Even Glimmers Can Fade
Summary: This is the life of Glimmara Louise "Glimmer" Princasa and how her world was turned upside down at the Reaping for the 74th Annual Hunger Games. Follow her through her Reaping and parade, where she met the man of her dreams. Glimmer's good with a bow and six months younger than Clove. Glimmer/Cato in later chapters.
Disclaimer: Anything you recognise belongs to Suzanne Collins and/or Lionsgate.
Chapter One
One day to go. One day left until the day that the Academy spent all year training for, the day every student got the chance to become a proper Career. The Reaping.
Glimmara Princasa was the daughter of perfumer, Glowin Princasa and his wife, celebrated Capitol fashion designer, Velvet, and as such, lived in the most luxurious part of District One. She had a whole three-bedroomed detached house between the four members of her family and new clothes whenever she needed them. She even had a few special items for birthdays and Christmases from her mother's fashion line. The girl in question was lying on her bed, her eyes sweeping lazily around her violet and cream bedroom, her gaze finally coming to rest on the golden bow adorning the wall. A smile tugged at the corners of her small pink mouth as she recalled her performance in training earlier. She had had to shoot thirty dummies in a particular order and had hit twenty-nine of them dead in the heart, the other skimming its forehead when she was distracted, but still enough to have killed them all, had they been alive. She had performed just as well in every session and so had been awarded the Golden Bow, a ceremonial weapon awarded to the best archer of the Academy each year. She was the youngest to have ever won it, at just age fifteen, and her entire family had congratulated her. Well, all except one, who she hadn't seen yet. Just as she thought that, the door swung open to reveal that one person.
"Hey, Golden Girl, how are you?" asked the blonde boy leaning on the golden doorframe, a smug, almost patronizing smile dominating his features.
"Go away, Sheen." the girl called, smirking sarcastically as she did. Sheen put his hand over his heart, his face mimicking a shocked expression, before sitting down on the bed, pushing the other blonde's legs to the side.
"Oh, come on, little sister, I just wanted to congratulate you. The Golden Bow? Mummy and Daddy must be so proud of their little Glimmara." he mocked.
"Don't call me that, Sheen, you know I hate it."
"Alright, fine. So, Glimmer, you excited?" he asked, his tone going from mocking to serious. Glimmer's eyes suddenly fell to the floor, the golden rug blurring as her eyes filled with tears. She quickly blinked them away, but Sheen saw, scooting up to lean on the headboard, wrapping his arms around Glimmer and pulling her into his lap. They sat together like that for a while, Sheen with his arms wrapped around Glimmer, kissing her blonde waves every once in a little while.
"Sheen, I'm not ready for this." whispered Glimmer, turning her head to face her elder brother.
"I know, Glim, but you came top of your class in archery by far, not much further down with survival skills and you've done a little spear work with Marvel. You could survive if you get Reaped, but you won't. Besides, someone will volunteer and the first volunteer goes in. It won't be you."
"What about you? You're almost nineteen, it's your last chance. Are you going to volunteer?"
"Maybe." was his simple response. Glimmer tried to meet his gaze, but he turned away and headed for the door, Glimmer standing abruptly at his departure. He stopped in the hallway just outside, his face turning on his shoulder, not quite enough to see her, but enough for her to know he was talking to her.
"Get some rest, Glim. Tomorrow is a long day."
"Sheen..." But he was already gone, flinging the door shut between them, cutting him off from his sister, who collapsed back down on her bed, staring at her ceiling, which was blurring and shifting once more as her eyes overflowed with tears.
"I love you, Sheen." she whispered, long after her brother had left the room. She stared for a while longer, wondering how total and utter silence could be so painfully loud, before her eyes drifted closed, a few tears escaping the purple shadowed lids as she thought of the terrifying events to come. Then the sun began to rise as she slept, bringing reality to the terror.
This was the dawn of the 74th Annual Hunger Games.
A/N: Just a starter chapter, to establish a few relationships, really. Let me know what you think. Should I continue?
