I'M SORRY, I DIDN'T KNOW
"Enobaria!" Brutus called all the way from the other side of the training center. It was Brutus and Enobaria's turn to be at the training center during this cycle. They broke up after Enobaria realized that he wanted her only for her body, not because he actually loved her. They've hated each other ever since; more like Enobaria hated him more than he hated her. She was madder at herself than at him for giving in on his lies and fake compliments. Brutus simply ignored her and teased her, a lot after they split. "Have you been eating a lot, lately? You don't have your… usual figure."
Enobaria glared at him and walked out of the room, embarrassed by what Brutus commented in front of everyone. Brutus followed her, ready to tease her as much as he wanted to. "Go away!"
"Woah," Brutus said as he held his hands up. "What's the big deal? Yeah, I teased you. But I do that all the time. What's the big deal?"
"You wouldn't understand," she said as she turned around.
Brutus was so confused right now. "Look, if this is about what I said back there, I –"
"Forget it!" she snapped. She walked away and left without another word.
XXX
"Brutus! Enobaria!" Lyme called. She was the Commander of District 2 and a victor. She was scary and stern, also a little cold. "You two will be working late shifts tonight because I need you both to prepare the training center for evaluations tomorrow. No buts."
"Fine," Enobaria said. Brutus just shrugged and nodded.
XXX
Brutus and Enobaria entered the training center, ready to get over with the long night they had ahead of them. "I'll take the weapons; you take care of combat station and score board."
He didn't complain and just got down straight to work. As he was preparing the mats, he noticed Enobaria was a little weak. She had a little trouble with carrying some of the weapons and she seemed to tire easily. Brutus shrugged back his thoughts and focused on his work.
After Enobaria finished with her part of the bargain, she began to throw knives. Brutus quickly finished up and decided to join her in knife throwing. "I'm sorry… about earlier today."
"Whatever," Enobaria said before she threw a knife at the center of the target; the heart.
Brutus was a little worried and concerned. "Are you sure?"
"Just drop it," she commanded.
He picked up a knife and attempted to throw it, but ended up almost throwing it at his foot. Enobaria couldn't stop the laughter from escaping her mouth. "How could someone be so bad at throwing knives?"
"Well, I haven't been throwing knives my entire life, like you have," Brutus said defensively, but still in a teasing manner.
Enobaria calmed herself down from the laughter and helped Brutus out a little bit with knife throwing. Brutus decided to pay back the favor and teach her how to throw a spear. She was a natural, he had to admit. "Wanna do a little combat?"
Enobaria was a little unsure and hesitant. "Uhhh… Sure."
They both walked up to the center and prepared themselves in the fighting stance. After about nine minutes of fighting, Brutus finally had her under him. "Give up!"
"Never!" Enobaria shouted, not being able to control her laughter. Brutus also couldn't help a smile from escaping his mouth.
As she attempted to get back up, Brutus's hand accidentally lifted up her shirt, exposing her stomach and waist area. He never expected to see something like this, especially from her. He could clearly see her rib cage underneath all the skin. "Enobaria, what –?"
She quickly brought down her shirt. "Don't." She pushed him off her and got up from the floor.
"Enobaria, what's going on?" he asked her.
"Nothing's going on," she told him.
Brutus stared down at her, his cold eyes piercing through her skin, making her get goose bumps. "Something is wrong and you know it. Enobaria, why won't you talk to me?"
"Because all you ever do is make fun of me and tease me!" she yelled at him. He instantly felt guilty for treating her so badly in the past. They still had some tension going on after they broke up. Enobaria was about to walk out the door, but Brutus grabbed her arm. He wasn't going to let her get away, not this time.
"Enobaria, I can help you," he told her.
She shrugged off his arm. "No, you can't." She left him alone in the training area, confused and worried.
XXX
Today was evaluation day and all victors and trainers had to be present at the training area. Today was the day they would choose the candidates for the games. This day would change everything for everyone. The trainees, trainers, tributes, mentors, even the victors who already won.
Brutus walked into the room, determined to talk to Enobaria. She was setting up the score board for evaluation when she was interrupted by Brutus walking up to her. "We need to talk."
