Chapter 11
~Katniss~
The next day I work harder than I ever have before. Throwing knives and spears with extra force, wielding a sword and trying to cut a dummy with extra strength, and tackling a armored Peacekeeper harder than usual. I knew Brutus wanted to know the sudden change in me bu he didn't press the issue, he just let me vent in my own way. When lunch came around my muscles were sore and he gave me some medication that would calm them. After I took it I walked through the lunch room to get my food, chicken breast and a salad with milk. More healthy food. I think to myself. After I get my food I sit at my usual table and start eating and soon Clove and Luna join me.
"How was training?" Luna asked me.
"Fine, I worked harder than usual."
"Taking your anger out on practice dummies?" she asked and I nodded.
"Okay what do you two know that I don't?" Clove asked curiously.
"Cato kinda said somethings that put Spitfire in a bad mood." Luna explained for me.
"Oh god what did he do now?" Clove asked sending a small glare in his direction. I could feel him watching me from time to time as I ate my food. We went into the story of what we heard him say to his brother yesterday and it just made Clove even more mad. "That idiot!" she shouted making the room go silent. Everybody had their eyes on us and we glared at all of them.
"What?" we shouted in unison and they wet back to their food, their chatter slowly filling the room.
"God he is more dense than I thought." Clove said and I looked at her for an explanation.
"What are you talking about?"
"Citch was and is right. Why does Cato have to train when he doesn't have to. I have known Cato since we were kids and I know when he has something or someone on his mind. If he wasn't training then I would say screw the whole thing and tell him to ask you out before somebody else does." she say cutting into her chicken.
"Well it's all up to him on what he does. He can choose to train like he wants or he can stop. But right now I don't want to talk to him or even be around him." I say looking down at my almost empty tray before standing and throwing my stuff away. As I walked past the table again to get to the door Clove stopped me.
"If he did decide to stop training for you, will you give him a chance?" she asked me with a hopeful look in her eyes.
"I honestly don't know. After hearing him say that I don't mean anything I don't know if I can forgive him for that." I say before walking out of the room. I swam laps that day, trying to relieve the tension in my muscles and my mind. Soon enough Brutus was showing up to take me to the PTR for our private training session, and I worked just as hard as I did this morning. Halfway through our session when I was working with a broad sword a Peacekeeper came in to talk to Brutus.
"Trainer Brutus, Mrs. Hart is here to speak with you." the Peacekeeper said and I could tell by the loo on Brutus's face that he wasn't expecting it.
"God what does that woman want?" I thought out loud and headed towards the door "Spitfire, clean up the knives and spears quickly." he said before walking out of the door. I grabbed any of them that were in targets or dummies and set them on the table where I got them. Just as I set them down Brutus walked through the door arguing with a woman. She was tall and had blonde hair with dark blue eyes. He looked so familiar, much like Cato and Citch. Maybe they are related? I thought to myself. She walked forward on her heals sending a small and playful glare at my teacher.
"I told you I have to check the stonework of the building." she said to him.
"But your husband is that one that usually does that and he just checked it a month ago. Why are you really here." he bit back at her, trying to get her to stop walking but once she set her gaze on me, she smiled and kept walking.
"Well I didn't know you were in the middle of the session." she said and I raised an eyebrow.
"Like hell you did." he accused and groaned outwardly. He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. "Spitfire this is Mrs. Hart. Mrs. Hart, this is Spitfire." he said gesturing to us back and forth with his free hand.
"So you're the famous Spitfire I've heard so much about." she held out her hand for a shake and I hesitantly grasped it. "I'm Citch and Cato's mother." she said and I nodded my head. "Cato said that you had taken on a new student Brutus, one that wanted to train alone. I just had to see it for myself." she said looking at him and he waved a hand at her. She rolled his eyes, looking much like her son when he does it, or vice versa, and turned back to me. "He also said that you don't tell anybody about you?" she asked and I nodded to her.
"That's right and I'm not telling you why." I stated and she nodded.
"That's understandable." she said looking at me closely. "Wow you are just as he described." she said in amazement. I looked at her perplexed and she turned around with her hands clasped in front of her, over her nude colored dress. "Well I've seen all that I needed to see in here. I better go see the rest of the buildings. Nice talking to you Brutus and Spitfire, I hope to see you around." she said flashing me a kind smile before walking out of the room. Once the door was closed behind her I looked at my Trainer.
"What was that about?" I asked him curiously.
"I have no idea and I don't want to know. Now back to training. Obstacle course under two minutes now." he said and I complied, rotating from the course to knives and back. When we were close to the end of the session I asked him a question I had been wanting to know.
"When are we going to go outside and do archery and rock climbing and that kind of stuff?" I asked him as I threw another knife.
"Next month we'll be going to the outdoor private training area to work on that. It's secluded from the rest of the buildings of the Academy so no one can see what we are going to be doing." he explains and I ask him another question.
"When I go back home for the Games, I still don't want people to know that I'm from District Twelve. Is there a way that they can keep me hidden from the cameras?" I ask and he rubs his chin as he thinks about it.
"I'll talk to the Peacekeepers when the time comes. But that's not for another three months so let's focus on this for now." he says and puts something into a tablet. Probably a reminder to talk to the Keepers about me. I remained silent as I continued to throw knives at the dummy so many feet away. As a threw the last knife Brutus spoke up again. "There's one more thing I want to talk to you about. Have a seat." he says.
