Gladiators -- Clato

-Win It-

Nothing happened between Cato and I that night. Nothing serious, that is. We both knew our places and our boundaries, and we simply settled on nestling beneath the covers together and falling asleep.

I wake up and groggily rub my hands on Cato's taught bicep. He mumbles something and turns away from me.

It's still dark out, and despite the fact that we can sleep in, my body is so used to getting up before the sun rises that being in the capitol hasn't changed it. I look over the bulk of Cato's body and see the glittering lights of the Capitol still shining in the early morning hours.

"Go back to sleep," I hear Cato mutter into his pillow.

"I can't," I shoot back, pinching his shoulder. He growls and shoves me off playfully.

I smile as his blue eyes slowly blink open and he grins smugly. "I forgot about that," He says, motioning to my naked body.

"Shut up." I self-consciously cover my chest but Cato pulls the blanket away.

"Come here." He pulls me close against him and I sigh in comfort as his warmth emmenates to me. I wish we could just stay like this.

"Get up, Cato," I whisper in his ear. "Or I'll knife you."

"Geez." He sits up reluctantly and stretches, chest muscles flexing. "Ready for the big day?"

"You know I was born ready," I spit back. "I can't wait to get in there and shank that stupid bitch from Twelve."

"I like that attitude," Cato yawns. He gets up and goes over to his drawer to put on some clothes.

"Come on, it's been too long since the two of us have drawn blood. "And I'm tired of this place," I say, pulling on my outfit from yesterday.

"You're right. Damn, this is definitely District Two's year. It's gotta be one of us." Although Cato's voice is arrogant, I can't help but wonder if he's really that excited at the prospect of our deaths.

Enobaria and Brutus are waiting at the table with our stylists and Plumeria as Cato and I walk in. They're giving us suspicious looks, and I'm sure now that they know something, but I could really care less. They know the rules and so do we.

"The hovercraft is waiting," Zora announces. She turns to Cato's stylist and whispers something snidely. I scowl at her.

"Here are your uniforms," She throws a pair to me and then to Cato. "Get dressed and meet us here."

I nod to Cato and we go our separate ways to our rooms. The outfit I've been given is quite simple, a pair of close-fitting pants and a maroon-colored shirt. I notice they've included a knife belt for me, and I grin.

When we meet back in the dining room, I notice that Cato's outfit is slightly different from mine, with baggier pants and a holder for the hilt of a sword at his hip. His shirt is the same maroon color as mine, though.

Plumeria chirps in excitement. "Don't they look just dashing?" She gushes to Zora. The woman nods and gets up, handing me a bread roll as she guides me to the doors of the penthouse. Enobaria's snake-like eyes watch me carefully, and As we open the door to leave, she hisses,

"Only one comes out alive."

I look back as the door closes but she's already disappeared. As Zora marches Cato and I down to the hovercraft dock, I grind my teeth in frustration, wondering what on earth Enobaria was thinking when she said that.

I glance at Cato, but he's just looking stoically ahead. I want to think he didn't hear it.

They lead us out the back end of the Tribute Center to a wide airstrip of gray pavement. The other tributes are being soldiered into the hovercraft as well, and I catch sight of District Twelve's swinging braid.

Zora stops me before I get on the Hovercraft. Cato is already out of sight, but she taps my shoulder and makes me turn around as she messes with my hair. When she's done, I run my hand over it and recognize the signature bubble ponytail she's made for me. For the first time, I give her a smile.

"I'll be waiting on the other side," she says.

I nod. "I'll see you."

And with that, I walk away from her and up the stairs into the belly of the great craft.

Many people are there already, seated and waiting for the Capitol Attendants to come around with their trackers. I rub the spot on my wrist, now healed for the most part, and look around the craft.

Cato is diagonal from me to the very back. He looks very thoughtful, although to anyone else the rocky frown and clenched fists would come off as threatening. He's obviously thinking hard about something.

I feel my stomach wrench in disgust as none other than Fire Girl takes her seat beside me. I try to scoot as far away from her as I can, and her stupid empty-eyed look. I want to slap that dazed expression off her face!

"Give me your arm," says the Capitol Woman to fire girl. Stupidly, she asks what it is. I roll my eyes.

"Give me your arm," She says to me next. I hold out my right arm and keep a straight face as the tiny, glowing chip is inserted under my skin.

As soon as everyone is chipped, The lights on the hovercraft flicker and go dark, replaced instantly by dim blue Leds that cast strange shadows over everyone's faces. I recognize Marvel and Glimmer, Marina ahead of me, the terrified boy from 3, and the sly redhead girl. My eyes finally land on Cato, and he flashes me the faintest of grins. I can't hold in my smile as I look away. 

I feel the vibration of the ship taking off as my teeth jar uncomfortably against my jaw. I lay my head back on the uncomfortable chair and close my eyes. Now begins the short ride to the Arena.

Even being from Two, I have no idea where the Arenas are. Some speculate that they're built within the boundary lines of Districts, which span dozens of miles across. Other think they're built in the Wilds up north, but I can't think of how that would be done. No one knows much about that place.

It doesn't take long for the hovercraft to touch down on solid land. I sigh in relief. The constant humming of the engines was starting to give me a headache. The attendants shuffle around to unbuckle people and lead them out of the craft along a short veranda and into a warehouse-type building ahead.

Once inside, I'm guided down a short corridor to a room labeled "2F." The attendants deposit me inside and are gone.

I see Zora there, and she has a nylon jacket in her hands, which she helps me into. I look at her expectantly as the intercom announces thirty seconds to launch.

"Win it." She says, and nothing more.

I nod. I will. With that, I step into the tube and it closes around me. I have about fifteen more seconds to study my drab gray surroundings before the floor creaks and my tube begins to rise.