Cato and Glimmer: After the Games
"Look at what you've done to me. I'm constantly scared of reality."
I watch as Glimmer picks up her phone after our completely amazing kiss. As she puts the phone to her ear, her face turns from happy to... excited? Wait, what for?
"You're here? In the city? This is great!" Glimmer squealed in delight. "Where are you guys? I could go to you from this part." She nodded and turned to me, her emerald eyes glinting delightfully in the morning light. "I'll be there. And is it okay if I, well - if I bring Cato along?"
Tapping my foot patiently against the granite steps of the sidewalk. I had no idea who Glimmer was talking to. Her best friends, maybe? Maybe her cousins? Her parents, I suppose? Her mentors in the Career Tribute Academy? In all thought found, I was curious as to who she was speaking to as of the moment. Interrupting my musings, Glimmer snapped her phone close with a huge grin on her pink glossy lips.
"Who was that?" I asked almost immediately.
Glimmer slipped her phone back into her pocket. "It's my sisters and my little brother. They're in Fifth Avenue up for Brunch and I asked them if you could come."
"And?" Sisters? Glimmer has sisters? And a little brother? That much I hadn't known.
"They said that they'd be most delighted to meet you." Glimmer said in glee as she wrapped her arms around my shoulders. "Bet you didn't know that I have three amazing sisters and an adorable little brother, hm?"
I chuckled lightly, "Not at all. Now tell me about them as we come over to wherever they're having brunch. What's the name of the restaurant?"
"Madison's Square," She said with a crease of a brow. "I believe they told me that it's somewhere near the Capitol Victor's Village. Where, I suppose, you probably live at."
"That much, I have to admit, is true. Fifth Avenue is just beside the Capitol Victor's Village." I replied with a nod. "It's not far. Just a few blocks away."
The moment we began walking up to another street, Glimmer began to tell me about her siblings. She began with her eldest sister, Shine. I could have sworn I heard that name before.
"Shine is the only Victor in the Gaze siblings. She won during 68th Hunger Games, so there's no surprise as to why a lot of people know me." Glimmer explained as she looped her arm around me, taking a left turn down to another street. "I guess you could say she's the brutal, bloody sister. But in reality, she's a complete sweetheart. She's really protective over the rest of us Gazes and she would snap the neck of anyone who dares try to hurt her own siblings."
I cringed at the thought of it. Although I had no plans or whatsoever as to hurt Glimmer, I felt rather anxious meeting a person who seemed to or used to be like me. Glimmer noticed my discomfort and tried to pull up a positive sentence, "But don't worry. She won't hurt you unless you do something wrong to me. In fact, she might actually like you due to the fact that you tended to me while I was ill during the games. Due to the heartlessness of the Capitol, Shine's been held up for prostitution by President Snow just like Finnick Odair."
Blinking twice, I tried to say something intellectual, "I'm sorry."
Glimmer smiled sadly. "It's no big deal. Shine can handle it. We always end up joking about it, anyway. On who's the best lover or the worst or even the most disgusting. But being the Gaze she is, as long as she knows that it's for the sake of our family; she'll do it."
I nodded knowledgeably to signal her that I'm still listening as we took another turn on the curb. Glimmer continued onto the next sibling, "After Shine being the eldest, I'll have to say that I'm the second eldest. The next sibling below me is Velvet. I know, her name sounds rather indifferent compared to Shine and Glimmer. That's basically because she's my half-sister."
"Half sister?" I ask with an arch of an eyebrow.
"Half sister, yes." Glimmer nodded, pursing her lips in the process. "She came from my Father's side. My Dad is... a patriarch and he's the best there is in District One. He's a really great guy and frankly, Velvet was a huge mistake. My Dad went out drinking with his friends after a successful operation and he accidentally slept with a prostitute that fateful evening. By then, the mother died giving birth to Velvet. Dad had no choice but to take Velvet in. Although our mother disapproved of Velvet being a Gaze, Shine and the rest of the Gazes accepted her."
