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No One Knows Who I Am	By : Marblez Category: G through L > The Hunger Games Trilogy Views: 4841 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games and I will make no profit from writing this story.

Chapter List
- 10
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The Capitol, Day Six

            Standing pressed against the railings, his face turned into the wind that rushed all around him Adya found he could finally breathe for the first time since he’d stepped of the stage hours earlier.
            His senses were dulled.
            He couldn’t hear…
            He couldn’t smell…
            He couldn’t really feel anything…
            He just was.
            It was Una that had mentioned the little garden hidden up on the roof.
            “I heard some of the other Tributes talking about the garden today…” she’d murmured softly as everyone had been finishing off the last little bits of their evening meal. “Is it…I mean…are we allowed…?”
            “Of course you can visit the garden,” Cecelia had reassured her softly.
            “What do you think, Adya?” Una had asked. “I’ve heard the views are…”
            “What would he care about the views?” Hixas had scoffed cruelly. “He wouldn’t be able to see them anyway.”
            Adya had bristled uncomfortably.
            “I’d still like to go up, if that’s ok? Una can always describe them to me and if nothing else I can keep her company. You know, on this last night of our lives.”
            “It might not be the last night of your lives…” Cecelia had tried to sound hopeful as she spoke quickly before Hixas could say anything cruel.
            Adya had smiled sadly in her direction.
            He wasn’t living under some delusion.
            He was blind.
            His odds of winning had plummeted after his little announcement.
            Instead people were taking bets on who would be the one to kill him, or so he had heard one of the guards murmuring about.
            The guard had placed his bet on Marvel, the Career Tribute of District One.
            His friend had gone with Katniss, the Girl on Fire.
            “Una? Would you like to go up to the garden with me?” he’d asked instead of voicing his thoughts, turning to smile a little more kindly at the girl sat beside him.
            “I’d love to.”
            And so here they were.
            In a garden that smelled of the most wonderful flowers on the roof of the tall building that had been their home for the last few days, gazing out at the Capitol.
            “I wish you could see this…” Una murmured when the wind finally died down enough for him to hear her. “It’s beautiful…”
            Sadly this meant he could also hear the celebrations continuing below.
            “The garden or the view?” he asked.
            “Both.”
            “Tell me about it?”
            Una sighed, pressing herself against his side.
            “I have no idea what half of the flowers in the garden are but there are dozens and dozens of roses, all different colours…”
            “I can smell the roses…”
            “And there are some tulips and lilies and daisies and things that shouldn’t even be able to grow in the same sort of are as each other…”
            “Only the best for the Capitol.”
            “Quite…”
            She left his side briefly and he heard her pluck one of the flowers a little way away from him before returning, pressing the soft flower into his hand.
            “It’s a rose,” she explained. “But it’s purple.”
            “Huh…”
            Lifting the flower up to his nose he took his time to enjoy the scent before tucking the flower behind his ear, making Una giggled softly behind him.
            “Very manly…” she murmured.
            “Shut up…”
            Still giggling she turned her attention to the view around them.
            “We’re on one of the highest buildings around…” she explained softly. “Everywhere lit up in blues and reds and greens…there’s banners with all our faces on…although most of them are of that District 12 girls…”
            “Are the stars out?” he asked softly, tilting his head up and picturing the stars as he remembered them from his years before the fire.
            “Yes, but they’re not as bright as they are at home…”
            “Probably because of all the lights on the ground…”
            A firework exploding made him jump.
            “How can they celebrate what is essentially the murder of eleven children?” he found himself asking before he could stop himself.
            Una tensed beside him before sighing.
            “It’s the Capitol.”
            After that they stood in silence, leaning against each other for support.
            “I don’t want to die…” Una finally murmured, her voice thick with tears.
            “I know…”
            Putting his arms around her held her close, pressing a kiss to her hair as she began to sob quietly into his shoulder.
            It wasn’t fair…
            Eventually she cried herself out and pulled away from him, wiping the tears from her cheeks as she did so.
            “I’m going to go and try and get some sleep,” she announced softly.
            “I might stay up here for a little while longer…”
            “Do you want me to send someone up to help you back down?” she asked, her worry for his safety making him smile slightly as he nodded.
            “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea…”
            “I’ll see you in the morning then…”
            Once alone he finally allowed his own tears to fall.
