Clove stood behind the red line that kept her quite a distance away from the target dummy that she was ready to aim for with one her knives. She twirls the cool thin blade around in her hands, eyes never leaving the red dot that she knew she wasn't going to miss. The eyes of her trainer and mentor bore deep into her back like acid burning away the defenses she tried to keep up against the older woman's harsh criticism.
Enobaria once again stood in her same spot leaning against the black walls of the training room in the dark ready to spit and spat every word that came to mind whenever she observed the careers. The woman's tongue played with her sharp gold-tipped teeth as she waited impatiently for Clove to make her throw.
"Well whats the hold up, you scared of the dummy or something?" Enobaria pushed herself from the wall walking towards the girl. "I would be afraid of the dummy as well if I had mediocre talent like you."
Clove jumped when she felt the woman's cold hands tightly grip her own hand that was holding the knife. Enobaria brought the girl's hand up close to her eyes with inspection then yanked it back down with intended force. "Don't worry I don't bite." said the woman smiling her gold teeth at Clove.
"I notice you were holding the knife in the hammer grip again when I've instructed to you countless times to always hold it in the pinch grip." Without looking Clove quickly flipped out of her palm grip and in between her thumb and index finger in the pinch grip.
In knife throwing the pinch grip was used to throw light knives with a sudden and forceful quickness, and it was also the technique that Clove had yet to achieve high in. In this grip for Clove the knife felt awkward and unfamiliar. The girl closed her eyes praying she didn't screw up again this time using this grip.
"I guess I failed to break you harder from our last session, and if I ever see you holding another knife in that damn hammer grip again you want have to worry about holding anything else for a long time." Enobaria walked off back to leaning against the wall joining Cato who had suddenly appeared through the gray doors of the training room. "Father wouldn't like that now would he?" taunted, Enobaria.
Cato leaned over to his mentor's ear. "How is she doing?" Enobaria gave a snort and crossed her arms over her chest. "You can't do anything until you've started, and she has yet to begin." Cato looked towards his partner with sympathy and wishing her luck that this time she will try her hardest.
Clove felt different eyes on her this time turning around she saw the smiling face of Cato. He gave her a thumbs up, but all she could do was stare at him, then at the bored expression that had made it's way to Enobaria's face. "Is this how you plan on wowing the Gamemakers at this year's games by showing them your uncertainty and hesitation?" asked, Enobaria.
Clearing her throat and securing her grip on the knife Clove faced back around facing the white dummy with the two red target marks placed on it. One mark was placed in the middle of it's forehead and the other was on it's chest. The smaller of the two target marks and the one that Clove was striving for waited patiently for her to make her throw at the dummy's forehead.
"I'm ready this time." said Clove. "About damn time, well go for it!" Enobaria, commanded. Clove shields her eyes trying to block out the bright spotlight that fell on her while everywhere was dark.
Raising her throwing arm and taking one step forward Clove pulled her arm back then forward letting the knife fly away with a swift release. Clove smiled as the knife struck the small red target on the dummy's fore head. She could hear Cato clapping at her achievement, but the one praise she was looking for was from the woman who stood silently unfazed in the darkness.
"Well I have to admit that if I were a Gamemaker judging your performance I would give your sorry ass maybe a five or less." Cato turned quickly glaring at the woman beside him. "What the hell she did that throw perfectly." "Perfectly Cato, really?" Clove's smile falter having already anticipated the negative reaction from her mentor.
"She looked awesome too me anyways." said Cato. Enobaria looked at the clock on the wall letting out a heavy sigh. "Awesome want help her get the top score that everyone expects of a Career, and what she knows and doesn't reflects attention that I don't need back to me."
"So this is about you and your image?" Enobaria smiled back at Cato. "Of course it is I am the victor and mentor here and neither one of you has won anything yet, so whenever one of you wins a game we will pick back up on this lovely conversation maybe as equals."
Clove tried to douse the anger that was rising in her ready to engulfed her mentor in it's wrathful flames. The girl went to retrieve her knife out the dummy placing it back in her vest. "Cato stay with Clove and watch her for another hour or so throwing her knives, and maybe next time her throws will be faster and straighter." Enobaria then left the training room without another word or glance at neither of the two Careers.
Cato walked towards Clove to stand near her placing his large strong hands on her shoulders flexing and molding them like clay. She loved when he did that it always made her feel loose and relaxed. "She's a bitch and I hate her." Clove pulled a knife out of her vest and playing with it in her hands. "Despite her being the world's biggest and meanest bitch she is the one who's gonna get us through the games." Clove turned around to look at the taller boy. "You mean get one of us through the games." "Yeah at least one of us." said Cato quietly.
