Hi everyone! This story is an idea that came to me after thinking about the Careers for a while and how they were brainwashed. I was thinking about what went through their minds, and if any of them were faking it. I love Cato as a character, and I think he has a lot of room for some depth rather than just being the stone cold killer that he is typically portrayed as. In turn, this story is going to focus on him and Katniss developing a relationship. It's going to touch on Cato's past quite a bit, which in my version is pretty gruesome. So, a warning to anyone who might be sensitive to topics such as torture, brainwashing, and abuse. I will post more warnings for chapters that will be particularly bad. This is a Hunger Games story, so it will already be pretty dark. This story is being written as it is posted, and I am a college student so bear with me a bit. In my head, I plan to develop this story across the series. Updates will come as fast as my fingers can type. As a disclaimer, I own nothing. I am just playing around with the characters.
Enough of my rambling, enjoy the story!
As the wind blew through the rocky hills of District 2, hundreds of children gathered to be led like lambs for the slaughter. Yet, none of them were truly afraid. The Academy had already chosen their volunteers for the year. Even if their name was called, the camera wouldn't even have time to pan to their faces before someone took their place. Someone who was ready.
The girl's name was Gwen, but the escort didn't even get a chance to read her last name before Clove's hand shot into the air and took her spot. She marched to the front of the sea of girls and made her way to the stage with pride. This was her moment, the one she had been training for her entire life. Her smug, devious tone announcing her name was met with screaming cheers from the crowd.
As that commotion died down, the escort moved onto the boys. The first syllable of the name barely even left her lips before his voice rang out.
Meanwhile, across the nation, a sea of underfed, quivering children watched in horror as sweet Primrose Everdeen made her way to the stage. She was kind, well known throughout the district for her gentle demeanor. But Primrose was even more well known for being the driving force behind their huntress. Supplying nearly the whole district with fresh meat, Primrose's older sister wasn't just her hero, but the hero of the whole district.
The horrified children watched as Prim recovered from her shock, they moved as she made her way through the crowd, and they jumped whenever they heard the voice of her sister. Their panic had finally echoed into her, and they watched as she screamed for Prim.
At the same time, thousands of miles apart, two voices said the same thing at the same time. One was filled with pride, the other with panic. Both exuded a burning power. Cato Hadley of District 2 and Katniss Everdeen of District 12 were connected long before they met, by only two words.
"I volunteer!"