Scars Of Our Love | Cato Hadley X Male Reader | Vol. 1

9 ~ Words Cut Deep

My eyes scan the room once more. I spot Katniss and Peeta, both looking at me. At another table sat the little girl from 11 and her partner. I learned their names were Rue and Thresh, which I didn't wanna know but couldn't forget.

The only group being loud was the rest of the careers. I was surprised Cato didn't sit with them since it appeared they saved him a seat. My feet ached from constant training and I just needed to sit, the only seats were the ones next to Cato or Jenna. Only Jenna was sitting with two others, talking and whispering. I didn't wish to talk so I decided to listen and sat with the blonde boy.

A small grin flashed for a second as I took the seat across from him. He looked down at his plate of mostly meats and bread, slowly taking bites. "So, you actually sat," he says, chewing his food loudly. "First off, stop. Chew with your mouth closed," I demand, causing him to laugh a bit. He sets his fork down and leans against his arms. "Ok, done."

I roll my eyes, "And stop talking to me." He smiled, causing my heart to skip a beat. "Look, If you wanna be a bitch so be it," he pauses to lean closer, "But I'm trying to help you. I played Mr. Kiss's ass yesterday and you still rejected me, so I'll say it once again. Do you want to work together or not?"

My cheek sinks as I bit back on it a bit, It was crazy, It was. I was considering it. Yea, he was a huge piece of shit, but If he was telling me the truth then I could learn from him. I've seen his hand-to-hand combat and sword skills so I would learn something.

 "You know what asshole, fine," I say while tilting my head to the side, "But I swear to god if you're fucking with me, I will kill you." 

He shakes his head, "I'm counting on it."

The rest of lunch was pretty quiet, he occasionally glazed at me but for the most part, we just ate in silence. The bell rang only about twenty minutes after we had gotten our food, signaling for us to get back to training.

I followed the tall brute toward the swords and larger weapons, the side of the center I had not been to. His hand glided over the weapons as he inspected each one, finally pulling a medium-sized sword from the wall hit sat on. "Here," he handed it to me. I stared at it, it felt weird. It wasn't like an axe at all, the weight of it was distributed evenly, unlike my axe back home which had a heavy head. It meant I would have to put more weight behind my swings if all I could get was a sword.

"Show me what you got 7," he says while stepping back. I looked down, I stood in the middle of a red training mat. A mannequin on the other end. I hesitate, but a second later I run toward it, full force. The sword swung with my weight, causing it to barely mill the target's right side. "Go, don't stop or you're dead!" he yells. I quickly adjust the sword and swing it up, the head of the mannequin falling to the floor as the rest of its body stands up in front of me.

"Damn," he says, "Nice." I wipe my mouth with my arm and walk toward him, the sword out in front of me. "You go," I say, his mouth forming into a massive smug grin. "It would be my pleasure." He steps forward quickly, his arms rolling against his shoulder as he stretches them out. His eyes look around at each mannequin, scoping out his prey. With one swift movement, he lurches forward and cuts the target's arm off, before I could say a word his sword was already halfway through its torso.

He was good, almost too good. I had many questions I needed answered at the moment, but I knew we had to still train or the guards would yell at us. I grab another sword from the wall and begin to hack at the other mannequins. "Why me?" I say, causing him to turn his head toward me. "Why ask to train with me? You've had training your whole life, and so has your partner. So tell me, what help do I offer?" I say, my voice is dark and empty, with no emotion.

He thinks to himself for a second, his sword pointed down at the floor. "You know how to live in a forest, you know how to survive don't you?" He says. I nod quickly. "We'll. There's your answer."

Most of the training was pretty boring. Cato followed me around everywhere I went, trying to follow along as I explained the basic survival skills he would need. His presence seemed to scare the other tributes off, which I liked since I had already established I wanted to keep meeting other tributes to a minimum. I already screwed up with Cato, but I knew we wouldn't hesitate to kill one another in the arena so it didn't matter anyway.

The only person I wished I could talk to was Rue, she watched me from afar. I knew she was, almost every time I turned she was there. She would try to hide but I knew she was watching. I smiled, thinking of Ana. I just knew they would have been friends if they met.

I now sat with Cato across from me, the both of us above a log, spinning a stick between our hands. I was teaching him to start a fire, just like my mom once taught me.

I had so many questions for him. I mean we heard of District 2, and all they had. If he already had a comfortable life worth living, why would he choose to live it here? Why would he gamble the luxury of his home for a chance to die in front of the whole nation? I watched him volunteer with a joyful tone, he looked like he had just won the lottery. But now as I watched him, his face was down. He didn't look as confident. He looked scared and vulnerable.

"Why did you do it," I say, "Why did you volunteer? I mean I sure as hell didn't wanna be here. I had no choice, but you did." He stopped moving the stick against the log as he looked up at me. "It's my way of bringing honor to home," He says bluntly before continuing. "Cato, you don't believe that. At least you don't anymore I-" his hands moved faster till the stick snapped in half. "Shut up!" He yelled while holding his head.

His eyes watering as he looked down to the simulated forest floor beneath us. I reach out to touch his hand, but he pulls away causing me to jump. "I'm done for today," He stands up, "Thank you. I-I just need some time alone."

With that he walks away, leaving me there. His face almost immediately changes as his "friends" approach him. His district partner seems to have no care for him as she pulls him toward the rack of throwing knives, claiming she learned a new trick. I thought he was just a huge bloodthirsty jerk, but deep down he had things piled up. He had problems in his perfect life, and I needed to know more.