"Wow. This house is amazing."
A crash shakes the upstairs followed by pounding footsteps, crisscrossing across the spacious Victor's house. Satin tries to keep her eyes on Glimmer, forcing her gaze away from the open staircase.
"You're so lucky your sister won the Games," Glimmer says wistfully, running her hands over the stone fireplace imported into the District. Satin just nods and tugs at the neckline of her tunic, the delicate stitching stretched too far, tiny jewels dangling off their threads.
"Just four more years and this could be us," Glimmer sighs.
A panicked shriek pierces the air followed by more pounding footsteps, just as the victor's mother blows into the house with a gust of warm, late-summer air.
"Where is anyone? Is anyone here?" a girl's voice screams.
Satin backs up towards the door as bare feet slam down the stairs, shrinking farther from sight as her mother rushes past.
"Mom!" the victor cries, flying the rest of the way down the stairs and wrapping herself around her worn-down mother. "Don't leave me, I thought you were gone!" she says hysterically, blond hair falling limp around her shoulders, clumps sticking to the tear-tracks running down her red cheeks.
"It's okay, sweetie, Mommy was just at work, Satin was at school—"
"Mom—" Satin squeaks from the doorway.
Her mother pulls away for a second and the victor pulls tighter, burying her head in her mother's shoulder.
"Oh Satin honey, it's alright. Just go find your father at training, okay? He'll help you."
Satin hangs in the doorway for a moment, staring fixedly at the sister who once looked so strong. Hands that were once steady now clutch shakily at clothes and skin, pulling life hungrily toward her. "Don't ever leave me," she whimpers into her mother's hair.
"Satin, please go honey, you don't want to see this," her mother pleads before turning back towards the victor, stroking her honey-colored hair softly.
A small hand encircles Satin's wrist and pulls her gently out the door and she allows herself to be lead away, taking one last look at her sister before turning away.
"She'll be fine, they always get better after the first couple weeks, remember?" Glimmer says, placing a tiny hand reassuringly on Satin's shoulder. "And then, think how fun it will be when she finally feels happy enough to buy all those toys and candy!"
Satin glances behind her at the open door, watching as her mother detangles herself from her sister's grasp, messaging the girl's hands until her breathing slows. "Do you think it's worth it, though? Going through all this?" Satin says slowly.
Glimmer's smile droops for a moment as they both stare at the victor now, see the hands that held a knife to bleeding throat just a couple weeks before, now trembling. But then a group of eight-year-olds jog by in training clothes, calling excitedly for Glimmer and Satin to join the bow-and-arrow demonstration. Just as quickly, Glimmer's smile reappears.
"They train us all how to deal with it when we win. And they coached your parents right before your sister came home! They got us covered. We're safe," Glimmer says, reaching to entwine her fingers with Satin's.
Satin squeezes her friend's hand but doesn't smile back, instead looking inside at the small frown that plays across her mother's face as she looks out at the training field beyond the two girls.