Brotherly {L O V E} // Cato

It's always a fatal mistake asking a career anything while they are training, and it's no different with Apollo. He's serious about training, and he longs for his chance of being in the games, and watching him train shows nothing different. The moment the words flee my mouth, I know it's not going to turn out well. Apollo, my brother, isn't one who will mess around. He hates when he's interrupted especially when it causes him to miss the target. Normally, I'd laugh, but it's not a laughing matter. He spins around with his hand high in the air connecting with my jaw. Pain surges through my body, but it's nothing compared to the pain people feel as others hack them into pieces. This'll go away soon, but those in the games are never the same.

"Tell my brother why did you interrupt me?" His words are words of anger, but it doesn't mean anything. He's always angry, and I fully believe it's because Ares volunteered before him, but his anger has grown more and more over the last few days. A small chuckle escapes from my lips as a smile slowly forms on my face as he notches another arrow and this time, he points it at my throat. He's going to kill me, and he doesn't know killing me would set me free- I wouldn't live with the career burden anymore. I am not a murderer, but it's what they want of me, and I'll make sure it's what I live up to no matter what. "Perfection. That's why I strive for, but you ruined that. It'll be your last mistake."

His words are laced with anger, daring, but it's never one for anyone to judge me. Apollo is different, and it wouldn't be the same if I told him he was different. Nothing makes sense in the life he lives. All I know is he yearns for the best. I fully believe he'll receive it one day.  Laughter fills the air softly around me as my eyes stare into his. Fear is something I've been taught not to fear, and this arrow placed so easily against my throat isn't going to change it. My life is in his hands, and it's a chance for him as he wants to murder- maybe I'll be his first. My eyes meet his as I stare carefully wondering what his next move is. "Bro, you wouldn't kill your own blood out of cold nature would you?" My words aren't much, but hopefully he'll see what I mean.

Narration 7f8e9d
Thoughts f2dec0
"Hearing 8c8ba9"
"Speech 81a296"
(other b5aa99)

It's never been more obvious when someone doesn't want me in their presence. The way he looks at me, the way he talks to me, the way he thinks I'm a bug. It's always me screwing something up, and it's always pointed out. It feels like I'm incapable of doing anything right. I thought it would end the moment my life was destroyed forever, but it appears it hasn't. Apollo trains hard for the games, and it was a stupid mistake standing in his way, but nothing matters now. He's going to kill me just like that guy from nine killed Hannah and the girl from one killed Ares.

If he wants my life ended, I'll let him destroy it- I won't put up a fight or anything. The way he turned around to face me without any fear, the way he placed the arrow against my neck shows me how simple my death would be; all he has to do is release the arrow. "Go ahead. Kill me. If that's what you truly want to do. I'll be from from this world. I'll travel to where Cassius, Beatrice, Hannah, and Ares are living. I'll see life through their eyes. I'm not afraid, and I'll never be afraid." My eyes never leave his. No emotion wipes across my face as he stands in front of me with the capabilty of murdering me within a possible seconds. I don't know why, but he won't release, and for a split second I think he cares, but I should no better than that. "Relase it Apollo! You know you want to!"

And release the arrow he does, only it's not at my neck. The tip of the arrow flies into my shoulder penetrating deep through the skin. The tip of my fingers begin tingling as the pressure from the arrow stops only causing my hand to grow numb. My entire body yells at me to scream, but showing him the pain would only give him victory, and I don't want that. I raise my left hand into the air grabbing the end of the arrow before jerking it out of my shoulder completely. All feeling in my right hand goes away. I try moving my fingers, but nothing happens. "You haven't won, Apollo. You'll never win. You should have just killed me while you had the chance." I take the tip of the arrow and send it aiming straight towards his head. I'm stronger. I'm better. I'll be the career they want me to be.

Blood pours from the hole on my arm where the arrow hit, but it doesn't matter. It's just a wound someone will clean up later. My eyes gaze down at my hand wondering if it'll move- I just need my fingers to twitch slightly, and a grin appears on my face as the feeling slowly returns. "Maybe I'm not the weak one, bro. You could have killed me but you chose not to. You could have sent me away from the world forever, I would have never been able to mess up again. I'd finally be loved. I'd be with people who care about me because it's obvious nobody here cares about me. Maybe one day, I'll be set free. It's what I want after all."

