Cato's POV
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20 February 3114
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The funeral was short, family and friends were the only ones aloud. She was buried next to Derek, her husband. They were able to take the baby out of her stomach. Blonde hair and big blue eyes. Izabelle decided to name her Elly. She was buried between her parents.
Clove didn't cry. She still hasn't. She's still in aftershock, but you couldn't console Izabelle, nor Roni enough. It was painful.
Roni's birthday was a few weeks later, Clove got her a few bottles of perfume, clothes, jewellery, but you couldn't celebrate on such a day. Roni didn't do anything. Kalen's birthday was yesterday. We had a few of his friends over, but you could tell no one had any senseof happiness.
They shortly found out that Beckany had murdered her in her sleep. She had also killed Derek. She was arrested for life.
Clove isn't the same. I can't hug her, or kiss her. She'll push me away and curse at me. And if anyone mentions the name "Hayzelle" she gives them this physcotic stare, as If she'll murder them.
She's had a few episodes. They're not like her old ones were she'll scream in fear and cry. These one's are violent. She has thrown a glass at the wall, smashed a plate off the floor, she has even flung a chair across the room. Miraculously, the kids never see.
They kids have moved in with us permanently. Resse and Bristle are now living in their own home, giving the five of us more space.
To channel her anger, she asked Zayn if she could use the academy. I watched her a few times. She doesn't do any tricks or flips, she stands in one spot and throws the knife at different parts of the body.
Zayn also asked if she'd help him train future careers. She has one all the knife throwing contests and all of the archary contesets. I never knew she was good at archery. She participated in sparring also. She has beaten everyone. No matter what size or height, she beat 'em. She wouldn't lay off the attack, she pounded them. She actually ended up putting a boy in hospital.
She's just not right.
Maybe it's her case of bipolar disorder, or maybe it's something more serious, but she's too twitchy, always on the edge of her seat. It worries me a lot.
Like a real lot.
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I wake up about 10 o clock. I roll my eyes to think of what I have to face up to today.
This will be the day that she feels better. Today is the day where we get our lives back on track.
Oh, who am I kidding?
I groggily get up out of bed and pull a black top over my head. I shuffle down the stairs to be greeted by the smell of food. Mm, I'd love some curry right now. For breakfast?
Yeah, I know I'm weird.
I enter the kitchen and see Izabelle and Roni chatting in a hushed tone over the breakfast bar. Kalen is bouncing up and down, playing with all his new toy cars that he got yesterday for his birthday.
"G'morning!" I say.
"Morning!" Izabelle and Roni smile as the put there empty plates into the sink. "Thank you Clove!"
Clove nods her head and turns around to greet me. The first thing that I notice is her eyes. There darker. They don't have that sparkle anymore, the sparkle that made me want to get to know her. There is a very prominent black line under her eyes.
She smiles weakily at me.
"Morning Clo, sleep last night?" I ask, wondering will she tell the truth.
"Like a baby!" She lied, which was shortly followed by a fake laugh. She was awake the whole night. I'm deadly serious, we went to bed about 12 and when she thought I was asleep, she got up and stayed out on the balcony all night. I knew she was awake as she was singing to herself lightly.
"That's good babe!" I smile as Roni and Izabelle leave the room. It's Saturday so no one has school. "Something smells good!" I declare honestly.
"Just some bacon, sausage, eggs and burnt toast. Hope you don't mind..." she says gently. She walks over to the cupboard and takes out two plates and plates up our breakfast.
"My favourite! " I say. And to be honest, it really is. I've come to love Clo's rustic style of cooking. I take the plates off her and place them on the breakfast bar. She places two cup s of tea on the bar aswell as cutlery.
"Thanks." I smile genuinely at her.
"Cato! Cato! Will you play with my new cars with me?" The new toy cars that Clove and I got him yesterday.
"Cato's having his breakfast!" Clove calls back to him in the front room.
"Maybe later buddy!" I call aswell.
"Do you mind if I open the porch doors? I'm feeling a little bit stuffy.."
