Clove POV
I am nervous, my best friend Cato is volunteering for the games today. I shouldn't be worried he has the attitude, strength, and skills to win but I am still worried. Cato and I have been best friends since I started at the academy when I was 6. I don't know what I would do if Cato died in the arena. He was the only one who would care when things got rough. My father would come home drunk almost every night and beat my mother and I. Sometimes on the bad nights I would run to Cato's house. He would always let me stay and welcome me with a kind heart and a smile. I am torn out of my thoughts when I hear a knock at the door. I rush downstairs and open it. Surprise surprise its Cato, we are planning on going to the training center before the reaping. We walked to the training center in silence, Cato must be thinking.
The training center has always been a cold place. Black walls with gleaming silver weapons lining them, a glass ceiling to let in natural light. Training dummies scattered around the entire center, sparring areas, specialized weapon areas. Everything was practical for a training center, the glass ceilings so they don't waste electricity during the day, only the best weapons and training areas. I had always loved the place, the smell of sweat, and success. The feeling you get when you get a bull's eye or win a spar.
Cato and I went straight our best weapons to warm up. Cato was best with the sword, I was best with knives. When I got to the knives station everyone who was there left, no one wants to get in my way when it comes to knives. I set the station to hard and stepped into the simulation. All was quiet until I heard slow footsteps coming from behind me. I quickly turned around and saw a pixelated man holding an ax, I threw a knife straight at his heart and watched him dissolve. More kept coming and coming, all of them dissolving from my knives. I was so proud of myself until I realized I ran out of knives, a pixel man was coming at me I knew it was the end so I just stood there. Right when a pixel machete was about to pierce my stomach a sword came out of nowhere and he dissolved. I look up to see Cato smirking at me, a smile springs upon my face as I say thank you.
We decide to go to my house until the reaping begins so we can relax. As we are walking to my house Cato seems strangely uncomfortable and fidgety. I ignore it and keep walking. When we get to my house Cato just stands outside of my bedroom door, now I know something is wrong. "Is everything okay with you Cato? You have been acting a little strange" I say. He nods so I decide to leave it. There is an awkward silence between the two of us. We just sit there and look at each other. Cato breaks the silence by saying "no I am not really okay Clove. I want to tell you something but I don't know how you will react." He pauses for a moment before saying "I love you Clove and I have for a while. I did not know if you liked me back so I did not bring it up, I thought it would ruin our friendship." I was beyond happy to hear this, I have had feelings for Cato since I met him. They were for his looks at first but when I got to know him more and more over time I started to like, no love him and his great personality. "I have liked you for a while too. I just don't know because you are volunteering for the games and all. I just couldn't take my new boyfriend dying" I tell him. I feel something touch my lips, I look up to see Cato. His lips are soft and gentle. He starts to kiss me gently as if I were made of glass. I start to kiss back, the kiss gets more passionate. When we break apart all I can do is look into his beautiful blue eyes. His eyes are like the windows to his soul, so much emotion, happiness, gratitude, readiness, love, passion.
"Cato I love you," I said out loud, he just smiled. I looked down at the time and realized that we only had ten minutes to get to the reaping. We jumped up and started running as fast we could to the justice building. When we got there we checked in and went to our sections. We waited for a little bit until Placidus our district escort came out. He was wearing a bright blue button-up, a neon green waistcoat, neon orange pants, shoes with paint splotches, and an orange tie. He had short yellow hair, purple eyes, and a gleaming white smile. He looked unnatural, almost as if he was made of plastic.
"Welcome to the 74th annual Hunger Games reaping. I will choose one girl and one boy to represent our district in the games. Before we draw names though we have a special message from the Capitol its self" Placidus said in a high pitched voice. The video was the same one every year telling us about the rebellion of district thirteen. That is the whole reason we have the games, to stomp out any hopes we have to be freed from the capitals wrath. When the video finishes Placidus walks back up to the microphone and say "don't you just love that? I sure do, now let's begin with the boys." He walks slowly oh so slowly to the giant bowl full of paper. He pulls one, one small slip of paper put off the bowl and walks ever so slowly back to the microphone. "Jonathan Greeley," he says. A small boy not even over the age of fifteen walks upon the stage. I volunteer, I volunteer as tribute" rings through the center. I see Cato run up to the stage and stand by Placidus, his face fierce and ready. "Now young man what might your name be?" asked Placidus. "Cato Hadley" Cato replies. "Well let's clap for the brave man shall we. Now let's move on to the girls."Placidus says. He walks over to the bowl with a little hop in his step, as he reaches into the bowl, he grabs one slip, one slip of paper. He walks back up to the microphone and speaks a name, one name, two words, two words that would change my life forever "Clove Kentwell."
I am frozen, not moving, I don't know what to do. Curse Placidus, no not him he was just the one delivering the news, curse President Snow for what he has done. I am interrupted from my thoughts when I hear Placidus yell out "Clove, Clove Kentwell are you here?" Upon hearing this I snap out of my daze and walk confidently on stage, hiding all emotion I am feeling at the moment. Placidus spoke up saying "My, my, a little dazed are we? Now may I present to you the tributes for the 74th annual hunger games, Cato Hadley and Clove Kentwell! May the odds be ever in your favor."