"Seriously, Cato. Do you ever stop talking about training?" I laughed, poking him in the ribs. He scoffed indignantly at me.

"Well, up until about eight months ago, I didn't have much else to talk about, did I? It's what I'm used to." I smiled a bittersweet smile, knowing that this was true. Up until Cato and I had started hanging out, by freak accident, he had no life outside of training at the Academy. I had beaten him in one of the sparring tests, which had driven him to the point of insanity. I was the only girl to ever beat him, in anything. It was pure luck, really. A sneeze. That's it. A bit of my hair had tickled up against his nose as he had me in a choke hold, causing him to sneeze and release me. I had taken his momentary lapse to turn and knee him in the groin as hard as possible, causing him to fall to the ground. I grabbed up the sword that had been laying beside us and pressed it to his windpipe. The trainer called game and Cato was pissed.

He had stormed after me as I was on my way to the showers and cornered me in an empty weapons closet. I had been worried, perhaps he hadn't chosen this room by accident. But in the end, he was broken down. It was rare that a guy beat him, but for him to be beaten by a girl was unheard of. It had completely rocked his world. What had started out as me cowering in the corner, waiting for the blow that never came, ended up with him crouched back on his haunches and me kneeling by his side, rubbing his sweaty back and reassuring him that it was simply an unfair turn of events. That he should have won, if it weren't for the sneeze. I knew that this wouldn't work completely. If it had been the real Hunger Games, he would have been dead. No time for "Yeah, it was unlucky"s.

From then on, he changed. Fell a bit off of his high horse, realizing that sometimes, shit happens. He was still cocky and arrogant, but he was a bit more manageable. We started talking more often, me liking the feeling that I had gotten when he finally got his shit together, him liking the sense of stability and reason that I had brought to him in his time of need. He also liked the fact that I didn't go blabbing to everyone about how he had broken down because he got beat by a girl. That would tarnish his reputation even more than it already had been.

It hadn't taken us very long to decide that we needed to be together. I need the excitement that he brought and he needed the stability and level headed-ness that I brought.

Our relationship was one that not many understood. We had our good days, but then we had our days where we just pissed each other off. Objects were destroyed, words were shouted, punches were thrown, then when all of our frustration was out it was just us. Laying side by side, sometimes laughing and sometimes just laying, holding each other. Most people didn't see it, but we really loved each other. That's why we stuck around. Our fights were never about anything major, usually someone just said something that rubbed the other the wrong way. Or Cato's jealous side came out over a look from another guy that lasted a bit too long for his liking. But we were happy.

After eight months, we had fallen into a routine. Every morning he would show up at my house, only about four down from his. He would wake me up, sometimes having to use a bit of force because I'm a stubborn lazy bum who enjoys her sleep. Then he, myself, and my twin sister, Clove, would go off to the Academy to train. Clove was the fighter of the family, skilled with knives and a lethal mind set. Most got the wrong impression of her, that she's just a merciless killer, but she's so much more than that. She's a quarry workers daughter who wants nothing more than to bring glory and stability to the family. She's not a merciless killer, just a determined eighteen year old girl. I was only at the Academy because it was better than the option of taking cooking and child care classes at the Trade school.

We would go back to our house for lunch then back to training until 2. After we were released, Clove would go off and do her own thing and Cato and I would to the trail leading to the lake in the valley between two small mountains. It was about a twenty minute hike to the lake where Cato and I would spend as much time as possible just doing whatever struck our fancy. Talking, swimming, exploring the land, exploring each others body, sometimes we would start off kissing and it would turn into a wrestling match. More often then not, it was the other way around.

Our lake was our little sanctuary from the blandness of District 2. Most think that because we're a Capitol favorite we get special treatment. Sure, we have nice enough houses and none go hungry, but life isn't satisfying It's never nice knowing that you only have three options for your future; Go to the Hunger Games and become a Fallen Tribute, Go the the Hunger Games and become a Victor or just not go to the Hunger games, stay in District 2 for the rest of your life, and follow in the boring steps of everyone else, with minimum job choices.

I was hoping to train and become a Trainer. I wanted nothing to do with the Hunger Games. Cato did. He loved the idea of eternal glory and all that shit. That was one of the main things we fought about. He wanted to volunteer this year. I wanted him to stay by my side. If he could just get through this year, he would never have to go to the Hunger Games. After this year, we would both be guaranteed safety. I knew Clove was going and I wasn't happy about that. But I knew she had a chance to come back home. But if both of them went, I would lose one or the other.

"Come on, Cassidy." He tugged my long brown hair lightly. "Let's just go for a swim."

I nodded as we stripped down naked and jumped in. I laughed a bit as I remembered our first time skinny dipping in this lake. When he questions my laughter, I tell him.

"The first time we came up here and you suggested we go skinny dipping. I thought you had lost your mind and I was dead set on not taking my clothes off anywhere around you."

"Changed your mind, didn't you." He smirked.

"Yeah, well, you're very convincing." And I jumped on his back, sending us both sinking into the water. We laughed and splashed around and attempted to drown each other. This is when I loved Cato the most. Not when he's at the Academy training and bossing around the other trainees. Not when he's boasting about the future that we would have together when re returned from the Games. But when he was just being Cato. Opened up and laughing, carefree and joking about. This is the Cato that I love most.

All too soon, the sun was dipping down below the small mountain, casting shadows all around the lake. "We should be getting back." He whispered into my ear. We had been laying on the lake bank, arm in arm, drying off and enjoying the sun and each others company.

