Disclaimer: I don't own The Hunger Games and am making no money from this.
This story, like most Hunger Games stories I've read will be told from various points of view. As normal, I'll note when they change.
Glimmer
I wake up in a hospital bed. Funny thing is, I'm not sure why I'm in a hospital. I don't remember going into a hospital; heck, I don't remember needing any medical attention at all. So what's the deal?
Ok, let's see… I remember the arena (damn, of all the things to forget why can't it be that?), we'd blown the shield, the hovercraft had landed like promised and we all got on (with an extra Career girl even), we took off, they used this EMP machine to disable our trackers (or so they said, the machine didn't do anything that I could see) and then it gets hazy.
I don't remember landing, so something must have happened on the flight. Hmm, wait, I remember being poked with something. Those assholes! They drugged me! All right, so drugged and operated on: that's a bad start. I need to stay calm, try and figure out what they did to me and then get out of here.
I look down and see a tube running into my arm: an IV line. It might just be fluids, but I rip it out either way. I was fine before I got on that stupid hovercraft, as far as I'm concerned I don't need whatever they're trying to put in me.
There's a bandage over my right forearm. It's right where they stuck the tracker in me, so I'm guessing they removed it, but I need to be sure. I peel off the bandage and find pure, untouched skin underneath. Not a mark, not a blemish, not even a sign of the hole the tracker made when they stuck it in me.
All right, so it seems like it's gone and they have the same stuff to not leave scars the Capitol does. Well, assuming I'm not in the Capitol and this is all some mind game. Either way, I can't afford to just lie in bed.
A quick check and I know for sure there aren't any other signs of injuries or surgical stuff. I'm sure there's a needle mark where they first drugged me, maybe others, but I don't have time to look for things that small. I need to get out of here.
I get out of bed and look around. Wherever I am, I don't much like the people. It's either some Capitol facilities or whoever Haymitch works for. Snow I know sucks, Haymitch's people, well, one of the first things they did when I met some of them was to drug me, so I'm not exactly going to call them friends either.
I need a weapon. Hospitals are full of knives and fun things like that, but they don't exactly stock patient rooms with them. No scalpels, no syringes, no traditional weapons at all. Academies teach most every weapon you can imagine, but there is also a single class in nontraditional weapons.
If you know how, almost anything can be a weapon. Oh, they won't be as effective as a sword or an axe, but they don't have to be. Most people won't see something like a glass in your hand as a threat, but if you know how to use it, it absolutely is. Cup the base of the glass against your palm and thrust with the lip of the glass, preferably at the eye. Single use, but devastatingly effective. Sadly, no glasses here, just useless paper cups.
Nontraditional weapons are almost never used in the Games, but I loved the course regardless. They're just so unusual, so creative that I thought the class was great. Now I'll finally get to use it. A metal tray is where I go for my weapon. It isn't much to look at, but if you swing it edge on a tray can do some damage. My preferred place is the throat, right at the larynx. It'll stun whoever I hit and they won't be able to make a sound either.
I grab my weaponized tray just in time; I hear someone outside the door. I quickly hide behind the curtain around the bed and wait. Hopefully whoever comes in is around my size; this hospital gown has got to go.
So take out whoever's coming in, steal their clothes, sneak out, and hopefully find my friends. Sure, no problem! Glimmer Aurum, action heroine. I'll beat the bad guys, look sexy while doing it, get the girl, save the day and live happily ever after. Yeah, I'm not buying it either. But whether it'll actually work or not, damned if I'll go quietly.
The door opens and someone walks in. "Glimmer?" Wait a minute; I know that voice.
"Cinna?" Ooops, probably shouldn't have said that out loud. If I'm wrong, I just blew my biggest advantage.
"Glimmer? What are you doing back there?" Cinna pulls back the curtain, taking a look at my weapon and shakes his head. "If it was anyone else I think I'd laugh at the absurdity of a tray as a weapon."
"They took away my sword and pole arm. And clothes." I frown.
"Well, I'm afraid I can't help with the first two, but clothing, well, clothing is my specialty." Cinna hands me a bundle.
