Chapter 4:
My mentor is a young woman named Kauri. She is only 20 so I remember her victory well. That year had been almost boring; it was so obvious that she was a champion. I admired her greatly and as she talked to me about my angle for the interviews I hung on her every word. "What kind of angle are you going for?" She asked me. "I am a warrior." I replied simply. She smiled knowingly, "That was my tactic too and it will serve you well" I nodded. I remembered her interview, she had frightened the crowd into silent admiration and I aimed to have the same effect.
Kuari and I finish early, there is little to discuss. "Go and eat something, interviews begin in a few hours." I nod to her, "Thanks Kuari." She smiles at me and I turn to leave. Suddenly, so fast I have no time to react, a hand grabs my arm and a mouth appears at my ear. Kuari whispers darkly, "You're smart Clove, too smart to let the beguiling charms of your fellow tribute distract you." I try to turn to face her but her arm forces me to stay in place. I whisper back, "Cato? No, it's not like that—"She cuts me off, "Clove, be sensible, this is the Hunger Games. Cato is fighting to stay alive, fighting to kill you." I shake my head wildly, refusing to hear what she is saying to me. Cato loves me; he has loved me since we were children. "No, it's not like that!" Kuari's grip tightens, "Don't do anything stupid Clove; in the arena you can trust no one but yourself. You must always have a plan; I can assure you that Cato will." With that, as abruptly as she had grabbed me, she let me go and closed the door. For a moment I was frozen, my mind swirling with the seed of doubt that Kuari had placed.
"So Clove," Ceaser Flickman begins. "Tell us about yourself." I smile secretively in response and glance at my dress. My stylist had not abandoned the siren look. My dress is like a grey ocean and my hair, piled elaborately on top of my head, is so shiny it looks wet. "What is there to say Ceaser, doesn't my interview score speak for its self?" I raise my eyebrows slightly. Ceaser beams at me, "Oh yes, oh yes! You did extraordinarily well! Do you think that this is an adequate representation of how you will do in the games?" I laugh a cold, icy laugh. "Oh Ceaser," I chuckle again, "between you and me, I was holding back a bit during my session." Ceaser laughs with me, "Well ladies and gentlemen, I think you'll agree that Miss Clove Hathoway is quite the warrior! I certainly would sponsor her!" I smile patronizingly at Ceaser and reply, "I promise you that that will prove to be a good investment."
The interviews of the other tributes have little to no effect on me. The girl from five might be clever enough to pose a slight challenge, the girl from eleven will be easy prey, and the girl from twelve, Katniss, well, I hate her even more than I did before. I pay slightly more attention to the boy from twelve, Peeta's, interview because he is almost as big as Cato. He jokes, he smiles, and he steals our sponsors. Infuriating but not overly threatening. I can feel Cato relax beside me and I in turn let myself relax.
I should have learned from a few nights ago when I let my guard down with District 12.
"I don't think that that will work in my case," Peeta is telling Ceaser about something silly. A girl he likes or something. One moment I am trying to tune out his silly little problems, and then the next everything is wrong. "Because she came here with me." I gasp and Cato stiffens. It only took six words to rip the little that was left of my world apart. I know I should be angry because this will win them many sponsors but only one though enters my mind. 'That could have been Cato and I.'
This time as we return to the elevator I have to marshal my anger. Cato and I are not supposed to be in love. We shouldn't be in love. According to Kuari we might not even be in love. My head is spinning as I think over all that has happened. Cato is silent at my side until we reach the elevator. As soon as we are alone he grabs me and kisses me fiercely. I kiss him back and try to banish what Kuari has placed in my mind. She doesn't know anything about Cato and me. Once the elevator stops he whispers, "I am so sorry Clove." I am confused for a moment. "Sorry?" He sighs, "Sorry I didn't think of that. If only I had figured it out I could have beat District 12 to it." I sigh and manage a weary smile, "No one could have seen that coming. The girl was so shocked I almost think even she didn't know." Cato nods and murmurs, "It won't matter tomorrow though. They'll be dead and we'll be on our way to—" I cut him off before he can finish, "victory, we'll be victors." Cato nods, kisses me, and turns to leave.
I take a shower, dry my hair, change my clothes and sink into the downy cavern of pillows that is my bed. To my surprise, I fall asleep almost immediately; dreams of District Two and Cato swirl through my mind. I am so safe. The next thing I know I am being shaken vigorously by a very tight lipped avox. She cannot speak but I can see in her eyes that I have to get up now. I nod and prepare. I wash and dry my hair, fastening the strait dark locks into my signature high ponytail and follow the avox out of my room and up onto the roof. Everything is silent until we reach the hovercraft where I am frozen to the ladder of the craft while my tracker is injected into my arm. As soon as I am released I clamber into the luxurious craft and settle next to my stylist into a chair. He hasn't made much of an impression on me so we do not speak until we are in the room underneath the arena. Wordlessly, as if he is the nervous one and not I he hands me my clothing. I change into it (hunting boots, black jacket; looks like we have a forest) and adjust my hair. My stylist urges me to eat something and I obey shoveling food and water into my mouth even though I know that I will have the entire cornucopia in a matter of hours.
Finally the announcement is made and I step onto my plate. My stylist presses something into my hand, it's a delicate ring encrusted with diamonds, my mother's engagement ring. "She sent this for you." He murmurs. Suddenly for the first time I feel like crying. Does my one family doubt my unfaultable skill? My mother must truly be sure that I will never return because that was the ring she meant for my marriage to Cato.