“NO” I shouted at the screen as I saw a spear go through my brother’s chest. I felt a pair of hands go under my arms & pull me up; I was on the ground, screaming. I looked up & saw the face of Cato, a boy in my class. His sister was a tribute that year too, she died in the bloodbath. I’d never even spoken to him before, but his arms felt comforting as they surrounded me in a warm embrace.
That was two years ago. Tomorrow is the reaping, but today I’m going with Cato to the training centre. According to the law we’re not allowed to train for the games but the capitol doesn’t do anything about it. I’m meeting Cato in town, but first I’ve got to get ready, so once I’m showered I grab a black shirt & some black trousers. As I slip them on I hear a knock at the door. My parents are out so I run downstairs & open the door to see a smiling Cato. He’s wearing black trousers & a red shirt, his muscles showing through. All the girls in the district like him, more than he’ll admit. “I like the new hair, suits you.” He laughs as he walks past me & up the stairs to my room. I reach up and pat my head; I dried it but never brushed it. I follow him up & grab a brush. I quickly get the knots out & then turn to him. “You were meant to meet me in town” He gives me a cheeky smile & laughs.
“I thought we could hang out here for a bit before we go.” He grabs my hands & pulls me towards him. “You look beautiful” He stands up and gives me a quick kiss on the cheek. After my brother’s death, when Cato dragged me away, we talked for hours. About meaningless things, it felt safe, happy even. We became friends quickly & within a few months, we became closer until one night, in the training centre, when everybody was gone, he kissed me, and then left without another word. The next day when I tried talking to him about it, he said it was nothing, it was ok it didn’t matter. He treats me like we’re together but whenever someone asks, he denies it. Not that there’s anything to deny. We’re not together, at least not to my knowledge.
“Thanks, but since your here, we might as well get an early start,” I say pulling my hands out of his. “C’mon.” I grab a cardigan from behind my door as we walk out. As we walk through town I see several of the girls from our school, see the way they look at Cato, how they look at his muscles, how they blush. It annoys me, Cato’s mine. I can’t stand it anymore, I make sure they’re watching & say “Cato?” We stop & he turns to face me. “Yeah?” he asks. I look into his eyes & slip my arms around his neck & quickly close in & kiss him. He immediately wraps his arms round my back & pulls me in. He’s warm & the kiss is passionate. He stops & grabs my hand. “C’mon” he says to me, and then pulls me towards his house.
When we get there we run up to his room & close the door behind us. He turns round suddenly & kisses me again. I’m against the door & have one of my hands around his neck & the other on his chest. Things really begin to heat up when he backs up slightly & I help him pull his t-shirt up, over his head. He backs up and I go with him. When we reach his bed I push him gently so he sits down. Then I kiss him again. I feel him begin to unbutton my shirt, & I don’t try to stop him. My shirt opens & he puts his arms round my waste, his hands are gentle & warm & I just sink into them.
As I button up my shirt Cato comes up behind me & kisses my neck, “That was amazing.” He whispers. I think you can guess what happened & he’s right it was. It was also my first time & apparently his, which makes me feel better. “Yeah it was.” I say. He moves away & I turn around to see him putting his t-shirt back on. “We don’t have enough time to go training now & the reaping is tomorrow, I better get home. I’ll see you later.” I give him a kiss on the cheek then leave. I don’t head home straightaway, first I go into town. I pick some flowers from the side of the road & walk to the cemetery. I lay the flowers on my brother’s grave & leave, not allowing the tears to fall.
