Chapter 7: A Lot

Cato's POV:

I can sense Mei's feelings towards me growing quite rapidly. Katniss and Peeta both shoot me surprised looks while trying to contain their laughter, once they finally catch on. How can they both possibly think this is funny at all? They won't be laughing if I end up hurting her feelings. I shoot them a glare, then grab Mei's shoulders, and I push her forward. "Come on, they'll be fine. Let's get to class, before we're late. You seemed to be fairly concerned about that a moment ago.", I urge her. I can feel how alarmed she instantly becomes. Her eyes widen before she grabs my wrist and starts sprinting. "Good luck finding your class!", she shouts over her shoulder as we run around the side of the building. I wonder if all humans run this slow, or if Mei's just out of shape. She soon runs out of breath, and stops. She hunches over and heavily pants. "Is this History class much further?", I ask her. She straightens up. "It's.. around.. the... corner...", she pants. Great, it will take her minutes before she's able to carry on. "Why is being punctual this important to you?", I question. "History.. paper.. due at.. the... beginning.. of the hour... 30%.. of my... grade.", she manages to convey between her gasps for breath. Now it makes sense. I let out a sigh, before scooping her up in my arms. She's of course still out of breath, so she can't exactly voice out a complaint. I jog around the corner and continue until she stops me. I gently place her down on the ground, and I can't tell if she's flushed from running earlier or because I carried her.

Mei's POV:

I can't believe Cato was willing to carry me so we wouldn't be late, that was so sweet of him. "Um, thank you. You run really fast by the way.", I compliment as we enter the building. Ugh, I hate how flustered he makes me feel though! "You're welcome, and you just happen to run extremely slow, so of course my speed seems greater in comparison.", Cato replies as we make our way down a crowded hallway. A little too crowded for my person taste, but I'll live. "Hey, I don't run THAT slow.", I reply. I look back when I don't get a response, and notice that I'm starting to lose Cato to the crowd. I stop so he can catch up with me, then I grab his wrist. I try not to blush as we make our way to class. I'm actually pretty surprised that he's let me drag him around everywhere to be honest. I figured he would've yanked his hand out of my grasp, and snap that he can keep up just fine. "In that case, humans are very sluggish.", he tells me as we stop in front of the door to our History class. "Compared to you, yes.", I giggle before opening the door. It looks like most of the class is already here. I quickly walk to the front of the class with my head down. I slip my backpack off of my shoulders, and dig around for my History paper. I fish it out after a moment and place it in the submission basket. I zip up my bag, slide it back onto my shoulders then hurry towards the back of the classroom. I can hear snickers all around me, and I was so focused on that, that I didn't notice someone stick their leg out into the aisle.

Cato's POV:

Everyone is so amused my Mei, and not in a good way. It's clear that she's targeted for everyone else's amusement. Who knew a place as square as Auradon Prep could be home to such harsh individuals? I spot a stray leg intentionally in Mei's path, that she clearly doesn't notice until she's tripped by it. I of course rush forward and catch her before she has a chance to hit the ground. I steady her as she straightens herself out. Disappointed murmurs echo through the classroom. I shoot a glare in the direction of the person who was responsible. The girl quirks her brow at me as she crosses her arms. "What're you looking at me for? It's not my fault the loser's a klutz.", this girl remarks. Causing what I'm assuming is her friend group to erupt in a fit of laughter. A low growl emits from my throat. How can these women act so heartless? We don't stand for this kind of bullying at Werepack Prep. A huge wave of embarrassment drowns the room. I turn my attention back towards Mei, and she of course is on the verge of tears. "Leave it Cato, let's just go sit down.", she murmurs. I reluctantly follow her to the back of the classroom. She dejectedly sits down. I silently take the seat next to her. "You know, you shouldn't let everyone push you around like this.", I lowly say. I don't want her to feel any more embarrassment than she's already feeling by me drawing everyone's attention back towards her. She slowly shakes her head. "That would only make things worse.", she whispers.

