I lay on my back with Glimmer beside me. Well, she's lying next to Cato. She claimed she got too cold and wanted to be warmer. And she went to Cato. And that is why I am lying here alone. Clove is watching to make sure Firegirl doesn't escape with her life. Arial, the girl from 4, is sleeping in her sleeping bag, quiet as a mouse.
I try my hardest to not let my jealousy seep through my expression. I've known Glimmer since I was seven when we first met in the TrainingAcademy. Cato has only known her for a week and she's swooning for him. Back in the Capitol, she constantly asked me if she looked good. She wanted to impress the District 2 boy. Not me.
Back in 1, Glimmer and I had the friendship everyone wanted. We got along great, had the most fun in training, and spent every moment together. Her nickname for me was Marvelous while I called her Golden Rod, because her hair was the color of gold. I wanted to tell her my feelings before Reaping day, but I wasn't fast enough. Her sister scooped her to the seventeen year old girl section before I got the chance.
My eyes began to get heavy. The last thing I saw before I went under was Glimmer's perfect golden hair and the stars in the sky.
"Final Rankings are being posted today, Marvel. Who do you think gets to volunteer?" Glimmer's voice always rose when she was excited. Her cheeks also became the color of a peach.
"I don't know. Maybe Sapphire. Or maybe Amethyst." I say, trying to hide the upset in my voice. "Maybe you might get to." She flipped her golden hair and touched my shoulder.
"Nah. I totally botched the attempt to impress the judges. You just might. Could you imagine if you go and win the Games? You'd be the best victor in history!" Her compliment makes my cheeks flush.
I sit down on the grass behind District 1's Training Academy. It is our lunch break, and after break, we will know who travels to the Capitol and who stays home. Normally, only eighteen year olds can audition. But, in recent years, the judges lowered the ages to sixteen through eighteen. Glimmer took full advantage of that, being only seventeen.
Glimmer sits beside me, lying on her stomach. She twirls a strand of grass in her fingers. Her fingers were recently painted green, her favorite color and the same color as her eyes. Actually, her eyes were an emerald, but I don't think she cares. I notice a few of the boys eye her as they make their way back inside. Glimmer is the girl everyone wants to be. Perfect figure, perfect features, perfect hair. She's the most perfect girl in all of Panem.
I lay on my side, propped up on my elbow. The sun catches her hair and makes it glisten. I can't stop looking at her. She catches my stare and smiles, flashing me her white teeth.
"Oh, Marvelous. You aren't nervous about Final Rankings, are you?" She asks, cooing at me.
"Not at all. Are you, Golden Rod?" I ask, lightly tapping her shoulder. She sways back and forth, as if I actually pushed her.
"Nope. I'm really excited, though. I want to beat Sapphire. She thinks she knows it all. Even if I don't get to volunteer, I want to beat Sapphire's score. Who do you want to beat?" Her eyes bore into mine, expecting an answer.
"Well, I want to beat Gemstone." I reply. Her eyes widen, and her mouth opens to object.
"You can't beat Gemstone. He's the strongest boy here…besides you. And, he can throw one hundred pound weights over three hundred feet. He might bring a lot of honor to One." She twirls more grass in her fingers. "And honor to a lot of girls."
Gemstone is Glimmer's most recent obsession. Last month it was Platinum. Last year it was…I don't even remember who he was. Gemstone is a typical 1 boy, strong, handsome, and not Glimmer's type. Glimmer deserves someone better than a boy who just sleeps around. Yes, he sleeps around. He slept with most girls in the Training Academy. But, he hasn't approached Glimmer yet, so I am happy.
A bell rings through the courtyard. Lunch break is over and a swarm of teenagers enter the Academy. We decide to take our time and look at the postings in a different spot. The postings are placed all over the Academy, but everyone reads the one closest to the door. We walk past the swarm and down another hallway. We find the postings near the restrooms and we read them.
She reads the girl's rankings and I read the boys. We start at the bottom and work our way up. The highest score you can receive is 400. No one has ever reached a perfect score. I read through the scores. 301, 314, 327, 339, 341, 361, 367. Topping the boy's list, with 389 points is…
Marvel Stone. I top the boys list. I am going into the Hunger Games.
Excitement filled my eyes and I turned to Glimmer. Her mouth drops and she motioned me to come over. When I looked at the number two spot, Sapphire Shores scored a 392. In the volunteer spot, I read the score. A 397. I looked at the person who owned that score and it read Glimmer Shield.
Glimmer and I will be going in. Only one of us will come out.
She wrapped her arms around me and jumped in my arms. "I beat Sapphire! I beat Sapphire! I'm going into the Hunger Games!"
"So am I, Golden Rod." I say, pulling her off of me. Her eyes drain and her smile fades. I knew I shouldn't have said this right now. I killed her joy and happiness because of a few simple words.
We stand in silence for a while. We can't say anything without saying how sorry we are. I know this is hard. For both of us. The best friends are going into a death match where only one can live. I need to tell her this before I lose her. I wrap her hands in mine and look her in the eyes.
"Gold…I mean…Glimmer." I stammer. "I need to say this. I know we are excited and upset that we are going into the Games. And, I've known you for ten years. I want to tell you that, despite everything that happened and will happen, I have always…"
"Marvel," her voice cracked and tears brimmed her eyes, "I know what you are going to say. And I think you shouldn't. It will make the Games harder than they need to be. But, when the Games do begin, can we be in the alliance? It can be the last thing we do. Together."
I nod as we walk to the Training Room. We were swarmed by everyone in the Academy, saying that they were happy for us. Nothing that resembled happiness happened when we read our names.
STING!
What was that?
STING!
Screams filled the air and buzzing noises echoed in my ears. A burning pain shot up my arm and I forced myself to wake up.
Tracker jackers filled the camp and everyone was screaming. Loverboy, Cato, Clove, Glimmer, and Arial's screams filled the arena. I didn't grab anything. Cato screams to run towards the lake. I run, leaving everything behind. As we run to the lake, I can't look behind me. I can't see if she's there.
The lake is just in my view. I sprint the last 100 feet and splash into the cold water. The water runs over my stings, waves of relief coming over my arm. I pull the stingers from my arm and puss oozes out. I dip my arm in the water again, trying to ignore the pain.
"That was close, huh, Glim?" I ask, waiting for a sarcastic comment. Instead, I only hear silence.
"Glim? Glimmer? Glimmer!" My screams become louder and more aggressive. I jump out of the lake and run back to the camp. Water falls off of my body and I run faster. Is Glimmer dead yet?
BOOM!
That can't be Glimmer's cannon. When I arrive to the campsite, Cato and Loverboy are grabbing our supplies. I walk around until my boot catches onto a stump. I fall and hit the ground, almost biting my tongue. I turn to the direction where the stump is. Only, that wasn't a stump.
It was Glimmer's bloated body.
I go to her body, holding her hand. Tears threaten to fall, and I could care less if they did. Stings litter her body, and I could barely recognize her. The only clue that I could see of my Golden Rod is her hair. I scan her body. Some fingers on her hand are missing, and they look bluntly chopped off.
"Glimmer." I whisper. I place her bloated hand to my lips. I kiss her hand, letting the tears fall. "Glimmer, I will win for you." I whisper, barely audible to even me.
BOOM!
My Golden Rod stopped shining.
"She's dead, dumb ass." Cato says, sneering at Glimmer's body. "I can't believe I thought that was hot." He whispers, loud enough for me to hear. I kiss Glimmer's bloated forehead and walk away.
I will win a Marvelous Hunger Games for you, Golden Rod. I promise.