Chapter 10.
When Cato eventually returned to the mentors' lounge, the main screen wasn't taken up by 12 girl's feed for the first time in a while. Instead it was on a smaller screen in a side room. Cato strode into the smaller room and Haymitch looked around when he came in. The mentor scowled when he saw it was Cato in the room with him.
'What do you want?' he growled. Cato shrugged and gestured towards the screen. It showed the girl wading up the stream. Haymitch continued to glare at him suspiciously. 'I don't know what you're up to, but I don't trust you further than I can throw Brutus.' Cato laughed at the reference to his huge and violent mentor, but he ignored Haymitch otherwise and vaulted over the back of one of the chairs to land seated next to the old drunk.
'It's never occurred to you that I admire her? 12's got a winner this year,' Cato stated easily but Haymitch clearly still didn't believe him.
The two of them sat silently for a couple of minutes whilst Cato internally debated whether he should go and find out on the replay screen whether anything important had happened during the time he was away. But eventually laziness won out over pride and he asked Haymitch. The mentor grunted and used a remote to flick over to the recap.
Cato watched approvingly as she unhesitatingly shot down Marvel from District 1 after he killed 'Rue', her ally from 11. Once again the dynamics of their alliance surprised him. In his alliance they rarely killed for revenge, although he would have taken the opportunity to kill a nearby tribute. Then his expression changed to amazement as the head gamemaker announced the rule change.
When Haymitch flicked the channel back to Katniss's live feed and fixated his eyes on the screen, Cato took the opportunity to observe the old mentor. His skin was pale and his blond hair hung greasily around his face. His eyes were ringed by dark shadows and he blinked rapidly like he was struggling to stay awake. He stank strongly of alcohol and sweat and Cato would have bet a train load of marble that he hadn't showered since the countdown for the games began.
The girl had found a smear of blood on a rock and was following its direction. She called out her partner's name in hushed tones, her voice slightly rough after dehydration and breathing smoke.
'Peeta, Peeta.' She continued to call his name quietly until a mockingjay began to pick up her tones. She finally fell silent, until her district partner suddenly called out from his hiding place. The girl's expression was comical as she leapt back from him. Haymitch was frowning at the screen and Cato was confused by his expression; surely he should be happy they found each other.
They watched the girl as she dragged her district partner from the mud and laboured to save his life. Haymitch didn't even bother to look over the list of gifts. Cato wondered if he intended to leave the boy to die or if he had been mentoring so long that he knew roughly the prices of every gift in the games. Cato decided on the latter.
The girl forced the boy to eat some dried apple but he refused anything else.
'Thanks, I'm much better, really. Can I sleep now, Katniss?' the boy asked plaintively. Katniss shook her head firmly and used a knife to cut open one of his trousers.
Cato snorted when they showed a shot of Peeta's leg. It was angry and swollen, the skin around it was shiny and pus wept from the wound. He knew a fatal injury when he saw one. He also knew the early signs of blood poisoning. .
A small bar came up on the side of the screen which showed the odds for survival and Peeta's odds of winning plummeted down. Katniss recoiled at the sight of Peeta's injury, but she steadily began to apply cream and some of the leaves, and Peeta's odds on the screen climbed back up a fraction.
Cato watched her trick Peeta into eating more food with growing admiration. She was so independent and strong; her determination in the face of overwhelming odds awed him. The odds were not in her favour and never had been but still she continued on. Cato admired her more than any inner rim tribute. She deserved to win.
Then she kissed Peeta.
Cato felt something roaring in his chest as her lips met the boy's and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Beside him he heard Haymitch mutter 'finally' before staggering over to the computer.
'Broth or soup?' he asked gruffly and Cato was surprised that he asked him.
'Broth. They'll be able to keep it down better,' he replied after a second's thought. Haymitch entered in the codes and a silver parachute floated down into sight. Katniss fetched the broth eagerly whilst Haymitch sat back in his chair and gave an exhausted groan.
'You can go to bed and shower. I'll wait here and let you know if anything happens,' Cato said once the District 12 tributes had bedded down. Haymitch was tired and Cato wanted Katniss to come out of the arena alive. She had proven to be the most worthy. Unfortunately the worthy often didn't win. No one good won the Hunger Games. If her mentor was too tired he could make a mistake which could result in her death. Haymitch didn't take his suggestion very well.
'I'm not that stupid. You're just like all careers. If that career pack in there attacks you'll side with them.'
Cato was startled by the vehemence in the mentor's tone and he readied his hand to easily unsheathe the golden knife in his sleeve. Unfortunately Haymitch caught the movement and reached for what Cato assumed was his own knife under his shirt. The movement triggered the new victor's arena-jumpy nerves, causing him to unsheathe the golden knife and throw it in a practiced movement. Haymitch seemed to realise that he was in trouble and spun away to one side, throwing his hands up. The knife thudded into the wall, grazing his ear and severing several hairs.
'Well, that's likely to make me trust you isn't it?' Haymitch exclaimed, the sarcasm heavy in his tone. He tugged the knife from the wall with exaggerated slowness and placed it on the table between them. He slid it back across to the District 2 victor, keeping his other hand raised.
'No, I wouldn't side with them. Katniss deserves to win, for her sister if nothing else,' Cato said slowly once the blade had been returned to its sheath. Haymitch laughed sarcastically.
'Like you care about her sister. You don't know the first thing about life in the Seam.' Cato didn't know what the Seam was so he tactfully evaded the question. He decided that nothing positive he said would get through Haymitch's hatred of 'careers'.
'I don't like Clove and Dominus, 5 creeps me out. 11 would be okay but I think it's more likely to be your 12s.' Haymitch seemed to accept this more 'careery' reasoning, but he still didn't seem to trust Cato fully because he left the room and a second later returned with Johanna Mason. The District 7 victor scowled at Cato and he scowled in reply.
'Johanna's going to watch my tributes,' Haymitch declared. 'I want a full account of everything that happens. I want to be woken when they wake up. If another tribute attacks I want to be woken. If the gamemakers do anything I want to be woken. If you let me sleep through anything, I swear I will gut you like a squirrel.' Haymitch brandished his knife wildly for effect, and for some reason Cato didn't doubt he would carry out on his threat.