Author's Note: For this fanfiction I basically chronicled my headcanon of what Cato and Clove's lives were like in District Two from their early childhood until their untimely deaths. In it I include many details of my own creation but I do utilize the book's structure for most of it, although I also borrow some things from the movie's events rather than the books. If you've read the books and seen the movies, you'll probably be able to navigate it without many questions. Thank you so much for reading; this was really cathartic to write.
ETA: I love reviews. Getting them seriously makes my day. Any feedback is welcome and encouraged. Thank you all so much.
A lot has been said about the star-crossed lovers of District Two. Not as well known as the pair from 12 but still, there was an unmistakable closeness between the pair. Anyone watching them would assume that they simply knew each other from their training center, and that was true, but what was not immediately as apparent was how entwined they really were.
In District Two the children are raised like Spartans; warriors, fighters to the core. Every child is enrolled in an Academy from the age of five, and the one in which they are permitted to enroll is determined by a baseline skills test. Some of the skills tested would be common to most schools, tests of verbal and mathematical reasoning, and so forth. But the real determiner of the child's future was an understanding of the skills that would be required in the Games. However this was not, as one might expect, skills like knife throwing or sword handling. No, to gain entrance to the best Academy, the children had to be intelligent in another way—they needed to possess emotional intelligence. At first glance this might be counterintuitive, but any warrior knows that a good understanding of the human mind is the first step to winning against them in battle.
Because of this many parents took to training their children early. Now this isn't quite as bad as it sounds, when they're younger, it simply meant things that any parent would do with a baby; playing with them, giving them exercise, and interacting with them as much as possible to ensure good brain development. As children, they would see it as a fun game. If only they knew.
But by the age of three, both Cato and Clove's parents knew that they had to do more. As both children were only children (as are most from Two, so the parents could better focus their resources), they decided to introduce the pair to each other. Now in Two, two children socializing together (or training, as the district would see it) can be seen as a pre-alliance. This may seem extreme, but with everything being so calculated in their district, it was just the way things were. Every move was considered far, far in advance. Cato and Clove's parents knew this was a risk, in case the children did not relate well together, but they took it anyway, both sets wanting the best for their child and their future.
Luckily for all involved, Cato and Clove took to each other like no one could predict. They weren't just friends, they were inseparable. They would cry when their parents would take them home at night, and developed a system of communicating across the street to one each other after the day was done. It was a simple system, as they were only three, but it involved Clove putting her bear in the window after she got home to let Cato know she got home okay. Cato would then put his wooden sword in his, to let her know that he got the message. Then they would smile as they drifted off to sleep, knowing that in a few short hours they would be able to play again.