The Games We Played
A/N: Hello readers and welcome to a very long chapter 3. This chapter is the days they are in training and other events that happen in those days. Thank you to everyone reading!
Some shout-outs to my reviewers-
FreshAdobo – Yeah, poor Peeta indeed. He's had some rough times. But he also has some good friends and a family that took him in. I'm glad you think the story is good so far. I really like this chapter myself as I am bringing more people together.
MangoMagic- I'd been wanting to do this story for a while now, but initially as a Katniss/Cato story. Then one day I found a Peeta/Cato story and instantly fell in love with them as a couple. So I revamped my outline and decided to add more players into the mix. I never liked Gale in the original story but wanted Peeta to have someone he could trust to have his back when things got tough. The real complication is the arena! I'm not saying anything now, but it's different than anything I've read about so far. As for the Peeta/Finnick moment, it was sad for me to write. I like them as a couple as well. This chapter has some moments of Peeta/Cato but something is going to happen between the two soon.
lincolnlog89 – I am so thrilled you found my story Peeta definitely has a good heart. It's one of the reasons I think that Gale's mother agreed to take Peeta in. District 12's 'beloved' 6 teens are going to have a very interesting time in the arena. With Finnick, Peeta, and Cato - I can't say what's going to happen - yet. ;) After all, Finnick is Peeta's first love. As for Peeta's mother, we will be learning more about her later.
Chapter 3 – Training
Peeta woke the next morning to Effie's overly excited "big, big, big day" speech again. He goes in the bathroom to take a shower hoping the hot water would help relieve his tense muscles. He stands under the water for 20 minutes before remembering that Haymitch wanted to discuss their training strategy during breakfast. He turns off the water and steps out onto the drying mat. He wraps a towel around his waist and goes to the bedroom to get dressed. Opening the door, he notices that the bed is made and his clothes are lying on it, shoes on the ground below. He dresses quickly, noticing how the black and red outfit fits snugly on his body like a second skin showing off his muscles, before returning to the bathroom to brush his teeth and comb his hair.
In the dining room, the tributes are quickly eating their breakfast while waiting for Haymitch to come give them their instructions for training. They finish eating when he shows up. He sits down and looks at them thoughtfully. "After being up half the night going over every possible scenario I have decided that you all should work in pairs. Today I want the pairs to be Rie and Delly, Gale and Katniss, and finally Peeta and Madge. Spend time at all the survival stations. There's bound to be new information you can learn. Go ahead and do the agility training, the obstacle course training, and the hand-to-hand training but do not show everything you got." He pauses to take a sip of his orange juice. "Katniss, Gale, and Peeta – stay away from the archery station. Rie, Delly, and Madge stay away from the knives. Those are your best weapons and you should save it for your individual time with the game makers. Oh, and Peeta, you stay away from the weight station as well. No need to give away how much you can actually lift. When you get back tonight, we'll talk again. Now go." Effie stands up and waits for the kids to follow her. They get on the elevator and are soon heading into the training room.
The training room is massive. There is a woman standing on a platform surrounded by tributes. Lined up along the far wall are the trainers and some peacekeepers. The group from 12 head towards the platform to await instructions. There is one more group yet to arrive, District 9. When they arrive, the woman on the platform introduces herself as Atala and begins to give the rules and instructions the tributes need to follow while in the training room. When she dismisses everyone, the district 12 waited for the mad rush to quiet down. Peeta quickly notes everyone is dressed in an outfit just like his, the only difference is the large district number printed on the back. Rie and Delly decide to go to the plant station, Katniss and Gale go to the traps and snares station, while Peeta and Madge go to camouflage. From where they are, Peeta and Madge have the best view of the weapon stations while Rie and Delly can see the agility and obstacle courses. Gale and Katniss watch the weight training and hand-to-hand combat stations and observe the game makers in their room. By the time the bell rings for lunch, the three pairs had traded stations twice. They wait for the elevator to take them to the lunch room.
After getting their trays, the 6 friends find an empty table in the farthest corner so they can talk in privacy. While eating, they discuss what they observed at each station. Peeta and Madge are chosen go first. They begin with their first station. They had watched the groups from Districts 1, 2, & 4, dubbed 'the careers', at the weapon stations. They report that District 1 spent the time at the distance weapons – archery, javelin, and spears. Peeta noted Marvel was really good with the spears while Madge noted Glimmer seemed to have trouble with the bow. The District 2 group was at the sword and knife stations. They observed that Cato was the best with swords and Clove with knives. District 4 stayed by the tridents only. At their second station, the plant station, they watched Districts 5, 8, 10, and 11 do the agility and obstacle stations. They note that despite his size, Thresh was very good at both as was little Rue. District 5 was just okay in their opinion. At the final station, traps and snares, they watched Districts 3 and 7 doing hand-to-hand and Districts 6 and 9 lifting weights. Neither thought any of those groups would be a challenge if they came across them in the arena. When the other 4 noted that they noticed that they had made the same observations of those Districts at those stations, they concluded that their group was the only one that had changed stations that morning. Rie stated that when he was at the camouflage station he saw Cato and Clove talking in private, away from the weapons. Marvel and Glimmer had joined them a few moments later. He noticed that Clove had gestured towards the survival stations. Soon after they went back to their weapons. Katniss said she had noticed Thresh and Rue looking towards the survival stations while she was in the plant station. A decision was made to talk to Haymitch about their observations after dinner.
When the District 12 group gets back to the training center, they noticed that the survival stations are all filled with other districts. Not that they cared. They had already decided to try the obstacle course and agility station. They head to the agility station first. They are the only ones there. They run through a couple cone courses, step hurdle courses, and running sprints. The obstacle course they ran next included scrambling over rock walls, climbing rope ladders, army crawling, and crossing a balance beam. They spent about 2 hours between both stations. They asked the trainer if they could get increasingly harder courses over the week. When the trainer agrees, they move on to hand-to-hand training. They spend the first half hour 'learning' techniques and spend their remaining time 'practicing' those same techniques. The bell rings for the tributes to head back to their floors.
