Gladiators -- Clato

-A Girl's Anger-

want to scream. I want to throw something. I watch in fury as Cato mutters curses under his breath and grabs the largest sword there is from the weapons rack. His face distorted in anger, he slashes away at the foam dummies, slicing off heads and limbs with a furious accuracy. I barely have time to think of possible ways to murder him when I feel a tentative tap on my shoulder.

"What?" I snarl. I whirl around to find the District 4 girl looking at me. She seems a little put off by my harsh response but she definitely isn't cowering like the other tributes.

"Hello," she says. "I'm Marina. from-"
"Four, yeah," I mutter. "you want into the alliance?"

She nods, her bun of brown hair bobbing up and down. "Yes. i'm good with a harpoon."

"A harpoon?" I scoff. "It's the Hunger Games, not a fishing excursion."

Marina looks angry but continues. "I've been training. With Finnick," she adds.

This catches my attention. I remember watching Finnick Odair's games. He won at only fourteen, the youngest age ever for a winning tribute. Although, the only reason he won was because he had been gifted a trident by his sponsors.

"Ok. maybe you've got what it takes," I say. "But i'm not the boss here. Go ask that big blonde lumbering dickhead over there," I point at Cato.

Marina gives a timid smile. "Not too keen on him?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Go ask him. Don't come crying if he yells at you, though." I dismiss the girl, and walk to where I can get a better vantage point of the other tributes.

The boy from twelve is muscular, but he stays around with the girl. They hang around the unpopular stations tying knots and painting themselves or whatever. The more I watch them, the more I think that the whole fire stunt in the parade was just a spectacle by the stylists in order to earn them favor. Fire Girl will meet my knife just like any other.

Eventually the Career tributes group together, and it seems Cato allowed Marina to join our alliance, but she hangs around toward the back timidly.

While four does tend to produce career tributes, they have the least winners out of the career districts. I know Cato won't write her off though. He's got his eye on the boy from twelve and the one from eleven, the huge dark boy named Thresh.

"Well. what do we think?" Cato asks the four of us. it's obvious he's already staking his claim as the leader, and while the pair from one and Marina seem alright with it, I hate it.

"Well, honestly I think this may be an easy year," Glimmer laughs. "You see that boy, from Ten? He's tall and strong but he's got a crippled leg."

The boy is sparring with a trainer using a serrated knife. The way he wields it, it's obvious he has at least some experience with it. I suppose it's not too surprising, him being from the livestock district. All they do all day is chop animals up.

"What about the boy from Three?" Marvel suggests. "he seems smart."

Cato laughs at him. "Three? good one, Marvel."
Marvel mutters something under his breath.
"I think I definitely want Eleven. He's massive," Cato grunts. "And he has that... weird curved thing."

"a sickle?" Marina interjects.

"yeah, what she said," Cato crosses his arms. "How should we ask him to join us?"

"Not all of us at once," I say, finally talking. "We'll scare him off."

"Cato, you go ask him," Glimmer says sweetly.

"yeah, fine." placing his sword back on the rack, Cato makes his way over to Thresh, who is talking to his little district partner. I watch the boys gaze, and he looks immediately defensive. Cato has his shoulders down, standing straight but not arrogant. he's trying to come off as friendly.

I watch as Thresh shakes his head and says something that makes Cato give a strained smile. The two part peacefully, but I can see the frustration in Cato's eyes as he walks back to us.
"He said no," says Cato.

"Idiot," Glimmer lilts. "He knows we'll be hunting him, right?"

"Oh, he knows. Those outer districts have too much pride to join us. We all know what they think of the careers."

"I don't blame him," Marina says. Everyone looks back at her, shocked. "I mean, think of how many of their kids we've slaughtered in the past."

"Shut your mouth, puddlejumper," Glimmer sneers. "You look like you just crawled out of that swamp of yours."

Cato laughs with Glimmer, but I say nothing and watch as Marina sighs dejectedly. She's actually very pretty, with wide doe eyes and cool tan skin. Glimmer is just a bitch.

We finish up training for the day after lunch, although I wanted to go for longer. Cato claims we've intimidated people enough and should now go and rest. Him and the others go up back to their floors, while I stay down in the training center a little longer.

When I do come upstairs, however, what I see makes me grind my teeth. Glimmer and Cato on the couch, grinning and laughing as they watch some stupid Capitol sitcom. She's snuggled into his side and he has his arm over her. The sight of it makes me so angry I run to my room and slam my door shut.

Screw Cato and his stupid confessions. My mother always used to tell me men will use you for what they want and then abandon you. So he wanted to break my spirit, huh? I think of the passionate kiss from the night before, and let out a scream, ramming my hands against my bedside table, sending my lamp crashing to the floor.