The train car went silent. Cato stared at me, while Brutus starred at him. I might have actually of shut the two brutes up! I think I deserve some type of honor or something. Cato has never shut up in his life. The boy's been talking from the first day I laid eyes on him which was nearly eleven years ago.
Cato and I trained at Two's training center, Career Center, or CC. Two had the most respected training system out of all the district's. It produced the most victors and a majority of the Capitol's military. All children started at age five. They spent a year being evaluated and trained in basic combat and safety. After the year was up, the trainers picked thirty children to move on,normally fifteen boys and fifteen girls. The rest of them went to trade school because they were ill-qualified. The thirty that were accepted to train at the center would train until they were ten. During those four years weapon specialism, hand-to hand combat, survival skills, and Hunger Games education was taught. You would be reevaluated at that age and ten people were cut from the program. After that, you dealt with the same twenty people in your class until you were eighteen, or in my case sixteen. Those are the years you become lethal.
Since Cato was two years older, primarily we weren't in the same class. By age ten, it was decided I needed to be with classmates that would challenge me. I was moved into Cato's class. I have always been short, in fact I'm only 5'2 now. Back then I was well under four feet. Cato used to mock my height, but other than that he rarely paid attention to me. I didn't have any friends in that class, nor did I want to. I was to focused to worry about drama and they got me to where I am today.
In May of each year we are evaluated on our skills and ranked in order,gender not mattering. For six years straight I was ranked second. Cato always first. I guess I hate him because I'm jealous. I'm jealous that he is so talented, that even if he wasn't that talented his mother would love him, and that he was popular. He never did anything to hurt me or give me a real reason to hate him.
Me ranking second wasn't good enough for my father. Even though that made me the number one girl in Two, he would tell me that second means death. My father never competed in the games, in fact he didn't even make it into his second year. He was skinny and short, with olive skin and green eyes like me. I was said to look just like him, which was no honor to me. I was the daughter he expected to be a son. I was a disappointment to him no matter what. I try my hardest to please him, so that he is happy like he was when I was younger and the best in my class.
My mother is sweet, but fragile. She is to scared to stick up for herself so she goes along with my father and looks down on me. That leaves me nobody. I used to tell my older brother everything, but he was killed being a cocky Career. He went night hunting, a game Career's play in Two where they kill drunks in the industrial part, but picked a fight with the wrong guy. The drunk violently slaughtered my brother and I have since made a pact to win for him.
Either way, I always see Cato's mom at the local coffee shop where she works. I've never seen her get angry at him or even slightly raise her voice. I remember he lost a fight when he was ten and instead of scolding him, she hugged him and wiped the blood from his face. If it were me that had lost, my father would have made me slept outside, which I ending up doing quite frequently.
Before any one could say a word, I hear clapping to my left side. I turn and see a smiling Enobaria, victor of the 64th Hunger Games. Enobaria was my role model. She was tall with long dark hair and a viscous smile. She won the games by killing her last victim with her own teeth. She bit his vocal chords out and he bled to death. She has since gotten canines put in to replace her normal human teeth. She was truly a fighter.
"Now that, boys, is talent." She looked at the brutes, still frozen. Her voice almost mysterious."Name, girl?"
"Clove Montez." I put my arm on the dining table and rest my chin on my fist. "I had to shut them up, they were annoying me."
"I like you already." She smiled and turned to Cato. "Now, what have we got here?" She grabbed the collar of his grey button down shirt and pulled him closer to her. "Oh, you're a cutie. Looks, like we have something we can actually work with."
"Excuse me?"" Cato pulled away.
"I mean that you guys are likable, we can get you plenty of sponsors. You're going to need it, girl from Twelve volunteered in place of her little sister. Capitol is loving it. Not important though, sponsors don't give you talent." Enobaria sat down at the head of the table. " Everyone, sit." Both boys followed her order.
"Okay, so Clove." She opened a file. "Sixteen, knife thrower, ranked number two in the district. Impressive. Cato," she opens another," eighteen, spear,swords, hand-to-hand combat, ranked number one. Wonderful. I have one and two sitting in front of me. This will be a good year. Since we have a short ride, I want you two to review One's and Four's files, but first watch the other Reapings. I'll turn the tape on, it starts with Twelve and goes down to One. Watch out for Twelve, I can tell she is trouble. Kill her first, Clove." Enobaria stands up, signals to Brutus, and they both exit. The TV comes on and Cato and I are left to watch it.