I take the bundle and look to see what Cinna got me. A dress (exactly the sort of thing I'd wear) and matching heels. "Wow, Cinna, you're the best."
"I'm glad you like it."
"Sure. But um, where exactly are we? And where are the others? And how'd you get here?"
"Katniss is next door, the room to your right to be specific. She should be waking up any time now. Gale will be out a bit longer I'm told. As for the rest, Haymitch is better suited to answer those questions." Answers from Haymitch. Yeah, right.
"All right, thanks Cinna."
Even if Haymitch won't answer anything seeing Katniss again will be good, and after that we can find Gale and get answers whether Haymitch wants us to or not.
I dress quickly (minimalist clothing is great for that) and head out to find Katniss. I probably need to run a comb through my hair and some makeup would be great, but for now just plain dressed is a big enough upgrade to keep me happy.
Properly dressed, I head out of the room. Outside it a corridor, exactly what you'd expect for a hospital. Nurses, random medical equipment, disinfectant smell, all the wonderful medical wonders they fill these places with. I can't get out fast enough.
One room to the right is my destination, and that's where I find Katniss. She's already up and looking around the room, same as I was doing just a minute ago. Difference is, she doesn't know improvised weapons. I'll have to rectify that soon.
"Glimmer?" Katniss asks, looking at me.
"Yep, it's me, Katniss." I smile, striking a pose.
"What's going on? Where are we? And where did you find a dress and heels in a hospital?"
"Cinna dropped off the clothes, the rest, no clue. Supposedly Haymitch will explain the rest."
"Oh." I don't think Katniss is convinced about Haymitch explaining things any more than I am.
"What about Gale and the others, any idea about them?"
"Supposedly Gale's still out for a bit, no idea about the others."
"What about clothes? I don't see any around here…" Katniss looks around the room and I suddenly am reminded of an important feature of hospital gowns: they have no back.
"Oooh, cute butt, Katniss!" I tease, grinning.
"Glimmer!" Katniss gasps, covering her bare butt with her hands and turning to face me.
"You don't show off often, it's good to see. Heck, I think this is the first time I'm actually wearing more than you. It's quite a change."
"That's not funny, Glimmer."
"Imagine Gale's reaction if he could see this."
"Geez, Glimmer, he's upset enough as it is. He really didn't like the kissing stuff."
"I don't see what he's so upset about; it's not like he's your boyfriend or something."
"You're the one who kept telling me we should get together. Practically every day on the phone in fact."
"And nothing ever came of it, so as I see it, he's got no cause to complain. If he wanted to be your first kiss he should have done something about it."
"Somehow I don't think he sees it quite the same way, Glimmer."
"And I'm sure I'll hear all about it from him. But I don't feel bad about what happened, and neither should you, Katniss."
"I didn't until I had to explain it to Gale, and then it felt like we did something wrong; like we betrayed him almost."
"Look, Katniss, did you enjoy it? Did you have fun?"
"Well, yeah." Katniss blushes. Cute as ever.
"That's all that matters then. Now unless you want to see how Gale reacts to that hospital gown I'll go get Cinna."
"I'll hold out for clothes from Cinna, thanks."
"Oh well, Gale's loss for missing out on that cute butt."
Katniss
After I'm dressed properly, Glimmer and I head into Gale's room. He's in a bed with some tube running into his arm just like I had, but unlike me he's still asleep. I turn to Glimmer to ask her if we should wake him up just in time to see her throw a pillow at Gale's head.
"Hey! Wake up!" Well I guess she thinks Gale's slept enough.
"Huh? What? What's going on?" Gale snaps awake, looking around. "Katniss? Glimmer? Where are we?"
"Hospital." I answer.
"A hospital? What the hell are we doing in a hospital?" Gale looks himself over, quickly keying in on the bandage over his arm in the exact same place I had one.
"Best I can guess they pulled our trackers." Glimmer answers.
Gale peels off the bandage. "No scar left. Actually, I don't have any scars at all, and I used to."
"It's probably a body polish. It's a Capitol thing Katniss and I got when we became Victors. Got to make everyone all nice and pretty, after all."
"So we're in the Capitol?"
