Cato and Clove: Scared

Promises and Confiding

I just really want to thank SpringSagittaria for inspiring this chapter! Go check out their account on https://archiveofourown.org/ under the same name (SpringSagittaria).

Thank you to everyone who is reading this 😊 

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Cato's P:O:V:

When I first met Clove, it was love at first sight. For me at least. Her? Not so much. It was on the first day of training when we were all lining up, and she was just in front of me in the line. I stood behind her ,mesmerised as I watched her glossy, shiny, ponytail bounce around her head. But it wasn't until we went inside the training building that I saw her face.

But when I did, I was starstruck.

I know that it was love at first sight now, but back then, I didn't. my parents didn't really teach me what love was. They certainly didn't love me. Even from the moment I was born, the only future my parents saw for me was one where I volunteered for the Hunger Games at eighteen, won, and made them rich because of it. Even after that, they probably wouldn't love me. Just my money.

But on that day when I first met Clove, I felt love for the first time. Even if I didn't know it, it was there. But all I knew then, was that I wanted to get to know her better.

The training instructor gathered us around and told us that in fourteen years, two of us, one boy and one girl, would be chosen based on skill to volunteer for "the honour" of competing in the Hunger Games. My parents told me to go into that building, train, and intimidate everyone to make sure that person would be me.

After all, if everyone scared of you, they can't be better than you.

But I didn't want that.

But I also had to do it.

Family first. Always.

Right?

So when one of the girls was easily pinned down by the instructor during hand to hand combat training, I shouted, " I think you're in the wrong building, you hopeless baby. This is the training area for four-year-olds, not four month olds!" The words tasted foul in my mouth, and I regretted them immediately, but it was too late to apologise, as she had already run out of the room, crying. I felt terrible but there was nothing I could do about it. I tried to move on but realised that I had made a big mistake. The girl who I insulted must've been one of Clove's friends, because she followed her out of the room, and as she left, she turned her head and gave me a look of pure hatred. And later, when Clove missed the target in training, I called her a useless squirm. 

"Just block your feelings out Cato. How hard can it be, really?"

As it turns out, very hard.

I had ruined everything, and I didn't know how to fix it.

But then one night, everything changed.

I was looking out my window when I noticed that in the distance the lights of the training building were glowing faintly as if somebody was inside. I thought I must be mistaken, until I saw a silhouette flit across the training centre window. I had to know who it was maybe whoever it was would be able to help me sort things out with Clove. But when I arrived, I got the shock of my life.

It was her.

Clove Kentwell, the girl who had captured my attention from the very beginning, the girl who I was trying so desperately to make like me, was right here, just a few metres away from me. I watched her, but I just couldn't work up the nerve to talk to her. I walked away but the next day I thought I had missed an opportunity. I resolved to talk to her during training but she was still making a point of glaring at me, daggers in her eyes.

If it looks could kill, I would've been dead 20 times over.

But I kept watching her, and saw just how much she was struggling. I wanted to help her, but couldn't. Until lying in bed that night, I had an idea. I snuck out of the house again, hoping that once more she would be practising after hours. Sure enough, when I arrived, light was spilling across the vast, empty space inside the building. I was leaning against the door frame, watching as she threw- and missed - a spear, when she noticed me. I walked over and stood right next to her, closer than I had ever been. I felt a shiver run through me at the proximity of our two bodies. "What do you want?" She snapped, obviously not pleased to see me. 

"I saw that you were struggling earlier and I wanted to help you." I told her, which was only half the truth.

"oh really? Are you sure you want to help a useless little squirm? Especially one that's best friends with a hopeless baby!" She retorted, obviously not believing me. 

I took a deep breath and told the whole truth. 

" look, I'm really sorry about that. I didn't mean any of those things. But my parents have high hopes for me and I don't want to let them down. They said to me that I should just go in there, and make everyone else scared of me. Because if everyone else is scared of me then I can't be beaten. But I don't want everyone to be scared of me. I especially don't want you to be scared of me." 

I gave her a shy smile, and the glare of hatred lifted from her eyes, and she cautiously looked me up and down, as if trying to determine whether or not I could be trusted. Eventually, she lifted her arm and reached forward to shake my hand. " i'm going to trust you," she said carefully, " but if you make any of my friends upset ever again, I WILL kill you. Understood?" "

Understood." I had replied, glad she didn't hate me anymore. I admired her loyalty to her friends, and her bold spirit.

So over the next few nights, I taught her how to throw a spear properly, and we became friends. On one of these nights, when I remarked at how quickly she had improved, she told me,

"I'm not really as terrible as I seem. I'm just pretending so I'm never picked to volunteer for the Games. I don't see the point of doing what the Capitol wants us to do." 

Then she clamped her hand over her mouth like she had said something outrageous. Many people might've thought she had. Allegiance to the Capitol is necessary in the whole of Panem, but in District Two especially, support is deep. But I totally understood, and even felt the same way.

 "Yeah, that's true." I said "so does that mean I don't have to be here?" I joked. 

Clove looked at me and said, "technically, yes. But..." she hesitated, as if scared to say what she was thinking, and then continued. 

"I don't want you to." 

Nights turned to weeks, weeks turned to months, and months turned to years. We started to meet more often. During the day as well as the nights. Confiding in one another. Trusting each other.

One day, when we were both 12 -our first year of eligibility for the Hunger Games- we were both sat at my house, talking, when our relationship took a turn. My parents were at work so we had the whole house to ourselves and we could talk freely. 

"Cato I want you to promise me something." Clove had said suddenly, taking me by surprise.  

"what is it? i'm not gonna make a promise if I don't know what I'm promising, because for all I know I could be signing up for a promise to let you murder me!" I joked, even though most people would never joke about that kind of thing, especially when it's a real possibility, but Clove and I had the same sense of dark humour. She didn't laugh though. Her deep brown eyes stared into mine, full of seriousness.

 "I want you to promise me that if we're both reaped into the Games and nobody volunteers, you won't just leave me behind. I want you to promise that you will at least try and find a way for us to win together. I couldn't bear to live without you, but I don't want you to live without me. I can't stand the thought of both of us dying either." 

I was still absorbing all she had said, when she leaned forward slightly, and kissed me. It was the first kiss I'd ever had, and it was full of love, and warmth, and well, Clove. She pulled back again and asked, " do you promise?"

"Yes." I said.

" I swear on my life."