"What's going on?" Clove whispered behind Brutus's back to Cato, but he just shrugged his shoulders, the furious glint in his eyes still lurking within the blue. Bonnie pottered out of her room and beamed with multi-colored teeth at them.
"Why hello, everybody! How's everything-…" Her peppy tone trailed when she saw the look on Brutus's face. She shuffled over in the same sky high heels as before to join them over at the couch where Brutus had herded them.
"No, Bonnie. I need a word with them alone." He held his arm up towards her, preventing her from moving any closer then she had. Looking slightly hurt, she vanished back through to her room, leaving the door open to peer in on the conversation.
"Sit." Brutus ordered. Cato sat across from him beside Clove, she could feel the rays of heat radiate from his body, as he fought not to lunge at his mentor. When all fell silent, Brutus raked his hand through his hair and looked back up at the tributes as if he were lacking sleep.
"President Snow isn't happy." He finally said. Letting the words sink in before continuing.
"He's not happy with you two. At all." Chills ran down Clove's spine. President Snow was the cruelest, most obeyed man in the whole of Panem. Those people who hadn't followed his way of life where never seen again, he was known within a select few – including Brutus – for torturing his victims, and yet, here she was causing him to be displeased with her.
"Why?" She mused, thanking herself silently, for mastering the talent of hiding her emotions behind a mask.
"There is only one pair of star-crossed lovers, Clove. Not three." And all of a sudden, everything fit into place. The president must have known about Cato and Glimmer. He must have known about the flirtatious games in training session, and he must have known about Marvel creeping into her bed on a night after hours. He must have been watching them, very closely. In fact, he might have just caught a glimpse of them; they didn't do well to hide it. But, after days of Cato and Glimmer doing whatever they've been doing, and the hours of flirting with Marvel and the nights he spent in Clove's bed, why, didn't the President try to stop it?
"That's none of his business." Cato seethed, glaring into the vase on the mahogany coffee table between them. Brutus chortled, as if Cato wasn't speaking any sense.
"Of course it's his business, Cato! These are his games! And whatever goes on in them; is what he has instructed!" Brutus yelled, "And this thing, or whatever you've both got with District 1, isn't a part of his plans! You are making a MOCKERY of the Capitol! And how do you think President Snow finds that? Do you think he finds it amusing? Do you think he finds it entertaining? No! He doesn't like it! And that is why it needs to stop! Before he hurts you! If you're not doing it for yourselves at least do it for Marvel and Glimmer, because as soon as he sees that I've warned you, and you carry on doing it, that's who he is going to turn to, and I don't mean for advice." Brutus slumps back down into his chair that he sprang from during his yelling. The reality of his words sinks in. The entire seriousness of what they've been doing hits home. Cato's fists are balled and he launches up from the sofa and storms through to his room, the door clatters to the floor, clean off the hinges. Clove stays put. She could visualize Snow at his desk, with that overpowering rose tucked into his lapel, and his evil eyes glistening as he tears her away from Marvel. Marvel. It dawns on her, does he know? Has he been told? Glimmer must know, the way she kept the tears back from falling when Brutus ordered her away from Cato. But would she tell Marvel? Surely she would, they were friendly enough with each other. Cashmere must have sat tem both down like Brutus did.
"Does District 1 know?" Clove does her best to keep her feelings from exposure under Brutus's heavy glare.
"No." He answers quick.
"They should." Her head lifts so her eyes are met with his. He shakes his head and gets up to move towards the table, laid with the same dinner as One's floor.
"Clove, if you were madly in love with someone like Marvel is with you, and you've been told you can't love him anymore, wouldn't you do all in your power to get to him? It's for his own safety." He shakes his head and rips a mouthful of meat from the steak with his teeth.
"His own safety?" Clove murmurs, "His own safety? So when Snow sees him wanting to kiss me in the Training center, he won't think that he's defying him? Your endangering him keeping it from him!" She cried, shooting up and slamming her hands onto the coffee table in front of her, causing the vase to topple over the edge and smash around her shoes. Brutus keeps silent, and continues with the steak.
