Forever and always: A Clato story

Chapter 14

Cato

Mackenzie shouts for Clove to come to dinner. No reply. I get up and walk over to Cloves door. When I knock, I get no answer although the door is left open ajar. I take a chance and walk in, nothing. No sound or any sign of life. My eyes a just to the darkness of the room and fingers appear out of the bath, which room was left wide open. Is she trying to tell me something? As I edge towards the door she still doesn't move, not a sound either. I swallow with worry and step into the bathroom to find a pale, lifeless face staring back at me.

I yell at the top of my lungs, "CLOVE! PLEASE, SOMEONE HELP HER!". Tears stream down my face as I pull her out of the bath. Within a matter of minutes a handful of medical staff appear and I am dragged out the room by security.

"Let go of me you peasant! I love her! If she dies, I will personally kill all of you!", I scream as I thrash my arms and legs about forcing to be let go of. If she dies, I want to be there, I need to be there. I make my way back into the bathroom, hitting anyone who gets in my way. They finally give up and release me.

Her pale face, midnight blue eyes, her laugh, her cry. All these little things make up Clove and now they are useless. She isn't coming back, they can try but she is all ready gone. I know she is but I still hold her hand and whisper sweet things to her as they set up to give her CPR.

"Clover, I love you, I always have and nothing will ever change that. Please, say something, please", no reply, " Say something, I'm giving up on you". I wipe a remaining tear from my eye and kiss her gently on the forehead as I stand up to let the medics come through. I can't bear to watch them try to bring her back to life. The tears begin to flow again.

Clove

Cato's voice whispers, "Clover, I love you, I always have and nothing will ever change that. Please,say something, please". I feel an urge to be with him, not whatever stage I am now. I need him and he needs me. We are meant to be together, Clove and Cato. My eye are glued together, my legs and and pinned to the ground. I struggle and scream inside my head. I can't die, I won't die! I repeat this several times in my head, this is not the end. Pressure blares on my chest.

A thump on my chest, a beat in my heart. I am back.

Cato

A rise of her chest, a beat of the heart, a cough.

This can't be happening. Clove is, was, dead.

She is alive.

I rub my eyes to check I'm not seeing things, she is really back and is not pretend. She is helped up and rested against the bath tub still looking half dead, but beautiful, always beautiful.

After all the trauma, I go back to my room and just sit and reflect. She was so close to dying, I can't let that happen again; Clato, forever and always.

I'm shaking, with cold or fear I don't know. I don't understand her; she wants to be fearless, she tries to drown herself, she wants to be remembered, giving up is weak. I can't deal with her if she won't act like she says she is or wants to be. Maybe it would be easier if we were just allies, not star crossed lovers.

Clove

I'm weak. Not just because I tried to commit suicide, because I'm everything I said I wasn't. All my life I have been trying so hard to stop being so girly, so fragile. Cato will never forgive me.

I have been told to trying a sleep to regain strength but I can't, not after this. There are too many things on my mind. I have to be strong, fearless, a threat. Salty water drips from my eyes. I'm not crying, tough girls don't cry. I slip into a deep, dark sleep of nightmares.

I awake with sweat on my face and a prod on my shoulder.

"Up,up,up! Today we arrive in the Capitol. I want you down for breakfast in 30, okay? Let's forget about yesterday, start fresh", Mackenzie informs and leaves. Leaving a rich, sweet smell behind her. I rise from my bed and walk over to the wardrobe and pull a flowery dress out but soon return it. This is not what tough girls wear. Instead it pull out a pair of leather leggings, combat boots and a tank top. I apply a thick, dark coat of mascara and eye liner and pull my hair into a braid. I decide to talk to Cato before breakfast, too make sure he isn't too badly annoyed at me.

I stand outside his door and knock 3 times, "Come in", is the reply. I open the door to see a shirtless Cato gazing out the window. Obviously oblivious to who is in his room.

"Uh, hi", I begin, "Mackenzie wants us down for breakfast in a bit". He turns to me but doesn't smile. He walks to me so we are parallel; I avoid looking into his eyes; that would make it more awkward than it already is.

He shakes his head and says, "What am I going to do with you?". I can see a slight grin appearing.

"I'm sorry"

"I am too. I just don't know if I can deal with us together anymore, with the games and the pressure of having a victor from our district". The grin disappears. What happened to 'Forever and always'?. I'm still wearing the the bracelet he gave me. I slip it off and put it in his hands.

"What are you doing?", he asked shakily.

"Your right Cato, only one of us does make it out alive, what's the point in love? It's gonna end, isn't it?", I turn and walk away.

"Clove", he whispers. I ignore him, "Clove", he repeats, " I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. I almost lost you, I don't want it to happen again". I turn to face him once again this time with my eyes tearing up.

" What are we going to do? What if we are the only two left? All these questions Cato and we don't know the answers. Maybe it's best to only be allies..." This time I'm leaving his room. I feel a pull on my arm, a body against mine, his arms around my waist now and he is softly whispering into my ear, "I love you Clove, you know that and we both know that we don't want to break up. We are Clato; Clato, forever"

"And always", we say simultaneously. He hands find mine and he slips the bracelet back on and then reaches down to my hips, pulling me in closer,kissing my neck.

"Not now", I push him away, "We are supposed to be having breakfast.