Mei's POV:

I couldn't thank Cato enough for catching me, it would've been so much worse if I'd actually hit the floor. I know he wants to help, but he'd only make things worse for me. It's not like I can always have him around to catch me, he's leaving in just a few months. "Doing nothing already makes things worse. The more you let other people take advantage of you, the more they'll do it. They'll push you until you snap, is that what you want?", Cato asks me. Must he always be so insightful all the time? "I'm sorry, but I'm just not a confrontational person.", I tell him. He doesn't say anything else and class starts, our teacher introduces him to everyone. There were a few girls that were clearly checking him out when he was asked to stand up. I tried not to look as hurt as I felt when that happened. I feel so selfish about it, I should be happy that they weren't looking at him in disgust. That's a great step in the right direction, acceptance is just around the corner at that rate. Of course Ally and her friends didn't look too impressed. It must be because he stood up for me. Why did he have to do that? He just made it that much harder for him to blend in. He's probably on their shit list now. If that's the case, Princess Audrey's friend group will torment BOTH of us now. I could never forgive myself if Cato was picked on because of me. Class seems to breeze by, and the bell rings before I know it. I slowly rise and start to gather my things. I hear someone giggle out 'klutz' as the majority of the class leaves the room.

Cato's POV:

Teaching Mei to stand up for herself will definitely be a challenge, but not impossible. She really seemed to grow a backbone for a moment there when Chad was trying to instigate a fight earlier. It's understandable that she'd find it easier to stand up for others rather than herself. She clearly lacks self esteem, but she has a good heart. She tucks her head away in embarrassment after some girl laughs out the word 'klutz' as her and her friend group passes by. I gather my stuff a few moments before she's able to. "What's your next class?", I question as she swings her backpack onto her shoulders. "Oh, Chemistry.", she replies. I bring my schedule into view as we leave the classroom. "So do I thankfully.", I inform her. At least if I'm with her she hopefully won't be harassed as much, or I can at least step in and interfere when necessary. Hope blooms from her chest cavity. "Thankfully?", she asks while glancing over at me with a smile. Oh boy, I'm assuming she thinks it's because I want to spend time with her, or possibly even like her. "Yes, I need you to show me where this classroom is located as well.", I explain to her. I don't mention my other reasoning for such an exclamation of course. She clearly doesn't want to be seen or treated as the 'damsel in distress'. Disappointment faintly stains the air. That definitely wasn't the response she was looking for. I'd tell her not to let her hopes rise any further, but then I'd risk damaging her self esteem even further. I might not tolerate most people, but I'm not a mean or hurtful person.

Mei's POV:

Of course that's why he was glad we have another class together. Ugh, stupid brain, stop getting your hopes up! We bump into Katniss and Peeta on the way to Chemistry. "Hey guys!", I cheerfully greet. Katniss and Peeta both smile at us. "Hey, how did History class go?", Peeta asks us. "Someone thought it'd be funny to trip Mei when she was returning to her desk. Otherwise it was pretty bland.", Cato tells them. They didn't need to know that part about me almost face planting in front of everyone.. "What, are you okay?", Katniss asks me with a concerned look on her face. "I caught her before she hit the ground.", Cato informs them. "I can speak for myself you know..", I mutter as I turn my head away. I hear Katniss giggle as Peeta lets out a snort. Oh no.. I whip my head back in their direction, and I probably looked like a deer caught in headlights. Cato has an amused look on his face. "You do realize that our hearing is far superior to you humans right?", he snorts. NO! I would've kept that thought to myself if I knew that! "I am so sorry I didn't mean to-", I start before Cato raises his hand to silence me. "Never apologize for not being an absolute doormat. We need to work on that self confidence of yours.", Cato says. I'm not usually THAT much of a doormat.. Wait a moment, did he say we? "We?", Peeta asks with a smirk. Why does he have that look on his face? Maybe he's happy that Cato's kinda starting to warm up to me? If so, then he's not the only one.

