Thank you to all those who favorited this story and put it on alert. So I had such a good time while I was out of town that I couldn't wait to share more with you guys. You'll still get a new chapter this coming Saturday. I might do it to where I do an update two times a week. Maybe. This one ran a bit lengthy, but I couldn't find a good spot to split it without making the next chapter super short. If you're reading this story, please consider reviewing. Even if it's just to say I missed a letter or you like my characters or you don't like my characters. It's always nice to hear compliments, or even get constructive criticism so the story is better for everyone. I love you all, and thank you for your support.

Disclaimer: Sadly, Suzanne Collins owns the Hunger Games and everything involved with it, but I own my characters. So, don't steal them. Please?

I'm only getting started, I won't blackout
(This time I've got nothing to waste)
Let's go a little harder, I'm on fire
I won't blackout
(I'm on my way)
I'm only getting started

Chapter 3: Something to Prove

Throughout the next couple of the days, we were called back into the same car to watch each district's Reaping ceremony. I had already watched the Reapings for Districts One, Two, and Three after encountering Cato the day of District Five's reaping. Cato had valiantly volunteered before the escort had even gotten a hand in the bowl, marching confidently to the stage to stand next to Clove, his fellow tribute. She was young, maybe fifteen years old, and I wasn't sure if I needed to be worried about her yet.

The car continued to add more and more people as we went through each district, making it much easier to get away from Cato. Even though I knew I could face him, I wanted to keep our interactions as scarce as possible. After our 'conversation' during and after the Reaping of District Five, every time I'd glance his way, he'd be staring right back at me, with that smirk plastered across his face. He made me want to rip or slap it off, but I had to keep myself in check.

I would busy myself by talking with Crest, and the boy and girl tributes from District Three. I tried not to talk too many of the other tributes, as I didn't want to get too close to them. It was already hard to think about Crest, the boy who had now saved my brother's life, dying in the arena. I didn't want to think about anyone dying in the arena, but as I looked around the car at the twenty-two people on board that possibly all of us would die. There were still two tributes yet to board the train.

We had just finished watching the Reaping of District Twelve. I wanted to cry when the older sister of the girl tribute ran out into the crowd and volunteered, reminding me of Crest's sacrifice. It was such a brave thing for her to do. Her sister looked so small, that I was sure if she were to be in the arena, she'd be slaughtered. Of course, I could have been wrong. Some of the best things came in small packages. I looked around the car, saw a couple of the younger tributes and wondered if they'd be able to survive for very long.

Once again, everyone was filtering out of the car. I was in need of a nap. The days of just watching people's horrified faces as their names were read had been mentally exhausting. There were twenty-four kids on this train, and their lives were now ruined. Twenty-three of them would be dead and one would be damaged beyond the repair that the Capitol could provide. That's how Merrick put it, anyway. Not wanting to be bothered by Cato again, I quickly left the car and headed for the one that housed my sleeping compartment.

I made it to my sleeping compartment without delay, ignoring Crest's calls as I went. I just needed to be away. Entering my sleeping quarters as quickly as I could, I changed into sleepwear before falling onto the bed. We still had a couple of days left on the train, which meant I would probably spend those days trying to avoid Cato at all costs. Until I knew I could show my strength over his large form in front of everyone, there was no need to be around him.

My mind kept going back to our fake conversation on my first day on the train. "These Games are mine," he had said. "Just like you," he had growled in my ear. I didn't know exactly what he had meant and wasn't entirely sure I wanted to, especially when I thought of that pleasant shiver when his lips brushed the shell of my ear. I did know one thing; I was going to be his kill. His stare had told me as much. I felt like he looked at me like a piece of meat and he was an extremely hungry and attractive lion. Stop it, April. I had honestly become tired of the smirking.

I closed my eyes and drifted to sleep, even though it was around six by the time that happened, but the entirety of my sleep was plagued by that handsome smirk. When I woke up, it was dark outside. I rolled over to see that the time was ten at night. I'd slept the rest of the day away. Great. My sleep schedule was going to be extremely messed up, but it was better to get used to the staggered sleep before getting into the arena. I would be lucky to get an hour at a time in there.

