Blood Lust - Cato (Completed)

Chapter Four

"In two weeks, 23 of you will be dead. At least, if you're lucky. Obviously, there will be no fighting with the other tributes. You'll have plenty of time for that in the Arena. I know everybody wants to grab a sword, to begin with, but most of you will die from natural causes. 10% from infection, 20% from dehydration. Exposure can kill as easily as a knife." Atala states. After recovering from her direct speech, my eyes wander and eventually focus on the District 2 male tribute, Cato. His eyes shift from her to me. Clenching his jaw, he smirks. I try to hold his gaze and narrow my emerald eyes. Our staring contest ends as Atala dismisses us.

Everyone separates, Cato and the rest of the careers head to the weaponry. Cato glances back at me as if studying me. With a scoff, I turn on my heel, surveying the stations. My eyes linger on the one station Haymitch told me to stay clear of. I step forward, with a one-track mind. A hand reaches out and grabs my shoulder. In the heat of the moment, I grab their wrist and flip them over my body. Peeta lands on the ground and moans, with his back face-down. 

"Peeta! I'm so sorry!" I exclaim jumping down. He pulls himself up and glances warily around us, watching the Peacekeepers that are heading our way.

"It's okay, trust me," He smiles. I return it realizing what he was doing. 

"I guess I forgot this wasn't the Seam, you don't have to worry about murders here. At least, not yet," I smile. The Peacekeepers freeze and head back to their stations. I roll my eyes at the clearly false acting and sigh.

"Try some survival stations," He says glancing at the ax and bow stations. I follow his eyes and his head shakes. I give a nod and head off to the plant station. 

Axes are my forte. My father was an avid carpenter, and over time I learned they could be used for more than chopping wood. A perfect swing could bring down a large buck. Bring down enough food for weeks. 

The bow was no different. My father wasn't keen on bows, but my brother was. It was his idea to have me trained with one as well, so I would have a back up plan in the arena.

As I brush past the weaponry station, Cato slowly places his hand on my arm. My eyes slide venomously to the right, towards him.

"Maybe you could teach me that move sometime," Cato smirks. I give him a plastic smile, leaning in.

"Of course! Maybe in the arena when you are begging me not to kill you," With that, he draws back his hand and I continue my trek. I force the smile to not cross my face. Although, I fail tremendously. 

"You stole my knife!" Cato shouts. The girl in front of me flinches as we all turn to see what was causing the commotion. Cato shoves the male tribute from district four, and I can't help but shake my head. Yes idiot, shove the person who stole your weapon. That will surely keep you from getting gutted, right?

"I set it right there! I'm going to kill you for this!" He growls, lunging at the boy again. A soft twinkling sound comes from above. I look up to see Rue, the young girl from 11 giggling, in her hand is Cato's knife. I grin in amazement before glancing back at the dog fight. Cato being the dog.

"You know what? I'll wait until the arena. It'll be funner then." Cato snarls. I don't think funner is a word, Cato. Surely your rich education would have taught you that. The Peacekeepers finally do their job and pull them apart. 

"That is if you make it that far!" I yell. As Cato looks at me, I can feel his anger from across the room. I give him a sly wink and turn back to the line. 

"Everyone continue what you were doing!" Atala's voice rings. I shake my head and look up, giving Rue a thumbs up. 

I roll my eyes, zoning out of Effie's story. Peeta seems invested in it, yet at the same time, he is trying to appear uninterested. I glance at Haymitch to see his glazed over eyes and slow breathing. I purse my lips to stop the snort from exiting my body. The man was asleep. I lift my foot under the table and gently kick Peeta. He startles and glances at me, before following my gaze towards Haymitch. His eyes widen and he begins struggling to conceal his laughter. I glance at Cinna who tries his best to stay as focused on Effie's story as humanly possible. I raise my eyebrows at Peeta before slowly nudging Haymitch's arm, the same arm holding up his awake façade. 

His face slams to the table and I immediately burst into laughter, tilting too far back in my chair. I crash to the ground, clutching my stomach. Which, unsurprisingly leads to Peeta's cackle filling the air. 

"Guys," Effie scolds. Haymitch finally finishes wiping the Potato mash from his face and glares menacingly at me on the floor. 

"You-" He starts before lunging at me. I jump up and crash into a lady. She drops her serving tray.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" I drop to my knees and begin cleaning it as Effie clears her throat. I look up at girl's face, wondering if my clumsiness angered her into silence. Her amber eyes crash into my green and I furrow my eyes in confusion. 

"Do I know you?" I ask looking into her eyes. She holds my gaze, not saying a word.

"Of course not Ashlynn. She's an Avox. They cut her tongue out for a crime she committed against our wonderful country," Effie says filing her nails. The dread sinks in and it hits me.

"Guys, look." Katniss whispers. We follow her eyes, to see a boy and a girl enter the green clearing. We three duck low, hoping not to be seen, the morning mist helping. Rumbles fill the air and we look up to see a silver jet.

"What is that?" Katniss asks. My body tenses as I recognize it. I cringe knowing some kind of trauma was to ensue. 

 A spear shoots out of the jet and into the boy's chest. The girl lets out an ear-shattering scream, and the sound echoes. Katniss lets out a gargled gasp and Gale leans back. I don't move, my eyes unable to look away from the gory terror before me. 

"Come on." Gale gets up and runs into the overgrowth, Katniss at his heels. I stay frozen, unmoving, watching the scene unfold. I gently step-backward, my heel crunching on a branch. The girl whips her head up, locking eyes with me. Her chocolate eyes widen.

"Help!" She screams as the spear retracts, taking the boy with it. I shake my head and turn around, running. Against everything in me telling me to go back, I continue forward. My run turns into a sprint and I feel the hot tears pierce at my eyes.

"Help me!" Her screams fade.

"I'm sorry," I whisper quietly. She gives a slight dip of her head and turns around, walking away from me.

Just as I did her.