Clove's POV:
I woke the next morning angrily. I didn't want to go to school and I definitely didn't want to see Cato. The encounter from last night was horrible and I was really hoping that someone else would've open the door. I got out of bed and made my way to the bathroom, like every other day, and got ready. Instead of getting ready for school like I usually do, I got ready for training.
I picked up my bag and started walking down stairs. My mum saw me a furrowed her brows in confusions. "Why are you in your training clothes?"
"Not going to school." I said before grabbing an apple. She nodded, knowing that I wouldn't want to see Cato and didn't ask anymore questions. I ate faster than usual and left the house without a word.
I walked to training and made it there without interruptions. Luckily, the place was deserted so I would be alone. As I walked towards the main training room, I heard someone call out to me. "Clove?" It was Fabian. "Shouldn't you be at school?" He asked, puzzled.
"I decided not to go today. Is it okay that I'm here?"
"Should be okay, just don't break anything." He said as he walked back into his office. I continued making my way to the change room and dropped my things off.
I walked back out and started training. Today, I was going to work on my worst weapons first and my best weapons last. Since I was doing my worst weapons, I headed over to the swords and picked up the swords I used for training with Cato.
I scowled as I thought about him. He made me weak, and trusting him was a mistake. I can't afford to make mistakes right now.
I walked up to the first dummy and quickly sliced its head off. My form wasn't the best as I did this, but it felt amazing to feel the sword making a nice clean cut. I decided that I wasn't finished with his dummy and stabbed it in the heart and stomach. When I was finished, the dummy was completely ruined so I moved on to the next one.
After working on every weapon for at least an hour, I finally walked up to the knives. I picked up my favourite knife and ran my finger along the blade. It really was an amazing blade. I turned to the dummies and threw it with all my might. The dummy flew back slightly and it was embedded deep in the light blue flesh like material. I smirked slightly before picking up another knife.
Just as I was about to throw it. I heard footsteps from above me. I turned and saw Enobaria looking at me through a window from a small observation room. Future mentors usually watch the future tributes train to get a better idea of how good everyone is.
Cato's cousin soon appeared next to her with a glass of sparkling liquid. She said something to Enobaria before looking down at me. I glared up at the two of them before continuing to train. I threw a few more knives before hearing someone walking up to me.
I turned around and saw Cato. My fists clenched around the knife in my hand as I looked at him. His eyes were red and puffy and small dark circles were visible under his eyes. His expression quickly hardened when I glared at him.
He walked away from me and towards the swords. School must've ended because a few more people came through the door. After 10 minutes, the room was full and Fabian entered.
"Attention everyone! Today we are going to be having our annual fighting competition!" He announced. "If anyone beats our two chosen tributes, we will consider changing the tributes." My head snapped from the floor to Fabian, my eyes filled with rage. He did not just say that.
The crowd murmured and stared from me to Cato. Fabian simply smirked. "We also have some special guests." He announced as he turned towards the doorway. All of our head turned towards the doorway and in walked Brutus, Enobaria, Lina and the victor from the 64th Hunger Games, Mason.
Many of the younger kids stared at them in awe but they were soon moved to the private training room. "Let's get started." He said clapping his hands together. We all stood around the sparing mat and stared at Fabian for the first competitors.
"First up, Clove Kentwell and Diana Ross." They all parties and let me walk through. Diana was a tall muscular girl with vibrant red hair. She smirked at me as we met in the centre of the mat. She towered over me and looked like she was nearly as tall as Cato but definitely not as muscular.
We both retreated to opposite corners and waited for Fabian to tell us to start.
"3."
"2."
"1."
"Fight."
She charged towards me snd I dodged as she tried to punch me in the gut. Since I was now behind her, I kicked her in the back and she winced slightly. She whipped around and I gave her a hard punch in the stomach. She immediately clutched her stomach and I took the opportunity to kick her in the head. She was soon knocked out and some paramedics rushed over to her.
"Clove wins!" Fabian exclaims. I look around the room and my eyes landed on Cato. He was staring at me looking slightly sad, but as soon as he saw me staring he started glaring at me slightly. I looked away and walked off the mat and waited for my next opponent.
Cato's POV:
I watched Clove win the fight against Diana. She was vicious and angry, I could see it in her eyes. Our eyes locked for a few moments and I could see the hatred in her eyes. I immediately hardened my expression and glared at her as she looked away and walked back into the crowd.
I saw Joan join her and congratulate her. A small smile was on Clove's face as Joan hugged her. My mood dropped when I saw this because I wanted to be the one congratulating her as she took out one of the biggest girls in the 16 year group.
A tear threatened to form but I knew that it wasn't the time to cry. I turned back to Jack who was standing eagerly next to me. "Clove's pretty good." He said as he turned to face me.
"She's okay." I responded dryly. Jack knew that he probably shouldn't have mentioned her and turned back to Fabian awkwardly.
"Next up, Cato Hadley and Will Marshal." I stepped onto the mat and faces the brown haired boy. He was pretty tall but I was still taller.