"Go for it." I tell her. She pushes out the glass doors letting a refreshing cold breeze sweep in. The snow is just beginning to melt due to the more frequent appearances of the sun. It's a beautiful sight really. The swimming pool that we have out back isn't frozen over any more, unlike the months of December and January.
Clove reaches her arms up into the air and streches. She's wearing a black tank top and blue bed shorts. Her long, flowing, chocolate hair is draped over her shoulders. She's also barefoot. She turns around and smiles at me, her white teeth showing. Her eyes have miraculously gotten brighter.
"I might be able to hang out the washing today. I have tonnes!" She declares.
"I know, I'll give you a hand. Just eat your breakfast before it goes cold." I tell her, she shuffles over to the bar and takes her place next to me.
She leans up to me and slowly kisses my cheek. That's the most I've gotten since after dinner at the Mayor's. My cheek tingles and burns as she pulls away.
"Thank you." She states simply.
"Why are you thanking me? I should be thanking you for this amazing breakfast! "
"You already did. But I'm thanking you because you've stuck with me. These last months have been real tough. But today seems different."
Yes that's what I was thinking too. It just seems different, I just hope it's a good kind of different.
We ate our breakfasts, chatting occasionally.
After breakfast, I played with Kalen for a bit until Clove dedicated to take him to the park. Roni left to visit her friend and Izabelle had to go for a walk. Lile she needed to, she was all gittery and twitchy.
And now, I'm all on my own.
I ponder around the house until I decide to just watch TV. I flick through a few channels to see there is nothing at all for me to watch.
Then something catches my eye. A picture. I push myself up and walk over to it. It's a picture of Clove's family and Izabelle's.
Clove is up on her dad's shoulders. Hayzelle is holding little Izabelle's hand as she jumping up and down. Clove must be about three and Izabelle two. Derek, Hayzelle's husband is kissing her cheek. Her face is pure red and she's giggling lightly. But that's when two other people catch my eye. A boy and a girl, twins. They look to be about nine or ten. The girl is small with an unusual skin colour, very tanned. Her grey-green eyes are scolding her brother as he has just robbed baby Roni off her. Her hair is cut short, very tight in the back but longer in the front. Her brother has the same black hair and grey-green eyes. He's much taller then her and he's holding baby Roni.
Is this Samara and Kyle?
I look at Hayzelle's face, bright red and giggling.
Last time the name "Hayzelle" was mentioned there was war.
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It has been about three weeks since Hayzelle's funeral. The kids were outside in the snow. Clove was wrapped up in a dressing gown, bare footed as usual. She taps her foot off the tile floor as she washes the dishes.
Her hair is up in a topknot and her eyes are sagging and black.
"Cato do you mind getting dressed and taking the kids over to Hayzells?" She asks. I freeze in my spot.
"Um, Clove?" I say warily.
"Oh my God! I'm so stupid! " she cries, her eyes filling with tears.
"It's okay Clo, it's okay!" I tell her as I walk over and hug her.
"GET AWAY FROM ME!" She yells.
I ignore her and walk towards her more.
"Taoe one more step and I swear to God Cato, I'll kill you. ." She spit.
"Clo-" I say gently.
She picks up a glass and flings it at the wall. It smashes against the plaster and cracks into a million pieces.
"IT'S YOUR FAULT! " She hollers.
"What?" I ask.
"It's your fault she's dead! If I never met you, Hayzelle nor Derek would be dead!" She screams, smashing another glass
"NO THEY'D BE ALIVE, BUT GUESS WHAT? YOU'D BE DEAD INSTEAD!" I scream at her.
"DON'T PLAY THAT CARD WITH ME!" She screeches. She picks up a plate and flings that at the wall, the crockery cracks into thirds, and then into millions when it hits the floor.
"WHAT CARD? THE CARD THAT SAYS I SAVED YOUR LIFE? IS IT THAT ONE CLOVE, EH?"
"DON'T YOU DARE!"
"DON'T I DARE WHAT? SAY THE TRUTH? YOU KNOW THAT I'M RIGHT! BUT YOUR TO STUBBORN TO ADMITT IT!"
