A/N: I'm sorry this chapter took so long. You see, I am on a 2 week vacation. It started 4 days ago, a few hours after I posted the first chapter. What sucks is that in this place we are staying, (not a hotel or a motel, it's a rented house) there's no internet! So I try to go to places with wifi. I would've uploaded it sooner but I had a problem with fanfiction. I couldn't log in. So I'm really sorry. It'll probably be the same for the next few days. SORRY.
The Price of Winning
Chapter 2, No Threat
Katniss
Katniss sits on the her chair looking down as Effie circled the dining table.
"Young lady, I think you should learn some manners!"
"Relax, she just lost her temper." Haymitch says as he pours some liquor in his teacup, "Unlike you darling, people lose their temper."
"And what is that supposed to mean?"
Aside from Haymitch and Effie, everyone started to snicker. Even the avoxes try to hide their smiles.
"But sweetheart, don't do that again. You just made yourself the careers' number one target." Haymitch says to Katniss.
"Wasn't I already?" Katniss questions with a hint of sarcasm.
"Maybe. But don't try to push them over again, or their arrogant selves might kill you before you even get to the arena."
Katniss debates on whether she should say something about how the careers wouldn't do such an idiotic thing that could get them disqualified, especially since they've been training for this ever since they could walk. But she decides to keep quiet and nod her head.
After breakfast, Katniss heads to her room to change into her training uniform. She puts it on before she hears a knock on the door and opens it. She finds Peeta, already dressed for training.
"Can I come in?" He asks.
"Sure." Katniss moves to the side for the blonde boy enter.
He sits on the bed and looks her in the eye, "What do you think? About all of this?"
"What do you mean?"
"About the games, your sister, the Capitol, President Snow, the careers. Everything. What do you think about it?"
"Why are you asking me this?"
"Cause I want to know your opinion."
"I don't know. What do you think about it?"
The two knew about the cameras everywhere, so they try as much as possible to censor themselves.
"I don't know either. I just have this weird feeling that the people in charge hate us just as much as the careers do." Peeta says.
"What made you think that?" Katniss asks.
"It's just a feeling."
"Well, I guess we're going to have to find out."
"You might. I don't think I'll live to see the day."
Katniss stays silent for moment. She wonders whether the boy with the bread is just playing her, or if he actually means what he had just said. Though she doesn't plan to just stand around if he ever comes for her at the arena. "Maybe you will. You just never know."
Cato
"What the hell are you doing here?" Cato barks at Clove.
"I was about to call you for breakfast but then I walked in on a very interesting sight and decided to watch you a bit longer instead. Seriously Cato, whispering Katniss' name out loud? Tugging on the sheets? I can only imagine what was going on in that big head of yours."
Cato turns red, because of anger of course…..nothing else. "Fuck you and your dirty mind. I was killing the girl. Why would I ever even dream about bullshit like that?"
"Killing her? Then why'd you apologize? -yes you said that out loud too." Clove raises a brow, "I'd expect you to be proud after a kill, not sorry."
Cato takes a moment before saying something back, "You know what? Forget it. Believe whatever you want." He gets up and puts on a shirt before leaving the room.
Clove smirks as she follows behind him. "Don't worry. It'll be our little secret."
"Screw you. I just want the girl dead."
"Don't you want her in your bed instead?"
Cato turns and grabs her wrist, tightening his grip by the second, "Shut up. It wasn't like that, okay? If you say one more thing about it, I might break my promise about killing you last."
"Geez, Cato." Clove says, unfazed by his actions, "I didn't think you'd take it so personally. Can't you take a joke?"
Cato ignores her and lets her go. He didn't care anymore. He knew that if he kept on going against her, he would just end up angrier than he already was. So he decides to shut up and walk away. It was almost time for training anyway. He could take out all his anger on the dummies there.
Katniss
Katniss decides to learn more about edible plants, so she chooses that station for the hour while Peeta was trying the camouflage station on the opposite side. She familiarizes herself with the different colors, sizes, textures and shapes of the plants. It doesn't take long for her to catch on since she already knew about most of them from when she was hunting with Gale. Gale. She thought. She misses him and being in the woods as well, the only place where she could just forget everything and smile a real smile.
"Isn't katniss an edible plant?"
