Thanks for any reviews, favorite and follows! All the support is amazing, thank you all so much! I smile every time I get an email letting me know I have a review, alert, favorite or follow.
A/N: Sorry for the longer waits. Pregnancy brain has reared its ugly head again and I think I lost like three day of my life as I can't seem to recall doing anything. Oh well. I'll try to be better, but just remember I won't write if I can't think clearly.
Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games Trilogy or its characters.
Sacrifice
Chapter Ten
Written by: kmac13
10/3/2012
As the prep team and Cinna get Katniss ready she becomes more and more nervous. How is she going to get these people to like her? She forces her mind to drift back to last night and Cato's behavior when he came to bed. He took her last night extremely possessively, more so than normal. Almost like he was afraid someone would try to take her away from him. Well, I guess truth be told someone is trying to take her away from him…for life. Maybe he is just as nervous and stressed about the games as she is?
"I can't do this Cinna. How am I going to make these people like me?" She begs him for an answer.
"I like you. You didn't actually have to do anything to make me like you. And believe it or not the prep team adores you and you didn't do anything to make them like you. I know for certain you did nothing for Cato to like you and he loves you. So just be yourself. People will like the real you." She looks at him skeptically. "I'll be sitting in the audience, look for me and pretend you're talking to me. Okay?" Cinna offers and she hesitantly nods. She doesn't know how he does it, but he always calms her down.
Katniss and Cinna leave her dressing room and are greeted by the rest of the District Twelve team and Cato. Cato and Peeta can't take their eyes off of Katniss as she walks out in a strapless red dress that is jeweled to look like she is walking in fire; her giant wedding ring only adding to the intensity of the jeweled dress. Katniss smiles shyly at Cato who returns it with a proud and awestruck smile of his own.
"Oh Darling you look absolutely magnificent! All eyes will be on you tonight." Effie trills as she claps her hands excitedly. "We must hurry now we don't want to be late!"
Cato wraps Katniss's hand around his elbow as he leads her towards the exit following Effie. "You do look beautiful Kat, but then Cinna could have put you in a paper bag and you would have still been the most beautiful girl in the world." Cato says, bending to whisper in her ear. This causes her to blush so deep she turns as red as her dress.
Haymitch and Peeta let the stylist follow after Cato and Katniss before they bring up the back. "Stop staring kid and wipe the drool off your face." Haymitch sniggers at the dumbfound look and goo-goo eyes over Katniss. "She's taken and happy, get over it." He says forcefully trying to get Peeta's mind off the girl before them and keep him from being injured if he forgets his head and says anything that might set the Hulk off during his interview.
"Easier said than done, when she looks like that." Peeta sulks as he tries to shake his head of all the inappropriate thoughts running through his hormonal adolescent mind.
"Get your mind back in the game. If Finnick Odair wasn't able to make her bat a lash in his direction you don't stand a chance kid. Now remember to joke and make people like you…you know…that people person shit you're good at." Haymitch orders him.
"Yeah, yeah, okay. You know it doesn't hurt to be friendly…you know, actually want people to like you…it's not the end of the world or anything." Peeta says back before he walks a little ahead to catch up with the rest of the group.
"When you're a victor it can be." Haymitch says solemnly.
Cato sits with the rest of the District Two mentors and Haymitch sits between Finnick and Chaff. All the mentors are nervous to see how this plays out. The show starts once Caesar Flickerman walks out on stage waving and the ground goes wild. This year he is in dark blue, each year he changes colors of everything from his hair to his shoes. "Welcome ladies and gentlemen. Now tonight are the tribute interviews so without further delay let's get this show on the road!" Caesar calls out over the cheering crowd. "First up from District One: She surely shines; let's give it up for Glimmer!"
Glimmer walks out in an almost see through baby doll dress meant to make her look sexy and innocent. Cato can't help thinking she looks like Prostitute Barbie. "Well Glimmer, tells us about yourself." Caesar commands in a welcoming way.
"Well Caesar, I am very confident in my abilities both inside the arena and outside." She purrs seductively. The interview goes from there with Glimmer dropping sexual innuendos one after another making Cato's skin crawl.
Marvel's interview passes quickly joking around until the end when Caesar asks him about the other tributes. "You know Caesar, there really doesn't seem to be much competition this year. My only fear is the hottie from Twelve. If she was able to land such a brutal killer like Cato you have to wonder what kind of skills she has to please a man like him. I would like to find out as long as they don't kill me." Marvel finishes with a wink. Cato growls in his seat at the fact that this boy is referring to his wife's abilities in the bedroom. At this point Cato isn't sure if he will let this fool live until tomorrow morning.
