Enemies to what? (Clato)

Chapter 6

A.N

Hey so I know its been forever since Ive updated, Ive been super busy. I decided to try and continue it though, and hope that Ill be able to live up to what I say. 

Disclaimer: The Hunger Games belongs to Suzanne Collins, and the characters and location in this story belong to her as well. Except for my own original characters of course. 

I never found running too difficult. It was a necessity, something that I did everyday and didn't think about. The other trainees complained about it all the time, the ones who would never make it to the games that is. As someone who was fully intent on making it to the arena, I found their complaints childish and weak. Until now that is.

After I completed the 16 laps I felt ready to pass out. My knees wobbled slightly and I gasped for air, putting my hands on top of my head. I shuffled over to the nearest wall and leaned back against it, too wary to sit in case Marco was nearby. 

Luckily everybody else was busy training at different stations, and Marco had to look over them. 

I took a couple minutes to gather myself and then hurried to the knife section. I looked around at the other stations and surprisingly didn't see that familiar spiky blonde hair anywhere. I let a breath go, turning back to the targets in front of me. As I pulled my knife back behind my ear, somebody grabbed the tip and I was thrown off guard.

I tensed when I saw who it was.

"What do you want Cato?" I asked trying to act as if he hadn't caught me last night. 

He crossed his arms over his chest. He looked down at me, not with his usual smirk but almost with annoyance. 

"We've been called in to talk with the head trainers. Theres a chance the mayor might be there as well. "

So he was right then. We were going to be selected for the 74th games. The mayor never came to the training center unless he was going to talk to future tributes. They always let us know in advance, so that we would have enough time to prepare for everything.

"Are you coming or what?" Cato pressed, and I nodded. He turned away and started walking towards the head trainers office. I followed behind him but quickly matched his pace.

Cato didn't say a thing to me the whole way there. Not even about my embarrassing  run-in with Marco earlier. As we reached the entrance he sped up, and I studied him as he passed me. I hated him. I hated him more than anyone. But today, he didn't seem like himself. Like the boy I hated. He had bags under his eyes, and looked angrier than normal, not his snarky self. Maybe i couldn't see that part of him cause it wasn't directed at me for once. 

As we reached the door separating the mayor and us, Cato stopped and turned to me. I grew stiff, waiting for the blows I had been anticipating since the fountain. 

He stepped closer to me. I automatically took a step back. I wasn't scared of him. I wasn't. But I knew how strong he was, knew how small I was in comparison. If he really wanted to, here with no weapons to defend myself, he could crush me. 

I felt the wall behind my back as Cato got closer. He didn't touch me, but put his hands on either side of my head so that I was in a way trapped. 

His jaw tightened as he looked at me and he looked like one word would set him off. I refused to look down meeting his eyes, not daring to challenge him but not daring to let him think of me as weak.

He leaned in close to my face, not breaking eye contact.

"If you ever step foot in my neighborhood again, if you ever try to steal from my house or family or whatever it is you do, I will kill you. I don't care if you're a chosen tribute. Do anything like last night again, and you'll become the training dummy."

My throat tightened, and I knew he wasn't kidding. Now was not the time to fight back, not the time to piss him off. His eyes still locked on mine, I nodded slightly. 

He slowly backed off to the opposite side of the hallway,  just in time for the head trainer Luca to open the door. 

"Cato, Clove. Come in."

Time Skip

We sat waiting for almost 40 minutes before the mayor arrived. He was a big man, tall and broad shouldered, his face hard. 

"Mayor Kinley. Thank you for coming. These are the trainees I spoke to you about. This is Cato and Clove."

We rose to shake his hand, he addressed Cato first. 

"Cato Hadley aren't you? I know your father. Congrats on this opportunity. I hope you will not let us down." He said coldly. Cato stuttered, his face on the edge of turning red. He had never been doubted before. I tried to hide my snicker, but a small smile still crawled to my face at seeing Cato's ego deflate. My smile dropped completely when the mayor turned to me. 

"And you must be Clove. Quite small aren't you." He said looking me up and down. I tensed my jaw. How dare he mention my height, as if being short stopped me from being able to put a knife in his chest. 

It was Cato's turn to smile, seeing me get upset always put him in a good mood. I was tempted to shoot him a glare, but after what happened in the hallway I dared not to. His threats were real, but it wouldn't stop me. I still had to make him believe that I would, and the best way to do that would be to act scared. 

Mayor Kinley stood next to Luca and looked at us both. 

"I know it has been implied multiple times, but I must make the official announcement. You have been selected to be the tributes representing District 2 for the 74th hunger games. You will have over a year to prepare, seeing as the 73rd games are not for a couple months. You must push yourself to the limit, and whatever you do do not disappoint us. Thank you."

With that, he left the room. Luca gave us a nod.

"I'll give you a few minutes to process your news, and then back to training. You'll have to work harder than ever."

She left the room, leaving me and Cato alone. For a minute I was on edge, waiting for him to try something, but when I glanced at him he seemed to have forgotten I was there. He was looking forward with a small smile on his face, his eyes closed. 

Looking at him, I finally realized just what had happened. I was going to the games.  All that I had worked for was finally going to come true. 

I was going to the games. With Cato. And I was going to kill him.