I sat up in bed quickly, suddenly feeling a surge of something I masked as bravery go through me. Avoiding him until we were training could be helpful to me in the long run with the other tributes, but for him, he would see it as avoiding him out of fear. I would not let him think I was afraid of him. That was the last thing I wanted. I left my sleeping compartment and looked down the car. All the sleeping compartment doors were closed. I made my way a few doors down. We had our sleeping compartments organized by districts, boys on one side, and girls on the other. So, it wasn't hard to find Cato's compartment.

I was only in front of his door before my fist was knocking on it. I tried not to let the nagging feeling that I wanted to see Cato after avoiding him, pushing it down until it was unrecognizable. This was about showing him that he was going to have to fight just as hard to beat me as he would with everyone else. I was not going down without a fight. A face appeared in the doorway as it slid open, his expression angry.

It didn't take but a second after Cato registered that it was me that the scowl turned into that signature smirk. "District Four, what a surprise. It's nice to see you out of a dress."

I looked down and realized how scantly clothed I was. I had changed into a pair of shorts and a loose fitting tank top I had found in my quarters before I'd fallen asleep. It was impossible to fight the blush that crept up my cheeks as he stared at me. I looked back up at him and that's when I realized that Cato was not wearing a shirt, and it was my turn to stare. I only let my gaze linger on his chest for a few moments before I got my brave face back, not intending to take any shit from him.

"I have a name, Two," I replied, mocking him. Being called Four was almost as annoying as Merrick calling me Apricot.

He leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms over his chest. "I know you do. That doesn't mean I'm going to use it." He continued to smirk, and I wanted to punch him.

I mimicked his move, crossing my arms over my chest as well. The point of this conversation was to stand my ground and show him that I wasn't afraid. That no matter what, he wasn't going to get to me. "Stop looking at me like that."

"How am I looking at you exactly?" He proceeded to lick his lips, enhancing the look I was referring to.

"Like I'm a piece of meat you're going to devour at any given second. You've already underestimated me before we've even begun our training, and if you think for one second that I won't fight tooth and nail in that arena, you've got another thing coming," I ranted.

He threw his head back in a short laugh, laughing at me, before his smirk returned. I could tell I wouldn't like this. "You know, you're cute when you're mad."

I couldn't help myself. My hand was moving toward his face of its own accord faster than I could stop it. I was about slap the smirk off Cato's face, and I was going to like it. My hand was almost there when his hand came up and wrapped around my wrist. I was shocked at his speed before he was pulling me and turning into his sleeping quarters. He pressed my back up against the wall and pushed both my wrists up by my head, against the wall as well. His chest was pushed up against mine. My breathing picked up as I struggled against his hold on me. I hadn't expected this to happen. I should've known his reflexes would be good. He was a hardcore tribute, trained in combat for years, and it was showing. There still wasn't an ounce of fear in my body, just more determination to prove that his tough attitude wasn't going to phase me. His eyes seemed to dare me to do something like that again.

His smirk grew, but it wasn't his typical arrogant smirk. This one was sort of menacing from the angle I was at. "You were saying?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but I had no words. I was normally able to come up with a snappy comeback anytime someone challenged me. My family and District Four friends and acquaintances could vouch for that, but for some reason, this stupidly arrogant, attractive guy had me at a loss for words. April, stop thinking like that. He has to die in the next couple of weeks. I found myself saddened by the thought, but couldn't figure out why. I looked up at Cato, and he seemed proud that he had me at a loss for words.

"What's the matter? Cato got your tongue?" He asked, trying to be clever.

"You wish," I replied.

"In time," he shot back, like he was sure of it.

I tried using my knees to push him away, but that just made him even more determined. He put both my wrists together above my head with one hand and used his legs and other hand to still the movements of my legs and hips. He was too close, his breath ghosting over my face every couple of seconds. I kept squirming, trying to get away from his iron grip, but it was no use. I may have been strong, but I had no room to move and Cato's strength well overpowered my own. A glare and a scowl passed over my face and I stopped my squirming, hoping that if he saw I wasn't willing to play, he'd give up his game and let me go.