Haymitch and Effie are waiting in the living room when the teens come back. Haymitch tells them to get cleaned up for dinner. It was 30 minutes later when they were all sitting down for dinner. Gale and Rie filled Effie and Haymitch in on what was accomplished in training that day. Haymitch knows that there is more but decides to let the kids decide when they want to tell him. He doesn't wait long. As soon as Effie excuses herself from the table to go to her room, Peeta says they need to talk and the living room would be the most comfortable. Once everyone is settled, Haymitch turns to Peeta waiting to hear what he had to say. Peeta tells Haymitch about the lunch time conversation, paying particular attention to the six tributes that they suspect to be fellow rebels from other districts. Haymitch tells them that he will give the situation some thought and give them the plan the next morning. Haymitch gets up to go to meet with some potential sponsors, telling the group not to stay up late.
The next morning at breakfast, Haymitch shares his idea for feeling out Cato, Clove, Marvel, Glimmer, Thresh, and Rue. "Before I tell you my idea, I want to change up the pairs from yesterday. Rie, you're to be with Delly. Gale, you're with Madge. Peeta, Katniss…yeah. Uh, until lunch stay together." Haymitch sits forward in his chair, signaling for the group to listen up. "After lunch, Rie, Delly, you are to go to the archery station and try to talk to Glimmer. Show her you know how to use a bow – but watch yourselves. Downplay your handiness by missing some shots. Gale, Madge, you are to go to the knife station and throw knives. See if you can get Clove to come to you by not being obvious that you're good. Katniss, see if there is any way you can talk to Rue, maybe at the plant station, if she's there. Peeta, go to the weight station." Haymitch holds up his hand when he sees Peeta try to speak. "I know I said not to yesterday but see if you can get Thresh, Marvel, or Cato to come to you. I think if you throw some weights around, one of them might come talk to you. If they don't, we can try something else tomorrow." Haymitch sits back, "Now go. I'm tired and want to get some more sleep."
Down in the training center, the new pairs work together in the survival stations until lunch. They sit at the same table as yesterday. While they eat, they can feel that they're being watched but ignore the stares for now. Rie notes that other than the career table and their own table, none of the other tables seem to talk to each other. Madge points out that Rue and Thresh seem to communicate without words and that Cato, Clove, Marvel, and Glimmer, while sitting with the other careers, don't talk to them much. It's decided to put Haymitch's plan into action when they go back.
Entering the training room, the group separates. Rie and Madge head to the archery station. They listen to the trainers instructions before grabbing a bow. Glimmer is next to them. They manage to pull off looking like beginners while noting Glimmer is still not improving. Madge looks to Rie. He nods his head once and goes back to shooting mediocrely. As Madge walks up to Glimmer, she can hear what sounds like something hitting the wall hard over by the weight station and thinks 'Peeta'. "Hi, my name is Madge, from District 12."
Glimmer looks at her and smiles. "I'm Glimmer, District 1. Is there something I can help you with?" she asks.
Madge returns the smile. "Actually, I think there's something I can help you with, if you'll permit me."
Glimmer looks at her, "What could you help me with?"
Madge motions to Glimmer to let her take a shot. Glimmer moves and Madge takes her place. She shoots 2 arrows, hitting the Bullseye. She turns to Glimmer and whispers, "It's not beginners luck." Glimmer's shocked face gives Madge the encouragement she was looking for. She continues, "If I help you, would you be willing to meet me and my friends on the roof tonight after dinner to talk?" Madge knows it wasn't part of the plan but she had a feeling and went with it. She'd tell everyone else in the elevator later.
Glimmer looks towards Marvel before responding, "Okay. I'll meet you ONLY if you can get me to shoot better."
Madge smiles widely, "Let's begin, shall we?"
Rie watches as Madge corrects Glimmers stance and positioning. Glimmer begins to shoot like she's been doing it for years. He hears Madge say "See you tonight" as she walks back to him. He gives her a questioning look. "I'll explain later. Trust me." He shrugs and the two continue to shoot.
Meanwhile, Gale and Delly went over to the knife throwing section and after getting a brief lesson, start throwing. They follow the plan to throw worse than they actually are. They can hear loud thuds and know that Peeta is the cause. It takes a while throwing badly, but eventually Clove notices and finally decides to walk over. "Hi, I'm Clove. District 2. I couldn't help but notice you were having some trouble throwing. I'd be willing to offer pointers."
Delly and Gale smile. Delly speaks, "I'm Delly and this is Gale. District 12. We were watching how well you throw earlier. You made it look so easy we decided to try. I'd be willing to listen to any help."
Gale adds, "I, too, would love some help. Thank you."
Clove asks them to show her a couple practice shots from each. She tells Delly, "You're holding the blade wrong and your release timing is off." She turns to Gale, "Your grip is too loose and your posture needs to be adjusted." She shows them how to correct their problems and they take a couple more throws. Clove smiles at them. "See, you've done it. Just remember what I showed you and you'll be fine." Clove waves to them before going back to her own station.
Delly turn to Gale. "Do you think we might get her to see us on the roof to talk?"
Gale shrugs. "We should talk to Haymitch and ask him before we do that."
Katniss, on the other hand, had no problem going straight up to Rue to talk. She was having a problem with a couple plants she'd never seen and had overheard Rue talking to the trainer about it. That led to a conversation about plants that grow locally in each of their Districts. In the background, Katniss can hear loud thudding noises and knows that it's Peeta. Katniss and Rue decided to move on to the insect station together. While there, Rue began asking questions about Katniss's family. "Was that your sister you volunteered for?"
Katniss smiled a sad smile, "Yeah. Her name is Prim and she's 13. I just couldn't let her fight with 71 other tributes. Do you have any siblings?"
Rue's smile was huge. "I have 3 sisters, all younger. What do your parents do?"
