Forever and always: A Clato story

Chapter 18

Cato

We are now in the hunger games. It's just Clove and I left. I promised I would let her go home. The mutts are everywhere. Clove pulls out a knife and says, "I never loved you, I was always going to kill you in the end". Then I went black.

I wake up sweating. It was just a dream, it's okay, I reassure myself. I put on what has been left out for me to wear: joggers but they look exactly like leggings, boots and a top with red on the shoulders.

I feel awful about what happened with Clove, I wish I could tell her, but I can't. Especially with all the secret cameras around. I head down to breakfast and get a bowl of odd looking cereal and take a seat. Clove comes in a few minutes later laughing with Mackenzie, Isabelle and Cane. She sees me, stops and looks at Isabelle. She is smiling. She gets a a slice of toast and an apple and walks away.

"Where are all you guys going?", I ask.

"Oh, nowhere special", Mackenzie replies. Wow, they all are very annoyed at me. Tomaz comes in and sits with me, "We need to talk".

I nod and say, "I thought all you guys knew about this".

"We had nothing to do with this. This is all about District 1 wanting to win. They lied to you Cato. Glimmer knows perfectly what's going on and think that you don't. You need to show them up and prove that you only have feelings Clove".

"But how?"

"In 4 days in the interview, then the games. In the interview, you say that you love a girl but, she came here with you and you give small hints as to who it is. Okay?"

"Okay. I have got to go"

"Good boy". So I'm now a dog?

The actual training rooms are underground and with the elevators, we arrive in less than a minute. The doors open to show a massive gymnasium filled with various weapons and stations of all sorts. The other tributes are gathered in a semi-circle around the trainer. I join Clove but tapping her on the shoulder. She flinches and flicks my hand away. The head trainer is a tall, athletic women Atala and she begins by welcoming us and reading out our training schedule. She begins to read the list of stations available and whilst she does that, I look around at the other tributes. I'm tall and more muscular than most of them. Clove is a lot smaller but looks so much more lethal. We are not aloud to fight with the other tributes as we will have plenty of time for than in the arena. Once she is done, I walk over to the knife station where I expect Clove to be. She does come over here and gathers 7 knives and enters the simulation. It begins and she doesn't miss at all. All in the heart. What can I say, she's the girl who never misses.

Everyone gathers round her and claps. She blushes then walks over to the hand to hand combat area. She completes that perfectly as well so I decide to go back to the knife section. A guy, perhaps from District 10 is checking her out. And I mean properly. Especially at her breasts and butt; he will pay. I walk over to him and lean over him.

"Don't you dare check out my Clover again", I hiss, "Your on my kill list 10". I slowly walk away when I notice that I left my knife back by the station and some idiot stole it.

"You stole me knife!", the boys shakes he head, "I will kill you on the spot if you don't give it back!". I put him in a headlock and look for Clove. She is giggling, that's when the peacekeepers break up the fight. I spot Peeta climbing and failing and wander over to Clove to watch. She is laughing carelessly, as if 23 of us won't be dead in 2 weeks.

"Am I forgiven?", I ask. Hoping for a yes.

"No. Your a jerk". Not the answer I was looking for.

"Can we at least make fun of Peeta together?".

"As long as in the arena I kill Katniss, you get Peeta". I laugh and says that fine. Anything to make her happy. Glimmer and Marvel join us. Marvel says hello to Clove and me and laughs with us. Glimmer is being her usual stuck up self and is trying to kiss me.

"Later Glim", I whisper and she giggles. How is that funny?

Katniss looks embarrassed by Peeta and tells him something, he walks over to the weights and pick he heaviest one up and throws it. I'm actually impressed, we should get him on our side then kill him off later. The bell goes for lunch and Glimmer and Marvel go ahead whilst I hang back with Clove.

"What was that all about with the guy?", she asks.

"He was checking you out!"

"Why would that worrying you?".

"Because it's wrong for him to do that"

"But it's okay for you to do it?".

"Yes"

"Just likes it okay to cheat on me?"

"No! I didn't cheat on you. I'm only trying to protect you!"

"I don't need you protecting me Cato but I think Glimmer might"

"I-Can I at least explain?".

"You have 2 minutes"

"When I got off the elevator with Glimmer, her mentors wanted to speak with me. They said that to get sponsors I had to pretend to be in love with her. The Capitol loves a love story"

"What about our love story? If you didn't want to be part of it why didn't you stick to the original plan? Us".

"I'm doing this for you Clove! So you can go home!"

"What do you mean?"

"All this is getting me sponsors, they keep us alive, they will keep you alive!".

"What about you?".

"All long as you get home...".

"No, Cato. You love Glimmer and that's fine with me".

"But I don't love her Clove".

"I know you Cato, if you don't like something, you say and do what you want, not what others want"

"I'm trying to help you survive this!".

"I don't need your stupid lovey-dovey help!". She doesn't get it! Why do I bother?