"Your family..." I trailed off as I looked down at her. "You guys seem really... tight."
"We're family-oriented," Glimmer replied. "We often take care of one another. That's how much our base is strong. Going back to Velvet, she's a pretty amazing sister. But she can be very arrogant and vulgar, even. Sometimes she's even worst than Shine. I often have arguments with her, but I never slipped a word saying that she was only half Gaze because every one of my siblings, including I, treated her like she was a full Gaze despite her other blood line. Velvet's a writer and despite how arrogant she is, she's rather shy when it comes to showing us her writings."
"Shy and vulgar at the same time?" I ask, chuckling in the process as I nudge her. "Your family's really something."
Glimmer slapped my arm playfully as she continued with a giggle, "Anyway, she's a bit neurotic in some phases. We bet that it came from her mother, but we never knew. She's really as overprotective as Shine but really... she's a nice girl just as long as you can understand her little nutshell."
With a final turn, I caught the sight of Madison's Square and pointed over to it. "I assume that's the place?"
"It must be." Glimmer nodded inwardly as she grabbed a hold of my arm and began to drag me over there. "I haven't told you about Dazzle and Sparkle, but I'll be sure to tell you more about them right after brunch."
I took a deep breath as Glimmer dragged me into the restaurant. Once she probably caught sight of her siblings, she gasped and squealed in delight as she walked over to them; leaving me tailing behind. At this moment, my knees felt like Jell-O at the sight of Glimmer's siblings seated on the table for eight area. All of them, even Velvet, had Glimmer's looks. It was impossible to identify who was who. Three sisters and a little brother. Go figure.
"Shine, Velvet, Sparkle, Dazzle," Glimmer screamed in delight which caused the three blonde ladies in the table to stand and run up to Glimmer, giving her a tight hug. The brown headed boy who seemed no more than fifteen sat patiently on the table alone. I swallowed as he turned to look at me, emotionless with an arch of an eyebrow. I assumed that the guy's name was Dazzle.
"Glimmer, hell no you can't be alive!" One of the sisters said as she ruffled Glimmer's hair.
"Velvet, don't touch the hair!" Glimmer scolded but laughed anyway. The lady who Glimmer called Velvet laughed melodiously. She had Glimmer's laugh, which was surprisingly interesting. Although she didn't have that much of the same looks as Glimmer, it seemed obvious that they were sisters nonetheless.
"Glimmer, I missed you so much! You've grown taller!" A girl's little voice said. She looked about half the height of Velvet Gaze and looked ever so young. Glimmer laughed as she bent down to hug who I assumed was Sparkle.
"I missed you too, Spark." Glimmer replied happily as she pulled away. "Me? Grow taller? You've grown three inches!"
"That's saying a lot," Then came the eldest Gaze's voice. As mentioned, the lady's name was Shine. At this rate, I now recognized her being a Victor in the games. Her games were the most brutal and yet the best there ever was. She was, as much as I have to admit, a great inspiration. Shine gave Glimmer a kiss on the forehead as she put both of her hands on her sister's shoulder. "Welcome back, Glimmer."
"I feel so loved." Glimmer said with a grin as the three girls made way for Glimmer to walk over to the brown headed boy who sat patiently at the table. Once he caught the sight of Glimmer nearing him, he jumped off his seat to clash with Glimmer in a hug. "Dazzle, my little bro! How are you doing?"
"I'm doing rather great, Glimmer, thank you." Dazzle said in a low voice, enthusiasm finally seeping in once he pulled away from his sister. He shot his head towards my direction. "And this is Cato?"
Glimmer finally breathed out after the exhilarating reunion with her siblings. She walked over to me and wrapped an arm around mine. "Yes, this is Cato Masterson. And he's my..."
