Chapter 6
The rest of the day has been pretty much the same. It didn't take long after the instructor makes us try the other stations before the rest of our group decides to take over the weaponry section again. The other tributes, being too afraid to get in Cato's way cleared the area with no questions asked. Soon after, everyone gets tired despite them claiming it is only the first day and that they're just bored on doing the same thing over and over.
I have too much already of Glimmer's annoying comments on every single thing she can notice and the rest of the Career's discussion on who to kill first.
"Three, Five, the girl from Seven, the boy from Nine and both from Twelve. Those kids most likely won't get past the bloodbath." Marvel tells us and the others show signs of agreement.
Glimmer eagerly raises her hand. "I call dibs on one of them. Just imagine their faces while they plead for their life before they die."
Hearing them makes me sick. How could these people enjoy killing? Their view is just as twisted as the people in the Capitol. These are the kind of people Careers are and Zale and I are considered as one of them. It's no wonder everyone stays away from us.
"How 'bout you, Cordelia? Who are you going after?" Marvel suddenly asks.
Shrugging, I return the weapons I've used to the rack behind me.
"Whoever goes after me, I guess."
I unconsciously shift my eyes to Cato for a split-second before I look away. It's a good thing he didn't see me.
"Well you're no fun." Glimmer snorts.
"Unlike you, blondie, I don't find killing fun. I prefer to do it fast and get it over with."
"Whatever way you guys do it, it'll all be useless once you end up dying." Clove says matter of factly.
She isn't entirely wrong. I realize that I don't think that I'm in any position to judge either, since I'm willing to kill when it comes to being able to save myself or the people that matter to me. In the end it doesn't matter whether you find the act entertaining or not. One's life will still be wasted by my hands.
I stare at my palms silently. I know I'm not a bad person, but I'm definitely not a good one either. So where do I stand in all of this?
The head instructor blows her whistle and signals the end of training for the day.
Finally.
We all head to the elevators and go up our respective floors.
"Welcome back, you two!"
Griet seems to be in a good mood this evening. She rushes to the front door to welcome us as soon as we come in. It probably has something to do with us being the cause of buzz all over the Capitol again. Being our district escort, she seems very proud that we have been putting on a good show for everyone.
"So, have you guys managed to impress the other Careers?" Finnick asks.
His feet are up the coffee table while lazily lounging at the sofa together with Mags and the rest of the crew. I sit by the empty space next to them and as soon as I feel the softness of the couch I submitted myself fully into it. All the exhaustion from today is finally starting to kick in.
"What?" I say as Finnick raises an eyebrow at me.
I lay back on the head rest and close my eyes.
"Don't 'what' me, missy."
I open up one eye and see everyone looking at me, waiting for an answer. I sigh and sit up straight.
"Well, Zale and I are both in the pack."
Everyone murmurs in approval as Griet and Mags let out a sigh of relief. Finnick beams at me and claps his hands.
"As expected of the both of you! Now... How was your first day with them? Did you manage to learn something new? Did you both get along with them?"
"I got along with everyone. Little miss siren here not only still holds a grudge against blondie from District 1, but she almost managed to get under Cato's skin." Zale says.
It wasn't 'almost'. I think I really did manage to get under his skin. I say in my mind. I don't want to openly admit that with Zale around, since he would definitely be extra protective of me. Knowing him, he would risk getting on Cato's bad side just to defend me as well. I shrug at them and resume to resting my back against the couch.
"He acts as if he has authority over us. He's got too much ego and it sometimes annoys the hell out of me." I drawl.
"District Two usually gets the title of being the leader of the Career Pack. It's simply because among all Career districts, they are the most trained and well-groomed tributes for the games. To put it simple— they're the most ruthless and cold-blooded murderers among everyone." Finnick explains.
My mind flashes back to Cato from earlier. Are glory and riches really all that's important to them? Somehow I refuse to believe that it's entirely true.
"All the more reason to hate him." I respond.
"Now, now. Don't end up acting reckless because of that hate, dear. It's good to have skill, but you need to have good sense of judgement as well." Mags reminds me.
I blush at the older woman's advice.
"Sorry Mags. Don't worry, I'm not one to not think before I act."
Zale scoffs from the side and I glare at him.
"I'm not doing anything." He says as he raises up his hands.
