*************************************************************************************Hey Everybody! Here's the preview to my first new fanfiction idea! I watched the hunger games (again.) and couldn't help myself but to crank out this preview for you guys! It will be several days before I can update again, but I will try to get the other preview up for my other story idea soon! Enjoy this CatoxClove story preview! Let me know what you guys think about it! Love you all!

Don't let him see you…you're an idiot why are you even here? You have your own workout to tend to. But here you sit watching Cato. His arms are so big, and strong…I wonder what it'd be like to be cradled in them, to feel their embrace around my fragile little body. This is the first time I've ever done this…I've never been to the guy's training area...until right now, I guess… Cato is eighteen…just forget about him Clove…he's out of the question. He's been bragging about volunteering for the seventy fourth hunger games for an entire year…you would have to watch him fight till there's only one victor left. Could you honestly tell yourself that you'd be okay with watching him kill innocent children…wouldn't that ruin your mental picture of him? "Clove! Back to practice, now!" I snap my head around and see my coach standing behind me.

His voice is so loud and irritating it easily draws the attention of Cato… He just looks down and laughs silently at me. "Great. Thanks dad." "What? I'm sorry! Did I embarrass you?" He pulls me back by my ponytail, "I'm sorry…I-I didn't mean it!" "I'm sorry? Are you embarrassed that my future tribute, Cato, saw that you were slacking off? Cato, get over here!" Cato runs over obediently and stares down at me. I haven't realized how tall and muscular he is until now, as he hovers over me, like a tree...A hot tree at that… "What's up coach?" I get chills when he talks, his voice is…so melodic and it rings through my ears, and I know at this instant that I'm never going to manage being able to remove it from my memory…no matter how hard I try. "My daughter over here…was slacking off. You're my toughest junior coach…wanna give her a hand in some workouts?"

This is my punishment? I struggle to keep the laughter in at my father's pathetic attempts to "punish me". I put on a fierce look and walk to Cato's side. I can feel his warmth radiating from his body, and it gives me chills. "Whatever Coach... Okay baby doll let's see what you've got." He stares at me sarcastically and I motion for him to follow me to the knife station. He follows me, his feet make heavy treads, and I can already tell he's irritated to be training me. I crouch down and he bends down beside me. "What are you doing? You do realize how absolutely ridiculous you look right?" "Shut up and you might learn a thing or two." I smile up at him and he laughs at my joke. He laughed…at your joke…not at you…redemption! I have a celebration in my head and try to focus on the target.

"See that little target way down the center?" "What? That tiny one…?" He squints his eyes and cocks his head a little, "Good luck hitting that one, kid." Seriously? Three years apart and suddenly I'm a kid? With the fury at the idea of the guy I like calling me a kid. I wiz the knife out of my hand and it lands perfectly on the target. I hand Cato a knife and he looks at it questioningly. "Okay, big boy…show me your "amazing aim"." He stutters a little before crouching down. It takes him a long time to position his knife in "just the right way".

"Cato…I'd kinda like to see what "skills" you claim to have, before I have to go home for dinner." I smile sarcastically at him and watch as his knife narrowly misses the edge of the target. He scratches the back of his head nervously and stares at me. "How did you hit such a small target? You're just a kid!" "Okay first of all…I'd rather not be referred to as…a kid, I'm fifteen years old. To answer your question…after years of being stuck in this "academy" while my father trained all of you jerks, I had to find some way to entertain myself…thus…the knives." I smile proudly and walk back. Please follow me. Please follow me. "Hey Clove! Wait up!" His loud footsteps are unmistakable, I slow my steps down and try to hide the girly smile plastered on my face.

"I'll admit I've been an absolute jerk…but you have to admit I'm pretty good." He smirks and looks up as if evaluating his skills. "What an apology…and after seeing your knife throwing skills…I seriously don't know why you'd volunteer as tribute." His grin drops and as I reach for the elevator button he jumps in front of me. "Well then maybe you should come and see me at the sword practice center." "Maybe I will." He lets out a seductive smile, and when the elevator opens, I push him out of the way playfully. "Goodbye Cato." "Bye Clove." I blush a little when he says my name.

As soon as the door shuts I let out a quick high pitched squeal. Five years of watching this boy walk in and out of the training academy…and it's finally paid off! Get it together Clove! He's not going to want so squealing little girl, who just gawks over his muscles! I shake my head and walk out to the parking lot to find my father. When I spot his car I climb in, he isn't out of the academy yet, so I kick my feet up on the dashboard and close my eyes and think about how many words I had said to Cato. After only a few minutes my father climbs into the car and has a look on it I have only seen once, and that was when my brother had been killed in the games. Pure happiness. I still am confused by this. As for my brother's death, my father wasn't displeased in the least…he instead yelled at the monitor, "I told him he wasn't ready to volunteer as tribute! Who's right now?" While my brother bled out painfully…a part of me had died with him in those games, not only from the emptiness in our household…but I knew my father would be pinning all his new hopes on me…and me alone.

"Clove! Sweetheart! Why didn't you tell me that you were training to be a Career? Cato was telling me about your skills with a knife! I can't believe it! My daughter!" He kisses the top of my head and starts the car up. We live only a block or two away from the academy so before I can open my mouth we're in my living room. "Do you think you'll be ready to go into the arena this year? Who am I kidding with you and Cato in the hunger games…this will be the best games yet!" He yammers on for another hour before I can't take another word. "Dad! Why don't you understand, I don't want to be in the games! I haven't since my brother died in them! I don't know what he was to you! But I will not volunteer for the games…not this year. Not ever!" I stomp my feet and turn for my room. I am again caught by my ponytail, but this time it's not a tug…it feels like he's trying to rip my scalp off.

