This Soon Shall Pass

Intervention

Clove's POV
Glimmer sits, fidgeting, on my bed. I cross my arms over my chest and tap my foot, waiting for her to explain herself.
"You came to me, Glimmer. Speak." I say. She stares at the ground, refusing to meet my eyes.
"I came to you because I think you're in the same situation I'm in. You have to be. It would make no sense if you weren't." She explains and I close my door all the way.
"I am."
"You are?"
"Yes. With Ajax."
"Ajax? Of all people? Clove, I'm so sorry."
"It's fine. You didn't choose him. Are you...?"
"His name is Roman. He's the son of a leader as well."
"Have you told anyone?"
"No. Snow said if I refuse or speak out then he'll hurt my parents. It took all of my courage just to come here."
"I doubt he cares if I know. It's not like our paths wouldn't have crossed."
"True. You'd think having a boyfriend would exempt me from this kind of punishment."
"That's not how Snow works."
"I know. Wishful thinking, I guess."
"Yeah."
"What are we suppose to do about this?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing?"
"There's nothing we can do. We're stuck."
Glimmer's fidgeting gives me an odd sense of déjà vu.
"What do you want to talk about?" I ask, leaning against my door.
"It's about the rebellion... and what side you should be on." Glimmer states and I tense. I open my door and glance into Slate's room. Empty. Same with my mom's room. I close my door again and lock it.
"You cannot just say that kind of thing around here. You're going to get us both killed." I warn, stepping closer to her.
"You should join the rebellion, Clove."
"Why?"
"Why? Why not? Snow forced you into prostitution. He threatened Willow's life. He put your dad through a trial just for show. The games have killed so many children. Finch is an Avox. The majority of the country lives in poverty."
"So?"
"So? Don't you want to change that?"
"I'm a 17 year old girl. I don't have the power to change anything. I just want to win the games and get on with my life."
"How can you support Snow after everything he's put you through?"
"He's my leader. He leads Panem, the country in which I live in, and as a citizen I have to respect him. As a member of Area Two it is my job to honor and defend him, regardless of his decisions. That's just how it works."
"Come on, Clove. You must have opinions of your own, right? Buried deep down? You know this isn't how Panem should be run."
"I'm a soldier. I serve Panem. Snow and the leaders rule Panem. Therefore, I serve them. I guess the mindset in One is different, but that is always how it's worked here."
"There are rebels from Two."
"What?"
"There are. Several, actually. They're great assets." I shake my head in disbelief.
"You're lying."
"I'm not."
"W-Who..."
"I could give you names. You know a few of them. Most of them are respected members of your community, or so I've been told." I begin to slowly pace back and forth.
"You've been told? Did someone send you?"
"The rebellion wants you. They know how special you are, how gifted you are at fighting and strategy."
"I wouldn't say gifted-"
"You ran that whole offense at the gala. That was just off the top of your head. You never miss with your knives. You have a future in the rebellion. They would never put you into prostitution with the boy who tried to assault you. They respect you." I stop pacing and take a deep breath.
"Who's they? Who's leading this whole thing? Who comes from Two?"
"Lyme. Enobaria is on the fence. Your dad-"
"My dad? A rebel? How ironic."
"I know. The moment his trial was over he joined up. He wants a better life for you and Willow and even Slate. A life where you're not put on trial for a charge with no evidence behind it. A life where your mother isn't obsessed with a game that's two seconds away from children murdering each other. A good life."
"You've practiced this."
"It's important to me."
"What is? Gaining an asset for the rebellion? Or getting your friend to join."
"Getting my friend to join. I care about you, Clove. I want more for you, even if you don't. If we keep going down this path, I really think we could win. You being an asset is just a bonus." I stare down at my feet, trying to come to a decision.
"What about Willow?"
"What about her?"
"How does this affect her? Is she... a rebel?"
"She's too young. If it all works out, we won't involve her until we can safely get her to headquarters."
"Headquarters?"
"Yeah. I can't tell you anything more than that."
"Okay."
"You're still completely on the fence, aren't you?"
"Yeah. I just... my life really isn't that bad."
"It could be better. The risk of being forced into prostitution again could be brought down to 0. Willow's life could be safe from threats. No more kids would have to die for a stupid game. The standards of living in other areas could get higher. It's not always about you. It's about something bigger. The greater good." I look up at Glimmer, who's stood up at this point.
"Who's the leader?" I ask.
"Of the rebellion? I mean, Everdeen and Mellark are the symbols-"
"They're not the leaders though. They're teenagers. There's no way they're doing this all by themselves. Who's the leader?"
"We have several people who are in charge of different things, but just as important-"
"Glimmer. You're deflecting."
"Fine. It's Coin. She's in charge." I scoff and shake my head.
