A/N So I've been trying to update as fast as possible. I'd love to hear comments about the story and any ideas anyone has. Feedback is always good. Thanks!
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The bruises from that night at Elise's have just started to fade when Cato breaks our silence. It's been weeks since Tournament. I guess he's finally cooled off.
We're throwing javelins in the main gym when it happens. I miss my target by several inches and groan with frustration. Cato steps closer and adjusts the tip of my spear. "Keep the point level, it'll help you aim better." I nod and try again. This time it hits the bull's eye dead on. Cato whoops loudly and I can't help but smile. And suddenly it's like nothing's ever happened. When Cato hits three targets in a row I clap and he smirks arrogantly. "Beat that Clover," he jokes. Even though I can't, I step up with a swing in my step and stick my tongue out at him.
That night, Cato is waiting for me outside the girl's locker room. It's a Tuesday so we get off normal practice before dinner. I follow him up to our practice room. It's full of dummies and mats in shades of blue. There's a balcony overlooking the main gym but it's hard to spot from the floor. It's a place just for us. We start to spar, Cato calling out corrections as we go. After less than an hour, I call a break and Cato grins.
"Tired already Clover?"
"I wouldn't be if you hadn't stopped training with me." I don't mean for it to come out but as soon as it does I understand that his leaving has hurt more than I've let on. Cato was my only friend until Elise. To my surprise, Cato pauses.
"I'm sorry about that. It wasn't your fault for winning."
"I wasn't trying to hurt you," I whisper because somehow this needs to be whispered. He takes a step towards me and I force myself to be still. This is Cato, not Favian.
"I know." His voice is soft, like a gentle touch. Then Cato grins and continues, "What's your favorite movie?"
"Excuse me?" And we're back to normal.
"You know, the moving pictures with dialog and sound. Surely you've heard of them?"
"Really? Is that what they're called? I had NO idea." I give him a withering look.
"Well, do you wanna go see one?"
"Now?"
"Yeah, I mean when's the last time you took a break from training? C'mon Clover, live a little."
"But Favian..."
"Is just your guardian. You're allowed to leave the house. We'll be back before you know it." He had me at movie but I just wanted to make things hard on him.
"Okay."
"Really?" His face lights up.
"Yeah," I say, "before I change my mind."
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Twenty minutes later, my freshly washed chocolate locks are spilling over my shoulders in the wind. My black combat boots click on the concrete as I walk next to Cato. A black leather skirt flutters around my legs and a simple red shirt hugs my body. I fiddle with the bracelet on my arm as Cato talks about his and Ralae's latest fight. With him next to me, Ralae seems like a bad memory. Cato has turned from ghost to guardian.
We walk past grey houses, bickering absentmindedly about nothing. When we get to the main strip of town, I sigh and breathe in the night air. Something about all the lights at night makes the world seem a little bit brighter in more ways than one. Quaint shops line the cobblestone path in the newer portion of downtown district 2. This is where most of the kids go to hang out. I've only been a few times.
Cato pulls me gently from the crowd and into an old fashioned movie theater with a glowing sign. I stare at the posters, marveling at the things the Capitol comes up with. "Cinderella?" Really, who thinks this up? Cato catches me staring as we wait in line for tickets. Suddenly I remember something and turn red with mortification.
"Cato, I don't have any money. Favian doesn't usually let me out with friends." I'm nearly panicking and hoping no one is watching.
"Guess it's a good thing I'm buying your ticket for you." He grins and I relax. When we get into the lobby I take in the gilded surroundings with awe. Cato comes back with a bucket of delicious smelling puffs and I sniff it.
"You've never been to the movies before, have you?" There's no judgement in his voice so I nod and look down. "You're gonna love it." I follow him into a theater for whatever movie it is we're seeing and sit down next to him. "Clove. Clover!" Cato breaks me out of a train of worries about Favian by throwing the fluffy yellow stuff in my face. I jolt and accidentally swallow a piece.
It's the most heavenly thing I've ever tasted.
"Oh my god," I mumble and make a grab for the bucket.
"Never had popcorn before have you?" he laughs and holds the tub out of reach.
"Hand it over or you get to find out where I keep my knives." I threaten.
"You could say please." But I've already crammed a fistful of the stuff into my face. Cato sits there laughing at me and eventually I throw a bit at him--which he catches in his mouth.
"What? How on earth did you do that?" Cato tosses a kernel of popcorn at me and we spend the next few minutes trying to catch pieces in our mouths. When the lights go dim some people shush us and we snicker.
It's the most fun I've had in a long time.
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After the movie, the sky has darkened to a clear, glossy black. "What did you think," Cato asks as we amble about the strip.
"I think the Capitol is full of crackpots. But it was funny." He laughs. "Thanks," I add.
"Of course, what are rich, handsome training partners good for?"
"I wouldn't necessarily say handsome..." He makes a puppy dog face and I grin. A bell sounds out and Cato checks his watch.
"Do you need to go home?" I should but I don't want to. I shake my head.
We walk in comfortable silence for a while, Cato leading me to some unknown destination. The stars shine brightly and I wonder if they look the same from inside the arena. I wonder if people are the same on the inside. Probably not.
Cato steps into the alley behind a little glass cutting shop and turns under a hedge. I follow cautiously and find myself in paradise. A massive wave of stones and glittering objects have been welded into a form around the edge of the fence. Plants litter the ground like gumdrops. A tipsy hammock hangs from two ancient trees. There's a stone bench that appears to be hand carved. Starlight reflects off the artwork like ocean waves.
"This place is incredible." Cato runs a hand through his hair.
"I've lived about 5 minutes from here since I was little. My brother and I used to go exploring and one day we found this."
"I didn't know you had a brother."
"He's dead."
"Oh. I'm sorry."
"The Games are the Games." For the first time, Cato sounds almost bitter.
I trace my finger along the stones in wonder. "Who owns this?"
"Just an woman named Old Ella. She shut down the shop years ago but keeps making this." He gestures to the wall. "I've been guessing what it's going to be since I was ten." The same year Favian adopted me, I think.
"And she doesn't mind us being here?"
"Nah," Cato drops a handful of shells and gems into an empty stone birdbath. "but I like to bring some stuff for her to add to the mural. Every time I come back it's grown a little more, even though I never see Old Ella."
"Like magic," I whisper.
"Yes," he smiles, "like magic."
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Clato: Cuts Beneath the Surface
FanfictionClove never knew her parents. All she knows is her trainer Favian who sometimes doubles as her dad, and sometimes falls far short of looking out for her. In district 2 they train you not to be heartless, but to ignore your heart. After years of soli...