"We don't actually know." I reply. "We know Cinna's here, that's how we got the clothes, and supposedly Haymitch is here and will explain things, but that's about all we know."
"Except that they took our weapons." Glimmer frowns.
"Well fuck. Soon as we gain any ground someone's there to take it away, aren't they." Gale grumbles.
"You've gained plenty of ground." Haymitch walks into the room.
"Then how about returning our weapons to us." Gale suggests.
"You don't need weapons here."
"And just where is here?" I ask.
"District 13."
"District 13 was destroyed."
"No it wasn't, that was just a cover story. District 13 made a deal with the Capitol."
"What kind of deal?" Gale wants to know.
"Do any of you know what District 13 made?"
"Graphite. Like the shit in pencils or something?" Gale replies.
"Yeah, they made that, and that's the official story. But what they really specialized was nuclear weapons."
"We've got nukes? Great, this rebellion will be over in time for dinner."
"It's not that simple. The Capitol has its own nukes. If 13 fired on the Capitol, the Capitol would fire on all the districts, and vice versa. So in effect, it's like no one has nukes. Back during the first rebellion, the Capitol agreed to let 13 disappear. They'd bomb the surface and all of 13 would be underground."
"So they just up and quit?" I ask. Seriously, these are the great allies against the Capitol Haymitch couldn't tell us about?
"Well yeah, but that's old news. They're back now, and they're fighting the Capitol with us."
"Oh, well that's ok then! They're with us now. It's not like they have a track record of being butt fucking quitters or anything." Gale starts a rant.
"They saved all of your asses. Who do you think owns that hovercraft you all got out on?"
"Well that's great, I appreciate it and all. But I still want to know what their price is to sell the districts out again."
"They're not going to sell the districts out again."
"So where's everyone else?" Glimmer wants to know.
"Johanna took a shitload of tracker jacker venom. She'll live, but she's gonna be kept sedated in the hospital here for days. Beetee's still out, but it's no surprise kids your age would wake up first."
"And Finnick and Enobaria?"
"Enobaria got put somewhere secure. Finnick is, well, he's gonna be in the hospital a while. His left Kidney's shot, the doctors are hacking what's left out now. They plan to clone a new one and stick it in when it's ready, a week or two, but it'll be a while before he's on his feet again."
"And our families?" I demand.
"Not here yet, but they aren't supposed to be."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"They blew the crap out of 12, like we figured. Actually, the bombs didn't do all that much damage, but the fires they started… Those fucked the place up good and proper. No one's been rescued yet, because we don't know if Snow's got forces waiting for that. The plan is to wait a few days, let the rebellion get going and make Snow move his Peacekeepers somewhere else. Then we get the survivors, your families included."
"And my parents?" Glimmer asks.
"No word yet. But 1 isn't a friendly place, and it's damned far, so it's no surprise we haven't heard a thing."
"Sounds like you've got a whole lot of nothing then." Gale states.
"We saved your asses; a little gratitude wouldn't kill you three. Now you all just fucking relax, we got this. Your families, the survivors from 12, we're on top of it all. So you three chill and we'll let you know when we need you." Haymitch turns and walks out.
"Fuck you too, buddy." Gale says to the vacant Haymitch.
"All that time, this is the big secret Haymitch kept from us? And he was worried we'd let it slip. Sounds like it wasn't worth talking about at all." Glimmer mutters.
Cinna chooses that moment to come in, carrying a bundle of clothes, obviously for Gale. "I see your conversation with Haymitch went swimmingly. I'm sorry I can't offer more, but what I can offer is a change of clothes for Gale and to show you to where you'll be staying."
"That's plenty, Cinna. Thanks." I smile at him.
"Yeah, this hospital sucks; it's defiantly time to leave." Glimmer agrees.
Madge
Last night was truly miserable. No one said much once the bombs started falling, we just moved as fast as we safely could. The explosions were deafening, some of them had to be a few hundred yards away only.
The bombs stopped, but the glow, that didn't. This ominous, evil red glow filling the sky in the direction of 12. It's fire, of course. A massive, all consuming fire. With all the coal dust all over 12 and the woods around the district, the fire has no shortage of fuel.