Narration 7f8e9d
Thoughts f2dec0
"Hearing 8c8ba9"
"Speech 81a296"
(other b5aa99)

My hands shake at my side as my anger towards Apollo grows stronger and stronger. Blood pounds through my head bouncing through the my skull piece by piece as red flashes before my eyes. He wants me to be a monster. He wants me to embrace the ways of a career, something I've never taken seriously before. My hands ball into fists before releasing carefully at my side. My cheeks burn red as the blood flows to my head prancing around capturing the true meaning of being alive. If this is what he wants, so be it. Flames leap before my face bouncing around the walls of the training center before stopping right in front of my dearest brother. Oh how my hatred grows for him. Little does he know what's going on inside me- he has no right thinking he's the only one mourning, yet he does, and that's something I won't let slip by- not this time.

"How would you know this? You're weak. You deserve to die. It should be you that's dead not Ares." Sticks and stone can break my bones, but words cannot harm me is by far the stupidest saying I've heard in my entire life. Words can break people down, can shatter the life living inside them, can ruin a person who was already ruined. I stood there for a moment allowing the words to sink in as they bounced around my skull echoing from the walls repeating over and over again. My jaw clenches together tightly grinding my teeth on top of one another. Words leave scars embedding into a heart forever, but the scars of weapons can go away. The words lie much deeper, most the the time it's impossible to forgive. The things people say can't be taken back, and this is one of those. Maybe he's right. Maybe I should be the one buried six feet under the ground never to see light again. It would make his life better knowing Ares is alive, but he's not. He's dead, and nothing will bring him back, and Apollo, of all people, should know this.

Words, trapped inside my brain bounce through my skull flashing before my eyes. He doesn't understand this at all. He'll never feel the pain flowing through my body each and every day. I'll never forgive myself as I watched Ares die. I was glad it wasn't me, but nobody deserves to die, not even Ares or Apollo, or me. Maybe I do, and he said I do. Ares deserves to be alive out of all people in the arena, he should have been the one to return home, and the way I'm sulking around will never bring him back to life. I can't help but laugh as the arrow dives into his cheek. It's the best moment ever. My life isn't a piece of meat waiting to be eaten, I will fight with all I have, and if it's not for myself, it'll be for Ares, Hannah, Beatrice, and Cassius. I will not let them die in vain. My heart races rapidly under my chest as my eyes flash around the room looking for anything to prove my strength. A monster lays inside me waiting to be released. It'll be the moment we all need, for the monster to fly through the air prepared to slaughter everyone in my way. My eyes meet his before looking down at my shoulder where blood still pours from my wound.

My feet carry me over towards the weapon table where several different weapons are laying in front of me. A sword shines brightly, but it's not a sword I'm looking at, it's an axe just like the one the guy from seven used to cut that little girl from four into pieces. This axe will be my friend as I drink the blood pouring from the blade while everyone watches. I'll show every person alive what the Birches are capable of. I'll grow strong, and who knows, maybe I will be the one to restore honor to the rest of the family. I pick the axe of before heading back over to where Apollo is standing. My eyes meet his as my tongue runs across my teeth."You want to train brother, we'll train right here right now."

Narration 7f8e9d
Thoughts f2dec0
"Hearing 8c8ba9"
"Speech 81a296"
(other b5aa99)

Standing here in front of Apollo makes me realize two things. One, I'll never make him proud. I'll never show him I'm worthy of being called his brother because he's better than me. He thinks he's better than me, but deep inside I know he's better than me. Even after the death of Ares, he still stood in the career center training harder. He has what it takes to win the games if he doesn't let his ego get in the way. Two, his ego is his fatal flaw. The way I see him walking through the training center with his head held high because he knows he's better than everyone, and that makes me angry. Never once in my life has he stopped to help me when I'm in need. It's like he doesn't even acknowledge my existence, and I am his brother, yet I'm unworthy of calling him bro.