"Okay." I say as I move to sit on a bench. "What did you want to talk about?" I asked curiously.
"When the Games are over, as past Victors Enobaria and I take two of our students on Victory Tours. It doesn't happen every year, only on the year that District Two has a winner. If there is one this year and if I believe you're good enough, I would like to take you as one of them." he explained to me and I looked at him in shock.
"Me? Why me?" I asked timidly.
"Because from the skills I see so far, you have done really well. And if you keep up your training and ever go into the Games, voluntarily or not, you could win them." he said to me almost proudly. I sat there and thought and while I did I could feel him watching me, looking for a reaction.
"And how will we be able to keep my identity a secret? If they go to District Twelve then people are going to know who I am and try to talk to me. It'll be given away." I ramble out worriedly.
"We can figure something out, like while we are in Twelve you get sick and have to stay on the train or something. It will be easy to figure out." he says in a "no problem" kind of tone and I just nod.
"Who is the other Tribute that you would take?" I asked him, almost afraid that I know the answer.
"Well really my only top student is Cato and you coming at a close second." he said and I was right, I already knew who he would bring.
"Great." the word passes from my lips before I have a chance to stop it.
"What?" he asks me confused.
"Cato and I don't get along the greatest." I explain to him.
"You two seemed fine at the Feast." he suggested and I nodded.
"Well in light of recent events that is not the case anymore." I said and he just nodded before standing up gesturing for me to do the same.
"We're done for the day. You may go." he said and I made a bee-line for the door, ready to get out of there and rest my aching muscles from the hard day of training. When I got to my room I saw Clove waiting outside the door sitting on the floor. She looked up at me when she heard me coming, I really need to work on my stealth some more.
"Hey are you okay? You look exhausted." she said.
"Gee thanks Clove." I snapped and she rolled her eyes. "I trained a little too hard today."
"Ah, so any idea why Cato's mommy dearest would come to the Academy?" she asked as if she knew something.
"What do you know?" I asked, answering her question with a question and she raised her eyebrow as I opened the room with my key.
"Why do you care?" she challenged and I snorted.
"Cause she waltzed in on my session today, claiming she needed to check the stone work of the building. Luckily a Peacekeeper warned us otherwise she would have seen what I was doing." I said and Clove get creepily happy and did a little victory dance.
"I knew she was lying!" she cheered and I looked at her confused. "Cato and I were throwing knives when she showed up in the TR. When he asked what she was doing here she gave the same bull shit answer. But then they started arguing a little bit and I heard your name." she explained as I sat on my bed and she sat on the edge of Luna's. I was about to say something but Luna walked through the door.
"Hey who was that woman walking around the Academy today?" she asked kicking off her shoes and sitting next to Clove.
"Probably just Cato's mom." I said and she gave me a surprised look.
"Who came just to see who Spitfire was." Clove teased with a smirk.
"Seriously? How do you know she was here to see Spitfire?" Luna asked Clove who just gestured to me letting me answer.
"Because she came to the PTR, claiming she needed to check the stonework but then when she saw me she started talking to me. Saying I just just as Cato described and she hoped to see me soon." I explained.
"Sounds like Cato has been talking about you at home." Luna said mischievously and I rolled my eyes at her.
"And why would he do that?" I asked sarcastically.
"Why do you ignore the obvious?" she asked back.
"Because I don't want to believe it!" I retorted and she let it drop.
"If I could just butt in." Clove said with her hand slightly raised. "In all my years of knowing Cato, I've never seen him take an interest in anybody like he does, or well did with you. And even though he says he's done trying to figure you out, I highly doubt that he if, and if he's not trying then he's going to drive himself crazy." she explained at Luna and I just watched her talk.
"And how do you know this?" I asked her.
"Because the Cato I know never quits, on anything. He was so hell bent on trying to figure out who you are and for him to just suddenly stop is unlike him."
"Wait a minute, why aren't you trying to figure her out?" Luna asked her while pointing to me.
"I've asked and have not received. Plus I know that she'll tell me eventually. Why aren't you trying?"
"Because I already know." Luna said simply.
"And how did you find out?" Clove asked almost annoyed.
"oh I don't know a little something called paying attention." Luna remarked and I watched as they started to argue about me. Okay I have to stop this.
"Hey as much as I love being talked about when I'm right in the room." I say in a sarcastic tone and Clove just rolled her eyes. "What I want to know is why Cato decided now to give up." I said and the two girls across from me got a confused and curious look on their faces. Well that's what was on Luna's, but on Clove's it was that mixed with mischief. What does she have planned? I think to myself.
"Looks like I'll have to do a little snooping." she says and gets up to head towards the door.
"What now?" I call after her. "And what are you going to do?" I asked her.
"No not now, tomorrow after training hours are over. And I'm just going to talk to Mrs. Hart to see what Cato has told her about you. I'll play the concerned friend card and say that Cato hasn't been talking to me like he used to. Now I actually have to go or I'm going to be late for curfew." she says and walks out the door. I look at Luna and she just shrugs her shoulders before offering up a response.
"Let Clove be Clove, she has her own little plan going on in her mind and she'll get pissed if we interfere. Lets just get some sleep, no offense but you look like you could pass out at any moment." Luna says to me and I just nod, falling back on my bed and getting comfortable, not even bothering to change into my pajamas.