Disclaimer: Suzanne Collins owns everything!
Chapter Four.
Today is reaping day and the knowledge drifts through the District like wind. Excitement and anticipation courses through everyone. Chatter drifts through the District. Who did the mayor chose? Will it go as planned? Will District 2 have another victor this year? The answer is yes. But it will be Cato, not me. It has to be.
My fingers crawl across my sheets, but there is only an empty space. He is gone. And I have never felt so alone. He's probably preparing for training and seeing as my alarm went off, I probably should be too. 4:00 a.m. way too early. However, I need to be at the training centre by 5:30, I don't need to anger Edward any more than he already is. I don't blame him. I mean, I would be pretty pissed if someone cracked my head open. Actually, I would feel extremely bad for that person. No one is a match for me, no one.
My cold shower is...refreshing, to say the least. And shoving food down my throat isn't the highlight of my day. Nor the most exciting thing I could be doing with my time. Sleeping sounds better, way better. I walk quickly to the training centre, hoping I wake up a bit. It works. Once I get there I am alert and ready for anything. Excitement courses through me, we will go into the woods, with wooden weapons and have a false game scenario. I can take my frustration out on the other trainees, wonderful...maybe not for them.
Cato has already arrived, leaning lazily against the far wall, looking as bored as always. He winks when I walk in and I return the gesture. I saunter towards Edward, who is glaring daggers at me and give him and extremely arrogant smirk.
"I guess we now know which one of us can better the other," I snarl, I don't intend to hide my dislike for him.
He rolls his eyes, "surprising someone, doesn't count as a real fight."
"If it was the games," I imitate that annoying voice he uses, when he tries to give us advice, "you'd be dead."
"Why don't we really fight then," he suggests, his voice laced with anger.
I lazily glance at the white bandage wrapped around his head, "think you can handle it?" He doesn't bother to reply, but I can see the anger distort his face. Then he lunges towards me. Wow, never saw that one coming. Good job bud.
I side step him and he stumbles. I thought he was better than this? He was definitely better in the games. I give him a moment to regain his balance. I like playing with my pray. Cato is watching us, finally looking slightly interested. Slightly. Trainees who are arriving sleepily, perk up and gather around the two of us. Good. They should all see me best, famous victor of the 69th annual Hunger Games. I really hope I don't get him as a mentor. I pray to god, specially after I kick his ass.
He's quick to regain his balance, then the fight continues. I've gotten into a lot of fights lately, but that's definitely not abnormal to me. I'd be bored if it was any different. He tries to grab me but I knee him in the gut and push him over as he doubles over, he falls to the ground. Maybe his head injury is making him dizzy. If so, he's an idiot for trying to fight me. Especially when I have all this anger I need to channel on someone. I kick him hard in the stomach, the legs, the neck, then the face. Repeatedly, until he falls unconscious. I back away, taking in his bloody nose and bruised body. I store the image in my brain, something to make me happy when I feel down.
"What's going on here?!" it's Brutus! Maybe he's here to help us train before the reaping. He was last year, when I beat the male tribute who went into the games. I think he lasted until final 4, where District 1 killed him in his sleep. The female tribute from 2 died in a fight with 1 and 4. That was when the careers turned on each other. That always happens in the end and I wonder how he didn't see it coming. Didn't hear the boy from 4 slip into his tent in the middle of the night and slit his throat.
"He started it," I say aggressively, moving away so the nurses have room to crowd around him. They wheel him away on stretcher and I can't help but feel proud of myself. I can see my ruthlessness reflected in the trainees eyes. And when I look at them, they can't help but look away because they are afraid. They are afraid of me. It shouldn't make me happy, killing shouldn't make me happy. But it does and that was something I was taught. They brainwashed me and they built something new. Something terrible. Something ruthless.
Brutus smiles, "they always do." I nod in agreement. See? Brutus understands me. "Well," he says "it's about time we start the mock game scenario, seeing as all the 17 and 18 year olds are here. Rules are. No actually stabbing the trainees with your weapons," his gaze rests on Cato and I for a moment, "once the weapon hits them they are considered 'dead'. This is physical so no one will stop you if you get into a fight, just don't put each other in the hospital. We stay in the woods. And we will gather in the clearing, there we will get our weapons and the fight will begin."
We all follow Brutus out of the training centre and into the forest. Cato and I in the lead, the chosen tributes always get special treatment. They get to pick their weapons first and take as many as they want.
