The Damage Is Done ~ A Clato FanFic (Cato's POV)

Chapter 1 ~ Meeting You

I remember walking into the academy at a very young age, 5 years old. Before the academy, I lived happily with my parents. However, when I turned five I had to live in the academy until I turned fifteen. From then on out after fifteen we just had to come back every day and train.

When I was five, I was frightened at the thought of murdering innocent people. I hadn’t truly grasped the concept of The Hunger Games. It’s when I walked in the room and saw all those people training for their lives in the games that I understood.

My mother and father wanted me to bring pride to District 1, to bring honor. So they in rolled me in this special academy. I wasn’t aware that I would be handling gruesome weapons just yet, but before I entered that school my mother and father taught me about what I will learn.

They- my parents- said that I was born for this, -the hunger games- and that I could win, that I will win. They also said this was all just a fun game, that the ultimate prize is being alive. Being a victor. The training was hard and rough; nevertheless, here I stand today, at the age of 17.

Only a year away from volunteering, I've trained hard for this. I will win. I will.

"I've assigned you all new training partners." Our coach boomed sternly. "However, they may not be the same age and height, but they have the same level of understanding as you yourself have about the games. I will call the males up, assigning them a partner from the opposite gender."

I stand there with my head held high. Straight face, showing no weakness towards anyone or anything. I wonder who I will be paired with. What girl? What age? I run my fingers through my blonde hair repeatedly. I glance to my left looking at a boy smaller than I am.

He cowers at my glare. In his eyes, you can see he doesn’t want to be here beside me. I can snap his neck and he'll be dead in an instant. I can take my blade and dice him into several chunks. All those thoughts are discontinued when the coach calls my name.

"Cato Hadley!" He yells.

"Yes sir?" I answer.

"Your partner is Amary Kellion." He booms yet again.

A scrawny, yet muscular girl hops forward with her hand out in front of her. I don’t shake it. Soon Amary realizes I’m not shaking her slender hands while she tucks them back into her pockets.

"You are dismissed, you may start practicing." Coach adds.

"Thank you, coach." Amary and I say together.

Amary and I lead our selves over to the spear station that is more of my choice, but I can tell she doesn’t approve by the look over her pale face.

"What? You got a problem with what we'll be practicing with?" I say sarcastically.

"No," she lies.

I clutch a spear from a nearby tablet aiming for the dummies twenty feet away from where I stand. I concentrate. When really I don’t have to, for I’ve done this so many times before. I throw the spear and it pierces the head of the mannequin. I smile with satisfaction while Amary is still studying the spear she holds in her palms.

"You know you’re supposed to throw it right? Not hold it in your hands doing nothing." I snarl.

"Whatever," She mumbles.

"Give me that!" I bark at her.

The spear is ripped from her hands now in mine. Amary is pissed, it’s written all over her pathetic loser face. I thought coach said we would be partnered with someone who is capable of the same shit we are. My buddy, Darious marches over to me. Darious and I have been friends ever since we entered the academy at age five, being the brother I wish I had. Darious gives me a fist pump then begins to speak.

"Dude, you have to switch partners with me. You have to!" He pleads.

"Why what’s so bad about her?" I ask turning to a dark brown haired girl hitting targets left and right.

"She’s too feisty! She almost hit me in the head with a dagger bro! On purpose!" He says with concern.

"Fine, but this one is weak." I say gesturing to Amary.

I grab her arm and push her towards Darious. "He’s your new partner," I bite at her.

Darious goes back to the station where he came from with Amary and brings back the dark brown haired girl. She's not the tallest but she’s alright. Her eyes are a deep shade of brown. I just stand there and watch her calculate my advantages.

The awkward silence is killing Darious. He likes when people talk, so he begins to walk away slowly. The girl stands there, watching me with her brown eyes. I think I should introduce myself to the girl who almost threw a dagger in my best friends head.

"I’m Cato." I say shattering the silence.

"Clove," she answers.

"I see you throw knives. You’re pretty good." I laugh.

"Pretty good? I've been ranked the deadliest female in the academy, but you on the other hand are okay." She sneers.

I chuckle a bit before I reply to her comment when I see her lips curl into a smile after the comment. I smile back before saying anything else. "Yeah? Let’s see then miss -deadliest girl in the academy-." I retort.

"Oh and just so you know I’m the most lethal male in the academy, ever." I say.

She lets out a laugh before retrieving her knives, coming back with an array of them. She has several long daggers, some with ridged sides, small daggers, two sided ones too! She lays them out on the table with the spears.

I decide that I’ll grab a sword and show her what I’m made of. I select the longest, most lethal sword there is to choose from. It’s the one I’ve been using since I was 15. Clove glances over, though I can’t tell if she’s ready to show me what she’s got.

"Ready to be destroyed?" I pose.

"Ha! I hope your ready Cato." She says whipping up a knife.

She gives me a death glare, and I send one right back. This is going to be fun training with her. Her feisty, deadly attitude reminds me of my self. So much fun. She throws the dagger at my head, but I quickly deflect it with my monstrous sword. She throws another when it lodges into my thigh.

Yay! First Chapter up! Im very excited to be writing this, i hope ur as excited as i am! Please for the next chapter 3 votes. Thats all just 3 VOTES! your welcome to comment if you want! Love y'all (no im not western i just like saying y'all) <3 <3 byee