Forbearance • A Cato Hadley Story

2.07

The couple had now been sitting in silence the past few minutes by the window watching the long line of trees pass them. The girl had her legs placed across Cato's lap and her head on his left shoulder while he had his arm wrapped around her shoulders. The small girl had somewhat zoned out, her focus remaining on her surroundings. Suddenly the surroundings of the train turned a darker color and dark streaks passed their line of sight.

"Woah, what is that?" the boy asked, sitting up straight enough to where Livia had to lift her head from his shoulder. The girl turned her head around just as they exited the tunnel to face where her significant other was looking and spotted a symbol spray painted on a grey wall that slowly got farther and farther away from them as they moved forward. Livia sat up on her knees and stared at the art curiously, wondering what the symbol was and what it stood for.

Soon after the symbol disappeared from their sight the train abruptly stopped at a small station that looked somewhat deserted outside of a few Peacekeepers waiting just outside of the exit of the train. Just as the vehicle came to a stop a still slightly annoyed Augusta walked through the doors to the car of the train occupying the two teens. The woman had a look showing the two that she certainly was uncomfortable and wanted to make her visit as quick as possible.

"Let's go, you two. We're on a time crunch here." the woman spoke. Neither victor had any time to respond before stiffly she rushed out of the train car, leaving the pair alone in silence. Cato was the first to stand of the two, groggily lifting himself from his spot on the window seat. Once he found himself standing he turned to face Livia who was still glued to her seat, visibly dazed off and deep in thought. She was nervous. They were in District One.

The birthplace and previous home to Marvel and Glimmer. They had to face both families. The families of their friends. The families of the people they let die in front of them. Livia knew that both families had to still be devastated over the losses over their children. The friends of the tributes from District One who were oh so confident that their friends were coming home. But Marvel never came home. Neither did Glimmer. And they were never coming home.

She wasn't ready to face the families. She wasn't prepared to see her friends' faces on a screen for the first time in months. Livia remembered the night the four tributes met for dinner in the District One penthouse in the Capitol. Glimmer had told her about her family. She had a mother and father along with a ten year old sister and a four year old sister. What had the youngest sister been told? Was she still waiting for her big sister to come home and wrap her in a big, warm hug? Was she waiting for Glimmer to come home and play games with her?

"Cato, I don't want to do it. I can't do it." the blonde told the boy as she felt her heart rate quicken. The boy knelt in front of her, resting his right arm on her lap and used his left hand to force her to face him. The girl's face softened the instant her eyes met his, feeling slightly calmer under his touch. "Hey, listen to me. It's okay. I'm right here with you, okay?" he reassured, comfortingly rubbing the small girl's knee with his hand.

Livia let out a shaky breath that her mind hadn't completely processed she was holding and nodded to him, taking his hand as they both stood and exited the train car to go find Augusta. It fortunately didn't take them long to find her near the front of the train, seemingly waiting for them by the exit so the three of them could step out together. The woman's attitude seemed to have changed within the few minutes she had been apart from the couple. She had her usual smile back on her face and she greeted each teen happily by the open door.

After the Capitolian woman spoke to the two about their manors and making sure they stuck to the speech on the cards she had written for them. When they stepped off of the train and onto the concrete platform of District One the trio came face to face with a large group of peacekeepers standing in a line, making no sound and keeping completely still. "Well, I never. This is not very festive." Augusta exclaimed, leading the victors to wherever they had to be. Livia could hear the sound of a crowd not too far away from her and she could only stiffen from this.

She could feel her anxiety start to heighten knowing that both Glimmer's family and Marvel's family were in that crowd but she tightened her grip on Cato's hand, attempting to calm herself down. Thirty minutes or so after Livia and Cato were put into separate rooms to get proper outfits on they reunited at the closed door that led onto the stage where they would stand in front of the entirety of District One. Cato gripped Livia's hand immediately after finding each other, knowing she was stressed about stepping out onto that stage.

Augusta suddenly appeared from behind them with two sets of cards, handing them to each victor. "Here are the speeches." she said plainly. They each took their own set of cards and made no effort to respond to the woman. "I can do the talking if you want." Cato whispered, leaning into his girlfriend's ear. The small figured girl looked back up at him and nodded, trying to force a small smile onto her face while adjusting their hands so their fingers laced together.

Slowly, so he wouldn't catch the girl of guard and frighten her, the muscular boy leaned down a bit farther and let his lips fall onto Livia's for a few seconds to calm her down. As he could hear the mayor finishing up Cato removed his lips from her own and they both looked forward, wide smiles appearing on their faces for the crowd. "Thank you." she whispered softly, the boy nodding in response. She then took these last few moments to remind herself of her old friends.

She had to remind herself that even though it hurt knowing they were gone, she wouldn't be where she was without them. Her sister wouldn't have her mother-like figure and her father wouldn't have one of his only two children. She wouldn't have gone home to her father or Chloe without them. She wouldn't have been with Cato without them. And Cato wouldn't be here without them. And then she heard it. "Livia Perez and Cato Hadley!"