"Your, a COWARD!" She screams, marching off the same way Cato did, but careful not to send the door off its hinges. From her own room, she could hear him cursing and throwing things, and cursing the mess he'd made over the floor. It was probably best not to disturb him. She lay on her bed, seething as she thought over things. How dare he, how dare Snow declare what I do and not do. She yelled inside her head, it was probably best not to say these things out loud, who knows what listening devices he's got rigged in this room. She checks the bedside clock, 1:43PM. She wasn't going to training now. Marvel was probably sat waiting for her, wondering where she was… Something across in Marvel's corner of the room caught her eye, as it shone in the shafts of early afternoon light. She sat up and on all fours, wandered to the end of the bed to examine it. Nope, she still couldn't make out what it was. She slid one leg off the mattress, then the other, and slowly crept up on whatever was reflecting that light. She entwined her fingers around the golden chain and rested the pendant in her hand. It was a beautiful bright teal gem, about the size of a two pence coin. She had to look at it for a second, but what she assumed was right. If she tilted the pendant to the right slightly, some sort of family crest would reflect off each face of the jewel. Marvel's family crest. This was Marvel's District token. She faltered for a second; it must have dropped from his coat pocket. Clove debated whether to keep it until the games and reunite him with it then, or go down to training and give it to him now. Behind her, the door gently opened, and Cato's face peered through. It had lost all of the anger and hatred from before, as if he'd given up. His eyes were all red and puffy and she could only assume that he'd reacted with the goose feathers that he ripped from the pillows in his own room, because Cato never cried. He smiled faintly and slumped over to beside Clove. Like the big brother she'd never had, he comforted her within his huge arms, even though she wasn't crying. Neither said a word, until Cato took notice of her locked fists around the pendant.
"What's that?" He murmured, his even bigger hands cupping her fists.
"Nothing." She mused, looking down at it, like she could see straight through the protective shell her hands formed and into the family crest it revealed.
"Yeah, course there isn't." He snapped, carefully prizing her hands apart and untaffling her fingers from the chain. He stared at it for a while as he hung it in front of his face, watching the crest appear and disappear.
"Is this…" He trailed off, as Clove snatched it back.
"Marvel's token? I think so." She said. "In fact I'm sure it is." Cato sat back against the bed frame and stared at her in disbelief.
"You do know, if you get caught with that, you're in serious shit. No one else is allowed to see another tribute's token." He stated matter-of-factly. Clove glared into the floor across from her, wanting to shout obscene things in his face at his know it all tone and see what he thought of it all.
"Well, what can I do, I can't go down to training because he's sure to, y-you know – and if President Snow sees him, you know, he's gonna hurt him." She sighs, defeated. And it wasn't even the games yet. She fell back into the bed frame beside Cato, and brought her knees up to her chin, encasing the pendant within her hands and close to her heart. After some time of thinking, Cato sits up slowly and holds out his hand for the pendant.
"No." Clove sees his offer and only holds onto it tighter than before. Cato laughs slightly and persists.
"I know what to do, just give me it." He says softly. Clove looked up at him, and saw the knowing in his eyes. She didn't necessarily trust Cato, she never had done. But the way he looked down at her, like a brother would when assuring his younger sister everything would be ok, she decided that there was a first time for everything. She gently poured the golden chain into his palm, then carefully setting the pendant on top of the coil of chain. Watching him as he got up and moved over to the balcony, it suddenly slaps Clove in the face about what he's going to do. She dives up off the floor and races over the slippery wooden flooring towards the balcony, but she's too late. Like slow motion in her brain, she watches his palm slip and the pendant fall into the world below.
"What are you DOING? That was Marvel's!" She cried in despair, bursting out onto the balcony and almost hurling herself over after it.
"Relax, Clove." Cato grasps a firm hold on her elbow, pointing downwards towards the balcony below, Marvel's balcony. And sure enough on the plush outdoor chair, sat the pendant Clove believed Cato had thrown away. She sighed in relief and fell back into her own outdoor living chair.
"Tell me when you're going to do that next time." She breathed, feeling the cold sweat dry on her forehead. Cato sat into the second chair across from her, glaring out onto the view of the Capitol sky scrapers.