"Yeah yeah. Let's get our clothes on." I had never really thought about what would happen if someone had come up on us while we were naked together, whether we were swimming or on the banks. I knew for a fact that no one doubted that we were sexually active, but no one had any proof about it. We were very discrete and neither of us boasted. Why would we, really? Our amazing nights that we spent together were meant for the two of us, not for the entire District to hear about.

We finished dressing and began our hike back to my house. The thing with Cato is that he had been taught that showing any type of emotions is showing great weakness. He had caught enough shit from his trainers and parents when they found out that we had become a couple, so we kept our acting like a couple downplayed in public. Hand holding and kissing were saved for later. There was one last kiss on my forehead before we broke past the trees and out into the town.

We walked down the street to where my house was lit up in the sun light. I could see my mum in the window, cooking dinner. My dad would be home from the Quarry soon and my sister would be arriving from wherever it was she had gone off too if she hadn't already. We walked in the front door and went to help my mum with dinner.

"Ah, there you two are. I'm all finished up here, if you'll just take everything to the table." She smiled as we walked in. Doing as she said, we each grabbed a different plate of food and took it into our dining room where there were always five chairs. Cato had become a regular at our house for meals. He didn't really like going home, said that the pressure to remain an unemotional machine was just too much. His dad would give him a good beating if he thought that he was showing too much emotion.

Dad came in as we were transporting the food to the tables. He was in the kitchen when we went back for silverware, and he and my mum were sharing a loving kiss. That's one of the many things I envy my parents of. They're so loving no matter who's around. They're happy. Not that Cato and I aren't happy, they're just so obvious about it. My dad walked over and kissed me on the forehead and patted Cato on the back.

"How you doing, son?"

"I'm great, sir. And yourself?"

"I'm at home with my family and a meal on my table. What more could I ask for?" My dad, always the optimist.

I looked at Cato when my dad said this. I could tell that he was thinking of plenty of other things. Glory, fame, fortune, emerging from the Hunger Games a victor. But he just smiled and laughed, while he caught my eye and winked.

As we gathered around the dinner table after saying our Grace to Panem and began eating. Clove had come in at the last minute and was still slightly out of breath.

"Where were you?" I asked her.

"Just some last minute training." She replied, not meeting anyone's gaze. "Surprised you weren't there, Big Boy. Figured that, since we're going to be going up against each other you'd want to at least get some training in."

Cato tensed at my side. Cato and Clove had never exactly gotten along. She still saw him as the jerk that ran around the Academy with an ego that was so big there was barely room for anyone else. He just saw her as my violent and dangerous sister.

"That's enough, Clove. Let's not talk about this now." My mum reprimanded her.

"Not talk about it now? If we don't talk about it now then when will we ever get to talk about it? Tomorrow is Reaping Day. If both of you stubborn asses are dead set on volunteering, then you'll both be leaving. And one, if not both, of you will never come back. We will never again get to sit at this table and eat dinner as a family. Never get to train together, or go up to the lake. Never all have a future together. Never have a complete family. If both of you go, either way, this family is losing a person that can never be replaced."

There was an awkward silence. I wasn't one to get emotional. Well, I do get emotional, but I hide it very well. But tears had come to my eyes during my little speech or outburst or whatever you want to call it.

I stood, excusing myself from the table, and walked calmly out of the room. Once I was out of their sight, I ran up to my room and sat on my bed staring out the window. The sun was still lighting the sky up in a beautiful sunset. I heard my door open and knew that it would be Cato. The others would know to leave me alone for a little while. But not him. If I was upset, he wanted it to be fixed immediately. He's one of two people that could completely fix what was upsetting me, and both of them refused to.

He sat on the bed behind me and pulled me into a laying position. "Let's just watch the sun set for a minute." He whispered into my ear as he kissed my forehead, nose and neck gently. I laid back into him, allowing him to wrap his arms around my waist. I held onto his strong arms and watched out the window as the sun slowly dipped down out of our view and the pink and orange clouds turned a dark grey.

"My parents will want to talk about this." I said knowingly. He nodded. He knew that they would too.

"First, I have a demand." He said in a low voice.

"A demand? I'm listening."

"Kiss me." This was a demand that I would easily obey. I climbed on top of his stomach and placed my lips onto his. Normally our kisses were full of lust and longing. This time, the longing was there but the lust was replaced with something else. Sadness. Sadness at knowing that this would be our last kiss for a while. And in the back of my head, there was a little voice, one that was hard to ignore, whispering that it could be our last kiss forever.

Slowly but surely, we climbed out of the bed and walked down the stairs where my parents and Clove were gathered in the living room. They all looked up from the news broadcast, talking about the Reaping tomorrow, as we walked in and sat on the couch.

"We figured you guys would want to talk about this. Obviously it's a sore subject and one that should have probably been addressed before the night before the Reaping, but here we are. Good ole Flynn family procrastinators."

My mother smiled a sad smile at my attempt at humor but she and my father both nodded. They did want to talk about it.

The television was turned off and all five of us sat forward, no one sure of where to start. Cato and I were sitting as close as possible, not wanting any more space between us until we absolutely had to be separated. I knew that I had no chance of convincing him to stay behind. Getting Clove to relent was my only possible way to end this nightmare that it seemed I had fallen into. A nightmare that wasn't really a nightmare, but reality.

