Glimmer Point of View
The news is awful. Wynn pulled me aside as we boarded the train, saying there was a message for me in a sealed envelope from the Capitol. I took it to my room to read, shaking as I tore the seal. My eyes barely processed the message before I collapsed on my bed, crying uncontrollably. It was true; the horrid nightmare that Cato had was true. They were selling me, had already sold me, in fact. At least they told me who the winner was. I swallowed in fear. It was the Gamemaker. When we got back to the Capitol, I would go that night. The fear, the horrid possibilities of what might happen, flooded my mind, and I cried myself to sleep, horribly alone. I couldn't go to Cato, not tonight. And I knew by now he probably wouldn't come to me.
We were in 11 the next morning, and I didn't look at Cato while we forced smiles to the forced cheers. As soon as we were back on the train, Cato came to my room. I was on the bed in tears.
"Glimmer, sweetheart, what's wrong?" He put his hands on my shoulders, sitting down behind me. But I shook my head and pulled away. I pointed at the door as I stood up.
"Just go. Now." He looked confused, maybe even a little hurt, but he went. I spent the night alone once more, and both Cato and I were lifeless by the time we went to 12. This was truly the worst District. Everything seemed to be covered in coal dust, and the people were pale and skinny. A young mother with a pretty blonde girl stood with another family in the back. All were crying but the mother, who simply stared at us in stony, rock silence. She must have been the mother of one of the tributes, the other the family of the other one. They were the only ones who didn't at least try to hold in their tears, and the Peacekeepers did nothing.
As we boarded the train, I smiled a little at Cato and asked for him to come to my room that night, like we had just a few days before. He smiled back and nodded. My heart hammered inside my chest, because I knew, I knew what tonight would hold.
Cato opened the door and slipped in, turned around as he closed it. When he saw me, he froze, eyes wide. I had no clothes on. I just stood next to my dresser, not clothes on, heart thumping. Slowly, he came closer, staring at me, confusion mixing with quickly growing desire. He lifted his hand but stopped himself. He licked his lips and stared at me, relishing me under his gaze.
"Go lie down on the bed." I smiled nervously at him and did what he wanted. As soon as I was settled, he already had his clothes off and was climbing on top of me, lips on my pulse, hands on my sides. He was so fast, too fast. It was skin against skin, I could feel all of him, and it scared me. He noticed, too. Slowly, he leaned back, peering at my face as I opened my eyes.
"Why are you doing this Glimmer?" Tears filled my eyes as I looked up at him.
"Because they sold me! As soon as we get to the Capitol, I have to go to the Gamemaker that night, because...he was the top bidder. And I can't, I can't just let him do that to me. If someone has to be my first...I want you."
He stared at me in shock, before gently kissing my lips. I felt his hands on my hips, feeling his breath against my skin.
"I'll be gentle, sweetheart, I'll be as gentle as I can. If anything hurts, let me know." I nodded, his lips beginning to entice me. I knew it would hurt some, and it did, but he was very gentle, as promised. And it was, out of all our nights together, the one where I felt the most loved.
I woke up the next morning with Cato's arm around my waist. Neither of us had clothes on, and I had woken before him. Slowly, I turned over, looking at his face, so peaceful while he was asleep. I smiled at him, leaning up and kissing his lips gently. He opened his eyes, looking down at me with a smile on his lips. His arm wrapped tighter around my waist as he pulled me close for another kiss.
My chest brushed his, and I almost jumped back, feeling awkward. Gently pulling out of his arms, he looked at me in confusion. A blush coloured my cheeks as I sat up, wrapping the sheets around me. He put a hand on my shoulder.
"What's wrong honey? Did I...hurt you last night?" By the way he hesitates; I know he fears the answer. But I turn to him, putting a hand on his cheek.
"Everything's fine, it's just... I don't have any clothes on." He laughs, kissing my hair, my ear, my cheek, and finally my lips before talking.
"Sweetheart, I saw plenty of you last night. Don't be embarrassed just because the sun is out. If anything, it makes you look more beautiful."
