FUTILE DEVICES | clato

FOUR

When I wake up, I'm in an empty room with a harsh bright light shining down on my face. I squint my eyes, immediately feeling an immense pain in the top right corner of my head.

"Clove?" I faintly hear a voice.

I sit up slowly, pressing my hand to my head. Looking around, I decipher that I'm in the nurse's office at my school.

My dad stands directly in front of me.

Shit.

My dad has a cold glare plastered on his face, but I know he won't dare say anything until we're off school grounds.

"She's clear to go," the nurse tells my dad.

Is she even going to check for a concussion?

I don't ask. I can't have that. Not now, when I'm so close to the games.

As predicted, as soon as I leave the school building and make it onto the now empty streets of District 2, my dad begins with his lecturing.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" he snaps.

"He started it," I mutter under my breath.

"I don't give a damn who started it!" he barks. "You hit him. He had every right to do what he did to you."

"I never said he didn't," I say, which is technically true.

My dad shakes his head, jaw clenched. "I don't want you talking to him. Ever. Again."

"Fine by me."

-

After the rest of the school gets out, I walk over to Calico's house to ask if she wants to hang out.

Only, when I perform our secret knock on the door, I'm greeted by an unfriendly expression on Calico's face.

"What?" i ask, trying to make my way inside. She stands in the doorway and blocks my way.

"Who the hell do you think you are, Clove?" Calico asks, a twinge of hurt in her voice.

"Huh?"

"I mean, you think you're some fucking royalty who can go around hitting people who she doesn't like?"

"Cal," I start, a defensive tone rising in my voice. She can't seriously be mad about this.

"You need a severe ego check," she scoffs.

"Why are you defending him?" I cry. "I mean, you've known him for like, a few weeks. I've known you for years!"

"It doesn't matter! You just don't fucking do that."

"Jesus christ," I shake my head. "Calico. He just wants to get in your pants," I clap every syllable. "He doesn't care about you."

"Fuck you, Clove," calico spits, her eyes watering.

Rage bubbles up inside me like water in a pot.

Something snaps inside me. Suddenly, I don't give a damn about hurting her feelings. Our four years of friendship? Gone. Everything is on the table.

"We'll you might have to, because no guy would ever dare to fuck you in his entire life," I laugh maniacally. I know for a fact that's something Calico is insecure about.

"Says the fucking virgin," Calico laughs in return. "You're fucking hilarious."

"Shut up, Brunnet. You know, I seriously regret talking to you that one time four years ago. Biggest fucking mistake of my life."

Calico pauses. I can tell that she's debating whether or not to say whatever she's just thought of.

She says it.

"No, no, you've made a bigger mistake. Not dying that time two years ago when you tried to kill your self."

I can tell that she regrets it the minute it comes out of her mouth, but I'm done.

"We're done," I whisper. Tears form at my eyes but I blink them away quickly. "We're fucking done."

"Clove," her voice breaks, but I've already walked away.

I bust through the doors of the Academy, storming into one of the private rooms.

The walls are padded with mats and dummies that line the walls, some with knives and spears poking out of them. Raging, I rip a knife out of one of the targets and slam it into the wall, tearing a gash into the mat. I let a scream erupt from my throat.

Several more knives later, I finally collapse from exhaustion in the corner of the room. Looking down, I see several tiny cuts on my hands that have blood gushing from them.

I laugh. I don't feel a thing.

I let myself crumble until I'm lying on the floor, curled up in a ball. Tears stream down my face and I struggle to breathe, the air coming into my lungs through sobs.

Suddenly, the door swings open and I immediately fall silent, rushing to wipe the tears from my face, only resulting in the blood from my hands to stain my cheeks.

I look up to see which trainer has come to kick me out of the private room.

It's not a trainer.

It's Cato.

"Are you-" then he recognizes me. "Oh."

He falls silent.

"Jesus," I try to sound annoyed, but my voice breaks and a sob finds its way out of my throat.

"I'm gonna go," he says awkwardly, turning to leave. With that, the door closes behind him and I'm left alone.

★ posted January 3rd
★ A/N: shorter chapter for now, but the last one was really long so it all works out. This was also more of a filler chapter, and there will be more Clove/Cato interaction in the next chapter :>