We went north from the district, and so far, the winds have been out of the west, so the fire may stay south of us, but that might be just me hoping. If the wind shifts we'll be running for our lives, with no idea of where we're going. That and the hovercraft coming for us is coming to this house, if the fire covers it who knows if we'll be found at all.
The trip through the woods to the house didn't have any real problems, and once we got there everyone tried to get some sleep, but it didn't really work out that way. The glow in the sky was bright, not quite like daylight, more like an angry sunset, but that was enough that no one seemed to feel like sleeping. I can't say I blame them; I knew it was coming but to know it and to experience it are very different things.
No one's particularly energetic come morning, but things need doing. Besides, if everyone's busy with work they can't focus on the loss of the district.
"All right, we've all got work to do today." I'm still in charge, after all. "This house can use some fixing up. Rory, we brought stuff to do it, so that's your job. Get help from whoever you need, ok?"
"All right, Madge. I'll work on the roof and walls I guess."
"We sort of just got here and went to bed last night, so today we should really clean the place up and try and make it more livable for everyone. Set up a kitchen, sleeping areas, that sort of thing. The water in the lake is drinkable, so we can use that. In fact it's probably a good idea to keep some on hand here so we don't always have to run out to the lake."
"And just how long should we expect to be here?" Hazelle asks.
"Three days, that's the plan. In three days time a hovercraft from District 13 should be here to pick us all up. If everything went right, Katniss, Gale and Glimmer are already there waiting for us."
"Why not today?"
"I'm not sure, to be honest. If I had to guess I'd say they're worried about Snow still having forces around."
"You're not sure? How is that?"
"They don't tell me much. It's not like I'm super high ranking super experienced rebel. Most of what I know I overheard while my dad was talking to people. Before this, keeping an eye on Gale, Katniss and Glimmer was the only other job they'd trusted me with." Maybe I should have said less, tried to project confidence, but I'm going with honesty instead. Besides, even if they don't like it, where else are they going to look for someone to be in charge.
"What about the people left back in 12?" Katniss' Mom asks.
"What about them?"
"We have to help them."
"Sorry, not an option.
"Why not? They need help."
"That may be, but help will come from other places for them."
"What, in three days maybe? I'm a healer. I have an obligation to help people, and I'm going to do that, and you, Margaret Undersee cannot stop me."
"Actually I can, and I will. But before things get that far you need to understand the big picture here. There is a revolution going on, and Katniss, Gale and Glimmer are a big part of it. If Snow captures you, if he captures any of us, then he has leverage over them, and we can't let that happen."
"Even if people in 12, people we know, people who are our friends suffer and die while we sit and do nothing?"
"Yes." God, I feel like such a monster saying that. But it's true; if Snow caught Katniss' Mom, or god forbid Prim, Katniss would do anything to get them back, no matter the cost for the rest of Panem. Well, ok, maybe not so much her mom, but certainly Prim.
"Is there anything else we need to know?" Hazelle breaks the awkward silence that's fallen on us.
I think about it a minute. "Yeah, don't wander off anywhere. Actually, stay within sight of the house at all times, please. And don't go outside the house alone. Even if you're just walking to the lake, take someone with you."
Everyone gets up to go about their day, but I stay and discretely wave Prim over.
"What's up, Madge?"
"I need you to keep an eye on your mom, Prim; make sure she doesn't do anything rash."
"Yeah, I know, I was planning to do that anyway. But I have to say, Madge, I don't like this."
"I know, Prim, I don't like it either. Leaving people we know behind, maybe letting them suffer while we're here is terrible. But we don't have a choice. As bad as this is, the alternative can be a lot worse."
Prim didn't like hearing that and I didn't like having to say it, but there's one more matter I have to cover.
"Prim, you still have the gun I gave you last night?"
"Yeah, why?"
"I want you to carry that with you full time."
"Why?"
"We should be safe here, but there are still wild animals in the woods. Also, Peacekeepers could find us."
"And if that happens what, I should shoot them?"
"Well it'd be better if they don't find us, or if you see them first and can hide or something, but if there's no choice, yes, I want you able to defend yourself."
