Clato - Like Cement (smut included)

Chapter 4 - Death by a Thousand Cuts

Clove situated herself between the duvet and feather mattress of her bed and closed her eyes.

Friday morning approached 6 hours later, however nonetheless it felt like a blink of an eye. The rain drop residue from the storm the night prior raced each other down the polished glass of her window to eventually reach the ground. Clove could hear the birds having conversations in the forest which the district was shielded from by a tall barbed electric fence. Clove had been in there 2 or 3 times, once because her brother lost a ball over there and nobody was looking and twice because she was additionally intrigued after being over there once. You would instantaneously be shot dead if caught over there by a peacekeeper so Clove tried to keep her distance for the most part.

She pulled herself out of bed and to the bathroom to brush her teeth when the reality of yesterday hit again. Cato Hadley and I are training together after school today. She briefly thought to herself while applying some mascara to her upper lashes. Clove liked to keep her circle of people small. In this world, having loads of friends was more of a problem than anything else especially with The Hunger Games as a factor. The thought of having a friend be reaped and feeling the necessity to volunteer for them would do more harm than good. It was early April and although the storms were horrendous the sun was starting to show again.

After deciding on a grey long sleeved, skin tight v-neck and some grey sweatpants Clove grabbed her bag to leave for school, not forgetting to replace the knife into her bra. "Clove, I need you to wash the dishes and be home by 8, please." Clove's mother kindly requested through the open back door leading to the garden where she was building something of a sort in the garden with Clove's father. Her parents had a reasonably happy marriage but she wasn't particularly close to either of them. She did try to be for a while but a really close relationship with either of them just made her uncomfortable. Clove preferred to be alone most of the time. She could focus better and didn't have to worry so much about other's feelings. Dax scurried through from the kitchen to the hall to meet Clove. "What do you have today?" Dax asked while hacking his boots onto his feet. "No subjects just study. We have a practical building concrete and cement assessment in a few weeks." She responded, preoccupied trying to fix her necklace.

They both arrived at school after some mild procrastination from Dax. Dax never enjoyed school much. He was more set on being a peacekeeper as it was drilled into his head as the most fulfilling life path since he was little. Dax was two years younger than Clove but she was much more independent than him so the gap seemed larger. The day passed fast enough but Clove didn't see Cato which annoyed her because she was in the study wing for the whole day.

She left school and soon enough headed to the training centre to meet Cato. The same thing as yesterday, she walked in and Dax carried on walking towards home. "Tell mother I'll clean the whole house as soon as I'm home." Clove said reassuringly, as she proceeded to push open the cold steel doors. As soon as she walked in her eyes fell on Cato, who was in the canteen refilling his water. The perfection that is a blond, 6'2, fit, blue eyed boy. Even if he was a confusing prick sometimes, he was hot. Clove headed over to the locker space to hang up her bag and grab her change of clothes. As she reached up to put her shoes on the shelf, she felt hands land on her shoulders. "Boo." A familiar voice whispered. Clove jumped out of her skin and whipped herself around. "Cato! Jesus Christ you can't do that to me. You also can't touch this shoulder, I pulled it in woodwork yesterday." Clove exclaimed, her stomach collapsing in breathlessness as she placed a hand on Cato's chest for balance.
"What can I do to you then, princess?" He asked crossing his arms.
Did he just say what I think he said? Clove asked herself.
"Princess? Really? You can leave me alone for five minutes so I can get changed." She laughed.
"What a shame I'm already changed. See you in five."

Clove returned wearing a red sports bra and decided not to change out of the grey sweatpants because the leggings she brought weren't the comfy ones. She pulled a knife out of her waistband while walking over to the station and aimed at one of the dummies. She, obviously, hit on the bullseye effortlessly and Cato clapped slowly as he watched. "Decent." He joked as Clove pushed him over on the arm lightly.
"You try. Strap this belt around your waist and use the 2D targets to your left."
Clove demonstrated the arm movement to Cato and he copied, throwing the knife and hitting the target in the leg.
"Not bad for your first try. Don't take your other arm for granted, use it to help you aim and see straight." She advised. Cato listened and tried a few more times, improving with each throw.
"So, Kentwell, do you have a boyfriend?"
"No. I'm focusing on training."
"Don't tell me you're going to volunteer this year."
"Probably not but I need to be prepared. I could still be reaped. It's unlikely but not impossible."
"You already look pretty prepared to me. If you got your hands on some knives in there you could take on anyone in your way."
"But it's not guaranteed there will even be throwing knives at the cornucopia, I need to be able to train for at least a few other weapons as well."
"Clove, you're loveable, if you didn't get knives you'd be sent some from sponsors left, right and centre."
"I am not loveable, Cato. I am entirely the opposite."
"I don't think so. Why would you think that?"
Clove looked up at him and he reciprocated the look. After a few seconds Cato's eyes fell on Clove's collarbone where she must've accidentally cut while throwing. "Your neck. You're bleeding. How did you manage to cut yourself there?" Cato asked laughing. Clove touched her collarbone and noticed blood residue on her fingers.
"I promise I'm not that clumsy. Maybe I sliced it earlier putting my knife into my bra."
"You keep a knife... in your bra?"
"Don't ask questions."
Cato nodded his head slowly with furrowed brows sarcastically and lead Clove to the medical station.
"Sit. Let me put some cream on it so it doesn't get infected."
Clove was hesitant but Cato began opening the tub already. "Can I touch you?" He asked. Clove nodded. Cato pulled the bra straps on her left shoulder down gently so her neck was more exposed and he could see the cut more easily. He began dabbing the gel onto it carefully. "Cato-"
"Almost done, sit still."
"Do you have a girlfriend?"
"No. Why?"
"You asked me only fair."

Cato finished his minor medical procedure. They both made that elongated eye contact again. Cato tucked Clove's hair behind her ear. "Can I show you something?" He asked, standing up.
Clove didn't say anything, she just had her hand grabbed by Cato and followed unhesitatingly.