I blushed again, and I felt him gently starting to pull the sheet from me. I let him, though my breath hitched when my bare body hit cold air. He just looked for a moment before wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me back in the bed.
I was under him again, his lips on my neck. I laughed, then moaned. He was much too talented at this. Gently though, I pushed him off of me, still giggling slightly.
"Not this morning. I'm...I'm still a little sore." He smiled a little and nodded, getting up and picking his clothes off the floor. Before he pulled them on, I went to him and took his hand, a grin on my face.
"You don't have to go right now. I'm just going to get in the shower really fast. You can stay for a bit." He nodded and kissed me as I went into the bathroom. I hadn't been in the shower five minutes when I heard the door open and he hopped in next to me. I bit my lip as he smiled and kissed me, whispering in my ear.
"I thought you might need a little help, since you're 'still a little sore'." He pressed me up against the wall, and I laughed, his lips on mine, but again I pushed him away. He gave me a puppy dog face, and I giggled a bit, running my fingers through his hair like he usually did with me.
"Sorry, but I really am. Not now." Still looking comically sad, he left me in the shower, my heart beating, my skin still hot where his hands had been.
Cato Point of View
She let me have her last night. I didn't think she would, not so soon. But I know why. How on earth could the Capitol sell her, and to the Gamemaker for crying out loud!
Maybe she didn't even want me. Maybe all she wanted-needed- was someone to loosen her up before the Capitol got a hold of her. But I didn't think she'd do that, especially not to me. She knows my emotions; we know each other's emotions. She wouldn't play with me like this.
But why would she keep on denying me? True, I wouldn't exactly know. I had never actually screwed the same girl twice. Oh well, I'm sure everything was fine. I hope.
The next night, she came to me. Demure, but as soon as she sat down I had my hands on her. I could feel her heart beating as I pulled her clothes off. She laughed, and then moaned as I ran my hands over her skin. I took her again, just as gentle as last time, only this time, she came with me. I collapsed on top of her, supporting myself just above her body, my head at her shoulder, her panting with me, her breath on my chest. I rolled off next to her, my feet tangling in the sheets, as I pulled her beside me.
"Wow..." was all she said, and I grinned, chuckling slightly as I kissed her on the cheek, pulling the sheets up to cover us. Sweating and panting, I brought up what I had thought of earlier in the day.
"Why did you keep denying me this morning? Were you actually sore, or...was it something else?" The idea seemed ridiculous now, now that I had had her again without protest. But she looked at me with slightly glazed eyes.
"I really was. I mean, I'd only been taken once, and you...stretched a little bit. Don't be upset." She smiled, and I kissed her, our gasping beginning to subside as we fell asleep.
I woke up before her the next morning, both of us still without clothes on. Hoping I didn't wake her, I studied the beauty in my arms.
Her skin glowed. Don't get me wrong, it was always smooth, warm, and flawless. But now, with the sun beginning to break through the horizon, it bathed her in golden light and made her glow like an angel. I knew her eyes would sparkle green in the sunlight when she opened them, and her light lashes protected her eyes gently. Her hair was rumpled and tangled from sleep, but even that looked graceful as it tumbled around her face and down her neck, spreading around her shoulders. Her breathing was steady, her chest rising and falling. I put my hand on her belly, rubbing the warm skin there lightly. This girl was all mine.
And then I remembered what the Capitol had done. How the Gamemaker, the man, the animal, who I had no word to describe, would take her from me. He must have been at least 30, if not older. How, why, would he do that to a 16 year old? It was wrong, disgusting. But I had no choice. Maybe they would only do it once. It was rare, but maybe, just maybe, they'd only hurt her once, and then I'd be able to hold her and sooth her tears away. She didn't deserve a future like that, she deserved a future with a boy that loved her and cared for her, who would hold her at night and understand her tears. A boy like me, a man like me. I just hope that we would both be so fortunate as to see and have each other again. We had six more days with each other. Hopefully six days would be enough. Enough for what, I didn't know.
