Clato: The Cost of a Broken Heart

Chapter 3

Elise doesn't so much hug as assault me. She is a tornado crashing out of the house and into my arms. Both mad and happy, she shouts, "Thanks goodness you're alive! Why didn't you come see me when you got back? I thought you were going to die! What is wrong with you?" She's seriously bipolar sometimes.

"I missed you." I tell her when I have a chance. This shuts her up but it also makes her start to bawl. Sensing the commotion, Cato and our mentors (who Elise has been SO NICE to invite) come onto the front porch. I avoid looking at Cato and console a sobbing Elise.

"You." Sob. "Almost." Sob. "Died." Sob.

Normally I hate crying girls but I have a soft spot for Elise. Awkwardly patting her shoulder, I glance around for help. "I don't know what I would have done without you!" She bawls into my shoulder. Finally, Elise's mom Anna comes to the rescue. She calms Elise down, showing everyone inside. Ignoring Cato as I pass our mentors, I ask them, "How did you get roped into this?"

Brutus shrugs, "Your friend called wanting to find you. She was just so nice we couldn't say no." Brutus looks awfully uncomfortable here. It's nice to know I'm not the only one. Even though I spent a month living at the Meadow's, everything has changed since then. When I get to the table I find myself wedged between Cato and Elise with Brutus and Enobaria across from me. How peachy.

As soon as I've sat down, a bundle of fabric comes racing towards me. It's Winter in one of Elise's hand me downs. She rushes to me and gives me a big hug. "I knew you would win." She says. Winter turns to Enobaria and tells her the same thing. "I knew Clove would win."

"How did you know?" Enobaria plays along.

"She promised me she was coming back." I look down at my plate. This evening is awkward enough without Brutus and Enobaria here. Not quite parents or friends...I don't know what they are to me.

"You have fangs." Winter tells Enobaria. She grins and Winter laughs delightedly. Nothing fazes that girl. I notice Cato has brought Scarlet along. She and Winter take their food and eat on the ground, chatting animatedly.

"It's a pleasure to have you all here, and to finally meet you." Emile says. He introduces himself and Anna along with the devil twins, Elise, and of course, Winter. The rest of the table makes polite chit chat for a while and I stay silent. Elise kicks me under the table at one point and makes a face. I know she's asking "Are you okay?" So I just shrug and look down at my untouched plate. I really don't want to be around so many people right now and I'm having a hard time avoiding Cato. Every once in a while I catch myself staring at him and have to physically force myself to look away. I can't have him, not if I want to protect the ones I love.

Dinner is almost over when the bomb drops.

Anna asks Lisette how she knows me.
"Clove visits me at work a lot and since she and Cato used to hang out there a lot I've gotten to know them both." Cato shakes his head at Lisette to stop talking but she doesn't get the message. "One time they got me in trouble with the manager for starting a milkshake war." She laughs and tosses her brown and red hair over one shoulder.

"So Cato," Elise's dad asks, "Does this mean you and Clove dating?" He says it the way a concerned parent might. I think the Meadows like to consider me one of their children. But I'm not. Brutus, Enobaria, Cato and I all freeze. I can't look at any of them.

"NO." Cato says far too loudly. The table falls silent.

"I apologize, I assumed because of the Games and the things Elise told me."

"Victors tend not to date or marry." Enobaria jumps in to rescue us. Brutus snorts beside her and she whips around to face him. "It's true!"

"I know far too well how true it is, it's more a matter that the Victors don't have a choice in it." Brutus mutters.

"Your situation was different and you know it. Don't bring this up now, not when Cato and Clove have enough to deal with." Enobaria hisses but we all hear. What is Brutus talking about? What happened to him?

I feel like I'm going to throw up. Standing up, I back away from the table and clutch my stomach. Elise's parents rise and come over to me.

"Are you okay Clove?" Anna calls, "We didn't meant to upset you."

Elise's dad jumps in, "If you'll just tell us what's going on we can help. What happened during the Games?" This second mention of this Games is too much. Brutus and Enobaria are fighting quietly while Cato still won't look at me. I didn't want to see the Meadows for this exact reason. They don't understand. They never will.

"I don't want to talk about the Games!" I yell. "I don't ever want to talk about the Games!" Turning on Elise, I add, "The reason I avoided you all week is because I knew you would want me to explain. I can't." My voice breaks. The room is still. They all stare at me. Even Cato is looking at me with concern. But I don't want their pity. I turn and run. Cato stands up to chase after me but Brutus lunges across the table to hold him back.

"I can't let you do that." Brutus growls. The Meadows watch the whole thing with confused, horrified, looks on their faces. They are so happy I think having so many broken people in their house at once has overwhelmed them. They don't know who to help first.

Lisette follows me outside and hands me my bag. We start to walk home in silence. "I'm not going to ask what that was all about," Lisette says, "but I can tell there's a lot of stuff going on right now. If you ever need somebody to vent to, I'm here."

"Thank you." I manage in between trying to breath. By the way Lisette is looking at me I can tell she's caught on to the way Cato and I feel about each other and that something has changed in me since I entered the Games. I went in broken, but I came out haunted by ghosts and a broken heart. Thankfully, she doesn't ask me any more questions. And right now, that's exactly what I need.

A/N Please comment and vote! What do you think Brutus's story is?