You are all so amazing! :o I know I've said that so many times, but it's true.
thepandagirl16- Thank you so much!
SunWillRise2340- Thank you. I've noticed that all of the Mary-Sues steal District 12's thunder and they basically become a carbon copy of Katniss, so I wanted to do something different. The inner fangirl within me was giddy with excitement when she looked at Cato. idek.
Guest- Thank you for reviewing. ^.^ I've tried to keep it somewhat canon and maintain the Capitol's focus on Katniss, not Brigid. And I'm trying to keep Cato as close to his original personality as possible. I hate when authors turn him into a teddy bear. .-.
I also want to apologize for using extensive smilies in my author's notes. I just always use them when I'm writing informally. I just wanted to apologize if it annoyed you. xc
I also forgot to mention her main stylist's name in the last chapter. It's Corin.
I'm gonna be released from behind these lines, and I don't care whether I live or die.
And I'm losing blood, I'm gonna leave my bones.
And I don't want your heart, it leaves me cold.
I'm gonna leave my body.
I'm gonna lose my mind.
...
Leave My Body-Florence and the Machine
After the ceremony, our escorts directed us towards the training center headquarters. In the morning we will eat breakfast and then head to the training room.
I stepped into our temporary home and was awestruck by the beauty of our apartment. It was very modern, with recently produced technological products and silver accents. What struck me the most were the walls, which had some sort of screen over them, projecting the image of the forest. As much as I hate to say it, I felt comfortable. The reminders of my home in the trees brought a sense of peace over me.
I walked into my respective room, detecting the faint scent of pine in the air. Just like the rest of the apartment, the furniture itself was very modern. It was just the little touches of home that brought a sense of comfort.
I grabbed a set of casual clothing and went into the bathroom to clean up. Confusion filled me as I fiddled with the buttons, trying to find the correct ones. As I got used to the futuristic amenities in the shower, the scent of lemon filled the air. I stepped out of the shower, my body scrubbed clean and my hair wet. I relished the comfort of the soft leggings and knitted sweater that I picked out. We never had anything close to this level of quality in District 7.
Wind blew out of the holes around the mirror, drying and parting my hair evenly. Despite the amazing setting, I felt that the aspect of the room where everything was done for you brought a sense of discomfort.
Should I stay in the room and head to bed early? I almost laughed at the question. I couldn't sleep with training just around the corner. I decided to explore the building, climbing the multitude of stairs, riding elevators, and walking down halls until I reached the roof. I stepped out of the glass dome that held the elevator and looked over the Capitol. Lights filled the air, along with the sound of people's voices.
I sat down cross-legged on the ground, leaning on my elbow with my head in my hand. I can't do this; I'm going to die in the bloodbath. Even if I did survive the bloodbath, I couldn't win; I'd end up just like Bree. There's no hope; The odds are never in our favor. I felt a lump form in my throat. I refused to believe these pessimistic thoughts; they would just end up being the death of me. If I believed them, I will die in the bloodbath. I need to try to combat them to win for my district, for Bree.
My eyes closed as I held back tears. I didn't know if there were cameras up here, so I couldn't show weakness. I can't be scared; I need to be brave.
As I opened my eyes, I heard the door to the glass dome open, meaning that somebody else was up here. I looked out of the corner of my eye, seeing the one person that I didn't want to see. The boy from District 2. I closed my eyes again, pretending that I wasn't looking at him and didn't notice him.
I sensed a person sitting a few feet away from me. I opened my eyes, them flickering over to my right and seeing the boy smirking at me. I stared back into the city of the Capitol, refusing to acknowledge him.
"...I saw you staring at me during the parade." He chuckled, expecting me to reply defensively. I just ignored him, pretending I didn't hear a thing. I don't know why I wanted to piss him off; he'd just target me during the games. I'm guessing that it was a minor form of revenge against District 2. He scoffed, obviously unused to not having anybody pay attention to him.
I smirked a little bit, deciding to respond before I pissed him off. "...Hello."
Without missing a beat, he replied, "Did you hear what I said?"
"...Yeah."
"Why were you staring at me?" He raised his eyebrows.
"Why were you staring at me?" I challenged, enjoying the look of frustration on his face, while I kept mine inscrutable. He wouldn't know I was staring at him if he didn't stare at me back.
His expression of frustration turned into a condescending and cocky one. "I'm Cato." He smirked once again.
