A/N: Hey, guys! I'd like to give a special thanks to CallingMeFakeWontMakeYouReal (read her stories!), TeamGlimmer, ThisLittleBabydoll, Araka-chan, and Lil Scream Queen for reviewing last chapter! I know a lot of you added it to your favorites or alerts, and I appreciate that, too! Just because I'm nice lol (and can't wait for them to fall in love!) it will be sooner than Chapter 20! The exact chapter will not be revealed!
This story should change everyone's experiences in the arena, so eventually I'll have more POVs than just the two main characters, Marvel and Marissa (Foxface). I might even get around to every named tribute! I KNOW I'll get to Peeta, Thresh, and Rue, because I LOVE them! Maybe not Katniss, since she would be hard to get right.
Well, read away, people! And review, please! (But read the chapter first…)
Title: Maybe
POV: Marvel Gratte
Morning of Training Day Two
I sit in the bed of my room, thinking. Of home, mostly. Of the ill sister I left behind. Of the life I might have abandoned. Of the worrying mother that is probably crying for me. Of the new born baby boy in her arms. Of the father who left us all behind for another family.
Glimmer comes in my room, and jumps on me. "Wake up, big guy!" she says, leaning down to my ear.
"Get off of me, Glimmer!" I order.
"What's wrong, big guy Marvel? Scared you're going to see big guy Cato again?" she asks sarcastically, laughing. Though she's an annoying bitch, she is funny sometimes, and drop-dead gorgeous, I have to give her that. And she's with me about Cato, and thought what Marissa did was hilarious.
"Actually, I'm scared to go see Clove, Glimmer," I tell her.
Laughing, she says, "I bet you are. Ready for breakfast?"
"Can I get dressed?" I ask her, motioning to the new training outfit on my dresser.
"No." I look at her, confused. "I don't think you can. I don't think you know how. Had you said 'may,' I would've let you."
Let me add something to the list of things describing her: she's a smartass, too.
I get up, literally shove her out of the room, and get dressed. Then I head out of my room and go to the dining room, wearing my Career-self again, not the Marvel Gratte that worries of Beryl Gratte, his mother, or Obsidian Gratte.
In the dining room, there is laughter. I almost despise that laughter, for that is the sound of the Careers tracking me down when I don't ally with them. If they kill me, that is the sound of my death. That is the sound of Beryl's death. That is the sound of Obsidian's death. That is the sound of my mother's depression. That sound has too many depressing meanings when you're in the Hunger Games.
I sit next to Glimmer and my stylist, Marshole Crosait, and across from my mentor, Cashmere. They talk and chat and laugh and I offer words and laughs that hide the hollowness of themselves well occasionally. Marshole and Oxe, Glimmer's stylist, engage a conversation all about the color peach for Glimmer's interview outfit.
"Darling, you'd look good in anything, but peach is definitely your color!" Oxe says to her. "And you, Mr. Gratte, don't have a color. That is the best thing possible! It means we can dress you in any color and you'll be a star!"
"Agreed!" squeals Marshole.
The escort for District One, Amemelia Troknee, a woman who always wears light pink or light orange, but never peach because she hates peaches, but still loves the color, just refuses to wear it, and always squeals when she hears about Finnick Odair, comes in and sits next to Glimmer, and I laugh for real, with no hollowness, because I know Glimmer hates Amemelia.
"Amemelia," Glimmer says, smiling a fake smile, "glad to have you back."
"Cut the act, dear," Amemelia chimes. "We both hate each other and I hate the districts, so please, dear, cut the act."
"How's it that you ended up an escort, Am?" Oxe asks. Oxe laughs and she gets up, looking at her watch, and pulls Marshole with her. They scurry off. "We must run!" Oxe calls back.
I look at Cashmere, and she nods to tell me it is time for training. I get up, and Glimmer follows me. We go to the elevator and head down to the Training Center.
"What do you think we'll do today?" she asks. "I'd like to try archery."
I look at her blankly for a second, and then ask, "Glimmer, what weapon did you major in, in Career Training?"
She is quiet for a long, long time. Then she smiles at me. "My parents died when they were both reaped at age eighteen together, and I was one-years-old. They died in the Hunger Games, so I was orphaned, and I couldn't go to training. I just decided to volunteer and win this year, so I could know the other victors and I could have someone."
"Oh," I whisper, "I'm sorry."
"Don't be." She smiles, and then returns to the Glimmer Shine I know. "I'll still kill you."
I narrow my eyes at her and she laughs. I almost feel bad that I won't be allies with her. Well, I will be if I can't ally with anyone else. Maybe Marissa will give in.
I wonder if she'll stick a knife in my back if we do ally. I'll take the risk.
