𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬.Cato Hadley

2.

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𝐃𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞.
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"Layla Hawthorne."

The name kept repeating itself in my head. Everything was quiet, so quiet, no one dared to move even an inch, myself included. I can't believe what I heard.

"Where are you, sweetie?" Effie asks but I don't pay much attention to her.

Is this real? Is this not one of those fucking dreams I have? Where is Layla?

These are the questions that are currently running through my head. I feel like it's hard to breathe, I can't catch my breath. I feel the same way when I found out my parents are dead. No, no, no, this can't happen again!

I can't stop thinking about how I'm going to lose her, the only person I have left by my side. No, that can't be true. My brain is going crazy from the shock. I still think it's a dream, a very very bad dream. A nightmare.

I keep repeating this to myself until I see the girls making way for Layla to go forward. When I see her so shocked, full of fear that she will never come back, my body just starts going towards her.

I try to make my way to her. I push every girl I see, not caring, my goal is to get to Laуla. I see the peacekeepers grab her and take her to the platform, and at that very moment, I manage to get out onto the road where there are no people.

"Layla!" I call out to her and that makes her turn to me. I can see my best friend's expression very well - she's scared and that makes me run towards her, but two other peacekeepers catch me.

"No, no!" I try to get away from them but they hold me very tight. And that's the last thing I remember well before the words slip off my tongue.

"I volunteer! I volunteer!" Hearing this, the peacekeepers let me go and I push them away. "I volunteer as tribute," I repeat and everything goes quiet again.

I can feel all eyes on me, but I don't care. All I care about right now is that they let Layla go and don't take her to the Capitol.

"I believe we have a volunteer!" Effie Trinket says and I can tell by her tone that she is also shocked like the rest of the people. My heart is beating very fast, I'm sure it's from the adrenaline. Little by little I'm starting to realize what I've done but I still don't care that much.

I manage to reach Layla and the first thing I do is to hug her. I try to talk to her as fast as I can because I know I have to get on the platform.

"You need to get out of here!"

"No!" She with tears in her eyes.

"Go find Gale!" I say as I brush the tears away from her cheeks.

"No!"

"Find him!"

"No!" She screams at me but suddenly someone picks her up with his arms and I immediately recognize that it is her brother. He thanks me very quietly, just enough for me to hear, and leads her out of the way. Layla continues to scream in his arms, but as he moves away from me, the screams become quieter.

The peacekeepers lead me to the platform and now I'm beginning to realize what I've done. I signed my death warrant. My worst fear has become a reality. But just because I wanted it to happen myself, I would never have thought that I would volunteer to participate in the Games.

"District 12's very first volunteer. Come on up. Come on, sweetie." Effie Trinket says and I walk up onto the stage. She grabs my shoulders and leads me to the microphone. "What's your name?"