CLOVE POV
I stare up at Enobaria, immediately wanting to believe what she's saying but knowing it's impossible. "What?" I mumble.
"Why do you think they wiped your memory?" she snapped. "Because he never died, he stabbed himself pretty bad for you, but he didn't die. Instead, as the plan had been the whole time, we took him away and left you by yourself in the arena to go nuts for a bit and wind up the viewers, then finished the Games, announced we were wiping your memory because it was too traumatising and let everyone feel awful for you," she explains, perching on the desk. "You'll see Cato again at the presentation, tonight,"
"But-" I gape at her, my mind crowded and throbbing. She's lying, she's lying to make me get through tonight and then they'll tell me that he's really dead, because they can't just make him come back, right? He'll know all the awful things I did...
"It's quite simple, really. Only me, Brutus, the medics and President Snow know," she says, as if I'd just soak all this in and act normal.
"You lied to me," I realize. "You told me that the one person who's ever loved me was dead," I mutter angrily.
"Snow's orders, Clove, he just wanted a show. If I'd have my way, your boyfriend would be in a wooden box underneath the District Two cemetary," she says. "I'm not the one to blame here, just playing along.
"But-"
"No buts. You were meant to find out tonight, with Caeser and the rest of the Capitol. It was going to be the biggest plot twist in the history of the Games. They believe he's dead. They're mourning him as we speak, positive you're the only victor. Snow reckons they're getting hyped up to rebel, because of your little love story that went so drastically wrong down there,"
"Rebel?" I stutter.
"That's the idea. They really loved you two," she sighs. "And they're gonna go mad when he walks onto the stage later on,"
I frown. I don't want to believe they've played me, but it seems like something Snow would do. Play around with us, create a twist in the Games, keep them very much alive even outside the arena. "Does Cato think he's the only one, too?" I croak, unable to look her in the eye.
"No, Cato knows it all, and he's very upset about you not being able to find out. We had to force him into this," she says.
"But why did you have to wipe my mind if it was just a show?" I ask, perplexed. This can't be real life. The Games isn't a fairytale, there's always one victor. Cato can't be okay, they wouldn't do that.
"Your reaction will be more realistic if you believed it yourself. And if we dug deep down in there, you'd probably find you'd remember Cato being very much alive when we pulled him out, something the audience couldn't notice from the cameras, only you because you were there. They saw your little tantrum. Well played," she says.
Staring the ground, I pick at some fluff that's stuck to the drying blood over my arm. "You should have told me," I mutter crossly.
"I considered it. And I came to the conclusion that if you really couldn't cope, I would. That dead Captiol bitch was a prime example of not coping," she says sarcastically. "But now you just have to pretend you think he's dead, until you see him at the presentation, and then you have to act surprised,"
For the first time in a while I look straight into her eyes. I can't keep pretending Cato's dead, I won't be able to! Why can't I be in on this, why can't me and Cato surprise the audience, I think desperately. I'm no actor. They'll expect me to make it really believeable, Snow will want me to...
Then it hits me. Snow wanted this. Snow wanted me to think Cato was dead, and so I have to think Cato's dead. However hard it is, however much I want to see him, I have to believe he's dead. "But I can't convince him I don't know," I stutter.
"You don't convince him, we're both fucked," she says, and I know it's true.
I stand up, trying not to fall over on legs that feel like jelly. "Okay, I can do it," I say. Hopefully I'll start believing it.
Enobaria nods glumly. "You better," she mutters, heading towards the door. "I'll tell your new stylist to get his ass over here, don't do anything stupid," she orders, leaving me in there alone.
YOU ARE READING
Careers Have Feelings Too | CLATO | GLARVEL |
Fanfiction"The thing is, I didn't expect to be like this," he says. The sunlight bounces off his golden hair, and it seems as if it's glowing. "Didn't expect what?" He smiles coyly, and all at once he seems more sure of himself than ever before. "I went wro...
