Glimmer Point of View

Six days flew by fast. Every night, Cato and I had each other, and sometimes even the morning after too. One night he had his tongue on me, and once I had mine on him. Another night he turned me over and gently, carefully, took me from behind. It was the only virginity I had left, and I was happy to give it to him before the Gamemaker got me. By the time we got back to the Capitol, Cato had done a lot with me in bed, and I found myself scared but prepared, confident that the Gamemaker couldn't pull a fast one on me in bed.

Still, the night I was supposed to go to this man, I cried in Cato's arms before the Peacekeepers came for me. I was terrified. I didn't want to do this, I really didn't. But I had no other choice. So after a few minutes I forced myself to stop crying and I smiled up at him before he placed a gentle kiss to my lips. He tried to smile as they led me away, but we were both scared.

The Gamemaker was waiting for me. As soon as they shut the door, he stood up and came over to me, circling me like he was a hawk and I was the prey. And in all ways, I was. I felt his hand on my shoulder, and my breath got quicker and shallower. He pushed my shirt off of my shoulder, his lips on the exposed skin. I moved away from him, but he just darted back in. Quickly, he pulled my clothing off, and I shivered whenever his cold hands touched my skin, trying again to push him away, more forceful this time. This was nothing like Cato. He had been soft, gentle, loving, and sweet. But no, this was brutal. He pushed me down on the bed, hovering above me with his strange beard and a leer on his face. Before he took me, I tried to plead my case as I pushed up against him, trying to escape.

"Please don't. I'm just a kid, really, please. I know it'll hurt, please, don't." But I felt him thrust, hard. And even though Cato had gotten me so many times, this quick, abrupt shock of pain shot up threw me, and I cried out, clawing at him.

"No, no, don't! Please, it hurts, please stop, please!" But he didn't, and I sobbed under him, wishing that it was Cato instead of this man that I only knew as the Gamemaker. I still tried to fight him, very forcefully despite the pain. So much so, that he actually tied me to the bed to have his way with me. Once he came, collapsing on top of me, he finally noticed I was crying. He did nothing to comfort me, though. He simply went to grab some new clothes before calling the Peacekeepers to take me away after I was untied, barely dressed before they entered the room.

They threw me back in the penthouse we had stayed in before the Games. I remembered where the bedrooms were, and I slowly and painfully walked to Cato's room, opening the door, as was our custom, without knocking. As soon as he saw me, he jumped form the bed and rushed to me as I collapsed into his arms. He helped me to the bed, lying down with me on his chest as I spilled what had happened.

Once I was done, he just pulled me close and rubbed my back. I could tell he was angrey, furious, but right now he knew I needed comfort. So I fell asleep in his arms, him rubbing my back and whispering sweet nothings in my ear.

I woke the next morning to Cato's arms around me, sunlight filtering through the window. I smiled lazily, but as I shifted, dull pain ached through my hips, and I stopped suddenly. He heard me stir beside him, opening his eyes to see me wince in discomfort.

"Are you alright sweetheart?" I smiled bravely and nodded a little before my sheepish reply.

"I'm just...still sore from..." He nodded and eased himself out of the bed, going to the bathroom where I could hear him turn on the water for a shower. I took is as my cue to leave, and went to my own room.

Right after breakfast, Wynn called me to the living area, where President Snow and two Peacekeepers sat. I gulped and sat down when they gestured for me to, telling Wynn to leave. I sat before them nervously, had I done something?

"You fought the Gamemaker awfully hard last night, or he said." I couldn't tell if the man was accusing me, stating it, or wanted me to confirm it. I lowered my head and nodded, hearing him sigh and get up.

"This won't happen again." The Peacekeepers looked as if they were about to leave, but I stood up, getting angrey. The President turned around as he heard my voice.

"How can you expect me not to fight a man that I don't want to be with? You know what happened during the Games, how can you expect me not to fight anyone after that?" My voice was escalating, but he seemed calm as he reproached me.

"My dear, I think you misunderstood. What I mean is that no one will bet on you again. Silvius said you weren't worth near the money that he placed on you, between the clawing and the having to tie you down."

I blushed as he detailed what had to be done to keep me on the bed, but then my head shot up. He knew. I stared at him for a moment before he laughed cruelly at my surprise.

"Of course I know. I watched, just as I watched all the footage from the Games." I took a deep breath as he smiled and left. Yet another man had watched someone take advantage of me.

Cato Point of View

I was relieved when I heard the news about Glimmer. They had made a mistake in selling her at all, but at least they wouldn't do it again. I held her under the covers that night, both of us warm. We'd be heading to our new home tomorrow. It was supposed to be as elegant as anything in the Victor's Villages back home, two stories and made of stone. I hoped it had a garden, so that when my mother visited, perhaps she could influence the place with her green thumb, making the place alive with beauty.

But tonight I held another beauty in my arms. She was on my chest, lying on top of me, and I simply rubbed her back. Though her chest was pressed against mine, and I wanted her greatly, I knew not to, at least until she said so. Meaning I just held her, until I realized she had fallen asleep. I was almost asleep myself when I felt her begin to move, and looking at her face, she seemed troubled.

She was crying, begging for someone to stop, so I shifted her off of me and shook her awake. Her eyes darted open, searching the room before landing on me right in front of her. She snuggled into me, practically winding herself around me like ivy.

"It's alright, Glimmer, everything is okay, I promise. You're fine, I'm here, everything is okay sweetheart. No one will ever hurt you again."

