deadly (and beautiful) girl that Cato had ever seen, met, or talked to.
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"You love me, don't you?" Cato teased. Clove frowned and went back to sharpening her knife.
"No." she replied.
"Don't lie."
"I'm not lying."
If you want to tell me you love me, tell me you love me." Cato sighed, and went back to the sword fighting station.
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"I'm gonna volunteer this year." Clove said as Cato bit into his lunch. At her words, he choked on the sandwich, spit it out, and stared at her.
"You're not even sixteen, Clove. The trainers say that you have to wait until-"
"I don't care what they say! I can take out half of those tributes with my legs cut off!" Clove snapped, fingers flying to a nearby butter knife. Cato ran his hands though his messy blonde hair. What the hell was he supposed to do?
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She didn't volunteer.
"Clove Renson! Where are you, sweetie?"
Please-someone-volunteer-I-can't-lose-Clove-she's-the-only-one-I-love-and-she's-going-in-there-without-me-please-someone-volunteer…
"No volunteers." The raven haired girl snarled.
Please-pick-me-I-have-to-keep-Clove-safe-I-love-her-so-much-I-can't-live-without-her-please-pick-me…
"Evan Janeston!"
There was no way in hell Cato would've let him hurt his Clove.
His Clove.
"I volunteer!" he shouted. I can't lose you, Clove…
Clove glared at him as if he had killed her entire family.
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Cato didn't like Glimmer. The smell of her shampoo was enough to make a grown man cry (much to Clove's amusement, both Marvel and Cato threw up after the interviews). But no matter how hard he tried, Cato couldn't shake her.
A plan began to form. He didn't like the plan. Clove wouldn't like the plan. Marvel would probably hate it, too. What choice did he have?
You have a lot of choices, Cato.
Shut up.
Cato shut out his other options and put the plan into action.
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"Hey, Glim! What're you doing?" he asked. Glimmer looked up from her cozy spot on the ground. Even after a few days in the arena, her hair still reeked.
"Wha? I jus- sleepy…" she mumbled. Cato forced his next few words out.
"Come here, you look cold."
The blonde smiled and crawled over to him. Cato wanted to behead her, right then and there.
Nope. Gotta stick to the plan.
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"Cato! For God's sakes, help me!"
Cato swung his sword at the stupid wasps and started running. Marvel had Clove's hand and was half running with her and half dragging her to the river.
"Cato! Please! Please, help!"
Cato couldn't help.
Cato didn't help.
Cato didn't want to help.
He turned to his two other allies and grabbed Clove's unoccupied hand. The three stumbled towards the water, finally dousing themselves in the cool stream.
One cannon fired in the distance.
One cannon closer to safety.
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"I love you."
"Oh, okay."
"You told me to tell you if I loved you."
"Uh… thanks. It's your turn for watch."
Cato felt as if he was cutting out his own heart. He couldn't stand Clove's crestfallen expression, the tears threatening to roll down her cheeks, and the hurt in her voice.
"Kiss me." She demanded. Cato tried to slip into his tent, but Clove snatched his neck and pulled him towards her.
Cato wanted to kiss her. He had wanted to kiss her for the past six years.
"You can't feel like that. It'll get you killed. 'Night, Clove." He muttered, pulling free of her grasp and crawling into his tent.
Cato could hear her growling in frustration. He could hear the almost-sobs of the girl who never cried. Clove stayed out there for an hour before she finally got up.
"Hey, Marvel, I-"
"Don't worry, I heard. Wanna come stay with me?"
"Yeah, sure. Thanks, Marvel, you're the best."
"No problem. Want to talk about anything?"
"I don't know, Cato's just been such a jerk lately. I… sorry…"
"Shh, it's okay. You'll be fine. I'm right here."
"I love you, Marvel."
Every word that she said was a dagger in Cato's back.
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"He's dead, Cato! I can't love someone who's dead!" Clove snapped. Cato rolled his eyes and stared at the sky.
"I meant when he was alive."
"No, you said, "You love Marvel, don't you, Clove?"."
"Whatever. Just answer the question."
"I loved him a hell of a lot more than some guy who shuts me out like the whole damn word is all his!"
Angry footsteps. Unzip. Zip. Growl of frustration. Cato was used to it.
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"-two can win if both originate from the same district."
"Damn it. You want Twelve to win?" Clove shouted at the sky.
"Clove, we could go home."
"We? Since when have you cared about we?"
Cato searched his mind for an answer.
"Six years."
Clove's freckled face was contorted in thought. She finally came to a conclusion.
"It was an act. Some stupid act. Damn you, Cato."
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"-feast at the cornucopia, beginning at dawn."
"I'll go." Cato said immediately. Clove shook her head.
"No. Your ankle still looks bad."
"Don't argue, Clove. I'm gonna go."
"Fine."
"Fine!"
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Cato was still sleeping when Clove left their camp. He woke up without seeing her midnight black hair. It was the scariest moment of his life.
She was gone.
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"Cato! CATO!"
"Clove!"
No matter how fast he could've ran, he would've never stopped Clove's body from falling onto the grass.
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"Clove, Clove, Clove, no! You can't leave! Please, please, please… stay with me!" he begged, holding her cold hand to his lips.
"I love you, Cato."
Her cannon was his doom. No matter how much Cato pretended to be uninterested, it never would've made up for Clove's sacrifice.
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She gave up her future, her possibilities, and her life to help a boy who hurt her.
"I'm dead anyways."
He was dead without her, so, so dead. His heart had long since stopped pumping blood. His mind had long since stopped processing thought.
"Nah, I can still do this."
He'd do it for her. For all she have him. Cato still had some fight left deep inside, in the marrow of his bones.
"Just one more kill."
But the arrow disagreed, and Cato flew out towards the mutts.
It was the most painful thing he had felt since Clove died.
Cato stared into the black mutt's eyes. They were brown eyes, but not dark brown. They were… chocolate eyes. Chocolate eyes, black hair, a vicious snarl…
It was that mutt's bite that cut the deepest.
"Please…"
Cato directed his words to the mutt and to the Firegirl.
Please forgive me.
Please stop the pain.
He would only ever get a response to the second 'please'.
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Thanks for reading!