Katniss frowns. Rue sees and says quickly, "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."
"No, it's okay. It's a little hard to talk about as my dad died years ago and my mom changed. She's just started working as a healer again."
Rue sees the sadness in Katniss's eyes and changes the subject. "How well do you know your district teammates?"
Katniss grins, "They're my friends, which is nice for now. I enjoy having someone to train with so I'm not alone. But what will happen in the arena is anyone's guess." She looks at Rue, watching carefully for anything that will help in figuring out if she can be trusted. "How well do you know yours?"
Rue looks towards Thresh, "Thresh is a relative. A distant cousin. The others, I've worked with in the fields but don't know them much at all." Katniss sees that Rue is leaving something out but doesn't comment. Rue continues, "Thresh and I are going to try to meet up in the arena." The trainer walks over and the two new friends go back to training.
Peeta goes over to the weight station. He doesn't think this will work but does what Haymitch says because it's what he was trained to do. The trainer does his spiel about the station and has Peeta start by lifting weights, starting with 50 lbs., increasing by 5 lbs. until he reaches 100 lbs. The trainer decides to try something different and have Peeta throw weights towards the back wall that was about 100 yards away. Peeta agrees. Peeta starts by throwing the 50 lbs. ball first. He throws it over his shoulder and the weight hits the wall halfway up, leaving a large dent. The sound echoes through the room. But Peeta doesn't really give it much thought as he keeps throwing heavier and heavier weights. He adjusts his angle so the weights aren't hitting the same spot. When Peeta throws 150 lbs. and it hits about a foot away from the wall, he realizes that he has an audience. The trainer asks if he's comfortable throwing heavier weights. Peeta says he's fine and continues with the weights increasing by 10 lbs. When Peeta throws the 200 lbs. weight, it hits about 15 - 20 feet away from the wall. He notices that he's starting to feel fatigued. The trainer sees Peeta's weariness and lets him stop. He asks if Peeta thought that he could throw heavier weights and Peeta only nods. He saw Marvel heading towards the weight station from the corner of his eye. He turns slightly so he is facing him when Marvel gets close. "That was very impressive!" Marvel says, reaching Peeta. "I'm Marvel. District 1."
"Peeta. District 12. It's nothing really. I haul large rocks away from the mines." It was a bald face lie, but he couldn't really tell the truth about his training for the rebels.
"Like I said, impressive. I can lift about 100 – 125 lbs. I don't think I could throw half as far as you though."
Peeta chuckles. "I didn't think I could throw that far either."
Marvel looks back towards the weapons station. "Well, I better get back. See ya around Peeta." Peeta pretends not to be watching but sees Marvel and Cato share a look. He feels like he has something to share with everyone now.
After the bell rings to end training for the day, Madge tells them in the elevator about meeting with Glimmer on the roof that night. She says that she'll talk to Haymitch alone as she invited Glimmer without thinking it through or discussing it with him. She finds Haymitch in his room. She expected a lecture but all she got was "Nice work, Undersee" before being sent to get ready for dinner. Dinner wasn't a drawn out affair. In fact, it was over rather quickly. Haymitch and Effie were expected for a meeting about the game maker sessions and the interview set up. As soon as Haymitch and Effie left, the teens went up on the roof to wait for Glimmer. They watched the sunset and talked about things they missed about District 12. It wasn't much really, as it was a rather depressing place. They were laughing at something Delly said when they heard the elevator ding. They looked over and saw Glimmer getting out of the elevator. But she wasn't alone. Marvel had come with her. The group was shocked but secretly happy. After the introductions, Glimmer got right to the point. "So, why would you want to meet with me?"
The District 12 teens looked to Peeta to do the explanations. "Let's go check out the gardens, shall we?" They group walks and Peeta begins talking. "I need you to promise me that no matter what we tell you, you won't say anything to anyone, including anyone you may be in an alliance with. It's very important to us." Marvel and Glimmer agree. They look very interested in what Peeta is about to tell them. "Okay, we know you obviously noticed that we are better at things than we appear. Gale, Katniss, and I have been training for 6 years. Rie, Delly, and Madge have been training for the last 3 years. We have an electric fence that is supposed to keep us out of the forest outside our hometown. The fence is rarely ever on. We sneak into the forest to hunt and gather for our families even though it's illegal." He stops here. He knows that while he wasn't very specific, they should be able to figure out the truth about the trainings if they are part of the rebellion. Now it all depends upon what they say.
Glimmer speaks first, "I am training with a bow even though I am much better with a scimitar. I was told to train on the bow so no one would know. And I am very proficient at killing with my bare hands despite my delicate looks." Peeta nods.
"So, I am best at spears but am able to throw a knife with fairly decent accuracy. I, too, can kill someone with my bare hands. But I noticed you said 'training' and not 'self-taught'. Can I ask who taught you?" asks Marvel.
Peeta looks to his team. They each give him a nod. This is where the shit could really hit the fan. Haymitch never said that they couldn't tell but that doesn't mean they should. Peeta looks at Marvel and Glimmer and says, "Our trainer's names are Boggs, Jackson, and Mitchell." The look on Marvel and Glimmer's faces confirmed what the 6 suspected, they ARE part of the rebellion.
Glimmer whispers, "You know Jackson? She's one of our trainers too." Peeta looks at Marvel who nods.
It's Gale that asks, "Were you training for the rebellion?"
Marvel's eyes snap to Gale. "What do you know about the rebellion?"
"I asked first." Gale responds crossing his arms over his chest.
Glimmer rolls her eyes. "We had been training for the rebellion for just over a year. Now answer Marvel's question!"
Katniss steps forward. "We know that there are people out there that are very unhappy with President Snow and the Hunger Games. We were told that other tributes were like us, rebels that were reaped. We had thought you two as well as Cato, Clove, Rue, and Thresh maybe rebels. We were told to make an alliance with the other reaped rebels and we'd receive new orders."