"Then talk," she said, not even bothering to look at him.
Brutus knew he couldn't get her alone with him to talk, so he took the time that was given to him. "About last night –"
"Can we just forget about that?" she asked. It sounded like a plea.
"No, I can't just forget about that," he said sternly. "Enobaria, you're sick."
She finally looked at him. "How so?"
"You have anorexia," he told her.
"What do you mean by I have anorexia? Like I caught it or something? Like it's contagious?" she asked, denying every word he said to her.
Brutus was at the end of the rope. "If you don't start eating, I'm telling."
"Why do you even care?" she snapped. "You've never cared for me before. Not as a friend, not as my mentor, not even when we were together. I don't see why you care now. So just drop it." She went back to setting up the score board, ignoring his presence.
He gave up and walked away from her. He knew he was too late to help her now. All the past teasing and joking proved it. He waited for the wrong moment to help her out. When it was time for evaluation, all mentors and trainers lined up. Lyme, who was head of training, stood in the center. "Today, you all will be evaluated on your progress. Do well. This is your opportunity to go into the Hunger Games and change your lives forever. You will each complete this obstacle course in the shortest amount of time possible. If you make it to be a candidate, you will be mentored by Brutus and Enobaria this year. Enobaria, care to demonstrate?"
Enobaria nodded wearily. No one, I mean no one, said 'no' to Lyme. Not even the other victors. He couldn't let Enobaria do this, not now when she's weak and sick. Brutus stood forward, volunteering to demonstrate in her place. "Brutus, how nice of you to volunteer in her place. Why don't you do the obstacle against her, instead? You two still have a little tension going on, anyway. And we need to show the Careers how to go against a little competition. Go on."
Not quite what he wanted to do, but at least he could keep an eye on her during the obstacle. He stood next to her, who was in her starting position. Once the gong fired, they took off. Enobaria was determined to beat him and show him that she was capable of doing the obstacle while Brutus stayed close to her, making sure she was stable. He quickly reacted when Enobaria reached her breaking point and fainted. He caught her in his arms and ran out of the obstacle course.
"What did you do?" accused Lyme.
"Nothing!" replied Brutus. "She just fainted and I caught her. We don't have time to discuss matters right now! I need to get her to a hospital!"
"I'll call for a car," Lyme said, but Brutus refused.
"We don't have time to wait for a damn car!" he shouted. Even though District 2 was wealthier than the other Districts, few people owned a car. "I'm running!" He took off with Enobaria, leaving Lyme and the rest in the training center.
The run to the hospital was only a few minutes, but time was so rare in the situation. The run from the training center to the hospital seemed like it took hours, according to Brutus. He finally arrived at the hospital. "Someone help!" Nurses brought in a rolling bed for Enobaria's limp body. Brutus set her down on it gently. "She hasn't eaten in who knows how long and she just fainted! Help! Please!"
A nurse came by to calm down Brutus while they took Enobaria away. He gave in when he realized that he couldn't help her now and just decided to wish everything would be okay.
XXX
Brutus visited the hospital every day, hoping to see Enobaria. But the nurses told him that visitors weren't allowed, so he waited outside in the lounge even though he couldn't see her.
XXX
Enobaria got out of bed and went to her window to see Brutus throwing rocks at her window. She opened it and peeked out. "What are you doing here this late?"
"I just thought I'd stop by," he said. He was carrying a huge basket containing who knows what, really.
"Do you know how late it is?" she asked. "And why didn't you just ring the doorbell like a normal person?"
"It's not good for you to get out of bed, so I thought your bedroom window would be a lot easier," he told her. "Can I go up?"
"Knock yourself out," she said, no expecting him to actually climb his way up to her bedroom window.
He managed to make it quickly, considering the fact that he was carrying the huge basket. He got in and set down the basket. Once he was inside, he was surprised when Enobaria rushed up to him and gave him a hug she so desperately needed. "Sorry." She pulled away.
"No, it's okay," he said. She went back to her bed and laid down. "I haven't seen you in a while."
