A/N #1: No one guessed the name right so in this chapter, you'll get to know what it is!
A/N #2: Reading all those lovely reviews, I realize I am complete. Thank you all for making me feel that way. And now, for the first time in this story...(and not the last time)... REVIEW REPLIES! You guys just make me so happy and I am such a hypocrite for not replying. But I will tell you, whenever I read your reviews, I reply to them in my head. Now, you can read my replies :)
NickiMinajLoverxxx: I hope so too! Seneca tends to freak people out ;) Thanks for the sweet review!
HermioneandMarcus: Your very welcome! I am so glad to see you again, reading and reviewing my story! I hope you're enjoying it just as much as I am writing it for you :D
Dreamzspark: Sorry, but you guessed wrong. It's not Lavinia. But thanks for trying it out! Hmm... I'm not sure I follow. I don't think it's selfish. I mean, he is his son. I think everyone would feel that way if he found out someone was his/her offspring. But it's all right if you think so, I'm so glad you shared your insight with me! Yep, Seneca is going to do just that :P
Writer With No Words: I thought it was adorable too! Cato can be such a cuteheart at times :) Funny thing, the name you guessed is actually my cousin's name. Cool, right? Anyway, it's wrong. Thanks for guessing though! Keep reading and enjoying, my dear!
IamCharliedaughterofPoseidon: I'd love to tell you everything that goes around inside my head :D Shall we get together and order lots of cups of coffees to talk about my magnificent brain?
XSellSwordX: No review is late, my friend! And I'm really glad you got one out :) Seneca is creepy, but his beard is definitely NOT. Wow, how I wish my brother would get a beard like that :P In terms of names, both names are not Daniel's mother's name. I hope you're happy to hear that ;) Thanks for reviewing every chapter, I love reading your reviews!
MassieSwan: Oh no! I couldn't have a darling reviewer/reader crying, now could I? That would make me sad as well. I'll try not to make you cry, darling. But you never know... ;)
"It's really a wonder that I haven't dropped all my ideals, because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart."
- Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl
Cato hated the countdown. He hated it with a burning passion. He hated it so much, he could kill every last Gamemaker because of it. And he wanted to. Oh, how much he wanted to. He wanted them all to die slow, painful deaths. And when the countdown began, Cato refused to let go of Daniel. He held him close to his body and no matter what the other mentors said, he wouldn't let go. He couldn't let go. Alice tried to pry his hands off of the boy but Cato growled at her to leave them alone. Daniel was crying in his arms and Alice kept glancing at the ceiling nervously as the countdown reached 25.
"Cato, come on. You have to get him into the tube." Alice said.
Cato ignored her. "Shh... Daniel, shh..." He whispered and rubbed Daniel's back soothingly. One night was all it had taken for Cato's fatherly side to flip him inside out. He couldn't have ever imagined loving a child as much as he loved his own son. It was as if he had never been apart from him in the first place. When they took short breaks between training, Daniel would tell him about his mother. He would tell him about the small cottage they lived in and what his mother did for a living, to send him to school and to get at least two meals into their stomachs. He would tell him about the flowers that grew in their garden which they would sell to buy clothes and other small requirements. And he would tell him about his best friend, Micheal. Cato wouldn't ask questions, he would just listen as the child tried to paint the world he had always lived in. After he was done talking, Cato had decided to ask something that had been on his mind for a long time,
"Did your mother ever say anything good about me?"
Daniel paused before nodding. "She used to tell me a lot of stories about you."
Cato tilted his head. "What kind of stories?"
"Stories about the 74th Hunger Games. Stories about your personality and your habits. She told me everything she knew about you."
Cato wrinkled his nose. "Good things or bad things?"
Daniel shrugged. "She said you liked girls a lot." Cato's eyes widened in shock. "And she said you nearly killed your brother once when he ruined your hairstyle at a party." Daniel frowned. "She also told me you didn't love her very much."
Cato shook his head and offered Daniel a small smile. "No, I did. I did love her." He took a deep breath. "I just never told her. I never showed her."
"Well, are you going to show her now?" Daniel asked innocently.
Cato cracked a grin. "Daniel, you won't understand why I did what I did. When you're older, I'll explain everything to you."
Daniel stuck out his bottom lip. "But what if I die in the Games?"
Cato froze.
"...You won't."
"But what if I do?" Daniel insisted.
Cato stood up from the hard, training room floor. "Let's get back to that bow and arrow." He twisted the cap off of a bottle of water and held it up to his lips, taking a large gulp of cold water.
Daniel stood up as well and then questioned, "Daddy, are you going to give Mommy another baby?"
Cato instantly spit out the water that was in his mouth and coughed. "W-w-what?" He spluttered.
"Are you going to give Mommy another baby?" Daniel repeated, his expression perfectly calm and naive looking.
"W-where did you get t-that idea from?" Cato stammered.
"When I was crying and Mommy came to visit me after the reapings, she said that I had better come back home to her because you weren't about to give her another baby." Daniel answered sweetly. "Is that true?"
Cato blinked twice, not believing he was actually having this kind of conversation with a twelve year old. "Daniel, we really should be getting back to training." One look at those large, baby blues and Cato changed his mind. "Okay, fine." He sighed. He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I don't think your mommy wants another baby with me."
Daniel tilted his head. "Really?"
"Yes, I'm pretty sure she doesn't." Cato confirmed.
Daniel didn't even blink. "And if she does?"
"If she does... then we'll discuss it." That was the best answer he could think of.
"And if you decide to have another baby, then what?" Daniel's curiosity was killing Cato.
"Then we'll... keep discussing it. U-until we're ready." Cato mentally cursed himself. Leave it to a child to make him feel so uncomfortable.
