Okay, okay, okay. I didn't update as soon as I had hoped because of my demanding schedule of school. I DON'T want to hear your complaining. Want to hear my schedule? Probably not, but if you do, here it basically is:

6:30- wake up. 7:30- get to school. (I don't take the bus.) 7:30-3:15- school. 3:30-4:30- Free time. (Sometimes I have Spanish, key club, or sophomore class project.) 4:30-6:30- Piano. 6:00- Dinner. (Church on Wednesdays and Sundays from 5:30-8:00) 6:30:7:30- homework. 7:30- shower 7:45- dry hair. 8:00- more homework. 9:00 Facebook and Pinterest! (Halleluyer- Going Madea on you guys, haha) 10:00- bed. (AND I'm starting gymnastics once a week for an hour and a half. Call me Gabby Douglas. Who LOVES Jesus by the way, so way to go, Gabby! I don't care if you call me a Jesus freak. I'll proudly wear that name:)) AND guitar is once a week after church from 8:00-9:00.

Yes, I go to bed early. Yes, it's because I am a cranky teenager who likes sleep and still feels tired in the mornings. Guys, I need a life. Seriously. (I can drive in 6 months, so FREEDOM!)

So, anyway, I hope that this chapter is long enough for you guys. I get made fun of in class for writing my fan fictions in class, but I'm doing this for you guys. Not my crazy friends who hate reading and being imaginative. So, go nuts:) –T

Chapter Six

I looked over at a shocked Cato to see that his mouth was hanging wide open. Well, buddy, I didn't plan this either. Where was Marea?!

He mouthed to me an 'I'm Sorry' and the troll haired lady gave me a pat on the back. It was a painful gesture as I was still in pain from a few days ago. She sat me on one of two metal chairs that sat on the stage. I felt better now that I was sitting, but all I wanted was Cato. I hope he doesn't volunteer.

"No volunteers? Well, okay then! Our very first year without a female volunteer! And now, for our gentlemen! Who will it be this year?"

She walked over to the big glass bowl on the left and dug her hand in. Before she could pull a slip out and read the name on the wretched paper, Cato's voice rang through the town square.

"I VOLUNTEER!" The lady nodded excitedly and waved him up. She sat him in the other, bigger metal chair and asked for his name.

"Cato Lockwood." He looked very solumn instead of the excitement I pictured that would come when he got chosen. And why wouldn't he be sad? He would either lose his girlfriend's and his life, his own life only, or lose his girlfriend and go to live alone in a huge house, bathed in riches, and wearing fancy clothes for the rest of his life.

I wanted to go home and be comforted by Cato. I wanted him to hold me and let me cry on his shoulder. I wanted him to marry me and be the father to our children.

Sure, I was mean and vicious looking to others around me, but I wanted just as much of a happily ever after as the girl in a castle, waiting for her prince charming.

But in 2 weeks, our fates would be decided.

"Our tributes, Cato Lockwood and Clove Jones! Shake hands, you guys!" Right as my hand reached his and grabbed it, I felt a tingle of the familiar warmth that could only come from Cato.

We were quickly ushered into separate rooms at the Town Hall. They put me in a room that looked like the library.

I expected no visitors, for I had no one left but Cato that I loved, but a man stepped in the door dressed in a striking black suit with a red tie. He looked to be in his late thirties and had a mustache that looked like that of a cowboy. (We learned about the Old West of the 1800's in our Panem History Class.)

This man was none other than Cato's father. He coughed once and looked me down from head to toe. He didn't like me, I could tell. This was the evil man that made all of his children train for the games. The man that lost every single one except for the boy I loved. And that boy may perish in the stupid games as well.

"Listen, girl. I know about what's been going on between you and my son. Don't even come near him. If you distract him from winning the games, then I'll make sure that you'll be the first one to die. You hear me?" I nodded quickly and he turned to leave, but stopped as if to say one more thing.

"Oh, and I know about your family. My daughter is the one that your father had an affair with. Once she died in the games, he was so brokenhearted that he wanted to kill everyone- including you. Stupid, powerless, fat, ugly little you. Too bad he didn't kill you as well. The world would be a better place without you."

Then he walked silently out the door and left me alone, standing in the cold, dark library. Tears streaming down my face, I thought about what he said.

Stupid, powerless, fat, ugly little you. Too bad he didn't kill you as well. The world would be a better place without you. Stupid, powerless, fat, ugly little you… Little you…. Little you….

A knock on the door interrupted my painful thoughts. Good.

"Clove? It's Marea. Can I come in?" I shouted back a yes, and tall Marea walked into the room, wearing a black dress, gold 6-inch heels, and makeup to match. She always had looked fearless and beautiful, but now she looked timid, like a 6 year old waiting for a punishment for not sharing.

"I'm… I'm so sorry that I didn't speak up. I feel so terrible. Please forgive me." I told her I forgave her and gave her a shy smile.

I replied, "What are you going to do now that you didn't volunteer?"

Right when I uttered those words, a small tear trailed down her face.

"They're going to execute me, Clove. I didn't keep my word, and apparently in the contract, the punishment is death." My jaw dropped and I ran up to hug Marea. Execution? This was an unusually brutal punishment. Those Capitol people were messed up. She was shaking with fear of the unknown.

I usually hate hugs because it messes up my mean reputation, but this was one of the things I could do to put the calm before the storm.