            He cried for the injustice of it all…
            He cried for Una…
            He cried for the other Tributes that were fated to die…
            He cried for the one who would survive…
            He cried for his friends…
            He cried for his family…
            But most of all he cried for himself…
            “I don’t want to die…”
            He let out a startled cry when a hand suddenly came to rest on the back of his neck, the fingers squeezing gently in what turned out to be quite a reassuring way.
            “Who…who is that?” he asked, brushing away his tears as he tried to turn his sightless eyes on the person standing behind him. “Who’s there?”
            “It’s me.”
            He recognised the voice.
            “…Cato?”
            He felt his brow furrow with confusion.
            Cato…the Career Tribute from District Two was…comforting him?
            Yes…
            The hand on the back of his neck was still there…
            The thumb of said hand was stroking his skin softly…
            “…why...why are you…?”
            “I don’t want to die either.”
            The calm admission was met with a soft huff from the handicapped tribute.
            “You’re odds on to win. You’re the one most likely to live out of all of us.”
            “But I’m not the favourite.”
            Cato, he noticed, was very direct with his answers.
            “I don’t have the public behind me. The odds mean very little if you don’t have the crowd to back them up.”
            “…wow…you’re quite the cold hearted killer aren’t you?”
            Stepping back from the other boy to remove himself from his grip had seemed like a good idea at the time…until he realised that he was dangerously close to the steps leading down to the door…
            Before he could even curse a hand grabbed front of his shirt.
            “I’m not as cold as I seem.”
            The hand pulled him forwards, settling him in place before releasing him.
            “I’m just repeating what I’ve been taught. You need three things to be a sure fire win in the games – the odds, the public and the skill.”
            Adya supposed he could see his point…
            “I’ve been taught the skill…”
            The Training Centre had certainly proved that.
            “I’ve won the odds…”
            Yup, 3-1 just like his had been before he’d done his big reveal…
            “But I don’t have the public like you do.”
            “…wait, what? Me? You think I’ve got the public?”
            “Can’t you hear them?”
            Adya frowned.
            “Listen.”
            Turning his head towards the sounds of celebrations coming from the ground Adya was surprised to hear a recording of his performance being played amidst the cheering and screaming of the crowd.
            “You have the public.”
            “Well…I guess one out of three isn’t too bad…”
            Cato chuckled.
            “They’d love to see you win,” Cato informed him seriously. “To quote my mentor if that boy comes out of this alive he’ll be a sensation.”
            “Me?”
            A sensation?
            Cato chuckled once more.
            “You. You’re voice. You’re looks. The fact that they can make themselves look good by showering you with gifts to help you…they’d absolutely love you.”
            Huh…
            “Shame it’s not gonna happen…”
            Silence.
            Adya began to wonder after a while if the other boy was still there or if he’d just been too distracted to notice him leaving.
            Then a hand came to rest on his shoulder, making him jump of course.
            “Sorry…” Cato apologised, something that seemed rather out of character compared with what Adya had heard from and about the other boy. “Do you need a hand getting back inside? It’s getting late…”
            “Una was meant to be sending someone…” Adya answered.
            He genuinely had no idea what was going on…
Why was Cato being so nice to him?
            It didn’t make sense.
            “I’ll take you down if you want…” Cato offered instantly. “I mean, I have to go past your floor anyway…”
            “Why are you being nice to me?”
            Wow.
            Way to go, Adya, just blurt it out why don’t you?
            That’s definitely the way to go.
            “Because I want to.”
            Oh.
            He’d actually answered.
            Albeit with the most unhelpful answer ever but he’d still answered.
            “Because I’m not the mindless killing machine everyone wants me to be.”
            Oh.
            That was a little more…helpful.
            “Ok…”
            An arm gently threaded itself around his waist, pulling him gently against a rather strong body while the Careers other hand came to rest on his other elbow.
            “The lifts are this way.”
            “Wait – there’s more than one?” Adya found himself asking with genuine surprise. “I thought…”
            “No, there are two,” Cato explained, his hand releasing Adyas arm briefly in order to reach out and press the button to request the lift. “One for the odd numbers, one for the even numbers.”
            “Oh…” Adya mumbled. “Learn something new every day…”
            Once the lift had arrived Adya found himself being led inside with what he would have described as practised ease had he not known for a fact that the other Tribute had never helped him like this before.
