Sorry for the long hiatus. I went for a long holiday. First of all Merry Christmas and an early Happy New Year wishes to all of you!
I got to know from someone that one of the followers here used some of the ideas I wrote in chapter 2 as their first chapter. The person even told me the name of the story and the author but I am not willing to disclose it here. I am not upset though, maybe the person just needed some inspiration to kick start his/her story and I'm glad if that chapter helped the person a lot.
Anyway, there will be a lot of mistakes in this chapter as it is the longest chapter ever written by me.
To those readers who PM-ed me to update this story, I was really touched. But I am not sure how often I am going to update though because my holiday is coming to an end.
Love you all! Enjoy!
Chapter 10
It was the day. The day where all the freshman would gather to mingle among themselves and also with their seniors.
It was 12 o'clock in the afternoon when Katniss heard her phone vibrated. She reached to her phone and saw there were few messages from Madge.
M: Morning sunshine. Are you ready for your big day?
M: Hello... wanna grab breakkie together?
M: It's 11 and no reply? Hello…am I talking to myself.
M: BABE! WAKE UP! ALUMNI DINNER…COSTUMES? Ring any bell?
Katniss bolted from her bed when she saw the last message from Madge, "Shoot, it's 12 o'clock. Oh my god…"
She ran to the bathroom to get herself ready. She started dialing Madge's number,
"Well, hello sloth," Madge answered the phone sarcastically.
"Madge, I am so screwed. I haven't chosen the right song for the dinner. I have no idea on my dress. My mind begins to shut down; I can't think…I am officially freaking out."
"Woh woh woh, this is the first time I am hearing you freaking out. You are in luck. I called Johanna earlier on and she agreed to bring you to town and meet me to shop for your dress," Madge tried to calm Katniss down.
"You what? Oh my, you are my savior," Katniss sighed in relief.
"I know right. See you in a bit," Madge giggled playfully.
Time was running out, so Katniss went to her wardrobe to find something to slip on.
"I suggest you wear one-piece clothes," Johanna appeared behind Katniss.
Katniss gave her a questioning look and was wondering why Johanna gave her that piece of advice.
"Look Honey, you are going shopping, but hey, you are running out of time, so I dunno, maybe some one-piece clothes would definitely cut short your changing time."
That statement made Katniss beamed. As she was about to continue her search, Johanna stopped her, "Quit looking will you. Madge asked me to pass you this."
Johanna pulled something from her back and it was a winter white chiffon shift dress, "Oh and by the way, before you tried to show any disgusted look on your face…" Johanna paused a moment while opening a note from her back pocket.
Johanna read the note aloud, "Look at the brighter side, the dress is not too bad, it has round neckline, and it is shift dress which means it is not tight-fitting. Hence, it does not make you look like a S asterisks asterisks asterisks. Also, it is not too puffy; hence, it does not make you look too feminine. So quit ranting and just slip on this dress. XOXO Madge."
Johanna put the note down and she muttered to herself, "Ughh, I can't believe I just said XOXO. Sounds so bimbo."
Katniss was laughing by the time Johanna finished reading the note, "Madge knew me too well. She knew how I loathe wearing a dress. And Johanna, thank you very much and I really appreciate your sacrifices."
Katniss grabbed the dress and quickly changed to the outfit chosen by Madge and in less than a minute, she was all set. She did not tie her hair in her usual braid as she had no time for it.
"All set Fire Girl?" Johanna's voice was deep.
They headed to the town with Johanna's black naked bike. They met up with Madge and the mission to hunt for Katniss' dress began. Madge did not allow Katniss to give any opinion on her future dress because Katniss' selection would be just something dull and too predictable.
It was the 10th store the three girls visited and Katniss was at a brink of giving up, "You know what, I think I will just wear this white dress which Madge borrowed me. I can just get a mask, and walaaa, a costume."
