Dangerous Affection- The Hunger Games- A Cato Love Story

Chapter 6: A Look

The twelve chariots line the City Circle. In the buildings around us, the windows are packed with the most prestigious citizens of the Capitol. Our horses pull up to a stop in front of President Snow's mansion.

The president is a small thin man with paper-white hair. He gives the official welcome from his balcony above us. It's traditional to cut away to each pair of tributes during the speech, but I can tell Ryder and I are getting more than our fair share. I try and move as little as possible, but the wind is strong that night, making my dress fly, and snow fall. The camera men do make an effort to cut around to all the other tributes once more as the national anthem plays, but still it lingers on us far longer, coming back as the chariots parade around the circle one last time, and finally disappear into the Training Center.

The huge doors boom shut behind us, and Ryder and I are quickly surrounded by prep teams, all telling us how amazing we were. Darien gives me a smile, and I smile back to him. As I look around and see all the dirty looks directed our way, I can only confirm what I had already suspected. We've literally outshone them all. I feel my hand and it stings from lack of blood flow, and I find myself prying Ryder's hand from mine. I massage it, wincing as the blood rushes back through it, feeling better once it does. Darien comes up and offers me his hand, and I take it, stepping down from the chariot.

"Thanks for holding onto me." Ryder says, almost sneering. "Got a little shaky back there."

I hold my tongue, forcing myself to be polite. "I'm sure no one noticed. I didn't, and I was right there."

"I'm sure they didn't notice anything but you. You should wear white more often- hell, you should smile for often. Really suits you." And he winks. He actually winked.

It takes everything I have not to punch him in the face. Ryder just keeps confusing me more and more. I can't figure out what he is up to, but every ounce of my being tells me it is nothing good. But because two can play at this game, I stand straight and twirl for him, giving him my best smile.

"Was that good?" I ask innocently.

Ryder's mouth goes hard, not expecting me to respond like that. He quickly composes himself, though, and excuses himself to go and speak with someone. I don't notice who he says, because I find myself looking at someone, without trying to seem like I was.

I rack my brain for his name. Cato! Cato, District Two, is staring at me, which shouldn't surprise me, but instead of the death glare I was being given by all the others, he has a weird look on his face. Questioning, almost. To him, it probably looks like Ryder and I are together. The thought that it looks like that makes me sick, and I want to tell Cato that there is nothing going on between Ryder and me. Only him being a creeper. But as soon as I blink, the questioning stare is gone, and the death stare has taken hold of his expression too. It takes me a moment to realize it isn't trained on me, but moving.

I look to where my best guess of where his eyes where trained is, and find Ryder standing in their path. For some reason, the thought of Cato wanting to kill Ryder makes me feel good inside, and I laugh at how stupid I am being. Of course he wants to kill him. One less person standing between him and victory.

I look back at Cato, finding him staring at me again, and know he must have seen me laugh just then. He catches me looking at him, and looks around as if to ask, "Did I miss the joke?"

Cato then gives me a small, seductive smile, and turns back to his stylist, who seems pretty mad- probably because of me. Others begin to come up behind Cato, and soon all I can see is the top of his dirty-blond head.

"Alexandra! Come on," Darien calls out, coming over to me. "Are you okay?"

My head shoots up when he puts a hand lightly on my shoulder. "What?" I ask, not realizing he had been speaking to me.

"I asked, are you okay? You seemed to be lost in space there for a moment." Darien says, concern in his dark brown eyes.

"Oh. Yeah I'm fine. Just thinking. Where are we going?" I ask him.

"Up to your floor, of course. This is where you will be staying until the actual Games begin, remember?" He replies, tapping me lightly on the head as if to ask if anyone was home up there.

"Oh yeah, yeah of course. Shall we go then?" I ask, giving a small smile.

"Yes, as soon as we collect Ryder." Darien answers, looking around.

Oh joy, I think to myself. "Okay."

As we step onto the elevator, my thoughts travel back to the silent conversation I had had with Cato. His light blue eyes, spiked-up short, blond, almost brown hair, and strong, muscled arms.

I shake my own head, wondering if I had really just thought of Cato being... Cute. Even if he is, one of us won't be living much longer, and I don't need any weaknesses in that arena. If I have to kill the boy from District Two, I will, I told myself.

Even then, I knew deep inside it was a lie.