My father, always the smooth talker, was the one that started the conversation. "So, the problem here is that both Cato and Clove want to volunteer tomorrow for the Games, right?" There were nods around the room. Clove was shooting daggers at Cato and I every time she turned her head to look at us. Cato was focusing on my dad. "This is, in no way, an ideal situation. I know that both of you are eighteen and that this is your last year to enter the Hunger Games, but maybe one of you can back down. Surely you understand how hard it will be, if you both go in. I'm not just talking about for us, the viewers at home watching two loved ones fight to the death knowing that only one can come out, but for the both of you, as well. Think about it, if it comes down to the two of you in the end, which I have no doubt in my mind is what would happen, would either of you be able to kill the other one? Clove, could you honestly look Cato in the eyes and kill him, knowing that while you're coming home, he's in the arena forever? Knowing that Cassy will never forgive you for taking Cato away from her? And Cato, could you, knowing how much Cassy loves her sister and how much they mean to each other, kill Clove and come home? You both love Cassidy, that much is obvious. But which of you loves her more? Which of you loves her enough to stay?"

I felt my cheeks blushing. I had, in no way, known that I was going to be the center of the argument. I know that my reasons for wanting one, or both, of them to stay behind are completely selfish. But I had thought that maybe someone else had a good reason.

There was a long pause before Clove spoke up. "We both love Cass equally, if in different ways."

"I don't understand why you guys even want to go in these damn Games." I spit out the last word.

"Fighting is all that I'm good at." Cato said, sounding sad. "It's all I've ever known. I don't want to know that I spent my entire life training for these Games, becoming an unemotional monster for these Games, losing all of my real friends, forgetting about a real education... If I don't go in and win, then I will be stuck here living as a Quarry worker for the rest of my life. No offense at all to you, Mr. Flynn. There's nothing wrong with a Quarry worker, but it's not what I want to spend my life doing. I want to be able to provide an easy, stress free life for my family. I want you to be happy knowing that our kids will always have what they need and want. I want to come back a Victor, finally have my parents be proud of me, marry you and have kids that will never have to face their parents forcing them into the Games. The Games can give me this possibility."

He wanted to marry me? Where as that normally would have made me the most happy person in the District, if not all of Panem, now it only made it worse. Knowing that he wanted to live with me for the rest of his life and have kids, kids who are free to make their own choices and not feel like they have to become Victors in order to feel our love and appreciation, only made the fact that I may lose him forever in the next few weeks. He and I sat staring into each others eyes for the longest time. I could feel the truth in his words, I knew that he wasn't lying. I had always known he would be going into the Games. Always. I knew that he could see the defeat in my eyes, and then the spark of hope as I heard my dad ask Clove why she wanted to go in.

"More or less for the same reason that Cato does. I know that you've never pressured me to become a Tribute, but it's all that I've ever wanted. If I don't become a Tribute, then what will I become? A nurse like you, Mum? You know how I am with people. Go work in the daycare? I can't stand taking care of kids. A cook? I can't even cook toast. I, like Cato, have spent my entire life training for this fight. This one fight that matters more than any of the others. I don't have any reason to not go. I don't have a boyfriend keeping me here. I don't have any friends, besides Cass, and it hardly counts since she's my sister. I don't have any skills other than throwing knives. Yeah, I'm smart, but what good will that do me after? I'm smart enough to win these Games and come back a Victor. Bring fame and glory to the family, move us to Victor Row, and not have to worry anymore. Dad can quit his job at the Quarry, since we all know how much you hate it there. Mum, you can stop working yourself to death. Anything would be possible with this one victory."

I had broken eye contact with Cato when Clove had mentioned my name, talking about how I was her only friend. I suppose that Cato and Clove were my only friends too, but I had never realized that I was her only.

"Where do you go, every day when we get out of training?" I asked her, confused about why she was always missing.

"I come here, grab a bite to eat, then go back to the Academy. Every day. That's all I ever do, Cassidy. Is train." She said sadly. I could tell that I was getting no where with either of them. I would feel so selfish if I asked either of them to stay. There was a moment while I collected my thoughts, thought over what I was going to say. My thoughts were uninterrupted. Everyone could tell that I was thinking this through.

Finally, I nodded. "Okay, I'm sorry. I've been selfish. Of course I don't want to lose either of you. And I wouldn't be able to choose which of you I would rather loose, because the thought of losing either one of you tears me apart. But this is what both of you truly want. This is how it's going to be. I just love both of you so much. I suppose that I was hoping that we could all just be one big happy family. I guess that in reality, nothing ever turns out the way that you hoped it would. But it always turns out for the best, right? Whatever happens happens just the way that it was meant to."

My parents, Cato and Clove all turned to look at me with shocked faces. I've never one to give up a fight for something that I really and truly want or want to happen. But I love both of them and I could never ask them to throw away their dreams just to make me happy.

Of course, I had been hoping that one of them might change their minds during the night.

It was later that night, or early the next morning if you want to look at it that way. My parents had told Cato to just stay the night, knowing that we would want to spend his last night before he was whisked off to the Capitol together. He, Clove and I had went for a walk, talking about anything but the Games. I was going to miss having both of them around. I wasn't sure what I was expected to do without one of them here for me to cry to. But I'd told myself not to think like that anymore. Yeah, it was going to tear me up inside, but I just had to let what was going to happen, happen. We got back to our house and retired to our separate rooms. Laying in bed after an amazing night with Cato, I couldn't sleep. I wanted Clove. I thought Cato was sleeping, but I was wrong. He must have known what was wrong.