"Okay then! Tomorrow will be pretty much the same, but they'll probably be testing more of your abilities through different activities this time. Remember what I told you both. Don't show everything, only what's enough... and continue what you're doing. Act the way you guys are— do not engage in fights."
Finnick says the last part to me and I scowl at him.
"I'm not a war freak, Finnick."
He smiles a little more gentle this time. "I know, love. Just learn to control your temper on the big brute yeah?"
I roll my eyes as he winks at me knowingly. I'm not sure what that means so I ignore it for the time being.
Dinner was delicious. I wish my mom could have tasted the food. It all seems exotic yet somewhat familiar. Having my stomach full, I decide to look around the vicinity and walk for a bit. Curiosity gets the better of me so I leave our apartment to find some place to explore except there was nowhere to go to. The elevator only has the training grounds and the district floors.
"You aren't trying to find an escape route are you, 'coz you'll just end up as a corpse before you are even able to step out of this building."
Finnick appears from behind me with a mischievous grin.
"I'm not stupid, you know." I drawl.
Smirking, he comes towards me and pushes the up button of the elevator. He steps inside and holds the door, waiting for me to come in.
"We don't have all night, love." He says impatiently.
I enter the lift silently as he pushes the last button with the letters RD written on it. I don't ask where we are going, but I assume that it's going to be the top most floor.
As the elevator comes to a halt, the doors finally open and a gust of wind blows into my face. I squint in mild surprise and step out to see the most beautiful garden I have ever laid my eyes on.
"What is this place?" I ask in awe but I really did not wait for an answer.
It's like a paradise. All the flowers are in perfect bloom and despite being night time it is perfectly illuminated. I walk along the yellow pathway and find some set of swings by the far end. I sit on one of them and close my eyes to feel the wind blowing into my face and hair as the crickets make noise and fireflies start to roam around.
Opening my eyes once again, I see the vast land filled with city lights in front of me and that's when I suddenly remember where I am.
"How funny that something so beautiful resides in such an ugly place" I say.
Finnick sits down by the swing beside me and stares at the view of the city in front of us.
"You know what they say. We can't judge a book by its cover."
I silently agree with him. The games are perfect proof that the saying is true. Finnick and Mags are good people yet they probably killed a lot to become Victors. That doesn't make them bad people right?
"In this world, you do what you have to do. It's not wrong to want to survive."
I smirk at his words. "Is it really?"
Finnick smirks back and looks at me. "Can we really correctly distinguish what is right from wrong?"
I don't answer back, mostly because I don't really have an answer to that.
"Aren't I going to be in trouble for being up here?" I suddenly ask.
"You know I wouldn't put you in harm's way Cordelia." He laughs as he starts to swing back and forth.
For someone older than me, he seems more childish than ever.
"The training center building for the tributes always has a roof deck. Not everyone seems to know about it, but I could have sworn it was common knowledge." He shrugs.
I start to swing slowly back and forth as well. "I like it here. It's somehow peaceful."
"The strong wind jams up the signal as well, so no one can spy on us." He winks.
"Too bad they won't hear me bad mouth them." I say and Finnick laughs once again.
"You're one pretty brave woman to speak like that."
I look at the view below and whisper. "That's only what I want everyone to think."
"It's ok to be afraid, Cordi. You're not human if you aren't even the slightest bit scared of this whole thing." He reassures me.
It's my turn to laugh. "Why, do they even regard us as humans with what they're making us do?"
Finnick stops swinging, looking more serious this time.
"I promise you I will do everything I can to get you out alive. You have to promise me that you'll trust me and do your best to win the games."
I sigh as I think of Zale, my best and only friend for the matter. I try my best to push away all the emotions building up on me.
"I trust you, Finnick... but I can't promise to win."
"I knew I'd find you guys here."
A voice comes from behind and we both look back to find Zale coming towards us. He takes a seat on the empty swing on my left and feels the breeze of the cold wind.
"Wow. The wind feels like home, only less saltier." He comments.
We all chuckle at his observation, having thought the same thing.
"How did you know we were here?" I ask.
"Well, aside from the district floors, this is the only floor that works. So I figured that you might have gone here."
"Congratulations on finding the not-so-secret secret hide out!" Finnick exclaims and we all laugh at the 'newly named' floor.