"Oh no no no, don't you ever think about that. This is going to be our one and only alumni dinner as freshman. I'm not letting you attend that dinner without any effort," Madge told Katniss off while looking through the racks of clothes in the store.
Johanna was also looking around the store and nodded in agreement.
Suddenly, both Johanna and Madge stopped their tracked and grabbed the exact same dress. Both of them look at each other and knew that dress was a winner.
Back in the campus, Gale and Peeta were working out in the gym. Peeta was doing sit ups while Gale was doing push up.
"So, all set for the alumni?" Peeta asked Gale when he lifted his body to the knee for his 45th sit up.
"Of course, can't wait to see hot chicks clad in low-cut dresses," Gale was grinning to himself which made Peeta felt uncomfortable.
Gale was surprised with Peeta's expression, "Oh c'mon, bro. Aren't you excited?"
Before Peeta could answer, Gale gasped, "Oh my god, are you gay?"
"Hell no!" Peeta shouted and stopped doing his sit ups.
Gale stopped doing his push ups as well and headed to the weight section to get some dumbbells, "Well, then what? You have eyes on someone already?"
Peeta's already red cheek flushed even further when Gale said that. Gale took the opportunity and went closer to Peeta, "Who's that girl? Is she hot? Is she from here? Do I know her?
Peeta smiled and shook his head, "I am not telling."
"Hah! Means I know the girl," Gale gave Peeta a cheeky smile.
"Cut it, dude. I'm not telling," Peeta pushed Gale aside lightly and grab his water bottle.
Gale was rubbing his chin, trying to give a hard thought. He quietly sneaked behind Peeta and whispered, "Catnip?"
Peeta froze in his track, and he blushed even harder.
"You have eyes on my best friend? How dare you?" Gale head locked Peeta.
"No…I..I..." Peeta was running out of breath which made Gale loosen his grip but Gale did not let Peeta go until he got some answers from Peeta. Every time when Peeta tried to escape, Gale would tighten his grip.
"Speak up," Gale's tone was angry and loosen his grip once again in order to allow Peeta to answer him.
"I was just trying to say, look at me. Who are you kidding? Me and her? It is a total insult for her to be with me," Peeta lied.
Gale let go of Peeta completely and asked Peeta again, "So the girl is Katniss, huh?"
Peeta tried to give him an emotionless face, "Nope."
"You are such a terrible liar. You are so into her. Chill, bro. I was just messing with you by pretending to be angry," Gale was laughing out loud on the gym floor.
"What? No, I am into her…no I mean I am not into her," Peeta stuttered.
"Look, Peet. Katniss is a great girl. And you mentioned it is an insult for her…you are so wrong. You are one of the nicest guys I have ever met. Most of the guys who were chasing Katniss were douche bags. Thank God, she was not interested in dating any of them. So, if you are really interested in her, you have my approval, bro." Gale gave a pat on Peeta's shoulder.
Peeta smiled to himself but he was still trying to conceal the truth, "I appreciate your support, but I am really not into…"
Gale cut him off, "Bla bla bla, there's nothing to prove to me. Don't worry, I won't say anything to her. But a piece of advice, go slow with her. She really doesn't like the idea of having any relationship."
Gale's statement made Peeta went silent. He did not want to explain further as Gale did not want to hear any further. Peeta continued his exercise while thinking what Katniss was doing at this moment.
It was an hour before the alumni dinner. Madge and Annie crashed in Katniss' room to get ready.
"Sigh, I am still indecisive on the song choice," Katniss told both of the girls while looking through her iPod.
Madge stopped fixing her make up and sat beside Katniss on the bed, "Close your eyes, and randomly choose a song. You have a fantastic voice to pull any song."
Katniss shook her head, "But I am not feeling it. When that happens, I will sing like a toad."
"Choose something that you're comfortable with. Something that you know the song by your heart," Johanna appeared at Katniss' room door. She was ready. She wore a strapless chiffon dress featuring a black faux leather corset bodice with a spiked sweetheart neckline. The dress has maroon high-low hemline. The black and maroon dress complemented her tattoo on her shoulder pretty well. She paired the dress with ankle boots which suited her style.
