Daffodil was crying. But her tears weren't clear, they were red. She was crying blood. Her grey eyes were rimmed with red and her cheeks had red stains. Her hair was loose and falling all over her. Her skin was pale and the red looked awful on it. As if her cheeks had been cut open. She kept crying and crying until her eyes widened and a knife went through her. She screamed once and then she fell forward onto the green grass which slowly started to turn red.
Cato's eyes snapped open and he sat up. He could feel the sweat running down the sides of his face. His breathing was coming in pauses. Cato ran a hand on his face and got out of bed. He went to the bathroom and washed his face with cold water. He felt a bit better and then decided to get some fresh air. Creeping out of his room and into the hallway, he made his way to the roof. Cato was watching the Capitol's lights when he heard footsteps. He whirled around and saw Daffodil standing there. He breathed a sigh of relief. Cato took Daffodil's hand and placed it on his cheek. She felt his face and smiled.
"Hello Cato. I thought it was you." Daffodil felt her way to the railing and looked down as if imagining how the lights would look.
"I had a nightmare." Cato said slowly. Daffodil continued to look down.
"Was I in it?" Daffodil asked.
"Yeah. You were crying bloody tears and then you... you died." Cato answered as he felt a tear fall down his cheek. Daffodil took his hand and squeezed it.
"I-I volunteered because of you." Cato said. Daffodil turned towards him and tilted her head. "I promised myself I wouldn't let you die. When you were called, I-I felt awful."
"You did it because of me? You risked your life." Daffodil said and Cato looked away. Daffodil's hand found Cato's cheek and she caressed it. "Thank you." Daffodil whispered. Cato placed his hand on hers and moved it to his lips. He kissed her palm and she smiled. Cato put his hands on both sides of Daffodil's face and leaned closer. His lips met hers in a gentle kiss. Daffodil gasped and then kissed him back. Cato's hands moved to her waist and he pulled her closer. Daffodil's hands found his neck and she rubbed the back of it, causing shivers to run down his spine at her soft and gentle touch. Cato licked Daffodil's bottom lip, tasting her. The kiss turned more passionate. Cato pulled Daffodil even closer until there was no gap left between them. Finally, they broke apart. Cato smiled at Daffodil and she smiled back, tracing his smile with her finger.
"I love you." Cato whispered and Daffodil placed her head on his chest. "I love you too."
They stood there for a while, enjoying each other's touch. Cato pulled away and placed a quick kiss on Daffodil's lips. "We should go back. Tubletin or Alice might find us."
Daffodil nodded and Cato kissed her again before taking her hand and leading her back. They whispered good night to each other and went to their rooms. Cato fell asleep with a smile on his face.
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"Alright!" Tubletin exclaimed. "Train hard today because you show the Game makers what you can do. And tomorrow are the interviews and the day after that are the games. How exciting!"
Alice glared at him. "No, not exciting, terrifying."
Tubletin snorted and rolled his eyes. Cato took Daffodil's hand from underneath the table. She squeezed it and smiled. They had already been at the Capitol for a week. This was horrifying. Only two days left until the games.
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Daffodil's name was called and she smiled at Cato and Rue. They smiled back.
"Good luck." Rue whispered and Daffodil nodded. Cato tried not to bite his lip but ended up doing it anyway. Daffodil got up from her chair and walked into the room, the doors closing behind her. A Peacemaker led her to the place where the weapons were and left her to choose which one she wanted. Daffodil picked up the bow and arrow. Seneca watched her closely, wondering what a blind girl could do that would impress him. Daffodil pulled the string back after positioning herself. The sponsors were also watching her closely. She let go and the arrow landed in the outer circle of the target. Everyone laughed and went back to their conversations. Daffodil frowned as she sensed the disappointment and then she smelled the food. She remembered something Cato had told her long time ago. If you can't see, that doesn't mean you can't use your other senses.
Daffodil smelled cake. She turned towards the direction of where she thought the cake would be and she pulled back the string once more after placing an arrow in it. She whispered a quick prayer and then let go of the arrow. The arrow whizzed past Seneca's nose, missing it by an inch, and pierced the small ornament that was placed on the top of the four layer cake. All it once, there was silence as Seneca's mouth dropped open and he turned towards the blind girl in front of him.
"Um... You may go now." Seneca said uneasily. Daffodil nodded and placed the bow and arrow back where she got it from. The Peacemaker led her to the door and she exited. Rue and Cato rushed to her. Daffodil felt her eyes welling up with tears.
"What happened?" Cato asked.
"I-I need to sit down." Daffodil said and Cato took her hand and helped her to a chair. He was about to ask again when his name was called. Cato placed a kiss on Daffodil's forehead and left. Rue held Daffodil's hand as she softly cried. A while later, Cato came out. He didn't say anything and took Daffodil's hand and pulled her up. He pulled her to the exit doors and took them to the roof. Once they reached, he turned towards her.
"What happened?" He asked again, lightly putting his hands on her shoulders. Daffodil told him what she had done and Cato laughed.
"It's not funny. I bet I'll get a 3." Daffodil said in a low voice. Cato stopped laughing and hugged Daffodil.
"No you won't. You'll do great." Cato whispered in her ear and gave her a gentle kiss on her lips.
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Everyone was sitting in front of the TV screen. Cato sat next to Daffodil and Alice sat next to Tubletin. Rola, Roli and Rolis were standing and Siberius was sitting next to Alice and Tubletin. Cato held Daffodil's hand as District 1's names were called. Marvel got a 9 and Glimmer got an 8. District 2's name was called and everyone moved closer to the TV. Daffodil closed her eyes tightly as her name was called. Her score was... 11! Daffodil opened her eyes as Cato grabbed her and crushed her in a hug. His score was 10 but he didn't seem to mind. Siberius pulled Daffodil from Cato's arms and hugged her. Everyone was hugging the two tributes and Alice was smothering the two of them with kisses. Roli, Rolis, and Rola jumped on Cato, knocking him over. Everyone laughed. Siberius brought in the drinks and everyone was handed a glass. Cato drank five glasses while Daffodil managed to drink one. Tubletin was drunk after his eighth glass and Alice drank two glasses. Siberius put his mouth to the bottle and drank it all until he could barely hold the bottle. Rola, Roli and Rolis had to pull him back to his room. Alice claimed she had had enough and she left to her room, dragging a very drunk Tubletin to his room. Cato sat back down on the sofa and Daffodil grabbed his sixth glass from his hand.
"No. You are not getting drunk." Daffodil said and put the glass back onto the table. Cato groaned. "You're just like my mother."
"Your mother is a smart lady." Daffodil sat down next to Cato. He smiled and pulled Daffodil closer. He gave her kiss and Daffodil smiled too.
"I love you." She said.
"I love you too." Cato answered.