"Your boyfriend?" Sparkle asked in glee which caused her to squeal and jump up and down. Shine nodded to me and Velvet... well, let's just say she's not as delighted to meet me. I turned to Glimmer whose cheeks flushed. I could feel my own cheeks burn.
"Well..." Glimmer trailed off. Who was I to Glimmer? A friend? A Career Tribute partner? Or a lover? I had no idea. We kissed, confessed our love to one another; but did I have the man guts to ask Glimmer almost immediately to be my girlfriend? No, I haven't. I had plans, though. But due to the fact that Glimmer's father put her in on an arranged marriage, I'm not sure if I even still have the right to fall in love or kiss her. Much less make love to her.
"It's nice to meet you, Cato! I'm Sparkle." Sparkle said enthusiastically as she offered a hand. I smiled lightly and shook it. Once we relented, Sparkle turned to Glimmer. "Wow, Glim... your boyfriend's..."
"Decent," Velvet nodded approvingly as she, too, offered a hand. "Velvet. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise," I replied lightly as we shook hands. Velvet was the first to relent as she examined me. Shine came up to next.
"You're Cato?" She asked, a little intimidated. "As in, the Cato that effortlessly helped my sister?"
"The one and only," I said with a little pride. Sparkle seemed so happy seeing me, hence making the two other sisters act as if I'm good for target practice. Especially Shine. A shiver ran down my spine as she raised a brow at me.
The eldest Gaze eyed Velvet for a few moments before turning to Glimmer with a shrug, "I'll tolerate him."
"Thank you," Glimmer breathed out a sigh of relief as she took my hand encouragingly. I have a feeling that Shine doesn't like me at all. This, I should say, is a big problem. At least Sparkle seems to enjoy my company. "Let's take a seat now, shall we? I suppose all of you are hungry because of the wait."
Shine, Sparkle and Velvet sat before Glimmer, myself and Dazzle. Once I took a seat beside Dazzle, he looked up to me. I smiled a little down to him before he asked me, "Did you really mean that?"
Completely confused. "Mean what?"
Dazzle rolled his eyes. Arrogant and selfless; I can see why he's practically the youngest. "That. Your actions towards Glimmer during the games and in front of us, her siblings. Is it just for show?"
I was taken aback by the little dude's contemporary conversation with me. "My love for Glimmer is not just for show," I was interrupted by Glimmer's distinctive melodious laugh that would always make me melt to the fiery depths of the abyss. A waiter, no older than thirty came before our table to grab our orders.
"Steakhouse," Glimmer, Velvet, Sparkle and Shine said in unison. That was surprisingly interesting. I expected these ladies to order, like... tea and scones or some crap like that. Instead, they prefer to order a quarter pound of meat full of oil and fats.
Glimmer turned to look at me with a sweet smile. Oh dear lord. "What's yours, Cato?"
"Uh..." I trailed off, dumbfounded as I took the menu from the middle of the table and went through it hurriedly. "I guess I'll take the Beef Brisket?"
"And for the young man?" The waiter asked, pertaining to Dazzle.
Dazzle looked at her sisters expectantly before putting both of his arms on the table, "Caesar Salad with mash potatoes."
The waiter nodded, jotting down Dazzle's order before leaving us to ten minutes of waiting for our order. Velvet and Shine turned to look at Dazzle as if the little guy lost his mind.
"Dazz, are you okay?" Shine asked, concerned. "Usually you'd order the steakhouse and mash potatoes. This is so not like you."
Dazzle smiled warily, "I'm not up for steak as of the moment. Vegetables are my new guilt free food."
Sparkle gaped at her brother before clearing her throat, "Suit yourself, Dazz."
The youngest Gaze nodded to her before turning back to me. I continued as I shifted my position on the seat. "If it were to be fake, do you think I wouldn't have visited her at the President's building just to know if she was really alive? I'd risk my life for your sister, Dazzle."
Dazzle looked rather taken a back once I mentioned his name. He looked down on his fingers as he intertwined them on his lap. "The President told you that she was alive?"
