Forbearance • A Cato Hadley Story

2.08

The teens each took deep breaths and tightened their grasp on each other's hands as the doors leading from the District Building to the stage opened, creaking slightly. The doors inched open, slowly revealing the couple until their full figures could be seen from the audience. To the left side of the audience Livia spotted a stage, slightly smaller than the one she was entering and raised a bit over the rest of the audience. On it was a family, which Livia knew to be Glimmer's.

There was a woman who looked to be in her older thirty's or so, holding a small child at her hip. It was no question that the woman had been Glimmer's mother. The constantly playing video of Glimmer behind them wasn't even necessary to make the connection. The woman looked just like her daughter and Livia making eye contact with her made her want to run back home again. But she knew she couldn't do that.

Glimmer's father stood next to his wife, his hand on her lower back and Glimmer's little sister, who was now the oldest child of the family, clung onto his torso and buried her face into the outside of his leg. Although Livia was quite far from the family she could see their tears running down their faces that remained pale and flushed from the cold. Opposite from the family was the family Marvel had only briefly talked about with her.

In the center of the second stage was a woman who shared a few small features with her used-to-be oldest son. Their eyes were the same shape and were the same shade of blue as the boy, almost a diamond color. Her jawline had a similar look to his, sharp and defined. A little boy coward next to her, holding his mother's hand tight as his eyes, which were also similar to his brothers, fixated on Livia and Cato.

When the couple reached the center of the stage all that could be heard was the wind blowing through the buildings of District One. Once Cato mustered up the courage, he finally let the words from the card leave his mouth. "Thank You. We're honored to be with you here today and to be with the families of your fallen tributes." the boy spoke solemnly, though he earned no response from the crowd. For a moment he hesitated but ended up abandoning his cards, wanting to voice his own thoughts and beliefs.

"Though they fought with honor and dignity until the end, both Marvel and Glimmer were so young. But our lives aren't just measured in years, they're measured in the lives of the people we touch around us. For myself, for Livia." the tall figured boy glanced down at the blonde, her returning the gesture before gripping his upper arm and stepping closer to him. In the silence between his words Livia could see the boy standing in front of Marvel's video had been crying.

The blonde had been tempted to as well but kept her composure, wanting to at least keep it together until she was out of sight of the audience. "We know that without Glimmer and without Marvel, we wouldn't be standing here today. So in recognition of that, knowing that it in no way can make up for your loss, we'd like to donate one month of our winnings to the families of the tributes, our friends, every year for the rest of our lives." he spoke.

Multiple gasps came from around the audience as he finished his sentence, as no one had expected such gratitude from some who had seemed so selfish and cocky during their games. The small girl looked up at her partner, unsure of what he was doing and unsure of what to do from there. She could hear murmurs and see the two families crying in thanks and in pure relief, though the girl could sense hints of sadness at the reminder of their kin who lived no longer.

"Thank you." Cato finished, waiting for the applause to start before he gently tried to pull Livia back into the building. But she didn't budge. Her eyes were simply fixed on the perky blonde on the screen to her left. Her smirk could be seen as she stared at the camera. It was her friend. A sister almost. When Cato didn't feel his significant other following his lead he stopped in his tracks and turned back around to see her dazed off.

Just as he went to question what she was doing she let go of his hand and cautiously walked up to the microphone in the center of the stage. Although she was trying to keep her tears concealed, a few had been unwillingly let loose as she stared at her old friend. The crowd went silent once more and Cato stayed in his spot as he watched Livia take action. "I liked Marvel." the blonde started, turning her gaze to the video of Marvel. "I only spoke to him a few times but I could tell that he was such a genuine person." she continued as a few more tears left her eyes.

The thought of her old friend dying next to her replayed in her mind, feeding the words leaving her mouth, giving her the motivation to continue speaking. "I remember the day I watched him die. He was my ally. My friend. If it hadn't been for him I'd be dead. And now I can never repay him for it." the now red faced blonde finished. She gave herself a moment to pull herself back together as she now turned to face the video of Glimmer. In her prereferral vision she could make out the silhouette of Glimmer's family.

The oldest daughter shivered in the cold as Livia examined her similarities to her sister. It was then she realized how much they had looked alike. The sister looked almost like a younger version of her sister. It was almost freaky to Livia how much they looked alike. "Now Glimmer I would consider almost a sister. She was the only person I ever told about my feelings for Cato. She was the only one I felt comfortable talking about my weakness with because I knew she wouldn't use it against me. She was too kind." Livia ranted, her eyes not leaving her friend on the screen.

Glimpses of Glimmer's disfigured face flashed before her as she spoke, causing her to flinch back in fear, only for her to realize that she was still on the stage in front of a few hundred people. "I'm sorry. If I had known she was still there I would have gone back for her." the small girl finished, her voice cracking as she started to break down. Cato instantly ran up to her and pulled her body towards him so she faced away from the crowd, keeping her close to his chest.

The back of his hand rested on the back of her head, the other on the small of her back as he placed small comforting kisses to the top of her head, letting her sob in his embrace. On the stage where Glimmer's family stood, the father stepped away from his family and uttered a 'thank you' to the couple. His left hand formed the number three and went to his mouth before he raised his hand in the air, whistling a small tune as tribute to the pair.

More in the crowd joined in and the two victors stared off into the crowd, watching the people as they did so. But it wasn't long before a pair of peacekeepers marched onto the stage, grabbing the father and dragging him through the crowd, seemingly towards the stage Livia herself stood on. The blonde's eyes widened while she watched the scene unfold, concerned for the father. Quickly she rushed down the steps only to be pulled back by another pair of peacekeepers.

She was inching backwards towards the building, even with how much she struggled she knew she was helpless. As she had reached within a few feet from the doors Glimmer's was pushed to his knees and the crowd of District One roared with anger, demanding that he be let go. Once she was pushed into the doorway the doors started shutting in front of her.

She kept struggling within the hold of the peacekeepers, shrieking that she needed to be let go, making no progress. Just as the doors moved its last bit to close Livia could just barely see a gun being aimed at the back of his head and a flash of light fogged Livia's vision along with a loud bang sound ringing through her ears. And then the doors closed. Glimmer's father was dead.