Chapter three: Hadley's POV
"Every other tear and district four stylist has this idea that fish, mermaids, pirates and these magical sea sirens are an ideal outfit for the tribute," My stylist said as she walked in the room.
"I don't think that. They think that those things embody what four is all about. But it's not! Four has a natural beauty that other districts or even the capitol can't compete with." She said as she moved a stray piece of hair out of my face.
She was not your average capitol person. She had pitch black hair and eyes as green as the tree leaves in seven. Yes, she had a capitol look. But it was just tattoos that were better than any Capitol look.
I nodded at her and waited for her to continue. "You are the Capitol's favorite tribute and we haven't even begun the parade. Although, that stunt that the district two boy pulled got people that are eager to be sponsors quicker than when he staked his claim on you. And in some odd way it was beautiful seeing that the boy has got something similar to feelings for you when one of you is going to die. And you radiated beauty, you do now too. And I feel if we put a fish costume on you that has very slim relevance to what four is about, it'll diminish that beauty. So we're going to put you in what is normal for four." She said.
I was about to open my mouth and thank her for the compliments but her correct her on Cato's intention but she beat me to it. "You're welcome for the compliments. And do not even deny that the boy isn't feeling something for you. The way he looked at the two other boys when you were walking said everything. It wasn't a look of, 'She's my kill, stay away!' it was a look of fascination. Granted, the whole country has a fascination with you, but this boy's was something different. He looked like he cared about you, but at the same time it was like he wanted to figure you out. And don't even get me started about how when the district one girl tried to get a little more familiar with the idea that she can use him, he walked straight over to you with this look on his face."
I liked her. She wasn't going to sugarcoat shit. She wasn't going to tell me that everything was going to be okay even if it wasn't. She was going to be honest, unlike most capitol people.
"You're honest, and you're deep." I started, "I like you." I finished. She grinned at me and nodded, "I don't see the point in making it seem better than it is." I nodded at her thankfully for being for her seeming like the only sane person here.
"Now sorry to keep you waiting, you probably want to see your outfit," She said as she moved toward the closet. She was right, I was very eager to see what I would be wearing. She spoke so much about how it wasn't what district four normally wore, so I was being eaten alive with anticipation.
She walked out of the closet with a bikini in hand and a cover in the other. "You're prep team did a wonderful job on making you look fresh out of the salty waters of four so we needn't worry about that. And I don't think I've introduced myself have I? My name is Opal, and you are Hadley."
I nodded and gingerly took the clothing out of her hands. I quickly put it on, eager to get out of the paper dress that my prep team put on me while she turned around and went to get something.
My prep team had been relentless on the emphasis that the saying pretty hurts is true. They had waxed, washed and polished almost every inch of me. And it hurt.
I had on the bikini and cover up that sort of looked like one I had back home when Opal came back. She took my hand It put many rings on each finger. She put on the rest of jewelry then said, "Your beauty is eye catching enough, but we want to wow the crowd with the simplicity of this. The rings you have on are linked to the bracelet and the bracelet to the necklace and the necklace to the cover up. All of those have microscopic water that we, the other stylist and I, have created. When you press the little gem on your bracelet that will send the water fling out of the back of the cover up. And a couple seconds later it will seem to be shooting out of your hand, but it really is coming from the rings and the bracelets. When the water comes out though, it's normal water." My mouth fell open from the idea.
"That's genius, Opal!" she grinned at my happiness then led me outside. When we were out of the room Finnick was standing there and he said, "Looking good as always, Stingray."
I rolled my eyes at his nickname for me and said in monotone, "You look the same as you always do, Dorsal Fin."
I had known Fin since he got back from the games. We had been friends since he had gotten back from his games. Granted, I was a lot younger, but we were still friends. My dad had mentored him. Finnick was the last tribute my dad had mentored before deciding he wanted to travel the country.
We all walked down to where the chariots were. When we got down to the chariots, I saw a cluster of stylists working on their tributes in hopes of wracking in more sponsors. I also saw Cato looking at me how Opal said he would be looking. He was looking at me like I was a piece of meat. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't unnerving.
