The Games We Played
Welcome to Chapter 5. This chapter will encompass the first 4 chapters as seen through Cato’s eyes. I call it my “bonus” chapter. I hope you all like it as much as I liked writing it.
Chapter 5 -
Bonus Chapter
– Cato’s Thoughts from Reaping thru the Night before Going to the Arena
Cato Canelos was sitting on the train. It would be leaving soon for the Capitol. He was ready for this. He was going to win the games and then take down the Capitol. He thinks about he got here.
Cato
had trained for this his entire life. He was supposed to volunteer last year but the elders decided to wait one more year. He had been angry at first. Now he’s glad. More tributes means more kills for him which will bring him greater glory and pride to his district. But those thoughts conflict with his rebel training. When he was 6, his trainer’s name was Boggs. But Boggs had quit the academy before Cato’s 7
th
birthday. He told Cato that he would meet him in the woods outside the district to say good bye in one week. Cato almost didn’t go. Now, he’s glad he did. Boggs had introduced Cato to three people, Holmes, Leeg 1, and Leeg 2. The fourth person there he knew, District 2’s newest victor Lyme. They offered to give him a different type of training but it came with rules. One - he couldn’t tell anybody. Two – he was training to be part of an army. Three – that army was going to fight the Capitol. Cato agreed, mainly because he wanted the different type of training. When Clove became his training partner 5 years later – she had followed him into the woods and got caught by Holmes - Cato had asked why there weren’t others training with both of them, Holmes explained that due to District 2 being so close to the Capitol and it being the district that trains peacekeepers. It was safer to train less people. Then he said something Cato would never forget, “And no one ever said you were the only ones being trained.”
Six years later…
After the reaping, Cato visits with his family. His parents, stiff and formal, tell him to bring pride to the family, to the district. His younger brother Gaius and little sister Cleo give him hugs. They tell him they’ll see him after the games as if it’s a given conclusion. They leave. Cato isn’t expecting any other visitors due to the fact his only friend was going into the games with him. So he is very shocked when Lyme walks in before it’s time to head for the train. She walks up to him and hugs him. This is very unusual but Cato lets it happen. She then whispers in his ear, “There are going to be other tributes like you and Clove. Find them. Ally with them. You have sponsors from a long hidden district. See you at the training center.” And with that, she left. The peacekeepers came and took him to the train.
The train began to move and brought Cato out of his thoughts. The reapings were about to come on. Clove sat down next to Cato. They were sitting apart from the other tributes. Cato doesn’t even remember their names, they’re that unimportant to him. He watches as District 1 comes on. Clove pokes him when she sees Glimmer, then again when she sees Marvel. The way they walked to the stage and stood there was unlike the rest. Cato knows that the pokes are to remember those faces. He watches themselves on the stage, noting that their posture is different than their district mates. Rather like Glimmer and Marvel. He watches the other districts, 3 and 4 nothing worth caring. District 5 has a girl who looks sneaky. He pokes Clove this time. Districts 6 through 10 bore him. Other than noting the young ones crying, he puts them out of his mind. District 11 brings him back to what he’s supposed to be doing. The large dark skin boy whose physique matches Cato’s and the little dark skinned girl who looks like she’s walking on her toes catches his attention. Cato reads the names at the bottom of the screen, Thresh and Rue, as Clove pokes him. By the time it comes to district 12, Cato figures they’re done. As the poorest district, 12 has some of the weakest tributes ever. ‘How they ever had 2 Victors in the history of the games is a miracle’ he thinks. He relaxes and closes his eyes, not really wanting to see the weakest be reaped. His eyes shoot open when he hears, “I volunteer as tribute!” He can hear the other four snicker, one saying, “Yeah, volunteering to be slaughtered. That’s smart. I could kill her with my eyes closed.” The other three laugh. But Cato takes a good look at the girl. She looks strong, like she’s been eating enough to be healthy looking. He also notes that her arms have some muscle definition to them. When she stands by the two blondes, he sees that their arms are all similar. He catches the name Katniss. He makes a mental note to watch her carefully. Now the boys are called. An average height, dark blonde haired boy that looks well-toned that goes by the name of Rie. The next is a tall, dark haired, olive skinned boy that also looks toned. Cato wonders where the district had been hiding these kids or what had they been feeding them. Then it happens again, another volunteer! Two volunteers from the same poor district! Cato hears the volunteer tribute say ‘well shit’ as he walks to the boy he volunteered for, watches him hug the younger boy. Cato’s certain that the blonde is whispering to the younger boy. It hits Cato that the younger boy looks like the Gale kid already on stage. ‘Why would the blonde volunteer for some little kid that doesn’t even look related?’ Cato thinks before hearing the blonde, Peeta - the name on the bottom of the screen - say “He is my friend and he’s family.” Cato is truly confused now. Peeta looks like the other blonde, Rio? No, Rie, but calls the younger dark haired kid family. He watches the people of the district salute the 6 teens on the stage. He thinks about how they’re standing on stage. He hears Clove whisper, “They look like we did on stage.”
