Clove:

Cato trains me in the "prestigious art of sword battle", as he puts it, and in return, I teach him how to use a knife. It's basic stuff, distance calculations with putting force on the blade, and stabbing and swiping moves, but he struggles with the small weapon.

On the fifth time he uses it wrong, I grab his arm. "No! If you swing it like a sword, you won't have enough range of movement! Look. Don't hesitate. Just stick it in!"

Cato smirks. "That's what she said."

Against my will, I have to snicker. The snicker turns into a laugh. And then Cato and I are just laughing our asses off with lethal weapons in our hands.

"Cato? Clove? This is the fighting academy, not the 'let's-tell-dirty-jokes-and-laugh-ourselves-to-death academy'." Britannicus's stern face looms over me from where I'm flopped on the mat, still cackling.

Cato grins. "Are you going to tell me that wasn't the perfect setup?"

I smile back. "I set myself up for that one."

He sticks out his hand, and I grab it to pull myself up.

"Well it's obvious you won't be getting anymore work done," Britannicus sighs. "Go home."

I go to the lockers, throw a jacket on, and grab my bag. Cato is waiting outside. "Let's get burgers."

We walk to the nearest food plaza and he orders several large hamburgers.

"Cato, if you eat too much food, puke in a gutter, and get murdered, I'll have to let you know, I'm taking your car. But like don't die or anything, I don't want to train with Julius, he's annoying."

He waves a hand. "Shut up."

In the next half hour, Cato eats his way through four burgers and downs a bottle of beer. We discuss school (he graduated…barely; I still have three years to go), training worries (we both have horrible skills with maces), and a short conversation on our dating lives (both nonexistent…).

He orders more alcohol and consumes it all. By then his words are slurred and his hands unstable. I excuse myself to use the restroom and by the time I'm back, he's gone.

I swear he's trolling me, but when I ask the employee at the cash register, she says Cato staggered out of there, drunk as hell, right after I went off.

I frown. His cell phone is sitting on the table. I put it into my pocket and pay the bill with Hadley money, then head outside.

I jog around the area, searching for anywhere a person could have gone in 2 minutes. I find nothing.

He'll find his way back. That's what I tell myself. I walk back and let myself in quietly. His parents are out. Rena is probably with friends.

The clock strikes midnight. Rena returns at half past. Cato's parents come home as well. They don't bother me. They've learned not to. They don't ask where Cato is either.

Finally, at three in the morning, I'm polishing my knives and hear a knock. Everyone else is likely asleep. I slip down the steps and open the door. The sight that greets me is shocking. A Peacekeeper without a helmet is standing outside.

"Rena Hadley?" He says gruffly.

"N-no." I dread what's coming. "But she's upstairs. I live with the Hadleys. Do you know where Cato is?"

He rubs his forehead. "Well, we've found your friend."

A/N: DUN DUN DUNNNNN! AND IM UPDATING AGAIN! I would have posted these 2 chapters way sooner but 's doc manager doesn't always work for me so :( REVIEW PLEASE :)