Cato’s POV
She infuriates me.
She does stupid things to make me angry, sometimes on purpose. She’s loud and sarcastic, often cutting me down with her wit. She’s carefree, often careless. She speaks her mind too often. She’s a smart arse with a big mouth and an act-before-think attitude towards life. In the past, it would’ve gotten her in trouble. In the present, it could mean her death.
I love her.
She’s this year’s girl Tribute for the Hunger Games. I was going to do everything in my power to make sure she goes home alive, rather than in a wooden box for a coffin. The thought makes me shudder.
I couldn’t let her go by herself. What was I going to do, sit at home and watch her die? No. I couldn’t do that. I could at least go and protect her, do something. The Games changed people, I wasn’t going to sit and watch them change my best friend. My best friend who I may possibly have feelings for. I couldn’t let them overcome me; stupid feelings weren’t going to help me, either of us in the arena once we were there. I’m not supposed to even know what feelings are. I am Cato Everlark for goodness sake, I don’t do feelings. I do one-night stands with the pretty girls at the Academy which, for reasons unknown to me, seem to despise Ariana. Probably because she was the only girl I really cared about.
When it came to saying goodbye to our families, I wasn’t upset. I didn’t cry, and neither did my parents. My father was stern as he congratulated (congratulated, how sick) me and told me I was to be brutal and unforgiving if I wanted to win and be crowned victor. I think he had a feeling the Games could change me. My mother simply hugged me and walked out, since this was the second time she had to send a child of hers off to the Games, not knowing whether they would return. I showed no emotion either.
Soon enough, it was time for Ariana and I to get on the train to the Capitol. I couldn’t look at her, couldn’t even comprehend that she was in The Hunger Games. One of you is going to die, perhaps both of you, I thought as I stepped off the platform and the train doors closed. Almost instantly, Ariana grabbed me roughly by the shoulders and shoved me against the wall, glaring at me. As usual, her strength took me by surprise and I didn’t bother trying to wiggle free.
“Been doing some secret training then, Blondie?” I smirked at her as she stared me down angrily.
“You fucking idiot!” She replied, “what the hell were you thinking?! You realise one of us is going to die, perhaps both of us?! What if it came down to just us, and we had to kill each other? What happens then?” She was screaming at me now.
“What did you expect me to do?” I yelled back, my short fuse taking control of my mind.
“Not volunteered, for starters!”
“I WASN’T GOING TO WATCH YOU DIE, ARIANA.” I yelled at her and instantly regretted it. Ari’s lower lip began to tremble and tears began forming in her eyes. I had only seen her cry once before, and that was when her mother died. Ariana was tough, she barely ever cried. Shit.
“Ari...” I started gently and she threw herself into my arms, sobbing as her tears soaked my white shirt right through.
“I don’t want to do this, Cato. I don’t. I can’t do this.”
“Yes, you can do this. You’re fast, and strong, and amazing with that bow of yours. We can do this together. Just please don’t cry.” I was pleading with her now as Ariana sniffled and stepped away from me, disentangling herself from my arms. She sighed.
“I’m sorry for overreacting. I’ll get a grip now.” She smiled weakly at me and I grinned back.
“We can do this.”
“We can.”
Neither of us wished to discuss the undeniable fate, when we were forced to kill each other or someone else killed us instead. We didn’t want to think about that, not now. We were going to try to win this, together. Of course, if and when the time came, there was no way in hell I was going to murder my best friend. I wanted her home safe and sound, somewhere where the brutal Capitol and the sadistic Gamemakers couldn’t touch or harm her. She was mine.
We sat down with our mentors, who sighed collectively. They were evidently pleased Ariana and I had stopped yelling and crying and sobbing. Our minds were in the game. We watched the reaping of District One, where a blonde, ditzy girl who was nowhere near as pretty as Ari and an enthusiastic boy were named as the tributes. I sized them up, knowing full well that they were going to be our allies. Re-watching our reaping was like watching two strangers. Ari looked fierce but I was unrecognisable. I looked brutal...unforgiving. Everything my father had wanted me to be. I didn’t want to end up as the Capitol’s puppet, but even more so my father’s. I wasn’t going to allow myself be moulded and shaped into something I’m not. I wasn’t going to let the Games change me, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to let them change my Ariana. I had watched them change my baby sister, my 12 year old sister, into a monster before murdering her. I couldn’t go through that pain again.
She was the only girl I cared about.
Ariana was the only person I cared about.
