In the District of stone, long before they understand the word or know how to say it, every boy and girl is taught that love is a curse. Love is a liability. Love is for the weak and selfish. Love destroys you.
In this land, where love is a crime and victory is sacred, there is a boy and a girl. They are taught how beautiful death is, and how easy it is to end a life. They both have to prove themselves worthy of dancing the glorious dance of death.
The girl uses knives. They are simply so sweetly sharp, their blades are so slim and bright and the stains they leave behind are so red. She is mesmerized.
The boy uses swords. They are so powerful and precise, and if used by the right person the cuts they leave are so deep and painful yet not lethal. He loves it.
They both learn the brutal and callous path to survival. However survival is nothing without glory; glory only comes with victory and victory only comes with death. Both of them enjoy the dance of death and both of them excel at it.
Even though they have proven they are worthy of being tributes in a few years, the boy and the girl like to think of different ways to kill people together, they wouldn't want District One to steal their rightful victory and glory.
The boy is more brutal than the girl and prefers to use brute force. Crush their throats, watch life drain from their faces, feel their heart beat slow down beneath your fingertips. The girl prefers to play with her victims. Snap a bone or two, stab them in the knee once or twice, carve patterns in their skin, make them beg, make them cry, then deliver the final blow. She enjoys taking her time.
At first they will only talk about death and getting pride but as time passes they get to know each other. The boy learns the girl wants to be a tribute to prove to the district she is more than a small girl with knives. The girl learns the boy doesn't have to prove anything, no one in the district doubts he will one day win the games.
They share most of their days with each other. They train together. He teaches her the easiest way to make anyone fear you. She teaches him the most painful way to end a man's life. When they are together they laugh so much, sometimes they even laugh about things that are in no way related to death or the games.
Their friendship, they are not really sure if that is the right word, continues to grow, they can say they even trust one another. However they never consider taking it one step further because the next step would be love. Love is a cruel curse, people have believed so for hundreds of years. If so many believe so, they must be right, mustn't they?
The boy and the girl have an unspoken agreement. They will never doubt, not even for a second, the other will become a victor, no matter what others say or believe. They have faith in each other.
Every year they watch the Games together and like to play a game. While they watch the reapings they give the tributes a score from zero to twelve just like the gamemakers do, predict how long they are going to last and how many are going to die at the bloodbath. When they watch the chariot parades they attempt to spot any weaknesses and any strengths. During the interviews they try to figure out which weapon each tribute will use in the games and how they will die.
One year one of the girl's cousins dies in the games. She didn't like him very much, he was an arrogant moron who always thought she would never win the games. He had shamed the family by being killed by a tribute of District Eleven, however he was family so the girl mourns over him.
The boy offers her his arms and consoles her. She likes the feeling of his muscular arms around her. Maybe she likes it a little too much. He likes how her body fits his so perfectly. Their lips are so close and a single thought runs through both of their minds, if I lean an inch or two forward we would be kissing. They slowly get closer to each other but when their lips touch the girl breaks free from the embrace and runs as fast as she can.
How could they ever do such a wicked thing as kissing? Love is a curse.
The boy and the girl never talk about the one time they almost kissed. It is a conversation neither of them is ready to have. Besides if they don't talk about it they can pretend it never actually happened.
Ever since they almost kissed the girl and the boy spend more time plotting people's deaths. In a few days they have killed everyone in the district at least twice. Rip their lips, they won't be kissing anyone anymore, stab them in the arm, let them run, let them think they have a chance and then throw a knife to their back.
The girl is reaped as the female tribute for the 74th Hunger games. The girl smiles, a savage smile, she knows victory is hers. The boy claps and cheers. He knows the girl will win and give them a very entertaining and bloody show.
The male tribute is reaped, he seems built out of a mountain, his bare hands could snap all the bones of the girl's body in a minute or two. The boy breaks his unspoken agreement with the girl. He volunteers. There was no way she could have won. A reckless smile is spread across the boy's face when he realizes how much love has destroyed him already, one of them is returning in a casket and he isn't really sure if he wants it to be the girl.
Love is a curse.
Dear Zoe this is your one shot, I do hope you enjoyed it and it portrayed Clato well. This actually took me very long to write and I have rewritten it quite a few times. I do hope you all enjoy this one shot and I will be posting a few stories soon.
I do not own the hunger games.