VI
…
"Cato."
I turn around in my seat to see where my name is being called from.
"Cato!"
I look around the room more closely this time as if I missed something. Yet, when I still don't see anyone, I stand up to get a better look as if there was a possibility that I was having a really, really off day.
"Cato!" Brutus's voice booms again, this time filled in such anger and rage that he makes clear where he is in the apartment.
So as I make my way from my spot in front of the television in the living room I turn to face him as he marches down the hall toward me. His tall board frame of nothing more than pure muscle and his head, shiny as could be, coming right to me, veins bulging out with frenzy.
"What are you doing!?" He rages.
I look to him confused which only seems to anger him even more so.
"What's wrong with you boy!?"
He stares at me, eyes filled with frenzy and rage. And I look to him confused, not knowing what is going on, not knowing what the cause of his anger was. Even when I quickly think back over the past few days, nothing comes to mind. Enobaria seems just as lost as I am when I glance over at her, who had just come running into the room, in the moment for some sort of help. She doesn't look to know what Brutus is talking about either which surprises me as much as it does to her it appears as Brutus and her usually seem to share one mind.
Brutus looks to her as if she is going to step into the conversation and scold me, too.
Yet, she doesn't.
"If no one else is going to say it, than I will," he roars, steaming. "What the fuck do you think you're doing, Cato!?
District 12, of all districts, Districts 12! 12! Hanging around in public and up in the penthouse with that drunk and the scum of a victor, that dirt. Are you even thinking!? Do you understand what you're doing!? Do you!?
You are an embarrassment, an embarrassment! Playing house with those rats as if it's some sort of hilarious joke or prank you're playing. You're a shame to your district, my district, our district!
What, boy! What do you think you're doing!? Who do you think you are, the president, some almighty power!?"
I feel my chest contract as I take in a deep breath. In that moment I was more than ready to give Brutus, the man who had mentored me for seventeen years of my life, a piece of my mind or my fist… whichever one would come more easily. Yet what comes first, word or fist, is only dismissed to have Enobaria cut me off.
"Brutus," she says as calmly and politely as possible. She was acting motherly, like Effie Trinket, a woman with manners instead of a woman with razor sharp teeth ready to take a nip at someone's neck. "Don't you see what's going on here?"
Brutus looks at her, snapping: "What, Enobaria, what's happening? Please, inform me?"
"Our boy is growing up, Brutus."
Brutus snort, unconvinced.
Growing up, I think. What's that supposed to mean? I've grown up long ago.
"I can't say I'm not surprised either, but I can't complain either," she continues, "His choice isn't that bad off, she's filled with raw talent and seems to have very much held the attention of the Capitol far longer than the drunk had when he was crowned or even when we were crowned."
"What are you talking about, Enobaria?" Spens says, coming up behind her, joining the conversation.
"Cato here is coming out of his solemn state in the bachelor life he has created over the last two years, it appears, to take a dip."
No. No. No. Did she just - How dare she - She just implies - How dare she think I'd treat Katniss in such a way. No. No. No.
Brutus cracks a smile this time, letting out a snort in the process, more approving of Enobaria this time.
Spens laughs too, nudging Enobaria with his elbow.
"Well, I can't say I counteract the boy's choice in play toys. That girl's long locks and ghostly eyes seem to be making every man in the Capitol weak in the knees."
I feel my fist tighten and my stature grows tall as rage builds within me, ready to snap.
Enobaria smiles. "He's not doing anything wrong, Brutus. He's not rebelling against the Capitol or starting any kind of havoc that'd caused us any troubles. He's just being a boy. He's exploring the mines of District 12."`
Brutus smiles in approval and the others do, too.
Sons of bitches.
About to burst, I need to keep calm so else things wouldn't end well. It's then that my eyes fall cross the room to the elevator. Escape. And so I make my way to the elevator. Yet, before the doors can open for me, I hear Brutus's voice stop me in my tracks.
"Boy."
I freeze and slowly turn to face him.
"Where you going?"
"Going for a walk," I say through my teeth, keeping calm.
He raises his eyebrows as Spens does, "The train in leaving within the hour, Cato. You know that, right?"
"And it'll be leaving without me." I grit.
"What!?" Enobaria just about shirks, having another Effie moment, caught off guard, "What do you mean it'll be leaving without you!?"
"I'm going to be staying in the Capitol for a while."
"You hate it here," Brutus laughs. "The sparkly glitter and the tainted skin and the high pitched voices, everything Capitol you hate. You say it every year how much you despise this place, I don't see what changed."
"Well," I say gritting my teeth so hard that there was without no doubt that everyone in the room could hear them grinding and a surprise I don't break a tooth or two. "Something else… seems to have triumph over that."