"Let go of my hair dad!" I grasp his wrist and try to pry my hair free. Instead of him releasing as I had hoped, I am greeted by his hand slapping across my face. "Clove! You listen to me right now. You will train for the games. You will volunteer, and you will compete…if you don't…things worse than the games will take place in this household. Are we clear?" I crinkle my nose and crease my brow in disgust at the words being spat at me. "No! You can't make me volunteer! That is a choice…and it's not yours to make!" "What did you say to me?!" I try to wiggle free from his hands that are violently wrapped around my small wrists. I can already tell that they will bruise. He punches me one time in the eye and it's throbbing so hard that I wouldn't be surprised if it's already turning black. "Much worse things will come your way." I can feel some tears fall out of my eyes, and they sting the cuts I have across my cheeks. I nod slowly, and accept that, I am going to be competing in the seventy fourth annual hunger games.

After Cato's "favor" I will be a female, fifteen year old tribute. Sure to be killed after the alliance is broken, by Cato, the only boy I have ever liked. My father releases my wrists and pushes me towards my bedroom. "Training starts tomorrow at five in the morning. Cato will be your coach for the first few weeks, to ensure that you get the full tribute experience." I don't fight it any longer. I already know that to come back home, I'll have to kill Cato.

I go into my bedroom, it's plain white, and my bed is covered with a black blanket that was my brother's. I open my closet and open a box and pull out a picture of me and my brother, taken only a few months before he volunteered. I hold it close to my chest before the tears drop onto it. "I can't believe this is happening…Actually I can…once you died…I knew dad would be pinning all of his hunger game hopes on me. But I just can't handle this stress…I just wish you were still here so you help me train, or just for me to hug one last time." I take one last look at the picture and place it back into its box and hide it under some of my old clothes.

I take some shaky strides into my bathroom and look at the damage my father has caused. I have a slit going across my left cheek and my eye is red and already swollen up intensely on my right eye. I wipe away whatever tears are remaining in my eyes. Something changed in my tonight. I no longer felt the want to have Cato as my boyfriend…or to even look at his beauty. I am in the mindset of a tribute, I still fear my father immensely. After seeing the slow death of my brother four years ago…I knew something was brewing to change inside of me. Now is the first time I can see that fire, and rage building in my eyes. The desire to win the games. To prove my father wrong. To win this for my brother. I pull my hair back again so it's neat and formal and go to bed. I fall asleep easily…I can feel this new fire rising by the minute. I can win these games. I will train with Cato…who will be my district partner…who I will kill…along with twenty two other tributes. I will make district twelve for killing my defenseless brother. Clove, you will win the seventy fourth hunger games.

I wake up around four thirty and throw my hair back into a plain ponytail before running out to the academy…I don't want to look like an absolute weakling in front of Cato…to him that would make me easy prey. I just pick up a sword when I see something emerging from the shadows. "What do you think you're doing with that Clove?" He smirks at me and takes it from my hand. I frown and reach for it, Cato jerks it away and just laughs at my pathetic attempt to snatch it back. "Give it back! I wanted to practice! And you're not helping me in the least!" He easily tosses it to me, "What happened to your cheek and eye Clove?" He seems genuinely concerned as he reaches for my face. He cups my cheeks in his large hands, and I still feel nothing…or not really anything…I guess.

He examines my eye. "How did you get the black eye Clove?" "I had an accident." At this point, Cato is nothing but the enemy, so I slap his wrists and they drop immediately. "Well what happened to you?" "I just don't want you touching my face. So lay off!" I take a step back and he holds his hands up, surrendering. "Fine." He walks off and I hate to admit it but I feel a little emptier without his presence. "Put this on it. I can't have my training tribute looking like an idiot who will crawl into any kind of fight." I let out a smirk and grab the ice pack from him. "Well, looking tough is better than looking like a wimp who has never been in a fight." He throws his head back and looks at the ceiling, and chuckles. "Because everybody wants to mess with me! Seriously what happened to the cocky, yet polite girl I met yesterday." "She's gone! Deal with it. Time to put my tribute face on…now are you going to help me or just stand here questioning where the pathetic little girl from yesterday went." "Oh…umm. Sure! Let's see what you've got kid." I scowl at his comment and go for the strength station, he hangs up a punching bag. "What weight?" "Whatever you can do I can." I stick out my chest in pride. How hard can fifty or so pounds be?

"So, one hundred and fifty pounds. Warm up…" One hundred and fifty pounds? For warm up? Seriously?…I was stuck with the over achiever in the weight department. " Sounds great." He hangs himself one and pulls off his shirt… He's beautiful…of course… I smooth my hair back and prepare myself for this. "Tell me when you get tired kid." I moan and raise my arms up to begin the first day of training for the hunger games.

I can't believe you approved this much weight for your first time. You're an idiot Clove. An absolute idiot….

*************************************************************************************Hey Guys! What did you think about this change in gears? Did you like Clove's personality in this? How about her background, (as to why she's in the games.) How about cocky Cato? REMEMBER! THIS IS A PREVIEW, SO I WILL NOT BE UPDATING AS QUICKLY AS I WILL IF THIS IS THE STORY ALL OF YOU (THE READERS) CHOOSE FOR ME TO CONTINUE. A POSITIVE REVIEW MEANS A VOTE FOR THIS FANFICTION TO CONTINUE! Thanks so much for reading! I really appreciate each and every one of you! I hope you liked this fanfiction preview! I love you all so much! Thanks again!

~Freezethemoment