Panem High School

FAQs

Clove's POV
Willow and I went to the park the day before the press conference. Things were getting intense between Slate and our parents so we decided to leave for a while. Willow immediately joined her friend Amelia on the swings and I just sat on a bench. It's a nice day out, sunny and warm, but it's hard to enjoy it. I can't go five minutes without looking around to make sure someone isn't sneaking up behind me like Ajax did. It makes me feel weak and vulnerable, but I'd rather look around than be surprised again. Willow still doesn't know, but she's as curious as ever and won't stop asking about the box. The last thing I want to talk about is the box. Turns out Snow wasn't as pleased as he appeared to be, and now I'm his pawn. He chose me because he thinks I'm weak because of my size and my sister, but I'm not. He thinks love is a weakness when it's not. I don't agree that it's a strength, but it is a good motive. Snow manipulates everything to his advantage though, I've known that for years. I normally don't care since it always benefits me, but now I wonder if he's a good guy after all.
"Sevina!!" A voice yelled and I spun towards it, my hands in front of me, ready to protect myself from whoever was coming. It was Cato. I exhaled and put my hands down as he leaned against the back of the bench. I turned around to watch Willow play with Amelia.
"Did I scare you?" Cato teased.
"No, of course not." I replied.
"Then why did you jump?"
"Because I did, Cato. Let it go."
"Sorry. You okay?" I scoffed and shook my head at his idiotic question.
"What do you think?"
"I think you've moved on to the angry stage of your recovery."
"My recovery?"
"Don't be like that, Clove. I'm trying here. I haven't gotten into a rage ever since it happened and, believe me, it hasn't been easy."
"And you're doing that for my benefit?"
"Yes. I am. I'm trying to be a better friend."
"You were fine before."
"Yeah, but you never needed me that much before. Now you do."
"So you're saying I'm weaker now because of what happened? Because I'm not."
"Clove, you know that's not what I meant. I just mean that you need me for more than a training partner now. What happened was serious and you need me to be serious too. Me getting mad about everything isn't going to help you."
"I guess so. What are you doing here?"
"I was on a run and then I saw you and Willow, so I came to say hi and was greeted by yelling."
"Funny."
"Yeah... you ready for tomorrow?" I crossed my arms and leaned back against the bench. I turned my head to face Cato.
"No. I really don't want to see my stylist ever again. Who knows what I'll have to wear now."
"It's not gonna be like the interviews. I talked to my dad about it and he said it's going to be a casual event and that it's really just to get to know the Victors more. We're just there for show."
"If we aren't needed then why are they making us go?"
"Some people still find us interesting. I mean, come on, look at me. You're telling me you don't think the women of the Capitol want to see more of this?" He said while gesturing towards his body. I chuckled and shook my head as he grinned at me. I sighed and looked down at my hands. I felt Cato nudge me with his elbow.
"Sevina, talk to me. What's on your mind?" He asked. I looked up at him again.
"I don't want to go. Please don't make me go." I whispered and Cato sighed.
"Clover, you know I can't control that."
"I know. I'm just so tired of feeling weak and scared and the idea of going back to the Capitol makes me sick to my stomach."
"You know as well as I do that the only way to be strong is to have no fear. I don't know what else to tell you."
"Tell me you won't let Ajax or anyone else like him touch me ever again." He looked at me with that arrogant smirk. I've never been happier to see it on his face.
"Well duh. After what I did to Ajax, he and all his perv friends will be running scared the moment they see me. Besides, if one of them ever does approach you, a swift kick to the groin from you should be enough to send them crying to their mommies." I chuckled, but found it hard to really believe what he was saying. He means every word of it, but I know nothing is going to stop those men from touching me again. I don't have a choice in the matter. Not anymore.
Peeta's POV
The train that takes all of us to the Capitol comes early Monday morning. Area 12 is the first stop and the moment we enter the train, Madge, Gale, Katniss, and I all head for the bedrooms. When I wake up and look out the window I can see us leaving Area 1. I wipe the gunk out of my eyes and head out to the living room to see Clove sitting on the couch, by herself. I'm not sure how to act around Clove in person. I mean, obviously I'm not going to approach her when her friends are around, I don't have a death wish, but she's by herself now so...
