Author's Note: Thanks to all the reviewers and readers who are sticking with me as I slowly update! I have seven 3-hour exams over the next few weeks and they're really important, so this story comes lower in terms of priority. But I love reading everyone's reviews, and if you're not normally a reviewer, I would appreciate if you did just give me a quick idea of what you think of the story. Without further ado, enjoy this chapter!
Crowd of Two
Chapter Eighteen
Grey's POV
It was the morning of the games and although none of the District Four tributes had wanted to watch Caesar Flickerman's pregame broadcast, that's where we all ended up by midmorning.
Everyone had come together on the long couch to watch the final comments about the tributes and the possible outcomes of the games from the colourful-wigged Capitolite. I sat sandwiched between Titus and Finnick, with Caria sitting on the other side of Titus with our escort Domitia. Our prep teams had decided to say their goodbyes the night before rather than risk "a tearful encounter where our makeup is sure to run!" so we were left watching on our own.
Caesar had been talking for a time already, explaining to those who had somehow slept under a rock and only now realised that the games were beginning, the rules and regulations of this particular Quarter Quell. Now he was onto the interesting bit, sharing his opinion of the tributes with this year's gamemaker, Plutarch Heavensbee. What Caesar said here – although the allegations had been denied every time someone put them out – did in fact decide how many sponsors you were going to receive. If Caesar Flickerman thought you were worthless, you had no worth.
I looked to the screen where Caesar was just beginning to speak.
"Hello people of the Capitol, it's time for the segment you have all been waiting for, where I give my last thoughts on the tributes of the games before they are sent into the arena. This is Panem TV!" From beside me, Titus sneers and mutters something under his breath about being an "ungrateful Capitol citizen" and when I look towards him he mutters an apology. Titus had changed a lot from the trained and eager student in District Four, now anything about the upcoming games made him annoyed. He had been as brainwashed as Cato and the rest of last year's careers, thinking that the games would give him the pride that nothing else could.
"I think we are all looking forward to this year's games, especially because of the twist with the Quarter Quell." Plutarch joins in the conversation and the two men banter for a while about the twist in the games, and how it might be seen as cruel to send victors back in.
"You think?" I don't realise I've spoken out loud until Finnick laughs loudly.
"There are quite a few tributes that would disagree with you sweetheart," he comments, "Namely Gloss and Cashmere from One and Enobaria from Two. We'll have to steer clear of them in the beginning if we want any chance."
"Is that why we're letting them take over the cornucopia and just running with as much as we can carry?" Titus asks grumpily, folding his arms and reminding us that he had been the one to suggest staying and fighting for the large structure.
"These games aren't just about fighting, Titus. It's a giant game-board where strategy is just as important." Finnick says to the irritated teenage boy, and Titus nods and relaxes slightly. I place my hand on his knee gently in comfort, and we make quick eye contact before he looks away.
"Everyone, they're talking about the tributes now," Caria interrupts the tense moment and we all turn our attention back to the screen, leaning forward slightly while Domitia inspects her nails pretending not to be listening as much as we are.
"But didn't last year's victor, Cato, surprise you in his interview earlier this evening? I'm sure none of us were expecting the subdued young man that sat before me during his time in the chair." I gasp at Caesar's comment, drawing attention to anything except Cato's strength was going to mean a loss of sponsors. But the comment was true, as the interviews last night had revealed an uncharacteristically quiet young man in the place of the bloodthirsty tribute from last year. He barely spoke, only giving short answers and staring blankly, as if his mind was somewhere else entirely.
"That was a risky move to pull," Finnick murmurs as the screen cuts to a clip of Cato's interview, and my heart tugs as I see how upset he looks.
"Has he spoken to you, Grey?" Someone asks and I shake my head, still watching the screen. I hadn't said anything to him since that night on the roof, and since then there had been no interactions between the two of us. "No, I haven't seen him."
"Enobaria doesn't trust him at all, in the mood he's in he is completely unpredictable and that's dangerous for her. For all we know he could kill the careers while they sleep and then join us, or he could regain his old feelings and do the opposite." Finnick thinks aloud and I decide not to mention Cato's comment of how he was going to find me in the arena no matter what it took. The more I thought about it, the more I wondered what he planned to do once he found me: kill me or save me. But I continued to hold onto the strand of hope that the love we had found hadn't disappeared.
"We'll just see if it hinders his performance in the games in any way. It looks like the non-victor careers are going to run the show this year. Weren't you surprised when Kaine from District One blatantly admitted that he had no interest in joining the careers?" The biggest shock of the whole interviews had indeed been when Kaine, "the red headed devil" as they called him, had admitted that he had no interest in joining the careers and was instead forming a new alliance, the beta careers.
"I don't remember this much stress being put on the alliances in the past years…" Caria said, looking at Finnick for confirmation.