She picks up a kitchen knife and points it towards me. I have no way to defend myself now. No matter what I do, she'll be able to kill me. I look her straight in the eye and suddenly her eyes change, from the angry black to the normal, beautiful grey. The sparkle returns.
She streches her arm back and flings the knife. I close my eyes and wait.
There is a loud thunk behind me, I open my eyes and see the knife embedded in the wall. I look at Clove. She's on her knees, tears pouring out of her eyes. I sliwly walk over to her and sit next to her.
"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean a single word of it. I swear..."
"I know you didn't. I'm sorry too." I reply.
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"Cato? Cato!" Clove says, snapping her fingers in front if my face.
"When did you get here?" I ask.
"About two minutes ago. I was wondering will you help me with the washing?" She asks timidly.
"Sure baby." I say getting up. "How was the park Kalen?"
"It was so fun! Thank you Clover!"
Clove smiles back at her brother and then walks out to the kitchen. We both follow her. She asks Kalen to open the porch doors.
She hands me half of the clothes and bed sheets, and a basket of pegs.
We walk out and I put the washing in the table. I gingerly hang up the washing.
I glimpse at Clove. She's hanging up the bed sheets.
Suddenly Kalen runs toward the pool and Clove gasps. She yanked him back, but suddenly she got caught in the white bed sheets on the line. She scrambles desperately. She tumblez tinto the pool, but not before giving her head an awful whack off the concrete, knocking her out before I can do anything.
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21 February 3114
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I changed my position in the hospital chair. I try to look everywhere else but at her. I look out the large window to see mockingjays flutter across the beautiful red sky. I look at the white walls, with pictures of flowers, or the night sky, or the beach to break up the white.
I look at the white ceiling, with the little lights that are off. I look at the green floor, which is that fake plastic stuff. I look at the green curtins. I look at the wardrobe, the bedside table, the bed itself, but not at her.
I close my eyes and listen gently to the sound of her heartbeat through the life support machine. Bum- bum, bum-bum.
My eyes eventually land on her frail body, covered in the white blanket. Two plastic tubes of oxygen are going up her nostrils. A oxygen mask is also covering her mouth. Her reight arm has an IV drip in it. Her left hand wrist has a band around it. Rambin, Clove.
Above her bed, is a white board with her name on it and her age.
She's been in this coma since yesterday. She gave it a mighty whack, so mighty, that she's now in a coma. The doctors and nurses said that she'll more then likely wake up soon, and that I shouldn't worry about it that much.
The door is pushed open and Roni and Izabelle walk in. Kalen is at our house with my mom, she's minding him. And actually right about now Reese and Bristle will be taking over.
"Any change?" Roni asks hopefully.
I shake my head only to dissapoint her. She runs a hand through her golden hair and sighs loudly. Izabelle paces back and forth, while I stare at her. The underneaths of her eyes are black. This is all my fault.
"I'm going to get a cup of coffee, do you want one, Cato?" Izabelle mutters to me lightly.
"What? Oh, no I'm fine. Thanks." I whisper, as if I was trying to not wake her.
Izabelle nods and drags Roni out of the room with her, closing the door gingerly behind them. I pull my chair forward towards the bed and gently, ever so gently stroke her face with my knuckles.
"I love you Clove." I whisper while tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "I don't tell you that enough. The nurse has told me that you may be able to hear me. If you can, that'll be cool. Or what was that word you used for cool once? Dope, was it? Yeah, that'll be so dope, eh?"
"The nurse also said that music sometimes wakes people up. I don't know what kind of music you like. But I'll give it a shot. Don't laugh, I'm a terrible singer."
"How to be brave, how can I love when I'm afraid,
To fall, but watching you stand alone,
All of my doubt, suddenly goes away somehow,
One step closer,
I have died everyday, waiting for you,
Darling don't be afraid, I have loved you,
For a thousand years, I'll love you for a thous- no? Not doing it for yeah? Yeah I thought so. I told you, I'm rubbish.
I could do that someone song. What is it again?
You know that I could use somebody,
You know that I could use somebody,
Someone like you and all you know,
And I can't sing!" I joke. She makes no sign of movement or life so I try something else.
