Forbearance • A Cato Hadley Story

1.03

When the two tributes and the District Two escort stepped onto the train Livia made a point to examine everything around her. The train was a lot nicer than any other place she had visited in her life time. Livia was quiet next to her fellow tribute and escort. Not just because of her focus on the inside of the train but also because she couldn't get the thought out of her head that she was being sent by the Capitol to die.

It freaked the poor girl out and she couldn't get it out of her head. "Are you alright?" Cato whispered from beside her. He could see how tense her body was and he couldn't blame her for it. She wasn't supposed to volunteer so he could only imagine how terrifying it was for her. Livia only stiffly nodded in response to the boy.

The tall boy let out a defeated sigh and looked at the girl seriously. "Look, you'll be fine. Just stick with me and the other careers and you'll have nothing to worry about." he tried to reassure her. But just as before, he got no real response from Livia. Her focus remained on the floor and her mouth remained shut. As the boy walked forward to sit in one of the cushioned chairs, Livia couldn't help but watch him carefully.

She could tell by the way he walked how confident he was in himself. And though he was quite attractive, Livia knew that was not what she was there for. She was there to win. For her sister. She needed to get back home. "Two hundred miles per hour and you can barely feel a thing." Augusta told the two teens as the train started moving slightly.

Livia sat down on the seat next to Cato and the two stayed silent as Augusta left the room. Where to? The pair wasn't sure. So Cato took this time to try and figure out his district partner. "So, why'd you volunteer? We all know Clove was supposed to but her not volunteering didn't mean you had to. So why'd you do it?" the boy asked curiously, turning to face the blonde as he waited for the answer.

For a moment Livia stayed silent, wondering if she could trust the boy. After all he would most likely dispose of her in a matter of a few weeks anyway, so why would she befriend him? But after further consideration, the girl ultimately decided to give in. With only a few possible weeks left to live, why not at least be kind to him? They were in for the same thing anyways.

"My sister." she told him flatly. Cato grew confused at her comment, wondering what her sister had to do with anything. "When Clove didn't volunteer all I could think about was her name being called. I couldn't let it happen. She's only twelve. She would die the second she would step foot in the arena." Livia explained. Tears welled in her eyes when she thought of her sister.

She wondered what her sister and father were doing while she was stuck on this train leading her to the Capitol. All she hoped was that Chloe was happy and knew that no matter what happened, everything would work out in the end. "Well in that case, you can stick with me and the other careers. We'll keep you safe and maybe you'll get back home to your sister." he told her with a small smile.

Livia smiled back in his direction just as a door to another compartment of the train opened behind them. The pair turned to face the noise to see Augusta and Enobaria, who Livia knew to be the Victor of the Sixty-Second Annual Hunger Games. The smaller girl could see Enobaria's fangs for teeth as she smiled at the teens a bit forcingly.

The woman stepped over to the four seats, two of which were already filled, and sat in front of Livia as she examined this year's tributes. It was clear by the look on the mentor's face that she wasn't too pleased nor displeased with this year's competitors. Both being quite fit and seemingly confident, though Livia's fear hid it.

She was confident in herself but her fear took over and made her look skittish next to the overly confident male sitting beside her. "Well, look at you two. The games are brutal, you know. And I'm here to help you as best I can to keep either of you alive. Let's get on with it." she said, grabbing a remote and pointing it at a television to Livia and Cato's right.

First, a blonde haired girl and a taller blonde haired boy appeared on the screen. While the girl looked to be around 5'7 and quite slim, the boy was quite the opposite and seemed to be about 6'1 and particularly muscular. Enobaria paused the video so the teens could get a good look at the pair. "Glimmer. She may look like Panem's next model, don't underestimate her." the woman warned.

"Marvel. He's not someone you want to mess with. Being allies with these two will definitely get you far in the games." she told them. The next few districts didn't really have any victors that seemed to be good as an ally nor any one who looked to be much of a threat to either of them. At least until they got to District Eleven.

On the screen was an older boy, seemingly seventeen or eighteen. He was very tall and exceptionally muscular. He actually intimidated Livia a bit. He could end her life with a snap of his fingers, no doubt. "Thresh. He's probably the biggest threat to the pair of you. He has few weaknesses but his major weakness: Rue." Enobaria explained just as the screen cut to a little girl on stage, the same fear in her eyes as Livia had had just hours ago.

This girl seemed to be around Chloe's age. And if that was the case, she had to have been twelve or close to that particular age. Livia could see the tears threatening to slip from the girl's eyes as she stood on the stage. If only someone had been there to volunteer for her. It wasn't fair to little Rue. Lastly was District Twelve. Even before looking at the tributes from this district Livia knew that she wouldn't have to worry about them.

There had only ever been, in the seventy-three years the Hunger Games had gone on, been three victors to come from District Twelve. Not to mention that two of them refused to have any part in mentoring after that and the one left was a drunk and would give minimal help to the pair. "Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark. Katniss volunteered for her sister but doesn't seem to be much of a threat. Peeta's just a baker boy. Nothing good there." Enobaria told the two.

Livia took a moment to observe these two tributes. Both seemed frightened half to death, which Livia enjoyed. She just hoped this fear instilled in the two on the screen when it came time to kill them. That would just make it easier on her with them too frightened to take her down. And though they looked kind, Livia wasn't here to make friends. She was here to fight her way home.

"Well then," Enobaria started, clapping her hands and facing the teens. "are there any skills that either of you are at least decent at?" she asked, looking at the pair curiously, hoping at least one of them was worth a win. Livia thought for a moment as she realized that she didn't have much to work with. She did go hunting every now and then but not enough to fit her standards of what a victor could do.

"I like to think I'm pretty good with a sword." Cato told the woman proudly. Enobaria smirked at the boy at the mention of his liking for. This would certainly give him a step up in the games. "And you?" the mentor asked the younger girl; her tone now a bit sharper than the one she had used to speak to Cato. Livia stayed silent for a moment as she thought about what she could use during the games that she could somewhat use properly.

"I'm alright with knives I guess." the blonde answered, unsure of herself. Enobaria stared blankly at the girl, almost contemplating if her choice of weapons was good enough to go against the fellow tributes, before nodding with a small smile. "We can work with that. Yeah, we can work with that." the woman sighed. So this was how the games would start?