HIDDEN LOVE
The first time that Katniss sees proof of Brutus and Enobaria's relationship is when she's in the train watching the reapings of the other districts. She sees a tall, tan, skinny – but well-built, woman to be in about her late twenties go up to the stage once her name is called. She is incredibly beautiful for a victor. She had long, dark hair that cascaded down her back, tan glowing skin, and she had an exotic kind of look that made her look unique and different.
The one thing that changes Katniss's perspective on the victor is her teeth. They were not pearly white and straight – they were sharp, pointy, and inlaid with gold. Odd, thought Kantiss. Then Katniss sees Enobaria's slight reaction when a burly man is called up to go into the Quell. He is tall, strong, intimidating, and has a bald head. He seems to be in his late thirties. At first sight of them, Katniss thinks they are vicious, skilled, and heartless – nothing more.
They both stand on the stage, hands together and up in the air showing that they are united. Katniss assumes that they are proud to bring honor to their district and that they can't wait to go back into the games. But Katniss didn't know that she thought wrong.
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The second time when Katniss sees their love is when they arrive at the all new training area designed for the tributes of the Third Quarter Quell. Not letting Effie escort them like last year, she and Peeta walk in too see Brutus and Enobaria kissing for just a slight second before pulling away after they realized they were not alone anymore. They awkwardly walked away from each other, both wiping their lips from each other's kisses they just shared. Maybe they weren't heartless after all.
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The third time when Katniss is a bit surer about their love for each other is during the interviews the night before she would be thrown back into the arena. Enobaria is dressed in a beautiful golden dress that brings out the color of her skin while Brutus is dressed in some type of metallic armor outfit. Brutus and Enobaria are both asked questions about their relationships, and they answer them right away. Brutus said that he was going to miss her if he died or lived and Enobaria said that she's very upset about one of them dying.
After the lights went out, the victors were escorted to their living quarters to rest for the night. She was waiting for the elevator when Brutus and Enobaria waited next to her. When the doors opened, they got in and waited for her to join them. Brutus motioned for her to get in the elevator with them, but Katniss took down his offer and told them to go ahead without her. She didn't trust them – she barely knew them, and she also didn't want to disturb their time together.
"Suit yourslelf," said Brutus before pressing the button to go to the second floor. Before the doors were fully closed, Brutus grabbed hold of Enobaria's skinny waist and brought her in for a passionate kiss. She grinned into the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck before the doors closed, leaving a confused and surprised Katniss standing there, waiting for another elevator. Maybe what they have really is real.
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The fourth time she sees them together is when she couldn't sleep and decided to go up to the roof to clear her mind. Little did she know that the tributes from District 2 beat her to it and were already there. The minute she spotted them on the roof she stepped back and his behind the wall, still being able to glance at them.
Brutus was standing behind Enobaria, hugging her from behind while Enobaria stood in front of him with both her hands on the railing, leaning against him. Katniss could focus enough to listen to what they were saying to each other. They whispered words of assurance, love, and sorrow to each other. Once Katniss couldn't take it anymore, she stormed off into the District 12 living quarters and crashed into her cold bed.
What was she feeling? Sorrow? Pity? No, perhaps guilt was the right word to use. She and Peeta weren't the star-crossed lovers – Brutus and Enobaria were. Peeta and her love was always an act, it always was and always will. But what Brutus and Enobaria had was something real. She shrugged off the tears and went into a restless sleep, dreaming of having true love like the victors from District 2 shared.
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The fifth time that she sees their worry and concern for each other is when the Careers ambush their alliance in the Cornucopia. Gloss slit Wiress's throat, Katniss shot an arrow at Gloss, and at an attempt to kill Katniss for being responsible for her brother's death, Johanna buried an axe in Cashmere's chest before she could cause any harm to Katniss.
Where was District 2? She looked over to see Brutus with a spear fighting Finnick. A slight second after Finnick lost his balance, Enobaria threw a knife at Finnick, cutting his shoulder. Then Johanna took another axe and threw it at Enobaria's leg, scratching her inner thigh. She grunted and fell to the ground, clutching her leg. Brutus, out of pure rage and anger, pushed Finnick to the ground, trying to get as much distance from them and us as possible, and rushed to her aid. He picked her up bridal style and ran away from the Cornucopia to reach safety before the island began to spin.
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The sixth and last time she was certainly positive about their love was when she talked to Enobaria. All the victors being held prisoners in the capitol were finally rescued and the seven remaining victors were about to take a vote to decide if they should or should not hold a final Hunger Games.
Enobaria and Katniss sat at opposite sides of the table, sitting in awkward silence. "I'm sorry."
Enobaria gave her a confused look and sat up straighter, interested in what Katniss was talking to her about. "What are you sorry about?"
"About everything," replied Katniss.
Enobaria stood up from her seat, walked over to her, pulled up a chair, and sat next to the Mockingjay. "You're going to have to be a little more specific."
Katniss sighed and closed her eyes, thinking of a way to apologize for all the pain she had caused Enobaria. "For making you and Brutus go back into the games, for being so naïve, for destroying the Nut, for leaving you behind. Mostly, I'm sorry about you losing Brutus."
Enobaria looked down at her hands, running her fingers around a small golden ring. "I knew one of us wasn't going to make it. But I just wished he'd stayed a little longer. I knew splitting up was a bad idea."
"It's not your fault," assured Katniss. "Were you and Brutus together?"
"What do you think?" asked Enoabria in a slightly joking manner. "We were married for over seven years and I was pregnant during the games. Funny thing is the baby survived during the games. I lost it when I was being held prisoner back in the Capitol."
"I'm so sorry," said Katniss. "I was never pregnant in the first place. Peeta just said it to try to stop the games from happening."
"I know," said Enobaria. "I know when people are lying and when they're telling the truth.
"When did you two meet?" asked Katniss. She didn't even know why she was so interested in their love life.
Enobaria sat up straighter and looked out the window. "I was eight. My family made me work a lot and one day I had to hunt for food because my dad wasted all our money on alcohol. I was about to throw a knife at a deer when I fell into the icy cold lake. I was struggling to stay in the surface because I didn't know how to swim. In District 2, the only way to learn how to swim is by having the trainers throw you in and fend for yourself. I suddenly felt a hand grab onto my arm and pull me out of the water. My vision came back and I was face to face with Brutus's piercing blue eyes. He helped me; I probably wouldn't be alive if it weren't for him. That was one of the times when Brutus helped me out of many."
"You needed help?" asked Katniss is disbelief. She didn't think that Careers, especially Career victors, would ever need help from anyone. Careers are independent, no dependent.
Enobaria nodded and sighed. A small tear fell from her left eye, but she quickly wiped it off. "So, tell me. You love Peeta. Real or not real?"
Katniss thought about the question. She never thought about the question before. But now that Enobaria asked her the the question, she really thought about it. She knew that she loved Peeta – she just didn't know in what way. As a friend? As a brother? Maybe even as a lover? After seeing the love that Brutus and Enobaria had, she was certain.
"Real."
THE END