"Well hopefully I won't have to do it again, will I? Because Marvel will keep his clothes in his own room, so he won't drop it in here." It was almost like an order the way he said it. Clove scowled across at him for addressing it so bluntly, before turning her head at the sound of the lift doors opening. It was Piper and Fleur. They gazed around the floor as if it were the most amazing place they'd been. When Piper met Clove's eyes she waved frantically and bounded over, like a pet.
"We are here to make you look beautiful!" Of course. Clove should have known. Today was the chariot ride through the city. Clove abruptly stood out of the chair and ushered her prep team, including Cato, through off the balcony and into the living area, where two long outfit bags awaited on the sofas.
"Please don't have us dressed like a clown." Cato moaned, letting his head roll back in tire.
"Oh of course not! We- well, Twista and Celestie, thought that because District 2 is SO strong and what not, you should dress as Greek gods! We haven't even seen the outfits yet!" Piper howls, hopping up and down and clapping her hands. Fleur was slightly shyer, and just stood beaming into the closed outfit bags.
"Well, I'm sure that those outfits are going to get themselves out." Cato gestured for the stylists to take them out. They paused for a minute, before realizing what he meant, and began fighting over the bags to open.
"This one is Clove's! I'M CLOVE'S STYLIST" Piper whined, her claws latched into the fabric bag. Fleur immediately lost her grip, sending Piper hurtling to the ground. Clove quickly snatched the bag from her before it hit the ground with her. Piper fought herself to her feet under the bright blue frock with obscure angles.
"Well," She catches her breath and brushed her dress down, "Let's get you in it!" She clapped her hands and rested one on Clove's shoulder, pushing her towards her bedroom.
"The crowd will go wild at this! It's beautiful!" Piper yelped, as she carefully dragged the golden plated dress from the bag, it glinted in the light and reflected Clove's repulsed face.
"I bet they will." She hissed. Taking it from Piper's eager hands like it was a dead bird freshly skinned and gutted, she slowly slipped into it.
"It's the most uncomfortable dress I have ever worn." Clove cringed, as Piper fitted individual gold scales across her chest and around her neck.
"I look like some sort of bird." She seethed, as the scales, in a way, resembled tiny feathers, and the way they were positioned and slotting over each other did them no favors. The dress underneath was also golden, and the skirt was made up individual strips of leather with the golden shorts underneath.
"I feel like an idiot." She moaned, Piper abruptly stopped and stood up from fixing the gladiator sandals correctly, and stares into Clove's face.
"You seem to be a lot tenser than usual Clove." She whimpers, her hand reaching up to stroke her cheek. Clove faltered, then suddenly her hand whipped up and smacked Piper's away.
"You are not employed to take note on how 'tense' I am. You are employed to do my make-up and make me look better than the other tributes!" Clove bared her teeth as she spoke, and Piper's head immediately snapped down. Clove felt a slight pang of guilt when a solitary tear splashed beside her foot. They both remained quiet whilst Piper set the head dress on top Clove's sleek pony tail. She took a step back from Clove, admiring the outfit as it reflected her face on each different scale across her chest.
"It looks, perfect." Piper breathed, slightly puffy eyed.
"Thanks." Clove replied, hopping down from the stand Piper had set her on and left the room. Cato was busy admiring himself in front of the full length mirror in his bedroom, he caught sight of Clove and spun round.
"You look… Gold." The outfit shone a 'thank you' in response, almost blinding the both of them.
"Well, at least I'm not the only one." She tried to joke, but there was nothing funny in the tone of her voice. Bonnie was busy sorting things with Brutus by the lift, she didn't see them coming. Clove stayed close by Cato as Bonnie turned towards them, the impact would be immense.
"YOU LOOK FANTASTIC!" She shrilled, her movement was a lot freer thanks to much lower heels than before, but none the less just as ghastly. Her hands found both of our shoulders as she shook them violently in excitement.
"You will be the stars!" She beamed, her teeth still gleamed every color under the sun as she ushered them onto the lift. Once on the ground floor, it was a maze through the center until they reached the chariots. But not once did they bump into any other tributes. Once with the chariots, the tributes had five minutes to get organized. Clove spent that five minutes with her chariot's horses, they towered above her and their coal black coats shone.
"You're beautiful aren't you?" She hummed to him, the stallion nuzzled her hands in search of treats but found none. He nickered softly in her face before spinning round with his ears pinned back at his partner.
