Chapter 5: Jealousy is a Funny Thing

First Training Day…

Cato

Our first training day has finally arrived. Here we are, in the training center, listening to a woman for a short lecture. I didn't pay much attention to this because I was busy glancing at the other tributes and giving them my usual cocky grin. As I did this, they will quickly look away from me and listen intently to the short lecture instead. I have finally spotted the girl from District 12 and caught her eye. She quickly looked away from me just like anybody else and listens to the short lecture instead. Clove is standing beside me and I'm sure that she's also terrorizing the other tributes just like me, especially the tributes from District 12. Her hatred towards them hasn't faded away even a little bit. Finally, the short lecture was over. Everybody turned to the different stations and went for one to practice on. I made my way towards the other career tributes, with Clove following me.

"Hey!" I said cockily. "My name is Cato." I saw Glimmer looking at me interestedly, the same way she did last night, at The Parade.

"My name is Clove," Clove said dangerously. "Nice to meet all of you."

"I'm Glimmer," Glimmer said beautifully, still looking at me. I saw Clove glaring at her annoyingly. Is she jealous?

"I'm Marvel," Marvel said coolly. He is looking at Clove admiringly. He likes Clove for sure. Clove then suddenly looked away from Glimmer and turned to Marvel instead. She nodded at him and he nodded at her too. My cockiness faded a little as I look at the two of them.

"I'm Rica," the girl from District 4 said.

"And I'm Kevin," the boy from District 4 said.

"So, let's make an alliance in the games," I said cockily to them, announcing that I'm the leader. No one rejected and we nodded at each other before turning away.

I made my way towards the swords station. Clove made her way towards the knives station. She immediately grabbed some knives and throws them one after the other at different targets. Not one of them missed. The people who have been watching her were shocked by what she did. I don't blame them because what she did really was awesome. And I'm also sure that she misses training as much as I do. Before grabbing a sword and train on my own, I made my way towards her first and patted her on the back.

"Nice Clove," I said to her, smiling. "I guess you really can't wait to show off to everyone." She looked at me.

"Don't bother me. I miss training so much and I'm sure that you do too. So, why don't you just mind your own business?" she said fiercely.

"Oh, I was about to, but I can't help but get impressed by your amazing skills," I said teasingly. She smiled at me.

"Then go and show your own amazing skills for me to get impressed as well," she said, smiling. I smiled at her as I made my way back to the swords station.

Clove

Cato really knows how to make me smile. And I think it's one of the things I like about him. Too bad he won't be able to do that anymore after the games. I hope someone else will be able to make me smile as well when he's already gone.

I saw him made his way towards the swords station. He grabbed a sword and cut the body parts of two dummies consecutively. He stabbed another dummy multiple times as well. Many people have stopped their activities and turned to watch him do his thing. He really looks so dangerous when he's like that, especially with the sword. I stopped training as well and was about to made my way towards him when a girl with flowing blonde hair came towards him first and patted him on the back. This girl turns out to be Glimmer.

I grabbed three knives and throw them one after the other at a single dummy, imagining the dummy as Glimmer. I sent the first knife through its head, the second knife through its neck and the third knife through its chest. Oh! I really wish the dummy was Glimmer. I hate her. I really hate her. From the start, she was already like that, up to now, and I'm sure it will go all throughout the games. And Cato, what is wrong with him? I think he likes her too. Oh! I hate them. I hate them both. I'm going to kill them in the games. I'm sorry Cato, but you and your Glimmer will be dead. Too bad the two of you won't be able to live happily ever after.

I grabbed another knife and grip it tightly. Before I even know what to do with it, someone grabbed my hand from the back and I looked around to see Marvel, smiling at me.

"Let go of me!" I said fiercely. "Can't you see that I'm training here?"

"If I let go of you, you might shot this knife right through the hearts of either Cato or Glimmer, it depends on which one of them you hate more." he said, smiling. "The lucky one will surely end up dead even before the games, because as I have seen, you never missed. You're really good with knives."

"I hate them both," I said fiercely as I tried my best to retrieve my hand from him. "They will really end up dead when the time came."

"You're really cute when you're jealous like that," he said teasingly.

"I'm not jealous," I said fiercely.