"Wow, Johanna…your outfit really rock your persona," Katniss complimented her.
Johanna folded her arms, "Yeah right…"
"Katniss is not lying. You sure pull that dress very well," Annie added in.
Johanna couldn't help it but let out a small smile. However, she quickly changed to her serious outlook but Katniss managed to observe her entirely.
"Hey Katniss, your phone is ringing," Madge was pointing at Katniss' phone.
Katniss took her phone and saw it was her baby sister, Prim who was calling her, "Hello, little duck!"
"Katnissssssssssssssssssss," Prim was squealing on the other line which made Katniss had to put the phone away from her ear. When Katniss heard the squealing stopped, she pulled the phone nearer to her ear again.
"How are you doing, Katniss? How's your preparation?" Prim's voice was excited.
Katniss' face turned white as she was not prepared, "Prim, I'm screwed. It's 45 minutes to the dinner, and I have not choose my song."
"What? Okay, Katniss, you are freaking out and that's not a good sign. Close your eyes, and take a deep breath," Prim was trying to calm Katniss down and it certainly helped her a little.
Prim continued, "Remember last year when I was down because I was not chosen to be the Cinderella in my school play and I started to think the drama teacher did not like me. I was younger back then and I thought the whole world was against me. You did not laugh at me, but instead you reminded me that I was not alone."
"How can I laugh at my baby sister? You were going through a phase of growing up. I remember I was singing to you Love on Top by Beyonce," Katniss started to smile even wider when she reminisce the past.
"Yes, and in the end, I was singing along with you and both of us was doing the moves like how Beyonce did in the music video. You were natural," Prim was giggling on the other line.
Katniss had a light bulb moment, "Prim, I love you so much. You have inspired me at the right time. I should have called you earlier."
"But you did not. In the end, I called you. Please take a picture of your outfit that you are wearing right now."
Prim's words made Katniss realized that she had not changed. She looked into the mirror, and she was still in her shorts and black tank top, "Uh oh, I haven't changed…"
"No way. You better dress up now! I'm hanging up now. Don't forget…picture."
Before Katniss hanged up, "I promise. Love you baby sis."
Katniss quickly jumped to the shower. After Katniss finished showering, the three girls asked Katniss to sit in front of the dressing table to prep her up.
"Remember girls, do not go overboard…" Katniss warned them.
There were so many students outside the hall by 7.30 in the evening. The hall was decorated with vibrant and saturated colours. The hall was splashed with peacock blue, emerald and gold. The high ceilings made the hall looked grand. The chandelier in the hall made the masquerade theme even more believable.
Students thronged the hall in stylish outfits and glamorous masks for the alumni dinner. With the masks adorned with feathers and glittery accessories, the students waltzed into the hall. Peeta and Gale was already in the ball. Peeta wore a sharp one-button peak lapel tuxedo and a classic white evening shirt with a black neck tie and black jade cufflinks. He wore a Venetian mask with music notes and gold stucco that covered only his eyes. Gale on the other hand wore a classic tuxedo with glittering gold cufflinks. His choice of mask was Casanova Venetian Tricorn which covered his entire face. Both of them were searching for familiar figures.
The three girls, Madge, Johanna and Annie were walking hand in hand to the hall. Gale could instantly recognised Johanna's tattoo. He elbowed Peeta and signalled him that he found some familiar figures.
"Hello, Madame…" Gale bowed down playfully and offered his hand to the girls.
The girls were giggling except Johanna. Madge held his hand, "Gale…"
Gale was surprised on how Madge was able to recognise him, "How do you know is me? There are a lot of people around here who are about the same height as me."
"Katniss told us, if there is any guy who approaches us and wears a Casanova mask, it should be you," Madge giggled.