When I finally focused on staring him down, making our blue eyes meet. I was mesmorized. I didn't like this feeling I was getting. This wasn't right. Cato was an egotistical, huge, strong, brutal, and, unfortunately, very handsome boy. I had to stop this, but he still had me in his vice grip. I was, unfortunately, at his mercy. He could end my life right here and no one would know. I couldn't even formulate a scream for help, even though I was too proud for that anyway.

Then, all of a sudden, he was leaning down, inching closer and closer to my face. My heart started to race as I contemplated what was about to happen and whether or not I wanted to stop it. Thoughts were going a thousand miles an hour through my mind until I glanced down at his lips and back to his eyes and everything quieted. My breaths came out a bit shallow as he continued to get closer to my face, his eyes falling on my lips. I let my eyes close, but when I did, his movement stopped. I kept them closed, not sure I wanted to see what was about to happen.

"Look. At. Me. April," Cato said quietly.

My eyes fluttered open, and I was met with the icy blue gaze again. His stare was piercing, and it felt like he knew every tiny thing about me, like I was glass and he could see everything without me needing to say it. I could feel the heat of his breath on my face again, and for some reason, the urge to close the gap between us was bouncing around in my head.

He ran his tongue along his lips and smirked at me once more before saying, "You're cute when you're scared, too."

Anger bubbled within me at his words. I knew it was the exact reaction he was looking for, but I couldn't help feeling it. "I am not scared. Especially not of you." I felt this inherent need to prove to this guy that he had no power over me. That was hard to prove from this position, and as much as I hated this position, I loved it just as much. I hated that I loved being this close to this arrogant, handsome jerk, when just days ago, I had been begging for more room between us on the couch. What is wrong with me?

I had to get away from him. It was a stupid mistake to try to tell him off and try to prove myself right now. I started squirming under his grip again, determination showing on my face. His grip tightened and his thumb started rubbing circles on my hip. As I continued to struggle I felt a sting come into my shoulders. He was lifting me off the ground by my wrists, still held above my head. My feet were no longer touching the floor.

"Cato, let go of me," I spat out fiercely. I flexed my fingers to see if I could at least reach his hand to dig my nails in, but that plan failed as well.

"You got yourself into this, little girl. Get yourself out." His grip tightened again and it was starting to hurt at that point.

I hung my head in defeat. There was absolutely nothing I could do. "I can't," I mumbled.

"What was that?"

"I can't," I said loudly, angrily, glaring at him. Our faces were close once more, and I held my ground as best I could from my position. Even though I was trapped, I was not willing to admit total defeat. He still didn't scare me, and if anything, this encounter made me want to prove myself even more.

His smirk turned into an evil one. "That's exactly what I thought. I can easily overpower you, April. I could snap your neck right here, right now. And if you think for one second I won't hesitate to end you in the arena, you're dead wrong." His grip was like a vice on my wrists and hip. I winced as his hands dug in. "I know you must be confused and upset with yourself. You find me attractive. I can see it. You're pressing yourself back up against me, right now." Was I? Crap. I am… I tried pushing myself away from him a bit, and he just laughed and pressed himself against me more. "I can't say I don't find you attractive because you are very attractive, but that won't win you the Games. I've trained for most of my life for this, and no scared little girl," I started to open my mouth to remind him that I was not scared, but he kept on going, "with an attitude is going to stand in my way. You're a pretty face, and it'll be a shame to see you die. Try as you might to keep that from happening, I'm going to win the Games. You just watch."

With that, he pulled me off of the wall, placing me on the floor and lightly pushed me into the hall. I was still trying to recover from whatever had happened inside his quarters. My mind was reeling, my heart was racing, and my breathing was still coming quickly. My legs started moving on their own, back toward the door that had my sleeping quarters behind it. I was confused as to what was happening within me, the internal conflict still raging. I was halfway back to my room when I was called again.

"District Four," Cato called. I contemplated not even giving him the time of day but turned my head back to look at him. "You and I aren't done, not by a long shot." As he finished his statement, he sent me something more akin to a grin and slipped back into his room, leaving me bewildered at, not only him, but at myself as well.