"Coin? Professor Coin? You're trying to get me to join a rebellion led by her? No way."
"I had a feeling you'd say that."
"Is that why you tried to bury that piece of information until the very last second?"
"Yes, but listen. Sagara, Marvel, and I don't like it either-"
"All three of you are involved?"
"Yes, but that's beside the point. We don't trust her either, but the people she surrounds herself with are all very respectable. We decided we can deal with one questionable person."
"She's not just a person, she's the leader. She's in charge."
"She doesn't do anything without at least discussing it with someone else."
"That you know of."
"I don't expect you to give me an answer today. I want you to really think about it. I just need to know before the games."
"The games? Why the games? Are you guys... planning something?" I ask as Glimmer heads toward the door.
"Maybe. Maybe not. It's all up in the air." She replies over her shoulder. She opens the door and disappears down the hallway. I collapse on my bed, sighing.
Cato's POV
As I pass by more and more trees, I try not to get too anxious. This reminds me too much of the games. I finally find Clove sitting against a tree.
"Is there a reason you demanded we meet all the way out here? We talk all the time." I tease.
"I know. There's a reason. Sit down." She replies, gesturing to the ground in front of her crossed legs. I sit down, our knees touching, and raise an eyebrow.
"Yes?"
"I... I have to ask you something."
"I already told you, I was born with this smile." I joke and she rolls her eyes.
"Ha ha. You're so funny."
"I had to break the tension. What's wrong?"
"Before I ask, promise me you won't tell anyone about this conversation. Ever."
"I promise. You're starting to scare me."
"Have you ever thought about... rebelling?" She asks, avoiding eye contact.
"Rebelling? Clove, what are you talking about?"
"I'll take that as a no."
"No, I haven't thought about rebelling. Where is this coming from?" I ask, trying to get her to look at me.
"I just... I don't know. After everything that's been happening-"
"It's over now. You said so yourself. Ajax won't come near you again."
"He should've never put me in that position to begin with."
"You can't write off the entire Capitol because one asshole tried to hurt you."
"I'm not talking about Ajax, I'm talking about Snow." She says, finally looking up at me with fire in her eyes.
"Snow?"
"Yes, Snow. The guy who forced me into prostitution because he didn't like my performance in the games. The guy who threatened my little sister's life if I refused. That guy." I shake my head.
"It's not that simple-"
"Isn't it? If it wasn't for him I wouldn't be terrified of doing anything he deems out of line."
"That's a good thing. It means it worked. He just needed to remind you of the rules, I guess." I say, not too confident. I'm sure Snow had his reasons.
"Prostitution shouldn't be his way to remind me of the rules. I don't want to live in fear for the rest of my life."
"You're not going to. Is that what all of this is about? Clove, I told you, I'm going to make sure you win the games, then Willow. You'll be free."
"No I won't. I'll never be free."
"Yes, you will. I promise. It's all figured out." I say, moving to sit next to her.
"You don't know that." She says, turning her head to look at me.
"Yes, I do. You just have to trust me. Don't you trust me?" She sighs and rolls her eyes.
"Of course I trust you. It's everyone else that's the problem. Do you... have you ever wondered why the games exist?"
"Well, no. They tell us every year."
"I know that, but when you really think about it... what's the point? They say it's to instill discipline and devotion to Panem, but why such a big spectacle? Why doesn't the Capitol have to participate?"
"I never thought about it. I'm sure the leaders have their reasons."
"Why are Avoxes a thing? Doesn't that seem kind of cruel? Cutting off someone's tongue."
"The only people who are Avoxes are the ones who deserve it. You know all of this already. We've been told this since we were little."
"Yeah... I don't know." She says, looking at the ground.
"Well, I do know. It might seem confusing now, but this time next year you'll be so much happier, okay?" I ask, putting a strand of hair behind her ear and trying not to turn red. She turns her head to look at me again as I stroke her temple. She gives me a small smile, hugging her knees to her chest.
"Okay." She replies and I let out a sigh of relief.
"You scared me, Clover."
"Sorry."
"It's okay. I'm glad you talked to me about it."
"Yeah."
Marvel's POV
From: Glimmer
I'll see you in ten, okay?
To: Glimmer
Message: Okay. See you then.
I finish styling my hair and head downstairs where the TV is blasting.
"Dad? Can you please turn it down?" I ask.
"Yeah, sure. Have you seen this?" He replies and I look at the TV.
"The property has been abandoned since the death of its owners last spring. Peacekeepers have just begun investigating the crime scene and have already found the weapon. Vandalism is taken very seriously by our leaders, so this will not be dealt with lightly. Back to you, Caesar." A Capitolite announces, standing in front of Finch's old house. I swallow uncomfortably and pull out my phone, already having a new text.
From: Turbo
The sledgehammer.
I swallow a growl as I storm out to my car.