"Hey Clove." I said, trying not to sound too happy in case she flipped out on me.
"Hello Mellark." She said, not even bothering to turn away from the TV, which was showing one of the Capitol news anchors talking about our arrival. I sat in one of the chairs and tried to decipher the look on her face. No such luck.
"How've you been?"
"Well, this is the first time Cato has left me alone in forever, but that's a whole different topic. Basically, Slate is an ass and I can't wait for him to get the hell out of my house."
"He's not the most charming person in the world."
"You could say that."
"At least we get some more time off from school and away from home."
"It's good for you, for me it's like going from one hell to the next." I stared at her for a long time. I don't know Clove that well, but the way she's sitting is peculiar for someone as confident as her, all balled up and looking like she's trying to fold into the couch.
"What else is going on? What's wrong with the Capitol? Well, what's wrong about it to you?" Clove's head immediately snapped to where I was sitting, her face a mixture of rage and... fear? Sadness?
"That is none of your business. Where do you get off asking me about my problems? I tell you what I want to tell you and that's it. Everything else is my business, not yours."
"Clove, I didn't mean to-"
"What's going on here?" I turned to see Cato standing behind my chair, his arms crossed. I guess he must have been sleeping in one of the other bedrooms.
"Nothing-"
"It's obviously not nothing. You should go before I pound your face in." Cato ordered. I stood up as quickly as possible, my leg still suffering from the severe nerve damage and hobbled away.
Cato's POV
The moment Lover Boy was out of the room I walked over to Clove. She continued to glare at the television as I sat next to her on the couch. She only slightly tensed.
"Clover, are you okay?" I asked.
"I thought you said you had your rage in check." She curtly replied.
"I do, you know I do. That wasn't a rage. If anything, this should show you how much I'm controlling it. If I'd had a rage he'd be unconscious right now."
"He was harmless, Cato. If he was any real danger to me I would've stabbed him with a knife before he even had a chance to blink."
"Lover Boy physically hurting you isn't the thing I'm worried about."
"Cato-"
"Don't tell me to stop protecting you. Don't do it."
"Why? Because we all know what happened last time?"
"That's not-"
"Whatever."
Marvel's POV
"You think their lovers' spat is over?" I asked Sagara as we waited in the hallway.
"Marvel, you seriously need to let this go." Sagara replied.
"Let this go? Are you kidding me? He's taking advantage of two women!! I thought you of all people would understand why I'm angry."
"Marvel, shut up. I know what Cato has been doing, I'm not blind, but what you can't seem to realize is that Cato doesn't mean to. He doesn't know what he's really doing."
"Now you're defending him?"
"I'm defending his intentions, not his actions."
"What about Glimmer? Or Clove? He's hurting them and you're just gonna stand here and let that continue?"
"The only one who seems to be getting butt hurt about this is you, Marvel."
"Probably because I care about my friends."
"What about Cato? Isn't he your friend? Maybe even your best friend?"
"Yeah, but-"
"Then maybe you should try to see things from his perspective instead of making him the villain just so you can get over the fact that Glimmer picked Cato over you. Just a thought." Sagara walked away, leaving me in the hallway, speechless.