The decisive voice from behind, drives her away from her thoughts. Katniss turns to find the tall man she recently knew as Marvel. Seeing his face enraged her, but she kept herself composed, "Yes, it is." she answers.
"Good. I was thinking of giving it to Cato. You know? For him to eat." He smirks, "I'm sure he'll love it…you know what else princess? Just a few minutes ago we became allies. We from 1 and those from 2, and I think each one of us has a personal grudge against you. Some advice? Start training with weapons, because that's the only way you can get rid of us. Heat, Hunger or anything like that, won't do a thing."
"I know." Katniss says, "I'm just hoping that someone else will get to you before I have to."
"Oh, but I think Cato would like to trade a few blows with you before that."
"You think?"
Marvel laughs, "I would bet on it."
Katniss' eyes drift to the right, only to see the other three allied careers looking at them.
Marvel turns around to where Katniss was looking at, "I think I better go. And just so you know, if ever I get the chance, I'll be nice when I kill you." He takes a few steps before stopping to listen to what the fire princess had to say.
"I won't be betting on that." Katniss could just feel an amused smile forming on Marvel's face as he heads back to his pack. Out of curiosity, she decides to keep an eye on them for a little while, just in case she could learn something from whatever there is to learn from them.
Cato
"What the heck is he doing?" Clove points to Marvel who at that time, was still speaking with the fire girl. If it weren't for Cato, she wouldn't have given a care about what Marvel was doing. But now that they're allies, well, she had to.
Cato and Glimmer look to where Clove pointed.
"God! Marvel is such a flirt." Glimmer rolls her eyes as she says this.
"Wait, he's flirting?" Clove's eyes slightly widen.
"By the looks of it, yes."
Clove starts to burst into laughter, "Is he crazy? Does he honestly think she would fall for a career like himself? I bet she just wants to get away from him as soon as possible." She looks at the boy next to her, "No offense, Cato."
Cato scowls. He was fortunate enough to have Glimmer busy eyeing the fire girl that she couldn't hear anything Clove had just said. Clove was just having too much fun.
"What was that? Fire princess got you good?" Glimmer says as Marvel joined them.
"What? You think I was trying to get at her?" he asks as if it wasn't already that obvious.
"No. I know you were."
"Well, sorry to burst your bubble Glimmer but I just wanted to know a little bit about her. We do have to kill her after all. And she's not giving as much knowledge on her skills here in training."
"Oh please. Stop making excuses."
Cato was too deep in thought to hear what Marvel had said next, but it couldn't have been that important, so he didn't really care. Though, Marvel was right about not knowing what skills the fire girl had up her sleeve. Maybe she was handy in using a knife? After all, that was the weapon she used in the dream I had -What the hell is wrong with me? He thought. Surely the dream was just a bunch of lies set in motion. He knew this.
Cato started to curse at himself when images of his dream start flashing through his mind like a slideshow. Images of how he was only inches away from her face. Of how his smirk had faded when he looked in her eyes. And how he felt sorry for having to drive a sword through her. At least I killed her in the end, He thought.
His thoughts were interrupted when he felt a pair of eyes on him. He turned his head to the right and finds the fire princess with a blank usual look on her face. So Marvel thinks they need to know more about her, to kill her? No, they don't. She'd probably already be dead during the bloodbath by the Cornucopia. He didn't need to waste more time on her. He absent-mindedly smiles at the thought of this. Marvel just overestimated the fire princess, there's nothing to worry about. In fact, she should be the one worrying about them. They are the careers after all.
Clove stares at him, as if analyzing the thoughts running in his head. "You seem happy." She states, but it was more of a question than a statement.
Cato looks at her, "Something like that." then he smirks as he took one last look at the infamous, Katniss Everdeen.
Katniss
The boy from 2 smiles. He smiles. A million of questions start to flood Katniss' mind. Why is he smiling? What was he thinking? Does it have something to do with me? Did he finally realize that I want nothing to do with them? She wondered. So much questions. Questions that probably won't have any answers.
"Hey. Let's get lunch?" Peeta asks from behind, "Or do you want to skip it today too?"
Lunch? Already? Katniss thought. Today's training seemed a lot quicker than yesterday. But it was probably just in her head. "When did you get here?" Katniss asks, completely ignoring his question.