Cato's POV:

I roll my eyes at Peeta's facial expression. "Yes WE, WE'RE going to help her since she can't seem to do so herself. Unless you don't want to be of assistance?", I ask him. His smirk drops. "I didn't mean to imply that I didn't want to help, of course I will. You in, Katniss?", he shifts in Katniss' direction to ask. She shoots him a look that implies that he doesn't even need to ask. He nods in understanding. "As much as I appreciate all of you wanting to help me, we'll have to worry about that later. We'll be late for class if we keep standing around here.", Mei points out. Honestly fixing her issues would be much more rewarding, and not to mention more entertaining, than Chemistry. "We can finish this conversation during lunch then?", Peeta asks. Mei nods her head before she bids them farewell, and then proceeds to drag me by the wrist once again. I'm used to it at this point, and I'll allow it since she's doing it to ensure that she doesn't lose me in the crowd. We reach the Chemistry classroom, and once again occupy two seats in the back of the classroom. Things go almost exactly how they did in History, I'm introduced to the class, offhanded whispers and snickers are made at Mei's expense. The only difference is that no one attempted to trip her again. The other two classes we have after this one slowly passes by in a blur. Nothing significant happened anyhow, I just received some textbooks and homework. Lunchtime is finally here, as the bell signally fourth period's end chimes.

Mei's POV:

Cato tells me that we're meeting Peeta and Katniss by their lockers, so we call all go to lunch together. My nerves are on edge at the thought of setting foot in the cafeteria again. I don't verbally express how I feel, but I'm sure Cato can sense it. His facial expression ever so slightly softens as he gently grabs my wrist. My breath hitches and my heart stutters in my chest. "I don't know where their lockers are located, so you'll have to lead the way once again.", he tells me while glancing away. "Did you want to stop by your locker 1st so you could drop those books off?", I ask him. He nods, so I ask for his schedule. I lead him to his locker, then after he places his textbooks inside, we go look for Katniss and Peeta. We see them standing around Katniss' locker, they smile once they notice us approaching them. "Hey, were your other classes any better?", Peeta asks me. I nod as Cato scoffs. "Technically yes due to the fact that no one else attempted to put her off balance. The whispers and laughter was still ever present on the other hand.", Cato tells them. I quirk my brow at him. I didn't hear anyone say anything, I just always assume they are. Then I remember that Cato's hearing is a lot better than mine. "Seriously?", Katniss asks. Cato gives her a pointed look. "Do I look like I'm joking?", he dead pans. "Well then what're we doing still standing around here? We've got our work cut out for us.", Peeta says. I can't help but giggle at his positive attitude that he almost always seems to wear. It's so refreshing compared to all the other 'positive' students around here.

Cato's POV:

"You've got a real winner there Katniss.", I laugh out as we proceed to make our exit. "Oh don't I know it.", Katniss fondly replies. "You're right, I'm definitely the real winner here. After all, I got to marry the love of my life.", Peeta sweetly says to Katniss. Gods, it looks like they're getting sappy again. I have no issue with that, I'm glad they could find love and happiness in each other. Though I must admit sometimes I feel slightly envious of them whenever they're like this. I don't have the privilege to marry someone I feel such a strong romantic connection towards. I'm not ungrateful in any sense of the term of course. I know my place, and I look forward to being pack leader. I knew what responsibilities that meant very early on in life. That doesn't of course halt this longing that these two tend to bring out of me. I sense this longing coming from another source other than myself as we make our way outside. I look for the source, and I of course don't have to look very far to know where it's coming from. It looks like Mei struggles with this more than I do, which isn't really a surprise since the majority of the student body thinks of her as a joke. "We aren't going to the cafeteria again are we?", Mei hesitantly asks as fear rolls off her. Katniss and Peeta turn around, and everyone stops walking. "I can conjure up lunch for everyone if you'd like?", Peeta offers with sending calming vibes her way. She visibly relaxes, and nods in response. It appears that this morning's events have scarred her for the time being.