"No," the bronze haired man replied, "Normally the alliances aren't revealed until the games, but what with Cato and Grey being in separate teams this year, the Capitol is a lot more interested. This is the first time there have been separate career groups for as long as I can remember though." Throughout training, the tributes had been split into distinguishable groups, and I figured that they would stay the same through the games as well. The victors of the career districts – minus District Four of course – formed a pack but seemed to suffer a bump to their ego when none of the other tributes had even asked to join. The only person Enobaria – the obvious leader – had found to join her alliance of Gloss, Cashmere and Cato was Brynn, the non-victor from District Two who looked like she could barely do anything beyond holding onto Cato's arm.
The refusal of Kaine had been another notch down for them. Kaine had recruited Litty and Target, the remaining non-victors from the first two districts, and as a three they made a very tight-knit and still dangerous pack. Using our experience and skills, we as a district had managed to get an alliance of ourselves together. All of District Twelve's tributes had been happy to join us, and their skills weren't half bad either.
Luke had joined on the first day of training, but his district partner Peyton had refused any attempts at a friendship or safety in the games. He had jumped between the stations more than anyone else I had seen, but spent the most time at the bow and arrow station after being shoved over by an irate Cato when he ventured too close to the sword fighting station.
The only problem for all of us was going to be getting any weapons, especially if our master plan was to run and find water. That's why Finnick had come up with two plans. Though he wouldn't admit it, it was basically Plan 'Keep Grey away from Cato while still getting weapons.' Haymitch and Rory from Twelve had agreed to stay away from the fighting in order to get me away, carrying me kicking and screaming if necessary I presumed. If Cato appeared, they were to stun him enough to allow us to get away, but no one suggested killing my still half boyfriend. While this was happening, the rest of our alliance would run into the cornucopia and try to salvage as many weapons as they possibly could before making a run for it and joining me and the two boys from Twelve. Finnick's theory was that the tributes would be so involved in fighting each other that they would be caught by surprise when we all showed up.
Even though our alliance was bigger than the two career alliances put together, I was still sceptical about how we were going to get all our desired weapons out of the cornucopia. I expected there would be a few casualties, and not just from the careers side.
The Capitol broadcast finishes quietly with Caesar wishing the tributes good luck, but no one is really watching anymore. I had completely missed his comments about me and the rest of our alliance, but I guess we would find out when we started receiving sponsor gifts, or a lack of.
"I think it's time to go everyone." Finnick says quietly, and Domitia ruins the moment by standing up and teetering away on her heels, loudly commenting that we are going to be late if we aren't careful. Finnick opens his arms to us and the four tributes of District Four come together in a last embrace, heads tucked against each other.
The journey to the arena on the hovercraft doesn't take very long at all. Unlike last time, where I was nervously planning a survival plan, this time it's different and I'm ready for whatever my fate is. Whether through good luck or careful planning, Cato is strapped into the seat beside me, and Enobaria is nowhere to be seen, most likely at the other end of the hovercraft. No words are spoken between us at the beginning, but as the craft rises into the sky, his hand slips over and he tightly grips my fingers. It's more of a signal of friendship than anything else, but to me it means that he has a plan. Gloss, who is seated opposite us, gives Cato a harsh glare and his hand falls away.
When the peacekeeper comes past to inject our trackers – though for the victors they purely reactivate the one still in our arm from the years before – I again ask what they do and whether it's healthy to have them kept in our arms even if we win.
"It stops unnecessary bodily functions while in the arena, due to a release of hormones," The peacekeeper answers robotically, "But if you happen to come out of the arena, it is switched off and there is no long term damage." The way the man says it is without any conviction, as if the very idea that I will make it out is impossible.
"Couldn't you just smash it?" Cato says, his voice sounding loud in the quiet hovercraft. The peacekeeper gives him a glare before answering, and I know it's a warning of what would happen if he did break his own tracker.
"It is a possibility, but I am certain the force required would break your arm. And seeing as that is your strong arm, I suggest you refrain from doing so." Cato's gaze drops to his arm, where the tracker that has been reactivated has just stopped blinking, and the peacekeeper moves on.
"It's not worth it Cato." I whisper quietly, feeling his distraught emotions that are making him doubt whether he would even want a working arm if it meant the tracker stayed in. "You have to play by their rules if you want to win."
"Winning is nothing without you." His answer is instantaneous, as if he has repeated it numerous times, and from across the aisle Gloss tenses up.
"Go back home Cato," I continue to try and persuade him, "Don't you want to go back to Lux and Seb? I don't have anything now that Titus is here too. I'll just be another one of the casualties, but you're the victor they really want." He shakes his blonde head adamantly, and he turns his back to me by shifting in his seat. I gently place my hand on his now-revealed back, feeling his body heaving. It reminds me of the short amount of time we had together during the victory tour where I felt his body heaving over me, and I cringe at the thought of how this may be the last time we see each other alive.
"I love you." I whisper gently to him, not trying to make him feel bad but trying to leave him with a phrase that is worth something. There's no reply for a second, but the way his back relaxes tells me he has heard. At least now he knows that no matter what happens in this arena, I'll still have all the love in the world for him.
"I love you too." He suddenly says loudly, turning back to face me and giving a glare to Gloss while he does so. Gloss' face stays cold, but there's a look in his eyes that says Enobaria is soon going to know about this and she will not be pleased.