I don't love that girl. Not Glimmer or Marissa, but I am confused over both. How they act, who they are, and, in Glimmer's case, how they got here just exactly.
I wander around in the Training Center at first, and Glimmer follows me, but then she leaves for the other Careers, and I keep wandering around. Surprisingly, Marissa approaches me.
"Couldn't stay away, huh?" I ask her playfully, but I know she can see the pain in my eyes. For some reason, I just can't stop thinking about Beryl and Obsidian dying.
"I felt bad for you, Marvel, that's why I came over," she tells me, not hiding the truth.
"You're very blatant, aren't you?" I ask her. I start walking and we walk-and-talk.
"Sometimes," she says. "Why aren't you with the Careers?"
"I hate them," I tell her.
"Except Glimmer, of course," she finishes my sentence.
"Yeah, except her," I admit. "I…don't know."
I turn to her to see her smiling, almost laughing. I ask her what, and she shows me the knife Clove likes, and tells me she stole it from her when Clove sat it down. I laugh.
"Maybe." I don't know what she means when she says this, until I do. Maybe she'll ally with me. "I still might stick this knife in your back, but maybe."
I allow a smile and we make a fire together.
Maybe I love her. Maybe, most likely, I don't. Maybe I love Glimmer. There aren't any opposing thoughts. Maybe Marissa loves me. I doubt it. Maybe Glimmer loves me.
I don't think I'll end up allying with any of them.
"You love her," I hear Marissa whisper as she coaxes herself a fire the color of her eyes and hair. "I can see it in your eyes. I can see everything about you in those black eyes."
"Can you see my dying sister, Beryl, and my dying baby brother, Obsidian? Can you see my mother all alone? Can you see my father who left us?"
She looks at me, shocked beyond belief. "Marvel, I'm sorry… Why are you telling me this?"
"Don't be." I look up at her from the ground and smile. "You're not as heartless as you think, Marissa."
"I've heard people calling me 'Foxface,'" she says, not acknowledging what I've said.
"Your face, your sly-and-cunningness…Foxface—oops, I mean Marissa—you are a fox."
She laughs. "I'm sorry, I wasn't listening… did you call me…foxy?"
I smile and laugh. I wonder if she knows what I'm thinking through my eyes.
"Well, I guess you did. You, Marvel, are foxy, too."
Training ends just then, at the worst time, and Glimmer finds me, while Marissa is still there. Marissa sneers at Glimmer and walks away.
"Why didn't you train with us?" Glimmer demands.
"I hate them," I tell her. She pulls me to the side. She looks straight in my eyes, and she smiles. "What?"
"Then just be my ally."
I don't get in the elevator with her; I don't get in the elevator with Marissa. No, I dart away and end up in an elevator alone with the tributes from District Twelve and the little girl from District Eleven. The little girl smiles, and the older girl scowls. The boy just smiles at her expression, and when I press the button for my floor, I hear her scold him.
Once the upper district tributes are off, the elevator darts down to my floor, where I run to my room, and I lie there, confused and not knowing why exactly I ran away from Glimmer. I sit there, looking up at the pattern on the ceiling. Swirls of blue and red. Roses of pink and white. In the center there is the seal of District One, and the seal of the Capitol, and the seal of the Hunger Games, and a sign that says District One Male Tribute.
There's a knock on the door, and I tell whoever it is to come in.
Glimmer opens the door and sits down at my feet, her blond hair bouncing. "So, I guess we aren't allying alone?"
I smile and laugh shakily, as if I've been crying, which I haven't been, and then I tell her that I've not been crying.
"No, of course not. The Almighty Marvel would never cry!" she exclaims. Then she flops down in the bed next to me, me under the covers, and she on top of them. "And the Almighty Cato was a real piece of work today without you."
I feel like speaking, but I don't. I feel like telling her why I ran, but I don't know why, so I don't. I feel like going to Marissa's floor, but I can't leave Glimmer, so I don't.
Eventually it gets so quiet that I fall asleep.
When I wake up, I am alarmed to see that Glimmer is still there, above the sheets, and asleep. Her blond hair is in my face. I push it away and look at the time. "Glimmer!" I say, shaking her awake. "Glimmer, we're late for training!"
She jumps up. There are two sets of training clothes on the nightstand, and she picks up the one for her and runs to my bathroom. I put mine on and wait outside there for her. When she comes out, she races before me, going to the elevator, leaving me behind. I am extremely relieved that she is acting like nothing happened.
I run to training after her, barely reaching the elevator in time, and she tells me to forget about last night.
