It began with three words. "Stay with me," he said. I had come to the training center to train for a while, thinking I would be by myself. As I walked into the center I saw him, practicing with his swords. We had recently gotten over an argument, and knowing that there was still bad blood between us, I silently tried to leave the center. He heard me, and turned around just before I was about to slip through the door. We exchanged a moment of silence. He then asked me to stay with him.
I let go of the door handle and slowly walked over to my corner. I took out my mat and unrolled it, revealing my precious knives. I then picked up a knife and threw it at the target, straight through the heart. I began rapidly throwing my knives at the targets, not missing a single one. I had run out of knives, so I went over to retrieve them. I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around and faced Cato.
We said noting for a moment, until he broke the silence. "I never did apologize for that fight the other day. I'm sorry." I just stood there, not moving. We had fought over my knives. He insisted on using them and I guess I lost it because next thing I knew, I was standing over him, knife in my hand, cut on his cheek. I barely know him, he barely knows me. He doesn't even know my name. Yet he was apologizing to me, as if we were friends, as if we have had multiple fights before, as if we have made up time after time.
"It's fine," I said in a meek voice. I turned back to my knives, to retrieve them. As I pick them up, one by one, I flatly say, "My name is Clove, by the way."
•••
The reaping always makes me feel uneasy. I fear that my name will be called out; I will be forced to be in the Games. This is my fourth year at the reaping. I am now fifteen and a Career. The last three years I was inexperienced and not ready. But this year I am ready to volunteer as tribute, and to be the victor of the 74th annual Hunger Games.
On the morning of the reaping, I silently leave my home and go to the mountains. I hike up one and rest. I look over my district as the sun rises. I lie down in the grass, and close my eyes. What if I don't come back? I think to myself. What if I fail this? I shake those negative thoughts out of my head as quickly as I can. No, I will come back. I will be the victor. It will be easy.
My thoughts are broken as I hear footsteps coming closer to me. I sit up and see my friend, Cato. I smile as he sits down next to me. "Are you sure you want to do this, Clove?" He asks, looking over the district. I nod.
"I'm sure." We don't speak for a while. He puts his arm around me. I lean on him. Over the year our friendship has grown tremendously. I can't imagine my life without him. He is my
best friend and I'm his. Maybe one day we can be something more… I close my eyes to get rid of that thought. No, we can never be something more. At least not now.
We rest on the mountain for a while before going back into our district. I go back to my home and wash up for the reaping. If I'm going to be up on that stage, I want to look my best. When I finished cleaning myself, I put on my white dress. My mother fixes my hair for me so that it looks somewhat decent.
After I am finished getting ready I go over to the center of our town. They prick my finger and allow me to move forward. I stand in the crowd, trying to breathe slowly. I look over to where Cato is. His eyes are locked on mine. We stare at each other until the escort comes onto the stage. Her name is Briar and she has to reddest hair I have ever seen. She smiles as she begins the introduction and then the video plays. She then wastes no time calling out the tributes. She sticks her hand in the bowl and takes out a slip of paper. "Althea Edenthaw!" She exclaims with a smile on her face.
Everyone turns to look at Althea. She's the weakest, most pathetic girl I know. She is eighteen years old and has no brains whatsoever. Maybe I should just sit this one out and let her go in, I think to myself, smirking. But I look over to Cato, his eyes still staring at me with confusion. I roll my eyes and speak out, "I volunteer as tribute!" Everyone turns around to find me. I walk up the stage with a grin on my face and push past Althea as I walk up the steps.
"Well, it seems like we have our first volunteer!" Briar claps. "Now what is your name?" I lift my head high and look into the crowd as I tell them my name. Briar claps again and moves on to the boy tributes. I don't pay attention to what she's saying now, I'm only grinning at the crowd. I look at Cato, who looks frightened. Why? I then see him walking to the stage. Why is he coming up here? He can say goodbye to me later…
That's when I realize it. That's when Briar speaks into the microphone. Announcing the two tributes of District Two. Cato and I.