DON'T GIVE UP ON ME
"Faster! Faster!" Brutus ordered from Enobaria until she couldn't throw any more knives. She threw one last knife at the target until she stopped to try and catch her breath. "Did I say stop?"
"I'm sorry, I can do better," Enobaria insisted, still panting. "Let's just go again."
"No," Brutus said to her. "I don't want you to volunteer this year; you're only fifteen. Wait until you're seventeen and then volunteer for the games."
"Are you giving up on me?" Enobaria asked. "Brutus, the whole point of you secretly training me is so that I can volunteer this year."
"I don't find a point in why I'm doing this," Brutus said.
"Because you're the only one who knows I can do it!" Enobaria reminded him. "All the other trainers think I'm hopeless but that's why I'm here and you're training me! So that I can show them that I can win and that I'm not useless!"
"We shouldn't be doing this." Brutus began to walk away from her.
"Fine! Just give up on me then! I'm tired of wasting my time on people who don't believe in me!" Enobaria said. Brutus was the only type of support she had, and it hurt that he gave up on her, like everyone else.
Brutus turned around, walked up to her, and kissed her. Enobaria was taken aback at first, but she responded to his soft and gentle kiss. He could taste her warm, soft lips, and she could taste his rough, cold ones.
He pulled away, cupped her cheek, and looked her in the eyes. "If you die, then I'll never be able to forgive myself."
"Brutus, don't worry about me," Enobaria told him. "I won't die. I'll come back to you, okay?"
XXX
A month later, Enobaria came home to Brutus – like she promised – as District Two's newest victor.