"I know you love her," she says. She reminds me of Marissa when she says this. "It's okay. I don't need to win these Games anyway. You should, and if you want to save her, you should, because you should win, and because of that, you can give it to anyone. Give it to her. Make her see."
I shake my head. "Never mind."
When we get to training, I go find Marissa.
"Hey, Foxface," I say, smiling at her.
"I swear, whoever you are—oh, hey Marvel," she says as she turns around. "I actually think I might not hate you anymore."
"Thank you." I sit down next to her and realize we're in snares. I can see she is failing miserably. Before thinking and without really knowing why or what I'm doing, I offer, "Let me help you with that."
I the rope she holds into my hands, and in the progress, my hand rubs her like a cliché love story's start, and she looks up at me. I am so lucky today, and I'm not being sarcastic, because she doesn't kiss me like a cliché love story. She just looks around and says, "Thank you. Actually, I should go."
Maybe if there was no spark, she'd have stayed. In the moment, I didn't pay attention for a spark. I prayed that she wouldn't kiss me. And she didn't.
But maybe she felt a spark. As I watch her walk away, I can't decide if it's good or not if she did. Maybe it is. Maybe it isn't. If it isn't, maybe it's because of Glimmer.
I go to spears and throw one out of anger.
Then I do the thing that is the worst mistake other than volunteering in my life so far. I go back to the Careers. When I look over to Marissa, her eyes show such obvious sense of betrayal that it hurts my heart.
But I continue with the Careers, and Glimmer seems happy, so that's good…right?
"Are you off in space again, Lover Boy?" Cato asks with a laugh. "I thought Peeta was in love… but wow."
"Peeta?" I ask. "Who's Peeta?"
"District Twelve," Clove tells me. "He's going to lead us to Katniss when the Games begin."
"Katniss?"
"The Girl on Fire," Clove answers.
"Ah, I see," I say.
Cato pats me on the back. "And I thought Glimmer only had blond moments. Now, are you staying?" he demands.
I can see Marissa has gotten closer so she could hear. I lock eyes with her. Before Cato snaps, though, I have to say something. So it falls out of my mouth. "Of course."
Then I can't see Marissa anymore and I have my answer.
It's not Glimmer. It's definitely not Clove and it never was.
It's Marissa.
But it's too late.
"Come on, Lover Boy, we have to go find Lover Boy number 2," Cato says.
Clove tags right behind him, and Glimmer stays next to me for a second to say, "Never mind what I said in the elevator. I guess you don't love her."
"Do you love me?" I ask her.
"I don't think so," she answers. "Not anymore anyway. I did when we first got here, but now…no. You're a good friend, though."
And that's all I want to be.
She runs up to the front. She is my best friend, yes, but I don't know why I ever thought I loved her. Her personality—flaunting, and, yes, I will admit it, sexy—makes it feel like she's throwing herself at you, and she is gorgeous, so I fell for the oldest trick: judging a book by its cover.
Cato tells me to catch up, so I do. So we, Glimmer, and then Clove, and then Cato, and then me, all go retrieve Peeta. Katniss doesn't notice from all the way in knot tying.
"What do you know?" Cato demands from him.
"Nothing yet," Peeta says.
Cato steps close to him. Before he can open his mouth, I say, "Leave him, Cato! We need him, don't we, or am I missing something again?"
Cato steps back and scowls at me. "Watch it. I still don't think you're so loyal."
I think I may not hate this Peeta. We both know a girl. Cato wants to kill us both because of them. He glances over at me—Peeta does—when I glance at him. I almost see hope in his eyes, but I also see fear and hate. And love. And defiance. Maybe it's all for Katniss.
There have been too many maybes today.
A/N: I know, I know. This was iffy, but I imagine Marvel as a bit confused in this situation, so that's how I wrote him. But he isn't anymore! Now he's not confused! Trust me, though, the next chapter from Marvel's perspective will be SO MUCH better!
I think all of that from above can be overlooked, though, can't it? I mean, come on! I gave you Peeta! And I know some of you don't like him (how could you?), so I also brought Cato in, too! So, work with me! If you hate both…I don't know how you can. I LOVE Peeta, and Cato or Marvel would have to be next. Well, other than Finnick and Haymitch, and Cinna beats them all! But, I guess, if the only person you like is Gale, I guess I can forgive you, because I hate Gale. Not entirely, but very much.
Now that I've bored you have to death, check out my poll, and REVIEW! Tell me who you want for the next POV, please, too. I don't knowwwww! The only person I won't do is: A. someone who isn't a tribute, B. someone who is unnamed, or C. Katniss. I WILL do Peeta, because, as we all know, I love him (we've all been there; maybe not with Peeta, but with someone from the Hunger Games!).
