Panem High School

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Clove's POV
The school week passed in a blur of repetition. Wake up, redress arm and head, eat, go to school, get Willow, go home, train, do homework, hang out with Willow, eat, IM Mellark about my mom's latest stunt, take medication, go to bed, repeat. Before I left the Capitol I requested some painkillers and sleeping pills, just to get me through the first month. I can't even begin to imagine the hell I would go through if I woke my mom up with one of my nightmares, not to mention my arm and head are still killing me. By Thursday night I was already back to schoolwork and was prepping for a quiz in Coin. It's on the Dark Days, shocker, and their relation to now or something like that. My schedule was interrupted when my mom came home early, as did my dad, and called me and Willow to the living room for a "family meeting".
"Now that Clove's besmirching of the family name is over, your dad finally has a court date. He will be tried in a month in the Capitol and we will all be going there with him to watch. Mr. Hadley will be representing the leader who accused your father of being a rebel and Mr. Poletis will be representing your father. Obviously most of the leaders aren't worried about your dad being a rebel since he's still living here and not in a cell, but it's just a formality. Then all of this will be over and I can get back to my life. Lucky for me, until then you have been assigned an escort of sorts that will help you stay good looking for the Capitol and the leaders. He will be here Monday and it's Slate, so be on your best behavior. My perfect child is coming home!!" My mom explained and walked away. My dad began to start dinner and Willow was about to go assist him, when she turned to me. I haven't moved since I sat down.
"Penny for your thoughts, Clove?" Willow asked.
"Slate is coming back. Here. Monday. For a month." I managed to spit out.
"Yup, I'm sure he'll be nice." Willow scurried off and I continued to stare at the wall. Willow doesn't know Slate like I do, well, used to. He isn't going to be nice, he was always a fan of the rules and now that his father is being accused of breaking them he'll just be even worse to all of us than being silent. I can't believe I have to deal with him now too. It's like one thing after the other all of the sudden.
Finch's POV
I'm shockingly still alive. They threw me in a cell a few days ago and I haven't moved since, except to eat and go to the bathroom. I don't think they know what to do with me. They must be destroying my house right now, trying to find the journals. Snow will be furious when they turn up with nothing. The Peacekeepers have always been thorough, but they never go as far as dismantling the house. There was a rebel who lived across from me and was found guilty at a trial a few years ago and I remember watching the Peacekeepers destroy his house. After they all left, I snuck inside the house and had a look around. It was ransacked, but the walls and the floors were completely untouched. I never understood why they didn't just tear up the floorboards, I mean, some of the best hiding places are under loose floor boards or holes in the wall. I used their ignorance to my advantage though. The other day a woman Peacekeeper about the age of 30 told me my family was dead. I waited until she left to cry, but I promised myself that I would only cry that day. I don't want the Capitol seeing me as weak, so most of the time I just sit here and think. I think about what my friends are doing right now and if they've started to piece together my puzzle and, most of all, if I made the right decision. I always knew I wasn't going to keep quiet about my feelings, I'm a very vocal person, I just wonder if that was the right time and place. Would it have made a bigger impact if I waited? Should I have spoken up sooner? Could I have said something better than what I did? All these possible factors swirl through my head as I sit here, hour after hour, day after day. I've begun to lose track of time, but that isn't my most pressing thought. The most important thing right now is why? Why am I in a cell? Why haven't I died yet? Why am I not being tortured? Why is my only punishment to sit in solitude? Do they think that I'll crack or something? I'm a lot stronger than that. It's not that I want to be tortured or killed, I just hate the uncertainty of it all. I'm curious if the whole reason they've yet to do anything to me is simply because they haven't thought of a punishment "worthy" of my crime or if they just have bigger things to deal with than me.
Cato's POV
I haven't spoken to my mother since she kicked Clove out of my hospital room in the Capitol. I've given her the silent treatment, mostly unintentionally, for most of my life, so it's not like it's difficult. There's just a difference in the way it feels. I feel done with her. She stays uninterested my whole life and then one day just decides to ambush me with all of her opinions about how I should live my life. I don't really have time for her anymore. I have more important things to worry about, like Clove and Willow. Everyone in 2 knows about her dad by now, especially the son of the lawyer going up against her father in "court". I also know about Slate's arrival this Monday. I cannot wait. Friday afternoon it was just me and Clove in the car on our way to pick up Willow from school. Glimmer's party is in a few hours and I have decided to go.
"So are you still not coming to Glimmer's party tonight?" I asked.
"No, I've got too much homework. Not to mention my mom is probably gonna be in crazy mode for Slate so I think it would be better if I was at home with Willow." She replied.