Mei's POV:

Thank goodness I don't have to go back there so soon! I didn't pack a picnic basket before hand, so my options would've been to either tough it out and go back there, or starve. "Where do you usually consume your lunches?", Cato asks me. "At the Enchanted Lake.", I reply as I start walking in the direction of the lake in question, everyone follows. "Do you guys not have regular picnic tables here?", Cato snorts. "We do, I just prefer to eat at the lake. The scenery is quite beautiful there.", I explain. That isn't the only reason, but I don't want to bring up certain issues I have with some of my classmates. The last thing I need is for them to pity me even more than they already do. "Ah, a fellow nature lover.", Peeta comments. I smile at him. "Yeah, I just feel so at peace whenever I'm sitting quietly outside.", I say. "Yes, serenity is one of the many wonderful things about nature.", Cato agrees. We eventually reach the edge of Auradon Prep. "How long does it usually take you to get to this lake?", Katniss asks me. "Not too long, around 10 minutes.", I reply. "Wait what? You walk for 10 minutes just to eat lunch?", Peeta asks with a surprised expression. Well yeah, I've never thought it was that weird.. I let out a surprised squeak as Cato picks me up for the 2nd time today. I try my hardest not to blush. What is he trying to do to me? "Which direction is your lake? If we keep going at your pace lunch period will be over by the time we reach there.", Cato asks me.

Cato's POV:

I can sense Katniss and Peeta's utter bewilderment by my course of action. Which isn't at all a surprise of course, I don't usually carry others around. Though I've never needed to previously, since our pack mates can keep up with me fairly well. "Um, just k-keep going in that d-direction until the land starts to s-slope downwards.", Mei flusteredly instructs me while pointing North. "Let's go then.", I tell the stunned duo next to me before I take off. They quickly catch up with me as we make our way across the forest. Mei's nervous energy is soon replaced by enjoyment. She starts letting out oddly cute giggles and squeals whenever we leap over any obstacle or take longer strides to clear more ground. I'd be lying if I didn't admit that those particular noises make me slightly uncomfortable when they're coming from her. She instructs us to change directions and to continue in said direction, then to slow in pace when a bridge comes into view. We carefully cross the bridge, then eventually stumble upon the lake. "Wasn't this better than walking for ten minutes at that snail's pace?", I ask our small group as I set Mei down. She defensively crosses her arms. "I'm human remember? It's not my fault I can't run at top speed like you can.", she reminds me. I let out a light laugh as we move to sit down on the circular stone that overlaps the lake. "Wow, I can see why they call this the Enchanted Lake.", Katniss remarks. Mei giggles once again, it feels like she never stops doing that.

Mei's POV:

"It's not called the Enchanted Lake because of the scenery, although that might have played a minor part in the name. The water's magic, it can wash away enchantments and other various spells, to a certain degree.", I tell Katniss. She looks slightly surprised for some reason. "Fascinating.", Cato comments. Do they not have magic in nature at their side of the forest? Peeta claps his hands together, causing everyone to look at him. "So, what do we feel like eating today?", he asks everyone. "Mei HAS to try your bread!", Katniss exclaims. I immediately nod my head in agreement. After all the bragging Katniss did about Peeta's baking skills, I couldn't imagine eating anything else for lunch. "Sandwiches would be a good option then.", Cato suggests. I glance over at him, and my brain immediately thinks back to a few moments ago when I was still in his arms.. "Sandwiches are 1 of my favorite things to eat on a picnic! Oooo, what's your favorite kind of sandwich?", I blurt out. He snorts while looking in the opposite direction. "I've never seen anyone get THIS excited over sandwiches before, although Katniss does come in at a close second whenever Peeta makes them.", Cato comments as Katniss playfully shoves his shoulder. He turns to look at her before shoving back. "Okay now, let's not turn this into practice fight.", Peeta laughs out. I quirk my brow. Doesn't he mean a play fight? "Practice fight? Is that the same thing as play fighting?", I ask.