Gale knew exactly why Katniss said so because he was indeed a player ever since high school. Peeta on the other hand was still looking around as he realized Katniss was not with them. Gale saw Peeta's anxiety, "Speaking of Katniss, where is she?"
Madge was quiet right after Gale asked that question because Katniss warned them not to reveal anything about her performance.
"Katniss, she's still in the room. She was too shy to get ready in front of us. She did not want us to see how she looks like. Gale, I think you should know that she is always not comfortable to wear a dress, and let alone a long evening gown. She said she will reveal herself to us when she is comfortable enough," Johanna managed to lie effortlessly.
Gale nodded silently in agreement.
Katniss was already at the backstage. No one could recognised her except for Madge, Johanna, Annie and Miss Portia (because she was managing the event) as she was clad with a black lace masquerade masks with black Marabou feathers sit to the side along with faux cabochon. She was sitting alone in the changing room. It was odd not to see anyone else because she was not the first to perform, she was the third performer.
The emcees for the masquerade ball were Finnick and a girl named Delly Cartwright who had bubbly personality. They awed the crowd as soon as they appeared on stage with their sense of humour. After the opening speech by the founder of the Capitol University, Coriolanus Snow, the lecturers, staffs and students were treated to a scrumptious 5-course dinner.
Peeta was feeling restless as he could not recognise Katniss, "Hey Gale, do you think Katniss is around? I mean, dinner is served and I'm not sure if she is here to eat them. Will she be hungry? Should I keep some for her?
Gale smirked, "Peet, don't worry about it comes to her stomach, she will nurture them with tender, love and care."
While at the backstage, Katniss could feel her stomach was growling vigorously, "When will the first performance ever start."
Right after she asked herself that, the evening's performances kicked off with a male performer who was wearing a one-button peaked lapel and shawl collar. Katniss went out from the changing room to peep on the performance. She could instantly tell the male performer was Cato as he was wearing the Phantom of the Opera Italian mask which covered left side of his face only.
She started having flashback on what happened two nights before, where she told him to stay out from her life after she confronted him that he was the guy that tormented her childhood life. She couldn't help herself but to feel a little hurt from the confrontation. She couldn't understand why she felt that way. To avoid herself feeling such, she turned away and walked towards the changing room. She stopped at her track when she heard him on the stage.
"Did you know every day 5,760 more children become orphans? Did you know 2,102,400 more children become orphans every year in Africa alone? Did you know every 15 seconds another child in Africa becomes an AIDS orphan?" Cato stopped his speech and looked at the crowd. It was pin-drop silence before he continued his speech.
"These statistics can go on and on. I just wanted to share few of the statistics as a reminder. A reminder for us to give and advocate. In a perfect world, there would be no need for adoption. Children would be raised by their loving biological parents. But the statistics illustrate that we clearly do not live in a perfect world," Cato cleared his throat before he continued his speech.
"These precious children need advocates. They need people who are willing to make a difference. We know that our time on this Earth is fleeting. If there's even one step we can take to save another child, I would like to take this opportunity to give ourselves a chance to volunteer at somewhere very near to our university which is Hope and Faith Orphanage. For those who feel that they would love to help but could not spare the time, there is a donation box in the admin office. Without further ado, I will start my performance. Thank you very much for your time."
The crowds applaud and Katniss could not help it but to give him a round of applause. She could not believe it in her eyes, a cold-hearted person like Cato could be so sensitive. Throughout Cato's performance, she was just thinking to herself, feeling confused on his behaviour.
"How could a wicked man like Cato who was once an abuser became passionate on giving kids a better place?," Katniss whispered to herself.
Suddenly Katniss felt a tap on her waist, "Miss pweety?"
Katniss turned around and she was surprised to see Rue in a pink dress which sent her a big smile, "Rue? What a pleasant surprise! And how do you know is me?"
"From your pweety voice," Rue smiled sheepishly.
Katniss hugged Rue tightly, and she looked at Rue, "What are you doing here?"