            A blush spread across his cheeks as he felt Cato’s body press against his own as he leaned over to press the required buttons on the wall panel.
            No.
            No, Adya, he scolded himself silently.
            You will not interpret any of this as anything other than…than…
            He is not flirting with you…
            He is just…
            Just…
            “District Eight.”
            Adya barely managed to hold back a sigh of relief.
            He could leave before he managed to completely humiliate himself.
            “Tha–”
            His body was jostled to the side as Cato moved to slam his hand down on the panel of buttons on the wall.
            “…um…”
            The doors weren’t opening…
            Why weren’t the doors opening?
            “Do you have a plan for when you’re in the Arena?”
            Cato’s voice was tense.
            Adya was growing more confused by the second.
            “Um…a plan?” he responded somewhat nervously. “I guess…die as quickly and painlessly as possible?”
            Adya frowned.
            Had it been Cato that had stopped the doors from opening?
            “You shouldn’t be here…”
Cato’s words were so soft Adya was convinced that he had imagined them.
            He hadn’t.
            “At least everyone else had a chance of surviving…”
            “Um…”
            Adya was so confused.
            What had happened to the brutal Career Tribute he’d been listening to for the past four days?
            It was like he was talking to a completely different person…
            “The Games are supposed to be a contest of skill,” Cato continued, his voice tense and pulsing with anger. “Not…not a slaughter of people who can’t even begin to defend themselves…”
            In a thoroughly bizarre turn of events Adya found himself reaching out to find the other boy, finding his elbow which in turn allowed him to walk his hand up to the Careers firm shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze.
            “Um…it’s ok…really…” Adya began softly, fixing his sightless gaze in the other boy’s direction. “I mean…it is what it is…and…and what it isn’t is your fault…that made more sense in my head…”
            Cato let out an involuntary chuckle.
            “Look my life has been pretty shit so far anyway so it’s not really all that much of a surprise that this is how it’s going to end…”
            Adya didn’t know what he’d expected the other boy’s response to but it certainly hadn’t been the soft pressure of lips pressing against his.
            Cato was kissing him.
            Oh…
            Wow…
            That was…
            “Sorry…” Cato hissed, pulling away sharply, thudding loudly as he pressed himself against the wall of the elevator. “Sorry, I…”
            “You kissed me.”
            Silence.
            Well done, Adya, state the obvious.
            “…why did you kiss me?”
            Cato sighed.
            “Because I wanted to.”
            “Oh…”
            “I…I feel something for you…” Cato admitted softly, almost hesitantly. “Something I’ve never felt for anyone before…”-
            Adya felt his cheeks flush.
            Was the deadly Career Tribute, odds on favourite to win, actually admitting to having a crush on him?
            Him?!?
            “I’m sorry, I should…”
            “No,” Adya interrupted him quickly. “Don’t apologise. It’s ok. It was just…slightly unexpected…”
            Cato let out a breath of relief.
            “You could…” Adya was forced to clear his throat before continuing. “You could do it again. If you want…”
            Silence.
            Wonderful, Adya, way to ruin the moment…
            Silence.
            It was a joke.
            It must have been a joke.
            Let’s all laugh at the gullible blind boy…
            Oh…
            A soft pair of lips were pressed against his once more, a surprisingly gentle hand cupping his jaw and tilting his head slightly to one side.
            Oh…
            That felt…so much better than when he and Una had kissed…
            The strength of the lips pressing against his…
            The confidence of the tongue chasing his own…
            Oh…
            Pulling away with a loud gasp he was embarrassed to find himself more than a little bit aroused…
            “That was…”
            “Yeah…”
            The hand remained on his cheek, its thumb caressing his smooth skin.
            “I’ve never hated the Games as much as I do right at this moment…”
            Cato’s soft admission was followed by a third, much gentler kiss.
            “I can’t promise to protect you…”
            Adya smiled.
            “I’m not asking you to.”
            The hand resting on his jaw trembled and, acting on instinct, he brought his own remarkably steady hand up to rest on top of it.
            “We must all play our part.”

A/N Sorry, got distracted by ‘Catching Fire’…finally managed to bring myself back into Hunger Games mode and crack on with this story…and it’s time to bring on the slash! (At last, I hear some of you say.) Let me know what you think and as always suggestions and constructive criticisms are welcome.
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No One Knows Who I Am