"Or how about that really high, slow one that you seem to like? You'll be waking up to tell me shut up! Here I go!
I've known it from the moment that we met,
No doubt it my mind where you belong,
I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue,
I'd go crawling down the avenue,
I'd go to the ends to the earth for you,
To make you feel my love,
I know you haven't made your- God! How can people sing that high eh?"
Suddenly to my delight, her fingers begin to twitch, eyelashes begin to flutter and she begins to mumble a few words. I quickly jump up and slam my fist down on the red button next to her bed to signal the nurse.
"Clo?" I gasp. "C'mon baby girl! Open those eyes!" Was I really that bad at singing?
Her eyes crack open and her iris' dart around the room until the land on me. A huge tsunami tidal wave of relief washes over me and I gasp for oxygen.
Her delicate fingers reach for her oxygen mask and she pulls it off slowly. "Clo!?" I yell with excitement. I feel tears of joy prick my eyes but I forcefully push them back.
She removes the mask and places it on her chest. She gasps for breath.
"Doctor?" She asks, confused.
"No silly, it's me, Cato" I inform her with a friendly smile.
Her eyebrows furrow together and her mouth frowns.
"I'm sorry. Who?"
"Stop messing Clo, it's me, Cato?" I say with the slightest bit of panic in my voice. I step towards her and crouch down to her eye level. I place my hand on top of hers and she yanks it back. She pushes herslf up with her wrists and I can see her shaking slightly.
"Get away from me!" She yells.
"Clo, Baby Girl!" I state trying to caress her face.
" I don't know you! Get away! DOCTOR! NURSE!" She hollers.
Three female nurses run in. "What's wrong?" One nurse says.
"Get him away! He's trying to rape me!" She cries. My jaw drops. "Get him away!"
Another nurse approaches me and gently pushes me towards the door. "Sir you'll have to leave!" She says.
"What? No! I'm her boyfriend!"
"Sir, for Clove's sake, just leave!" She begs.
"No! She's my girlfriend and I can't just-" but I don't get to finish because two security gaurds come and drag me out kicking and screaming. The nurse locks the door from the inside and another nurse injects Clove with something. The gaurds let me go, so I rush to the window and look in.
Clove almost instantly calms down.
"Hello, my name is Elizabeth. But please call me Beth." Says the first nurse shile she oicks up Clove's chart from the end of her bed.
"What's your name sweetie?" She asks.
"Clove. Clove Sienna Rambin."
"Very good. Now what age are you?"
"I'm fourteen. Fifteen in three months." The nurse frowns and looks at the other nurse. I begin to panic. Fourteen?
"And what date is it?"
"Early April 3112?" Clove asks. The nurse scribbles it down on the chart.
"Did you know who that man was?"
"No. Not at all. Am I supposed to?"
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"And that's all that happened?" Roni asks frantically.
"Yes. She freaked out, she told the nurses that I tried to rape her." I told Roni. The nurses are taking some tests on Clove.
"It's nothing to worry about Cato. Just because she thinks she's fourteen, there's nothing to worry about. Not yet anyway...." Izabelle informs me with a caring tone.
Beth walks out of Clove's room and into where we are all sitting. The three of us stand up. I look the nurse up and down to see what emotion she has. Her green eyes are emotionless and her thin lips are in a straight line. Her black hair is tied up in a bun.
She looks down at the chart and then back up to us.
"Cato, Izabelle and Veronica?" She asks.
"Yes?" We all say in sync.
"Is she okay?" I ask.
The nurse looks me straight in the eye and takes in a deep breath.
"I'm afraid Clove has Post-Traumatic Amnesia."
Izabelle gasps loudly. "Oh My God! " Roni half yells.
Amnesia?
"Wait, what?" I breathe.
"Post-Traumatic Amnesia." Beth confirms.
"Wh-what is that?" I stutter.
Beth looks at me sympathetically. "Oh hunny. I'm so sorry, this happens to so many people. It's just, she hit her head so hard. And because she had Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. That didn't help it either. I'm so sorry Mr Emerson."
I felt my life evaporate away from me, I feel it crumble between my fingers. Everything Clove and I had built up in the past two years of knowing each other. Gone.
