I Wanna Be Yours- Cato Hadley

The 68th Annual Hunger Games

My mom and I got to see Apollo for 3 minutes before he left for the capitol.

My mom slapped Apollo and left.  I don't understand why, you'd think she'd wanna hug her son for maybe the last time ever.

"Apollo what happened?" I asked, tears falling.

"I- I don't know, Kenneth was supposed to volunteer if I got reaped." He said, tears also falling.

"You have to stay alive Apollo, for me." I cried. "I need you."

Apollo grabbed me into a hug and held me close.  We didn't share words for the rest of our time, we just held each other.

Then the peacekeepers pushed me out of the door and Apollo was sent to the capitol.

Me and my mom stayed home for a week, and didn't communicate with anyone.  Marvel tried to visit me every once in a while but knew that I wouldn't respond.

I would watch for the public things.  He scored an 8 with the game makers.  That was good, he scored high, he had a chance of winning.

Then I watched his interview.  He talked about how he had to win for me and how me and him have each other and each other only.  Which made me cry.

Then when the games aired I saw what his token was.  I was a pin I made him when I was five.  It says "Best Brother" on it.  He had it pinned to his hat.  He was in a desert arena with some water.

I watched the games, never taking my eyes off the screen.  I needed to see if he died  or not. 

He made it past the bloodbath and he got a spear. 

I watched the games for eight days.  There were three tributes left.  The girl from eight, the boy from seven, and Apollo.

It was the feast, and I saw the girl staked out i. the cornucopia.

"Please don't go yet Apollo, be smart." I thought to myself.

He ran to the cornucopia and grabbed his bag, before he was split in half by the boy from seven.

The axe went through his skull, and split him in half.

I felt myself get sick all over myself.  He was dead.  I just watched my brother get brutally killed.  The out of the corner of my eye I saw the girl from eight kill the boy from seven.

I fell tithe ground, covered in my lunch.  Tears spilling down my eyes.

I heard a loud banging against my door.

My mother wasn't home, and I sure as hell wasn't gonna get up.

Marvel and Glimmer came bursting through my door.

They saw my state and Glimmer helped me to the bathroom.  She helped clean me up, while Marvel cleaned up the floor.

Glimmer helped me change into different clothes, and she looked at me with worry as my limbs were like jelly.  I couldn't move on my own.

Glimmer and Marvel helped me to the living room when Marvel just held me in a tight hug.

The two of them stayed the night for the next few days.  My mother hid in her room, drinking herself blind.  It's like she planned this.  She stocked up on alcohol, she had to have known.

For the next two years, I had to practically live on my own.  I came into training numb, only focussing on training.

"Athena?" Cashmere called out.

"Hm?" I hummed.

"You've been promoted to the real weapons, you get to train with the older kids." She told me.

I only started at her.  I was 14, my brother was dead, and my mother was absent.  The last thing I cared about was training with the older kids.

"Athena, would you like to wait a year until Marvel can join you?"

I only nodded.

For the next few years I turned cold.  Finding myself making more enemies than friends.

"Athena, you gotta ease up." Glimmer scoffed.

"And what, slip up and catch a mace in my face?  I don't think so." I replied.

"Athena, wanna spar?" Marvel asked.

He's the only person who knew how to fight me.

"Sure, but don't be sad when I beat you for the 48th time Sanford!" I let out a slight laugh.

Marvel was the only person I found myself comfortable enough to be more vulnerable with.

As we began to spar I realized that based on looks, I didn't stand a chance.  Marvel was 6'1" and I was only 5'7".  And he was stronger than me.  He worked on working out more than I did.

"Alright Sanford, let's do this." I started.

I twirled my sword and started to swing at him.

He dodged them and threw his spear at me, only for me to dodge his attempts too.

"Gotta work harder if you wanna kill me." I teased.

This riled Marvel up, he came running at me trying to spear me through the stomach, just for me to duck and stab him in the back.

"God damn!" he let out.

"Sorry not sorry Marvel." I said before going to stab him in the stomach. 

Gloss stopped me before i actually killed Marvel. 

"And we have our winner!" Gloss announced.

"Always your winner Gloss." I bowed.

"Hey you didn't even have to use your knife this time Athena!" Marvel laughed.

I pulled out the knife from my waistband, and looked up at Marvel.

"Either you're getting better or I'm getting better." I laugh.

"Both of you have gotten tremendously better." Gloss stated.

I smiled at Marvel, and gave him a hug.

I left to go home to only find my mom passed out drunk in our front yard.

I scoffed and dragged her inside.

I made myself dinner and found myself sitting in Apollo's room.

It was weird without him.  In a way, him being gonna made me stronger.  Like, I was less vulnerable.  I could focus on surviving more.

I ended up sleeping in his bed that night.

In a few days would be the reaping for the 73rd Hunger Games.

I got dressed and did my hair and went to the reaping.  I zoned out for the whole thing.  I figured if Glimmer doesn't elbow me in the side then I'm safe for another year.

After not being reaped I went to the training center.  Nobody is in the training center the day of the reaping so it's easy to get in a lot of practice.

I practiced all night.  If I get reaped next year I had to be ready.  And not some "I think so" bullshit.  I'd be ready to take out anyone.

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