Thanks for all the great reviews! This chapter is a little longer, I hope ya'll like it! Please keep reviewing! :)
Cato's POV
As Clove and I sat down to await the arrival of our mentors, the realization of what I have to do us finally dawned on me. Only one of us can come out alive. I knew that when I volunteered, in the back of my mind. When all I could think about was protecting my Clove. But now the obscure thought is mocking me, slowly grinding my heart into shreds. I now understand that in order to make Clove win, I will have to learn to balance Confident Cato and myself. I will have to protect Clove from becoming another Confident Cato victim. I will have to viciously guard the only person who sees me for me. The only person in District 2 that won't think of me as only a murderer by the end of the Games. Of course, I won't be around to know her feelings on the subject. I look at Clove to see that she is studying me intently, taking in the emotion on my face. The pain in her eyes reflects in mine, I can tell by the way her mouth is curved into a frown. I look away. I have to be Confident Cato when the mentors come in. I have to show the people at home that I am not weak. But inside, my heart is crumbling to dust.
Clove's POV
I take in my surroundings. The train's carpets are sapphire velvet, matching the couch I am sitting on and the chair holding Cato across from me. We have to be careful. We can't let our mentors see our relationship. They will only think of it as a game to play in the Games. A sick and twisted game where no one wins. I see the agony in Cato's face. He looks at me and I know what he is thinking. Only one of us can live. I am determined to get him home safely, but I am sure he has other for me.
A door opening behind me disrupts my thoughts. I turn to see two figures entering, our mentors. District 2 has three living Victors: Brutus, Enobaria, and Lyme. Since there are only two of us, I'm guessing they gave one of them the year off. A giant man, Brutus, sits in the seat next to me right across from Cato. I practically see Cato morph into the academy's perfect student. The rueful gleam in his eyes, the murderous faint smile playing on his lips, the stature of someone who can kill with the mere twist of his hands.
The second mentor sits next to Cato, across from me. Judging by her altered sharp teeth, she is Enobaria and Lyme has the year off. I sit up straight, and mirror Cato's face. I let Academy Clove take over, bringing her lust for blood and confidence into me. Suddenly, I am no longer thinking of Cato. My thoughts are focused only on winning the 74th Hunger Games.
Cato's POV
"I'm gonna skip the hellos and congratulations. First of all, we are not here to be your buddies. We are here to help you win. So if you don't like what we say, get over it. We've talked to your trainers from the school on the phone and have decided that based on your talents, I will mentor Cato and Enobaria will take on Clove. Any questions?" Brutus is my perfect match for mentoring. He is known for his spear throwing and brute strength. Enobaria will be good for Clove. They're both excellent knife throwers and have the same utter wickedness when it comes to fighting hand to hand combat. Clove and I nod our understanding.
Enobaria speaks up through her disturbingly sharp teeth, "The train will arrive at the Capitol tomorrow morning. You will then meet your stylists and prepare for the opening ceremonies tomorrow night. Then comes training, interviews, and you know the rest. Until then, we will be busy figuring out your talents and fattening you up. Now go get ready for dinner."
Brutus and Enobaria both remind me of my instructors. Short and to the point. No fooling around. They exit out of the door from which they entered, while Lucy pops into the room through another. She has been out district's escort for too many years to count. She is known for her unusual silence, since normally Capitol people have issues with not talking. She gestures for us to follow her through a maze of dazzling rooms filled with artificially colors so bright they hurt my eyes. Clove is right behind me. I can hear her light footsteps on the muffling carpet. I wonder what she's thinking. I know we are both nervous, but I'm curious about her thoughts on our mentors. I think we have a good chance. District 2 always has a surplus of sponsors, so we should be getting parachutes galore in the arena. I wonder how she is handling her academy mold, if her vicious side is taking over as well. She has always been better at balancing the two personalities though. At school she could be mocking an opponent one moment, and comforting me the next. Lucy waves me into a room, and I stand in the doorway to see where Clove will be staying. I am pleased to find that her room is right next to mine. I enter with cautious steps. My new home for the night is giant, with a circular bed and tall ceilings. A wall shows different places in Panem, the Capitol streets, a forest. I enter the bathroom to clean up before dinner. The shower is a replica of the ones at the academy, so I expertly press the buttons and am out and dry in less than ten minutes. A pair of blue jeans and a navy blue shirt completes my dinner preparation. I decide to pay my fellow tribute a visit. She answers the door and appears to be ready to go. I gesture for her to lead the way to the dining car. She walks slowly with her head down.