"Miss Mags brought me here. She told me that Cato was having a fundwaiser for our home. I don't know what does fundwaiser mean but all I know from Miss Mags is…Cato will help us to pwotect our home."
Katniss was surprised again. But before she could feel anything further, Miss Mags appeared in front of Katniss, "Well hello dear Katniss. Are you here to join causes with Cato?"
Katniss shook her head, "Oh no, Miss Mags. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't want to help, it's just that I didn't know he was doing all these. I was pretty surprised."
"Ah, speaking of which. It was pretty abrupt plan. Cato came by yesterday and he started to table out his idea on organizing a committee to volunteer to help the children in our home. He even asked me to give him the answer there and then because the dinner is on the next day which is tonight," Miss Mags smiled at Katniss while telling her what happened.
"Oh…that's very nice of him," Katniss' reply was reluctant but it was genuine.
Miss Mags reached out to Katniss' hand, "You have no idea how much both of you have helped us all. From the day we met, I know there are going to be some special connection within us. Cato is such a nice boy. He reminded me that these kids have the chance to be loved by others. His speech was moving. The way he talked about advocating these kids, it is really a wake up call for me to work even harder to ensure these kids will always have a home filled with love. And now with the future volunteers, the kids will be thrilled to feel more love from others."
Katniss looked at Miss Mags. Despite her trying not to believe what Miss Mags said about Cato, she could not help it but to share Miss Mags' happiness.
"Oh, Miss Mags, I will be performing later but don't tell Cato about it when he finishes his performance. It's supposed to be a secret that I'm performing later. I'm just pretty shy to be known while I'm performing," Katniss smiled at her.
Miss Mags nodded.
Katniss hugged Miss Mags and Rue before she left them. She went to the changing room and looked at the mirror. She started to think about her life. Her life after her father passed away. Her life where she needed to stand up and be a mother figure to Prim. Her life where she showered unconditional love to Prim and Uncle Haymitch.
Her thoughts were distracted when she heard a knock at the door.
"Katniss, the second performer is performing now. It's time for you to get ready," Miss Portia was signaling Katniss at the other side of the door.
"Okay, coming right up," Katniss answered her and she heard footsteps leaving the door.
She looked at herself one last time at the mirror, "You can do it, fire girl."
Every step she took made her feel more anxious and before she knew it, she was already behind the curtain. She approached the musicians and informed them that there would be an additional song that she would love to sing. Her request was pretty simple, hence there wasn't any much commotion before the performance started.
As the curtain slowly opened to reveal her to the crowd, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath and imprinted a smile on her face.
It was already the end of second meal and the crowd was waiting for their main course. Peeta gave up asking Gale about Katniss' whereabouts and he had no choice but to ask Madge who had higher chance to know her whereabouts.
"Madge, where's Katniss? Is she alright?" Peeta whispered to Madge.
Madge felt a little uncomfortable because she was stuck in the situation where she needed to lie again. She was playing with her fingers while thinking of a perfect lie to answer Peeta.
"Madge?" Peeta tapped her shoulder to gain her attention.
Before Madge could answer, the crowd started to whistle and applaud. Curious on what the crowd was whistling to, Madge and Peeta turned to the stage.
It was a very beautiful female figure stood on the stage. She was wearing a white chiffon lace overlay gown with three-quarter sleeves. The stunning gown made the girl looked glamorous. The flowing chiffon was complemented by gorgeous lace top and sleeves, making it just revealing enough, but not too scandalous. The flower detailing created a smaller waist and bigger bust, flattering the girl's figure. Her dark brown hair had soft big curls which made her looked angelic on the stage. With her face covered in the black lace mask, it made her looked mysterious.
Almost every guy in the hall was mesmerized by that angelic figure. Even Peeta and Gale couldn't help it but to ogle the mysterious girl's stunning appearance. The three girls on the other hand knew exactly who she was but they were completely awed by her appearance too as she was just too gorgeous.