"Go see if Clove's awake. If she is, bring her in here. There's plenty of room." He said softly. I leaned up and smiled at him, kissing him on the lips softly. He always knew just what I needed.

I got out of the bed and tip toed down the hall to Cloves room. I knocked as I opened the door and saw her, already awake, just laying in bed.

"Hey, Clover. Wanna come sleep in here with me?" I practically begged her.

"You sure Big Boy won't mind?" She whispered back with a hint of distaste in her voice.

"He's actually the one that suggested it first. He's not as bad as you think he is, Clove. Are you coming or not?"

She nodded her head as she crawled out of bed and tip toed to my room with me. As we crawled into my bed, by back pressed up against Cato's stomach, has arms wrapped around me, my head on Cloves shoulder and our hands clasped together for dear life, I felt happy for the first time. I had the two people I loved more than anything by my side, even if only for tonight.

When mum came in and woke us up later that morning, I could hear the tears in her voice.

"The Reaping starts in an hour, you three." She laid a hand on Cloves cheek sadly and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"We'll be ready." I promised her as she walked out. Clove turned her head to face mine and we just stared into each others eyes for a minute. My twin, my best friend, my sister. Going into a death match. Normally I would have no doubt as to if she could win or not. But then there was Cato. They could both make it to the very end, I had no doubt in my mind of that. But if they were to make it to the final two, could I still love the one that came home as much as I do now? Would I be able to look them in the eye and feel anything other than hate and sadness? I already knew the answer to that.

"I should go get ready." Clove whispered, breaking our stares. I nodded my head and she, like our mother had done to her, laid a hand on my cheek and kissed my forehead. "I love you, Cass Bass."

"I love you more, Clovely." I smiled at the use of our child hood nicknames.

"Never." She said as she floated out of the room. I could feel the tears in my eyes as I turned to face Cato. He was staring at me with a sadness that I had never seen in his eyes.

"I'm sorry." He choked out.

"Then why are you doing this? Let Clove go. Let Clove win. Then we can move in with her on Victors Row and live happy."

"Because what happens when she gets married and has her own family? Letting Clove win and bringing the glory and ease of life isn't going to help us in the future."

"I know." I whispered. "It never hurts to try and change your mind."

"I love you. And I'm coming home to you." He promised.

"I don't want to hear that. I don't want to hear either of you saying that. Because saying that is a promise that the other person that I love more than anyone else isn't coming home to me."

He nodded, understanding what I meant. "I'll think of you the whole time. Just don't think differently of me. When it's all over, no matter who comes back, Clove and I will both be murderers. Don't let that change your love for either of us."

"I won't." I promised quietly.

"I love you, Cassidy. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. And I want you to wear this, as a promise that you'll always love me. And that you'll always be mine." He had pulled out a ring and slipped it onto my left index finger. The finger reserved for marriage.

"I promise. I love you, Cato." I kissed him as passionately as I could before I stood up to get ready for the Reaping. Clothes in District 2 were never a big deal. Most trainees just wore something comfortable that they could fight in. But today I had to go to the back of my closet to pull out a dress that would be deemed appropriate. Cato had long since moved some of his clothes over to my closet, so he stood beside me as we dressed.

We were all dressed and had eaten a bit of breakfast with ten minutes to go until the Reaping began. My parents, Clove, Cato and I left the house together. I held tightly on to both of their hands, not wanting to let go of either. But eventually we made it to the check in line and I had to. Cato walked over to the guys booth and Clove got in front of me. When we had our fingers pricked and were told to go ahead, we followed the mass of girls to where the stage was in front of sectioned off groups of kids, ranging from 12 to 18. Guys were on the left and girls were on the right with the 12 year olds in the back and the 18 year olds in the front.

Clove and I reclaimed each others hands as I sought out Cato's eyes. I found him, not that it was hard considering he stood a good three inches above most of the guys in his age range, standing near the front. We locked eyes and he smiled. I returned his smile and turned to the front as our escort, Vannie, walked onto the stage.

"Welcome, welcome District 2, to another years Hunger Games!" Vannie was so Capitol that I had to bite back a laugh. She was probably about 5'6 but with her huge heels, she stood at about 6'. Her face was dyed a strange orange color and her turquoise hair clashed horribly. Her make up matched her hair as did the tight dress with bows sticking out everywhere. We may have to fight to the death here in the Districts, but at least we didn't look like that. "Please turn your attention to the screen as we enjoy a marvelous film put together for you from the Capitol itself!"

The video was the same one that had been watched every year. The only thing that changed was they would add in some of the footage from the most recent Games. The voice on the video was a calm voice, one very different from most Capitol voices, as they were normally high pitched, squeaky and too enthusiastic about everything. When the video was over, Vannie stepped back up to the microphone.

"Wasn't that just... spectacular!" She gushed, as if we hadn't just watched kids being forced to kill each other by the Capitol. "Now, let's start the selection, shall we? Ladies first, of course."

She walked over to the Girls Reaping bowl and stuck her hand in, dramatically swirling it around. We had considerably less slips than most of the other districts as no one in District 2 had to put in extra for Tesserae. We had enough to eat here. Finally pulling out a slip, she walked back to the microphone. "And the Tribute for District 2 is..." She paused dramatically as she unfolded the slip. "Callie Powers!"

Callie, a fifteen year old girl who wasn't a student at the Academy, walked up to the stage. She wasn't nervous. None of the chosen tributes ever were. There were always volunteers. "Well done, Callie! Congratulations! Now, do we have any volunteers?"

