"Wake up" I whisper softly before realizing I sound really creepy. I roll over onto Clove and hug her firmly. She groans and tries to shake me off.
"Cato" she growls softly from under me. I laugh and roll off the bed. My arms sting as I try to pull myself up from the ground. I might have pulled or strained a muscle. I sigh and walk off to the bathroom to do what I must before Clove comes to hog it up.
"You almost done?" she asks as I just step into the shower. I close the glass shower door and start to wash my body. The water feels nice, colder than I usually like, but nice. I see her through the textured glass door and smile as she starts to brush her hair. I lather my hair and rinse with the cool water. I grab my towel over the glass and wrap it loosely around my waist
"I love you Cato" Clove says when I step out. I look at her confused and I can see she's forcing a smile. I decide to question her at breakfast, when I'm dressed and step into our room. I look through my side of the walk-in closet and find an extra pair of shorts and a deep blue t-shirt. This'll do. I slip on the shirt and look around for a pair of boxers. I look down the stairs and find the laundry basket at the end of the stairs. I grab it and pick out a pair of gray boxers. I slip my legs in and pull them over my length.
"Cato! Put some pants on" Clove says awkwardly. I smirk and slip on my loose sports-shorts. I walk around our room, trying to find my black sneakers and some socks. I find some socks in a drawer and my shoes end up under the bed. I slip put them on quickly and run to the kitchen, where Clove is making bacon.
"Her you go" Clove says as I sit down at the glass top table. I smile and reach to peck her cheek. I see her go slightly redder and smile mentally. She looks like she's been thinking to hard about something, her eyes are strained and her face slightly paler than usual.
"Clove, come sit" I say softly, trying not to scare her. She brings her plate of sausage and eggs and sits next to me quietly. We start to eat and of course I finish first. I watch her behavior carefully, she's been eating less than usual too. She eventually finishes and I volunteer to take her plate. I dump them in the sink and let the scalding water fill half-way. The sink starts to automatically clean them with some sort of mild acid that gets rid of the food.
'What's going on with Clove?' I start to brain-storm with myself. 'Maybe she's sick? No, not for three weeks. Is she pregnant? Oh, I hope not. I'm not mature enough for a child yet. Maybe she's just really emotional?' I settle on that but decide to still ask, just in case.
"Clove, do you want to watch tv? They might be replaying highlights of all of the Games? Or there's probably some news on" I say and she nods. She sits in my lap and I hold her close to me as the screen turns on slowly.
"Good afternoon ladies, gentlemen and anyone else who wants to watch" I hear Ceasar say, even before the screen turns on all the way. His hair is bright green, almost neon and his suit matches perfectly. "Today we have a very special program, we will be talking to Tibernus Sevina, winner of the first and only Capitol Games" he says, with a hint of bitterness. Clove stiffens against me and sighs, relaxing a little.
"Clove? You okay?" I ask concerned and she shrugs. I know she hates her dad but this feels a little different. I hold her close to my chest as we watch the boring interview with her father. Ceasar says his last good-byes and the screen fades.
"Clove" I say turning her around firmly "Tell me what's wrong" I say, more demand but trying to be soft. She looks into my eyes and I try for an encouraging smile. She sighs and looks down sadly.
"My mom wants a divorce and I swore I would kill him" she says deeply and I nod "I've got my plans for him but I don't want to live in fear the way Johanna is" I look down at her carefully and she looks away. I hold her close for a little while longer and she slowly falls asleep. I carry her carefully upstairs and lie her on the bed.
'She's been sleeping a lot' my subconscious remarks. I look down at her curiously and sigh. Clove starts to stir and slowly gets more violent. She talks in her sleep, almost inaudibly and jerks a few times. I hold her close and try to listen to what she's saying.
I only hear one phrase and the rest are bits and pieces. "I didn't do anyth-" she stops and sighs. Her eyes flutter open and she gasps, a small one but still noticeable.
"Cato? Where are we?" she asks, her eyes still tired and distracted. I smile and hold her close, she must not know she was talking in her sleep. She seems to nod to herself and smiles awkwardly.
"What were you dreaming about?" I ask as casually as I can manage. She shrugs but looks troubled. I decide not to push her and I sit up slowly. "Do you want to take Dagger on a run with me?" I ask and Dagger bounds into our room at the word. I smile and she nods half-heartedly.
"Okay let's go" she says once she pulls on her shoe. I smile and we head out and around the neighborhood.