"..." I hesitated. Should I tell him my name? It's not like he won't eventually find out. "Brigid."
He was satisfied, smirking as I walked back to my room. He's too cocky for his own good. Someone needs to bring down his confidence, and if they don't, it will eventually get him killed in the games.
I stepped back into my apartment, seeing Johanna and Blight asleep on the couch with glasses of some sort of alcohol in their hands. Great, let's just hope they don't follow in Haymitch, the ridiculous, always intoxicated victor from District 12's, footsteps. He was the laughing stock of my district, making us thankful that we have the bitchy Johanna and Blight as our tribute's leaders rather than him.
I went into my room and crawled on top of the plush mattress, burying myself under the comforter. Again, there's no comparison between my district and the Capitol. They're two polar opposites.
My eyelids fluttered shut and I fell into a restless sleep, unable to forget the faces of the tributes. I envisioned myself in the games, waiting for the cue to begin. I looked around me, seeing Katniss, her partner, and Cato crouched down, ready to strike. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.. Start. I leaped off of the platform, avoiding the mines that would be triggered if I stepped off of the platform. Skipping the Cornucopia, I ran into the forest. I scrambled up a tree frantically, aware of the Career's voices as they came into the forest. The girl from District 1 held a bow and arrow, aiming for me. I leaned away from where she shot the arrow, falling off of my branch in the process. I tumbled down to the ground, my body slamming against every branch on the tree. I landed on the ground, breathless. Before I blacked out, I felt the blade of a knife slide across my neck. It's all over...
"Wake up and get your happy ass over to breakfast! You only have an hour before training starts." Johanna pounded on my door, which I had locked before going to bed.
I groaned, pulling the comforter over my head. So what if I miss training? I heard the door slam open, Johanna screaming out obscenities. She yanked the sheets off of me, causing me to feel a rush of cold air.
"Get up. Your training outfit is in your closet." She snapped, sending me a cold glare, which I returned. I stumbled out of bed, still groggy and exhausted from the restless sleep that I had just experienced. I pulled on the tight black clothes with the number "7" stitched into the shoulder, discerning me from all of the other tributes. I saw a white note in the pocket of my outfit. "We aren't able to see you in the morning because of some personal issues, so please do something with your hair. We're sorry we can't see you, but please attempt to look decent in front of the other tributes. xoxo, Hestia, Maylissa, and Corin." I scoffed at the backhanded apology, pulling my hair into a messy bun.
I walked into the dining room, seeing that most of the food has been consumed. I didn't mind the fact that there was little left for me; I had very little appetite.
Johanna and Blight took us to the couch, beginning their lecture about strategies. "I know you've been told to keep your talents hidden in the past, but we don't want you to follow that route. The Careers this year are brutal, and we want one, only one, of you to join them." Keane started to say something, but Johanna cut him off. "The one who joins them will talk with them, become allies, and even befriend them, and then, once they trust you, attack when they least expect it. But don't attack early; it's best to wait until more of the tributes die off, leaving very few left. In case the Careers attack the one who joins their alliance, hopefully the other will still be alive to give District 7 another chance. One of the reasons we're splitting you up is that if you both join the Careers, once they find out that you're planning something, they'll kill both of you. We've tried letting the other District 7 tributes hide, but it's never worked out, so we're testing something new."
Johanna and Blight looked at each other and nodded. "Which one of you wants to join the Careers?" Blight bluntly stated.
I glanced at Keane, seeing a strange gleam of confidence in his eyes. "I will." He grinned.
"Great." Blight said. "We're going to split you up since there's two of us. Johanna has Brigid, and I have Keane." I saw Johanna raise an eyebrow, expressing that she had not heard this part of the plan before. "We'll train separately from now on." Blight walked away, taking Keane along with him.
Johanna looked at me plainly, boredom prevalent in her eyes. "As I assume you heard, you'll be doing this on your own." She looked down at her nails, inspecting them closely.
I raised my eyebrows, waiting for her to speak. You could cut the tension with a butter knife.
"Ugh." She sighed, realizing that I'm not going to leave her until she tells me her plan. "During training, I want you to do whatever you want. Along with Keane, I want you to practice. Not show off, but practice your main weapon, along with some survival skills. I recommend looking at the berry station. It's a good way to find food, as well as a way to trick others into eating the poisonous ones." She smirked, walking away.
I glared in her direction as I went down to the training station.