To: Turbo
Message: Meet at your house. Get everyone and everything.
I send the message and get in my car, taking a deep breath so I don't end up driving off the road. As I buckle my seatbelt I hear a knocking on my window.
"Hey, where are you going?" Glimmer asks after I roll down the window.
"I have a few errands to run." I state.
"Marvel, we have plans. Remember? We were just talking about them ten minutes ago." Crap.
"I'm sorry, but something just came up and I have to go take care of it."
"What happened?"
"I can't really talk about it. I have to go." I say and drive away, swallowing the guilt as she stands in the street. Alone.
Slate's POV
The dinner table is silent as everyone eats. It only lasts a few minutes, but I savor every second of it.
"The Quarter Quell sounds like it's going to be quite the event this year. I'm excited. Aren't you?" My mother says.
"Of course." I reply, Clove not looking up from her meal.
"Clove, you are volunteering, right?"
"Yes." Clove answers, picking at her food.
"Good. The Capitol will just eat up the brother and sister duo."
"Cato and I aren't siblings." Clove says and my mother scoffs.
"I meant Slate. Now that he's back in the games there's no need for you to be partnered with the Hadley boy." Clove sits back in her chair, crosses her arms, and stares at me. I avoid making eye contact. If I can keep my mom thinking that until the reaping, I can leave before she gets mad.
"Slate?" Clove asks, leaning forward with her eyebrow raised. I turn to her, daring her to rat me out. She wouldn't.
"Mother, are you sure Slate is volunteering?" Clove asks, turning to our mother. Our mother frowns and furrows her eyebrows, turning to me.
"Slate?" She asks. I sigh.
"I would rather not volunteer." I state and my mother slams her knife onto the table, causing Willow to jump.
"Dinner is over. You can all leave, besides Slate." My mother orders and Willow runs away. My father clears our plates.
"Even if he was volunteering, I would still be partners with Cato." Clove states as she stands up. Why is she poking the bear? Does she want to stay here too?
"Sit down." She stares at us in silence, Clove smirking the entire time.
"The two of you are some of the most insufferable creatures I have ever had to deal with. Clove, you would be idiotic to not pair up with your brother. In fact, you should consider yourself lucky to be able to land a partner like him in the first place. You're clearly the weak link. Why are you smiling?!" Our mother exclaims and I turn to see Clove beaming.
"I just find it funny that you think you have any control over who's my partner for the games. The moment I step on that train I am out of reach. You can't control anything." Clove exclaims, her laughing growing louder and louder until our mother slaps her in the face. Clove touches her face, her laughter gone but her smirk still there.
"That's how you treat me? The person who puts food on your table? Who clothes you? You should want to do as I say. I know best." It's a miracle the two of us make it out of the screaming session without bruises. I follow Clove to her room and shut the door.
"What the hell were you thinking?" I ask.
"I was thinking that I'm not going to let our mom rule my life anymore. I don't want to be like you. It's sad." She replies, not even looking at me.
"You think I didn't try that? You think I didn't try ignoring her and disobeying her? Trust me, your life will be much easier if you don't rebel."
"I'm not so sure about that."
"I am."
Sagara's POV
"So he just left? What the heck." I state.
"That's what I was thinking. It's so weird. We had just been texting about the lessons, which he knew about for awhile, and then I go outside and he's driving away." Glimmer explains.
"Maybe there was an emergency." Clove says.
"He said he had errands, whatever that's suppose to mean."
"It's a garbage excuse."
"I agree."
"Has he been acting weird consistently?" I ask.
"Not at first. Recently though, I feel like an afterthought. This summer we were each other's world. I wish I could go back to that."
"Trouble in pretty paradise?" Clove comments, not looking up from her phone.
"Clove, if you're going to make snarky comments the least you could do is put your phone away." I say.
"Who are you texting anyway?" Glimmer asks and Clove swallows uncomfortably, putting her phone away.
"Cato." She admits and I scoff.
"Oh really? Have the feelings been squashed yet?" I question.
"I... don't know."
"Uh huh."
"Leave Clove alone. I remember what it felt like to be the center of a guy's attention. She should enjoy it while it lasts." Glimmer sighs.
"Okay, enough of that. If Marvel isn't giving you the time you deserve, dump him. He doesn't deserve you."
"She's right. Cato and I aren't together and he consistently pays attention to me and would never do what Marvel did." Clove adds.
"Well that's because Cato loves you." Glimmer says.
"Doesn't Marvel love you?"
"I don't know. I thought he did. Maybe he just likes me as a friend."
"I doubt that." I reply.
"That's how it feels."
"Have you talked to him about it?"
"No. I will, if he ever has time for me."
"It'll all work out."
"If it doesn't, we've got your back." Clove says.
"Thanks." Glimmer says.