CATO'S POV
Someone is kicking me- not hard, just enough to grab my attention. My eyes open, it is Brutus.
"There a reason you are sleeping outside Clove's door?" He grunts.
I rub my eye, pulling my hand down my face. I blink "No, I must've been sleep walking." Not a total lie, I used to when I was younger.
Brutus pulls me up. Clove's door swings open. Her hair is pulled back in a braid, she's dressed in a black and red track suit. The shirt is short sleeve and has a two on it, the pants are black.
She eyes me and Brutus.
"Morning boys." Her voice is still harsh in my opinion. Brutus shoots her a grin.
"Why can't you be ready to go like her? It's eight fourty-five." I sigh and run to my room- changing quickly. Guess I will have to wait until later for a shower. I'm back in five minutes.
"Let's go." I say walking right past Clove. Her footsteps follow mine. Brutus is behind her, we step into the elevator. Brutus doesn't get in.
"Show them what you are made of, give them something to fear." I nod and press the button marked TC. The doors seal.
"Clove.."
"No."
"Clove."
Her eyes look right at me. "Screw you Cato, okay? Screw you. Oh wait that's Glimmer's thing." She sneers. The doors open at the training center area. Glimmer and Marvel are at the elevator. All the other tributes are standing in a circle around a woman, whose name is Atala. A clock on the other side of the room says nine. She begins, but is quickly stopped. District 12 comes strolling in late. The trainer starts again.
"In two weeks, twenty-three of you will be dead. One of you will be alive. Who that is depends on how well you pay attention over the next four days, particularly to what I'm about to say. First, no fighting with the other Tributes. You'll have plenty of time for that in the Arena. There are four compulsory exercises. The rest will be individual training. My advice is don't ignore the survival skills. Everybody wants to grab a sword, but most of you will die from natural causes. 10% from infection, 20% from dehydration. Exposure can kill as easily as a knife." I keep my eyes on District 12's female, she's getting uncomfortable. She straightens herself when she sees my gaze. It's not that she's attractive, she is, but I want to know about her. There's something she has, no underdog would volunteer. Atala lets us go-free to train. Us, the alliance comes together.
"We do what we are best at. Then maybe we can teach each other our talent." Marvel takes lead.
"I agree." Clove states, and looks at me in the eyes.
CLOVE'S POV
Cato seriously can't keep to himself. First Glimmer and now, as Atala is informing us of the training; Cato's eyes are on District 12's female. Get it together Clove. In two weeks only one of us will be alive. Atala dismisses us and the real training begins. Our alliance comes together to formulate a plan.
"We do what we are best at. Then maybe we can teach each other our talent." Marvel has a point.
"I agree." I'm looking at Cato. We need to be a team right now. I'm letting it go. Cato finally nods, convinced. The four of us seperate.
Marvel goes to the spears, Glimmer to the bow and arrow, Cato to the sword, and I to my knives. There are so many knives here. And they are so sharp, perfectly crafted. Then again this is the Capitol, everything is better here. I get my home is a "luxury district" but the knives we get aren't as shiny in the light. I am waiting my turn for a chance to throw. My eyes are wondering, taking in the center; and there they are. Cato and Glimmer. He's showing her how to properly pull back on a bow, I thought she was "the best." He has his hand on her shoulder, she's smiling, and when no one is looking she kisses him. That's the last thing I see before it is my turn to throw. The dummies light up and I throw harder than normal. You can hear the knife's impact to the cardboard. Dead on target each time. With every knife that leaves my hand I think; Fuck you Cato. Fuck. You. I take a deep breath, my turn is over. Marvel has been watching. He pulls me aside.
"You're pretty damn good. Ever try spears?"
"No, never thought about it."
"Well that's what I'm teaching you then, if you can throw a knife you can throw a spear."
We walk past Cato and Glimmer, Cato is working on a bow now. H is face looks concentrated on the target. Glimmer is eye-ing me like I am already dead to her. She steps closer to Cato when we pass. Bitch is all I can think. No one is at the spear station when we arrive. Marvel goes first; he hits every target perfectly- just like I do with knives.
"Just like a knife Clove."
I throw one, it hits but not dead on. I throw another and another and another, I do get bull's-eye, but not as many times as I would like. Marvel is impressed.
"Not bad. Not bad at all." He grins. "You'll never be as good as me, but you're alright for your first time." I grin and throw another spear- perfect target.
"Sure about that?" Marvel's eyebrows rise.
"Wow." We split up once again. This time I am on my way across the room, and Cato is slicing dummy heads off like there is no tomorrow. He looks pissed, really upset. Not my problem. I start working on how to make a fire. I'm literally the only one left at the station.
"You have to scrap downward." A deep, husky voice says. It's Cato.
"I am. I did. This would be my fourth fire." He steps closer.
"Clove.." An announcement cuts him off.
"Attention. Attention. Tributes training is now over. Return to your floors." Everyone goes ahead of us; even Glimmer and Marvel. We board the elevator last. Once inside he starts again.
"Clove, you said you didn't like me like that." I snap at him.
"Maybe I lied Cato, maybe I lied." The elevator opens and he is not letting this conversation go.
CATO'S POV
I see her and him together. Marvel is teaching her spears. Why do I feel like killing him right now? She's smiling, kinda like the way she did the first time she hit a bull's-eye with a knife. She was thirteen then, I was fifteen. I leave Glimmer and pick up a sword. There's a circle of four dummies. I start going crazy. Slice the one's head off, stabbing the next one in the chest. My anger has subsided. I see Clove all alone making fires. She's not doing it the right way.
"You have to scrap downward."
"I am. I did. This would be my fourth fire." I take a step closer.
"Clove.." Of course an announcement cuts me off. So I wait until everyone has boarded the elevator. We are last, so I decide to start again.
"Clove, you said you didn't like me like that." Her voice grows heated.
"Maybe I lied Cato, maybe I lied." We are here, our floor. But I am not done talking. She heads torwards her room.
"Then how do you feel Clove? Huh? If I'm going to die, or if you do- I need to know?"
"Let it go Cato." I won't.
"Seriously."
"LET IT GO CATO!" She screams.
"NO BECAUSE I NEED TO KNOW WHAT THE BIG DAMN DEAL IS! YOU HAVE SAID NOTHING TO ME SINCE WE GOT HERE! WHY CLO-" I am cut off.
"BECAUSE MAYBE I LOVE YOU TOO!" Her eyes are a little water filled. Silence takes over. I place both of my hands on either side of her so they rest on her door. She can't leave. She has to face me.
"Say it again." My voice is soft. "Damn it Clove, SAY IT!"
"I LOVE YOU." Her words are bitter. "I love you." The second time she speaks in a whisper.
Clove's looking into my eyes, I lean down.
"IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT CATO, IS I-" My lips crush into hers. She is doesn't fight though. Her lips move with mine. My one hand is on her cheek, and the other is searching for the door knob. I kick the door open, and pick her up. Clove wraps her legs around my waist. We fall to the bed and continue just like that. We stay like that for awhile. There's a knock on the door, it's dinner. That's what makes her pull away. The dinner is sitting on the floor outside the door, same way it was last night. I get up from her bed to leave, and now she won't look me in the eye. I try to kiss her before I return to my room, but her face goes to the ground.
"Clove." I say in a soft tone.
"You need to go Cato." I leave. Whatever just happened is going to haunt me for the night.