I walked back to my compartment once more, sliding the door shut behind me. I fell onto the bed gratefully and rolled onto my back. I looked at my wrists to see the damage. They were a deep shade of pink. I could already tell that they were going to be bruises, which wasn't hard to do; I bruised easily as it was. My hip would probably bear a similar mark, though not as bad as my wrists. Merrick would not be happy when he saw them, and I had no way to cover them up until we got to the Capitol. With a little luck, my stylist would have something to take care of them.

I rolled over onto my stomach, climbing under the blankets, tired once again that incident. I was grateful that something good had come from it. I closed my eyes and drifted to sleep with that annoyingly handsome face haunting all my dreams once again.

It felt like I'd only been asleep for ten minutes before I heard pounding on the door. I groaned and rolled off of my stomach, looking up at the ceiling. We were still on our way to the Capitol, the trees of the Midwest moving at top speed outside my window. We wouldn't be there until the end of the day. I was looking forward to getting off of the train, but that just meant I was even closer to my possible death.

I opened the door, while trying my hair out of my face. Cicero gave me an unamused look that I seemed to be taking up so much of his morning. There wasn't much to do on the train so I didn't see what the problem was. I walked behind Cicero to the car containing my brother and my district partner. They were both eating, talking to each other, trying their best to act as if there was nothing different about the day. I plopped down next to Merrick, and started to reach for food when I saw my wrists. They were no longer pink, but they were starting to bruise. I quickly tried to place my hands in my lap, but Merrick caught my arm. He pulled if from my lap and examined my wrist. I could see anger fill his face.

"What happened?" He asked, still holding my arm.

"It was my fault. I was trying to prove myself to someone and I got shown up. It's no big deal," I replied, brushing it off.

Crest spoke up. "It's not a big deal? April, your wrists are bruised. There isn't supposed to be any physical fights between tributes until the Games start. You know that."

"I started it, okay?" I was thankful they couldn't see my hip, because it was sure to be bruised, too. "It's fine! Now drop it." I was already done talking about this. I was already slightly embarrassed that I couldn't hold my own the night before. Cato now had something to hold over my head even more. I quickly yanked my arm away from my brother.

Merrick and Crest continued to stare at me as I ate, but no one said a word about my arms. Cicero had remained quiet throughout our exchange. I was surprised he hadn't flipped out on me, but I guess he had faith in my stylist and the styling team to fix me up. I began to wonder if I would like my stylist. There was a chance that I would have the same stylist as my brother, and I remember he had looked great. Hopefully whoever it was could work their magic on me as well. I was pulled from my thoughts by Cicero's voice.

"Why don't you all figure out the strategies you will use for the Games? Best to start now, don't you say, ole boy?" He asked my brother as if they were the best of friends.

Crest chimed in. "I already know what I'm doing. I'll keep my eyes open for anything that could go wrong for you and help you out for as long as I'm alive in there. You just keep yourself out of trouble."

I frowned. He talked about it like it was so easy. By helping me live, he was signing his own death warrant. "As grateful as I am that you're doing this, I still don't understand why you're doing it."

"I already know I won't win, so if I can help my district partner bring home a victory, then I will," he replied. He thought it was the simplest thing in the world, but it was far from it. "And like I said yesterday, you have more to lose than I do. Your family shouldn't even be going through this again."

We continued to eat and strategize for most of the day, deciding that Crest and I wouldn't have an alliance at first in the Games. I found out that Crest's specialty weapon was a spear, and he was pretty skilled with a mace. I hadn't seen a mace in the Games in years, though. I had become pretty skilled with a trident over the years, thanks to Finnick. I was nowhere near his skill level, but it was definitely what I used the best. I liked to think I was okay with throwing knives, but I hadn't picked them up since I stopped training officially. I had more confidence in my trident and spear throwing abilities.

We were dismissed to get ready for our arrival at the Capitol in an hour. I could lie and say that I wasn't excited to see how the city looked. I'd had to hear Cicero babble on and on about it. I hoped it lived up to the hype. There were bits and pieces shown of the city every year during the broadcasting of the Games, but there was something about seeing it up close and personal that I found myself eager to see.

