Forbearance • A Cato Hadley Story

2.16

The next morning the sun peeked through the mesh curtain, early on. The curtains, being see through, didn't help Livia or Cato sleep whatsoever. Even with the blinding light taking over the room, the pair managed to go in and out of sleep until eight o'clock when Enobaria went into their room, makeup and hair already done and her outfit for the day already on. She hurriedly walked over to the window and moved the curtains to the side, hoping it would wake them up.

But unfortunately for her, it didn't make much of a difference. Cato groaned tiredly as he pulled Livia closer to him so he could comfortably fall back asleep. With a roll of her eyes Enobaria marched over to the bed and pulled the comforter off of the couple. The blonde instantly contracted her body, curling into a ball, as the cold air hit her body. It was now her who let out a groan of annoyance and softly dug her head into the crook of Cato's neck.

Enobaria clapped her hands three times becoming tired of trying to get them up which caused them to shoot up in the bed, startled by the sudden noise. "We need to start planning. Get up, get dressed and be in the living area in twenty minutes." the mentor demanded, placing her hands on her hips in a controlling stance. With a second groan the girl threw herself back onto her pillow as she silently cursed herself for putting herself into this situation.

The sound of footsteps walking towards the door echoed through the room for a moment before the door slammed and it finally became silent. "Come on, Hun. We need to get ready or Eno will kill us before we even step foot in the arena. She seems like she's in a bad mood today." Cato told the girl, taking a grip on her hand and pulling her arm to get her out of bed. The girl dragged herself out of the bed and let go of Cato's hand so she could rub her tired eyes.

"When is she ever in a good mood." Livia spoke for the first time in her groggy morning voice. After a moment of standing dreamily in the middle of the room, letting her mind wake up, she walked over to the closet to pick out her outfit while Cato went into the bathroom to brush his teeth and fix his hair. Her slightly puffy, sleep deprived eyes scanned each item of clothing that had been provided by the Capitol.

Eventually she found a plaid yellow dress to go with a slightly oversized jean jacket and a pair of white sneakers. She then shut the door, locking it behind her, and quickly changed into the outfit. Once she was changed she unlocked and opened the door, stepping out of the closet and throwing her dirty clothes into the hamper just outside the closet door.

Cato had just finished doing what he needed in the bathroom and was sitting on the bed, waiting for her by the time she had finished getting dressed. The blonde smiled at him, still sleepy, as she went to go to the bathroom, only to be held up by him shooting up from the bed and grabbing her waist with a smirk, pulling her closer.

 Livia smiled shyly and looked to her feet for a brief moment before looking back up at him. "You look good." the muscular boy complimented as he leaned down, going in for a kiss only for her to lean away and softly push him off of her. Cato looked shocked for a moment, not understanding if he did or said something wrong. But Livia still had a smile on her face and her cheeks were now a soft shade of pink.

"Not until I brush my teeth." she said. She then entered the bathroom and picked up her hair brush first, simply just brushing her hair and leaving it down, tucking hair behind each of her ears. Afterwards, she brushed her teeth and left the bathroom to find Cato back on the bed in a dark blue shirt and nice blue jeans with a pair of black shoes. When she stepped out of the bathroom the muscular boy smiled and stood up, walking over to Livia

 With almost zero hesitation the boy pulled her in for a short but sweet kiss. The pair lingered for a moment and then pulled away, half awake smiles on their faces. "That's all I needed." he said happily. The blonde shook her head and she let out a quiet laugh and grabbed his hand, pulling him out of the bedroom and out into the living area.

Enobaria and Brutus were already in the living area when the couple arrived. Both mentors had placed themselves on the couch and while one waited patiently the other seemed on edge. Realizing how much time they had spent getting ready, the couple rushed to the opposite end of the semicircle couch from the mentors.

"Alright, let's get started." Brutus spoke, standing up from his seat. He went over to the television in front of them and turned it on, revealing two apparent tributes. One was a man with dirty blonde hair and a body type similar to Brutus. The other was a woman with bleach blonde hair that had been curled to no end. She was nearly half a foot shorter than the man; maybe 5'7'.

"Cashmere and Gloss, brother and sister, District One. They won back to back games. Capitol favorites. Lots of sponsors. They will be lethal." Brutus explained, his tone and face both emotionless. The siblings on the screen smiled kindly into the crowd and grabbed hands lifting them into the air victoriously. The video then cut to another pair. These two seemed a bit awkward compared to the siblings from before. The girl had curly, dark brown hair that had been pulled into a half up half down style.

She stood with her hands together in front of her body, looking slightly tense. Next to her was a man who seemed to be a matter of a few inches taller than the girl. He wore glasses and looked like he kept mostly to himself. Livia could tell that they both looked scared. "Eliza and Beetee, District Three. Not fighters but brilliant and weird. Real tech savvy. He won his games by electrocuting six tributes at once." the mentor said. Then was a girl with light brown, curly hair and intimidating dark brown eyes.

She had a serious look on her face that made Livia slightly nervous. "Lennox Ward, District Twelve. Not very friendly, I'll say that. Also has a love triangle going with two of our tributes." the mentor said as he glanced up at the television for a moment. When the next tribute showed up on the screen Livia recognized him right away. The blonde hair, green eyes and muscular build were all too familiar to the blonde haired girl. "Finnick Odair, right?" the girl asked, gesturing to the boy on the screen. Enobaria stood from her spot and nodded, walking to Brutus.

"Yes, he won his games at fourteen. Youngest ever. Extremely humble. Also one third of the little love triangle with Lennox and Johanna Mason from District Seven." the woman said. Livia and Cato both looked at her, confused by her response. The teens glanced at each other for a moment, looking for confirmation that the other was just as confused as they were. "You're kidding?" Livia asked her mentors. Although she wasn't exactly sure if she wanted Enobaria and Brutus to be joking about it or not.

"Yes, I'm kidding. He's a peacock, a total preener. I don't understand what the girl's see in him. But he's the Capitol darling, they love him here. Charming, smart and very skilled in combat, especially in water." the woman explained to the teens. Livia nodded in understanding, her focus remaining on the screen. Cato on the other hand leaned forward and watched Finnick on the screen closely. "What about weaknesses?" he asked. Just as Enobaria went to answer the screen cut once more.

A girl with ginger hair could be seen standing next to an older woman. Suddenly the red head's name was called and she broke down crying hysterically. The older woman wasted no time in silently volunteering, raising her hand and pointing to herself. "One; Mags. She volunteered for Finnick's best friend, Annie. Mags was his mentor and basically raised him, if he's trying to protect her in any way it exposes him." the woman went on.

The blonde almost felt bad for both tributes from District Four. The poor old woman put her life at risk for Finnick's best friend and Finnick would put his life at risk for her. "A guy like that has to know she's not gonna make it, and when it really comes down to it he won't protect her." Livia theorized. Both Enobaria and Brutus shrugged. Enobaria sat back down and waited for Brutus to respond. "Well, Livia, I just hope when she goes, she goes quickly. She's actually, um...a wonderful lady."