Her Love, His Life - A Cato Hadley Story

~Chapter Three~ Desperation, Deliberation, and Determination

The check-in process went smoothly. Figure pricked? Check. Blood drawn? Check. Impending fear of the inevitable future? Double check. Elijah had a feeling looming over her as if something bad was going to happen. She just hoped her hunch wasn't right this time. 

The teens were split into two sections, a boy group and a girl group. from there there were sorted by age; twelve-year-olds at the front, eighteen-year-olds at the back. She took her place at the end of the row of sixteen-year-olds so she had a clear view of the stage, as well as her brother.

Unbeknownst to her, a pair of piercing blue eyes carefully watched her from across the row. She was familiar, and Cato couldn't shake the feeling that it was bad. He twiddled with his hands in anticipation. He hoped he wouldn't be chosen, for two reasons specifically. One was that he planned to volunteer when he was eighteen, and another was for the sake of his twelve-year-old-sister. 

Cato never cared for others to an extent that it would affect him. The only exception was his little sister, Margot. She was a light in the dark world of his, and if either he or her was Reaped before they were ready for it, it would devastate them both.

The excited, nervous, and mortified whispers hushed as an eccentric looking man decked out in electric blue clothes appeared on the stage in front of them. He took his place between the bowls and tapped the microphone a bit too excitedly.

"Ah! Hello, hello, hello, District Two! Welcome to the Reaping of the Seventy-Fourth Annual Hunger Games!" His voice was high pitch, and notably containing the ridiculous flourish of the Capitol accent.

"Well, well, well! What a lovely selection we have today," he twittered, even though his excitement was hardly reciprocated by the crowd. "My name is Saffron and I am so, so, so excited to have the honor of choosing this year's tributes!"

Without any response from he crowd, he practically skipped over to the bowl of girls' names and with a flourish, dunked his hand in. He whipped out a name and opened it.

The name he read would change the lives of two people that day. For the better or worse, on cannot say.

"Margot Hadley!" Saffron announced happily with a huge, clueless grin.

The second the name left his lips, a low, guttural cry tore from the throat of Cato Hadley. A few heads turned, but it was expected.

Elijah's hand flew to her mouth. "No no no." she whispered to herself. "Not Margot."

No matter how much she hated Cato, she loved Margot with all of her being. Without a moment of hesitation, she pushed back a Peacekeeper and screamed out before Margot could get closer to the stage. The next four words that came out of her mouth sealed her fate, and her position among those around her.

"I volunteer as tribute!"

Those four words echoed across the District center as her voice rang out, her hand held up as if to tell them to stop. She stood looking directly at her brother, and said as she walked to him, "Take care of her."

He nodded solemnly as she walked up to the stage. Saffron looked startled that someone had volunteered so fast. His eyebrows raised curiously and he held a microphone to her.

"And what, pray tell, is the name of this brave soul who stands before us?"

She shuddered at his accent and looked over the crowd.

"My name is Elijah Acevedo."

Cato looked at the girl on the stage with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. Elijah Acevedo. Thats why she was familiar. He had gone to school with her, and although he would be embarrassed to admit it, he had harassed the girl on several accounts, because he thought her to be weak. Clearly that wasn't the case anymore, as he looked at her and saw her newfound strength, but mentally and physically. Even he would acknowledge that she has become powerful.

But why, even after all he had done to her, would she risk her life for his sister's? Surely she would have seen that as a revenge point? He shook his head. At this point he didn't know what to think, except that he owed her now. He respected her now. Never would he admit he owed someone, until now. She just sacrificed herself for his sister.

He looked at the ground, and then back up at the stage, where his blue eyes met Elijah's for the third time. Her lips were pursed and she tipped her head a bit, and he nodded back. Margot ran from the staircase and collided into Cato's arms. He shushed her softly and ran his fingers through her hair, as if to comfort her.

Saffron hopped over to the boys' bowl and whipped out the second cursed name. Elijah looked on somberly as he took a breath to read the next name.

"Cassius Acevedo" 

Elijah's world stopped. Time froze as the name repeated in her head. Her legs faltered and her hand reached her mouth as she released a scream almost equivalent to Cato's. 

The world went silent, apart from her brother's footsteps reaching the stairwell.

But another voice broke her thoughts. A deep voice called out, "HEY!"

Shocked murmurs ripped through the crowd as none other than Cato Hadley stepped out of the line and said in a shaken, but clear voice,

"I volunteer as tribute."

And just like that, the world as Elijah knew it ended. The only thing she could be certain of was that Cassius and Margot were safe. What would become of her and Cato, she didn't know.

Gasps rang out from across the crowd of teenagers. For one, nothing like this had ever happened before. One tribute volunteering for their sibling was one thing. But two people who were widely known to hate each other volunteering for each other's sibling? It was practically unheard of,

Elijah frowned and took a step back as Cato and Saffron shook hands. To her dismay, they were called to the center of the stage.

"Shake hands, tributes!" Saffron piped excitedly. Cato and Elijah took one glance at each other. Cato nodded curtly, and Elijah's face fell into a comfortable monotonous expression. They shook hands tersely, and let go as soon as they had grabbed on.

Saffron shooed them towards the back room where they would be saying their final goodbyes, and said a concluding farewell to the crowd. The two newly dubbed tributes walked in silence as the doors closed, being guided by Peacekeepers to two separate rooms.

Moments later, her brother and father burst in.

Her father spoke first. "We only have a few minutes, so let me talk. First off, I love you. So, so much. That was a brave and selfless thing you did. Use that to get sponsors. Make an ally or two. Nothing too big. Avoid the Careers. You can win this, Ace. I have complete faith in you. I love you kid. I'll see you soon." He kissed her softly on the forehead, tears in his eyes, and swiftly left.

Her brother was next, "You have to win. you have to survive this. You have to prove how strong you are Eli."

Elijah hugged her brother, knowing fairly well that it might be the last time.

"Now you listen here. You keep Margot safe and happy, alright? For my sake, and Cato's as well. I'll try to keep my head on for yours. Deal?" Cassius chuckled darkly.

He whimpered out before getting up, "Tell Cato I said thank you. And that I owe him my life. I don't like him, but I'm grateful that he did what he did. I love you, Ace. Always have, always will."

Her brother left, and a Peacekeeper loomed over her, replacing the comforting presence with an authorative one. 

"Its time to go." he said simply, and Elijah nodded sadly, compliant with his request.

Cato stood alongside another Peacekeeper as the two tributes made their way to the train. The train was a spectacular piece of work from her District, but Elijah didn't have the heart to appreciate it. 

Instead she made her way towards the back of the compartment, settling herself in a cushy chair, and peering sadly out the window as everything she had ever known was left behind and replaced by a smooth blur of color as they departed for the Capitol.