"Are you sure it wouldn't be better for you to get out of the house?"
"I'm sure." I dropped it after that and we reached the school shortly afterwards. Willow got in the back and I drove to their house. As I let them out, I noticed a package on their front door.
"Clove, were you expecting a package?" I asked. She walked over to the box.
"No." She answered. She inspected the box and I saw her body go rigid.
"What is it? Who's it from?"
"It's nothing. Come on Willow, inside, now." The two went inside and neither looked back as Clove dragged in the box. I drove away and made my way to my house. I don't like it when Clove keeps secrets from me. I want to know who sent her that package and what's in there. For all I know it could be a "present" from Ajax. I regret not killing that guy when I had the chance. I went inside my house and was soon leaving again for Glimmer's party. I drove past Clove's house on the way there and saw little movement in her room, but the light is on. Glimmer's house was already crowded and I had to park in Marvel's driveway. I could hear the music from a mile away. I was greeted by Marvel and Sagara who pointed me towards Glimmer in the den. I found her chatting with a girl from 3, Lanni. She's one of the people who hung out with Foxface before the games. Glimmer spotted me and excused herself from Lanni and walked over to me.
"Pretty good turnout. How's Clove? Is she here?" Glimmer asked.
"She's not here, I think she's okay, but you know how she is." I replied.
"Yeah. She'll come around." The two of us began to chat with some of the other people at the party and eventually met up with Sagara and Marvel. The four of us mainly stayed in the kitchen, in walking distance of the snacks and TV and music. We talked about how ridiculous Coin is being and how Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark haven't even been seen together since the games. It's pretty obvious Fire Girl didn't return Lover Boy's feelings. She just wanted to win. I don't think any of us really saw that coming. Glimmer and Marvel decided to talk to Pexey Lingham and the Lanni girl, leaving Sagara and I alone. I haven't really spoken to her since the games and my dream. I figured out that the reason I had that dream of the weird world was because I had been in a coma, so after staring into nothingness, my mind started to get stronger and formed this weird alternate reality. I wonder why I made Sagara my girlfriend. I think I made everyone something I never thought they would be to me in a million years. I never saw Sagara as someone I would date, Hawthorne was never my friend, and Clove has always been my friend. I haven't told anybody about my dream, I'd rather not have to answer questions about it. We discussed new prank ideas until my pocket began to vibrate. I excused myself and answered the phone call as I walked outside where it was quiet.
"Hello?" I asked.
"Hey Cato, I-I'm not really sure why I called you. It's really not a big deal." I heard Clove say.
"Why did you call, Clove?"
"How's the party?"
"It's fine, it's a party. Why did you call?"
"Well, I was thinking about why I decided not to come to the party tonight and I realized that I lied to you. Homework isn't my reason. I didn't come because the thought of going to a party with drunk people at night and all of that just seemed like too much."
"I know. Are you okay? Do you want me to come over?" I asked gently.
"I'm fine, don't come. I just wanted to let you know." Her voice tells me something else.
"Clove, I'm gonna come over, okay?"
"You don't have to."
"I want to, this party is winding down anyway. I'll be there in a little bit." I hung up before she could protest again and began to cross the street.
"Hey Cato, where are you going?" Marvel asked as he walked towards me.
"I'm gonna go see Clove." I stated.
"You're gonna let her try and heal by herself at one point, right? It's the only way."
"I know. Just not tonight. I'll see you."
"Bye Cato, I'll make sure to tell your other girlfriend that you left."
"Marvel."
"Oh that's right. You and Glimmer are just friends."
"Wrong again."
"I don't think so. If you were as whipped by Glimmer as you are by Clove you wouldn't be leaving right now."
"Clove has been through a lot, you know that."
"Yeah, but there comes a point in time where your constant concern about her crosses a line between caring and practically being her butler."
"Whatever Marvel, I'm not whipped by any girl."
"Sure." I rolled my eyes and got into my car. I was at Clove's house a little while later and was let in by Willow, like always. I walked up the stairs to Clove's room and opened the door. I saw her at her desk, on her laptop, as I shut the door behind me. She turned off her laptop and focused on me.
"You didn't have to come." She stated as I decided staying where I am is probably the best decision.
"I know, I wanted to." I replied. She nodded and I sat on one of her chairs, not quite sure what to do. This has always been a gray area for me and Clove. When it comes to feelings we keep things very clean and detached. That's the Career way of life, but what happened to her isn't something she can just detach herself from. I understand that, I just don't know how to help her. At all. We sat in an awkward silence as I tried to figure out what to do. I come here saying how I want to be here for her, yet I can't seem to be able to think of anything, let alone actually do something.