"You are. I can see it in your eyes," he said teasingly. I began thinking of a way to make him let go of me. I have spotted the knives that were placed nearest to us.

"Don't forget that I still have my other hand," I said menacingly as I grab one of the knives. "I can use this knife to slit your throat if you say one more word."

"Oh really?" he said teasingly as he grabbed my other hand as well. Now he's at my back with his hands gripping my hands tightly as I am trying my best to retrieve my hands from him. What we're doing really caught everybody else's attention. We were separated by the peacekeepers moments later.

"No fighting with the other tributes!" one of them said. "You have plenty of time for that in the arena!" I saw Cato looking at us questioningly.

"No, we're not fighting," Marvel managed to say. "We were just talking."

"Very nice, you were talking while you're attempting to kill each other, using knives and all," another peacekeeper said. "What a very nice way to talk to each other. Is this the new trend these days?"

Cato

I saw Clove fighting with Marvel. I was about to come towards them when the peacekeepers have arrived and separate them. And now, they are being lectured by the peacekeepers with everyone else watching them. What is wrong with the two of them? Earlier, Marvel was looking at Clove admiringly and Clove seems to appreciate him and then they got into a fight moments later. I wonder what went wrong with them.

"Marvel is such an idiot, a complete coward, I must say, fighting with someone smaller than him," Glimmer suddenly spoke. "Too bad, they really look good on each other, don't you think?"

"I don't think so," I said stiffly.

"What?" Glimmer said questioningly.

I just ignored her and I proceed with my training as Clove and Marvel were led outside by the peacekeepers. Minutes later and I got bored with the sword so I made my way to the knives station.

Clove

An hour after Marvel and I were led outside the training center, we were escorted back inside by the peacekeepers to proceed with our training. As I stepped inside the training center, the first sound I heard was Cato's voice. I have spotted him arguing with the boy from District 6. They are being separated by the peacekeepers. From what I heard, they were arguing because of a knife. Cato was accusing the boy for stealing his knife. And then I remember when we were in the training center in District 2. He broke the nose of another boy for getting hold of the sword that he wanted to use. He's very childish way back then but I never knew that up to now, he's still like that. I was reminiscing some of the memories I have shared with him when I reminded myself that I mustn't. I must fade all my memories with him away. I know it's hard, but I must, to make it easier for me to kill him when the time came. What a tragic end to our friendship.

Cato

We were escorted back to our dormitory by the peacekeepers. I met up with Clove and I smiled at her. She just nodded at me. We stayed quiet as we're making our way back to our dormitory. I want to talk to her, ask her about her fight with Marvel, but she looks as if she's not in the mood for such conversations. We finally got into our dormitory. An hour later and we're in the dining room having our dinner with Archie, Brutus, Enobaria, Cassandra and Lance. We talked as we ate.

"As you know, getting into a fight was a good idea," Brutus said. "Now they know that you're crazy and not someone to mess up with."

"But you should also remember to save up some of your strengths and skills for your private session with the game makers," Enobaria added. Clove and I nodded as we continue eating.

Second Training Day…

Cato

Our second training day turned out to be as exciting as the first. I love training so much. I can't stand missing training even for a day. I trained with the sword and have managed to impress everyone who watched me do my thing. I suddenly became bored with the sword so I made my way to the spears and grab one of them. I saw Marvel throwing spears at dummies, so he's really skilled with spears. No matter, I'm still better than him. I don't know why but I have been bitter about him ever since yesterday. He looked at me and I gave him a cocky grin before stabbing a dummy using the spear. He made his way to the dummies to retrieve some spears from them when a knife suddenly came pelting through one of them, exactly through its chest. I looked around to see Clove, but she's not looking at me but at Marvel. She's smiling dangerously at him.

"Hey Clove," Marvel shouted at her. "What were you doing? What if you missed? You could kill me. You nearly killed me."

"I never missed, you idiot," Clove shouted back at him. "Besides, I'm not going to kill you, yet." Marvel then came towards her, smiling. I quickly made my way towards them.

"So, are you going to fight with each other again?" I asked them.

"No, we're not," Marvel answered me. "When did we ever fight?"

"Let me think, yesterday?" I said sarcastically. Marvel just laughed at me. "What are you laughing at?"

"Cato, calm down, we were just hanging out yesterday," Marvel said, laughing.

