Authors Note: Thank you for all the reviews so far, they were very encouraging! I am planning on carrying on to write a third chapter after this. Also just a note about this one, in both the film and books Glimmer wears a different dress at the interviews, so I thought I'de make up my own dress too. Let me know what you think!
One more night. That was all that was left before he was entering the arena. The roar of the crowd confirmed it as Cato watched Caesar walking onto the stage and greeting the Capital audience. This was it. The moment he had dreamed about his whole life.
Going out and showing off to the Capital as there soon to be victor. So why was it that all he could think about was her? The girl from district one who was condemned to death because of her father and even worse, had accepted it.
Cato felt tears well up in his eyes and harshly wiped them away before the other tributes could see, but luckily for once no one seemed interested in him. All the tributes had been assembled in a large room where they were to wait until they were called onto the stage. Everyone except Glimmer. As the girl from district one she was to go first.
Only seconds after thinking this a large screen lit up showing the stage and Caesar announced to the audience, "Ladies and Gentlemen may I introduce the brave and might I say glamorous tribute from district one, Glimmer!"
Cato felt his breath catch in his throat as she walked onto the stage. She was wearing a floor length white dress that curved around her body and floated out at the bottom. To the Capital the low cut top and bare arms made her look exactly as she had been acting, beautiful but dangerous. Cato however could only form one thought. She looked like an angel. He was fighting to keep the tears back now, as he imagined her family and friends back home, watching and knowing there was nothing they could do to save her. Feeling exactly as he did.
"Clove and Cato, if you'd like to step this way your interviews are up next," one of the peacekeepers said coming up to Cato and firmly steering him towards the stage. He got to the wings just as Marvel was finishing his interview.
…
Most of the interviews went by in a blur after his, well apart from the ones from district twelve. Star-crossed lovers! They have no idea Cato thought to himself as he went over to join Marvel, Clove and Glimmer. All the tributes were back in the pre-interview room.
"You have half an hour to discuss last minute plans before you must be back on your own floor," a strict peacekeeper shouted. Looking around Cato noticed that most of the tributes were already heading off, probably having no plans or allies at all.
"So what do you think Cato?" Marvel asked.
"What?" Cato replied realising he hadn't been listening for the last five minutes.
"About the star-crossed lovers, if you want my opinion it's just a cheap shot at getting sponsors," Marvel continued.
"I don't care what they do, there still going to end up dead," Cato said, having already lost patience with Marvel.
"Right well I'm off to bed, don't want to kill you all too easily tomorrow," Clove suddenly said.
"I'll join you, you guys coming?" Marvel asked as he began walking to the lift.
"No, we'll stay down here for a while," Glimmer suddenly said, speaking for the first time. A flicker of confusion crossed Marvel's face.
"Fine, well suit yourself," he shrugged moodily before walking off with Clove. Cato couldn't help but smirk at how annoyed Marvel was. Suddenly he felt a hand grasp his and looked down to face Glimmer. The pretend Glimmer was gone, at least for now and in her place was the broken girl he had come to know and yes, love. Her blue eyes were wide with fear and after a minute Cato realised how badly she was shaking. He had never felt so helpless. After a few minutes of silence she finally spoke.
"I want you to promise me something," she said, her eyes frantically searching for Cato's response.
"Anything," Cato said, moving his hand to brush away a strand of hair that had fallen in her face.
"I want you to promise that when the time comes you won't save me. No matter what I say or do I want you to leave me and win, for both of us," she said evenly, trying hard not to show emotion, however even she couldn't help her voice breaking towards
the end.
"No I can't! I won't be able to. There has to be something we can do, I can't let you die. We have to-" Glimmer placed her finger to Cato's lips, silencing his frantic words. For a moment they both stayed silent as Cato realised she was right. There was nothing he could do.
Not knowing what else to do he opened his arms and Glimmer fell into them. Gradually her violent shaking stopped and the room became quieter as more tributes left, until eventually only the two of them and the peacekeepers remained. They stayed locked in each others arms as the minutes ticked by, neither of them ever wanting to let go.
"Right half an hour's up, time to go back to your own floor," the strict peacekeeper suddenly shouted.
This is it Cato thought. Time to let go. But he couldn't. At least not yet, all he knew was he had to keep her. Finally when Glimmer lifted her head, tears filled her eyes, tears that refused to fall. She had to be strong for Cato.
"Get the lift with me?" she said loud enough for everyone to hear. As if having planned it Cato once again found himself scooping Glimmer into his arms and walking over to the lift. This time however it was different. This time it wasn't for show.
When they reached the first floor, which seemed to take no time at all Cato still couldn't seem to let go. And neither could Glimmer. They once again found themselves grasping onto each other, neither willing to let go.
Everything seemed to go in slow motion from then on. The sound of the peacekeepers telling them to let go, were drowned out by the beat of there hearts, and nothing else seemed to exist.
Suddenly however they were brought back to reality by the brutal feel of the peacekeepers pulling them apart. They struggled for what seemed like an eternity however in the end they simply weren't strong enough. Four peacekeepers tugged at Cato and Glimmer until eventually they were pulled apart.
The only thing that remained was there hands, holding each other so tightly it was as if there lives depended on it.
"Please don't leave me!" Glimmer suddenly shouted as the peacekeepers yanked there hands apart.
"I'll never leave, I promise, I love you," Cato shouted as he was bundled back into the lift. There was nothing either of them could do now. Nothing except watch as the lift doors closed and Cato was sent up to his own floor. The peacekeepers let go of Glimmer and left her curled on the floor. She let the tears fall now as the shaking returned. Her body began to rock frantically back and forth and all that filled the silence was the sound of her deep ugly sobs.
In the end she gave up trying to be strong and gave in. Her fingernails dug into the carpet as she whispered the same line over and over again.
"Please don't leave me."
…..
"Just remember, whatever you do don't show mercy. To anyone," Cato and Clove's mentor said as the lift began to go down to the plane that would take them to the arena.
"So, you nervous?" Clove asked looking up at Cato.
"Me nervous, please," Cato smirked and hoped that it wasn't obvious he was lying. The truth was he was petrified, and not of dying. He was petrified of losing her. Pain shot through him as he remembered the look in her eyes last night, as he was dragged away from her. It was the same look that had kept him awake all night.
Finally the lift reached the bottom floor and both he and Clove were escorted towards the plane. Looking up he felt his heart skip a beat as he saw Glimmer and Marvel were in front of them, walking towards the plane.
Although they were meters apart to begin with, by the time they had reached the plane, they were within touching distance. The large door opened and they were instructed to walk up the stairs and into the cabin. To Cato's surprise the peacekeepers let go of them and allowed them to walk on there own. He supposed they didn't think there was much any of them would or could do now. But they were wrong.
Just as they neared the top of the stairs Cato felt a familiar hand wrap around his, but before he had time to respond it gave a quick squeeze and let go. Confused, Cato looked up and met Glimmer's gaze, but only for a moment as after a second she looked away.
Too many thoughts were racing around Cato's head for him to understand what was going on. A few minutes later however he understood. It happened when the rest of the tributes were on board the plane and he was facing Glimmer, who was sat on the opposite side of the plane. She winked at him, before throwing her head back and giggling playfully.
It was then he finally realised. The old Glimmer, the one he knew was gone now and would never come back. From now on the pretend Capital Glimmer would dominate the screens throughout Panem. But there was a problem with that. He had made a promise to the old Glimmer that he didn't know how to keep.