To Be A Career (A Very Clove Story)

Chapter 9- To Be Found Out

"Clove," I hear a sing-song voice say. I must be at home, and it must be Karma telling me to wake up and go to school.

"Let me sleep, Karma," I say. Forgive me, it's Monday. Or is it?

"Who's Karma?" I hear the voice say. Then it hits me. I'm in the Games.

"I thought I was home. Now shut up and let me sleep!" I say.

"Cato! She won't wake up!" I hear Glimmer whine.

"If I wake up, will you stop talking?" I ask.

"Well, she's obviously awake enough to fight with Glimmer," Peeta laughs.

"Be quiet and go back to dreaming about Katniss, Lover Boy," I say, sitting up as I do so.

"Well, you're awake now. Let's go!" Mr. Marvelous says.

"Why do we have to go anywhere?" I ask.

"Because we need food, and to find other tributes. You know this, Clove."

"Okay, I'm going," I say as I get up.

Fish Face is a cheerful morning person, the kind that is so cherry that you want to stab them. Or at least, I do. Peeta is not cheerful, but he isn't as dead as I am. Mr. Marvelous Marvel actually looks like he's falling asleep. Cato and Glimmer are awake enough to flirt with each other, so they must be okay. It's just me and Marvel, the only normal people who hate the morning.

"Dammit, what I'd give for a latte!" I say to no one in particular. No one responds. Glimmer doesn't say that she'd give pretty much anything too, Cato doesn't laugh at my latte addiction, Fish Face isn't hanging on Glimmer's arm, absorbing everything she says. All of this is because of Cato and Glimmer, the Career couple that makes me want to cry, kill something, and die at all the same time. Even thinking about the kiss almost brings me to tears.

Glimmer giggles at something Cato is saying, and I roll my eyes.

"Clove, tell them to shut up already!" Marvel begs.

"Cato, Glimmer, Mr. Sleepy over here says to shut up so he can sleep!" I say.

"Tell him to wake up already!" Glimmer responds.

"Glimmer says to wake up already," I tell him.

"Forget it, Clove," he sighs.

We all do the same things for a while, and then Cato says, "We need to do something."

"Like what?" Lover Boy asks.

"Like get some water, and find other tributes."

"Okay," Lover Boy agrees.

"Fi-uh, Pippa and Marvel, you two go try to find some water. Lover Boy, Clove, you two look for other tributes," Cato orders.

"Then what will you and Glimmer do?" Fish Face asks.

"We'll guard the camp," Cato says.

"More like have a full on make-out session," I mutter under my breath.

"Let's go then," Lover Boy says to me.

"Okay," I agree.

We walk around for awhile, looking for signs of other tributes. We're silent, him probably thinking of Katniss, and me actually focusing on where the other tributes might be.

"You like Cato," he says unexpectedly.

"What the- No!" I deny, hoping I didn't sound as stupid as I did inside of my head.

"That just proved my point," he says.

"How did you know?" I ask him. Really, if he found out, how long would it take Glimmer, Cato, Mr. Marvelous, or even Fish Face?

"Because the way you look at him is the exact way I look at Katniss. And general behavior analysis." He shrugs.

"You don't think anyone else knows?" I can only hope that no one else knows.

"I think Glimmer knows that you're closer to him than anyone else, but other than that, I don't think so."

I let out a sign of relief.

"Good. You better not tell anyone. I'll kill you in very painful ways, and then kill Katniss. And I mean it." Really, it would be a good excuse to kill her.

"I wasn't going to anyways. But now I definitely won't," he says.

We head back. Nothing to do, nothing left to say. He knows my secret, but something tells me this boy is going to keep it.

"Hello, Love Birds! We bring no dead tributes," I say, walking onto camp, which Glimmer and Cato are currently occupying. I see them pop up, connected at the hand.

"Crap. And I was hoping for some entertainment," Cato grumbles.

"Oh Kitty Cat, you're such a boy," I tease.

"That nickname sucks, Clove," Glimmer says.

"I think it's brilliant," Mr. Marvelous says, walking back with Fish Face.

"Thanks. Did you find any water?" I ask them.

"Better. We found a lake!" he exclaims.

"Let's go, them," I say as I pack up the stuff. They follow my lead, picking up and packing up.

We walk for a while. Fish Face and Glimmer are talking in obnoxious and loud voices. Mr. Marvelous and Cato are staring at Glimmer, but Marvel sometimes turns around and looks at me. Peeta is walking right next to me, not really paying attention to anything, not even Glimmer. He renews my faith in the male gender on days like this.

Cato is staring with his mouth wide open. I'm going to have to step up my game. I walk over to him, hoping that I look confident.

I lean over his shoulder, and I move my hand to close his jaw.

"You're going to start catching flies if your mouth is open any longer," I whisper, hoping to sound more confident than I feel.

"I looked that stupid?" he whispers back.

"Yes, you did, love," I whisper, and walk away.

We get to the lake. We set up the camp. Mr. Marvelous offers to sleep outside. He goes out, and Fish Face, Peeta, and Cato fall asleep instantly. Mr. Marvelous and Glimmer are guarding the outside. I move silently, and I look outside of the tent.

"I don't really like him much anyway," I hear Glimmer say.

"Then who do you like?" Mr. Marvelous asks her.

"You," she replies, and she leans in and kisses him.