She nodded, sniffling, before asking the most random question.

"Who will ever want to marry me? I mean, I'm broken, I'm-" I cut her off before she could finish her much unexpected question and sentence.

"You're not broken, Glimmer, you're just scarred, that all. And scars, though they always show, will get better and not hurt anymore, it just takes a while. Don't cry sweetheart, everything's okay." She looked up at me, her eyes shiny in the dark.

"But really, Cato, who's ever going to want to marry me when everybody knows they've sold me? Everybody back home wants pretty little perfect things, and I'm not that anymore."

"By no fault of your own. It's okay, sweetheart, everything will turn out alright. You're sixteen; you don't need to be worrying about getting married yet. Just wait, the perfect man will come along one day and love you no matter what. He won't care about your past. He'll just love you just the way you are." She snuggled closer into me, yawning.

"They'll never be another guy like you, Cato." I sighed, kissing the top of her head. My hand was on her side, and when she shifted, it ended up on her belly, and a thought jumped in my head.

"Glimmer, when the Gamemaker and you...did he, use anything, to stop you...from getting...pregnant?" Her head shot upward, her eyes meeting mine before sitting straight up in the bed.

"Oh no, he didn't, what if...what it..." She put her hand on her flat belly, concerned and afraid. I wrapped my arms around her again.

"Everything will be fine, sweetheart, I'm sure. We'll talk to Wynn in the morning." Nodding, she put her head on my shoulder. However, she wasn't one to fall asleep so easily anymore. So I pulled her close and began to sing a song my mother had sung to me when I couldn't fall asleep. I wasn't the best singer, but this song didn't require a lot of skill. It was the name of all the flowers we'd had in our garden. Slowly, she slipped to sleep, and I did too.

I talked to Wynn the next morning, and everything, he assured me, would turn out okay. The Gamemaker had used some sort of protection, she wouldn't have his child. Nodding, I was still upset that they'd sold her at all. But it was out of my hands now.

Glimmer and I just packed that morning. We hadn't brought a lot, except for some clothes and a few personal items. She had a framed photo of her whole family, I had a picture of my mother in the garden.

The new place was about the same as that of the Victor's Village back home. There were two buildings which looked exactly alike: gray stone, two stories, small backyard. Each had four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a kitchen, a living room, and a dining room. Glimmer and I smiled at each other before going into our separate homes. There was a narrow yard separating them, but we could talk from the two windows on the top floor.

My place was already furnished, and I had asked for furniture from the Districts, just like Glimmer. They had looked at us funny, but they had done as we'd asked. It looked normal, not like a frilly Capitol house would. There was food in the cupboards; the beds were all made neatly with extra sheets and blankets in the closets. Everything we could need was there.

Sitting in an empty bedroom, I felt strangely alone. Normally, I was okay with little to no company. I wasn't exactly a loner, but I liked my space. But now, I was so used to Glimmer by my side at all times, it felt weird not to have her close. I explored a little bit, unpacked the few things I had. Going down to the kitchen to get a snack, I found something interesting.

There was a phone on the wall. Quickly, I grabbed it and dialed my family's number. It rang, and I waited with baited breath. Finally, a voice on the other end.

"Hello?" I would have recognized that voice anywhere. Sweet, young, innocent, but firm in a way, not exactly proud, but a little defensive.

"Brena, is that you? It's Cato." There was an excited squeal on the other end, and I beamed. That was my little sister, defiantly. I heard her shout for Mom and Dad, and a then a scampering to the phone by all of them.

"Cato sweetheart, is that you?" It was my mother. Even at eighteen, she still called me little nicknames. I rolled my eyes, smiled, and answering in the affirmative. She took a breath and handed the phone to my dad.

"Son, how are you, where are you?" He had always been the speaker of the family, and I had inherited that from him.

"We just got to my new house in the Capitol. It's really great, Dad, two stories, stone, a backyard, everything. You guys should come visit sometime. Maybe Mom could plant some flowers or something, and there's coffee and all."

"Where's Glimmer?" Somehow the phone had been transferred back to Brena, and I laughed a little. I knew my parents liked her, and I was happy she did too.

"She's got a house just like mine right next door. Don't worry, she's not going anywhere." I smiled even though she couldn't see me.

"Do you love her?" I took in a breath. Bless my dear little sister's heart, she asked the question with such innocence.

Then I thought about it some more. Did I? I thought I did, but how did I even know? Love wasn't something I was very used to. Emotions weren't good, they betrayed you, and I had heard that growing up from my mentors preparing me for the Games. Now, though, emotions were helping keeping me alive. I thought about it a few seconds more.

"Yes Brena, if you must know, I do." There was a pounding in my chest, which didn't go away for the remainder of the conversation. Hanging up the phone, I nearly jumped out of my skin when someone suddenly covered my eyes.

"Guess who?" It was a voice I knew well, with the hint of laughter in it. I smiled and wiped her hands form my eyes, swung around and planted my lips to hers. She laughed, breaking the kiss with a grin. I grinned back down at her, my arms around her waist, hers around my shoulders.

"Was that true?" I quirked an eyebrow at her, and she cleared it up very bluntly. "You said you loved me." I had never said it to her, even after that night on the train, during all those nights together, I'd never said I loved her. But now I nodded, gauging her reaction. The biggest, brightest smile I'd ever seen broke across her face, and she threw herself into my arms. We just stayed like that for a little while, embracing in the kitchen. And then she put her mouth close to my ear and whispered what I knew she would say back.

"I love you too."