At the clearing all the weapons are laid out on the ground, they are all wooden but they still hurt if they hit you. "Alright," Brutus calls to defuse the chatter, "Cato. Clove. Choose your weapons." I start grabbing knives and putting them in my belt. Once they are all around my belt I start stuffing them in my jacket. I already have spots planned out. Beside me Cato is grabbing swords and spears. I grab a spear before taking off into the woods. We only have 60 seconds before the others get their weapons and start. We might as well have a head start. I go around the clearing before scaling a tree so I can look into the clearing. From this height I can see Cato hiding in the bushes. Neither of us wants to miss the bloodbath.
"AND BEGIN!" Brutus calls and the trainees rush forward to grab weapons. Almost like the cornucopia. Some grab weapons and flee, to get away from the stronger trainees. Most of the girls grab a weapon or two before disappearing into the trees to make a strategie. Cato leaps out of the bushes and joins the fight. A group of the "dead" start piling up beside Brutus, with bruises covering their bodies, where the wooden weapons have hit them.
I climb down from the tree and enter the edge of the clearing. I take my knives and start chucking them at the trainees, I aim for their heads and of course I never miss. After all, I'm the girl who never misses. They hold their heads as they begin to join Brutus, eventually it's only Cato and I left. He winks at me, before taking off into the bushes, in the direction a group of girls disappeared. I begin to track one of the girls. I follow the footprints her boots have made in the mud through the forest. Eventually it leads to a clearing, where the girl is wielding her sword.
The girl lifts her head as I walk casually towards her. She doesn't look afraid, but angry. Which tells me I need to teach her a lesson, she should be afraid of me. The lights glistening through the trees, dances in patterns on the forest floor as I study her. Waiting for her to make a move. Instead we start circling each other.
"My best friend was going to go into the games this year, you took that chance from her." Oh, that's why she's angry. I see where this is going.
"Then I stabbed her. Boo hoo, cry me a river, build a bridge, then drown."
"Bitch!" she spits.
I whistle, "brave, coming from you." I look her up and down. Her name is Amanda, she's a pretty blonde bimbo, who couldn't last longer in a fight then I could last making conversation friendly with Edward. She's skinny, has no muscle and theres no weapon she is exceptionally good at. She is a nobody, I will have no problem beating her.
"Fight me then."
She scoffs, "you think you're so great Clove, I can't wait to beat you."
"That's what Pearl said, before I stabbed her." I see her pretty face contort with anger, I twirl my knife in my hand. I drop my spear and take out another knife. I am ready. I guess I just know how to push peoples buttons, I always know how to start a fight. I'm usually the one who starts all the fights I get in, I start fights with Cato, with my mom. I guess it's just easier to let people hate me. Cato's the only one who never seems to.
I watch her, little does she know I am taking my aim. Then I throw, it slides through the air and hits her square across the forehead. She's down that easy. But I'm not done with her yet. She needs to be afraid of me. My brain slows down as my heart rate picks up and the Clove who loves is gone. Gone to something more. I rush towards her and punch her across the face. I punch her nose and grin when I hear the bone snap. Hear her screams. I stomp on her fingers and I relish in the cracking noise they make.
Red dances before my eyes and I punch her once more. The blood from her nose dripping down her face and to my hands, wrapped around my throat.
"STOP!" someone yells, but I don't bother. Strong hands pull me off her. My hair is sticking up in the most ridiculous places, my eyes are wide and green. My hands are covered in blood. I look crazy, I know I look crazy.
I lash out at the person who pulled me off her. She needs to be afraid, they all need to be afraid.
"Shh, Clove stop," I land a hard punch on Cato's face. But he doesn't get angry like I want him to. He doesn't try to fight back.
Instead he slaps me hard across the face. Bringing me to my senses. I stare at the girls limp face in astonishment then at the bruise growing on Cato's face. I back away and shake my head. "Sorry," I say quietly, he nods his head. He understands, he understands the place that the blood lust takes me. I watch Brutus as he kneels beside Amanda, I watch the bruised trainees as they stare at me in fear. Then I run. I run because there is nothing else to do. No other way to calm down. No other way to get out of the state of mind, that wants to do nothing, but ruin me.
A/N: This chapter is the last chapter before the reaping.
I can telepathically hear you excitement (maybe).
Are you excited?
My birthday is on the 18th, now that's pretty exciting!
So this is almost like a filler chapter. Almost...
Cause some importanto stuff happens !
Don't worry be happy. Cause I love you.
BYEEEEE