Crushed : A Hunger Games Story

Chapter 3

I've just gotten home from the market when I hear a door slam, followed by a sob. I'm expecting the worst, but it's not what I expect. Mom's crying, loudly and horribly. Flicker's bedroom door is shut, and I hear angry screams and sobs coming from behind it. I don't see what is causing such distress until I see a giant wooden box in our backyard, stamped on top with large lettering that says DISTRICT 01. I know exactly what it is. It's Glimmer. Hearing Mom and Flicker crying is making me want to cry too, but I know I can't. Instead, I turn and start walking back toward the market, the way I came. I run straight into Crystelle, who is walking with an urgency in her step. "I saw the hovercraft," she says in a rushed whisper. I know what she means. She saw the silent hovercraft drop of Glimmer's coffin. I must have been too busy walking home to notice it hovering in the sky. I just nod, swallowing hard to keep myself from crying. As I see her eyes, they are brighter than normal, sparkling with fresh tears. We both walk back to my house, where Mom has finally managed to stop crying. As she sees Crystelle, a fresh wave of tears comes and the pair hug tightly. Crystelle was like a second daughter to Mom, but I didn't know her very well. She always spent time with Glimmer, not really ignoring Flicker and I. She'd rather spend time with Glimmer, but now she was gone. Flicker is still in his room, and I knock gently on the door. He had always been one who wore his emotions on his sleeve, but never wanted to talk to others. Glimmer was the only person who could get through to him, so I'm surprised when he slowly opens the door a crack. "Are you okay?" I know it's a stupid question. None of us are okay. Of course not. Glimmer was dead. He just shrugged. I don't know what to say to him. What would Glimmer say? "It's okay... at least we're still here." This seems to have the opposite effect that I intended. "Why would we want to stay here, Sparkle? Living under the thumb of the people who commissioned Glimmer's murder?" At this, he slams the door again and I hear his sobs. But something about his words resonate with me. Why should we stay here?

Crystelle's Perspective

As soon as I stepped into Glimmer's house, it felt empty instantly. It was the first time I had been there without Glimmer, her laugh echoing through the walls, her smile brightening the whole house. And her brother, Sparkle, he had her eyes. Those shimmering emerald eyes that sparkled and glimmered in the light. But Flicker... he was so cut up about the whole thing. The first thing I heard was his sobs, and I knew no one could comfort him. He just needed time. Then I gave Gemmine a hug. She looked nothing like Glimmer, with her brown hair and blue eyes, but they had the same smile. Of course she wasn't smiling now, as we cried together. I hear a door slam and Flicker's sobs resume. Sparkle walks back looking defeated. I unentangle myself from the embrace. "No luck?" I ask. In response, he just shakes his head, a mannerism that reminds me of Glimmer so much I want to cry again. After a moment, I ask quietly, "Where is she?" Not like she's dead. Like I'm looking for her but I don't know where she went. Sparkle just blinks hard, and leads me to their backyard. It's small, and about a quarter of it is taken up with a giant box. Not a box, a coffin. I'm enraged by how much it looks like a shipping crate, stamped with the district. "Why did they send her like this? Like cargo, useless items to be returned to their owner? She's a person!" I'm ready to launch myself forward and attack something, though I don't know what. I don't even know why, but Sparkle stops me. "Yelling won't do anything, but I get it. She was your sister as much as mine." He says gently. My heart swells, as I realize how much of a family they actually were to me. Because I wasn't going through this grief alone.