"Hanging out?" I asked.

"Yes," Marvel said, still laughing. I'm starting to get annoyed.

"The two of you just met," I retorted.

"Either way Cato, it's clearly none of your business," Clove said. I looked at her disbelievingly.

"What's going on in here?" Glimmer suddenly asked as she made her way towards us.

Before we get to answer back, we were distracted by a loud sound. Someone must have fallen down from the climbing station. We looked around to see the boy from District 12 on the floor. We laughed as we looked at him moaning in pain on the floor where he fell. His district partner suddenly came towards him and whispered something to him. After that they looked at us and we glared at them. The boy then made his way to the weights station and grab a heavy-looking ball. He trembled a bit as he hold on to it. He's really making a fool of himself. He's just a meal. But then he managed to throw it to a stall where some spears were placed. These spears ended up rolling on the floor. So he's strong. I looked at Clove, Marvel and Glimmer. They were also shocked by what he did, which only means that we also need to watch out for him.

I made my way back to the swords station without another word with the others. I don't have time for nonsense things anymore. I'll just focus on my training from now on.

Clove

I saw Cato walking away from us and making his way back to the swords station. What was his problem earlier? He was weird. He acted as if he's jealous or something, the same way he did at his party the night before the reaping.

"What's going on? What happened earlier?" Glimmer asked eagerly. I just ignored her. I made my way to the knives station and Marvel made his way to the spears station. "Nice talking." I heard her say. I saw her made her way to the bow and arrows station where the girl from District 12 is standing. I noticed that she seems interested in the bow and arrows, standing there and staring at it interestedly. I wonder if she has the talent. I caught her eye and I gave her a dangerous smile. She quickly looked away from me and walked away.

I trained with the knives and as usual, people have stopped their activities to watch me do my thing. An hour has passed and I got tired. I stopped training and watched the other tributes for a while. I saw the boy from District 11 grabbing heavy-looking objects from the weights station and throwing them with ease. We were not mistaken. This tribute will really be a threat in the games. His district partner, however, seems good in hiding, especially in climbing, but I still don't see her as a threat in the games. The boy from District 10 really looks so funny, limping and all towards the different stations. I laughed a little as I looked at him with his crippled foot. I stopped laughing when I saw Cato helping Glimmer shoot an arrow at a dummy. I clenched my fists and I grabbed a knife and sent it through a dummy's chest. Throwing knives when I'm angry is something that I got used to as I grew up, though I don't know why I'm angry right now. Suddenly, I felt someone placed a hand on my shoulder and I looked around to see Marvel, smiling at me.

"Seeing you like that really convinces me that you're really into him," he said, smiling.

"What are you talking about?" I asked him irritably.

"You perfectly know what I'm talking about," he said. "You like Cato, don't you?"

"No, I don't," I said irritably.

"You do. Don't lie. It's pretty obvious," he said, smiling.

"Well, maybe I do," I said.

"I knew it. That's why you're getting jealous every time you see him with Glimmer," he said. "Anyway, it looks like he is also getting jealous every time he sees the two of us together."

"Impossible. But why do you always show up when I'm like that?" I asked him curiously.

"Like what?" he asked me stupidly.

"Like, jealous, according to you," I said.

"Well, I think it's because I like you. I like you Clove," he said. I was startled. I just laughed at him. "Why are you laughing? Do you think I'm joking? Well, I'm not." I stopped laughing at once. "I'm serious."

"Marvel, you don't know what you're talking about," I said, thinking about how we will end up in the games. I don't want my thoughts to overflow. I have enough already. And how can I be sure that he's not making this up just to fool me.

"I know what you mean Clove and I understand. You like Cato and there's nothing I can do about it," he said.

"Idiot," I said inside my head. He's so slow. "I'm not talking about Cato. I'm talking about the games. I will surely kill you when the time came, as well as anybody who tries to get in my way. So don't think that I will show compassion to you in the games just by saying those words to me. Besides, I don't think you mean it at all. You just said it to earn my trust so it will be easier for you to kill me in the end."

"Clove, I mean it. I like you." I just ignored him as I made my way back to the knives station and proceed with my training. Well, he sounded sincere, but who knows? I shouldn't trust anyone so easily. I should win, damn it, and I will. I will kill all of them, no matter what it takes.