She turned to me and spoke, "Don't worry, Cato is nice. He may seem brutal, but once you get to know him, he has a soft side." She still didn't know about us. The soft side he has was developed by me and the love I have for him. I shook and turned my head as I answered.

"Marea, I already know Cato. I've known him since I was 6. In fact, he's my boyfriend." Marea again looked shocked and started bawling her eyes out.

"Oh my gosh. Clove, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for you two to have to fight each other! I'm so sorry!"

The guards busted through the doors and I reached out to give one last hug to my new friend. They grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her out the door.

"No! Clove! Don't let them take me! I want to live! No! No..." But the door shut, leaving only silence behind it. Those may have been the last words of Marea that anyone close to her would hear.

The guards came for me 20 minutes later when no other visitors came and took me to join Cato on the train.

Right when I saw Cato, we collapsed in each other's arms on the Capitol sofa. I took in the smell of his cologne, laid my head against his chest and cried. That's when Cato stopped stroking my raven black hair and spoke up.

"Clove, we are going to be okay. Like I said the other day, Clove Jones, I will NOT let you die. Even if it means giving up my own life. I love you too much."

I kept crying and he tapped me lightly.

"Clove, what else is wrong? I told you, you're going to be safe with me." I shook my head.

"Cato, it's not that. You're father visited me. He told me that if I tried to mess you up and distract you, he would find a way for me to die first." Cato stood up and punched a glass full of a kind of dark alcohol that I didn't recognize.

"What else did he say Clove? What else did he say? How dare he threaten you?!" I stopped my crying and shook my head as if to say 'It's okay, there's nothing else he said', but Cato grabbed my arm gently and tried again to get the truth out of me.

"He said that I was stupid, powerless, fat, and ugly and that I should've been killed by my father." I started crying again at what I just confessed. I can't believe I said that.

"Do you actually believe him? Because I don't, Clove! You're the most gorgeous girl I've ever met, inside and out, and you are so powerful, I know you could beat the strongest man in Panem with just a single knife."

He kissed me softly and THAT stopped my crying. He put his arms around me until I calmed down and he let me go a few minutes later.

I sat up to look around. The train was already moving, and there was no empty space in the room. Around us were fancy sofas, love seats, red velvet floors, different colored tiles covering the ceiling made of platinum, and food. Oh, so many foods that were so expensive, I would have to turn in an escaped serial killer to get the money to buy just half these foods.

Me and Cato walked around testing some of the different pastries when three colorful people arrived in the room. One introduced himself as our mentor, Brutus. He won the games many years ago and has been a mentor for 5 years.

The second was the purple troll-haired woman that reaped me and Cato. We learned that her name was Emeralda. She was annoying as heck.

The last was a girl that had her hands behind her back and said nothing. She had on a red suit and very red lipstick. All she did was back up against a wall when Emeralda waved her away and closed her eyes reverently. I'm guessing that she is some sort of slave. I wonder how someone winds up being a slave to the Capitol.

Emeralda was the first to speak up. "Congrats, you two! This is an amazing honor that you have been chosen by yours truly. Now, first things first. We looked at the files at the District Two Academy for Future Victors and realized that both of you attend there. The only thing that they don't include is your birth year." She turned to Cato. "How old are you, dear?"

I looked at Cato and he answered with a confident voice, "18."

"Very good! The 18 year olds are always the strongest of the games!"

Na duh, Sherlock. They've been training the longest. Sometimes I wish that this woman would think once in a while.

She turned to me. "And you?"

I looked back at Cato and he nodded. I silently answered, "15."

The whole room gasped. There has never been anyone younger than 17 in the games from District Two. There's always been an older volunteer. That's when Brutus spoke up.

"Well, you're strong and feisty, so that's all that matters. Your files say you are 5 foot 4, 85 pounds, and can throw a knife accurately backwards, blindfolded, and disoriented. You'll be a very strong competitor, I'm sure." He turned to Cato.

"You, sir, have a very promising games ahead of you. You are 6 foot 3, 190 pounds, and can kill someone with just two fingers, I'm sure. Now, we'll give you guys some time to rest until dinner, and there we can discuss your reputation in the games. Go."

Me and Cato just sat on the couch at talked until I saw that the woods outside our window were gone and were replaced with golden buildings.

"Look, Cato! The Capitol!" We both ran over to the window to watch.

Cato spoke up, "I've been here before once, when I was born. My parents were invited by President Snow to present me to all of Panem and he threw a ball here."

We watched in silence for 2 more minutes when the view disappeared when we went under a bridge and reappeared showing a crowd of strangely dressed people. They were everywhere. Some were laughing, cheering, and even some crying with joy and the sight of us. District One's train was ahead of us, and District Three's behind us. The slave girl opened the door for us to leave when I realized something.

This was the first day of the rest of my life that might end in less than two weeks.

There you go, guys! Sorry to leave you hanging… again! :) I actually stayed up late at night to write this one, so no complaining about the sucky ending, haha. Well, I'm thinking that I want to get at least to 20 reviews before chapter 7, so please tell me how you like it? Pleaseeeeeeee? I'll love you forever! (What can I say? I already love you Clato freaks.) Alright. Now that I've rambled, I hope that you've enjoyed Chapter 6! I'll update again soon! Goodnight! (Or good morning, depending on where you are. I don't care, I'm going to bed.) -T