Cato who was watching from the backstage was also mesmerized with the image of the girl. His heart skipped a beat when he first watched her appeared on the stage.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I was supposed to sing only one song for my performance but I was moved by the speech made earlier on. This song is dedicated to the children around the world who are unfortunate, especially to the children from Hope and Faith to remind them that they will be safe …"
At the end of Katniss' introduction, the guitarist started to play the acoustic guitar for the opening of the song. She started to sing,
I remember tears streaming down your face
When I said, "I'll never let you go"
When all those shadows almost killed your light
I remember you said, "Don't leave me here alone"
But all that's dead and gone and passed tonight
Everyone in the hall fall silent and listened. Her voice was beautiful, high and clear and so filled with life. It made others wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. Just close your eyes
The sun is going down
You'll be alright
No one can hurt you now
Come morning light
You and I'll be safe and sound
At this moment, Katniss was thinking about Prim. The time where Katniss hugged Prim at night as Prim would have nightmare. Since their father passed away and their mother was locked in some dark world of sadness, Prim would have nightmare on being all alone in the world. Nightmares would plague Katniss when she sleeps too. Both of them would find comfort in each other's arm whenever their nightmares haunted them. Don't you dare look out your window, darling,
Everything's on fire
The war outside our door keeps raging on
Hold on to this lullaby
Even when the music's gone
Gone
She remembered how she was being tortured by Cato. Every time she stepped out from her house, she felt unsafe. She felt as if she needed to go in a war with Cato. The only time she found comfort was being in her father's arms. Few tears rolled down from her eyes but the tears stopped beneath the mask.
Just close your eyes Oooh, Oooh, Oooh, Oooh
The sun is going down
You'll be alright
No one can hurt you now
Come morning light
You and I'll be safe and sound
Oooh, Oooh, Oooh, Oooh
La La (La La)
La La (La La)
Oooh, Oooh, Oooh, Oooh
Oooh, Oooh, Oooh, Oooh
La La (La La)
As she was singing the verses, Cato was able to recognise the melodious voice. Her singing brought the song so much of life and he felt a pinch in his heart, "Could it be the torture she thought she went through her childhood life which made the song felt surreal?"
Just close your eyes Oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh oh oh. [x7]
You'll be alright
Come morning light,
You and I'll be safe and sound...
When she ended the song, the whole hall was roaring with cheers. Miss Mags and Rue asked Cato to bring them to the hall as they wanted to watch more of the performance clearly.
Few seconds later, the musicians started playing the next song. The electric guitar started playing in the background. Katniss had warm up in the stage already and felt more comfortable being on stage.
"Tonight I want you to stand up on your feet. I want you to feel the love tonight that crawling inside of you. It can be any form of love. As for me, it's a family love. Bring the beat in…" Katniss was graceful on the stage.
Thankfully her gown had room for her to make some simple dance moves. As Peeta was watching, he too realized that it was Katniss on the stage.
"Silly me. I should have realized earlier. Who could have caught my breath so long if it's not Katniss Everdeen," Peeta thought to himself and blushed a little.
He started to dance even harder to the song as he wanted to enjoy the moment of Katniss' singing. Gale and the rest of the girls were pretty surprised with his sudden change but they started to dance along.
She ended the song with, "Finally you put my love on top."
The lights on the stage were off right after the end of the song. The crowd went mad and asked for encore. Even the emcees were having a hard time to calm the crowd down.
Katniss headed straight to the changing room and she could still hear the crowd was still cheering for her. When she reached the changing room, she saw there were plates of food on the dressing table. There was a note left by Miss Portia.
"Enjoy your late dinner. Thanks for performing."
Without hesitation, Katniss dunked herself into the food and she managed to finish them all in less than ten minutes. She let out a loud burp and felt satisfied with the whole evening. Her performance went well, probably more people would join the cause of helping the orphans, and her interview with Pearson Hardman.
After finishing her late dinner, Katniss did not want to enter the hall. She was afraid that people may recognise her and start interrogating her on who she might be. She sent a text to Madge to inform her that she would change and meet up with the rest after the dinner ended.
