My 6th reaping; the last one I'll ever have to be a part of. I should be happy this day is finally here. Some other girl will get reaped then the girl behind me in rankings, Sarin Vanish, will volunteer after I don't and then it's over. I'll never have to do this again. I am a good career. I should be ecstatic; I should have put on my best dress and curled my hair; I should be practically skipping to the hall with Cato tugging on my hand to keep me by him. But that's not even close to what is happening today.

He walked away. I told him and he just walked away. I knew I didn't want to tell him. I should have just kept it to myself because I knew that he was going to react badly. He left me standing alone in the hallway, crying. He hasn't talked to me since.

Really? Just what I need.

Atila Trison, our escort, took the stage but I couldn't pay attention. I heard the "this-is-the-reason-we-have-the-games-bullshit" movie but I wasn't watching it. I have seen it enough.

Cato is going to volunteer. He is going to volunteer and leave and we won't have figured anything out until he comes home in at least 2 weeks he'll be gone and-

"Valina Frighlin."

Please, for the love of all that holey, please, tell me that my name did not just get called. But it did because everyone was parting the way in front of me and cheering. I am a good career. I put the biggest smile on my face and walk gracefully onto the stage. No one was going to volunteer for me. I was the volunteer. Maybe if I wasn't raked 1st there would be someone, but there isn't and I felt sick to my stomach.

"Wonderful and now for the boys." I heard Atila say and suddenly I was looking through the crowd for Cato.

He was staring at me, a look of sheer panic on his face. He couldn't volunteer now. He wouldn't. Cato isn't that stupid. But he looked panicked. I could win this. He knows it. My siblings and mother know it. Everyone in district two knows that I could win.

But what if I didn't? And that was the only thing Cato was thinking about. I know him like the back of my hand. He can only think about the bad things. Not the fact that I can hold my own in a fight, or that I am skilled in fighting with any sort of weapon you throw at me, or that I am in ranked in the top 5% in school.

No, the only thing my boyfriend can think about is the fact that I might not survive.

Atila never stood a chance of saying the boys name because Cato can be stupid and does the stupidest thing he ever could. "I volunteer as tribute."

The crowd went insane as he quickly made his way to the stage. Cato and I were their tributes. The shining hopes of district 2 because we haven't won in three years and for them it's been far too long.

"And what's your name, son?"

"Cato Laeson."

I kept the ridiculously fake and over confident smile on my face as we turned to shake hands and we finally looked each other in the eye. He was still panicked but it was calming. My skin felt like it was on fire when our hands touched, but he visibly relaxed as we held onto each others hands longer then we should have. Then suddenly we were being escorted into the justice building.

I can't even remember the disgustingly proud looks my family gave me as they told me I would win because Cato would worry about me and screw up. Sick fucking people.

Then the worst thing happened, Andenl, Cato's older brother came in, with a glare on his face. "So Val, why did my brother volunteer?" He says crossing his arms in a very Cato way. Or I guess Cato does it like him…

"Hi to you too, And. I'm fine. I'll see you soon. Maybe unless your shit head brother is forced to kill me or be killed cause we all know its gunna be me or him that wins a-" I rant to him with my hands flying around trying to keep myself from crying.

He sighs, "Alright I get it. Hi Val! How are you? Good? Wonderful. Now tell me why my brother just volunteered against you, came home a mess last night, barley said anything all morning, and didn't look at you till you're name was called. Did you guys break up?" I shake my head no and he gives me a knowing look.

"I have no clue what is going through his head. I haven't talked to him since training yesterday." I said honestly crossing my arms over my chest much like he was standing. "Why don't you ask him when you go say goodbye?"

"I did already and he wouldn't answer. He barely said anything. Just hugged Mom like he…" Andenl trails off, knowing I'll know where he was going with it. "Something big is going on, Valina, and I want to know right now."\

I sigh again, why is lying so hard? "Its not my place to say. He is your family an-"

"You've been around for like 6 years, I think you count as family. You are family."

Damn him. "Fine. If I tell you, you can't say anything to anyone. At all. This stay to yourself till one of us comes home cause whoever does will need someone there. And so help me god if you say anything to anyone I will find a way to kill you from the Capitol." my voice low and full of venom to show how serious I was. He nods and I barley had time to whisper the words to him before the door opened and they told him time was up.

