Chapter 11

When our chariot pulled through the doors, the room was close to silent. Everyone was obviously embarrassed to be outdone by District 12. Cato and I stepped down, and were greeted by both our prep teams, stylists, Spart, and our mentors. Fantastic.

"You did amazing!" Spart cried trying to gather us into a hug.

"You don't have to lie." I replied as I removed my headpiece. Pompona rushed to grab it and the rest of of my team swarmed around me, talking excitedly. I noticed Sephone and Valentine whispering quietly among themselves. I couldn't read lips very well, but I definitely could make out "District 12" being discussed. Cato's team began to try to convince him it was a fabulous performance. Although, he wasn't listening. He was staring in the direction of our problem.

District 12 had just drove in, and their entire team began cheering, and talking excitedly.

"We are all anyone's going to be talking about!" A Capitol women, who I assumed was their escort, said with a glowing smile. The female tribute leaned over, and kissed the male on the cheek. It's all too fake. First they had that entrance and now a love story. Brillant.

Cato just stared straight at them, a smirk forming on his lips. I had known Cato long enough to know this meant they were going to suffer. The entire group turned around and noticed Cato's silent threats. The mentor shifted on his feet uncomfortably, as Cato's smirk widened.

"Let's go upstairs," their mentor said, as he guided the group toward the elevator. Both tributes, stole nervous glances in our direction, as they followed his lead.

One point to us.

A few minutes after District 12 rode up to their floor, Enobaria and Julius motioned for us to leave. Our prep teams waved goodbye so, it was just our mentors and escort leading us.

The elevator was a second from closing when a familiar pink manicured hand, found it's way through the doors. The body that belonged to the hand also some how found it's way in, bringing along some friends.

"Clove!" Glimmer shouted happily. "You don't mind if we ride with you!?"

"Not, at all." I said through gritted teeth.

Their mentors, who I recognized as Gloss and Cashmere, from a recent Hunger Games, pushed their way in to our cramped elevator, followed by Marvel.

The fifteen seconds it took us to get to District 1's floor were agonizing. I spent half my time considering throwing myself through the glass windows, and the other half thinking about throwing out everyone else.

Glimmer yapped the entire way up, while Cato listened, smiling. Marvel spent his time trying to fit into the conversation, which didn't really work out well for him. Cashmere and Enobaria seemed to have some unresolved issues, while Gloss and Julius talked loudly across the elevator. Spart and the escort for District 1, were pointing out each other's "fashion flaws." And I was right in the middle of it all.

"Aw, are we here already?" Glimmer frowned. "Well time sure does fly when you're having a blast!" she winked at Cato, causing my stomach to flip.

I was surprised at how easy it was to breathe once all the unneeded people were eliminated.

"I don't see what was so bad about them," Cato said to no one in particular.

I decided there was no point in arguing, so instead I shrugged my shoulders and stared straight ahead.

The elevator doors opened, and Spart pushed her way to the front.The entire level was complete with the latest Capitol technology and furniture. "Now, we have arrived to your floor!" She clapped her hands excitedly. "You each have your own quarters down that way," she said pointing to a narrow hallway. "And, we also have this very nice living room and dining area to make you feel right at home!"

Right, because this is just like my house.

"Dinner will be ready in about 45 minutes, so don't wander too far," Spart warned us.

I decided to first clean myself up, and get out of the uncomfortable costume. I headed toward my quarters, and was definitely impressed. They were plush and inviting, but were also loaded with an assortment of high tech gadgets. The shower alone had rows and rows of buttons, with hundreds of options such as: temperature, soaps, shampoos, pressure, scents, and massaging. My favorite scent was the vanilla, but I didn't have time to try them all. When I stepped out, a heater dried my body, and a wave of warm air was sent through my scalp, untangling, and drying my hair instantly.

I chose a black silk shirt, and pants of the same color from the infinite closet, and slipped the silver band onto my wrist. There was a knock on the door, and Cato peaked his head through.