Finnick must have sensed my distress because he discreetly squeezed my hand and whispered, "I know you're uncomfortable with but let him look." I subtly nodded and tried by best not to glare at him when his eyes fell from my face to my chest.
Mounting the chariot, Quinn walked over and got on the chariot too. His hand went to move for something that wasn't my hand, although that would have been bad too. He reached over and squeezed my butt.
I glared at him viciously and stomped as hard as I could on his foot. He let out a whimper of pain and leaned away from me.
I had to smirk at that.
When the doors opened and you could already hear the crowd chanting my name, my smirk couldn't help but transform into a smile.
When the chariot started moving and I could see people I smiled at everybody. They all smiled and threw flowers back. But when I saw a few people holding big pictures of Cato's arm wrapped securely around my waist, my eyes flew to Cato who looked just as surprised.
Deciding it was a good time to wow the crowd, I pressed the button on my bracelet. Cato even managed to look surprised in a fierce sort of way. The crowd got even louder.
When I lifted my arms up above my head and the water came out, the crowd got even louder. But when I smiled at Cato and he gave me a small smile, the crowd got ear splitting loud.
When the chariots came to a stop and President Snow started his speech, I glanced over at Cato to see he was smirking at me.
"That was perfect! The Capitol loved you and Cato!" Finnick said loudly when we walked in to our floor. The room was covered in various blues and sand colored things.
"What's going on with you and Cato," Quinn growled out. I shot Finnick a look and he looked at me grimacing.
"Nothing," I muttered to Quinn before walking to the room that had my name on the door.
Later, when I lay on my bed watching the reapings that I didn't get to see on the train, I heard Finnick walk past it and mutter a sorry that was barely audible.
I rolled my eyes at him and thought about the games. What would the arena look like this year? Would it be a forest? A desert?
I didn't know about the arena at all which bugged me. Then, I thought about Cato. He always seemed to be looking at me which was kind of weird. It was also weird how insanely attractive he was. I was definitely not going to lie to myself and everybody else and say he wasn't.
Everybody knew he was. Hence, why the district one girl always was trying to get his attention, that thought managed to set a little ball of anger running through me even though I barely know him! I smirked though when I realized how he went near me though when she had tried to make even the slightest of moves on him.
The next morning after I had finished the pancakes I was eating, Finnick pulled me aside and said, "As soon as you get in there, I want you to go straight to the weapons and show the careers what you can do. If they offer you a spot, take it. Don't worry about becoming a target, you can take care of them in the arena." I nodded at him even though I had no intention of being a career. And I didn't plan on killing anybody unless I had to.
He nodded then walked me down to the training room then said goodbye and good luck.
I walked over to where the other tributes were and waited for the woman to start talking. A minute or so later, I saw Quinn walk in with a limp. I smiled at that.
I looked around and saw that yet again, Cato was staring at me. I rolled my eyes at him and he smirked at me.
Seconds later, the lady named Atala went over the rules and sent us on our way. I didn't follow Finnick's instructions and went over to the painting station. I dipped my fingers in the paint then walked over to the weapons. I quickly moved near the dummy that I would be using and put two eyes, a nose and a mouth on the dummy with the paint.
Then, I walked over to the weapons and got a bow and a couple arrows, a spear and a trident. I picked up the bow and saw that all of the careers were watching me. Why is everyone always looking at me?
I made sure the arrow was in place then turned my head and looked at the bunch. I let the arrow fly and saw the looks of surprise on their faces when they saw that it had hit one of the eyes I had put on it.
When they all slowly walked over I launched the other two arrows into the mouth and the other eye. Then, I hefted the spear above my head and made it hit the middle of the dummy's forehead.
When Cato and the careers came over and he was about to open his mouth I sent the trident flying in to the dummy's throat.
He closed his mouth then opened his mouth again but I was already over at the knives. I picked one up twirled it around my fingers then sent it flying into where the dummy's mouth would be.
"Be a career," Cato said in that deep voice of his. I looked at him, "No thanks," picking up another knife, I sent it flying into the heart of the dummy.
He looked stunned that I had said no. "What?" he spat. I turned to look at him after I had sent another knife into the dummy's neck.
