Cato

Katniss had wandered off to eat. It was pretty much all she was doing tonight. Cato wasn't going to complain because it was the first time in a while that Katniss had any kind of enthusiasm for food. Maybe it was the wide variety of food here or maybe it was the fact that in a few hours they would be leaving for District Twelve but Katniss was in better spirits.

They would be gone for another six months. But the next time they returned it would be fore the quarter quell, for the games. Cato didn't want to think about that. About what that meant for the kids he was now fond of, how could he even begin to imagine losing two of them to the brutality that he had endured.

Cato didn't notice at first the man that had come to stand next to him. He was just another capitol citizen and then something about the man's hair triggered a memory of throwing knives in the gym.

"Do I know you?" Cato asked wanting the man to either identify himself or leave. He wasn't here to play nice with everyone. He was here for Katniss.

"I am this year's head game maker. Plutarch Heavensbee." He held out his hand and Cato was forced to shake it. "Pleasure to finally meet you in person. I was one of the few that recommend you receive a higher score, but then they didn't listen to me back then. But they do now." He laughed to himself. Cato wasn't amused. "Well I should be going soon. I did want to catch a dance with the lovely lady before it gets too late. I have a meeting with the game makers, it starts at midnight."

The man adujusted his watch and Cato caught a glimpse of a mockingjay with an arrow in it's mouth. Then the image was gone and so was the man. Later when he was out on the dance floor with Katniss trying to puzzle it over she mentioned he said the same thing roughly to her.

"What do you think?" She asked.

"I think it's time we go home." Cato was not going to say the truth that he was pretty sure Plutarch was much like Cinna and had other things in mind.


Katniss

She should have said something but now it was too late, she was permanently hairless. The prep team had worn Cinna down during the victory tour and at the time Katniss had just shrugged because it wasn't that different than what they normally did. Her eyebrows were perfect now, forever. Her leg hair, the hair under her arms and the hair between her legs would never grow back.

Right now she hated that. She wanted the extra layer between her and the cold. The now in twelve was think and the air hurt to breathe. Coming home had been funny in a way. Cato was mobbed at the train station. That was not an exaggeration or a turn of phrase, half the children of the district had sprung from hiding places and jumped at him. Rory and one particularly nimble girl had managed to topple him over in what could be considered the second attack wave and then they just dog piled one him.

It took everyone a while to understand that Cato had ordered this behavior. He wanted them to practice attacking larger targets in groups. The kids had taken that to heart and attacked him upon his return.

But nothing could top the current situation. Katniss had been kicked out of the house for this one and Prim was apparently at the bakery learning to frost. Being outside didn't really stop her from hearing the screaming that was going on inside. Katniss could hear her mother and Haymitch and every now and then Cato would start to say something and they would both yell at him.

She wanted to be a part of this, she should be a part of this. But at the same time that would mean defending her actions, defending their actions. Katniss wasn't sure she could explain to anyone the exact reasons that they were doing this, or even if she could if she would be believed.

"Hey Catnip." Gale said strolling up to the steps. He plopped down beside her with ease. "Mom not taking your engagement well?" He smiled but there was something there that wasn't a full smile. She had hurt him. Katniss had thought her and Gale were beyond this, whatever it was, this weird thing he did some times with her.

"She is upset she wasn't told sooner." Katniss hears the words leave her mouth and suddenly knows why Gale looked hurt.

"Sounds familiar." Gale doesn't put venom into it but she knows he is upset.

"Sorry. It was last minute." She wants him to understand. "They were going to sell us Gale."

"They can't do that." Gale says it like he knows and Katniss wishes it was true.

"No, they can and they do. I met some of the others on the tour and it's true. Finnick is the most popular but Cashmere will find strange men in her rooms when she visits the capitol." A shudder runs through Gale. "They were going to do it to both of us."

"And this fixes it?" He wants to know.

"Public opinion of us is too high. They can't do it now."

"I don't like that you are lying." Gale shakes his head. He is her friend and he will always be her friend. They will always be important to one another and she failed him this time. She didn't tell him before they left even though she knew then. She kept this from Gale the same way she kept every thing about Peeta from him. Yet Gale was hers. He was her safe place. She still needed him.

"Amazing things can come from some terrible lies." Katniss thinks of her two big lies. How the first one ended in blood and leaves her empty most days. How the second is patching up that hole little by little.


I give you two options, and then pick both. Cuz that's how I roll. More graphics are up. Everyone thank Saucyduck for them.

I have been reading through some of my old authors notes and can I just say that I think I am hysterical. I amuse myself way too much.

Has anyone seen Shloh? I am about to start a search party.

Anyway. Pretty please everyone review it makes me feel loved. And when I feel loved I don't eat cookies late at night. And that means I have to time to write because I am not eating my feelings. And I need to stop doing that anyway because the boyfriend is trying to lose weight and get in shape and he glares at me. -E