"But the games are months away and right now you need to work on getting better at this knife throwing of yours." Cato clapped Clove on the shoulders giving them one last squeeze then stepped back into the shadows to let her start her practice.
After practice Enobaria ordered Clove and Cato to meet her in the training center's lunch room before they headed home. When the two Careers walked through the automatic doors of the room Brutus was the first one to see them come in and smiled at them. The Careers took their places around their mentors. Lyme playfully punch Cato on the arm and tugged softly on Clove's pony tail. "There's my boy wonder, and girl wonder."
"Don't play with like their still children." snapped, Enobaria.
"But they are still children no matter what the games can't change that." Lyme, said crossly.
"Whatever let's just tell them what they need to know so we can all leave." Enobaria was getting impatient and threw two folders on the table. Clove and Cato each grabbed one opening it up with the faces of a girl and boy looking back up at them.
"Who are they?" asked Clove. "They are District 1's Career tributes for this year and your future alliances in the games." answered, Brutus. "And we are having them brought here to train with you both."
Clove looked down at the picture of the blonde-headed girl that she held in her hands and found it strange that she could seem to look away from the girl's blue eyes. Cato threw the picture of the boy he had back on the table and noticed that Clove was still staring at the District 1 girl's picture. Clove looked up to catch Cato's eye and his coy smile directed at her. The girl narrowed her eyes daring him to say anything.
"So you're bringing them both here I know District 2 can get away with a lot of things, but bringing in outsiders from another district seems a little to high even for us." Cato, retorted.
"Yes and with us having the strongest loyalty to the Capitol we can use that power to achieve whatever it is we need to get done, but none of the how's and why's matter, everything is in place and they will be here tomorrow. Enobaria, explaind. "So your asses better not be late again tomorrow." With that the woman waved her hand dismissing the two Careers.
It was dark by the time Clove and Cato left the training center and begin their daily walks home. "Damn its so cold tonight, its late spring but it still feels like full blown winter." complained, Cato. The boy pulled his dark coat further around him to shield him against the cold night air. Clove rolled her eyes at her partner. "Did you forget we live in the mountains? It want start warming up until early July." "I guess it shouldn't matter we will be in the games when it does start warming up here." said Cato, quietly.
Lately Clove had been thinking of a lot of things that will never mattered when the games begin.
"Hey let's get some hot chocolate then." suggested, Clove.
The two Careers made their way to a small sweet parlor that was still open near the park. "I like hot chocolate but its too rich for me and gives me the runs." said, Cato. Clove snickered at the boy sitting down beside him on the bench. "Then why drink it and that last part you could have just kept to yourself."
Cato looked down into the steaming cup of chocolate in his hands inhaling its aroma. "Because you like it so much and I don't wanna miss out on something you like, but I only drink it anyways when I'm with you."
"Ah how sweet." said Clove, who threw her hand over her heart for dramatic affect.
"Yeah whatever, hey is your old man gonna be at home tonight?" asked, Cato.
"No he's working late in the stone mines tonight, so maybe I can finally get some sleep." said, Clove.
Clove looked across the park until her eyes landed on one of District 2's many stone mines where her father was still working. "You know mason work isn't as easy as it looks."
"My dad is still making weapons in the factories, but he works hard and supports our family well enough." said, Cato. Clove thought of Cato's father a man who knew how to be serious when it was necessary, but also knew when to be funny and have a good time. "I like your dad."
Cato threw his half empty cup of chocolate into a trash can across from them and made the shot effortlessly. "Yeah he's pretty cool."
"Too bad you can't say the same about my own." Clove, said quietly.
"Hey he's not so bad he's just scared that he may loose you in the games, and he just wants to make sure you will be ready that's all." Clove tried to find the reason in Cato's words that would help justify her father's behavior. "No parent wants to see their child die and despite how hard he pushed you he still loves you."
"It's just hard trying to live up to his expectations, I'm good at what I do but not good enough for him or Enobaria." said, Clove. The looked down to the frost covered ground watching it shimmer in the moonlight.
"Being good enough for yourself should be what's most important to you." said, Cato.
Clove just shrugged her shoulders at the boy and tried to throw her cup in the trash, but a gust of wind blew it off course and made it land under a bush.