"What's the basket for?" she asked.
"I brought food," he said, holding up the basket. She gave him a weary look. "Come on, when was the last time you had a decent meal, other than the slop they fed you in the hospital?" He didn't mention the last time she ate on her own command, not on the hospital's command. Brutus decided that when the time was right, he would talk to her about it. "I also brought you some flowers." He handed her the beautiful bouquet of purple tulips.
"Wow, thank you. They're beautiful," she told him as she took the bouquet in her now fragile hands. He never gave her flowers before, not even when they were together. "You didn't have to come."
"I know," he said. "But I wanted to. Come on, you can't refuse my offer to have a midnight snack when I went all the way here when it's this late."
She decided to give in, just this once. They decided to eat on the carpeted floor. He brought homemade pizza and a bottle of sparkling grapefruit. For desert, they ate chocolate covered strawberries. When there was one strawberry left, Enobaria said, "You can have it."
He picked up the last strawberry and held it up. "This could be the best strawberry you've ever had, but you wouldn't know because you decided to let me have it, instead."
She willingly opened up her mouth as Brutus fed her one half of the delectable chocolate covered strawberry, and then ate the other half for himself. "You were right. It is the best strawberry I've ever had."
"Me too," he told her. She smiled at him, and that was the thing that assured Brutus that coming to her house at eleven o'clock at night was the right thing to do. "How have you been?"
She raked her fingers through her long hair. "Doctors said that I should take it easy for now, in a few weeks I'll have my strength back and I'll be able to mentor in just enough time for the games."
He shook his head. "I didn't mean it that way. Enobaria, what happened back there?"
"I fainted," she stated. "You were there, you should know."
"Why were you starving yourself?" he asked.
She uncomfortably looked down at her hands, which were tightly holding onto each other in a death grip. "You know how I told everyone I dumped my boyfriend a couple weeks ago?" He nodded. He remembers her correcting anyone who said it was the other way around whenever they were gossiping about the subject. "I actually didn't dump him… he dumped me. Told me I needed to be more like… like those other girls. I didn't know what he meant until I saw him with another girl. She was had long, blonde, curly hair, a flawless complexion, tall figure… skinny. I'm not mad at him, though. He was right. I'm nothing like those other girls. They're prettier, nicer, less scary, pure… skinnier."
"Stop!" he commanded, gripping her shaking hands in his, making her teary eyes look into his. "Don't. You. Dare. Don't you dare say another word about how you're nothing like them. You're right, you're nothing like them; you're nothing like them because you're better. Forget about your son of a bitch ex-boyfriend. He's not worth it. You think you don't deserve him, but it's not like that at all. He doesn't deserve you. And forget the girl he was with, too. You're better than her, than all of them. Why? Because you're strong, and brave, and courageous, and… and you're beautiful. And I love you for being all of that and even more."
"You love me?" she asked him, a tear leaving her right eye.
He cupped her cheeks with both his hands. "Yes, I do."
"I don't believe you," she told him. "I don't think I can ever trust you again. You hurt me, badly. I gave you all of me."
He pushed away a strand of hair from her face. "I know I don't deserve another chance. I wouldn't give myself one if I were you. But, please… I love you. I never told you that before because I was ashamed of what I did to you in the past and I regret doing it one-hundred percent."
"I don't know," she said.
Brutus kissed her suddenly, not caring if she would beat him to a pulp after. He needed to taste those warm, sweet lips of hers; whether it would be the last time he ever would. He was surprised when she passionately kissed him back after all he's done to her in the past. "I love you, Enobaria. For real, this time."
"I love you, too," she told him, leaning her forehead on his. She yawned, which made Brutus carry her back to her bed. He tucked her in and kissed her goodnight. "You can stay."
He was surprised she was letting him get close to her just like that. "Are you sure?" he didn't want to do something he would regret later on.
"I'm sure," she said. He lifted up the sheets and got into the bed with her. "Goodnight." She fell asleep, wrapped in Brutus's strong, protective arms. He promised he would take good care of her from now on. She gave him a second chance, and he was not going to waste it.
THE END