"Well, not necessarily," I replied. "I actually received a note from Glimmer who I thought was a complete joke due to how I witnessed her death myself. Then, when she instructed me to visit the President; that's when Snow confirmed me of her being alive."
"It seemed pretty clear to me that you care about her," Dazzle said nonchalantly. "You practically screamed bloody hell once you found out that Katniss killed her. That was... remarkable."
I blinked twice before replying, "Thank you."
Dazzle nodded, "Shine seems rather dissatisfied of you as well as Velvet. When being with Glimmer, you don't answer to me first. You answer to them. I'm the one person they seek for the final approval or disapproval. As of the moment," He shot his head over to Shine and Velvet who seems to be having a conversation with Glimmer, but was burning holes on my forehead. "You're not really off to a good start."
The little dude had no idea.
"You look pale, Cato," Glimmer said, interrupting my thoughts as we entered the gates of the Capitol Victor's Village. White houses, apartments and mansions were lined in every corner. The mansions were well given to the elderly Victors who had kids living in there. The houses and chateaus for the young adult Victors. As for the apartments, they always drop it down to the new Victors, mainly the teenage ones like me. Maybe I'll get a mansion someday, if I had kids. Or somewhere in that line of thought. "Did you eat the wrong beef brisket or?"
"I'm alright, Glimmer. Don't worry." I smiled warily. "Just a little tired from the reconstruction of my apartment which you'll probably be staying at."
"Right... about that..." Glimmer pursed her lips. "I... I told Shine that I'd be staying with her for the rest of the month."
"Oh," I trailed off plainly, but it pricked me off a bit. I was pained, I have to admit. I know Shine doesn't really like me for her sister, but was she actually considering the fact that I might... oh I don't know, rape Glimmer? As a guy myself, despite the lust and the temptations - especially with a girl like Glimmer - I would never lose all self control. And there's no way in hell will I hurt Glimmer, that much is quite true to me. "It's okay. My apartment isn't exactly as luscious and luxurious as Shine's... Chateau."
Glimmer looked rather taken a back, "Don't take it personally, Cato. It'll only just be for a month. Besides, she's my sister and she insisted. I just want to spend a little time with her and the other Gazes. I hope you understand."
I sighed in defeat. Her sweet as caramel voice never seized to make me give up. "I understand completely, Glimmer. Don't worry." Almost by impulse, I wrapped my arms around her waist. "But is it possible for you to live with me in my apartment? Right after your one month stay in Shine's?"
The glint in her eyes lighted in pure delight, "I would most definitely love that, Cato. Of course I'll live with you. It was, after all, my very first intentions the moment I saw the light of the day."
A sly grin crossed my lips as I kissed her forehead before putting both of my hands on her warm, soft cheeks. "I love you, Glimmer. I truly do."
Glimmer hiccuped at first before laughing sadly, "I love you too, Cato. Don't worry... I'll find a way to convince Shine. There's always a way."
I believe in her. No matter what contradictions may come and go, I will always believe her. Because she's Glimmer. And knowing Glimmer, she never lies. And hopefully, convincing Shine that I'm good enough for her seemed easy for Glimmer. With a breath taking kiss, we pulled away from each other. I walked into my empty apartment which was still under constructed and settled myself on the sofa, wondering whether or not things would work out for me and Glimmer once Dazzle said,
"Father Glow will not be impressed with a mere Victor like you, Cato. He will not be impressed at all."
A/N: As promised, a chapter after the 35 reviews quota. I'm sorry if I covered up the Gaze siblings mostly in this chapter because in the succeeding chapters; they are - as what most people call it - the fate of what will be of Cato and Glimmer. I hope you enjoyed reading and please do review. Reviews keep me motivated when it comes to writing. If you'd like to criticize, feel free to do so. I know some writers are perfectionists, preferably I am one. Quota for the next chapter: 45 reviews.
- EMPG22HoPe