"Enobaria, and Julius need us in the living room."

I followed Cato out to our mentors, who were sitting back in the white fluffy chairs around the television. I sat down on the couch, and he joined me.

"So glad, you could both make it." Julius said grinning.

"What do you need us for?" I asked, leaning back into the couch.

"We're watching the reapings, so you have a chance to see your opponents." Enobaria answered as she flipped on the television. A town square of thousands of people stood packed closely together. It was a giant blob of colors and sparkles. District 1. I watched as Glimmer was reaped, her blonde hair bobbing through the crowd, as she took her place in the center of the stage. Next was Marvel, who looked too excited. I wondered if there was anything to keep him from bouncing up and down.

"So, they'll be our allies," Cato said grimly.

Enobaria nodded. "They may not look like much but, they win at least a quarter of the games."

The screen shifted, and I recognized it instantly. I watched as a small girl walked uncertainly through the crowd. A monstrous boy lunged forward eager to get his place beside the girl. It was us. I was surprised by how confident I looked but, the memories of today did anything but raise my confidence.

The rest of the reapings went by in a blur. The only ones who really stood out were: a fiery red headed girl from District 5, a tall boy from District 8, a young girl from 11, and a boy from 11 who made Cato look like an ant. He was going to be a threat, even if he was from 11. Then of course there was District 12. They had a very touching story. Not. The female tribute apparently named Katniss, volunteered to save her younger sister. I was pretty sure I heard Spart sniffling from behind us. They were too perfect, and the Capitol couldn't take their eyes away.

"Alright everyone! Dinner is served!" Spart wobbled on her heels, as she scurried to the dining room. I let my nose guide me to the kitchen were a delicious aroma hung. Lamb chops, assorted bowls of pasta, crescent bread, cheese platters, mushroom chowder, and roast beef, greeted me with open arms. I gladly took a seat beside Cato, and Julius and Enobaria sat across from us. Spart grabbed the end of the table, and ordered the avoxes to grab us some drinks. We all loaded our plates with enough food to feed an entire district.

"So," Enobaria said breaking the silence. "We don't really know much about you two. So, for starters, what weapon do you each specialize in?"

Cato cleared his throat. "Well, I'm pretty well trained in everything but, my best would definitely be the sword." Cato wasn't exactly best with the sword. He just liked the power he felt holding it. Well, it also had a pretty nice blade. No, Cato was best at just all around fighting.

"Well your strength is combat," I added, taking a bite of the clam chowder.

"Right. I can fight with anything. I'm just not as good at throwing. Clove's best at that stuff." Cato said with a smile. I suddenly wished we could talk to each other silently, so I could tell him to shut up. I hated when Cato bragged about my throwing skills, as if they were his own. I doubted that even if I could tell him, it would stop him.

"I'm good with knives," I explained. "My throwing is pretty accurate." There was no going back now.

"Pretty accurate?" Cato laughed. "She never misses."

"That's pretty impressive." Enobaria said, taking a sip of her wine. "Is it true?"

I nodded. "I've been throwing a while. I can hit the targets right in the center every time. I can throw from pretty great distances too." I had to admit, I was liking the attention. I felt something big stirring inside me, much too big for my small body. I wanted everyone to know how good I was. This was The Hunger Games, and even though I wasn't exactly happy to be here, I could still show off in front of all of Panem. I smiled to myself, and at Cato. We were Careers. We would be feared.

"She taught me to throw. Before her, I was pretty bad." Cato admitted, breaking off my thoughts."He was horrible." I said, rolling my eyes.

"Hey!" he laughed.

Enobaria and Julius smiled from across the table. Spart, who I had forgotten about, giggled quietly to herself.

"So how long have you two known each other?" Julius asked, as he shoved another spoonful into his mouth.

"About 6 years," I said. "We trained together at the Academy."