Clove's interview passes without incident and she plays the only card she knows; sarcastic sociopath. Malice on the other hand talks about how there is no competition and that he is ready and has trained for this all his life to bring more honor to his district. It isn't until Caesar brings up Katniss does his brutal image show any cracks. "So how do you feel about having to kill your best friend's wife?" Caesar asks.
"How would it make you feel Caesar?" Malice snaps back. Luckily for him the buzzer goes off before he can get himself in too much trouble. Malice's calm, confident façade is fading quick as the anger starts to boil up in his veins.
The rest of the districts come and go without incident. Most tributes from these districts try to pull off some strategy or another, but you can see through to the fact that they are just scared kids. Caesar does his best to keep them calm and instill hope, but, just like the viewers in the districts, he knows there are only a few real contenders in this competition and these kids aren't them.
Katniss pouts a little at the fact that Thresh is able to get away with indifferent one word answers or grunts. She knows she could have done that well, but as Haymitch so rudely pointed out; she is just a small girl who can intimidate no one on stage in a fancy party dress.
Finally, it is Katniss's turn and as she is announced and she makes her way on stage the only thing she can hear is her own heart beat pounding in her ears. "This isn't your first visit to the Capitol now is it Katniss?"
"No it's not." She says quietly as she looks around for Cinna. She wouldn't be able to look at Cato for fear of disappointing him.
"Tell me what's your favorite thing about the Capitol?" Caesar pries.
"The lamb stew." She says honestly, thinking that this answer hopefully won't offend anyone while Caesar discusses his weight and his own love of the stew causing the audience to continue laughing. They then discussed her opening ceremonies outfit and she twirled showing the flames of the dress she is wearing tonight.
"Now you are married to Cato Anvil, last year's victor, tell me has he given you any tips on how to win this thing?"
"Only to never give up." Katniss answers truthfully. Cato had told her that's the only way to win, never give up.
"And the little girl you volunteered for, putting you in the hard situation of either dying or killing your husband's best friend, who is this little girl?"
"My sister. I love her more than anything." Katniss says smiling as she thinks of her little duck. Oohhs and Aawws come from the audience at her selflessness.
"Did she say anything to you before you came here?"
"She asked me to promise her I would try to win and I did." Katniss says resolutely.
"And try you will!" Caesar exclaims as the buzzer goes off.
Peeta and Caesar have an easy rapport, joking and carrying on like they have been best friends for years. Haymitch and Cato are breathing easy as he has yet to mention anything about Katniss, but then Caesar asks the question they had been dreading causing both men to grimace. "So tell me Peeta, handsome lad like you, do you have any special girl at home?"
"No not really." Peeta says back.
"Oh come on. I'm sure there is someone." Caesar eggs.
"Well there is this one girl, but I don't think she even knew I was alive until the reaping." Peeta says abashedly.
"Well here's what you do, you win these games and go home and tell her how you feel. No one can say no to a victor."
"Nah. That won't help my case any." Luckily before Caesar can continue on with his prying the buzzer goes off and the interviews are over.
Katniss is still trying to figure out who he is talking about, but figures it is probably Madge, the Mayor's daughter, as she would be the only one not impressed with a victor. She figures Peeta's weird behavior towards her has been because he is nervous and just trying to cling to someone from home.
"It's not that bad." Haymitch tries to reason with a fuming Cato, who glares at the older man. "He didn't say who and these dimwits in the Capitol won't figure it out. Hell I don't think Katniss even figured it out. She is pretty damn clueless when it comes to the opposite sex having affections towards her. You had to club her over the head and drag her off for her to understand you liked her." Cato squints his eyes intensifying his glare, but his anger is lessening.
Back on their floor Cato drags Katniss to their room and again takes her possessively on pretty much every surface he can find. He wants her to remember him and think of only him while she is the arena with at least three other boys who wouldn't mind getting in her pants; Marvel and Peeta would try, but he can at least rely on the fact that Malice won't try anything with Katniss, he may like her, but he won't cross that line.
Katniss realizes this is something Cato needs, he needs her to know she is his and vice versa that is why she returns the possessiveness. She doesn't want some Capitol woman making the moves on her husband while she is fighting for her life. She wants Cato remembering her and the way her body moves, making him unable to even think about another woman in her absence.
Tomorrow morning the tributes will be heading towards the arena, but tonight Cato and Katniss think of nothing but the here and now as they lose themselves in the moment.
***Please Review. Thanks a bunch for reading!***