Cato's POV:

Curiosity tinges the air. "First off, to ask your previous question, turkey with gouda on pumpernickel. Secondly, play fighting is something that younger shapeshifters do. Practice fighting is pretty self explanatory actually, practice so one is more prepared for an actual fight.", I explain. "Though we can see how that'd be confusing for someone who wasn't brought up that way.", Peeta quickly tacts on. What is he doing damage control for? I thought I explained it in a nice way, I guess not nice enough for Peeta's personal taste. "Turkey sandwiches sound good.", she replies. That's all she says, but the curiosity still lingers. Peeta nods and gets to work on that. Katniss isn't a particularly picky eater, she'll devour mostly any type of food. Peeta of course is a people pleaser, and would much rather go along with whatever the other party wants when it comes to trivial things like this. "I can tell there's something else you're curious about.", I prod. She looks slightly off put by my statement. "Am I that scary that you're hesitant to ask a simple question?", I ask her with the tilt of my head. It's a good thing to come off as intimidating in the presence of someone from a different pack, but not so much in regards to fellow packmates. I don't want to come across as a door mat, but I want to be approachable. If a packmate has an issue with something, they need to feel comfortable enough to share that issue with me. If I can get Mei to fully feel at ease with me, then getting my pack to feel the same will be a walk in the park.

Mei's POV:

I playfully quirk my brow at Cato as I cross my arms. "Well you WERE pretty snappy yesterday.", I remark. He smiles at me before bursting into laughter. He calms down as Peeta magically lays out a picnic blanket and our food. "Good point. Where is this little bit of confidence whenever you're around your other classmates?", he asks me. I look down and pick up my sandwich, immediately taking a bite out of it. "Mmmm this is delicious.", I comment after I swallow. "Thank you, but come on. You said we'd talk about this during lunch.", Peeta brings up. Darn it, why'd I have to agree to that. I let out a sigh. "I don't know, I'm just, not very good in social situations.", I admit. Cato snoffs as he rips a chunk of his sandwich off with his mouth. "You seemed pretty eloquent when you gave us that tour of the campus yesterday.", Cato tells me. I take a sip of drink before responding. "Well yeah, but that was different.", I defend. "Shouldn't it be easier to be more outspoken with people you've known for a long time than strangers you've just met?", Katniss asks me. I lightly chuckle. You'd think so, but it's actually the complete opposite, with a few exceptions. I can talk to King Ben, Lady Mal, and her friend group which now includes Jane, just fine. "It's just, better not to say anything at all. Than to say the wrong thing to the wrong person.", I sigh. I don't have to look up to see the concerned looks on their faces. "Has something, more serious than Chad attempting to slap you, happened before?", Peeta cautiously asks me.

Cato's POV:

Uncertainty mixes with doubt. "You told me yesterday that you trusted me, well prove it. Have an open and honest conversation with me.", I tell her. She lifts her head to look at me. That longing feeling hits the air again, mixed with fear. "Are you sure that's what you want?", she asks while making eye contact with me. Determination soon overtakes fear. I immediately know that she wants to talk about more than her classmate problem. Well, we had to get this out of the way eventually. "Yes.", I answer without breaking eye contact. "Come on Peeta, I have a feeling these 2 have a lot to talk about.", Katniss says as she rises. Peeta hops to his feet, teleports his and her drinks and sandwiches into their hands. "We'll see you both later, okay?", Peeta says. "Of course.", Mei answers without taking her eyes off of me. They jog off, and I wait until they're well out of earshot before speaking. "So what would you like to address 1st then?", I ask her. I'll let her have control over the conversation, since prodding would only cause her to completely close off. "Let's start with my, classmate issue, since you seem the most interested in that.", she replies. Don't think I can't see through that cheap stalling tactic. "You mean let's talk about your 'classmate issue', because that's what you feel most comfortable discussing at the moment?", I correct. She offers me a half smile. "I hate how well you can read me.", she comments. Amusement tints the air, and I can tell that my ability to pick up on her emotions doesn't really bother her.

