The Unmatched Beauty (Cato Hadley) - Currently being Rewritten -

Trente Deux

The shock of waking up was almost unbearable. Clammy hands, sweaty back, beads of salty liquid dripping down my forehead. I was a mess.

Numbly, I took a shower, my senses dulled and my head empty. It was as if I was a machine, my body working on my own, and my brain barely registered anything that I did.

I had started to dry my hair when Cashmere came into my room. She didn't say much, if anything at all, but her green eyes told me enough. Today might be the last day I lived.

I smiled emotionlessly at her. I don't know if I was trying to comfort her, or be sardonic, but the red rims that highlighter her tear ducts were swollen, and unshed tears seemed to have gathered behind them. She reached out to hug me, before pulling away and sitting me down, drying my hair for me.

Her long fingers raked my hair gently, and I closed my eyes taking in the small gesture of affection.

Once we were done we made it down to the living room, where Marvel and Gloss stood waiting for me.

I locked eyes with my District Partner, and took in his face. It was no better than mine. Pale, knitted eyebrows, clenched jaw. But whilst his body betrayed his fear, he still stood tall andready. I opted to do the same, earning a nod of approval from Gloss. 

"Come on, we have to go."

Those were the first words uttered to me today, and I almost crumbled, and I would have, if not for Cashmere's vice like grip on my arm.

-

I barely paid attention to my surroundings.

Doom. Doom. Doom.

I knew I was trained for this, better than most other Tributes too. But I wasn't ready. I wasn't sure anybody could be ready. If anything, you could prepare, anticipate, but you could never be ready.

Maybe if I hadn't won that race years ago, would I be here? What would have happened if I hadn't trained and gone to the Academy? What if I had just done like many other kids in 1, and let those who went to the Academy volunteer for me? Why hadn't I just given up after discovering my somewhat extreme case of hemophobia?

Sure enough, I didn't faint anymore, but the tremor in my hands hadn't gone away. Would I even be able to hold a weapon properly.

It didn't matter anymore, anyway: there was no going back now.

I tried to control my shaking, squeezing my own fingers in desperation, trying to cut off the blood circulation, making it limp.

A larger hand latched onto mine. Next thing I knew, I was seated on the hovercraft, a familiar, calloused hand in mine.

Cato.

"Breathe." He whispered, his head then turning away to scare off onlooking Tributes.

I looked up, my line of sight landing on Marina who sneered mockingly. I smiled sweetly.

"The anticipation is killing me." I lied, and the copper haired girl's grin fell. My words were cold and harsh, enough to scare her off, and I was glad that all the attention I had garnered from fellow Tributes shifted elsewhere.

It was then that I felt something cool press into my palm. Glancing over at Cato, I saw that he had placed a metal bracelet charm into my hand, and he then slightly lifted his arm so that I could see a sliver of an identical piece on his wrist.

Right then and there, I almost broke down crying, but I couldn't appear to be weak, especially here out of all places. So I put on a mask, and acted like the trained killer I was meant to be. But hidden from the naked eye, I squeezed the blond's hand tighter, to which he reciprocated. 

They stuck a needle into my arm, claiming it was necessary, and I complied, refusing to meet the Peacekeepers eyes. The tracker hurt, but only for a short while. It was nothing compared to the never-ending fear lingering in my mind. 

The moment the hovercraft landed, I felt my heart drop. Smiling weakly one last time at Cato, and nodding encouragingly to Marvel and Clove, we all went our separate ways.

And that was how I found myself in a room with Ilana. 

She sighed solemnly. "Do you have any tokens?"

I reached to pull out the ring Glimmer had given me, before setting it down on to the metal table.

"Not this." I mumbled

It wouldn't do.

I unclenched my hand, revealing the piece of jewellery Cato had just gotten me, clasping it around my wrist. 

My stylist nodded, and started to unzip my pants, and peeled my clothes off of my, before fitting me into the assigned clothing for the Arena. She toyed around with my hair a bit, and finally settled on dutch braids.

She pulled at the jacket's fabric. "It's light." She paused for a bit, pursing her gold painted lips. "You'll mostly be going into a forest environment, so make sure to stay warm." 

I blinked rapidly, confused at first, but I still managed to whisper a "thanks" in gratitude. 

I made my way to the plate, nervously gripping at Cato's gift.

Ilana finally smiled, softly. "Win, Nini."

I smiled back, although more awkwardly. "I'll try."

And so I faced the blinding lights as I was launched upwards into the Arena.

Gosh it's been a while, hasn't it? I'll apologise for that, been a bit busy applying to universities and stuff. 

Well, here you go guys, it's finally happening! Make sure to leave any feedback, and don't forget to vote.