Prim thinks about it for a bit. "Guns are loud, maybe I could just shoot in the air and scare off whatever comes by? You'd hear the shot and come running too, so that'd be ok, right?"
"No Prim, that won't work. This is life and death here, there's just no room to try and scare someone and hope. If something happens, you have to shoot to kill. I'm sorry, but I know you can handle it."
"…all right." Yeah, not a happy girl.
It's not a great, happy family home, but I'm not the stay at home mom type really, so for now, good enough.
Gale
The rooms they gave us to stay in are nothing too impressive at all, but they've got a hot shower and a closet full of clothes (thank god for Cinna). I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss the huge apartment thing in the Capitol, though.
The hot shower felt great, but being from the Seam I never was one to luxuriate or whatever the hell you call taking a shower that lasts a damned hour. Glimmer though, well… Yeah. She's Glimmer. But I knew it'd go like that, so I finished up in time and am waiting outside her door (for a long damned time) when she finally comes out, all clean and made up and whatever other crap girls do in the bathroom.
"Gale, what's up?" she greet me.
"We need to talk."
Glimmer just rolls her eyes and heads back inside, leaving the door open for me to follow. She must have known this was coming. I mean, come on, it was obvious. I walk in, letting the automatic door close behind me.
I have no idea if she plans to derail this or just let me talk, but either way, I'm not waiting. "Glimmer, I thought we were friends, so what the fuck? I mean, you know I like Katniss and you're making out with her? I don't get you."
"You know what, Gale? I don't get you either. You've liked Katniss for god knows how long. I figured it out pretty quick after Katniss mentioned your name in the 74th Games there was something there. I even teased her about it."
"I know, I saw it on TV, Glimmer."
"Yeah? You know what you didn't see? When Katniss and I got that illegal phone line, I teased her about it every single day. Told her you had a crush and she should do something about it. I did everything I could to set you two up."
"You did?"
"Katniss is my friend, at the time my only friend, and I wanted her to be happy. So yeah, I tried to set her up with someone: you. But then you did something weird. Nothing. Half a year after the Games of my teasing Katniss and trying to convince her to do something with you and nothing happened. Before the Victory Tour, you saw what a wreck she was, and nothing happened. After the tour, nothing. All that time and you did nothing with it. So I don't get you, Gale. You say you like the girl, but you don't want to do anything about it?"
"It's not that simple, Glimmer. Katniss and I have known each other since our dads died. We depended on each other to keep our families alive. And you know how fucked up Katniss is with emotions. She's not the sort of girl you can just ask out."
"No, but you can just kiss her. Trust me on that." Glimmer smirks.
"Not funny."
"Point is, Katniss is never going to figure it out, and you have to be the one to make a move. Don't blame me if you never could. I pushed as hard as I could for you, but being interested in a girl isn't some eternal call of dibs you know."
"I did make a move. I told Katniss I love her."
Glimmer blinks. "What? When?"
"A few days before the last reaping."
"What'd she say?"
"What do you think? It's Katniss; she didn't really say anything."
Glimmer just shakes her head. "So you like about the most emotionally inaccessible girl in Panem and your big first move was to dump the mother lode of emotions on her head. Wow."
"Hey!" It sounds pretty fucking stupid when she says it like that. "Anyway, point is, she's mine, so no more make out sessions."
Glimmer looks me in the eye. She's in heels (when outside an arena is she not?) so I don't have that much of a height edge over her. "Gale, like you said, we're friends, but last I heard Katniss is single. I tried pushing her in your direction for months, but I'm not sure I'm ready to just walk away now. I don't plan to get in your way or screw with you or anything, but I've had some fun with Katniss. So until she says she's with you, sorry, but I'm not going to stop doing what I want here."
"I see." So the supermodel really is my competition here. My competition and my ally in whatever crap 13 has planned for us here.
"Nothing personal, Gale. Like I said, we're friends, but I'm not ready to drop this just because you finally decided to say something. It does make you wonder though, doesn't it?"
"What's that?" Here it comes.
"Why do you think she never said anything about your big declaration to me?"
Fuck. That's a good damned question. It figures she'd zero in and ask that.