"A few seconds ago. Why does it matter?"
"It doesn't. So…lunch?"
"Yeah." Peeta grins, showing off his pearly white teeth as he leads them both to the Lunchroom.
The two were one of the first 6 who entered the Lunchroom. When Katniss stepped in, she was awestruck. Tables filled with different gourmet classics and bowls of punch stretch from one side to the other. The smell of smoke coming from the meat courses tickled her nostrils.
"I take it that you're regretting that you skipped lunch yesterday?" Peeta asks with a smug look drawn on his face.
Katniss laughs. She laughs. For the very first time since the day of the reaping. And this makes Peeta laugh too.
They take their seats by one of the tables placed before the food.
"Do you want me to pick your meal?" Peeta offers.
"If you don't mind, I guess." Normally, she would've done it on her own but she was just not feeling well. Thoughts of her mother, Prim and Gale. Heck, even the thought of Buttercup made her eyes teary. And the more she dwells on the thought, the more she realizes how real the games are her little chances of winning, if she even had any. "You've tasted the food, I'm sure you know what's good."
"In fact, I do." Peeta gives her a smile before taking off to the buffet of delicious, mouth-watering food that makes Katniss' stomach rumble even if she wasn't that hungry.
For a moment, Katniss just sits there and thinks. She thinks about home, and hunting in the wilderness with Gale. Then she thinks about Prim and how she would've been the one here, the one who would've been transported to the Capitol in a train, the one who would've been fixed, and prettied up, the one who would've been envied by the other tributes because of her performance in the chariots, the one who would've been eating gourmet food, and the would've had to participate in the 74th Annual Hunger Games. Then her throat starts to hurt. She feels like crying and Peeta hasn't comeback yet. So she decides to head to the comfort room for a little while to cool off.
When Katniss gets there, she washes off her face and looks at herself in the mirror. She didn't at all looked like what she felt. A part of her was glad it didn't, and a part of her wasn't. Peeta was probably back to the table, so she starts to make her way to the door. She swung the door halfway before she heard a loud thud when she felt like it hit something. Katniss closes the door shut after she gets out and looks at whatever thing she hit. Then she realizes it wasn't something, it was someone. Why did the comfort room have too be so close by the entrance?
"Cato?" She questions.
"Well look who it is, it's the fire princess." Glimmer, who was behind Cato, says.
"Whatever, I'm gonna go get some food. Anyone care to join me?" Clove asks.
"I will. I'm starving." Marvel follows Clove to get some food, leaving Cato, Glimmer and Katniss close by the entrance.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that." Katniss apologizes.
"Yeah sure. Okay." Cato says as he starts to leave.
Glimmer and Katniss share similar confused looks as he says this.
"That's it? You're just gonna leave her with that?" Glimmer questions.
"Yeah. Might as well be nice to the girl before she's gone." He says.
"Are you saying that I'm going to die in the arena?" Katniss jumps in with a pissed off look on her face making the blonde career pause.
Cato turns around to look at Katniss, "It's not like you stand a chance."
"And what makes you think you do?" She fires back.
"Are you joking?" Glimmer rolls her eyes and laughs as she says this
"No I'm not. So answer my question, Cato." Katniss says, eyes still glued on the blonde male career.
Cato
Every time Katniss says his name he feels a tiny tingle run down his spine. And he didn't like it one bit. It just made him pissed off, so much for not letting her in his mind.
"Because I have trained for this all my life. I know what it's like to kill. It's one of the only things I know how to do." he answers, "Have you ever killed someone?"
"Knowing how to is all I need to win this." She says.
Cato stays silent for a moment. This girl…He thought. "Not if I get you first." He signals for Glimmer to follow him and they join Clove and Marvel at their table.
May the odds be ever in your favor princess. Cato thought, Tomorrow is when we see how strong you are.
A/N: In case you're wondering. Yes! Tomorrow is the private sessions wherein Cato finds out that Katniss got an 11. I am sorry if Glimmer or Marvel character wasn't how you imagined it. But since their character really wasn't that obvious in the book or in the movie, I had to just write how I thought of them. And as for Cato, I know his character really isn't "all that" in this chapter, but it gets better I hope. =)