"Well, we became friends about two years ago," Cato added. "Before we didn't get along very well. Clove actually cut me in a fight." He pointed to my name, that still marked his neck.

"I hated you," I said with a laugh. "But, then we just made up, and became friends."

Cato smirked, probably having the same flashbacks as I was having. Cato had said how he just wanted to protect me, and how he had felt bad about nearly killing a ten year old. I was sorry about his neck, and then he kissed me. Nothing like that had happened between us again, it just turned into a friendship. I had to admit I was glad but, I may have had a little bit of a crush. Sure I was glad we were best friends, but did I like the kiss? Maybe.

"You two are very adorable together!" Spart said, breaking the silence.

My face reddened. "Well we're just friends, like I said." I spoke slowly, making sure she heard right.Cato grinned and leaned back in his chair. "Just keep on telling everyone that Clove, and maybe you'll convince yourself."

I actually almost choked. I thought, "Wow, I'm going to die before I even get into the arena. How Pathetic." Well that and if I had heard Cato right.Did he imply that we were together?

No, certainly not. That would be ridiculous. Wouldn't it?

I managed to swallow the lamb chop, but it didn't stop the somersaulting of my stomach.

Cato sighed loudly, "Well too bad District 12 has already taken over the starcrossed lovers spot." I didn't hear any sarcasm.

Our mentors frowned, appearing to agree with him. I was the only one still confused. "Well, we will just have to go with the big, bad, Careers, like always." Julius said. That was fine with me.

The rest of our dinner talk consisted of mostly just preparation for tomorrow. The next three days were training, where we would show off our skills to the gamemakers. The afternoon of the last day was individual training. It was then that we would receive a score that could potentially help us get sponsors. I could hardly wait.

I excused myself from the table and decided to probably get to bed. Once in my quarters, I slipped under the covers and flipped on the television. Bright flames covered the screen along with the faces of District 12. They were everywhere. I angrily chucked the remote at the wall, and waited for a scolding from Spart. "No! No! No! Do you know how much this costs!" I imagined her saying.

To my surprise, it was not Spart who came. Cato slipped into my room, and picked up the fallen remote. "Did you drop this?" he asked, trying not to laugh.

"No, I threw it. District 12 was irritating me." I said pointing to the screen.

"Well, we can show them how much better we are tomorrow, and when we kill them." he said and clicked off the television.

Cato climbed into bed next to me, pulling the covers up around us. I leaned against his shoulder, and closed my eyes. It was just like home, before this all happened.

"You know, you have your own quarters," I said with a smile.

"We only have a few weeks left together, and don't want to spend every second with me? How rude." He murmured, and we both laughed, but it didn't last long.

"Oh Cato, what are we going to do?" I asked, as I leaned in closer.

I felt him sigh. "I honestly don't know."

"That's alright, we'll think of something, and if not..." I didn't finish, unsure of what to say.

"It's not alright," he said. "You know, I always imagined that I would win the games. Then I would get one of those fancy victor houses, and we could live together. Then you would go, and you would obviously win because why wouldn't you?" I tried not to cry, I had already done enough of that. He faced me, eyes open and sad. "Then you would come home and we could live together. Eventually, we would get married because if there's one person I want to spend the rest of my life with it's you." He paused, and I just stared, shocked and filled with overwhelming sorrow. I wanted him to shut up. He was only making things worse.

Did he really mean all of this?

"Cato-"

"And now it's all my fault that we can't be together. If I hadn't volunteered, everything would be fine. I did it to protect you. I wanted to make sure you made it out but, you don't need my help."

Before he could go on, and before the tears leaked down my face I put my finger to his lips, shushing him. This was all too much. I wanted to forget about not coming home. We were doing the best we could.

"Don't blame yourself. We don't have much time left but, let's spend it like it won't ever end." I whispered. I tried to smile, and he forced one back.

He reached out and pushed a lock of hair behind my ear. "Okay." I rested my head on his chest, and closed my eyes once more.

"Now, let's get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow."