My bribery worked!...partially. We were 6 reviews short! I bet six of you thought that your review didn't matter...but it did! But since so many of you beautiful, amazing, Clato shippers reviewed, this chapter is 3,620 words. I knew you guys were out there somewhere :)
Give me 45 reviews for this chapter and the next chapter will be 5,000 words :)
Chapter 17
Clove's POV
The weeks pass by quicker then I could have imagined. The cold month of December settles in, forcing us to start training earlier to avoid the chilled weather on the way home.
Every day at the Academy is more challenging then the next and every day I find myself exceeding my own expectations.
Cato improves as well, although there's not much for him to improve on. He's already the perfect Career. All the other guys glare at him in envy whenever he tops their training scores- which is always. He's almost destine to volunteer at the next reaping.
Which poses problems for me, because if Cato volunteers this year I'll have to volunteer the next. By that time I'll be seventeen, then what? What happens when I win? I'll tell you what happens.
No more living in a small house, no more going to bed hungry at night. Just me, my fortune and my home at Victor's Village...and Cato.
I chew my lower lip as this thought comes to my mind.
After he wins, which he will, tons of girls will be lined up around the block, just itching to be with him.
He'll probably find someone better, a platinum blonde with a beautiful figure, unlike my short brunette self.
Who am I to think Cato will want to be with me after he wins?
Granted, in a perfect world that's exactly what I would want to happen. But still, I don't think I should plan that far ahead yet. How long have we been together anyway? A year? I don't even know. Time goes by too quickly when I'm with him.
I hear several loud pounds at my door causing me to jump from my spot on the couch.
Peace Keepers. I think.
"Clove!"
My eyebrows furrow. That voice belongs to Cato. Why would be banging on my door at 10:00 o'clock in the morning? I get up from my place on the sofa and shuffle towards the door.
As I reach for the door knob I see the hinges on the door frame wiggle loose followed by Cato's stumbling figure in my living room.
His body collides with mine sending me backward on to the floor followed by his large body landing on top of me.
I groan in pain as his full body weight presses me into the cold wooden floor.
He's breathing heavily as we stare at each other.
"Hi." He says after a minute.
"Get off me." I moan.
He rolls over and takes me with him so I'm on top of his chest.
"What are you doing here?" I ask him with a wince as I touch my back where it came in contact with the floor.
He stands up, still holding me, and sits us on the couch.
He's breathing heavily as he rest his head against the beat up cushion on my sofa. "I...came... to...tell you...the news." He says in between pants.
"What news?" I ask him as I lean forward. It's not like Cato to react like this.
"They changed the reaping day, it's in six months." He says while wiping a bead of sweat off his forehead.
I raise my eyebrows. "Six months? Says who?" I ask him in disbelief.
"President Snow, it was on the news this morning."
"Wait a second...does that mean they're going to be doing reapings every six months?"
"No, this one is just early because they don't have enough time to built the arena for the Quarter Quell." He tells me.
"Oh. Are you going to volunteer?" I ask him.
He shrugs. "I hope so." He says. "Then you'll volunteer the year after and everything will work out."
"I was thinking that about thirty seconds before you burst into my living room." I tell him.
"You were thinking about the reaping coming early?" He questions skeptically.
"No, that you'll volunteer this year and I'll volunteer the next. That way we won't be in the arena at the same time." I say.
"Oh." Is all he says.
He looks back toward the threshold where my door hangs from one hinge.
"I broke your door." He says.
"I know."
"I'll fix it for you." He tells me.
"You don't have to do that." I say quickly.
He rolls his eyes. "Yeah, I kinda do, it wouldn't be right." He says.
"I don't really need a door." I say with a shrug.
"Do you remember when someone broke into your house and stole your things?" He asks me.
"Like I could forget it."
"So imagine what's gonna happen when you don't even have a door." He says.
"I rather not." I tell him.
"Exactly. So I'm gonna fix it for you."
"I don't even have any tools." I say, trying to weasel my way out of his help.
"Then I'll go buy some." He says.
"It's barely broken." I tell him.
We both look back at the door to see it squeaking slightly as it rocks on its only hinge.
"Yeah, it's not broken at all." He says sarcastically.
"Fine. You wanna fix it? Fix it." I tell him.
"Thank you." He says.
He stands up and heads towards the front door.
"Where are you going?" I ask him.
"I'll be back in fifteen minutes, I have to get tools." He says as he walk outside.
"See'ya in a few!" He calls over his shoulder.
A few seconds later he comes jogging back inside.
"I forgot something." He says while walking up to me.
He leans in and places a light kiss on my lips.
"Now I can go." He says with a grin.
I watch him walk back outside till her turns the corner and vanishes from my sight.
I shake my head as I walk to the door frame and kneel down. I pick up each screw that fell and place them on a side table next to my couch so I won't lose them.
I look around my small living room in hopes of finding something to occupy my time until Cato returns.
Cato's POV
I eventually come across a stand that sells a variety of tools. An older man dressed semi-formally walks from behind the counter to face me.
"Can I help you with something." He asks smoothly.
"Yeah, I need to fix a door." I tell him.
The man nods. "What do you need?"
"That's kind of why I came here." I tell him irritatedly.
"Ah, say no more." He says before walking back behind his booth and heading head towards the back which is hidden by a velvet curtain.
He returns a few moments later holding a shiny metal object about six inches long.
"What is that?"
"It's five tools in one! Over 1.3 million have been sol-."
"Yeah yeah, I say impatiently. "How much?"
"$49.99." He says with a smile.
"Fifty bucks for that thing? You're kidding right?" I ask him in shock.
"No...it's not fifty, its $49.99." He says in confusion.
"Whatever, can it fix a door?" I ask him.
"Of course! It can also repair.-"
"I'll take it." I tell him while reaching into my pocket and handing him a fifty dollar bill.
He takes the money from my hand and places it inside the register.
Before he can say another word I grab the tool and stuff it inside my pocket.
"Have a nice day!" He calls.
I give him a short wave and turn around to continue walking back the way I came.
The market is crowded, people scramble everywhere in hopes of buying the top selling items before the holidays. I don't see what the point is. Christmas isn't for a few weeks and prices don't go up until the day before. I try to remember celebrating with my parents but no memories come to me. We never got a Christmas tree or had family over, we just smiled in front of the camera and pretended to be happy. Maybe they were happy, but I wasn't.
It's not like I never got any Christmas gifts. Hell, I got enough stuff to give one present to every kid in District two. But there was no meaning behind it, any of it.
It was always 'buy him this so he can impress the other kids at training' or 'get him that so he'll be popular'. It makes me sick. I don't want a shit load of stuff, I never did.
All I wanted from them was to spare ten minutes of their fucking time for me. But I'm done. I don't need them to love me. I have Clove.
I stop dead in my tracks. No no no no no. I didn't think that. I didn't think that. I didn't think that...
But I did. I know I did and no matter what I say to myself I can't deny that I thought that about her.
I suddenly feel angry. Angry at my parents for not caring about me, angry and the weather for being so fucking cold, and angry at Clove for making me so goddamn confused.
I feel someone bump into me roughly from behind.
"Watch where the fuck you're going!" I growl as I turn to face whoever was stupid enough to run into me. I practically cringe when I see Glimmer standing behind me.
"Oh Cato! I was hoping I might find you here!" Glimmer squeals, unfazed by my words.
"I'm not in the best mood right now Glimmer, so I would appreciate it if you left." I say as I clench my jaw in anger.
"I think I can put you in a better mood." She whispers as she takes a step closer to me.
"What the fuck do you want?" I ask her harshly as I take a step back.
"I just wanted to say hi." She says with a pout.
"Hi." I say dryly before turning around and walking away.
"Wait!" She calls out as she runs to catch up with my fast pace.
"I wanted to say goodbye, I'm moving tomorrow you know."
"Great, I'll be sure to throw a party once you leave." I say.
"Oh, you don't mean that!" She says as she brushes off my insult.
"Actually I do."
"I was thinking that we could spend some time together before I go." She say in a seductive tone.
"Fuck off." I tell her.
"So do you want me to maybe come over after-"
"What part of 'fuck off' don't you get?" I ask her angrily. "The 'fuck' or the 'off' part?"
"I only heard you say fuck." She giggles.
"Yeah, that's all you ever hear, isn't Glimmer?"
Her face heats with anger.
"No, that is most certainly not all I hear." She seethes.
"Don't lie." I tell her. "Now if you'll excuse me, my girlfriend is waiting for me."
And with that, I leave her standing there, wondering why me, of all people, would turn her down.
As I walk I think back to my last comment. My girlfriend is waiting for me. It sounds nice, and I like it. However my thoughts creep back to what I was thinking about before. It just slipped. I think. I didn't mean to think that about Clove.
The fact that I didn't even hesitate when the thought came scares me the most. It's not true, my feeling aren't that strong for her yet. I think. But those words sound wrong, almost foreign, like the don't even belong in my head.
I don't love Clove. I don't love Clove. I don't love Clove. I repeat over and over to myself.
Well maybe I do lov- NO! I yell at myself. No no no no no no no. This isn't happening, I'm Cato, I'm going to win the Hunger Games and I'm going to be happy- and I'm not going to love Clove.
But 'happy' has only existed since I've been with her.
I suddenly feel the hatred rush back inside me. Hatred for everything.
I hate the Capitol for making me play their stupid game, I hate Glimmer for being an obnoxious bitch, I hate myself for being confused and I hate that stupid vender guy back at the market for making me pay fifty bucks for something I'm only going to use once.
Clove's POV
I look up to see Cato walking furiously through my doorway.
"What's wrong?" I ask him.
"Nothing." He mutters.
"I was getting a little worried when you didn't come back." I tell him.
"Yeah, it was crowed." He says.
"Did you get the tool you needed?" I ask him.
"Yeah." He says shortly.
"Do feel ok? You seem kinda...off." I say in concern.
"I feel fine Clove!" He snaps.
I take a step back.
"Sorry, I was just asking." I mutter.
He sighs and closes his eyes.
"No, it's ok, I just..." He stops talking and picks the screws off the counter. Without another word he takes the tool our of his pocket and begin working on the door.
"Cato?" I say in confusion.
"Yeah?" He says.
"Are you sure you're ok?" I ask him.
"I'm fine." He says shortly.
I walk over to him and press my hand against his cheek.
"You're freezing." I tell him. "Do you want some hot chocolate? When I was at the market the other day a lady was giving out free packages." I tell him, hoping it will brighten up his mood.
He doesn't answer me so I take it as a yes.
I walk over to my blood stained kitchen and take out two cream colored mugs.
I open the doors to my pantry and quickly locate the packages.
I rip open the paper and pour the contents into both mugs. I turn the faucet on my kitchen sink to warm and wait till the water has bits of steam seeping up.
I fill the mugs to their peeks and stir them quickly so all the coco mix dissolves.
I then walk back over to Cato and place his on the counter next to the door. I sit on the arm of the couch and take a sip of the warm mixture.
He works for another ten minutes until he finishes.
"There. All done." He mutters as he screws the final bolt in place.
He eyes the coco and without looking at me, takes a sip.
"Mhhhm,it's good." He says quietly.
I click my tongue. I don't think I've ever heard Cato say something quietly before. "What's the matter with you?" I demand. "Ever since you got back you've been acting strange."
"I don't wanna talk about it." He says.
"Why not? It'll make you feel better if you do." I tell him.
"Actually, it won't." He says.
"You don't know that until you tell me." I counter.
"You know what, maybe I'll tell you one day." He says.
I sigh. "Fine." I say in defeat.
I get up from the arm of the couch and sit in the middle of the sofa. I pat the seat next to me softly, silently asking him to sit next to me.
He walks over and takes a seat next to me. Cato's face is emotionless as he stares blankly at the wall across from him.