He looked at me sadly and said, "You're coming home then Val." He hugged me and kissed my cheek. "I'll see you soon. Tell Cat we love him okay?"

I didn't even have the time to reply before the door was closed and he was gone. I felt numb but like I was going to puke and then the thought of coming home without him finally made me cry.

I can't tell you what happened on the way to the train or what Atila was talking about while we waited or our mentors in the dining car. I can tell you that I sat there with a frown on my face while I gripped my hands so tight my knuckles were white. Atila said something about finding our mentors and me and Cato were left alone. In dead silence.

"Are you going to even look at me?" he asks in a quiet voice, the one he uses when he isn't sure what is going through my head.

"Are you going to tell me when the hell you lost your fucking mind?" I asked back keeping my arms crossed and my gazed fixed on the door across from me.

He probably rolled his eyes, "Really?"

"Yeah, really. You have to be out of your damn mind to volunteer! Now only one of us can go home! Do you realize that it's going to come down to the two of us in the end and-"

He cut me off with a scoff, "Will you stop? I panicked okay! Yesterday was like a blow to the gut and today seeing you up there-"

I roll my eyes and laugh sarcastically and start pacing along the side of the table "Yesterday is understandable. Today was just stupidity."

"What else was I supposed to do? Let you and my unborn child go into a death match that you could possibly not come out from?" he yells back, just watching me. After a minute of silence he says quietly "I had to make sure you were going home."

I snap, picking up the closest knife, and throwing it right past his head. "Are you fucking crazy?" I tossed another object, a fork, right at him and he caught it before it hit his chest.

"If you don't stop throwing things at me I swear I'll-"

I glare and throw another knife past his head, "Like what? Oh I know volunteer to get yourself killed!" and queue my water works again.

Cato signs and quickly wraps his arms around me, only holding tighter as I struggle to get away from him. "Stop, Val, jeeze. Will you fucking relax? It's fine. I'm okay with this."

"Well I'm not! One of us was supposed to go and one was supposed to stay that way we were bother still alive. We talked about this but you had to go and fuck it up. Now only one of us is gunna be there and I can't do this without you!" I kept yelling at him but it was all jumbled now due to the sobs that I just couldn't stop. And he just held me tighter.

I felt him kiss the top of my head and I hold him tighter because at least right now he is here, alive, and with me. "It'll be fine. You'll be fine. You'll have all the money you need and my family with help you and you know Andenl will be there for you whenever you need it-"

"But you wont be."

Cato sighed, "I don't know what else I could have done."

"You could have let me do this alone and come home to you."

"I couldn't do that. There is a chance that way that you wouldn't have made it home."

I sighed and let him go sitting back down in my chair wiping at my eyes. Atila must have found them because I heard three sets of foot steps coming back. "That would have been better then this."

He didn't get to reply because Atila returned with Brutus and Enobaria. The later of the two looked us up and down then smirked. "Well, the academy has sure out done themselves." She said while pulling the knife out of the wall. "I want her." she smirked in my direction while I nodded.

"Valina Frighlin." I said standing up shaking her hand.

She then proceeded to walk in circles around me. "You have a brother and sister right? Both victors?" I nod again "Interesting. So what are you good at? Bow and Arrow like Vintalie? Or the spears like Vance?"

"Swords actually."

"Your family just breeds victors doesn't it?"

I shrug, "Sure seems like it."

"Well at least district 2 has another victory to claim." she says the glee about that ridiculously evident in her voice. It makes me sick.

After a few hours of listening to Brutus and Enobaria talk about the best way to win, what to look for to find water, and how to be victorious in the bloodbath, I ask to be excused and make a b-line straight to my "room". At least it was dark enough that it wouldn't seem weird for me to want to go to bed. Then in the middle of the night when Cato snuck into my room and wrapped his arms around me all i could do was wish we were at home, sleeping in his house like always because my brother would skin Cato alive if he knew the extent of our relationship. His mom would wake us up quietly at 4 am so i could sneak back to my house and everything would be right.

None of this was right. I didn't want to be here. But it's a little late for that. I was stuck here. In no more then a month's time Cato wouldn't be here and that thought alone made me wish this was all a bad dream.

I know Catos a bit out of character, i promise when the setting changes he will too. Shits gotta get serious, you know.
And reviews would be nice. just a hint you lovely favoriters. ;)