"You look beautiful," I whisper in her ear from behind. She turns and smiles a sad smile. I give her a quick hug and a peck on the cheek. The door at the end of the hallway opens, and we enter the dining room.
Clove's POV
The dining room's extravagance does little to improve my mood. All I could think about when I was getting ready is the possibility of Cato dying. He's tough and pain doesn't faze him, but death? I can't lose him. I won't. This determination brings Academy Clove to life just in time as our mentors sit down at the table. For a while we eat in silence, feasting on rose petal cream soup and roast beef. Everything is tasteless to me, but I know I need to gain weight to replace the pounds I'll lose in the arena. Finally during dessert, a twelve tier chocolate cake with raspberry sauce, Brutus speaks up.
"Tomorrow when you're with your prep team and stylists, do what they say. They have already decided on you outfits and you don't have a say in anything. Just grit your teeth and get on with it." With that, he and Enobaria leave the room. Cato and I look at each other across the table and shrug.
"So what now?" I ask. "What do you wanna do?"
"Well…watch the reapings? I want a good idea of our competition." I nod my concurrence. Cato rushes over to pull my chair out for me. I stand up and thank him, and he does an overdramatic bow.
"Anything for m'lady," he replies in a mocking Capitol accent. We laugh together down the hall and into the television room. We sit on the couch together just as the Capitol anthem opens up to the replay of the reapings.
District 1's tributes are classic Careers. The boy Marvel volunteers enthusiastically. He's rather scrawny for a volunteer his age, but what he doesn't have in size he has in pure arrogance. Glimmer, the girl, is gorgeous. Her blonde hair and sweet eyes almost tricked me into thinking she is an easy target, but her aggressiveness getting to the stage kills that idea. They pan to the District 2 reaping. I don't think I can watch. Since no one is in the room, Cato put is arms protectively around me. I pull my legs up under me and snuggle against him. I try to block it all out, but I can still hear Cato volunteer. I look up at him through my hands covering my face and see his jaw tighten. The hardness in his eyes doesn't match the warmth of his embrace. Districts 3 and 4 go by, no one too interesting. District 5's girl makes an impression. Her red hair and pointed face stand out from her skinny frame. Her eyes are sneaky and deceitful. I'll have to watch out for her. Most of the following tributes leave no impression at all. There's a boy from 11, Thresh I think is what they said his name is, who is just a big as Cato and looks as brutal. His fellow tribute is so tiny. Pity she has to die, but I have to save Cato. District 12's reaping was unusually active. A very fiery girl volunteers for her sister. She seems to be loved by the crowd, they all salute her. She looks tough. It'll be best to kill her as soon as possible once the Games begin. The boy Peter or something like that is near Cato's size but looks weak. Cato flips the TV off after the Capitol anthem ends.
"We should get some rest," he says. "What did you think of our competition?"
"We need to watch the boy from 11 and the girl from 12. Should be pretty simple other than those two," I reply. We get up off the couch and head to our rooms. Cato and I stop in front of my door. I wrap my arms around him, wanting to stay like this forever. He bends his neck down to kiss my cheek just as Brutus enters the hall. We quickly separate and put our game faces on. Brutus looks us over for a few minutes. Then he breaks the silence.
"This will be interesting." With that he leaves the room. Cato looks as me with the panicked look he wore when I volunteered at the reaping. I try to give a comforting smile, but can only conjure up a tear. Cato enters his room. I look at his door closing, and feel my stomach tighten. Brutus will want to use this in the Games to get sponsors. The other tributes will know our weakness. And they sure as day will use it against us.