"I said no. And also, I would appreciate if you would quit staring at me all the time." I said slowly.
"I'll stare at you as much as I would like. And why not?" he said getting frustrated. I arched my eyebrow at him and said, "Because, why join a group that's going to slit your throat when you're sleeping? Why become some type of friends with people you're going to have to kill or watch be killed? Why put yourself in danger like that just for the hell of being in with the careers? Why let your self be that unprotected?"
He looked at me for a second, then said, "I'd protect you." I scoffed at his answer. "No you wouldn't. And I can take care of myself, so why even think about joining the careers?" I said motioning towards the dummy's that would be dead I f they were real.
He took a deep breath then walked up to me. He caged me up against the wall and whispered in my ear, "You're gonna regret this, little Shark."
I spun us around and quickly whispered in his ear, "I don't think I will, babe." I chuckled at his expression and walked off to the knot station.
I was at the knot station perfecting a net when they called lunch. I walked quickly over to get my food then sat down at a table that was empty. Seconds later though, Cato sat down next to me. I glanced at him then scooted down the bench. He followed though, and I glared at him.
"You're cute when you're mad." He said with a smirk. I sighed then turned to look at him right in the eyes.
"What do you want, Cato?" I asked. "For you to be a Career," I shook my head at him. "and for you to come practice sword fighting with me."
"Fine, let me eat and we'll go." I said eating my food. He grinned at me as he downed his food quickly. I finished the soup I had before he was done and turned to look at him. I stared at the side of his head and how his hair was sticking up. He kept eating as I looked at his blue eyes and my eyebrows furrowed. He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye then went back to eating. I turned away from him and drank some of the water that I hadn't finished. But then I went back to looking at him.
"Why do you keep staring at me?" he asked as he finished his soup. "Why do you always stare at me?" I retaliated.
"Because you're hot." He paused while I rolled my eyes yet again. "And I can't fucking figure you out."
"No one ever will." I said while getting up and walking towards the training room. He followed me and handed me one of the foam sticks. I grabbed it from him and got in the ring then waved it around for a minute. He went to hit my side with his but I blocked it the flipped his over and went to hit his leg, but he blocked that then moved mine so it was hard to unblock it, but my dad had done this many times to me and I got out of it. I squatted down when he went for a hard slash to my abdomen. Then I got up and jumped when he went to hit my legs. As quick as I could I ran behind him and launched myself on his back which led to him falling. He landed on his stomach but I managed to roll him over and straddle his abdomen with my forearm against his throat.
"That was easy," I muttered leaning down close to him. He got his arms out from under my knees and picked me then putting me under him.
He leaned down close to my face, "I let you win, little Shark." I rolled my eyes and pushed him off of me.
He stood up and offered me a hand but I pushed myself up off against the ground and glared at him, "Sure, sure."
He grinned at me and said, "Be a career," yet again. I looked at him and shook my head slowly.
He set his lips into a line and sighed then walked away. He was being too persistent. If there was even a chance I was going to be a career he would have to learn to quit being so pushy.
Minutes later, everybody filled the training room again. He thankfully didn't sa anything to me for the rest of the day.
"How did training go?" Finnick asked as I walked in to our floor. I muttered a fine then went in to my room to sleep.
The next day at training, everything was the same aside from the fact that Cato didn't say anything or even spare a glance at me. He had apparently found an interest in Sparkles, which caused her to be even more annoying.
After we had finished training for the day we were being evaluated by the game makers. I watched the district one boy walk in with a smug smile on his face and walk out with one much like all the other careers.
When Cato walked out he had the smug smile on too. But it fell when he saw me. He walked close to me then whispered in my ear, "good luck protecting yourself when we have scores like that."
I smirked at him, "Oh, don't worry. I'm definitely not worried." He glared at me then walked to the hoard of arrogant killers.
When my name was called I walked in with an expressionless face. "Hadley, dear, we already know what you can do, don't even bother." One of the game makers called.
This infuriated me. How dare they think they know everything about me even though they really don't have the slightest clue about me.
I ran over to the weapons and got a bow and a few arrows, knives, a spear and a trident. Then I grabbed the stuff I needed to make a fire.