"And what's that," he presses, still smiling as if he was the one in charge of these games.
"You and my inability to deal with your shit."
Then like that, without any hesitation I took one step back causing the elevator doors to open. Backing up into the elevator, I gave Brutus a flashy smiling, showing off my sparkly whites as I did whenever the cameras were around. And then on cue, the elevator doors closed in front of me.
From there, the way for me to go and the only way I found myself heading was up.
…
Katniss Everdeen.
She was something.
She was the reason for my blow out with Brutus and the rest of them.
She was a good reason.
She was worth it.
…
As stubborn and shy and strong and senseless and strange as she was… normally, she was something entirely else during her crowning ceremony and interview. She was neither the girl I had expected her to be nor the girl I had seen her to be during her crowning ceremony and interview. She was something else, then. So when the elevator doors opened up to the penthouse I wasn't surprise to see that the atmosphere had shifted from the laidback stratosphere it was the day before to the chill it was today.
There was a why, a reason.
Of course there was a reason for the shift, a legitimate reason that Haymitch was more than cheeky to tell me about.
Drugs.
Aurelius had given her a dose, fairly large enough amount, of nitro-something-something.
Aurelius had given her some sort of relaxant right before the crowning, telling her it was a needed vaccine that he had forgotten to give her the day before and had to be given then or else it would work properly.
So when I returned to the penthouse the following day, today I was sad to see the drugs had worn off, but at the same time I was happy to see her, herself.
I liked the Katniss Everdeen I had come to know… from a distance.
I liked the Katniss I had seen that was at peace with a bow and arrow, in those trees.
I preferred the real Katniss over the "Girl on Fire," the Capitol's Katniss, the toy they made her out to be.
She was on the couch when I came in. She had her knees pulled to her chest, drawing her body as closely together as it would possibly allow her to be. She was dressed in tight black pants and an oversized gray shirt that went down well past her waist and went as far down along her arms to cover her hands. She wore boots like the ones she had on in the arena and her hair in its normal braid.
She looked just as lost and as fragile as she did when she stepped onto the hovercraft.
She wasn't right, together.
She was broken.
"Cato," I hear Effie's voice come from behind me, pulling my attention away from Katniss. "What are you still doing here? Your train home is leaving soon; you'll miss it if you don't hurry."
"I'm staying in the Capitol for a bit, actually," I inform her, turning and giving her a smile.
"Oh, that's wonderful," she beams, bouncing up and down like a child in her deathly looking orange heels. "We're going to be staying here, in the Capitol too for a little bit longer as well. Some things have…"
She glances down at Katniss, a sad look in her eyes.
"Some things have come up that need to be attended to. But…" she drags out with suspense as if she was having an epiphany. "Oh, you must spend one of your days with Katniss before you go. You could show her around the city, immerse her in the all the glories our great Capitol has to offer. You could take a car, go out for lunch or dinner, go shopping… You must, won't you?"
"I'd be glad to." I tell her with a smile.
No, you wouldn't, you hate the Capitol, right after Brutus. My mind tells me. You'll just do anything that involves Katniss.
"Wonderful," she perks, clapping her hands together and bouncing in her heels again. "Oh, how wonderful. Oh, yes. It'll be perfect, joyous. I'll make plans for you two. Arrange an entire schedule. I'll make a reservation at one of the Capitol's top restaurants to be sure they know you'll be coming. Oh, it'll be glorious, just wonderful!"
Mh hmm. Just wonderful.
She claps again before scurrying away down the hall, no doubt going to make plans and arrangements for Katniss and mine to-be day out in the city.
And I turn my attention back to Katniss and this time find she's looking at me.
"Feeling okay?" I ask as I come further into the room and sit down across from her on the couch.
She doesn't respond, but looks to me with those silvery, gray eyes.
No.
"Are you mad at Aureilu?"
She doesn't respond again, looks to me with those silvery, gray eyes.
No, not really.
I nod. "He's a good guy, means well."
She still doesn't respond, but continues to look me with those silvery, gray eyes.
I suppose.
"Going to kill Haymitch in his sleep?" I ask with a semi smile pulling at my lips.
She doesn't respond. Yet she looks straight at me with those silvery, gray eyes and her brow scrunching at the top of her nose.
Yes, most likely.
"Sorry about Effie." I apologize, knowing that she as much as I was, wasn't excited at all to go out into the city for a day and be the Capitol's entertainment.
Again, she doesn't respond, but looks to me with those silvery, gray eyes. Yet, this time, her brow unfurrows the slightest bit, till filled with anger.
She looks to me, understanding.
We understand.
And that was it. From there on we sat in silence, embracing it.
…
Note:
Spens is just another victor from District 2 that I just added.
Sorry if it threw anyone off.