I know this has been done before, but I seriously cannot describe in words how much I LOVE Clato! They're definitely my two favorite characters in the first movie and I wish they would've won the Hunger Games. And maybe this will turn into a story about that… I'm not really sure yet. Anyway, Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games, nor Clove and Cato. Suzanne Collins does. Don't sue me unless you're thinking you'll make a fortune off of pocket lint.
Cato:
Tomorrow was the day.
Tomorrow, would be the day I would start the Games. And I was scared shitless.
Everybody knows that I talk the big talk about being prepared and ready to win these things, but I'm not. Who the hell can be prepared to go into an arena full of people who, under different circumstances, might be your friends, but have to kill them? I don't think even the sickest person could be. I'm not. And most of Panem thinks that I'm some ruthless killer, which hopefully I'll become tomorrow.
The Capitol is a madhouse tonight. People scream, lights blast, and music plays as they celebrate the opening of the 74th Hunger Games. Everyone in this city is raving madly; everyone except 24 kids who aren't sure whether this will be the last night they ever see.
The door to my lavish room opens, and I get ready to scream at a nosy Avox until I realize it's Clove. She stands in the doorway, just staring at me for a long time, until I sit up in my bed and she timidly makes her way over.
"What?" I try to sound bitter, but it doesn't work, because Clove looks terrified. "What's wrong?" I ask again, softer this time. She perches on the edge of my bed and continues to stare. Her eyes are uneasy, and when she finally speaks she almost chokes on the words.
"I'm scared."
"Me too." I admit, because it's no use trying to deny it now. To everyone else, Clove and I are just careers. To get sponsors and win, we have to be confident for everyone. Except eachother.
The first time I met Clove was when I was younger and first started my serious training. We became an odd pair. When we weren't practicing to kill each other, we talked. And she was the first person I felt like I could be real. It all started the year that Clove got reaped, it was her first year, and everyone knew one of the older kids would volunteer for her, but later she admitted to me that in that moment, her heart had stopped and she was more scared than she'd even been in her entire life. And then I realized that I was scared too, but not for myself. For her.
Several years later, she got picked again (Ok, not sure if this can actually happen but for the sake of this story it can) and that was the year I volunteered. Not for me. Not to win. But for her.
I felt Clove's hand on mine and it snapped me back to reality. Tears were in her eyes, and just as one spilled over I wiped it away with my finger. "Shh." I whispered softly. "It's gonna be ok. You'll be fine. We can do this- we've been training forever."
Clove shook her head. "What if I die?"
"Don't talk like that!" I demanded. "You won't!"
"One of us has to."
I didn't want to think about that. I didn't want to think about the possibility that maybe, it would come down to just me and her. I couldn't think about it. So without another word, I leaned over and kissed her gently on the lips. It was the first time I'd ever kissed her. She seemed startled at first, but slowly she returned the kiss. And it wasn't until she was lying on top of me that she finally pulled back.
We didn't say a word after that. I just wrapped my arms around her and tried to hang onto the moment. Because tomorrow, these people would be gone. And we would turn into the killers everyone expected us to be.
So that's the first chapter! I know its short but there will be more. I just always imagined Cato and Clove not really being the sick bloodthirsty people everyone thought they were. So tell me what you think!
Kat