"So do you like that girl from District 1 then?" asked, Cato.
"What? Hell no I don't" snapped, Clove.
"Yeah right you were staring at her picture like you wanted to eat her out or something." joked, Cato.
"Fuck off, I don't even know the girl."
"Well you know she's a piece of hot ass, blonde-headed, blue-eyed chick that could make anyone's I want to fuck wish list." Cato turned to Clove looking into her brown eyes. "So has she already made your fuck wish list?"
Clove glared at the boy laughing at her. " What about that boy Marvel, huh has he made your fuck wish list yet?" Cato's smile fell from his face that was now hardening. "I'm not gay."
"Neither am-" Cato, interrupted her sentence before she could finish. "Yeah you are gay and isn't it about time you accept that?"
"Do you know what my family would do if they knew what my sexual preference is?" asked, Clove.
"No, and neither do you if you just tell them now it want be so bad."
"How will it telling them now not be so bad, because in a few months I will be in the games with an uncertainty if I will even live or die?" Clove counted her sexuality as one of the things that want matter when the games start. "If I die in the games it want matter anyway."
"Look you're not going to die and I'm not trying to pressure you into anything I just don't want you out there in the arena thinking about your regrets and what if's." said, Cato.
"But I do know one damn thing if you don't lay claim to that fine ass girl then I will." Clove smiled at the boy who either spent time thinking with his fist or hormones. "Go ahead she's all yours I don't want her."
Cato rolled his eyes not believing Clove for a second. "Yeah right we'll see tomorrow when we finally meet them, and I hope that girl knows how to defend herself you might try to eat out her to death." laughed, Cato.
"Very funny and I will be sure to warn Marvel to watch his ass when he's around you." Clove shrieked and took off running when Cato started chasing her around the park. She was too quick and agile for the boy who uses brute strength to even keep up with her.
Clove stopped running and look back at Cato who was doubled over clutching his stomach. "Let's go home now that hot chocolate is starting to get to me already". Clove laughed at her friend. "That's what your ass gets anyways."
Clove waved good-bye to Cato when she finally made it home. "Don't be late tomorrow, Clove, night." he called back over his shoulder. The girl rolled her eyes at his retreating form before closing the door.
It was dark in the house when she went inside and that meant her mother and brother were already off to bed. Clove went into the kitchen to get a quick bite to eat before she joined them as well. The girl walked off into the dark kitchen opening the fridge it's yellow light cast her in it's glow and also revealing a tall dark shadow that stood off near the kitchen table.
The girl shrieked when she saw her father appear in the light. "Dad what are you doing here, I thought you were working late in the mines tonight?"
Her father walked over to the light switch on the wall and, turning it on he then leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed over his chest. Clove noted how similar he appeared to look like Enobaria when she stood that way.
"Your training session at the center ended an hour ago. Where have you been?" he asked.
Clove found it hard to swallow when her throat became tight and her mouth dry. "I was with Cato we got hot chocolate and sat in the park just talking."
"So you were with a boy enjoying hot chocolate and just talking talking huh?" Clove's father went to the sink fixing him a glass of water. Clove watched him drink it all until it was gone. "You see this glass cup? Just keep your eyes on it." he instructed.
Clove ducked just in time as her father flung the glass cup at her. It bashed against the wall erupting into a hundred pieces that fell all around her.
"The games are coming soon and you need to be ready for them, and drinking chocolate with boys want help keep you alive!" yelled, her father. "You have to be fast and expect the unexpected Clove!"
Clove stood back up letting the small pieces of glass fall from her hair and clothes, the glass particles fell gleaming like stars on the floor. "I'm sorry it won't happened again." Clove, cried.
The sound of the creaking floor came from up the stairs and Clove knew it was either her mother or little brother, but she knew neither one of them would come to her defense they were like her afraid of this they call father and husband.
"Clean up the mess, grab some knives and then meet me in the basement its time for our own private training lessons." Her father went up stairs to change out of his work clothes leaving his daughter to clean up the mess he made.
Clove let out a heavy sigh and wiped away her tears before they fell. The girl was tired and had hope to go to sleep as soon as she got home, but now that's different now that her father was home early from work.
With the broken glass all cleaned up Clove grabbed her bag of knives that was laying by the back door. This was gonna be a long night and she already knew that it was going to be hard waking herself up tomorrow morning
This is just a little experiment to see what I do with a Clove/Glimmer story. I don't know if it will take fully take flight though, but we'll see where it goes.