"Aren't the both of you tired yet by the way? You got another long day of training tomorrow." He asks
I groan in response.
"I'm so not ready to have another full day with the Careers again."
"Technically, you are one of them. So you better get used to it." He replies.
"Come on, Cordi. Glimmer's not so bad. Just ignore Cato." Zale says.
"Are you kidding me? The girl couldn't even shoot properly and she has the nerve to call herself a Career. She only knows the logic of sticking people with the pointy end of weapons."
Finnick laughs once again at my statement. "What about this Cato then?"
What about him? "Cato's a jerk. He's so full of himself and acts all high and mighty."
"Don't all Careers think that way?" Zale retorts while giving me a smirk.
"Shut up. I'm not like that and you aren't either." I reply.
"We may not be so 'full of ourselves', but given our backgrounds you can't deny that we take pride in our fighting abilities. You showed off Glimmer with the spear earlier, remember?"
He's not actually wrong, but I don't really want to admit it. I rub my temples in frustration.
"That's a different story. Blondie questioned whether I could do anything at all. I just put her in her place."
Zale laughs as I frown in irritation. "See? Exactly my point."
"Whatever. I still don't like him. If people from back home gave him the attention he wanted, he won't succeed on making me here." I say, crossing my arms in conviction.
He raises an eyebrow. "Is he threatening you or anything? What happened before we found the two of you inside the gym?"
"Nothing. Would you give it a rest? Geez." I roll my eyes, hoping he wouldn't catch on to my little white lie.
Finnick stays silent all the time, although the knowing look on his face is pretty hard to miss.
"Have something you want to share, Mr. Odair?" I drawl.
The man feigns surprise at being called to his attention, stands up and starts stretching his arms upward.
"Oh, nothing! It's just getting late and I'm gonna have to call it a day. The both of you should probably as well."
We all agree and head down to our floor. As we enter the apartment, we all bid good night and walk to our respective sleeping quarters.
"Is there something I need to know with regards to this Cato boy?" Finnick inquires as soon as Zale is out of earshot.
I really don't want to talk about this but I figure that at least Finnick should know so I let out a deep sigh.
"Well, he pointed me with a sword to the throat earlier."
He raises an eyebrow, urging for me to continue.
"...and he says he needs time to figure me out so he'll let me live longer than the others." I say, rolling my eyes once again at how ridiculous that sounds.
I could see the gears on his head working as he stands there silently trying to decipher what I told him. I wait for him to say something but he just beams at me and puts an arm around my shoulder as we begin to resume walking to our rooms.
"Well, tomorrow's going to be another pretty busy day. Just keep up what you're doing and don't change a thing." He says.
Sensing that there's something else he isn't saying, I squint my eyes and give him a suspicious look.
"That's it? You just tell me to act like I always do, and what, I should just let him taunt me?"
"Trust me, I've seen a lot of things you don't see ever since we met. Stop questioning, and just do what you think you ought to do. I'm not telling you to let him think he could taunt you. I'm saying you should just continue doing what you usually do. That's our strategy. When most tributes tend to play a role of something they are not, you will just have to play the role of being yourself."
I massage the back of my neck. "Quite confusing. But whatever, fine."
We stop by the entrance to my room and Finnick pats me gently on the head. "You'll do well, love. Stop worrying and be brave."
I scoff, yet smile back gently in return. "Easy for you to say. Your time in the arena is over."
He gives me a pained smile as I open the door.
"Oh it will never be over. Once you enter, there's no exit. Go to sleep, you need to regenerate your strength for tomorrow." He says and bids one last good night.
So many thoughts make me feel exhausted. I just want to leave everything behind and stop worrying, but how could I?
I wake up the next day earlier than usual, finding that my closet has already been prepared with a new set of training clothes for the day.
That was fast, I think to myself.
Today's training is more on obstacle circuits and hand to hand combats. We are currently instructed to take turns with the group of combat trainers in sparring. They aren't different from our instructors at the Academy, but new faces somehow bring more of a challenge because of the different fighting styles.
Grabbing a water bottle, I sit by the usual stairs and join Zale, Clove and Marvel who are all also done with their round and currently taking a break as well. Looking around, I notice that more than half really do not have any knowledge in hand combat.
