My final story to be told~ Cato's story (hungergames)

(4) A gift is given

(4) A gift is given

I am put in a large room with all different kinds of decorations. It's all used to cover up the ugly white room. Old pictures of the district in a sky view,  buildings and the outline areas. I walk past the photos which are placed on the wall in golden frames. From the sky view I can see that a large building is being constructed,  the Academy where we learnt to take honour before life. I can see the houses of the wealthy people but when I follow the path, which I take from the Academy to my home I can't see any houses near the area. It's just a lake with a dam. The water of the lake must have been evaporated a while ago, so the dam was just a large building in a random place. I walk to the next photo and see the lake being empty. I was right. The picture after that only shows the top part of the dam, which I recognise as the houses in my street. I have lived in a dam, not many people can say that. The bottom part of the dam must have been the Colloseum, the part which the poor people use to get some money.

*Flashback*

I follow my dad into a dark tunnel with a bright light at the end. I don't really follow him because he pulls me with him. My dad turns around and has very much sweat on his face and his eyes look like the eyes of a predator who is about to grab their prey. "You have been here before Cato and you know what to do but it's important that you win this time because your opponent is the son of my dealer. I look at my dad and just nod. He takes out my shirt and gives me a promising pat on my back, where you can see the cut he made still healing. Insecure I walk to the end of the tunnel towards the bright light. I can hear the audience shouting, smell the air of sweat and see the dried bloodstains on the ground. I have to do one step to come into the light but I hesitate. I get pushed into the light and am blinded by the brightness. Still blinded I can hear someone yell my name and the name of my opponent. I wink a couple of times until my eyes are used to the brightness and have focused. In my opposite direction I can see a boy who is probably two years older than I and also fifty centimeters taller. I think my reaction is normal, I gulp. "Are you ready? Have you done your bet?" yells the presenter in his dusty suit. He walks out of the circle that has walls of five meters high, so no escaping because the entrances get blocked by electric fences. The presenter is out of the fighting area and I can hear him saying that the match is about to start.

The boy has dark hair and runs at me with a fast pace. I stand there frozen and see the fist coming but don't dodge it. A hard punch comes directly in my face and I fall backwards through the force of it. I can hear my dad screaming at me that I have to stand up from somewhere above me. The pain has dazzled me and I slowly stand up but a punch on my back makes me fall to the ground again. I hit the ground with my nose and hear a cracking nose. Broken or bruised. I realise that I have to fight back so I roll over the ground. I stand up and I see a fist coming this time. I dodge it by doing a little step to the right. He follows his fist and is out balance. I kick him in the back and he falls to the floor. He doesn't fall like I expected him to do but uses his fall to do a head roll, so he is standing and does a back kick in my stomach. All the air is being pushed out of my longs and I collapse to the ground. I breath for air but can't get any air in my longs because inhaling and exhaling hurts. When I finally have some air I breath out again through the pain. It feels like drowning but you're on the ground and not under water. I roll on my back with all the power I have. I see him looking down at me with guilt in his eyes. He doesn't want to fight either but is also forced. Pain goes through my body. Without seeing I know that I'm being kicked by my opponent. I keep getting kicked and all I want to do is cry but for some reason can't.  I have no idea how I do it but I scream and jump up. I see him being frightened by me. I run towards him and kick, punch and kick him again. I repeat this and it goes on until I hear him sobbing. I calm down and realise that my temperament must have controlled me. "I'm sorry?" I mumble while I give him my hand to stand up. He takes my hand but with his other hand he grabs a knife out of his pocket. He cuts my arm with the knife. Red, fresh blood is dripping on the ground out of the cut wounds. Stunned by the knife I don't do anything. He points the knife in my belly and kicks in my kneecaps. I fall on my knees and because the knife was in my belly it makes a cut till my chest. I fall on my face and feel the knife running across my scar, reopening it. I lay there on the ground and hear the crowd cheering because the fight is over. "Sorry blondie,  but there aren't rules with fighting in the Colloseum." he whispers and he walks away while I'm still laying there and bleed.