the girl who played with knives || clato ✔️

20

Cato

Mortar wakes me in the morning so we can 'get started'. He's supposed to give me an angle for the interviews tomorrow. I am dreading this.

After a while we settle on ruthless killing machine, which I'm not particularly fond of. Mortar asks me random questions that I am supposed to look tough and deadly when I answer.

"Are you prepared?" Mortar asks, pretending to be the interviewer.

"Probably," I say casually. Mortar rolls his eyes.

"You look the part, okay? You just have to act it," he says. "You are bloody, brutal Cato form District Two. Now try again."

"You told me to be honest," I retort.

"I told you to be strong! You need to be very sure of yourself when you answer. No I-think-so's or maybes. Now try. Again."

"Yes."

"I'm gonna need you to try a little harder."

"Yes!" I yell angrily.

"Come on, boy! I'm trying to help you! If you look menacing, the other tributes'll stay away and you'll seem promising to sponsors. I'm trying to keep you alive. You'll have a better chance of winning if you listen to me."

"I don't want to win! Winning means killing my friends!"

"This isn't summer camp. You don't have friends anymore. Clove isn't your friend. Those tributes from One and Four aren't your friends! They are your enemies! They-"

"They're just kids! We're all just kids! Do you really think that just because you turned into a monster in the arena that everyone does?!" I'm screaming now, and I've risen from my chair involuntarily, heated by his accusations, by my own doubts.

"I'm done trying with you. Play the part. Get the sponsors. Stay alive. You're on your own now." Mortar stands and exits, leaving me alone in my room with my thoughts. I wonder if Clove is having such an awful time with Lav.

Clove

"We need an angle. Some specific personality that you'll uphold to get sponsors," Lav says. "I played the role of innocent in my Games. Any ideas what you could be?"

I shake my head. Lav peers at me for a while.

"How about fierce? You were reaped. You may be scared, but you're pushing that away. You're prepared to do what it takes to survive."

I nod slowly. I don't exactly feel this way, but maybe it'll get me sponsors, which could keep Cato and I alive a little longer. But why would that matter? Well both die in the end. Why am I even thinking like this? I know why. Because I still want Cato to make it.

"Does that work?" Lav asks. I nod again and she gets to work on asking me random questions that I could be asked tomorrow and helping me figure out how to respond. It's sort of fun. Mostly because Lav is very kind, which you wouldn't think she could ever be if you'd seen how ruthless she was in her Games.

I decide to take dinner in my room. I don't want to see Cato right now, because he might find out my plots to still try and keep him alive. I know he'll be sad going home without me, but he has a family- a pregnant mother- and he can help to comfort my family as well.

I force myself to fall asleep, and dream about a future where Cato and I somehow both survive the Games.

-

I'm woken up early in the morning by my prep team. They take me to their prep room and begin to make me beautiful. Lav has explained how I need to look fierce, so that's how they plan to present me.