Mei's POV:

Cato's facial expression soon turns serious. I'm not looking forward to this conversation 1 bit, but he asked for an open and honest conversation. That's exactly what I'll give him. "I hate how you are perfectly able to stand up to others for me or my packmates' behalf, yet fail miserably to do so for yourself. Why is that, and what happened to you that caused you to become this much of a doormat?", Cato asks. I take a deep breath. "It's hard being the younger sister of 'the perfect daughter', and I learned pretty early on that Lonnie was the favorite of the family. She was the example set for what a good daughter should be. I've never been able to live up to that though, I'm not like her, and no matter what I did it was never good enough. For the longest time at Auradon Prep, everyone knew me as Lonnie's little sister. In time they just easily forgot about me as Lonnie's talents started to outshine me more and more. I was just insignificant in comparison, and I was pretty sad about that for a while. I started being less outgoing, and became more introverted. Some people noticed, none cared to comment on it. When Lonnie eventually saw some changes in me, she tried to help in her own way. She'd drag me around with her wherever she went, making everyone she hung around with spend time with me as well. I guess she figured that if people got to know me better, maybe they'd want to be friends. It never went well really, everyone was polite, but the whole situation felt forced.

I made different excuses as to why I couldn't hang out with her and her friends anymore, then eventually she stopped asking. Every once and a while she'll ask if I wanna tag along with her somewhere for some reason, I always turn her down. Things were like that for while, me just quietly in the background, until King Ben noticed how lonely I truly was. So him being the kind person he is, made the effort to seek me out a lot during his free time. We become friends, and I slowly started coming out of my shell once again. I admired him greatly, and I still do. His then girlfriend at the time, Princess Audrey, didn't like that very much. She accused me of trying to steal King Ben away from her, I tried to tell her that that wasn't the case at all, but she didn't believe me. She cried to all of her friends about it, and King Ben's assurances weren't enough for her either. So to save his relationship and his friendships, we stopped spending any time together. He wouldn't acknowledge me outside of the occasional head nod. Even after we stopped hanging out, Princess Audrey's resentment remained, and so did all her friends. They've all hated me ever since. Things didn't used to be this bad of course, until King Ben broke up with her for Lady Mal. Lady Mal and her friends were the only ones who weren't unkind towards me, and I think that's why Princess Audrey's still mad. When some of my classmates 1st started acting rude towards me, I politely asked them to stop. Once they wouldn't stop, I finally snapped back at them. They ended up almost drowning me in 1 of the toilets in the women's bathroom. I was taken to the nurses' office, and asked by everyone what had happened, but I was too afraid to talk about it. I've never really talked about any of this, until now.", I confide. After a moment of silence I look over Cato's facial expression, and I think this is the 1st time I've ever really seen Cato completely stunned.

Cato's POV:

The tale Mei's just told me is quite sad, and almost unbelievable. If I hadn't already seen how abusive her classmates are, I'd question her sincerity. I can sense how sensitive and overly emotional she feels after revealing something so personal. She looks like she's close to tears once again today. I let out a sigh before sliding over, so I'm sitting next to her. She looks confused at my actions, but does not object. I cautiously bring her into a side hug, giving her plenty of time to lean away or verbally expression her not wanting me to touch her. She however leans into my touch, and rests her head on my shoulder. I didn't expect her to feel this emotionally drained, perhaps it'd be best to talk about her other feelings another time. "We can stop this conversation now if you'd like?", I offer. Now would be her opportunity to back out, I don't really think she could handle any more angst at the moment. "There's no point in that is there? Let's just finish this right now. You said you can sense emotions right?", she asks. I remain silent but nod, bracing myself for her proclamation of love, and mentally preparing an honest yet gentle response. "Then have you sensed how I feel about-", she starts before my cell phone rings. She sits up as I retrieve my cell phone from my pants pocket. I read the caller ID and immediately rise. "It's my father, I have to take this, I'll only be a moment.", I inform her before jogging a few feet into the forest. I don't wait for a reply from her because I already know she'd have no objection. I accept the call before pressing the phone against my ear. "Hello father.", I greet.