"I volunteer!" Clove shouted out from my side, stepping forward. She had a tight grip on my hand still and she squeezed it as she gave me a kiss on the forehead and walked up to the stage.

"Lovely! Lovely. What's your name?"

"Clove Stone." She said confidently, looking as fierce a competitor as I've ever seen. Clove and I are both very short compared to most and it is all up to the looks that we get in our eyes to make people take me seriously. I was scared. This was it. She had volunteered. No going back now. No changing her mind. Tears came to my eyes as Vannie congratulated her and asked her to step to the side. I looked over for Cato's eyes once more. He didn't break eye contact with me the entire time as he raised his hand and shouted, "I volunteer.", relieving the chosen Tribute of his death sentence. He bounded up the stage and Vannie looked at him with a gleam in her eye. Yes, Cato is a big boy. Tall and muscular. An amazing face, the right air of arrogance. He would get many sponsors. District 2 had not let her down this year.

"And what's your name?" She asked.

"Cato Flynn." He spoke confidently, with a smirk on his face. I toyed with the ring that he had slipped on my fingers this morning. This ring would become my rock for the next few weeks. The only part of Cato that I had left with me. I had brought a locked from home, one that had a picture of us taken from a few years earlier. We were at our lake with Clove. The other side of the locket had a picture of Clove and I, taken from the same day. Our parents had brought a locket bracelet for Clove. It had the same picture as my locket along with a picture of our entire family.

My tears fell freely as I watched the two of them on the stage, smirking and showing off for the country to see. Around me, the girls that knew of my relations with the both of them were looking at me with pity. I felt a hand on the small of my back, placed softly and comfortingly. I turned and saw Myra Boulware smiling sadly at me. I just stared as she walked up beside me and placed a comforting arm around my shoulder, bringing me into her. Maybe I wouldn't be alone this whole time. It would be nice to have a friend by my side, although I had hardly considered Myra a friend up until now. It's not that we were enemies, but she had always been slightly jealous of Cato and I and I had always been slightly jealous of her easy going life. Her mother had been a Victor, and as a rarity, she hadn't forced her to enter the Games. Myra trained at the Academy, but it was a choice, like mine, made because it was better than the other options.

The Mentors, Lyme and Brutus, had come up onto the stage and said a few words about how they knew that District 2 would be coming home a Victor. We hadn't been the winning district in about 4 years and I knew that a lot of people found this blasphemous.

Cato and Clove were ushered off stage and Myra led me over to where my parents were waiting to go say our goodbyes. When we got to them, Myra stopped and turned to me.

"I'll be here the whole time." She promised. "I'll wait right outside the gates for you and we can go watch the Reapings together."

I nodded. Right, I would have to be at the Academy to watch the Reapings. We would have to be there every day for all of the broadcasts for the next week to watch the Parade, the predictions and commentaries from inside sources, receive the training scores, and then the interviews. After that, we would be expected to stay at the Academy until the end of the Games. Before it hadn't been that bad. More like a huge slumber party with a particularly gruesome, constant movie to watch. But that's because before, I had Cato and Clove with me the whole time. Training would be stopped and the Academy would become my home until the Games are over. "Th-thank you." I mumbled out, gracious but still shocked by her kindness.

"Give them both a hug for me." She said as she hugged me. This was another shocker. Most people in District 2 didn't express emotions, especially not physically, unless it was to a person that meant a lot to them. Maybe Myra's not as bad as I thought.

As my parents and I made our way up to the Justice Building, we decided that we would go separately. I would go see Cato first and then go see Clove. Have them both to myself for at least five more minutes.

When I walked into the building and told the Peacekeeper who I was there to see, I was ushered into a room off to the right and was immediately bombarded with Cato. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed me, as if to make sure that I would never forget the feel of his soft lips on mine and the taste of vanilla and mint.

"This isn't goodbye, right?" He choked.

"Right." I nodded as he sat me down. "Myra wanted me to give you a hug. She said she would be there by my side the whole time."

He smiled. "At least you have someone."

"I love you, Cato. I can't believe that you're going into the Games. You'll do great. Just be careful. Trust no one but Clove." At mentioning Cloves name, I teared up even worse and ran back into his arms. "Take care of her, Cato. Please. Don't let anyone hurt her."

"I won't. She'll be fine." He promised into my ear. He sat me down back onto the ground.

"Now dry up those tears." I commanded. "No one's going to sponsor a cry baby." I attempted to tease him. It didn't work very well as I was crying myself, but he still stood up straighter and smirked. I took the locket off of my neck and latched it around his. "A bit girly, I know, but I want you to have it while you're in the arena. Bring it back to me safely." I kissed his cheek when I had placed the locket on him.

"Of course."

We spent the rest of the short five minutes just hugging each other. When the Peacekeepers came to bring me out, I almost put up a fight. I hugged him one last time and had to force myself to let go, afraid that if I let go, I may never get to touch him again. "I love you, Cato."

"You have my ring. You have my heart. I'll be coming back for it." He promised. "I love you, Cassidy."

Then the door shut, blocking out my view of the one man I had always planned to spend the rest of my life with. I turned to the Peacekeepers that had taken me out of the room. "I would like to see my sister now."

"Sister?" One of them asked. "One's your boyfriend and one's your sister?"

I nodded.

The Peacekeeper took me to the room that my parents had just been brought out of. "Rough spot, huh?" She asked.

"You have no idea." She tapped my back as I walked into the room. I thought that it may was supposed to be a comforting tap, but the Peacekeepers aren't supposed to show emotion.