"If you have a baby, will you forget about me?" Daniel asked.
Cato furrowed his eyebrows before bending down on his knees so that his eyes were level with Daniel's. "No, Daniel. No matter what happens," he paused, "or how many babies we have; we will never forget you."
Daniel smiled, content with his father's answer. "Okay." He said with a nod.
"I don't want to die." Daniel whispered. "I want to be with you. And Mommy." Another sob escaped his lips.
"And you will be." Cato reassured. "You will be. Just stay low and survive. You'll be back before you know it."
Alice had had enough. She might have been shorter than Cato but she was just as strong as he was. She pried his arms off of Daniel, pushed him back and grabbed Daniel's arm. She quickly shoved him into the tube as it sealed around him instantly. Alice sent Cato a death glare and growled, "Not a word out of you."
Daniel burst into fresh tears and pounded his fists against the glass. Cato could hear him scream, "Daddy! Daddy, please! Please!" And then he fell to his knees, "Daddy, no! Please, no! Daddy!"
Cato felt his heart ripping in two. He looked away, not wanting to see Daniel cry and scream. Just as he was about to disappear into the world above, Cato looked back at his now silent son. "I love you, Daniel!" He yelled, hoping he would hear it. Cato believed that Daniel would come back, he had to believe it. But if he didn't, then at least he would know his father loved him.
Daniel nodded slowly and Cato heard him answer, "I love you too, Daddy. I love you and Mommy."
And then he was gone.
The Games had been delayed. After all the tributes had entered the Arena, the countdown began. But not from 10, like usual. It started from 5. And it wasn't measuring in seconds, it was measuring in hours. As Cato frowned at the screen, Caesar came on.
"As you can all see, the Gamemakers have extended the time limit before the Games are to officially start!" He exclaimed. "Seneca Crane explains that the reason behind this is that he wants this year's competition to be the toughest. He has given the tributes extra time to size each other up and choose their enemies wisely. Another reason, he says, is that he wants the tributes to 'adapt' to their Arena. Is Seneca Crane being generous or does he have a few tricks up his sleeve? Find out in our special interview tonight with the Head Gamemaker!"
Cato rolled his eyes. Seneca Crane was anything but generous. He definitely had thought of some sort of evil plan. Cato bit his bottom lip, trying to figure out what was going on. They hadn't shown the Arena to anyone but the tributes and Cato was anxious to know what kind of hell his son was trapped in. He let out a sigh and looked at the clock. He still had a full four hours and forty-five minutes to wait, plenty of time. Cato was just leaning back on the sofa when a sudden thought hit him. Springing off of the sofa, Cato grabbed his jacket and ran out of the room. Turning a corner, Cato crashed into Alice.
"What's the hurry, blondie?" She asked with a frown.
"I'm going to the train station. I have to leave." Cato answered breathlessly.
"Leave? Where?"
"Home. District 2. I need to do something." He quickly explained and pushed her aside.
Cato pushed past the large crowd and ran out of the train station. Glancing at his watch, he realized he had barely thirty minutes left. Ever since the Capitol had introduced the fastest bullet trains, Cato could easily travel from District 2 to the Capitol in a matter of three or four hours. And he had done just that.
Cato ran down a surprisingly deserted street and rushed into the Mayor's office. The Mayor was surprised to see the Victor and quickly muted the TV before asking, "Cato? What are you doing here, son?"
"I don't have time to explain." Cato said. "I need an address."
The Mayor nodded and pulled out his address book. "Whose?"
Cato pushed a hand through his hair. "Lyla Harrison."
The Mayor raised an eyebrow, understanding immediately, and pulled open the book. Finding her name, he said, "Clover Cottage at the edge of town, near Steele's Iron Shop."
Cato nodded in thanks and ran out of the office. He rushed past the tall houses on either sides of the street and ran towards Blacksmiths' Square. It took him ten minutes to reach Steele's Iron Shop and another five minutes to find Clover Cottage. If he wasn't in such a hurry, he would have smiled at the fact that the image he had of Clover Cottage was exactly like the real thing. It was a small house, surrounded by tall flowers and grass. It was painted a cozy purple color and the door was white with a sign that said, "Home Is Where The Heart Is". Cato didn't notice anything else as he quickly knocked on the door. A while later the door opened to reveal the one woman who had come the closest to the 'perfect' Cato always went on about. She didn't say anything when she saw who it was, but instead sighed.
"He said he loved you, Lyla." Cato whispered.
She looked down as tears began to make their way down her cheeks. "I love him too." She answered.
Cato took a deep breath. "I wish you hadn't kept him away from me."
"I did what I had to, Cato." She pushed a strand of hair away from her face and tucked it into the messy bun she had made.
"You didn't have to keep him away from me." Cato frowned.
Lyla's sorrowful eyes met his. "You wouldn't have cared before."
Cato shook his head. "I do care now."
She tilted her head, much the way her son did. "I know."
Cato took a deep breath. "Are you going to watch the Games?"
Lyla smiled sadly. "No." She whispered. "I can't watch my son die."
"He won't die." Cato said.
Lyla shook her head. "You don't know that."
"But I believe it." Cato insisted. "Can I come inside?"
Lyla frowned. "The Games have started, haven't they?"
Cato shrugged. "Maybe. I want to see Daniel's room."
Lyla looked at the door before nodding slowly. "Alright. Only this once."
"Of course." Cato answered and walked inside.
A/N: And Shakespeare said, "Romance must blossom!"
Well... He never said that, but I'm saying it ;)
Seneca is creepy and this little time gap is all a part of his evil scheme. *Shivers* That is one freaky dude.