The Hunger Games: A Change In Heart

Chapter 7

People were screaming my name throwing roses at me hoping I'd look at them and show them I am aware that they are there. All the attention was on Peeta and I when the chariots had stopped. Again Snow gave a meaningless speech and we were whisked away to our rooms to get some rest before training tomorrow.

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I woke up screaming. My nightmare was that Snow had Prim in his arms. She had refused to watch the Hunger Games because I was in them. I watched him snap her neck over and over like it was on rewind. I wiped the sweat from my forehead and pulled the covers off of me, hopping out of bed. I walked over to the bathroom and took a quick warm shower. All the stress from my dream had went away. I grab my training outfit from the closet and slipped it on. It had a large twelve printed on the sleeve. I took one last glance in the mirror, checking if I had messed up my braid when I pulled the T-shirt on and headed down to breakfast.

Haymitch and Peeta were already down there eating.

"Morning sweetheart." Haymitch says. I grab a blueberry muffin and scarf it down, not realizing how hunger I really was.

"Okay so let's get down to business." 

Haymitch says seriously. "Listen to me listen to me very clearly you guys me cannot practice your strengths today you need to practice your weaknesses. Find a survival area or how to build shelter table or something. You can show your strengths in the private sessions with the game makers. Learn what the careers will lack to learn."

Peeta and I nod our heads in agreement. We finish our meals and head down to the training center where all the others tributes are heading to. There's a woman in the middle of the training room.

"One quick rule." She spat at us. I flinched. "You cannot train with or hurt another tribute. If this rule is broken you will have immediate disqualification and execution. So don't be stupid." And with that she opens a heavy set door and leaves.

I walk over to the "how to build a shelter" area. I was tying the bottom of my leaf tent to the ground when I felt someone come up behind me.

"What Peeta?" I sigh.  

"Oh what a feisty fire girl we have here." a taunting voice says.

I wipe my head around getting angry and I am staring into Cato's icy blue eyes. I blink, shocked, that he came over to talk to me. I narrow my eyes.

"What do you want 2?" I say coldly. I see his face expression change to what seemed like longing and then go back to icy cold.

"A lot of things. I want to win." He says frowning. He was confusing me. Why did he come over to talk to me? And why is he frowning like he doesn't want to win?

"Sooo why are you talking to me?" I ask

"12, I want... I want you to know that...that I got your back in the arena..." he finishes. My mouth falls open. WHAT JUST HAPPENED?? He looks at me, waiting for my reaction.

"Is the some sick joke!" I spat at him shoving him away from me.

"W-what?" He says stunned recovering. He is a good actor.

"I'm not stupid. I'm not falling for your trap. You'll pretend you're my friend and then when the time is right snap my neck! I will never join you! You're just a filthy career!" I shout at him stabbing my finger in his gut. His stomach was hard. He probably has abs since he has been training since he was little. THAT does NOT matter I tell myself. He grabs the finger that was still on his stomach and squeezed.

"Listen 12, you better watch it. I meant what I said but whatever, die. I couldn't care less. But don't act like you own me and can talk to me like I'm five." he says, his anger matching mine. His eyes glinted. He looked very attractive. Stop thinking that way about him! I think. He storms off back over to the other careers. All of them giving me weird looks. I am not off to a good start. I think I may be their new target. I couldn't focus for the rest of the training session. I was too busy thinking of Cato and I's conversation. What did he mean? What did he want?