Lethal Lovers - Cato Hadley

chapter eight

Velvette has styled my hair for the interviews now. 
"Can you belive the score Peeta and Katniss got?" she asks me. They both received a twelve. Best score ever. 
"Sort of. They want them dead. Simple at that" I say.
"You think so?" she asks me.
"Yup" I say. 
I'm not really in the mood to talk now. Not even to Cato. I've been talking only when I really have to the whole day actually. We were asleep the whole day, lying around and enjoying eachother's company. Cashmere and Gloss go on stage and start talking to Cesar now. They're blabbing about how much they'll miss everyone and such bullshit. Cashmere even starts crying now, causing me to roll my eyes. 
"God, does anyone believe that shit?" Katniss asks annoyed. She's sitting a few feet away from me.
"Apperently, everyone does" Haymitch says, causing Katniss to roll her eyes now too.
I see a man waving at me to get up. 
"Only idiots would believe her" I say smiling at Haymitch. He laughs a little, as I walk by.

I hold the dress up with my hands so I don't fall on it. It's actually pretty difficult. The dress is similar to the one I wore at the party at the end of the victory tour this year only that it's not red, it's white. Snow made me wear it and I guess by the dress Katniss is wearing, he's doing the same to her. Velvette did add a few silver things to the dress so it doesn't look as much as a wedding dress. She said it made me look like a princess. It's silky and very long. On my head, I'm wearing blue forget-me-nots on my head. My makeup is pretty light with a few adds of blue. I do actually like it and it's a dress I would've actually wear for my wedding. To sad that it's probably never going to happen. The plan is good and all but who says that neither of us is going to get killed before they get us out of there. I haven't even seen Cato the whole evening. 

I stand straight behind the curtains waiting for them to open. I'm starting to get a little nervous now. I hope everything goes well. It's only five minutes after all. What can possibly happen?
That's when I hear my name being announced. I quickly put a smile on my face and slowly start walking up towards Cesar. I hear them going even more crazy as they see my dress.
"Oh my god, what an entrence. Athena your dress is amazing" Cesar says.
"Thank you. I love it" I say smiling.
"I assume this would've been your wedding dress" he says.
"No, actually not. I hadn't even decided on one yet. But I wanted Cato to see me in one before we go in there. I mean, one of us could die or even both of us" I say and the crowd awws.
"It looks beautiful on you," he says. "Has he seen the dress yet?"
"No, he actually hasn't" I say, and laugh.
"Cato, I hope you like it" Cesar says, and laughs while everyone starts applauding.
"So, how do you feel about the Games this year?" he asks me.
"My chances are good. I'm fast, vicious and lethal. I came prepared but you never know what happens inside there" I say. "It's going to be tough, having to fight against all these victors"
"I understand" he says.
"I just think it's not very fair" I say.
"What do you mean?" he asks. I look around the crowd to see dreading faces.
"I mean, that it's not fair. They say that if you win the games you get to live the rest of your life in peace. I was hoping to be married and have a family some day but now they take it from me again. I get thrown in there, despite the medical contidion I am" I say, the last part not really thought through.
"Your medical contidion?" he asks me.
"I can't tell you" I say, nervously chuckling.
"Please, Athena" he says.
"I don't want to tell you this without Cato. Let him be the one who is going to answer that question" I say.
"No, you can't leave us hanging like that" he says in an annoying tone.
"I guess I have to" I say, and laugh.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, Athena Aquene, the Capitol's princess" he shouts, as everyone starts clapping for me. I make my way up the stairs and take place next to Gloss. Just as I took my place, Cato enters the stage. He looks up to me, and blows a kiss into the air. I laugh, and catch it. Everyone starts clapping and shouting like crazy. He's wearing a white suit, similar to my dress. His muscles look perfect in it, and his hair is shorter again. Not as short as they were at the games last year but still a lot shorter than he had it this morning.
"Cato, how are you?" Cesar asks him.
"Oh, I'm great. How are you Cesar?" he asks.
"Me too. Lovely you and Athena"
"Thank you. I really do love her. Just to sad I won't be able to marry her and have a family with her" Cato says, a few frowns come from the crowd.
"So, what was she talking about when she said something about her medical condition?" Cesar asks. I see Cato looking up to me asking for consent, and I nod. I want him to tell everyone, not me. 
"Well, Athena and I found out last week that we would have a baby in a few months" he says, and everyone gasps. 
"Are you for real now?" Cesar asks.
"Yes. We found out last week just before the announcement for the Games. We are still very happy though. Too sad that I surely won't get to see the baby" he says.
That's when the crowd starts screaming as crazy. Funny how they only care about the unborn baby but not us. Pathetic. Cesar whipsers something into his ear and he runs up to me. He gives me a short kiss before standing next to me. I take a tight hold of his hand before the next tribute gets taken on stage.

They're interviews are rather funny. Finnick talks about Annie's lips, Johanna tells everyone to fuck herself, god, even Katniss looks funny in her dress. It's awful. Until she turns around. The end of her dress starts burning and turns into a black dress more and more, by every turn she makes. In the end she holds up her hands and big wings appear. The people get up and clap loudly. 
"Like a mockingjay" she says. I can't help but grin a little at the dress. It's beautiful. I look over to Cinna who is bowing infront of the cameras. That's when my grin fades again. As funny as I think the dress is, not because it looks funny it's beautiful, but it clearly stands for the rebellion and Snow is clearly throwing things around his home now, it's sad. It's sad because Cinna is going to die now. Snow will have him killed by tomorrow and I have the feeling that even Cinna knows that. It was a good move though. It's going to help the rebellion form even more. She walks up the stage and takes her place. Now it's only Peeta left. He walks out and immediately has the whole crowd rapped around his finger again. By the time his interview is finished, a lot of discussions break out again when Cesar mentions me and Cato. The crowd starts going feral, when I see everyone starting to take eachother's hands. I take Gloss' hand too and we hold them up into the air. We all hold our head into the air proudly before the stage goes completely dark.

They take us backstage again where we got ready.
"Is it true?" Johanna asks me. A few of the other tributes have stopped too, to hear my answer.
"Yeah" I say.
"How far along?" A woman asks me. I think she's from district eleven.
"Six weeks" I say.
They all congratulate me with a forced smile on their faces before everyone walks away again.

"Telling them you're pregnant was a genious move" Haymitch says, holding his glass up.
"Yeah but they won't stop it. Plutarch and I already talked about it" I say.
"But they're going to see how brutal the games are now. A mother and her unborn child maybe getting killed for their entertainment. This was the exact move we needed Athena" he says.
"I know" is al I can say. Cato puts an arm around me and we enter the elevator upwards. We stop at our floor and see Enobaria and Brutus waiting there.
"Is it true?" she asks.
"Yes, six weeks" I say.
"Too bad then" Brutus says, and walks away. I don't even want to say anything to him. I look back at Enobaria who has a sad look on her face. I nod at her before Cato and I wak into our room. I immediately take off the dress and the makeup before lying down. 

He lays down on top of me, his head resting on my belly. He gently strokes his thumb across my belly and back. While he does that, I play with his hair a little. I can't help but think about what could happen to us. One of us could survive if the Games are normal but is it worth it? I don't want to be another victor just for nothing to change in this world. We need to change the way we look at things, we need to change the way we look at the Games. We need the rebellion. 

"Do you think the plan is going to work?" I ask.
"What other choice do we have?" he asks, and I sigh.
"It's going to work, don't worry. Somehow we'll get out of there" he says.
"I hope so because I don't want to live without you" I say.
"Me neither" he says.