Offended

A Chapter by Annie

I stop, freeze. My palms begin to sweat and I can feel my eyesight blurring slightly. Cato Kaeron. No, no way. I couldn’t ever dream of anything like this happening. I glance at the steps to see a boy shakily making his way down them. Which means Cato must have volunteered. I’m almost sick, nothing makes sense. My hand is forcefully taken by him, and I don’t even try to fight back as he shakes it. I’m in too much of a daze to care.

Cato Kaeron is the boy who I met at training when I was just 9. He took the opportunity to pick on me, seeing as he was a year older and a hell of a lot taller. He had barely insulted me before I slammed my fist into his face, then kicked him, hard. In response, I got a lot of cursing and a very harsh glare.
After that, he ignored me. For a long time. Until we were forced to train together when I was 14. He got me in a headlock and continuously whispered in my ear that he could kill me ‘right there and then’ until I started to screech and bite and kick. He seemed happy with my failed attempts of hitting him before I managed to grab his thick hair on the back of his head and yank it, pulling him to the floor. I grabbed a knife from the sideboard and pinned his arms to the ground, a visible smirk plastered all over my face. He rolled and pulled me with him, and I dropped the knife, leaving us to wrestle, which wasn’t my strong point. He won, of course, but a lot of laughter followed and we became what I liked to know as acquaintances, but he, for some reason, knew as friends. We barely spoke, but if we did, it was jokey and confident. At least we got on without arguments, which Cato managed to pick with everyone he saw.

“Clove?” Pentha calls out to me as she shoves me off the stage and into the Justice Building. I snap out of the past and my eyes begin to focus again.
“What?” I snap, shaking my shoulders to release her grip on them.
“You just seemed a bit, distant. Are you alright? I know this is a bit of a shock, especially for someone like you, you know, Mayor’s Daughter and -” I flip out then.
“Just shut up! Mayor’s Daughter, isn’t that great! Just because I led a sheltered childhood doesn’t mean that I’m not ready for this, you ditz!” I scream and spin around to face her. I spot a knife on the wall and almost leap to grab it, but decide in my head not to try to murder my mentor, not now anyway. I launch myself at Pentha, my fingers in claws.
“Clove!” I’m suddenly being pulled backwards into someone's chest, but I continue to try and pull myself free. It’s no use. Their grip is way too strong, “Clove, calm down...” I recognise the voice and try to rip myself out of his grip.
“Cato, let me go!” My voice is shrill and painful, it doesn’t sound like me, and I like that in a way. It’s mysterious and different. Cato doesn’t know who I am yet.
Pentha, by this time, has the Peacekeepers running up the steps. They release Cato’s grip on me, and push me into a room, locking the door.
Great.

I hear Cato yelling at the Peacekeepers for a long time before they manage to shut him up. Then comes the sound of sobbing, which is obviously coming from his parents. Not mine.
“Clove! Clove!” Lisbeth. I grab at the handle and shake it, my face scrunching up with the effort. I can’t open it. But when I stand back, the handle turns and Lisbeth flies into my arms, followed by a Peacekeeper with a key.
“5 minutes.” He mumbles, then leaves, locking the door tightly as he does.
“Clove, I didn’t think that you would really be reaped, I didn’t want you to volunteer either, someone should have volunteered and they didn’t, I’m so sorry, I just -”
“Shh, calm down. Lisbeth, its fine. I’ll win, won’t I?” Tears are pouring down her face by this point, and its hard to keep them from escaping from my eyes as well.
“Yes.” That cracks her. That one word, which she doesn’t even believe, causes her to start to sob harder than ever. She collapses in my arms and stays there, curled up. I sit and wrap her hair around my fingers, trying not to cry myself. I don’t want to show weakness, not now. Not when she needs me to stay calm.
“That’s it. Time’s up.” The Peacekeeper, who I hadn’t noticed enter, grabs Lisbeth’s elbow and pulls her away from me.
“You can do it Clove, you can win, you can! Remember that we -” The door blocks of the rest of her words. I know that my parents aren’t coming. They don’t want to shame themselves. They want to be seen as proud parents, who don’t need to say goodbye to their daughter, because they know that she’ll come back.

I’m still angry at Cato, and Pentha. Actually, I’m angry at everyone. I grab a vase from the sideboard and throw it, screaming, to let out the pain. The door bursts open yet again, more Peacekeepers. I’m outside with Pentha before I know it. Both Cato and I are surrounded by the men in white suits, separating us. They don’t want a dead tribute before the Game starts, do they?
“Now, you two need to calm down. Clove, you especially.” Pentha glares at me, then continues her speech, “Now, we’re going to get the train to the Capitol, like with every Hunger Games. You will look strong. You’re allied, OK? You have to look cruel and completely ready. Not mental.” She shoots me another look of hatred.
“Right. Allies.” Cato’s voice comes from behind what seems like a wall of men.
“Yes. Any funny business and you’ll pay for it. Oh, and we’re meeting the mentors later. They prefer to stay in the Capitol these days. Lysander, mainly. Hallien makes trips to District 2 sometimes, but she doesn’t really like it.” Pentha pursed her lips, probably trying not to agree with Hallien’s opinion. Stupid Capitol bimbos, “Anyway, lets go. Prepare yourself for a lot of cameras, by the way.” She flashes us a smile.