"I never thanked you." She said abruptly.
"What?" I asked and she turned in her chair to look at me.
"For saving me. It was really lucky that you came when you did."
"You could've handled him easily, I just helped. You had already got him in a couple places."
"Yeah, but he overpowered me. He was too heavy for me to throw off, so I probably wouldn't have been able to get him off as easily as you did. Thank you."
"I don't think-"
"Can you just accept the thank you? You're usually so full of yourself that anything nice said about you is met with an automatic response."
"Now is that any way to treat your savior?"
"There it is." I didn't reply and instead stared at my hands. I figure if I don't look or speak to her than I can't mess anything up.
"Cato, you can look at me and ask questions, you know?" Clove reminded. I looked up and saw her staring at me while wringing her hands together.
"I... I don't know how to ask, or if I even should. You know me, I get frustrated and say stupid things and that's what led to us not being friends in the first place."
"Distract me then."
"With what?"
"Is that scar on your hand ever going to go away?"
"The doctor said it may fade over time, but it will always be there. I don't see how that's interesting."
"Anything is interesting at this point."
Willow's POV
Clove has changed. The games have changed her and so has the Capitol. She's secretive and jumpy and barely ever leaves her room. She talks to this mystery guy on the internet and doesn't seem to hang out with her friends as much. There was a party tonight, my friend told me her brother was going to Glimmer's house for a party and Clove didn't even show up. This is the first time Cato has been over to my house since she came back, which is not normal since whenever our parents weren't around her and Cato use to hang out all the time. It's weird. Today was especially weird. That package that was on our front porch was addressed to Clove. She didn't let me see the contents, but I followed her when she went to hide the box. It seemed to be pretty heavy so it wasn't like it was difficult to follow her. She managed to squeeze it in the cellar, between two filing cabinets. We're normally not allowed to go into the cellar, but the way Clove knew exactly where to hide the box tells me that she's disobeyed that rule on several occasions, and I wouldn't be surprised if either Cato or Slate were with her when she did. My parents are in the study, arguing, which is how Cato slipped in unnoticed. I decided now is the perfect time to check out what's in that box. If Clove won't include me in her problems, I'll figure them out myself. I'm 10 now, I'm completely capable of pulling this off. I tiptoed down the stairs to the cellar after shutting the door and plunging myself into total darkness. Once I reached the bottom of the staircase, I placed my hands against the wall and felt until I found the light switch. I turned it on and the cellar was full of light in a matter of seconds. I turned from the light switch and went straight for the package. The box is opened, so I guess Clove investigated it earlier and I missed it. I opened the flaps and looked inside to see a note on top of a bunch of packing peanuts and a bunch of things that have yet to reveal themselves yet. I picked up the note and read it, nearly choking over the flowery death smell.
Dear Miss Sevina,
"You are free to choose, but you are not free from the consequences of your actions."
Making a guy cheat on his girlfriend is despicable, especially when you claim to be her friend. Your actions in the games were unforgivable, the way you got a person who is the perfect image of a 2 to cry is something I will not look past. You deliberately took advantage of the temporary two Victors ruling and used it for you and only your own advantage. Some see that as a sign of defiance, of someone who is big headed enough to think she can do whatever she wants when she really can't. You'll find enclosed a
That's as far as I got before I heard the cellar door open and scrambled to hide. I heard heavy footsteps come down the stairs. It can't be Clove or my mother. My dad?
"Who's there?" I heard Cato ask. Should I reveal myself? Probably would be best, but what about the box. Clove obviously didn't want him to see it this afternoon. If I show myself then I'll be revealing the package beside me. I quickly decided to slip the letter back into the package and moved myself so the hiding place of the box wasn't standing out as much. I popped my head up and saw Cato armed with a pipe he must have found on the ground.
"Willow? You're the one who's down here?" Cato asked.
"Yeah. How did you know someone was down here?" I asked.
"I could see the light was on through the crack between the floor and the door. Why are you down here?"
"I was just... um..." Cato's eyes drifted towards the file cabinets and towards the box. I guess it didn't work. Oh well. Cato walked over to the cabinets and easily saw the box.
"Is this the box from earlier?"
"Yes. Do you know what's in it?"
"No."
"Well, it's addressed to Clove and I was reading the note-"
"Wait, I don't want to know. There's a reason Clove didn't tell me and there's a reason she didn't tell you. Come on, the two of us are going to go upstairs and neither of us are going to look in there ever again. Got that?"
"Fine." Cato grabbed my wrist and led me up the stairs, shutting off the lights and closing the door after us.