Chapter 1

Pick up the phone, Clove. Pick up, pick up, pick up! The phone beeped. Cato slammed it down on the table furiously and pressed his palm down on it until it cracked. The broken shards cut into his skin and the blood leaked onto the table but he didn't remove his hand. Cato balled up whatever was left of the phone and flung it across the room. It hit the wall hard and shattered. He wiped the blood on this shirt quickly and stalked off out the front door.

If anyone saw Cato running down the street that afternoon, they would have thought he was an animal of some sort. He didn't just run, he charged forward with his face scrunched up in anger. Why is she ignoring me? When I find her, she we regret not picking up my call. Cato turned the corner and stepped onto the market road, slowing down a bit. The market road was probably the busiest place in District 2. There were people everywhere. Buying things, selling things, people going to eat, people window shopping, bargaining… people, people, people. Cato hated crowded places. Maybe she's here.

He passed the store titled Junk. Yeah, Clove hated eating food that wasn't healthy. There's no way she's going to be in there, he thought. Cato paused for a moment though. No, that's exactly what she wants me to think. He turned back to the store, walked right up to the window and pressed his face into the glass. There, on the third table from the register sat a girl, hair hanging down her shoulders and covering her face. She was picking and poking at a beef patty and half eaten bread. Clove hated that stuff.

Cato turned over to the door and made his way into the place. He stalked right over to Clove and sat himself in front of her. She looked up, her green eyes blank and uninterested. Clove leaned back on her seat, pushed the plate of food away from her and crossed her arms across her chest.

"What?" she snapped. She glared daggers at him. Cato gritted his teeth.

"Why didn't you answer my calls? Why are you ignoring me?" he demanded. Cato reached for the plate of food and picked up the bread and beef. Food is food. He took a big bite out of it and set it down again.

"Why should I? Didn't I tell you we're done?" Clove said. She fidgeted with the thin bracelet on her wrist.

"Right. Care to remind me why because it's not like we're dating or anything," Cato said, mouth full of more food.

"Thank God we're not! I will feel sorry for whoever does date you!" Clove spat. "And you can't even be a good friend to me so I will never be able to figure how the hell you're gonna get a girlfriend. You didn't help me when my examinations came even though you promised you would. You ditched me for that little bitch… what's her name? Kaylee. Her. You told her that I made you teach me shit when I first joined the Academy and so she spread it around to everyone that I'm a slutty bitch. Don't deny it." Cato sighed and wiped his mouth.

"Where are you getting this from?" he asked in the best attempt at being sincere.

"Dean told me." Cato rolled his eyes.

"Since when did you talk to Dean? You hate that bastard. And for the record, I had family issues the night before the exams. I told you that."

"You were out with Kaylee. Dean saw you and he told me that. And maybe I think he's a bastard but he's a nicer bastard than you. We've been friends for seven years, Cato and you can't even be honest with me." Cato sat up straight and looked at Clove right in the eyes.

"Whatever he told you, he's lying. I would never lie to you, Clove," Cato said slowly. He sounded uncertain. He pressed both palms onto the table and his cut began bleeding again.

"What happened to your hand?" Clove asked ignoring what he had said.

"Nothing." Clove looked concerned for a moment. She reached over for the cloth on the table and threw it at his face.

"Clean it up. And your shirt looks disgusting." Clove growled underneath her breath and stood up.

"Where are you going? Sit down and talk to me," Cato said, pulling the cloth off his face.

"We have nothing more to talk about. Goodbye, Cato," Clove huffed. She turned, flicking her hair over her shoulders and left.