When I walked in, Clove was standing by the window, toying her bracelet. She turned and a look of relief fell onto her face.

"I thought you weren't coming." She sounded scared.

"You really thought I wouldn't come see my sister off?" I smirked. "You're out of your mind."

"I thought you were mad at me for still volunteering."

"I'm not happy about it. But I'll get over it. It's what you both want." We stood staring into each others faces one more time before we both took off towards each other. A long hug ensued, one that took up most of our five minutes.

"I love you, you know that?" She asked. "You're my favorite sister, Cass Bass."

"I'm your only sister, Clovely. But I love you too. I hope you know that. I love you more than anyone else. Even more than mom and dad."

She pulled back and smiled. "We've had fun, so much fun."

"We're going to have more fun, Clove. When you get back." I promised her. Then I broke. "Take care of him, Clove. Please, take care of him. Trust him, he will be the only person that you can trust completely. Don't let any one else hurt him. Only you can hurt him. Promise me."

"I promise." She whispered, voice cracking. We pulled apart when the door was opened.

"I love you, Clove."

"I'll always love you, Cassidy."

"See you when you get back."

"It's a date." She smirked as I was pulled from the room. I was released out the door where my parents were waiting for me. I was going to be strong. I wasn't going to let any one see me cry.

"Did you go see Cato?" I asked them.

"Of course we did. The poor boy has no other parents to come see him. He told us his parents would expect him to know what he was going to say and that if he wanted to see them again he would have to win."

"Yeah, well. That's the Flynn's for you."

"He also told us," My dad cut in. "That he gave you a ring?"

I nodded, holding it up for them to see. "It's beautiful, Cass." My mom noted, sadly. "We have to go now. I've got to be at the Hospital in thirty minutes and your dad has to be in the quarry at the same time. Are you going straight to the Academy?"

I nodded, "Myra is waiting for me outside the gates."

"We'll see you at home later then." They both kissed me on the forehead. My mom walked away to go get ready, but my dad told her he would catch up. He placed both of his hands on my shoulders and looked me dead in the eyes.

"Cassidy, I want to tell you that it's going to be okay. I want to hold you and rock you like I used to when you were younger. I want to be able to make that beautiful smile come to your face. But I can't lie to you. You're old enough now, and smart enough, to know what this means. Just know that whatever the outcome, both of them love you. And that no matter what, you always have your mother and I. You're not alone."

"I know, dad. I know that one of them, if not both of them, aren't going to come home. I know that this is a messed up situation. But I know that it'll be okay. No matter what the outcome, life moves on and I'll just have to deal with it, just as every one else will. I love you guys too." I kissed him on the cheek and we walked out of the town square where the Reapings had been held. True to her word, Myra was waiting for me on the sidewalk that goes to the Academy. "I'll see you tonight, dad."

"See you tonight, Cass Bass."

So he left Myra and I standing on the edge of the sidewalk. "Are you ready?" She asked.

"No. I want to know why you're doing this. We've barely ever even talked before. Why are you being so nice to me?"

She looked at me with a face that was half sadness, half disbelief. "I'm doing it because you're having your boyfriend and your sister taken away from you at the same time. I know you don't have many other people you actually consider to be friends. You are always with the two of them. I can't even imagine how hard it would be to have my only two friends taken away. If I had friends, that is. I know what it's like to be alone, but you're not just alone, you were LEFT. No one should go through that without a friend."

We stood in silence for a minute as she let me process what she had just said. It was a pity gesture, but it was a pity gesture that I would accept. Besides, it sounded like she needed a friend too. "Why don't you have any friends?" I asked her as we began walking to the Academy.

"Because I'm not like the rest of the trainees. I don't care about the Games. I'm only in the Academy because I don't want to have to go to the trade school and learn how to take care of children and cook and all that stupid stuff."

"That's how I am!" I told her. "I'm hoping that I'll be able to get hired on at the Academy as a trainer, because there really aren't any other jobs that interest me."

"I figure that's what I'll end up doing. I don't necessarily have to work, with my mom being a Victor, but it's better than sitting around doing nothing, you know?"

"You're not like the other Victors kids at all. They're all either lazy bums who do nothing but bask in their parents glory that was earned way before their time or all about the Games, determined to win and gain their own glory." I pointed out.

"I don't care about glory. I just want to be happy."

"I understand that perfectly. I guess we're more alike than we thought. I don't know why we never figured this out before." I told her.

She just shrugged, "Honestly, I was always intimidated to come up and talk to you. You were always either with Cato or Clove and I know that they're both really into the training, I wasn't sure how they would react to me not being like they are."

"Oh, please. They put up with me! They want the glory. They want the easy going life of a Victor. But they don't dislike people that are different than they are."

"If only I had known."

We walked into the Academy and it hit me why I was here with Myra instead of Cato and Clove. Walking over here, I had forgotten that I would be watching them on the screen.

"Are you ready for this?" Myra asked as we stood outside the front doors.

"No. Let's just go."

We walked in and saw everyone standing around. The Reapings wouldn't be shown for another two hours, but it was tradition that everyone would gather here as soon as the Reapings were over. As we walked in the door, I caught pitiful glances, everyone knew that Clove was my sister. Some knew that Cato was my boyfriend. Although it was thought of as an honor to represent your district in the Games, pity was still felt for the friends and family left behind.

