The Hunger Games: Entropy (A Clato Fanfiction: NTI Series, Book 2)

Chapter 11

CATO'S POV

"Um...where are we going?" I shoot Lysander a look of cluelessness.

What could I possibly need this very moment? Furthermore, where could we go that would grant me what I need? I don't even know what I WANT right now. I'm still trying to figure things out.

"You'll find out eventually," he grins devilishly.

Not knowing what he has in mind, I decide to follow him, having nothing better to to for the remainder of the afternoon. We head toward the train station and get on a car headed toward the Cone Zone.

"Wait...why would we go to the Cone Zone?" I crease my brow in confusion. Lysander says nothing. Instead, he merely offers what I know of as a devilish grin. He obviously has something on his mind. Knowing him, he’s probably going to lead me into a dark alley and try to rob me blind.

Have I fallen into a trap? Shit...I didn't bring a weapon.

Then again, he doesn't seem to have one either. At the same time, I’ll never know what he has on his mind. He’s a complete wild card in my book.

Besides, what's wrong with a little adventure with an old friend?

The Victors don't usually leave the Victor's Village too often, making them nearly impervious to any outside influences. Then again, no one could gain anything from harming a victor, even in somewhere as wealthy as District 2. Most people aren't stupid enough to try, not even night-hunting career tribute trainees. Besides, the most honorable Capitol would probably send peacekeepers to hunt them down should it ever happen.

As we reach the Cone Zone, I prepare to depart the train. Lysander quickly grabs on to my arm before I can make a sudden move.

"Not yet," he demands, keeping me from moving.. "Let's call this a little buddies trip, shall we?" His face forms a wide grin that almost looks fake to me. It's not a grin of bliss or of hatred: it's something totally inconceivable.

The next stop doesn't even come up for forty minutes. There’s a few large villages located far away from the main hub, but most of them are centered around rock quarries or metal foundries. Whatever he has on his mind is a long away from home. Most of District 2 consists of untouched, open space, except for the few splotches of civilization located next to the quarries and foundries.

"Um...dude...would you mind giving me some context, please?" I try to milk whatever I can get out of him.

"It's a big surprise. I think you'll like it," he grins again.

He stays quiet the entire way there. He probably doesn't want anyone else to know where we’re headed.

Even though he hasn't really changed since went into the Games, I feel like we've grown apart. I went to parties with this guy, even though his parents could barely make their regular payments. I feel like we've become two different people leading separate lives. I don't even know why I took him under my wing to begin with.

The train stops in a village located next to a foundry. Nearly everyone else on the train gets off here.

"Wait," Lysander commands, "The next one. The tiny little village with almost nothing in it." I try to read his expression before we have to get off in order to potentially figure out whatever he has on his mind. He looks shifty, as if he’s eyeing a bank as a target for a robbery. He probably doesn't have anything productive on his mind.

I can't tell if he has anything in his pockets. If he does, I don’t think he’s carrying anything noticeably large or questionable. From this angle, his pockets look completely empty.