Marvel grins a goofy grin. "Bloody Brutal Cato? A rebel? Oh Miss Everdeen, that is too funny!"
"Laugh if you want, but we have been trained longer than you and know what we're looking for. It's why Madge here wanted to talk to Glimmer tonight. It's why we hope to talk to Thresh and Rue tomorrow night. We would love to meet up with the other rebel tributes in the arena and get our new orders." states Rie. "We are leaving the decision up to you, and the others, if you want to be with us or not in the arena."
Glimmer and Marvel look at each other. "We need to talk to someone but we'll let you know soon," says Marvel. "Good night guys. See ya in the morning." The 2 from District 1 left, leaving the 6 from District 12 alone to think about what just happened.
"I have a good feeling about them." Delly says as they head back to their floor.
The next morning, Peeta wakes up an hour before Effie would be by to wake him up. He showered and dressed in his training outfit. He heads to the dining room and sees Haymitch with Johanna and Finnick. Peeta hadn't seen Finnick since the night he left him crying on the roof. He swallows hard before joining them at the table.
"Morning." he says.
Johanna looks at him, "You're up early Peeta Bread. You afraid someone will pee in your Fruity O's?"
Peeta just rolls his eyes and sits down by Haymitch. "I need to talk to you about last night's pow wow." Haymitch grunts in acknowledgement.
Finnick stands up, avoiding looking at Peeta, "We better get back now JoJo. We have tributes to help."
Johanna stands and leads Finnick to the elevator. Peeta watches Finnick. He notices the man's sagging shoulders.
He jumps up and runs after them. "Finnick, wait!"
Finnick stops but doesn't turn around. Johanna gets in the elevator and holds the door open. Peeta sees Finnick shake his head and Johanna letting the door close.
Peeta stands behind Finnick. "Please turn around Finn." Finnick turns but Peeta almost wishes he let him leave. Finnick's eyes were bloodshot; his hair was limp and greasy looking. Peeta reaches to put a hand on Finnick's arm but he flinches back. "I'm really sorry Finn. I should've handled things better. I was freaking out about what had happened to me, my friends, and my family. Then I find out you still wanted me when I was dealing with the fact I am going to be fighting for my life. I just want my friend back."
Finnick looks at Peeta. He sees anger, hurt, sadness, and love? flash through his eyes. "I don't know Peeta. I opened myself up to you and you stomped on my heart like it was nothing. I didn't know that you were hurt so bad when we agreed to end things. You never said anything to me. I never knew! Now I just don't think I'm ready to even be friends." Both had tears in their eyes.
Peeta whispers, "Okay Finn. Take care of yourself." Peeta watches long enough to see Finnick push the button to call the elevator and get in. He turns and goes back to the dining room. He waits for Haymitch to say something snide. Instead he just asks Peeta what happened the night before. Peeta tells him everything while finishing his breakfast. When he finishes his story, the rest of the group is coming into the room. The room is silent while Gale, Rie, Madge, Delly, and Katniss eat. Haymitch is thinking about what Peeta just told him and Peeta is thinking about his earlier conversation with Finnick. When everyone is done eating, Haymitch gives the instructions for the day. "Alright, today is the last day I want you to work in pairs. So Gale and Delly, Rie and Katniss, and Peeta and Madge are the pairs for the day. I understand that Cato and Thresh have yet to be spoken with. I leave it up to you boys to figure it out. As for what was said last night, Glimmer and Marvel admitted to being rebels, so I agree with what you said about leaving it up to them to join you. And it sounds like you are going to try for another meeting tonight. Just trust your instincts and report to me as soon as you can. Now, go to training."
The group from District 12 spent their morning in the obstacle and agility stations. By lunch, they're tired but happy. Katniss had run into Rue and Thresh and got Thresh to agree to meet up on the roof. All that was left now would be Cato and Clove. Rie was beginning to wonder if they were wrong about the District 2 pair. Peeta looked over towards the two tributes in question and caught Cato looking at him. The two pairs of blue eyes stay locked onto one another until Peeta gets hit by a flying roll.
"Earth to Peeta, what's got you so spacy?" asks Gale.
Peeta looks around. It's just him and Gale at the table. He tells Gale, "Sorry. I saw Finn and JoJo this morning and, well, it was rough." They get up and walk to the door to the training room. "Now Finnick doesn't want to talk to me anymore. He looked awful Gale. I should've handled the whole situation better."
Gale puts his hand on Peeta's shoulder. "Give him time Peet. We're have another 8 days before we go into the arena. He might come around. Until then, stay strong." As they walked into the training room, they didn't see Cato watching them from the lunch room doorway.
Peeta notices that his brother Rie is over at the weight station and asks Gale if he wants to go there. He looks down at Peeta and says, "Why not?" Peeta and Gale go over to the bench presses. "Spot for me, spot for you?" asks Gale. Peeta smiles and nods. He looks over at Rie doing leg presses and sees he's at 100 lbs. Gale gets his weights on, 90 lbs., and tells Peeta he's ready. When Peeta takes his turn, he lifts 120 lbs. By the time the 2 are ready to move to the leg presses, Gale is lifting 150 lbs. and Peeta was lifting 225 lbs. The three boys meet up at the squat rack to complete this day of training. Peeta had watched the girls throwing knives and spears. They were still not showing their full capabilities. When the bell finally rang, all Peeta could think about was a nice, hot shower.
Peeta got his shower. The hot water felt so good, he stayed in a little longer. He finally made himself get out as he didn't really want Effie to come and tell him it was bad manners to be late for dinner. Wrapping a towel around his waist, he heads into the bedroom and goes to the dresser for a pair of blue boxer briefs. He opens another drawer and grabs a t-shirt that matches the blue of his eyes. He is about to grab some jeans when there's a knock at the door. "Come in" he yells, pulling on the underwear. He hears the door open. "Sorry it's taking so long, I was enjoying my shower." he says pulling the shirt over his head.
