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CONTINUED FLASHBACK
I ran hard, ran the route I had grown to know so well over the past year.
I'm not sure what set me off. The obvious issue that she was only interested in my very high potential in the Games. That it's only been a year since my mother died and she's already being replaced. Or that he was only just now telling me that she was a part of the picture.
I leaped up the three steps leading to his door in the Victor's Village. His aunt had won in the 64th Games, and his family has lived here with her ever since.
She answered the door, and I rushed in. She was used to me barging in here, but this time I didn't even awknowledge her as I jumped up the stairs and down the hall to Cato's room. I threw open the door.
He was laying on the bed, the television on, but he was staring at the ceiling. He always did that when he was in deep thought, I noticed. He jumped, startled, as the door hit the wall next to it. I quickly grabbed it and slammed it shut.
"What are you doing?" he asked, looking at me, obviously taking in my state. I probably looked crazy, barging into his house and into his room.
"I...I, uh," I began. What was I doing here?
"Spit it out," he said patiently.
"My dad...he, um, he has a girl," I said, and realizing how stupid that sounded, continued. "I mean, a girlfriend. I mean, not a girlfriend, not really- they're getting married."
His eyes widened. "They what?!"
"I know! Getting married!" I said incredulously, throwing my arms up in the air. "And she's real shady too!" I added.
"Shady? Like what?" he asked.
"Like I can tell that she only wants to be in our family because she knows I'm more than likely to win the Games someday."
END FLASHBACK
I awoke to the sound of Mariana's heels clicking down the hallway, and I quickly slipped out of Cato's arms and out the door to my own room.
She opened my door, and smiled at me, seeing that I was already awake.
"Breakfast is out, dear," she said, quieter than her usual shriek.
"Okay," I said simply. I got a shower, and dressed into my training outfit. I was bursting with excitement to show off to the other tributes. There are few things in this world that I enjoyed more than intimidation.
I stepped out of my room, and Cato did the same across the hallway at the same time. He was dressed in his training outfit as well, and the tight shirt showed off his bulging muscles. He smiled at my staring, and grabbed my hand until we got to the end of the hall.
We reached the table and Enobaria got straight to buisness.
"Look," she began. "I know you two are strong competitors in this years Games. But you still need strategy. Some people decide to hold back until their sessions with the Gamemakers, but I don't like that idea. You guys need to intimidate them. Show off. And make allies with the stronger tributes. I would look at districts One and Four if I were you. Got it?"
We nodded, and finished our breakfasts. Mariana led us to the elevator and down the the below-ground level. The elevator doors closed with her behind them. We walked to the Training Center in silence, preparing to show the other tributes all we had.
The doors slid open for us, and we walked in. Confident. Deadly.
A women spoke briefly to us about what was going on and the rules here. I didn't really pay attention, and decided to look at my competition again. Immediately my eyes set upon an absolutely huge male tribute. His skin was dark, and very, very, muscular. His face was detirmined, sculpted to look intimidating. He stood taller than even Cato. He was definitely going to be competition, if he made it through the initial bloodbath at the Cornucopia.
The boy from Twelve, I remember his name was Peeta, was also pretty fit for a tribute from Twelve. And his district partner, Katniss. She volunteered, which is a first for her district. But I don't think she did it wanting to go into the Games. Still, there was something about her that unnerved me. Her sheer detirmination, her steely gaze. I would keep an eye on them both.
Other than them, I didn't see many other true competitors here. I did, however, see Glimmer eyeing up Cato. Jealousy rushed through me, though I knew that she was not at all Cato's type. I took a deep breath, and as soon as the lady finished her speech, walked, very sure of myself to the knife station.
The knives were standard, I guess. Nothing too special. It was cool that the dummies moved, which were hard to get back home. I pressed the button that sent them into motion, and quickly entered the dark place in my mind. The angry place. The place where the other Clove lived. The Clove that never missed.
My wrists seemed to flick on their own, sending the weapons deep into each dummy, and surely putting my performance deep into the minds of each tribute. I could feel eyes on my back, and continued showing off, spinning around and throwing knives backwards over my back.
Finally, I ran out of weapons and turned to the rest of the Center, a confident smirk playing on my face. I knew I had already shocked them all. That they were already scared.
I strided over to the swords station, where I knew I would find Cato.
There he was, spinning and turning like an expert. Beheading dummy after dummy, stabbing them, his intense facial expression never wavering. I stood there, my arms crossed, glaring at him, but smiling on the inside. I knew he loved this, that it was what he'd been waiting to do since we got here.
I went through a few more station, looking at the other tributes. Fire Girl and Peeta seemed very into every station that didn't have to do with weapons. It didn't surprise me. Marvel, Glimmer's district parter, was pretty handy with a spear. I remembered to make allies with him during the lunch break.
Just as I had thought that, the same woman who gave the speech told us it was time to take a break for lunch. I sat at a table with Cato, Marvel, and Glimmer. We began talking about the Games, and joked about how all the other tributes didn't stand a chance, when Peeta came over to our table.
"Mind if I sit here?" he asked, but sat down anyway.
This was going to be interesting.