"Do-does she remember me?" I gasp, feeling the oxygen rushs out of my body, I'm being overflowed by Carbon Dioxide. I can't breathe.
"She can't remember the past year and a half of her life. She thinks that it's April 3112." She doesn't know me. She's forgotten me. "She is even unaware that she is a Victor for the 74th Hunger Games. It's not even a blur. It's all gone."
"But, this can't be happening....." Izabelle whispers.
"Is there any medication, any drug for her to take?" Roni asks frantically.
"I'm afraid not Ms. Veronica. But to see if she remembers anything, we are showing her the 74th Hunger Games, the crowning, the victory tour. And obviously the reaping, tribute parade and the interviews. Hopefully, it'll spark a memory."
"How long does it take for people to remember? They do remember, right?" I ask Beth.
"In statistics, yes. But everyone is different. Clove has what we like to call Post-Traumatic Retrograde Amnesia. Post-Traumatic is usually due to a head injury, in this case, Clove hitting her head off the concrete. Patients may be unable to recall who they are, but Clove can do that. The damage inflicted on the head, is usually how strong the amnesia is. There is no medical cure. Retrograde, being the type she has, usually means that she will not be able to recall more recent memories, but shall be able to recall older ones. We know this is accurate. The only was to help her get her memories back is to show her her recent memories, things like pictures, videos, taking her to places of significant importance to you both. And the same with you two girls. I want you to know that memories do come back, sometimes it takes days, weeks, months, even years. But it is not promised." Beth explains to me. I feel tears prick my eyes, but force them away rapidly.
"You better sit down." Izabelle says. "Both of you. We just got to tread very carefully. We're all in this together, right?"
"Right!" Roni smiles, but I know she wants to burst out in tears. I sit myself down on the blue plastic chair.
"Cato?"
"Hmm!" I agree.
The news spread quickly that Clove had lost her memory. Many people came up to see if she remembered them. My family, Reese and Bristle, Brutus, Corden, Enobaria, Leven were all forgotten.
Even Chase heard, but Clove remembered her. She wouldn't let me into see her. She was shocked to find out that she's a Victor, and shocked to hear about her aunt Hayzelle, Nd Derek and Elly. She didn't believe our star-crissed lovers tale until she watched the whole games. Then the crowning and the Victory Tour. Not to mention the reaping, tribute parade and the interview.
I watched from outside her room as she made confused faces everytime we kissed or said "I love you." She just didnt get it. And after spending half the day watching the video, there has been no change.
I feel as if someone like Peeta or Thresh, no sorry someone like Marvel, has taken a hammer and smashed my world into millions of pieces.
Everyone said they were "So sorry!" But none of the Victors did. They knew I didn't want pity, they gave me encouraging words. But that was useless because everytime I looked in Clove's window, it broke me to see her so lost.
"What will we tell the Capital?" Enobaria demanded. "I know this is the last thing you want to hear Cato, but it must be done. The Quell is in five months."
"Enobaria leave the lad alone! Are you alright lad?" Brutus said while patting me on the back.
But I can't seem to form a sentence. I'm too lost, I'm so confused! Is this really happening?
I stand up and walk over to the window, I gaze in and see Clove shaking in confusion while listening to Roni, Izabelle and Kalen talk. Her hair is all over the place and her eyes are dark. Her slender fingers are playing with another and it seems like her skin has drained of colour.
I loved her.
I still love her. To pieces.
But she doesn't love me.
She doesn't even know me.
So, albeit, it's over.
Isn't it?
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DUN DUN DUN!
AMNESIA? IT'S OVER? WHAT THE FUDGE?!?!?!?!?
I know, I know, ye probably hate me. But it's all leading uo to something greater, I promise.
Fan; if your happy I updated.
Vote; if you think Clove is a physco.
Comment; on your reaction and thoughts to amnesi and it's over and what you think it's leading up to.
Next update; Monday.
Teaser; "So I "apparently" loved you? I'm still a virgin right?" I asked.
Clf xxx
Clato forever. Alexbelle will happen
Cheers! ;)