The voice he hears is unfamiliar and he spins around to see Cato standing in the doorway. "And how exactly were you enjoying your shower, 12?"
Peeta quickly pulls his pants on. "Can I help you 2?"
Cato quickly checks the hallway before closing the door. "I think you know why I'm here. You and your friends aren't exactly what I expected. I think you're more. Clove and I are going to be on the roof later tonight. I want you to meet us there. No one else." Cato then turns and leaves.
Peeta, stunned by what just happened. Did Cato just order him to the roof tonight? He throws on a pair of slippers so he could make it to dinner on time. Effie doesn't comment on Peeta's tardiness. Neither does anyone else. He tunes out everything during dinner thinking about Cato. The guy was taller than expected. His eyes a brighter, lighter ice blue. And very good looking. Oh crap, he shouldn't think like that. He tries to forget about Cato by listening to Katniss.
"So then Rue ran over and took Cato's knife and ran up the rope ladder. She hid it in the rafters. It was still there when we left this evening."
Everyone laughs, including Peeta. Haymitch then turns serious.
"Tomorrow morning, all mentors are required to attend a breakfast at President Snow's mansion. That means I won't be here when you go to training tomorrow." He pauses to let that sink in before he continues. "For the next three days, you are free to train however you want. We've already blown the original plan anyway. The two days after that are the private sessions with the game makers. Day one will be even numbered districts, day two will be the odd. You'll go on the first day. Then there's one day to prep for the interviews. Interviews are scheduled for 2 days. Day one will be odd numbered districts while day two is even numbered districts. While you are going to be interviewed on the second night, you are required to attend the first night's interviews."
With that said, dinner is over. As the group prepares to go meet with Rue and Thresh, Peeta tells them he'll join them soon, just wants to talk to Haymitch. Gale gives Peeta a look that says 'we're going to talk later' and Peeta nods.
Once everyone has gone, Haymitch turns to Peeta. "Is this about this morning? Because I am not getting involved in that mess again."
"No. Actually I have another problem. I was visited, in my room, by the district 2 boy Cato. He wants just me to meet him and Clove later tonight alone. He hinted that he knows something about us. I just wanted to get your opinion on how I should handle this."
Haymitch looks at Peeta thoughtfully. "Well, in my opinion, I think that you should go and hear them out. From what I'm hearing, it sounds like they've been watching you guys too. Look, out of the six of you, you have the best potential to win. You're not only strong and can use lethal weapons, but you have the ability to get people to listen to you, diffuse situations. The others look to you for leadership. Go up and listen. Trust your instincts. You will do the right thing. Now, you better make an appearance for this meeting." Haymitch stands up. "Good luck." He turns and heads to his room.
Peeta gets up and heads to the roof. He sees Rue and Thresh are with his friends.
"Peeta, you made it. Let me introduce you to Rue and Thresh. Rue, Thresh, this is Peeta, our fellow tribute." Katniss says when she sees Peeta. The two from district 11 nod at him.
"I hope I didn't keep you waiting." Peeta says.
"Not at all. We just got here and were introduced to everyone else." Thresh replies. His voice is quiet for a guy so large. "I was hoping to meet the guy who could put a dent in the wall throwing weights around. I never met anyone that could do that before."
Peeta can feel his face turning pink and was thankful it was kind of dark out. "Thank you. It was a surprise to me too."
"Alright, let's stop embarrassing Peeta and find out why we're here." Rue injects. "Katniss seemed pretty adamant about it."
Peeta is the one to speak. "We asked you here to be allies. But we aren't regular tributes. And we think that you aren't either."
"What do you mean?" asks Thresh nervously.
"What he means is we've had some 'training' and we think you have to." answers Gale. "We'll tell you more but we need to know that what we tell you won't be repeated. To anyone, including any allies you may have already made."
"My only ally is Rue. You have me interested though. I won't say anything." says Thresh.
"You heard Thresh. I won't tell either." Rue replies.
"For years, Katniss, Gale, and my brother Peeta used to hunt illegally in the forest outside our district limits. One day they met some people who offered to train them for a rebellion that was being planned. Madge, Delly, and I joined a couple years later." Rie explains. "We were told that there were other tributes that had training like us. We were told to find them and join in an alliance with them. We think you two are some of the tributes."
Rue and Thresh look at each other, shock in their eyes. Rue speaks.
"We have had training. We were also told that we should keep an eye out for others like us. But we do have some questions."
Katniss smiles at Rue. "Please ask."
"Who were your trainers?"
"Boggs, Mitchell, and Jackson." answers Delly.
"I've met Boggs, big guy, about 40, going gray." Rue says.
Thresh asks the next question. "Who else do you think might have training like us?"
Peeta takes a deep breath before answering. "We think Glimmer and Marvel from District 1 and possibly Cato and Clove from District 2."
Thresh looks incredulous. "Cato and Clove? Why them?"
"They don't talk with the other careers. They train alone. And I have a really strong feeling about them. My feelings are never wrong. I was right about you two. And I was right about Glimmer and Marvel. You should know that we talked to them last night. They had met another of our trainers, Jackson." Madge explains.
"Did you ask them to join you in an alliance?" Rue asks.
Peeta answers. "We did. They wanted time to think about it. We extend the same courtesy to you. Just let us know what you decide. We're expecting orders in the arena if we can get everyone to join us. We just want it to be your decision."
"I'd like the time to think this over." Thresh says. "Rue is free to make her own decisions." He looks at her. "If you want to be in their alliance, don't let me stop you. They can protect you better than just me. I just need to think about being in a group with Districts 1 and 2. I think I will try watching them myself. See if I can see what you saw."
"I think that I will wait for you Thresh. I agree that these guys could help me but my loyalty to our alliance comes first." Rue says sounding wiser than her 13 years.
"Fair enough. As Peeta said, we want it to be your decision and we are willing to let you decide." Gale says reaching out to shake Thresh's hand. "We appreciate you coming to see us."
