❝ it is sometimes an
appropriate response to
reality to go insane ❞
──⭒─⭑─⭒──
In which an innocent girl finds herself
trapped in an arena with monsters and
her only hope is to claw her way out.
──...
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𝔄bove me, the anthem booms and I can hear Caesar Flickerman greeting the audience. He must know how import every word is from now on? He'll want to help us, won't he?
The crowd breaks into applause as the prep teams are presented, and then Aurelia's introduced after that, along with Cato's Capitol supervisor. I wonder how long Aurelia's waited for this moment? I'm the first District 11 kid to win in a long time, and I can understand that this will mean a lot to her. Varya and Cato's stylist receive huge cheers of course. They've been amazing, some of the best in the game with the exception of District 12's two. Geare, Jasmine, Enobaria and Brutus (who'd been Cato's advisors) had at least five minutes of cheers, the four of them being praised for everything that they'd managed to do, working together to get two tributes out of the arena.
Then it's my turn.
I can feel the metal plate lifting me up to the stage, lights blinding. The deafening roar rattles the stage and as I turn, I catch sight of Cato. He looks so clean, so healthy and beautiful, I almost don't recognise him. But his smile in the same, he's put his façade back on of being the warrior, but I don't care. When I see him, I fling myself into his arms, clutching onto him.
He almost stumbles, but stays strong as I hold him, his hand snaking into my hair, my face buried into his neck. We just cling to each other as the audience goes insane. Then, he's kissing me, properly kissing me, and all I can think about is that Cato's here, he's here. He's back and alright. After another few minutes, Casear Flickerman taps on his shoulder, but Cato just pushes him aside without even glancing at him, kissing me again until I wasn't sure if there was any oxygen left in my lungs. The crowds were going wild, and one wink from Cato made me realise that he knew exactly what he was doing.
Then I knew it was gonna be okay. Cato knew, he knew what we had to do, he and I could work together again.
Finally, Geare interrupts us, shoving the both of us towards the victor's chair, causing much laughter. Normally, it's a single, ornate throne thing, but this time, it's a plush red velvet couch. Cato sits first, and I slide in next to him, pulling me legs up beneath me as I let him wrap an arm around my shoulder. I lean further into his touch as he laughs and shakes his head. He's wearing a crisp white shirt, his own tribute gift on display between the unbuttoned material, and dark pants. On top of that was a dark blazer, contrasting the pair of us completely. I looked the innocent Golden Girl, whilst he looked the fearsome warrior.
Caesar Flickerman makes a few more jokes, and then it's time for the show. This will last exactly three hours, and it's require viewing for all of Panem. The lights dim, the seal appears, and my stomach feels like it's in knots, but I master my face and make sure that I look calm. Despite how much I don't want to see the other deaths over and over again, Cato is beside me. If he's with me, I was pretty sure that I could stomach anything.
