"Run!" Cato shouted to all of us. Clove, Marvel and I knew the drill. The careers sped away from our attackers; the Tributes from Eleven and Twelve. Just as planned, they chased after us.
You may be thinking, "Wow, those Careers are stupid. Katniss will shoot 'em down. Yeah, that's the thing. We were camped out in this part of the arena for days, and us Careers know the land like our Districts. Cato also helped us learn how to camouflage.
To specify, The Careers and I jumped over every obstacle and hurdle with ease. Plus, the other Tributes had trouble finding us with our camouflage. Our main plan was to drive them away from the lake(the best water source), then fight the Tributes when we were far enough away.
I'm not the best runner, being from District One and all, Yet I kept up with the others well since the non-careers were very far behind. According to my experiences, our clearing was up ahead. My heart was pounding, but I wasn't nervous or afraid. We could totally take these wimps.
The Careers and I burst into the small clearing, all breathing hard.
"Okay, head count," Cato grumbled. "Glimmer, Clove, me…" he was cut off by two deep yells in the distance. Both were male, and one of them was higher-pitched than the other. I expected to hear a cannon blast, but there… wasn't one. My eyes widened. Marvel was missing…
Just then, Katniss and Peeta crashed into the clearing. Cato, Clove and I drew our blades. Cato slashed out, drawing a large gash on Peeta's foreleg.
"Peeta!" Katniss shrieked. Clove sniggered. Katniss drew her bow, pointing the arrow at her. "Why, you-" Katniss was cut off by a loud Smash!
"Stop!" a little girl in the distance cried.
"Rue!' Katniss screeched. "I'm coming!" She grabbed Peeta and dashed off. "We'll be back," Peeta growled.
Clove turned to Cato. "Marvel's gone," she pointed out. "We should go find him."
Cato sighed. "Not that I care, but okay." he gave in. We put away our weapons and began to scan the area.
Clove and I walked behind Cato, but we made sure to be aware of our surroundings. "Hey, Glimmer, are you okay?" Clove asked me. I was surprised that she cared how I felt, considering how bloodthirsty and power-hungry she could be.
"Yeah, I'm fine," I whispered.
Clove shook her head. "No you're not. I can tell." she sighed.
"Are you talking about Marvel?" I whispered. "Because if you are-"
I could tell that Clove wasn't listening to me. Her dark brown eyes were wide with shock and she was staring to the left. Cato had stopped walking, and so had she. I followed Clove's gaze and found… Marvel.
His mangled body lay on the bloody rock. I gasped. Marvel's eyes were half closed. I scanned his person for any major wounds- a gash on his right arm, a twisted left leg, a scarred face, and a possibly smashed wrist.
"Oh, Marvel, what have you gotten yourself into? " I whispered. Shaking, I bent down and stroked his hair. "You'll be okay, Marv, it's okay." I didn't care if all of Panem was watching; I just kissed his forehead.
I thought back to when we were young, about ten years old.
It was a sizzling hot day, back in District One. My house didn't have air conditioning, so it was actually cooler to be outside. I told my mom that I was going to my best friend Terracotta's house, since they actually had A/C. She agreed, since Terra lived only a few blocks away. I leisurely walked down the street, but something didn't seem right. As I strolled down the road, I spotted a tall boy with curly brown hair sitting on his doorstep. Surprisingly, he looked familiar. I just didn't know where-
All of a sudden, a loud rumbling sound filled the air. The ground was shaking madly, and I swear that the street was rippling.
"Earthquake!" someone shouted. That must've been the scariest moment in my entire life.
"Hey!" the doorstep boy shouted to me. He could barely stand up. "Get over here!" I ran across his yard, almost tripping over my own feet. My heart was pounding out of my chest. As soon as I got to the doorstep, the boy grabbed my shoulders and ducked over me. We moved off of the porch, out into the open. I looked around and saw things falling everywhere; bricks off of houses, small trees, and power lines. Power lines. Definitely the scariest thing. If I was still in the street… I would be dead from falling power lines.
The ground became more stable after a few minutes. The boy let go of my shoulders, sweat shining on his brow. My face was streaked with tears.
"Are you okay?" he asked me. "Y-yes," I whispered. "You saved me."