Thresh and Rue say good night and leave. The friends head back to their apartment. They go to the living room and talk.
"Two pairs down, one to go. Any ideas on how we can convince the other two to talk to us?" Rie asks.
Peeta knows that he's going to see them but can't say anything about it right now. "I have no clue on how to approach them. They seem like they'd rip your head off if you talked to them wrong. I say we wait until a more opportune time. Watch and see if there is a way to talk to one of them alone, away from prying eyes." The others nod in agreement.
Katniss yawns and decides to go to bed. The others follow. Peeta sits on his bed and waits for Gale. It's not a long wait. Peeta lets him in and they sit on Peeta's bed.
"How are you doing since this morning? Was Haymitch able to help?" Gale asks.
Peeta was expecting this and answers. "I'm doing better. I never meant to hurt Finn like that. Haymitch listened but said he didn't want to get in the middle again. I never went to him with my problems but he seemed to know. I assume that maybe Finn talked to him. Maybe it wasn't as easy of a break up for him as I thought."
Gale chuckles. "Peet, break ups are never easy on either party. Remember Darla? She cried for a week every time I saw her. And you were there when I couldn't handle what happened between us. I think this is more stressful due to the fact that we're about to go into the arena and might die. I think that if Finnick and you are meant to be, he'll be waiting when you win the games. Of course, I might win so then it won't really matter."
They both laugh. Gale gets up and heads to the door. He turns around and says, "Don't let this eat you up inside. Give him time. He just needs space to think. Good night buddy."
"Good night Gale."
Peeta stays in his room for another 30 minutes. He hopes that his friends are asleep so he can sneak out to his private meeting with Cato and Clove. He puts on a light jacket before heading out. When he gets to the roof, he sees he's alone. He walks over to a bench by the garden to wait. As soon as he sits, he can hear footsteps behind him.
"Hey 12, wasn't sure you'd be here. Guess I owe you $5 Cato."
Peeta turns around at the sound of Clove's voice. He sees the pout on her face and the smirk on Cato's. "So, here I am. What is it you think you know about us 2?"
"You in a hurry 12? Don't you want to talk to us? Get to know us a little?" Clove asks, laughing.
"No, I'm not in a hurry, just tired. Rough morning and I woke early today. Plus, we have training again in the morning."
Cato and Clove sit on either side of Peeta. "Don't really care about your personal problems, Fire Boy." Cato says. Peeta flinches at the nickname. "What we're really interested in is that 'show' you put on with the weights the other day. Even our mentor was impressed when I told him. Said no one's ever done that."
"So, I've heard" comments Peeta dryly.
"Yeah, well, he made Cato there go and try himself. Couldn't even reach the closest dent." Clove snickers.
Peeta looks at Cato, eyes wide in shock. Cato laughs at his reaction. "What can I say? It's harder than you made it look. But that's not the reason we're here. It's you and your band of misfits. We know that all of you are better at things than you appear. You guys are holding back. We are curious as to why."
There it is. Peeta knew that he and his friends couldn't pull off looking weaker than they were. After training as long as they had, they were foolish to think it would work. Should he tell these two the truth? Haymitch told him to go with his gut. His gut was telling him that if he isn't honest he could get hurt.
Peeta sighs. "I really don't want to tell you anything without the rest of my friends. We are a team. But we have a feeling about the two of you." He looks at Clove. "Plus, I don't really relish the thought of a knife in my back."
Clove laughs. "It could still happen."
Peeta just shakes his head. He continues before Cato says something. "You're right. We have been holding back." He sees Cato's smirk but continues. "Katniss, Gale, and I are hunters. We sneak through the fence that surrounds our district to get food for our families. Been doing it since Katniss and I were 11. Gale was 12. Delly, Madge, and Rie joined us a couple years later." He stops there, waiting to see what the other 2 have to say.
"Oh, a bad boy. I'm impressed!" exclaims Clove.
"Shut it Clove. There's more to his story and I want to hear it." Cato says crossing his large arms across .
Peeta sighs. He stands and faces them, resigned to tell them the rest. "Cato's right. There's more." He didn't see the shock on their faces at the use of Cato's name. "We had met someone in the forest. This person told us of a rebellion being planned against the Capitol. This person introduced us to 3 people who trained us to fight. When we were reaped, our training leader told us to be on the lookout for others who have been trained like us. We were told to invite them to join us."
"And have you seen any?" asks Clove.
Peeta looks at her. "Yes, we believe so."
"Who?" ask Cato smugly.
"I don't want to say as I'm not sure if they would want me to tell you."
Cato stands in front of Peeta menacingly. Peeta stands his ground. "And why the hell not? Afraid we'll get them to turn against you?"
"No. First they haven't agreed to join us. We –"
"You've already talked to them?" Clove asks incredulously. "We haven't even been here a week yet!"
Peeta turns to Clove who is now standing next to Cato. "Yes. Our first meeting was last night. Our other meeting was earlier tonight. We told them what I've told you and let them have time to decide whether or not they want to join us." He takes a step back, his back against the railing. "We also think you two are like us and were trying to think of a way to get you to meet us. Guess you beat us to the punch. So, my turn to ask some questions. Have you been approached to join the rebellion?"
Cato and Clove share a smirk. "We have. But the real question is why would we join you?" asks Cato.
"Sorry, I'm asking the questions now." Peeta says confidently. "Are you going to tell anyone about us?"
"Not if you answer the question." Clove says.
"Fine. If we can get the other specially trained tributes to join us in the arena we can expect further orders from our commander."
"Who's your commander?" demands Cato, getting fed up with Peeta.
"Boggs. He, Jackson, and Mitchell are our trainers."
"Boggs? You know Boggs? He was our trainer at the academy when we were younger. How is he?" asks Clove excitedly.
"He's well. So, do we join forces or what?" Peeta directs his question to Cato.
"I want to know who you've talked to. We don't just want to be teamed up with anyone." replies Cato.
