A/N: First off, thank you all to those who have read my story and a special thanks to DegrassiLover67 and Royalty Over Reality for reviewing. Hope you enjoy this chapter, it is a bit shorter than the rest so far. Please review :)
Clove held back a yelp as the rock landed about a foot away from her bed. The rock was heavy and rested in a pile of shattered glass. Clove gripped the rock and crept over to the window. She peered out the broken window, careful to not cut herself on the jutting shards of glass. Down on the lawn Clove saw a dark figure looming in the shadows. As the rock thrower's arm curled back to make another toss, Clove suddenly recognized a rope bracelet hanging from his wrist. She had an identical one wrapped around her own, smaller wrist. The bracelets signified a pact made a long time ago, a pact with...
"Cato?" she shouted as quietly as she could. Cato dropped the rock and tilted his head up to the window.
"Finally, come down here. Jump I'll catch you," Cato yelled back not trying to be at all quiet. Most sane people would never jump from a broken second floor window but Clove knew Cato well. If he walked all the way to her house he wasn't going to leave until she came down. Walking downstairs wasn't an option since her parents practically slept with one eye open. Instead Clove just pushed the window open, sat on the sill and then allowed herself to tumble backwards into the ebony sky. Cato caught her with muscular arms and dropped her straight onto the ground a split second later.
"Gee Cato, thanks for being gentle," she grumbled sarcastically, hopping off the ground and rubbing her sore tailbone. "If I'm messed up for testing tomorrow I swear to God Cato, I will kill you!" Clove yelled.
"Shut up, you don't want to make your parents pissed," Cato said clamping his hand over her mouth.
"Says the boy who just hurled a rock through my window," Clove replied jerking out of Cato's grasp.
Cato responded by simply tugging on the hem of his faded pajama shirt. Most of Cato's clothes were old, and Clove figured the shirt was probably handed down from his older brother. The Hadley family was as they liked to say "financially challenged". This was most likely the result of trying to support seven kids on the salary of two quarry workers. Mr. and Mrs. Hadley had as many kids as they could in hopes of one of them winning the games or even becoming a peacekeeper. Their main goal in life was to mooch off of their children's success. Many families Clove knew shared the same quarry worker lifestyle as the Hadley's and the only reason Clove's weren't among them was her father.
Mr. Sevina had grown up with a father who worked in the quarries and a mother who had died in them. His childhood had turned him into a driven young man who worked hard to become a peacekeeper and escape poverty. Once a peacekeeper he worked even harder to work his way up the ranks. When he was around twenty he met Clove's mother and his progression was halted. Peacekeepers were technically not allowed to get married or have children but for some reason Clove's father proposed a year later. Since Clove's mother was also a peacekeeper they should have both been fired or worse but for some reason they both managed to keep their jobs and had Clove in their mid-thirties.
"Nice pajamas," Cato taunted, jolting Clove back to the present. Glancing down, Clove remembered the skimpy tank-top and silky pajama shorts she was wearing. She blushed and playfully punched Cato's arm.
"You still haven't told me why you're here," Clove commented.
"I have a plan and I need your help."
"What kind of plan?"
"I'll tell you on the way," and just like that Cato ran towards Clove's front gate leaving her no choice but to follow.