Fighters From District 2

Chapter 9

I pick myself up Cato turns around and see's me lying on the ground

"clove. I'm so sorry"

"Get off me. Stay away from me" I shout at him and run off stage. I fall into Gabes arms

"Clove. Come back" Cato shouts

"Go back to the train" Gabe shouts and I run being guided by peacekeepers. I arrive at the train and sit and wait in my room. I look in the mirror. I have tears rushing down my face and blood. Red thick blood coming from the right side of my lip and left of my nose. My cheek is blood shot and bruised already. And I fall back into my bed and cry. Only standing to grab a tissue and wipe the blood from my Brocken Lips and dislodged Nose. I hear someone crashing into the train "I'm such an idiot! I can't believe I did that!" Cato Shouts. I look up and see the train shaking. He grunts and kicks something. Then slams a door behind him "so stupid! Can't believe it! She hates me now" he shouts. I begin to cry again. "I'm sorry" I whisper. I am. I shouldn't have tried to stop him. Let the peacekeepers deal with him. I can't even believe that his reflex was to hit me. He did only just come out of the arena. All he knows is to fight. I walk to my mirror and watch the tears rolling down my swollen face. I gently touch my nose. I pull my hand away from my immediately. It's so sore. And do the same for my Cheek and lips. I hear crying coming from Cato's room. He never cry's. He must have really meant it. The suddenly I hear another crash. I will go in when it gets quieter.

It takes almost till sun down. But he does and I knock on the door

"Gabe! Go away. I don't want a lecture" he says. I walk in

"I'm not going to lecture you. Cato I'm so sorry. I should have gotten involved" I say. I sit on the end of his bed after shutting the door. He looks up from his pillow

"Clove. I'm the one who's sorry" he says and raps his arms around my head waist then rests his distressed head on my shoulder. "I shouldn't have hit you. I'm sorry. I love you" he says. I look to him and smile "oh my god Clove. Look at you. What have I done?" He grasps my chin and turns me to look in front of him. I look away from him

"Don't worry" I tell him. Pulling his hand away from my face

"No. I am worried. I'm so sorry" he says. I stand up and look in his mirror. My smokey eyed make up. Is In tacked. Only a few smudges on the bottom of my eyes. But I wipe it away. I look at myself and see the battered Face. It's nothing like the arena. But it's a shock. Cato stands behind me and holds my hips

"Look what iv done. I did this to you. I can't believe I would though. I hate myself for it. I'm so sorry. I love you, and I never would want to hurt you. Clove. I'm not going to let myself hurt you" he says. I look at him in the mirror and he looks back at me

"Cato. It doesn't matter. It will heal. As long as we are still okay. That's all I care about. I have had worse. I love you too. But I need to know, why did you hit me?" I question him. His face drops and his eyes tear up. Then his head drops down to my shoulder.

"Instinct. I messed up. And I'm sorry. I would never hit you. I just-I have been I'm the arena for so long. And fighting is all I know. And I felt you touch my arm and. I felt threatened and though it was going to be attacked" he says. It's just as i thought. Instinct. I turn to him. And hug him

"I love you Cato Larker. And always will" I tell him. I burry my head into his chest and his strokes my hair and holds my back to him

"And I love you Clove Sevina. And nothing could take me away from you" he says I smile and we hug for what feels like forever. But as I know far too well forever isn't as long as I hoped.

"So is everything okay?" Says Gabriel. I turn around and he gasps at the sight of my face "Clove! We need to get you fixed up!" He says. He grabs my arm and takes me away from Cato. I manage to grab his arm and drag him with me. Gabe sits me on the sofa and gets out a first aid kit. "Healer?" He shouts. And a peacekeeper comes walking in and sits in front of me. I look at him and see he has been battered too Cato sis down next to me and holds my hand

"Okay. Hello Clove. I'm Damien. I need to have a look at your nose okay?" He says. I nod at him. And he grabs my nose. It hurts when he pokes it. But it's nothing like being slammed into a metal wall or stung by a tracker jacker. "There is no damage to your nose. Just swelling and you lip is slightly ripped. Nothing time can't heal. As for that bruise. Time and ice. Is it warm and stingy?" He asks. I nod again and he just replies with "ice for 30minutes"

"I'll get it" says Cato. He stands and walks over too a cooler and grabs a towel and places the ice gently in the towel then hands it to me

"Thanks" I say

"Rest clove. You need it" says Damien

"But what about the tour?! She can't go out like that" says Gabriel. We all look at him with his pink eyebrows and fluffy coat

"Time Gabriel. She will have too go out like that. Make up can hide a bit of it" he says and walks away

"Thank you" I say as he walks away. And then he salutes

"Clove. Make up. We need to get your prep team to do your make up. Your going to have too get up earlier in the mornings now" Gabe says. Then he struts out. I laugh at him then look to Cato. I still hold the Ice to my cheek.

"You heard Gabe. You have too get up early. Which means you have too go to bed" he smiles. I know what he means. But act like I don't

"I better get some sleep. So I'll get into bed. And see you later?" I say and I walk away. I smirk as I walk passed him. And he smiles to looks down to the ground.

I get into bed and turn the tv on. I watch a strange show with people that are dressed like Gabe. It's a capitol tv show. Surprised they have one. But when it ends the news comes on and I see a reply of the moment Cato hits me. They said: cato never wanted to kill me, But he didn't mind hitting me. It's true. Half true. He didn't mean too. He just. Reacted. He was like this before the games. Angry. He flipped out over the stupidest things. I think it was just fear.

I being to drift off it's been a long and strange day. But as soon as I go to sleep my door opens wide. Letting in a tsunami of light in from the hall way. I squint and see a silhouette of a boy. I sit up and Cato walks in

"I expected you too be asleep" he says

"I was. I tried to wait up for you. But failed" I say with a doozy smile on my face. I rub my eyes open and he's walking closer too me.

"Why don't you sleep then. I'll be here. Right next to you if you have a nightmare. Night Clove" he says and kisses the top of my head.

"Night" i rest my head and hand on his chest as he raps his arm around my shoulder. And I sleep. I dream about the games. As if it was a happy place. We were all talking and refusing to fight each other. Until Marvel. The boy from 1 he tied everyone up. And said he was going to kill people by his choice he killed Rue then foxface until it was only Glimmer Cato Katniss and I. I wake up as soon as his knife slashes my neck.

"Cato!" I scream. He wakes up and grabs my arms to stop them from shaking.

"Shh it's okay. Your okay Clove. They won't hurt you" he says. I look to him

"Promise?" I say as if it's real. Sometimes I think they could still be alive. Faking their death. That happened one year.

"Promise" he replies. He is my Cato and he is my Protector.