"You're putting me in a corner and I don't appreciate it Cato. Will you at least give me your word that if I tell you that you won't say anything to them? In return, I will tell you if and when they decide to join us. I promise."
Cato gives Peeta a look that scares him. "We won't say anything. Now tell us!"
Peeta feels relief. He is beginning to trust Cato but knows he has no real reason to. "Last night we met with Glimmer and Marvel from District one and earlier tonight, Rue and Thresh from District 11." He sees the look of shock on Cato and Clove's faces. He continues. "They admitted to us that they have had training and are deciding on whether or not to join us. If you will answer one more question for me, we can decide where to go from here. Have you guys been trained for the rebellion?"
It's Clove that answers. "Yes. How did you know?"
"It was a feeling Madge had. She observed how you two never really talked with the others from Districts 1, 2, and 4. Well, except for Glimmer and Marvel. Then there's the way you move. Rie noticed that you are always aware of your surroundings, like we are." He turns to Cato. "We really do want you guys to be part of our group in the arena. We were going to talk to you two and let you think about what we were offering."
Cato looks at the younger boy. "We, too, were told to look for others. We just didn't believe there were any. Then you threw those weights. Even if your group wasn't trained, we were going to ask you Peeta to join us – just you. But now circumstances changed." He looks at Clove who nods at him before turning back to Peeta. "We're in. BUT, we are not going to be all buddy-buddy with you guys in training. We have to keep up appearances."
With that, the two from 2 leave Peeta alone on the roof. He sits back down on the bench. He's in shock. He didn't think it would be that easy to get them to agree. Peeta's so deep in thought he didn't hear the other person come on the roof and sit by him.
"Peeta, what are you doing up here this late?" Peeta jumps and turns to the voice. It's Finnick. "And why were you alone with the District 2?"
Peeta looks at Finnick. He looks better than he did that morning. His hair looks clean, his sea green eyes bright. "I, uh, well…"
"Spit it out Peeta Bread. It's getting late and you still have training in the morning." Finnick smiled.
"They wanted to talk to me alone so I met them. It's no big deal Finn."
"Did you get them to join your group?" asks Finnick.
Peeta's mouth drops. "You knew they were part of the rebellion? Why didn't you say something?"
Finnick just shrugs. "You were supposed to do it on your own. Where's the rest of the group?"
Peeta looks away. "Cato came to me before dinner and demanded I alone meet them up here. They were going to ask me to join them. I got them to join us instead."
Finnick looks impressed. "Good job. Did you get anyone else?"
"No, we're letting them decide still. We didn't want to pressure them."
Finnick nods at this. The two sit quietly together deep in their own thoughts. It was a few minutes later when Finnick speaks. "I'm not mad at you anymore. You were right. I should've waited to tell you how I felt and not right before you were getting ready to fight for your life. And I'm sorry our break-up hurt you so much. I honestly didn't know. Can we still try to be friends?"
Peeta smiles. "I'm sorry that I wasn't nicer to you about the way I told you about my pain. And I'd like us to be friends Finn. I really would."
The two sit on the roof and talk about how Peeta and the gang's training were going. Finnick was impressed when he heard Peeta talk about putting dents in the wall and floor of the training room. He explained that he had locked himself in his room so hadn't heard anything. They talked for a couple more minutes until Finnick noticed Peeta yawning.
"Go to bed my little Peeta Bread. We'll talk again soon." The two hugged goodbye and Peeta left. Finnick followed a moment later. Neither saw the figure hiding around the corner, Cato.
The next morning, Peeta got up and got ready for breakfast. He was a little nervous about telling the rest of his group about his private meeting. He knew they'd be upset that they weren't there but hoped that when they heard about Cato and Clove joining them in the arena, they'd forgive him. He heads to the dining room and sits down. Rie and Delly haven't shown up yet. Peeta eats while he waits for everyone to be there for his news. Less than a minute later, they arrive and sit. Peeta decides it's now or never.
"Hey guys, I have something to tell you. It's important and I hope that you'll hear me out before interrupting me. Yesterday when I was getting ready for dinner, I had a visitor. Cato came to me and requested that I meet him and Clove on the roof last night – alone. After dinner, I spoke to Haymitch about it and he told me to go. After our meeting with Rue and Thresh, I came back here so none of you would know. About 45 minutes later, I went back up to the roof. They showed up soon after. They knew we were different, knew we had training like we suspected them of. We talked, or rather I talked, and after feeling threatened enough, I asked them to join us. I even offered them time to think about it. But they surprised me. Guys, we have our first to allies."
No one said anything for a moment. They were still absorbing the fact that they had allies. They just needed to get Marvel and Glimmer and Rue and Thresh.
"Peeta, that's wonderful. Do I wish I could have been there? Sure. But this is great news! Good job!" exclaims Delly.
Gale grins at Peeta. "How badly were you freaking out?"
"You have no idea. I'd rather face another bear than do that again." Everyone laughs. Effie comes into the dining room to let the kids know it's almost time for training.
After another long day training, the group heads back to their apartment. They didn't realize how much they missed their mentor until he wasn't there at breakfast. They quickly ran and got cleaned and ready for dinner. Once they were all sitting down, Haymitch began the grilling – How'd the meeting with District 11 go? Are they in? Has anyone heard anything from District 1? Then he turns to Peeta and begins to grill him, but Peeta just tells him they're in and Haymitch drops it. As soon as dinner is done, Haymitch drops a bomb shell. "The day before the interviews, all the districts will be gathered at the stage where the interviews will be held. The President and the game makers have an announcement they want to make to you tributes. This is all the information I have right now, so don't ask me questions. Go watch TV or whatever." Haymitch gets up and heads towards his room. The group decides to go to bed.
Peeta pulls on a pair of blue pajama pants and white tank top to sleep in. As he pulls back the covers, there's a knock at his door. "Come in." he says.
Gale walks in wearing the same outfit, only green pants instead of blue. He leans against the doorframe. "You've been in a better mood today. Is this because of the alliance with District 2?"
Peeta smiles. "Actually no. I had a talk with Finnick after meeting with 2."
Gale shuts the door and sits with Peeta on the bed. "And you're happy because?"
"Finn said that he was wrong about how he handled things and we decided to work on our friendship. We talked for a while and then I came back to go to bed."
Gale snorts. "Finnick admitting he was wrong? Wish I could have seen that." They both laugh. Gale stands up, says good night and turns off Peeta's lights as he leaves.
The next two days of training pass quickly. Rue tells Katniss before lunch, they're in on the last day. She lets Rue know that Cato and Clove are in as well. Rue shrugs and said they discussed that and decided to join anyway. Peeta, true to his word, walks by Cato after lunch on his way to the agility station and mouths 'Eleven's in' when he catches Cato's eye.
After dinner, the group decides to go to the roof and relax. They're dreading the next day, the private session with the game makers. As they discuss their plans, Delly sees Glimmer walking up. The group all turns to face her.
"I can't stay but we thought you should know that we're in." Glimmer says.
"And we think you should know that Thresh, Rue, Cato, and Clove are in." Peeta tells Glimmer.
She nods. "Good. The 12 of us then. I'll tell Marvel. Well, good night then." She turns to walk away before adding, "Good luck tomorrow." As soon as she's gone, Peeta stands up.
"Where are you going Peet?" Gale asks.
"To keep my promise to Cato. I told him that as soon as we knew, I'd let him know. You've seen the guy. I certainly don't want to get on his bad side. I'll be back later." Peeta turns and goes to the elevator. He gets in and heads down to District 2's apartment. He sees an older woman that looks familiar. It dawns on him it's Lyme, one of the victors from 2. She sees him and smiles. "He's the last door on the right. He should still be awake." Peeta thanks her and heads down the hall. He gets to Cato's door and knocks. He's shocked when Cato opens the door in his underwear. Cato invites him in. Walking by the nearly naked boy causes Peeta to blush. He can't help it. The guy has the body of a god. A perfectly sculpted, toned, tanned, and muscular god. Peeta can't help thinking he'd love to run his hands over those muscles. Cato's voice breaks him from his lustful thoughts.
"What can I do for you Peeta?"
Peeta turns and looks Cato in the eyes, trying to avoid his chest and abs. "I came to tell you that Glimmer and Marvel are in."
Cato raises a brow. "And this couldn't wait until you saw me tomorrow before the private sessions?"
Peeta stutters, "I, uh. Well, um." He takes a deep breath and tries again. "Look, I promised that as soon as I knew they were in I'd tell you. I keep my promises."
Cato smiles. "Fair enough. I like that in my allies, keeping their word. So, do you have to go back to your floor right away or can you stay and talk for a little while?"
Peeta can't contain his shock. "You want me to stay and talk? Why?"
Cato laughs. He gestures to a couch and Peeta leads the way. Peeta's a little nervous about being around the half-naked teen. He sits as far away from Cato as he can without making it obvious. As soon as they're both sitting, Cato answers Peeta's question. "We're going to be working together in the arena soon. Shouldn't we know a little something about each other? Build some trust?"
"I guess so. What do you want to know?" Peeta asks skeptically, looking at his hands folded in his lap.
"Why did you volunteer for that kid?" Cato asks bluntly.
Peeta sighs. "I couldn't let him come and fight against 71 other kids. And as you pointed out, he is a kid." He answers purposely leaving out certain details that Cato doesn't need to know. "Why did you volunteer?"
"To bring honor to my family and district." Cato replies as if it was obvious. "How old are you?"
Peeta looks at Cato confused, "17. Why?"
"The others seem to defer to you, like you're the leader. It's why I wanted to talk to just you the other night." Cato shrugs. "Are you the oldest in your group?"
Peeta smiles, "No, Gale and Rie are both 18. The rest of us are 17. And I'm no leader. We work as a team, equals. We listen to each other's opinions and work towards a common goal together." He looks at Cato. "How old are you?"
"I'm 18." Cato pauses. "Uh."
Peeta notices Cato turn towards the wall in front of him, moving his mouth like he's trying to say something. "What is it Cato? You can say it. We're trying to build trust here, remember?"
Cato looks at Peeta, a small smile on his lips. "Do you have a girlfriend?"
Peeta chuckles, "Really? 'Do you have a girlfriend?' That's what you got hung up on?" He sees the sour look on Cato's face and gets serious. "No. I never had one. I was way too busy living my life. Do you have a girlfriend?" He hopes Cato doesn't notice the way he sounded disgusted at the idea that he would have a girlfriend. He was into guys and had been for years. Gale only found out because of how devastated Peeta was when his very first boyfriend, Finnick, and he decided to end it. The only other people who knew were Haymitch, Johanna, and Katniss. Plus, Cato didn't really look like he'd be interested in boys, let alone someone like Peeta.
Peeta watches as Cato shakes his head and says, "No. I also was too busy."
Peeta was rather surprised by Cato's answer. Someone as good looking him could have his pick of any female. He sneaks a look at Cato's alarm clock on the bedside table. "I better get back to my room. We have a big day tomorrow." He stands and begins to head to the door. He's stopped before he reaches it by Cato's gentle voice.
"Good night Peeta. I'll see you tomorrow."
Peeta looks back at Cato, responding just as gently, "Good night, Cato."
Back in his room, Peeta was lying in bed thinking about his conversation with Cato. It was the strangest talk he'd ever had. On the roof, Cato seemed different, confident, sure of himself. Tonight, he was, well for a lack of a better word, nice. He was still curious as to why Cato asked him how old he was or if he had a girlfriend. And what did they have to do with trust?
Just one quick note here. I do have a *bonus* chapter coming that is Cato's thoughts and stuff. After writing this chapter I thought it'd be a nice treat to see Cato's side of all this.