Lora is currently on one of the arena mats, failing to make a decent punch as she stumbles in front of the instructor. On the other side is the boy from Twelve, who judging from his stance hasn't even thought of punching someone a day in his life. I shake my head as I refuse to watch them any longer.
"I feel so bad for them." I whisper to Zale so only he can hear.
He follows my line of sight and watches the tributes train for a few seconds.
"There's nothing we could have really done." He whispers back with a pained voice of understanding.
I don't say anything else and continue to look around and watch the other tributes. The guy named Thresh sure is big, but he lacks reflex and skill. His strength is quite enough though to match Cato's. Now that he's received a bit of training, I bet he would be something we need to be more extra careful with.
Glimmer, whose long blonde hair is now up in a perfect pony tail, is actually doing a decent job in sparring. I guess Career kids really know how to fight, no matter how idiots and narcissistic some of them are.
My eyes finally land to the mat where Cato is. He and his trainer are currently having a heated spar. Although the staff seems more physically trained than Cato, it seems that it's an even match between the two.
I watch as Cato dodges a left hook and returns an upper smoothly. His face looks so determined and feral, like someone ready to kill.
"He's quite skilled." I unconsciously blurt out.
"He's at the top of his class. Overall top pick for the games as well. At the Academy, he was one of the best. No one could beat him at a spar except for our top instructors." Clove says, having noticed who I am referring to.
"That explains his ego reaching the roof." I scoff.
She smirks as she takes another sip from her own water bottle. "A lot of people back home have their eyes on him. Leaders, instructors, fellow students... girls..."
I definitely roll my eyes at her statement. No wonder he's so confident about himself.
"So you got an eye out for him too?" Marvel teases the raven haired girl.
"Do you want me to stick a knife to your neck? Gross. He may attract girls like blondie over there, but trust me he's definitely not someone I'd be interested with."
I snicker at her use of Glimmer's 'nickname'. I glance back at Cato, observing his way of combat as he swiftly dodges another swing to his right. I hate to admit that he may actually seem a bit good looking, if it weren't for the murderous and cold blooded killer vibes he's been emitting.
"Plus, he's never really given any girl some serious attention. He has always been only focused on training and he's way too brutal and scary for just anyone to actually approach him." Clove adds.
I silently agree on that last part. Clove, Marvel and Glimmer have that eagerness and bloodlust in their eyes... but Cato's a different story. They're not only in his eyes, they are etched to his soul.
Combat training has soon finally come to an end. After lunch break, the Head Trainer introduces us to our second activity for the day— obstacle training. Being on the boats all our lives, we people from District 4 have pretty good balance and placement even when standing on moving objects.
I successfully land on the last pillar with ease. No hits.
Smiling to myself, I go back to the corner where the other Careers are while Zale takes his turn on the course.
"Not bad, Four." Marvel muses.
"It's nothing, really. We have been so used to untamed waters that I guess living by the ocean pays off." I shrug.
Just then, we hear a commotion from behind. It's Cato, and he's definitely not in a good mood.
"You took my knife! Return it now if you don't want me to beat you to a bloody pulp right here!" He swears as he holds up the boy from Six by the collar.
"Dude, I did not take your knife!" He says as he tries to push Cato out of his grasp.
No one dares to get in the middle of the commotion, not even the boy's district partner. Everyone watches silently as Cato begins to see red completely and lose it as a couple of Peacekeepers from afar start to approach them.
Before I could think of anything logical, I start to approach the two tributes as well.
"Cordi! What do you think you're doing?!" Zale hisses.
I ignore his warning and walk as calmly as I could to Cato and the boy. He doesn't notice me at first so I cross my arms in front of them and stand as close as I am able to.
"Hey, genius. I know you love to kill people and all, but we're not at the arena yet." I tell him coolly.
"Stay away from this, Cordelia." He says through gritted teeth. I can see the veins on his forehead popping out angrily.
His use of my name catches me momentarily in surprise, although I'm quick enough to not let it show on my face. I step closer a bit to his side and whisper so only he could hear.
"Unless you want the other tributes to see your temper as a weakness, you might want to control it now before the Peacekeepers decide to give you a time out." I advise as I nudge my head to the direction of the men in white armor currently approaching us.
He seems to realize where I'm getting at, having noticed everyone staring at us.
With a loud grunt, he reluctantly releases the boy who has turned a bit white from the lack of air and pushes him away.