"Anyway, I'm hungry. You know if there's any food around here?"
"Um, yeah, I told Katniss we'd meet her in whatever dining hall they have here."
"Great, let's go." Glimmer smiles and heads off like she doesn't have a care in the world. Weird chick. I just follow.
Glimmer
Apparently, meals here are all premeasured things. They just hand you a tray and that's what you get. Well that explains why there's no kitchens in the quarters they gave us. Not that one would fit anyway. My closet back in 1 is bigger than the joke of a room I got. Seriously, they've had 75 years and this is the best they can do? What the heck have these people been doing in all this time?
Katniss is already here, sitting at a table by herself and Gale and I join her. We trade greetings and I finally bother to look down at what sort of food is actually on this tray. Normally you'd have some sort of meat in a meal. You know, beef, chicken, pork, something like that. Not here though. There's some sort of colorless goop sitting in the middle of the tray.
"What the hell is this?" I demand.
"I'm not sure. I was hoping you might recognize it. Maybe some weird thing from 1 or some of that instant stuff you said you eat some times?" Katniss answers.
"Instant stuff might not compare well to real home cooking, but at least it's recognizable as food. I don't know what the heck this is."
Gale pokes the odd substance with his fork. It seems soft, but when pushed it bounces back to its original shape. "Are we supposed to eat this shit?"
"It looks like other people are." Katniss says, looking around other table.
"Yeah, I don't think so. Anyone seen my cell? I'm ordering a pizza." As if I'd eat this.
"What's a cell?" Katniss asks.
"What's a pizza?" Gale wants to know.
"A cell is a cellular phone. You know, portable phone, no wires, fits in your pocket or purse. And a pizza is food. Tasty takeout food." I forgot how backwater the Seam back in 12 was.
"I'm afraid there's no takeout in 13." Beetee says, sitting down with us. "I hope you don't mind if I join you three."
"Sure, have a seat." Gale offers.
"Why isn't there any takeout in 13? With this stuff a restaurant would clean up here." Seriously, no one here wants to get rich?
"There are no independent businesses in 13, and there is no money in District 13." That is Beetee's answer.
"How the hell do you run a district with no money?" Gale demands.
"Apparently the government runs everything. Clothes are provided, medical services, food, everything in provided and carefully rationed. This food for instance, you couldn't get more if you wanted."
"So everyone just gets free shit?" Gale got the shit part right. This food sucks, and everyone around here is wearing these gray jump suits. Seriously ugly stuff. Thank God Cinna somehow got all of us real clothes.
"Technically, yes. But jobs here are mandatory. If you don't work, you are incarcerated."
"How do you know all this?" I ask.
"They require my services, so I spent the afternoon learning about my new employers."
"You happen to learn to what this stuff is?" Gale points at the mystery substance on our trays.
"I asked when I picked up my tray. Apparently this is a synthesized vitamin enhanced protein substitute."
"Uh, I thought protein comes from meat." Gale frowns.
"Well, normally, yes. But raising animals for slaughter takes space and resources District 13 lacks. Since everything is underground here, a substitute had to be invented."
"This isn't one of your inventions, is it, Beetee?" Good question, Katniss.
"Most certainly not."
"Ok, then. Katniss, Gale, you two are hunters, right? Can you like, hunt us up some actual food?" This just isn't right. I ate better than this in an arena for God's sake.
"Going to the surface is strictly forbidden." Beetee says. "Now if someone was to somehow find some way to the surface, they should keep in mind that it is monitored. Unless they get help from someone with access to District 13's security systems they wouldn't get far at all."
Well, I think I know what we're going to do to pass the time until our friends and families get here.
Author's Notes:
So here it is, the third part to my Hunger Games series. It's a little later than I had planned, too. I would have liked to have written 10-15 chapters in advance so I could guarantee I'd always be able to release chapters weekly, but it didn't work out that way. There are a few written and I'll try to do weekly releases, but I can't guarantee I'll manage to keep that pace up.
Thanks a lot to that-fan who's helped me along developing and editing this story. And of course, I'd love to hear from readers. So if you have something to say please leave me a review. I really appreciate it. Thanks.