"3."
"2."
"1."
"Fight!"
We both circled each other waiting for the other to make the first move. I realised that he wasn't going to make the first move and I approached him slowly. He suddenly charged at me and I punched him in the face when he got close enough.
I backed away slightly and held his bleeding nose but he soon started circling me like a lion around its prey. I charged at him when I'd had enough and knocked him to the ground. As he tried to get up, I grabbed him by the neck and threw him to the ground. I'm sure I heard a crack because the paramedics rushed over to help him.
"Cato wins." I announced. I looked over at the victors and saw Lina smiling at me. The others looked slightly impressed and I saw Enobaria whisper something in Brutus's ear. He nodded slightly and looked at me. I walked off the mat victoriously.
I'd done four more fights and I was finally in the top four. Not to my surprise, Clove was also in the top four along with a girl named Fiona and a guy named Jason. I was against Fiona but I knew that I could easily beat her.
"First up, Cato Halsey and Fiona Daron."
We both approached each other but she didn't seem to be intimidated by my size even though she was noticeably smaller.
"3."
"2."
"1."
"Fight."
She charged at me and I threw a punch at the running girl. She seemed to expect this and she went around me before kicking me in the back. Her kicks were lighter than Clove's but it was still effective. I turned and grabbed her by the jaw before throwing her to the ground.
She landed on the floor like a doll but quickly recovered. She was slower than before but she still fought as hardly as before. She dived towards me and knocked me to the ground. She was sitting on top of me and was about to punch me before I whacked her off of me with my left hand and climbing on top of her.
I dug my knee into her stomach as my fist collided with her nose. Blood spurred out of her nose as she struggled under me. My second punch landed on her neck and she gave a loud gasp before hitting the floor three times. The paramedics rushed over and I got up and straightened my shirt. Brutus had a small smirk on his lips as Fabian announced, "Cato wins!"
Next up was Clove and Jason. Fabian didn't even need to say this before they walked onto the mat. Jason wiped a bit of dry blood from his cheek before starting to walk around the mat. The fight was short and Clove won easily. I knew that I needed to go against Clove next but I'm not sure if I was ready to fully fight her.
"Time to see who's really the best. Next match is Cato Hadley and Clove Kentwell." Everyone cheered as we both walked onto the mat. There was something different about Clove. There was a new fury in her eyes. She was truly angry and ready to kick my ass.
"1."
"2."
"3."
"Fight!"
She ran at me and before I could punch her she had punched me in the stomach. I groaned in pain but I quickly tried to punched her in the jaw. She ducked and swung her leg at me as hard as she possibly could. That was definitely going to leave a bruise. I threw a punch at her but she ducked again, as expected, and I managed to kick her in the side.
She didn't seem effected at all and manoeuvred around me before kneeing me in the back. I spun around and whacked her in the head using my forearm. She rubbed her head for a second before knocking me to the ground. She was sitting on my stomach and her legs pinned both of my arms down. After one punch, I felt my nose crack and warm liquid started oozing down my face.
Before she could punch me again, I lifted my legs and wrapped them around her neck. I pulled her down and her legs let go of my arms. I unwrapped my legs and jumped up. She soon followed and tried to punch my side. I caught her fist and twisted it until I heard it crack. I immediately let go and she held her right wrist with her left hand.
She looked at me, angrier than before. She charged at me as if she didn't have a broken wrist and grabbed my neck with her good hand. I instinctively kneed her in the gut but I accidentally missed and hit her crotch instead. She let go and stumbled back. I approached her, about to apologise but I soon remembered that we were fighting.
She boldly kicked me in my private area and I groaned. She ran around me and climbed onto my shoulders before squeezing my neck with her legs. I felt myself starting to loose oxygen and I immediately put my hand up in surrender. Clove didn't loosen her grip and I felt myself starting to black out. The last thing I saw was Brutus and Enobaria rushing over and trying to pull Clove off of me before I blacked out.
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I woke up in an uncomfortable bed with a huge headache. I was laying in the hospital wing and Clove was sleeping in the bed next to me. The rest of the beds were empty, making me think that it was late and that everyone had already left. I looked back at Clove's sleeping form and I noticed how peaceful she looked.
Tears started forming in my eyes but I didn't stop them from rolling down my cheek. I got off the bed and kneeled next to Clove.
"I'm so sorry. For everything." I whispered, a tear rolling down my cheek. "I'm sorry for hurting you and I wish things could be different but since it's not, I just want to tell you that I love you. I just hope that one day you'll forgive me." I leaned down and planted a soft kiss on her bandaged hand before standing up and walking away.
With one last glance, I exited the hospital wing. I think I'm ready to let her go. I'm not going to be sad anymore because sadness makes you weak and there is no room for weakness if I'm going into the Hunger Games. I took a deep breath and walked home, finally ready to get serious about my training.
A/N Hey everyone, I hope you're all enjoying this. Please comment and vote. I'd love to know what you all think of this book. I hope everyone has a nice day/night and that you're all safe. Thanks everyone for reading.