He walks over and grabs a sword. The same sword I saw many times in the games as Ares fought; the same one he murdered with. My hand tightens around the handle of the axe. Red flashes before my eyes. An iron hand wraps around my throat choking the life out of me. My heart races under my chest trying to being the life back into my body. The tips of my fingers start tingling as my chest feels tighter and tighter. My head throbs every time my heart beats. My eyes feel heavy from pressure behind them making it feel like they could fly out of the socket at any possible second. I hate him, but I don't hate him. I care for him, and maybe one day he'll realize this. I cock my head slightly staring at him waiting for him to answer, but he never speaks. He just stands there waiting to fight, and perhaps the chance to end my life forever.

My grip on the axe grows stronger each and every second that passes by waiting for him to strike. Maybe he'll attack me, but maybe he'll swing the sword high severing the head from my body before I can say anything. Death would he sweet because I'll be away from this world. No career training in the world will stop the death once it comes. Death has an appointment with us all; sometimes it's sooner than we anticipate. My jaw clenches shut, tight, as the axe flies above my head. My hands swing forward threatening to attack him. Every piece of my being tells me to attack him, to kill him, but that isn't what I want to do. All I want is for him to recognize me, yet that'll never happen. He can die right here in front of me, and it would change my life forever.

"I ain't a human. I ain't nothing special, but I am going to kill anyone who stands in my way of victory." A grin laced with malice spreads wide across my face. "If a killing machine is what you want of me, Apollo, a killing machine I will become. Not a single person in the world will survive."

Narration 7f8e9d
Thoughts f2dec0
"Hearing 8c8ba9"
"Speech 81a296"
(other b5aa99)

"What happened to no one surviving? You are a disaster! Just die for all I care." His blade slices through my cheek as his words wrap around my heart crushing the life out of it. It's impossible to make him proud because he's floating so high in the sky that nothing will bring him down. Blood oozes down my face where the blade sliced into it, but it's only the beginning. My eyes turn towards him looking him up and down like a predator about to attack it's prey. Fire pulses through my veins every time my heart beats. My face burns red as heat radiates from my cheeks. Pain kisses my cheek as my hand tightens against the axe. All it would take is one swift moment to end it all, to slice his head clean from his body, but why should that happen. He'll end up dead just like Ares did anyway.I hate him. I fucking hate him.

My teeth clench tightly against one another as my tongue runs along side the back of them. "I am sick and tired of you, Apollo, placing me down below you. You are a cocky son of a bitch. You want to be so brave, so strong, but the truth is, you can't do shit without belittling people." My hand runs along the blade of the axe staring at it taking in every inch of it wondering what kind of damage can be done. "You think, know, you are better than everyone. Ares thought the same thing! Look what happened to him! He ended up with a sword in his neck. The same thing will happen to you! You won't make it far, brother." I continue running my hand along the blade of the axe staring at him. Red spots flash before my eyes as my teeth run along my lips slightly shocked by his own words. Ares could have won, but he was too cocky. Apollo has a chance of winning if he's ever in the games, he just needs to not be so much like Ares, and I don't want him to die.

I raise the axe above my head before throwing it as hard as I possibly can towards Apollo not caring if I hit him or not. My hands shake at my side as the sounds of my breaths become slightly audible. My eyes stay fixed on him waiting for him to strike back because it's coming tenth fold. My heart races beneath my chest frantically pulsing inside my head. My feet turn away from Apollo forcing me to face the exit of the training center. I have had enough of him. I'm tired of him treating me like I'm a worthless piece of crap. "Hey, Apollo, why don't you go fuck yourself." My feet fly across the room pounding against the ground refusing to wait for his answer. I rush through the door of the training center slamming it as hard as I can behind me before tears finally appear in the corners of my eyes, but I blink them away because crying is for weaklings, because I am a monster.

Narration 7f8e9d
Thoughts f2dec0
"Hearing 8c8ba9"
"Speech 81a296"
(other b5aa99)