Katniss took a stroll in the park before changing her gown. She took off the mask from her face as she felt uncomfortable wearing it. The moonlight shone upon the lake by the park and it Katniss looked as if she was glowing in the dark. She found a perfect ground to sit on and started to sing the valley song. The words of the song were easy and soothing. It was a lullaby sang by her father. Everything was still and quiet. But for a moment, she heard a rustling sound by the bush and she jolted up.
"Who's there?"
There was no answer. She looked around and saw there was a wood lying on the ground. She picked the wood and started asking again, "Who's there?"
Again, she heard a rustling sound, and it was behind her. She turned around and asked even fiercer, "I warn you, you better show yourself now."
She saw a shadow was approaching her direction. As she couldn't get a glimpse on the face of the shadow, she moved back a little. It was when the moonlight shone across the person's face, and it was Cato.
Katniss sighed and let her guard down a little. But when Cato approached nearer, she started to feel uptight again and held the wood towards his direction.
"Easy there, girl," Cato lifted both of his hands to show that he meant no harm to her.
Katniss' eyes squint to take a clearer look at him. When she was satisfied, she lowered her wood and asked him a serious tone, "What are you doing here, Ludwig?"
"It's a public place. I don't see any sign which shows Katniss Everdeen's property," Cato folded his arms and looked at the lake.
Katniss was annoyed with his presence and decided she should leave the park. She turned away from Cato's direction and started to walk to her room to change as she planned earlier on.
After a few steps, she felt someone was holding her arm, refraining her from walking away, "Katniss, I'm sorry…"
Those words made Katniss' heart ache. She moved her arm away and did not look back.
"I know, I know you are mad at me because you think I torture your life when you're young…" Cato followed her from behind while saying that sentence.
Katniss stopped at her track as she did not believe what she had heard. She turned around to look at Cato, "What do you mean that I think you torture my life? The fact is you did torture my life!"
Cato was taken aback with her statement and saw her continued walking away from him. He shook his head and started to explain further, "Look Katniss, before you walk away, please hear me out."
By that time, Katniss' eyes were filled with tears. She was trying not to allow her tears from dripping down on her face. She did not move further, she just stood still with her back facing Cato.
"Katniss, remember the time when we crossed path in our school hallway when we were 6? That's the first time I noticed you. Ever since our short encounter, I was trying so hard to get to know your name…"
Katniss interrupted, "And then what? To make me a punching bag?"
Cato felt a pain in his chest, "No, I genuinely wanted to get to know you. But things changed when my friends started to make fun of me for having a crush on you because you were poor. I was immature at that time and wanted to stop all the teases. So I stopped talking about you in front of them but they were not satisfied with it. They wanted me to prove to them by doing all those stuff to you…"
He paused a moment and cleared his throat, "I did not agree to it initially…"
"Initially?" Katniss smirked with sarcasm.
"Yes…until I saw someone else has eyes on you. I was young and immature, I felt angry that someone was looking at you. And you did not notice me at all since our first encounter. I knew at that time the only way to get nearer to you was by doing all those nonsense."
Katniss couldn't hold herself any longer, she turned to Cato and punched him in the face, "What a bull! Are you expecting me to be understanding and give you a pat on your shoulder and said it's okay? It's surely not okay for me. Do you know how much your actions caused me so much pain in my life?"
Cato fall on the ground and was rubbing his left cheek, "No, Katniss. I wasn't expecting that. But do you know ever since I started doing that, the bread boy started to protect you behind your back? He started picking up fights with me whom angered me even further. Both of us were always visiting the principal's office."
"Bread boy? What bread boy?" Katniss asked with much curiosity.
"Yes, the Mellark. Peeta Mellark…you can ask him if you don't believe me," Cato's icy blue eyes were looking at Katniss.
"That's not important. So what is it gotta do with you torturing my life?" Katniss asked further.