I stood, back straight and head tall, not wanting the pity of everyone in the Academy. Myra and I walked through the crowds of teenagers and trainers straight into the viewing room. The viewing room was set up like an indoor amphitheater. There was a humongous screen in the front of the room with a stage underneath it. Rows and rows of seats, curved flat smooth cement blocks, surrounded it forming a half circle. It was comfy if a little chilly. The only people in the room besides Myra and myself were three trainers who had work vigorously with us in the eighteen year old division. They were used to their recent students going into the Games.

As Myra and I took our seats close to the front in the middle, the three of them came over and sat by us. They were alright, really. Percy, a young red head boy no more than five years older than me with freckles covering his face, was the warmest. Apollo and Athena were both a bit colder, twins who had lost their younger brother to the Games only two years ago. I had known Triton well. He often trained with Cato, who was always more advanced than his age group. "How are you holding up?" the red head asked me.

"I'm fine." I replied shortly.

"Really? Because I know for a fact that you happen to have relationships with both of the Tributes this year." Athena said, a bit coolly.

"I'm fine." I repeated, not wanting to show any weakness.

"Well, at least she's not wallowing in self pity." Apollo noted to Athena as the two of them walked away. Percy had stayed.

"You know, it's really not that bad. I lost my girlfriend to the Games. It took me a while to get over it, but here I am. Still alive." I knew that he was trying to help, but it just made it worse. Everyone was already talking as if I had already lost someone.

I suppose I had, I just didn't know which one.

"I'll leave you to your thoughts then." Percy replied after receiving no acknowledgment that he had spoken. I felt bad, so I quickly replied with a thank you. He turned to me with understanding eyes. "Just remember, you're not alone."

That was the third person who had said that to me in the past hour. Instead of being tired of hearing it, I welcomed it more and more. "I know, thank you." I nodded. He smiled at me once more before rejoining Apollo and Athena on the other side.

Myra and I sat in a comfortable silence. I wasn't one who constantly had to be talking and I was thankful that she didn't appear to be either. I wasn't sad right now. I was okay. I was numb. Just thinking about random things that had happened with Clove and Cato. At some points, I actually felt happy remembering these things. But it wasn't a very long lasting feeling. I suppose that I was okay, knowing that they were both still alive. Plus knowing that I would get one of them back made it a little easier. I don't know how some of the districts could stand it. Most Districts sent off two of their children knowing that neither of them would return. And they normally didn't. There were very few Victors that didn't belong to District 1, 2 or 4. I glanced over to see what she was doing a couple times during my thoughts, and she was always just sitting there with a content look on her face. I didn't feel awkward, and I was hoping she didn't either.

Percy came over to us a little bit later. "There's food in the front room, if you want to go get something to eat."

Myra looked at me and I smiled. "You go ahead. I'm not that hungry."

I wasn't sure that I could stomach food. I was doing okay, really, I was. But I hadn't even thought about putting something that could be thrown up into my body. Besides, I wasn't looking forward to dealing with a large crowd of people.

"I'll be back in a few minutes." She promised.

"Take your time, really. Don't rush back here because of me. I'll be okay."

She nodded as she stood up and walked out of the viewing room. Percy was still standing awkwardly beside me and I looked up at him. "Mind if I sit down?"

"Go ahead." I motioned.

"I know it's probably a sore subject right now, but I just wanted to ask you what you think about this. How confident are you?"

"I'm very confident. One of them will come back. They both have the ability to make it to the final two."

"What are their weaknesses?"

"Cato... has a temper problem. It takes him a while to control it, and if it's not controlled then it gets bad. He has no recollection of what he does. He says that he 'sees red'. And when he sees red, that's all that he sees." Percy nodded. He had seen his temper flair a few times during training, but I was almost positive he had never seen it in it's full burning glory. I'd only seen it twice myself and it was something that I never wanted to see.

"And Clove?"

"Clove doesn't look the part. Unless the sponsors see how bad ass she is with her knives, they more than likely won't understand that she's actually a good bet to win. Sponsors can be the difference between life and death in these games."

"She's a 'Career'. All sponsors know that if you come from District 2, you're worth taking the risk. They know that we would never send up someone who wasn't prepared to come home into these Games. They also know that sometimes being small can be an advantage."

I smiled. "You're right. Thanks, Percy." He patted my shoulder as he stood up.

"Any time."

As he was walking up the stairs to leave the room, Myra was coming back down them.

"I brought you some food and a drink." She said as she handed over a glass of water and a plate with a sandwich and some chips on it. "I know you said you weren't hungry but I just thought that maybe some food would do you some good. If you don't want to eat it, I under-"

"Thanks, Myra. I'm actually really hungry. I'm just scared to eat. I'm not sure how good I'll be at holding it down."

"Well, the it doesn't hurt to try. You can't starve yourself until the end of the Games."

"Yeah, I suppose." I began to nibble on the sandwich. But apparently I was hungrier than I thought I was because it was gone in no time. "I guess I really did need food." I laughed.

The other trainees has begun filing in now and were all spread out around us. This meant the Reaping Replays would begin at any time now. A few minutes later, Flint, the main Trainer at the Academy, walked on stage.

"Alright, guys. The Reaping is going to start in two minutes. I want it quiet in here." There were collective nods and Flint sat down. Sure enough, the screen crackled to life as Caesar Flickerman, with his horribly dyed blue hair and twinkling blue suit, along side Claudius Templesmith, a pale, pale, pale short man, were laughing about a joke made off camera.

"And here we are! Welcome to the start of the 74th Hunger Games!" Caesar announced in his gameshow host voice. "And here with me is the Capitol's very own, Claudius Templesmith!"

