Clove slumped to bed, she was exhausted. She fell asleep and she started dreaming of her and Cato running from something, dogs?

She awoke to the sounds of screaming in the next bedroom, it was 3 am. Carlo. She grabbed her knife and ran to her little brother's room, he was in hysterics, he had his hands over his ears and tears were streaming down his face. She ran over to him and wrapped her arms around him, gently placing her knife on his bedside table and started rocking him. "Did you have a nightmare?" Clove asked him, continuing the rocking motion as this often soothed him. "You volunteered" He blurted out. "You went and a big mean guy killed you with a rock, he did Clove and then Cato held you, he did I swear." Clove was gob smacked.

Carlo often had visions in his dreams, only Clove knew about them, she had sworn he keep it secret to protect him. They would throw him in a freak house, or worse. After the first day of training with the boys, she came home feeling drained, the boys were pathetic. Her brother came up to her and simply said "Cato" and then exactly 7 days later she met him, they brought the best out in each other. He saw other stuff to, but not much.

She hadn't told him she was volunteering. Maybe it was obvious? And maybe she would be killed to, you never know. The thing that least made sense was Cato holding her, why would he do that? She was thinking this through and then Carlo chimed in "He seemed to love you a lot. Do you like him?" Clove shushed him, grabbed her knife and went to her room. Maybe, just maybe. She did.

She crawled out her bed at 6 am, 6 days till the reaping. The weather was glorious, the sun shining right through her broken window. She dreamt of Cato last night, the night he nicknamed her Clover, it's like she was re-living it. There was a bowl full of 3 leaf clovers, one for the boys and one for the girls. Each bowl had one four leaf clover in it. Whoever picked it got to test their skills in a new weaponry compartment, crossbows. They ended up scrapping it, to much of an easy kill she guessed. But she, and of course, Cato picked the four leaf clovers. They had three hours, and it was pretty boring, no adrenaline rush like when she threw knives.

Today she tied her dark hair in a simple braid straight down her back, and put on her usual kit, dark leggings, a simple black strappy top, and her black boots that reached her knees, it was better to move in thin clothes, and better to kick in her boots.

When she reached the training center 15 minutes early, she saw Cato slouched against the wall buy the doors. "We need to talk." He said, his voice was stern. She was always early; she liked to get her stuff ready before everyone else. Looks like today would be an acceptation. She followed him round the corner and down a small alley right next to it. He stopped when he reached the forest on the other side. "I don't want you to volunteer this year, please."

"WHAT? Well this is perfectly different from yesterday, isn't it? Am I too weak now? Or are you bored of me? I bet you want that pretty 17 year old to volunteer don't you." The look on his fain showed confusion and something else, pain. His voice sounded raspy when he replied "Clove, please. For m-Carlo, you can't" He suddenly got louder "YOU CANT. I CANT HAVE YOU IN THERE WITH ME, ALRIGHT?" he was angry. More so at himself it seemed, but she wasn't sure. She had her comeback. "Fine, I volunteer you don't, alright. I am perfectly capable of surviving on my own in there, just like you, I am sick of you constantly looking down on me as a slab of meat, I'm sorry I'm not pret- Cato cut of her words, by kissing her. This was no ordinary kiss, it sent sparks flying, his hand was placed on her face and she leaned into him. It felt, right. Clove had never kissed anyone, Cato probably had and that's why he was guiding her, placing his tongue inside her mouth. Clove felt like she knew what to do, no matter how little experience she had. The kiss was getting more desperate, and a moan escaped Cato's mouth. She had made him do that? His hand left her face and then he wrapped both arms around her waist, pushing her against the wall gently so she leaned on his arms. "Clove" He murmured, pulling away from this kiss. "This can't happen, you know it." Clove sighed. She knew it couldn't, that's what was killing her. Her brother had been right. "Cato, we can't go… not now." Now Cato sighed, it was his last chance, he was sure to be put up. Surely she knew that? "You know we have to Clove, Enobaria is forcing us, no matter how hard we try it's impossible. We're the best they have. I'll look after you, until… then it's fair as fair right?" The arrogant Cato was returning, Clove could see it. "You better put up a fight four leaf Clover" He winked and she stormed off, she had had enough. Why did she kiss him? Why did she like him?