Cato sighed, "I wasn't raised in a loving family. Every night my dad will be home pissed drunk and start hitting my family. My mom wasn't being any help to me, she will curse me. There was once I was sent to the psychiatrist because I developed a complex behaviour They said I had some dual personality. You see Katniss, I had a crush on you ever since I bumped into you. On the other hand, I had this vicious side of me of not letting any guys near you or even look at you. It angered me for some reason and I started to find comfort when I tortured you. I know it was sickening. Every time I tortured you, I would run to my room and started crying. Thinking how horrible I was and how you would hate me forever."
Katniss' heart started to melt a little but she did not utter any word.
"But the turning point of my life was the day you left Texas for good. I was completely lost. I started to blame myself for being such a jerk to you. At that point, I wasn't talking to anyone. I went into depression. What more could a 9 years old boy do? Take his life? On that faithful morning when I decided to take my own life on the same night, I saw something. It was the bread boy. He talked to your friend, asking bout your whereabouts. He ran off when she told him you're in New York. That's when I knew you were in New York too. It gave me an enlightenment to set a new direction in my life. I was determined to find you…" Cato stopped at his words and took a deep breath as he felt his heart was pounding really fast.
"To find me and remind me of my past?" Katniss walked in closer to Cato.
Cato shook his head again, "No, to tell you I'm sorry. I'm terribly sorry."
"How you'd find me?" Katniss asked.
"Like how bread boy found you. Through bulletins in the internet. Throughout my schooling days, we would search for your name. It's not that we did it together. Sometimes when I saw him surfing the net from the computer in the school library, I would just walked back and forth, pretending to search for books. I think he did the same when I was fishing out some information about you," Cato explained.
Katniss looked uneasy, "Sounds like a stalker to me…"
Cato felt her uneasiness, "Look Katniss, I came all the way here and let go off my scholarship in one of the top university in Chicago where I totally have no clue why I did so just to say I'm sorry."
Katniss was shocked to hear that but she regain her momentum, "So what now? I should feel guilty now? You want to make me feel that now I owe you?"
Cato's eyes started to tear which it was a rarest sight for Katniss to see. Throughout her life, Cato always portrayed himself as someone mean and strong. There was nothing he feared of. But to see there were tear drops from his eyes, Katniss was confused.
"I don't get it, why are you crying?" Katniss asked in disbelief.
Cato's heart was aching and his voice started breaking, "I came here without expecting you to forgive me. I know I don't deserve any forgiveness. But I couldn't help it but to hope that you will accept my apologies. You know after that confrontation we had two nights ago, I started to ponder on how I should redeem myself from the sins I have done onto you. As a result, I found myself going to the orphanage and suggested to Miss Mags that it's time for me to start giving to the unfortunate children."
Katniss felt moved by his action. She did not say anything but it seemed like she was giving a hard thought. She let out a loud sigh and she said softly, "I will try to forgive you…"
Cato's eyes were glistening. His blue eyes looked like crystal under the moonlight. He looked at Katniss, standing in front of him and she looked like an angel. The empire white dress looked majestic on her. The sight of her caught his breath away but he managed to get the words out, "Thank you Katniss, you have no idea how much it means to me."
He paused for a moment.
"I know it's not an appropriate timing but you looked beautiful," Cato looked nervous after complimenting her.
Somehow Katniss felt relief. Not because of his compliment. But because she felt that her nightmares finally came to an end. She smiled, "Thank you, Cato. This is not for the compliment but it's for your apologies. I think I can sleep in peace…at last."
With that, Katniss left Cato in the park. Cato did not give it a chase but this time he knew things were going to be better. He smiled widely when he heard Katniss could sleep peacefully.
Katniss took her phone and texted Madge to inform her that she was too tired to meet them and wanted to crash in her room. When she reached her home, she took a nice hot shower and changed to her shorts and tank top. This time she did not switch on her iPod. Instead she hummed some random melody and she drifted into a deep slumber.