"Yes, yes. Quite exciting. Quite exciting. The Reaping Replay is the first time that our country gets a look at the Tributes who we will be rooting for over the next few weeks. Let's get this started, shall we?"

"Ah-we shall!"

The video cut immediately to District 1, where a tall blonde Career girl named Glimmer was standing, smiling, beside another Career, Marvel. No surprises there. District 1 always had volunteers just like we did.

Next it showed Cato and Clove, both standing on stage with almost identical smirks on their faces looking braver than I could ever imagine looking.

The other tributes ranged from small, scared and almost crying to small, attempting to look brave, but only coming off as pathetic. Other than the male tribute for 11, a humongous scary looking guy, the Career alliance should have no problems this year. And I had no doubt in my mind that Cato and Clove would be able to take Shiny and Sparkle from District 1 out. If they could get District 11's boy to join the Careers and then make him the first kill of the alliance, then this game was in the bags.

"So, you think it'll be Cato, Clove, Glimmer, Marvel and Thresh?" Myra asked me.

"Who?" I had no idea who she was talking about.

"Glimmer and Marvel from 1 and Thresh from 11. Weren't you paying attention at all?" She laughed a bit.

"Oh, yeah, no sorry, not really. I guess I was distracted. But yeah, that sounds about right."

Flint was back up on the stage. "Well, looks like we'll be having our Victor back soon! Shoddy lot this year." He laughed. "We'll expect everyone up here at five tomorrow night for the broadcast of the Parade. Don't be late." He warned as he stepped off the stage and Trainees of the Academy stood to go home. I waited until most of the people had left and Myra waited with me.

"Are you going home?" She asked. "Because if you need someone to be with-"

"Yeah, no it's okay. I told my parents I would be home right after the broadcast. But thanks anyways." I smiled at her, still a little unsure of if this was all real or not.

"Well, I can walk you home. Unless you want to be alone, of course."

"No, you can walk with me." We stood and made our way out of the Academy with no more words spoken.

"So, how are you feeling? And I really want to know. Not just a 'fine'. I'm asking because I'm concerned for you." She finally spoke up as we were out of hearing range of most people.

I took a moment before responding. "Honestly, I'm a little confused about everything. I'm not sure how to feel or who I want to come home more. Most would say that that is appalling, considering Clove is my sister. And I feel that way myself sometimes, but then I think of Cato and I can't imagine losing him for good either. I don't think that the worst has hit me yet. I'm sure it will be worse tonight, when neither of them are there. And waking up in the morning. And even worse actually watching the Games. I guess you could say I'm alright for now. I'm just going with it. Sitting here at home crying about it won't change the fact that they both volunteered and, when one of them dies, it won't change the fact that they're dead. Or that they left knowing that it was a possibility."

"You're strong." She finally said after thinking over my words. "I don't know what I would do in your situation. And having to sit at the Academy where you've trained with the both of them and watched Game after Game for so long... I don't think I would make it. I would end up going crazy like that Victor from the fish district."

"I'm not strong, just a good actress. And a very convincing person. For now, I've still got myself believing that I'm okay. But I'm sure that it'll break soon."

We walked in silence for a few more minutes before reaching my house.

"This is me." I said as I pointed. "Thanks for walking with me. Do you want to come in for dinner?"

"I wish, but I'm sure my mom is waiting for me at home. She'll be so pissed that I didn't volunteer this year and will want an explanation as well as a complete break down of the Tributes."

"But all you've seen is the Reapings!"

"Doesn't matter. She want's me to remember hair color, eye color, a physical feature or action that distinguishes them from the rest, a break down of who I think will be killed off in the bloodbath, my estimated final 8, 4, 2 and the Victor... She takes the Games very seriously. It's as if she never left."

"Well, good luck with all of that. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I'll be here at four. We can walk to the Academy together."

"I'll see you then. And Myra, thanks for being a friend. It seems you're the only one I have in this town now."

"I know what it's like not to have anyone. I'm not going to let you go through that if I can stop it. No one deserves it. I'll see you tomorrow."

And she was gone. My one friend in this town was walking back towards the Academy. Victors Row was situated about 100 yards away from the Academy. She really had walked far out of her way. And now, as she was walking away to her home where she would be quizzed about all of the Games that she never wanted a part of, I found myself pitying her. At least I would be able to suffer through these Games without someone constantly looking down on me for not volunteering.

I walked into the house and saw my mom carrying plates from the kitchen into the dining room.

"Oh, there you are." She smiled sadly as she saw me. "Grab the silverware, dear?"

"Yeah, sure." I nodded and walked into the kitchen grabbing the pile of knives, forks and spoons. I heard mom yelling for my dad as I walked into the dining room.

It hurt, everyone going about their business like normal. Like my sister and boyfriend, their child and other childs boyfriend, hadn't just been ripped from their lives and placed into the Hunger Games, where only one of them can come home. I think what hurt the worse was how easy it was to go along with it. Dinner was filled with small talk, nothing more than that. No talking about our feelings or disbelief that this had happened to us. Just simple little, every day talk. The weather, my moms job, dads work, if I was still interested in becoming a trainer. Then it was off to my room to be alone with nothing more than my thoughts for company.

I think this is going to be one of the hardest parts. Going through this without the two of them by my side. I know Myra said I could turn to her, but I just wasn't sure how I felt about crying my eyes out on a relative strangers shoulder. Besides, she wouldn't be there by my side at night. The nights I would have to battle out by myself. At least for now.