"Why, we meet again." A familiar voice purred behind her. She pasted her face with the most realistic smile she could muster, and turned to face him. Marvel was drowning in a fuchsia pink cape, and his jewel encrusted suit underneath shone gold as they reflected Clove's outfit.
"Looking pink." Clove's smile twitched, awkwardly shifting her gaze towards the box that held the head Peacekeepers and Game Maker.
"Hmm, it's an acquired taste, but I have to say, you look particularly ravishing in that golden number." He winked and pulled her closer. She woodenly accepted a peck on her cheek. But he sensed her edge and released her from his arms.
"What's wrong, gorgeous?" He pulled her back and his forehead tilted down to hers. Her eyes were fixated on the box now, and she could see the shapes inside gathering and talking together.
"Um, I'm just…" She peered over his shoulder, to see Cato staring over and shaking his head. "I just need to go talk to Twista!" She exclaimed, handing his arms back to him and rushing over to Cato and Twista. Clove avoided looking back over her shoulder, at Marvel, or the box. It's for your own good, she wanted to tell him, but she knew he wouldn't understand. Cato saw her coming and straightened his back in satisfaction, he knew she hadn't told Marvel the situation.
"I see you've left him without an explanation I hope?" He turned her around and began walking her back towards the chariots. Marvel had returned to his own and shot Clove an unsure look before boarding. She kept her eyes to herself at all costs and power-walked past Bonnie and Brutus and hopped into the chariot without approval from the staff. Cato followed shortly after, his eyes transfixed on Glimmer's golden waves in front of him.
"Cato?" Clove interrupted his thought, he looked down at her and gave her a faint smile.
"Ready to put on your meanest look, Shorty?"
"I'm way ahead of you, giant." She mocked a scowl up at him, and he laughed down at her. They both squared their shoulders to the chariot in front and straightened their backs. They were born ready for this.
"Just remember, if you're going to wave, don't be all faddy about it. Make out as if you're ready and going to win these games." Brutus stood by one horse in front of them, patting his nose.
"Sure." Cato didn't meet Brutus's watchful eyes; he was still steaming from hours ago. Clove nodded in response, as Brutus was directed away by staff and the first chariot disappeared through the doors. The roar of the crowd was phenomenal, from what Clove could see, thousands and thousands of Capitol people had gathered in the streets, hanging out of windows, and throwing colorful ribbons down from roofs. The night was alive. The blackness of the late night had been replaced by torches and huge fitted lights on top of selected roofs.
"Well, all I can say is that they know how to throw a party." Cato's voice was as clear as butterfly wings, blended and basically muted for all the good it did. Clove narrowed her eyes at his moving lips, but she couldn't make out what else he was saying. Before she had time to even try to make something of hip lips, it was District 2's turn to enter the streets. Brace Yourself. Clove told herself, turning her lips up slightly into a daring smile, and her brow creased slightly in determination.
"Clove!"
"Cato!"
"District Two!" The crowds screamed their names, waving and blowing kisses and throwing glitter, ribbons and other things Clove couldn't be doing with. She rolled her eyes as they reached out desperately over the bars to just dream of touching her from the distance she was at from them. She watched the horses pulling her chariot, surprised at how chilled and well trained the animals were to trot unleaded and forward to the center of the Capitol.
"Wave." Cato briefly bent down to her ear. She remembered Brutus's words, 'Just remember, if you're going to wave, don't be all faddy about it' Clove thought about how he would determine a 'faddy' wave. So without really thinking, she threw her arm in the air, her fist balled and above her head. Powerful, yes, that's what she wanted, that's what she wanted to look like. To these people. And by the way they reacted, she'd done just that. As the chariot passed through the city, the closer the horses towed it to the center, the thicker and the louder the crowds got. Clove's eyes didn't waver from glaring right ahead of her, past the chariot in front, and straight ahead down the long stretch of road. Where, at the end, the chariots would line up and listen to a rambling speech about the history of Panem, and receive the 'oh so warm' welcome from none other, but President Snow. The man who tore her from Marvel because it wasn't a part of his game, and the man who threatened to hurt him, or kill him. If she didn't obey.