Lilith Jardine's POV
"Lilith, darling, it's almost time to go." My mom ordered as I finished my crepe. I made sure the Avox took my plate and then sprinted into my room to put my shoes on. After zipping up my pink designer boots, I walked down the stairs and joined my mom and dad in the car. My father is a leader, so our driver made arrangements to make sure we wouldn't endure any traffic on the way to the event, which basically means a bunch of Peacekeepers are clearing each street for the sole purpose of getting us to the theater. Once we got there we went to our seats in the front row. I made sure to dress über sexy so that if Cato Hadley happens to see me he'll dump that Glimmer slut and date me instead. Sigh... a girl can dream. The show starts by Caesar Flickerman reading off each tribute and their area. First was Glimmer and Marvel, then Clove and Cato (who I clapped extremely loud for), the loser who blew up Cato's food, the guy who was allies with the crazy girl, Sagara, the big guy Cato got out, some Mayor's daughter, the guy who saved some Mayor's daughter from burning to a crisp, and the non-deserving Victors, Fire Girl and Lover Boy. Sadly, the rest of the audience was more obsessed with the Victors than the Careers. I'll never understand it. Cato is so much more attractive than Lover Boy and Sagara is much more talented than Fire Girl, even if she did get out because of Tracker Jackers. Don't even get me started on the love story between Fire Girl and Lover Boy. It's so fake. Fire Girl is all "let's make out even though I never spoke to you before we became area partners" and Lover Boy is like "that's cool cuz I've actually loved you for a long time which is really creepy but I'm gonna play it off as endearing". I just don't see it.
"I'm sure I'm speaking for all of my fellow Capitolites when I say how excited I am to have these 12 tributes here with us today." Caesar said and waited for the applause to die down before continuing.
"Let me explain how this works, since this has never been done before. Basically, my people are posted all around the theater and whenever they see a hand raised they'll hand that person a mic and then a spotlight will land on you so you can ask your question and be seen by the tributes. It's pretty straightforward and there are no limitations to how personal you wanna get, except for a few select things, which is why I'm here. I'll make sure your questions are understood and that the answers make sense and to make sure no uncomfortable questions will be asked. Well, without further ado, let's start with the questions." Caesar explained. I haven't really thought of any questions yet, but within seconds other members of the audience were jumping up and down in order to be seen by the mic people.
"Peeta and Katniss, how has your relationship been since returning home?" A guy asked. Fire Girl and Lover Boy looked at each other and caused a long silence before an answer came from Lover Boy.
"It's been a little awkward, like most new relationships are. We've really just been trying to settle back into our daily lives before we start to do more relationship things." Peeta answered. The questioner was satisfied and sat down. Next.
"Glimmer, you're really pretty and you're my favorite tribute out of all of them this year. I think you and Cato as a couple are fantastic and I can't wait to watch you in next year's games." Esperanza Salamanca, a girl in my class, stated. She loves Glimmer and Cato as a couple and it makes me sick to my stomach. I honestly don't know what she sees in them. She didn't even have a question. I raised my hand and a mic person came to me. The spotlight hit me as I stood up.
"Hello Cato, my name is Lilith Jardine. I'm a junior in high school, just like you, and I find you extremely attractive. Tell me, how long do you really think this relationship with Glimmer is going to last?" I asked. Cato sat back in his chair as he thought over his answer.
"Well... I don't know. I haven't really thought about it. I'm just trying to survive school right now to be honest." He answered, causing the rest of the audience to chuckle. Not me. I didn't give the mic back, insisting on asking another question.
"But you don't actually love Glimmer, do you? What about Clove or someone you haven't even met yet?" The crowd leaned in, eager to hear Cato's response. Not a lot of people want to see him and Clove together, but enough of the ones who do are here today and waiting for his response.
"I... I don't know. I'm 17, almost 18, I have more important things to think about than that. As for Clove, she's my best friend, nothing more." He always gives that answer!! It's so annoying. He needs to just admit that he doesn't like Glimmer or Clove and move on with his life. Once he lets go of their deadweight he could easily become a Victor and then we could fall in love here, in the Capitol. A girl can dream.
Pexey's POV
By intermission the only things we've talked about are the Cato/Glimmer/Clove love triangle, Peeta and Katniss's relationship, and what we think/want the Quarter Quell to be next year. I said it should be based on mental strength instead of physical strength so that I could actually have a chance at winning. They actually found it pretty funny. It wasn't long before we had to go back onstage and start to answer questions again. A few people went, asking stupid questions like Glimmer's favorite hobby or Plasmic's best subject in school, before a man (surprisingly plain looking) stood up and I started to get a bad feeling. What kind of Capitol citizen would be so colorless?