The clock that hangs on my wall practically emphasizes the time laps between us.
Tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock.
"Ok, the suspense is kill me. You gotta tell me." I practically beg.
He shakes his head slowly.
"Why not?" I whine.
"Because, I'm not even sure." He says.
"Not even sure about what?" I ask him.
"I'm not even sure if it bothers me." He answers, not taking his eyes off the wall.
"Ok..." I trail off slowly. "You do realize I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, right?"
"Yep."
"Would you like to tell me?"
"Nope."
"Cato." I say. When he doesn't look my way I start to get annoyed. "Cato look at me." I tell him firmly.
He slowly turns his body to face me.
"Yeah?"
"You better tell me right now." I say as I place my hands on my hips.
"You got some back bone, you know that?" He says.
"No, not really. But I want to know why you're acting this way."
He doesn't respond, instead he leans forward and presses his lips against mine. I kiss him back, like I always do. But I can't help but think the only reason he's kissing me right now is to shut me up.
"Stop trying to distract me." I say against his lips.
"Distracting you is what I do best." He says as he cups the side of my face to deepen the kiss.
"I was talking to you." I tell him as he pulls my body forward so I'm closer to him.
"I don't really feel like talking right now." He murmurs as he brushes his lips against mine once more.
"Well I do." I tell him.
He breaks the kiss and stares at me. "No offense, but I would really appreciate it if your stop talking for two minutes" He says before leaning in and capturing my lips once again.
Reluctantly, I silence myself.
His lips move slowly against mine in a way that makes me feel safe and...something else, something I'm not quite sure of.
My lips stop moving against his as I try to sort my confused thoughts.
"Why'd you stop?" He whines with a pout.
"No reason." I mutter.
As I lock eyes with Cato I feel a sudden warmth swell up inside me.
This unknown feeling brings a sudden rush of boldness upon me. I lean in and brush my lips against his once more. I feel him smile in satisfaction at my willingness.
Our soft kisses turn into something more and it's not long before his sadistic nature takes over. He roughly grabs my hips and places me on his lap so I'm straddling his waist. He slams his lips against mine as his hands grip my forearms tight enough to leave bruises.
He takes my lower lip between his teeth and bites down causing a small amount of blood to be drawn. He sweeps his tongue over the wound before sucking on it gently. His gentleness doesn't last long and he quickly resumes our heated kisses.
His hands wander along the sides of my body as our lips move together in sync. I wrap my arms around his neck and pull myself closer to him causing Cato to release a low growl as my hips move against his.
I soon realize that this not-so-very-innocent make out session is his way of avoid an uncomfortable conversation about his 'feelings.'
"Cato."
"Hmmm?"
"Stop." I say. I pull away but Cato seems to have other ideas. He leans forward to draw out the kiss before he finally pulling away.
He stares at me and crosses his arms over his chest. His breathing is shallow and uneven, like mine.
"It was just getting good." He grumbles.
I wait until my breathing has calmed before responding him.
"Please don't tell me we only did that so you didn't have to answer my question."
"Well, that's not the only reason. I also wanted to kiss you." He says.
I realize I'm still on his lap so I make a move to get up but his arms grip my waist so I'm unable to move an inch.
"Where do you think you're going?" He asks me.
"Nowhere I was just..." He puts his finger to my lips to silence me.
"Shhh."
I remove his finger and raise my eyebrows at him.
"Remember on my birthday when we we're in this exact same scenario except you wanted to know what was bothering me?" I ask him.
"Yeah..." He says slowly.
"Well, it's your turn."
Poor Cato is confused about his feelings :(
Thank you reviewers! Your reviews make me so happy! You have no idea! I really wanted to give you 5,000 words but we didn't reach our goal. Don't think 'Oh, someone else will review' because we didn't reach our goal! I had a really good story line I wanted to give you for this chapter but I guess I can include it in chapter 19. Thanks for making me feel like a good writer! :D
Give me 45 reviews and the next chapter will be 5,000 words!
Also do you want more of Cato's POV?