Needing the Impossible (A Clato Fanfic)

Chapter12

Chapter 12

Cato's POV

I swing down relentless at Clove's vulnerable position on the floor. She raises her right arm defensively and her dulled blade manages to find a way to counter mine. As I begin to prepare for my next attack, she contorts awkwardly on the floor and I feel her legs slam against the back of my ankles. I crash to the floor, cursing as she squirms away from me. I regain my feet at the same instant she does, and Clove surprises my by taking the first attack. I deftly counter her attempt and manage to get an easy touch in past her defense.

“That's three. I win,” I tease, smirking. Our blades cross.

She closes the gap between us and looks up at me fierce eyes. “Like hell you do,” she says, pushing me away with her blade. I chuckle quietly. We resume our duel, with me taking the upper hand.

“You're just delaying it, Clover,” I say, egging her on. “You can't win.”

And she doesn't. The duel ends less than two minutes later, and I am champion. “As usual,” I remark casually. Clove inhales sharply and strides briskly over to the bleachers – away from me – and to her water bottle.

Clove doesn't hate fencing as much as she used to now that I'm training her instead of Fabrizio. But that doesn't mean she doesn't get incredibly frustrated. Since she has to learn everything from me, she'll never surpass me, and I'll always be bigger and stronger. This aggravates her to no end. To make up for it, she takes great pleasure in kicking my ass in hand to hand combat. I have no idea how she does it, but she has a lethal combination of speed, flexibility, and unpredictability that leaves me pinned to the ground with a knife at my throat every time. Maybe I shouldn't be afraid to break a few of her bones during practice after all. She's tried to show me how to anticipate her movements, but she's too damn fast. It's only during these “lessons” that I begin to understand just how frustrating always being outshone can be. I'd never had to deal with it before. After four months of training together, I've only beaten her once. I hate it.

I grab Clove's discarded weapon from the floor and put both our swords into the vault. I still can't believe they're actually letting us use this room unsupervised. Sure, we both know there are cameras hidden somewhere – but who cares? We're training. Clove hasn't even had to pay anything since she quit training under Fabrizio. My father took care of all the fees regarding the facility – which were actually incredibly low. Some of the Head Trainers must disagree with my father regarding my potential. Someone must think I'm worth all this at any rate.

I walk over to the bleachers where I've left my pack. Clove has already finished her water and is packing up to leave. I quickly open my bag and rummage around until I find what I'm looking for. Clove has just slung her pack over her shoulder when I pull two juicy pears from mine. “Clover,” I speak up to get her attention. She turns back to face me and her eyes immediately fly to the fruit I'm holding. Without any warning, I toss one to her. Her hand flashes out and she catches it easily, a look of surprise etched across her face. “To four months on our own,” I state simply.

She looks back to me with a look of complete skepticism. “It's for eating,” I mock, taking a bite out of my own fruit. She rolls her eyes, but behind the facade, I see something that resembles happiness. She slowly bites into the pear, and I'd bet half of District 2 she's never had one before. They're one of the less common fruits in the District, so the families of quarry workers can't afford them. I suppress a laugh at her enjoyment and continue to eat my pear, watching Clove for any change of expression. It only changes once the fruit is completely gone. It goes back to it's usual calculating look as she says thank you. I nod, and begin to rummage around in my pack again.