The boy gave a weak smile. "I'm glad you're okay." he added. "What's your name?"
"I'm Glimmer," I replied. "Who're you?
"My name's Marvel," he answered, holding out his hand. I shook it. "Thanks so much for saving me," I sighed. "I owe you my life."
Marvel gave me a crooked smile. "Nah. Anytime," he shrugged. "Where are you off to?"
"Well, I was heading to my friend's house, but I should go home and let my family know that I'm okay." I explained.
"Oh," Marvel exclaimed. "Can I come with you?"
I smiled. "Sure. Why not?" Happily, we walked in silence.
The Reaping
I stood among the eighteen year old girls. This was it. The last Reaping I would be entered into; my last chance of going into The Games. My name was in nine times, one for each year I've been in The Reaping. Marvel had his name in nine times as well. I looked across at the boys, and Marvel gave me a reassuring glance. If I went into The Games, I would win. For him. My best friend. My training partner. My boyfriend. The doorstep boy. The boy who saved my life.
My heart was pounding as Poppy Trinket, District One's escort, appeared on the stage.
"Happy Hunger Games!" Poppy chimed. Then, she went into her usual explanation of the Games, and showed the traditional Capitol video.
"Ladies first!" she exclaimed in a sickening, singsong voice. My life played in slow motion as her hand went into the shining glass ball, plucked out a slip of paper, and read it aloud.
"Glimmer Henderson!" Poppy squealed. As soon as I heard my name, I shot a glance at Marvel. He nodded.
I slowly walked up to the stage, my hands shaking. I looked at my mother, my father, and my little sisters, Spica and Ruby. Ruby was hugging my mom, and Spica, standing with the thirteen year old girls, had tears trickling down her cheeks. My father nodded, but he had an awfully grim expression on his face.
As soon as I stepped onto the stage, Poppy smiled and giggled. "Now, for the Gentlemen." she announced. Not Marvel. Please not Marvel. I begged silently. Poppy's hand found a perfectly folded piece of paper out of the glimmering crystal ball. "Marvel Greengrass! She shouted. I almost screamed, but I slapped my hand over my mouth. All of Panem will watch this, but I didn't care.
Marvel was shocked as he stepped onto the stage. "District One! These are your Tributes," Poppy announced. "Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor!"
Marvel and I shook hands and were forced to board the train. We were escorted to two different rooms. "You have three minutes," We were told. Right then, my family rushed into the room. Ruby, only eight years old, was crying.
"Glimmer!" She sobbed. Spica was speechless, until she spoke up. "It should've been me," she choked. "I should've volunteered-'
"No," I cut her off. "You're only thirteen. It's okay." My mother came over, tears in her eyes, and hugged me. "Try to win this, Glimmer." she whispered.
My father walked towards me, not a tear in his dark blue eyes. "I'm proud of you, Glimmer," He nodded. "You're smart. You can pull it off."
Tears started streaming down Spica's face. "Stay strong, Glimmer," she whispered. Ruby began sobbing again.
Then, my family got hustled out of the room. "Goodbye!" Spica shouted.
Later, I went to find Marvel. Sure enough, he was in his room, staring out the window. I entered without knocking, but he didn't care.
"Hey, Glim," Marvel greeted, not in his usual, happy way. "Hey," I replied.
Marvel sighed. "I can't believe it came down to this," he whispered.
I choked back a sob. "I know, Marv. But you know what to do. Win this thing."
Marvel stared at me. "No," he answered. "I saved your life once, and I will again. This is your game,"
A tear trickled down my cheek. "No," I choked. "If it comes down to the two of us, kill me."
Marvel let out a long breath. He hugged me for the millionth time, and this made me break down.
"I love you," Marvel whispered. I didn't say anything.
Now we're here. Marvel's minutes from death, and I can't do anything.
"Is he dead?" Clove whispered. "No." Cato replied. "Just wait a few minutes.
I stood up. "How can you say that? You're just going to let him die?" I confronted. "He's the only one of us who can use a spear!"
Cato growled. "I think you've got more than that on your mind." he accused. "We'll camp out here tonight so you can 'say your goodbyes'."
Man, I hate how bipolar Cato is.