The journey to the train is a blur. We’re hoarded into a car, and driven to the train station, where a crowd awaits us. Cato looks positively terrifying, his large build providing a good image. I take a peek at the screens as we make our way to the train doors, and see that I look rather sarcastic and laid back. Perfect. I jump backwards when Cato tries to help me up the steps and onto the train. Any connection that I could feel towards that boy must be broken. I’ll have to kill him sometime.

“Well, what’s this year’s batch like.” Hallien’s sweet, sticky voice makes me retch; she sounds so unnatural and fake. We’re just a batch to her, another set of tributes to try and get to the final two. Even though she was there at one point, the Capitol have managed to transform her into another molded, perfect victor. She shakes our hands with a glistening smile plastered all over her face. I try to seem happy about this, seeing as she is our mentor and could just save my life, but inside all I feel is disgust.
“So, what can you tell us?” Cato leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. I stare at him for a second, but shake it off and nod.
“We’ll get down to business in a second. Lets just watch the reapings through first.” I jump out of my seat, hostile, scared of who’s behind me, but it’s Lysander. Lysander, with the messy blonde hair and cocky expression. I force myself not to spit on him, which has for some reason become a way of letting out my feelings, and sit back down. Cato looks at me, a worried and caring frown on his face, but I simply snarl in return. He quickly restores his aggressive mindset, his head turned towards the screen which has begun sputtering to life.
“District 1. We expect you to be allies with these two, because they’ve been training as well. Clove, I know you’ve been training a while, but you’re not yet 18. So trust them more when it comes to tactics.” I tell myself to breathe slowly when Hallien offends my training yet again, “In fact, I’m not sure why no-one volunteered for you. Unless the training officials didn’t think that any 18 year olds would be suitable for the job this year.”
“Or maybe because she’s good enough to be a tribute.” Cato’s words shock me, why is he sticking up for me? “She can throw knives like a professional. Most girls in training are terrified of her. Have you considered that?” Hallien glares at him, his reasoning makes sense. But I’m only 16, usually people fight to get to the stage first, but when I was reaped, there was nothing.
“How about we all shut up and watch the reapings?” I struggle to keep my voice under control as Lysander fiddles with the buttons on the remote.

We miss half of District 1’s broadcast thanks to our arguing, but I catch their names. Glimmer, a beautiful, blonde-haired girl, volunteers. She’ll get plenty of sponsors with a body like that. Marvel, a scrawny, tall boy, with sinewy arms, but a determined expression, takes his place alongside her. He can’t take his eyes off the girl he’s next to.
Then our reaping plays. I get reaped, I spit on the 14 year old, then make my way to the stage. I look sort of evil, but with a thoughtful expression on my face. Like I’m considering what ways I’m going to kill everyone. Maybe that’s why no-one volunteered. Because I looked like I had the whole thing under control. A small boy gets his name reaped, but there’s a number of shouts from a large group of boys, who part to make way for Cato. Rather impressive, really. We shake hands and that’s that.
A few reapings go by in a blur. I analyse the screen looking for their weak points, not caring for their names or their crying parents. A pretty girl from 3, a boy from 4 who looks like he’s spent most of his time rolling around in the mud, a young, thin, redhead from 5 who looks like she has everything planned, a boy with a large build from 8, who looks like he’s about to burst into tears when his name is called.
Somehow, District 11 shocks me. A girl, Rue Harnoa, is reaped. The camera takes seconds to find her in the crowd, and I sense Cato gripping the chair when she’s revealed. She doesn’t even look old enough to be there, about 10. She tiny, but her wide eyes show determination and confidence, something completely unexpected. She walks up to the stage without a fuss, no tears or tantrums, and stands there. She looks so petite, like she’ll be blown away with the breeze. Her male counterpart stands close beside her when his name is taken from the bowl, protecting her with his dangerously large frame. He looks like he’ll be competition, but I don’t care. I sit and stare at the little girl who looks completely fearless, even though she’s just been chosen to be thrown into an arena with several teenagers who’ll be trying to kill her. That’s what the Capitol have done. Made little girls into soldiers, who aren’t scared of death and destruction.
Then comes District 12. It goes past before I realise what’s happening. A girl named Primrose Everdeen is read by the glamorous Effie Trinket, who I know from the reapings I’ve been watching since I was 2. Another girl pushes her back, screaming that she’ll volunteer. She climbs the steps and responds calmly when Effie asks her who she is. Katniss Everdeen. Primrose’s older sister. Someone with the surname of Mellark is named, and they shake hands. The Capitol emblem is shown, the anthem is played, then the screen goes black.

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