The next day, I get to training early, around 5:00. As it's Monday today, we are on schedule. Training will go on from 6:00 - 11:00. After that we just get to mess around, but we can't leave the venue until five.

There are a larger range of weapons, as we're now entering the last week of career training. Today, however, they will reveal the boy and girl they have chosen to volunteer. You don't have to, of course, but you get pretty much attacked if you don't.

Dahlia - our head trainer - is standing with all of us careers gathered around her. "Sit!" She commands.

We all do as she says. I am sitting in between some girl nicknamed gloves, and a boy I think is named Braidan. The other people around the room look nervous. As to whether they want to be picked or not, I don't know.

"So." Dahlia says, glancing around the room. "We have picked both the girl and boy tributes think most deserves to represent district Two In the Seventy Fourth annual Hunger Games. Boys stand up."

They do as she says, all looking nervous. Except Cato. His chin is up and his chest is out. He'll volunteer even if he doesn't get picked.

"For the boys..." She says, leaving a dramatic pause, "Cato."

I don't know why there was any need for the pause. Everyone knew he was going to be picked.

"For the girls... Talia."

Instant Uproar. Talk a was Dahlia's daughter. She was small and feeble looking. She always had the shakes and she wasn't good with any weapons.

I just sighed with relief. I didn't have to play in the games. Cato looked even happier at the announcement of the girl. What, was he pleased how easily he'd be able to kill her?

"Well, I suppose you can go home now. You don't need to cone back until the games are over."

Everyone left the room, most grinning from ear to ear. The air outside was damp and the clouds were threatening to shower us. I sat on the steps to the academy, hoping Cato would just hurry up.

The drop of rain starts every other one. It is torrential raining with in seconds. I stand up, running my fingers through my hair.

"No way am I waiting in this." I mutter to myself, and I walk off towards my house.

I like to watch the way the raindrops dance before they hit the floor. It's like they know they've only got seconds to be free.

Not me though, I'll never be free. This district is a cage, and as long as I'm here, I'm just a mouse,trapped.

"Clove!" I turn around and see Cato running towards me. "I thought you were waiting for me?"

"In case you haven't noticed, it's pouring down. I hate the rain."

"You could've come inside." He says, sounding tired.

"Can we just go?"

He nods, and we change directions.

The walk to Cato's house is long and wet. When we pass the justice building where Cato will volunteer in a week's time, the rain stops. I'm dripping from head to toe, I must look like a drowned rat.

We duck left into an alley,where it's dark and silent. The alley is long - at least ten minutes long- Narrow and damp.

"Race you?" He says. Running is one of my stronger points.

"You're on."

He smiles and takes off instantly. I tear after him. We are ripping through the air,literally tearing it open. For the first time ever I do something out of the ordinary. I let my hair down. Literally. I run, now overtaking him, letting my hair blow behind me. There's just a hum of delight in my mind.

"CLOVE!" Cato is shouting and he sounds terrified. I turn and see one great blinking light coming towards me. I stand still, looking at it come closer. It's getting closer, and I am unable to move.

I feel a strong grip around my waist, and I'm pulled away. I trip over my own feet and land with my head hitting the ground.

"Woah!" Cato says, I can't tell how his voice sounds. "Are you okay Clove?"

I nod, because I'll cry if I talk. My head is hurting too much.

"Okay, can you stand up?" He asks.

"No." I mumble. I hope I was loud enough for him to hear. Apparently it was,because I feel his arms snake under my knees and the back of my neck. I am lifted up off of the ground. My eyes are shut, and before long, I black out.

It's almost midnight by the time I wake up. My hair is hard with dry blood and my he a is throbbing. I sit up, in a bed. It has light blue sheets and white pillows. Cato has fallen asleep on the chair opposite to the bed.

I sit up and swing my legs over the bed. "Cato?" I whisper. He will be great in the games.

"Oh, I see you're alive." He laughs. He isn't smiling though.

"Barely." I say. I notice my jacket has been taken off. "Is this your house? Do your parents know I'm home?"

"This is my house. My parents died four years ago, so if they know you're hear,that's news to me."

"I'm sorry." I'm not. I didn't kill them. "Who do you live with then?"

"Don't be." He's thinking the same thing as me. "I live alone. Since I was twelve."

"Oh." I say, as the gears in my head click. "That's why you want to enter the games?"

He nods.

"Don't you?" He asks.

"No, they do scare me."

"Me too." He says, with a smile.

This confuses me. "Why are you going to then?"

He pauses for a moment, as if to consider the question for the first time. His blue eyes are twinkling from the little amount of moonlight creeping through the window. They are beautiful, like pools of deep blue that I could drown in.

"Follow me."

I stand from the bed. I feel light, in fact, I can't feel my body at all. I follow him out of this room, then we walk down the stairs to the all red kitchen and out the door.

The yard outside is concrete too. There are ladders leaning against a shed. He walks over to it and starts to climb.

He pulls himself up onto the roof and gestures for me to do the same. I walk over the yard, and hoist myself onto the top of the roof.

"You have plants up here. " It is the stupidest thing in the world I could say. That'd be like saying "hey,your hair is blond and it is shiny." It's so obvious!

"You asked why I want to enter the games?" He says, slowly, like he'll crack if he talks louder. I nod. "If you ever repeat this to anyone, I will kill you. I'm not kidding." I know he isn't kidding,which terrifies me a little. "I hate... being... a-alone."

Right when he says that, when his hair is tousled and his eyes are big and bright under the silver light if the moon, is when he looks at his most vulnerable.

"I hate being trapped." I admit. It's something I've never told anyone, so I start to wonder why I'm telling Cato. "I got...hurt. Along time ago. I don't remember who by or what happened, but I went into a come for three months and I have this great ugly scar on my back, and I hate it. That's why I always have a knife. Because I will never be hurt again without a fight."

We sit there, in silence. It's nice, just the quiet sound c of his chest going up and down and my heart beating in my ear.

"I should go home." I say.

"You don't have to." He says quickly.

I look at Cato. He looks vulnerable, and I don't like it on him. "I do. My parents will get worried. I'll come back tomorrow okay? Just... meet me in the park."

He nods. "Bye clover."

I stand up at the same time he does, and I inhale a cold breath of air as our hands touch. I flinch instantly and jump off the roof.

"Clover?" Cato says. " You won the race by the way. Is your head alright, do you need painkillers?"

I shake my head. I don't need his help.

"Oh and Cato?" He looks up. "Maybe tomorrow I'll fight you."

He looks amused as I walk away.

Two chapters until the reaping! Are you guys enjoying it? Please please please review it for me? Thanks!

Mar x