I set up the stuff to make a fire then grabbed the bow and arrows and shot out three lights. There were five lights in total that lit up the whole training room. I grabbed the spear and launched it at the fourth light. Then I took the trident and put out the fifth light making it go dark. The capitol people gasped at the darkness.
Then I started the fire that I had set up and turned in to a raging fire that lit up the whole training room.
I grabbed one of the knives I had picked up and launched it into the apple in the pig's mouth that was up in the gamemakers box.
"Do you really?" I asked them as I walked out of the training room leaving them frantic. When I was out of there all of the tributes looked at me and then the room that was in darkness.
Cato and the killers were still in the waiting room when I walked out and he raised an eyebrow at me. In response I gave him a sickly sweet smile then walked out of the room.
"Dorsal fin!" I called when I walked in to our floor. "Yes, stingray?"
"I fucked up. Oh my god I'm going to be the first one to die oh my god." I worried as I sat in a ball on the couch.
"What happened?" he asked. I told him everything. And I mean everything. I told him about Cato and being a career and how I scared the living daylight out of the game makers.
"Well that was for sure a ballsy move, Stingray. But I think it'll work. If you can make Cato care about you and be as ruthless as you were in there you can team up with him and take him out at the end of the games."
I nodded at his idea and laid down on the couch. What seemed like seconds later I was awoken from my nap and told that I would get my score soon.
I sat up on the couch and watched as the scores were given out. Sparkles managed to get an eight. Her partner got a nine. Clove, the district two girl got a nine. Cato got a ten.
The district three people what they got every year. Quinn had managed to get an eight too. He got a few mutters of congratulations then Caesar said, "And for the very, lovely and one of my personal favorites, Hadley Valor with a score of- what is this? Why, there's no score."
What?
Seneca crane walked in front of the camera and said, "Hadley's score is still undecided." I heard shouts from behind the camera of only two numbers, zero and twelve.
"One moment please," Seneca said before running behind the camera. You could hear shouting while Caesar tried to talk to Claudius. I sat there with fear running through my veins.
Seneca was back whispered something Caesar. Caesar smiled and Seneca walked away once again.
"Hadley valor, with a score of twelve."
"What did you do?" I heard a voice say. I was currently up on the roof trying to think alone, but that was obviously not going to happen.
I turned around a saw Cato walking out of the elevator. He walked over to where I was, leaning on the railing.
"Scared them shitless," was all I said to him. He nodded then leaned on the railing next to me.
"And how did you do that?" he asked again. "I shot out all the lights, started a huge fire and threw a knife at a pig."
He raised his eyebrows, "You threw a knife at one of them?" I laughed loudly and said, "No, I threw a knife at the roast, but I was tempted to throw one at them."
He nodded but asked another question. "Why though?" I turned around and looked at him.
"Because they think they know me so well. They said to not even bother because they know what I can do. When in reality, they haven't got the slightest clue about me. Nobody really does."
He looked at me for a second, just staring at my face. His eyes moving to each part of it. Then he moved closer to me and leaned in. I felt his lips on mine and I was surprised. We kissed for a couple more seconds then he pulled away.
I looked at him in confusion then I leaned in and kissed him. We sat there just kissing for what felt like hours but it was really seconds.
I leaned away this time and asked him, "You still want me to be a career?" he smiled and nodded.
I smirked, "That's too bad, babe." I said using the nickname I had used yesterday. I went to walk away and go back down to my floor but he grabbed me by my hips and pushed me up against the wall and kissed me hard.
I pushed him off and went to the elevator.
Finnick sat on the couch when I walked in. "I followed your plan." He raised his eyebrow at me. Then I told what had just happened on the roof and he gave me a smile, ruffled my hair and said to me, "You little heartbreaker."
This one was definitely fun to write, and long. But it was worth it. Anyway it might seem like Hadley is opening up to Cato but she's not don't worry.
Darkhuntress621: I'm glad you like it! I hope I got this up fastest enough!
Guest: I'm like 99.9% percent sure you're ^ but if you're not, thank you! And yeah, helpless characters are okay once in a while but they get annoying in large doses.