𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐎𝐟 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐚𝐫

Revived

***THIRD PERSON POV***

     The night was quiet in District 1, a stark contrast to the glamour and noise that used to define it. Glimmer stood by the window of her small house, watching the stars twinkle above the hills. Her fingers brushed over the fabric of her dress—no longer the extravagant gowns she once wore to Capitol banquets, but a simple, comfortable shift. The Capitol was gone, and with it, the Games. But the memories were sharp and fresh, haunting her every waking moment.

      She closed her eyes, remembering the cold touch of the arena's air in the Quarter Quell, her second chance at life turned into another nightmare. They had brought her back—revived her and others like Marvel, Cato, and Clove—forced them to relive the horror. The twist in the 75th Hunger Games wasn't just about the victors; it was about the ones the Capitol had never truly let go. The four of them had formed an alliance, surviving the bloodshed, but Glimmer knew they were all different people by the end.

      Even though they had all survived—her, Marvel, Cato, Clove, and her siblings, Cashmere and Gloss—the Games had left scars deeper than any physical wound.

      A knock at her door broke through her thoughts. Her heart skipped a beat. There was only one person who would visit this late. Marvel.

     Glimmer opened the door to see him standing there, his broad figure silhouetted against the moonlight. His face was tired, lined with the same exhaustion she saw in herself, but there was something else—an unspoken connection, a shared weight they both carried.

      "Can I come in?" he asked, his voice soft.

       She nodded, stepping aside to let him enter. They hadn't seen each other much since the Games ended, since the rebellion swept away the Capitol's control. Marvel had gone back to his district, as had she, but the memories kept pulling them back together, whether in dreams or through moments like this.

       They sat in the quiet for a while, neither knowing how to begin. Glimmer stared at her hands, her mind replaying scenes from the arena—the blood, the terror, the desperate fight for survival. She thought about Cato and Clove, their allies who had fought fiercely by their side. Cato had been their muscle, protecting them with his raw strength, while Clove's deadly precision with a knife kept them alive more than once. And her own siblings—Cashmere and Gloss—had been there, too, lending their support when things got dire.

       She finally spoke, breaking the silence. "Do you think about them? Cato, Clove, my siblings?"

       Marvel nodded, his expression softening. "Yeah, I do. All the time."

      "They're alive, but sometimes it doesn't feel like it. Like we all left part of ourselves in that arena." Glimmer's voice wavered as she thought about what they'd been through. Even though they had all survived, none of them had come out unscathed.

      "Cato and Clove seem to be doing okay," Marvel offered, though there was hesitation in his voice. "They've got each other. That helps."

      Glimmer nodded. She knew how close Cato and Clove were, how their bond had kept them strong through the worst of it. But even they carried the weight of the Games. And her siblings—Cashmere and Gloss—might have survived physically, but the Capitol's cruelty had left its mark on them, too.

      "You miss them, don't you?" Marvel's voice was gentle, and when Glimmer met his eyes, she knew he understood.

       "Cashmere and Gloss... They were supposed to be invincible," she whispered, her throat tight. "But the Capitol doesn't care how strong you are. It changes you."

      Marvel shifted closer, his knee brushing against hers. He was a solid presence, grounding her in the chaos of her thoughts. "We're all still here," he said quietly. "That has to mean something."

      "Does it?" Glimmer met his eyes, searching for answers she wasn't sure he had. "What are we supposed to do now?"

       Marvel reached for her hand, his rough fingers brushing against hers. It was a simple touch, but it felt like a lifeline. "We figure it out. Together."

        Glimmer stared at him, her heart pounding in her chest. For so long, she'd felt like she was drowning in memories, trapped by the weight of what they had been through. But here, with Marvel, she felt a flicker of something else—something she hadn't allowed herself to feel in a long time. Hope.

        She squeezed his hand. "I don't want to do this alone."

       "You don't have to." Marvel's voice was soft but steady, his gaze holding hers with a promise.

        They sat like that for a long time, their hands intertwined, finding comfort in each other's presence. The nightmares would still come, the memories wouldn't fade overnight, but here, together, they could start to heal. They had been revived for the Capitol's games, but now they could reclaim their lives. They could find peace—not as Glimmer and Marvel, the tributes, but as Glimmer and Marvel, two survivors who had found each other again.

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