I made my way back to my compartment. My reaping dress was laid out on the bed, waiting for me. I walked past the bed, grabbed some new undergarments and walked into the bathroom right off of my own room. I stripped down and washed myself off. I noticed that the water was salt water. I could smell it. It wasn't exactly like the water back home, but it was close enough. That's odd. I finished cleaning up and got out of the shower. Grabbing a towel, I dried myself off, pulled on my undergarments and walked out into my quarters again. A shiver went through me as I felt a draft in my room, realizing I'd forgotten to shut the door and walked over to it. I started to slide the door shut, but it stopped, having only moved about an inch. That's just fantastic. I stuck my head out the door and looked down the hall. Seeing no one, I quickly stuck my head back in the door. My attention was back to my dress, quickly unzipping it. I was about to pull it off the bed when I heard a cough. I quickly turned around, my eyes landing on Cato. He was wearing a light blue button up shirt with black dress pants. He was smirking, just like he always did, his eyes looking me up and down again.

"Well, hello, District Four. Definitely nice to see you out of a dress," he said, quoting himself from our conversation last night.

I looked down at myself then back up at him. I didn't immediately grab my dress. I was more determined than ever to show this guy that he didn't scare me. I didn't know how standing in front of him in my underwear was going to do that, but I hoped that it showed some confidence.

"My name is April. Now go away, Cato," I said, putting my hands on my hips. I regretted it. The bruise on my hip hurt pretty badly, but I didn't let it show in my face. I was not about to let any weakness show, especially after the previous night. Letting him get to me again was not an option.

He leaned against the door frame. "Now, April, why would I want to do that when I'm perfectly comfortable where I'm at right now? Not to mention the great view I've got."

"Is that a custom in your district? I didn't realize being a peeping Tom was highly praised in District Two." I turned around and grabbed my dress off the bed. Before I could even start to put it on, it was taken from my hands and thrown back on the bed. I turned back around and Cato was right upon me once again. My hands were up, poised to push him away but he grabbed both my arms. He looked down at my wrists, and there was no mistaking the hint of sadness creep across his eyes for a split second.

"Looks like I did some damage last night," he said, no real emotion in his voice, still looking at them, but the sadness I saw was gone.

"It's nothing I can't handle," I replied, trying to get my arms from his grip, not wanting anymore bruises. "Now let go."

To my surprise, Cato dropped my arms. I turned around to grab my dress again, but I was grabbed by the waist and turned around. I looked up at him, confused. There was that sadness again. The Cato I had observed over the past few days showed nothing but confidence. To see this side was quite the surprise. He looked down at me, from my head to my toes, then back up. He backed up from me and walked to the door. More than a little confused, I grabbed my dress once more and started to step into it, when I heard Cato mumble something before walking down the hall. As I slid into the dress and zipped it, I thought I had heard him apologize for giving me the bruises.

Realizing it was finally pointless, I couldn't deny the attraction I found in Cato. He was extremely handsome and confident in himself. He was also overly egotistical, cruel, and lacked compassion. But the sadness I was sure I had seen in his eyes showed that he had a little kindness. It showed me he was capable of some kind of emotion. I smiled at the thought of now having that to hold over him. I was brought from my thoughts when Crest appeared in the door.

He was smiling. "We're here. You've got to see this. It's amazing." With that, he disappeared. I quickly left my room, following him back to our car of the train.

Once I reached the window, I was in awe. The buildings looked like they were made of some light colored stone. Waterways weaved in and out of the city, automatically making me miss District Four. All too quickly, we were going through a tunnel and pulled into the station and the train pulled to a stop. I looked out at the massive amount of people waiting to see us. I looked over at Crest, who looked at me, too. We decided we might as well make the most of it. We turned back to the crowed, and we began to smile and wave at them. A chorus of applause and screams erupted from the crowd as we put on our best faces. We continued this until Cicero pulled us away from the window.

It was time to go meet our stylists and styling team and get prepped.

CATO OC CATO OC CATO OC CATO OC CATO

And chapter three is done! I hope you guys are enjoying the story. I've had a blast writing it! Honestly, the hardest thing is finding the right song lyrics I want to go with the chapter, but I think it helps. Review! :)