"This is for all of you. What do you think happened to Rue Orchards? Accident or sending a message?" The man asked, his voice abnormally deep. Immediately the theater was in chaos. Peacekeepers swarmed the man, but he kept them at bay as he and the two people sitting on either side of him fought all of them off. It wasn't long until the Peacekeepers had each of the three people (two men and one woman) at gun point. The deep voice man spoke again, much calmer than I would be if I had a gun aimed at my head.
"The rebellion lives on. Fire is spreading and we have been given hope by our new co-Victors of this sickening game. We are followers of the Mockingjay and-" The man never finished his sentence. There was a loud bang, followed by two others, and the three rebels fell to the ground. I felt rough hands clamp around my arms but I couldn't remove my eyes from the dead bodies. They were alive just a second ago. The Peacekeepers killed them. What was that? What was that, what was that, what was that?
Cato's POV
I lose Clove and the others in the crowd. Three Peacekeepers keep an iron grip on me, so I can't go looking for my friends until I've been safely returned to the Training Center. Once they finally let me go, I go to the fourth level to check on Sagara.
"Sagara?! You here?" I yelled as I walked into their viewing room. Moments later Sagara walked in with a bowl of fruit in her hands.
"Yes. I don't need to be checked on, Cato. I'm perfectly fine." Sagara replied. I sighed and left her alone with her fruit. She's always liked being by herself anyway. Next I go to Glimmer and Marvel's floor and see Glimmer pacing and staring at the ground. She looks up after hearing the elevator doors close and runs over to me.
"Those poor people!! I can't believe that just happened. I... I don't even know what to say." Glimmer exclaimed, wiping away tears. I furrowed my eyebrows.
"Why are you so upset? They were rebels. It's not like we knew them." I commented.
"But they were people. People who didn't do anything more than talk."
"They talked about rebelling. Besides, Fire Girl and Lover Boy started this. They're the ones who should be feeling bad, not you. Those rebels chose to come here tonight and threaten the Capitol in order to send a message. They knew what they were getting into."
"No one deserves to be shot for talking, no matter what they were saying. Is this what you think about Finch too?"
"Of course it is, don't you? She committed treason by blaming Rue's death on Headmaster Snow and the leaders. She went insane."
"Oh really? Finch has been in our grade for years, how can you so easily write her off as insane?"
"She's always been messed up. Always talking about things that aren't true, writing in those stupid notebooks. She was bound to snap eventually."
"She didn't snap." Glimmer and I turned to see Marvel standing in the doorway leading out of the kitchen.
"Marvel, we weren't saying she did." Glimmer stated.
"No, you weren't saying she went nuts. Cato, on the other hand..." Marvel muttered.
"I stand by it. What other explanation could there possibly be?" I asked.
"Oh I don't know?! Maybe that she wasn't lying?! That the leaders and Snow are responsible?! She was 14!!"
"Yeah, and she wasn't cut out for the games. It's a damn shame that she died, but, in the end, Rue Orchards signed up for the games. Nobody forced her to."
"Cato!!" Glimmer exclaimed.
"Yeah and I bet it crossed her mind that she might die because of something the leaders put into the games!!" Marvel spat.
"It's happened before." I said.
"Which is exactly why you should start to wonder why it keeps happening."
"That's how the games work. Survival of the fittest."
"No one is suppose to die. That is not what I signed up for."
"Oh please-"
"SHUT UP!! BOTH OF YOU!! I CANNOT LISTEN TO THIS!! We just saw not one, not two, but three people get killed. Why are you fighting? It could have easily been any one of us who died tonight or in the games or who spoke out and got taken away, but it wasn't. Let's just be thankful for that." Glimmer remarked. The two of us fell silent. Marvel stormed off after a few moments.
"This is so-" I began.
"No. You don't get to talk, Cato. What if, goodness forbid, the little girl who died had been Willow? Hmm? Not so stone cold now, are you? Rue's poor family must be going through hell right now and you have the balls to go around saying that Rue put herself into that situation?! Unbelievable!!" With that, Glimmer turned on her heel and stormed away. I scoffed and went back to my own floor. Clove will understand, she always understands.