"You're the first one I'm coming for in the arena. Mark my words." He threatens as he points a finger at him.
The boy couldn't hide his fear and looks like he's about to pee in his pants. Now he has a target on his back from the most brutal tribute in the arena. Poor kid.
Just when I'm about to feel pity for the boy from Six, I look in front of me to face Cato, staring at me with a lot of venom in his eyes. He's the one to come closer this time and I don't move an inch to where I'm standing. I could feel all eyes at the gym are still definitely on us.
"You're lucky you are part of the pack or else you'd be the second tribute I'd be coming for." His cold voice whispering in my ear.
He then proceeds to get back to the others, bumping my shoulder on the way. Trying to not look like I am fazed, I follow him quietly from behind.
"Do you really have a death wish?! Why did you have to butt in?" Zale continues to hiss in my ear.
I don't know why either, so I just stay silent and roll my eyes.
I try to steer clear of attention for the rest of the day so I stick to the basic stations which require little interaction with anyone. Although I go with the group most of the time, I don't speak to anyone that much other than Zale.
Zale doesn't open up the topic even until during dinner at the apartment. I'm glad I am saved from any possible scolding or comments from Finnick or Mags, but I'm pretty much sure he would give me an earful when he gets the chance.
After changing into something more comfortable to wear, I sneak out of the apartment and go up to the roof deck. I feel like I'm in need of fresh air and some alone time. Not that my room doesn't give me privacy but the garden and the night view up here somehow gives me a bit more peace.
The wind continues to blow in my face. How I wish that it smells like the familiar salty breeze we use to inhale back home. As I move the swing back and forth, I try to imagine the feeling of the waves gently rocking our boat whenever we are out at sea. I suddenly remember the morning of the Reaping. Who would have known that it was possibly going to be our last time setting foot at the boats?
Sudden footsteps from behind me indicate that someone is approaching. I could not make out how heavy they are because of the wind whistling. From the corner of my eye however, I could see Zale's shadow forming from the dimly lit area we are in. I sigh as I get ready for him to lecture me about my display at the gym earlier.
"I know it was pretty stupid to stop Cato earlier and I know you were worried. I'm sorry okay?" I say, my back facing him.
I know I'd rather tell him to just give it a rest and stop worrying about me, but I'm really tired to argue about anything more today.
"That was indeed pretty stupid and you're the one who should be worried I'd beat you to a pulp instead of that kid for interrupting me."
That voice definitely wasn't Zale. I swiftly turn my head around and see the last person I expect to be with alone here at the most isolated area of the building.
Cato has his arms crossed, smirking while resting his side by the lamp post that serves as the only light in this section of the roof. It doesn't really help that he just heard me talking about him, so I just casually face the front once again and continue to look at the view of the city below, trying my best to look unsurprised by his unexpected appearance.
Wishing he would go away seems too good to be true, since he finally decides to take a seat on the empty swing beside me.
He doesn't seem to be in 'beast mode' this time. In fact, he seems unusually calm, which is a bit surprising for anyone to see I bet. For some reason, even though my mind tells me to get up and run I just remain seated on my swing.
"Why are you here?" I snap.
"Shouldn't I be asking you that question?" He mocks.
"I was here first, so you don't get to ask the questions." I reply.
He doesn't say anything else and the silence is making me feel uneasy.
"So you just come up here to sit there and admire the view?" I drawl.
"No. I came up here to beat you up." He deadpans.
Normally I would feel tense about that answer, but his voice doesn't seem laced with any hint of bloodlust this time.
"Asshole." I say unthinkably.
He laughs at my retort which surprises me a bit. For once, he seems a little bit more human.
A moment of silence passes again between the two of us. I try to decipher what could he possibly be thinking, and how come I'm somehow seeing a different side of this person everyone makes out to be scary, brutal and heartless.
That moment passes by quickly, however, as his relaxed face contorts to anger in an instant.
"You think you're that brave, huh?" He glowers.
I cautiously grip the ropes holding my swing up, getting ready to defend myself in case he decides to really beat me up right here.
Suddenly looking conflicted, he huffs and stands up to leave without saying anything else.
That was pretty confusing, even for me. As I stare at the now empty swing beside me, I silently ponder on how to deal with a person as dangerous and complicated as Cato.