GAMES
"Do you know what the reason for these games even is?"
"Of course I do. To punish us for the Dark Days. The war."
"Exactly. And do you know what that means?"
"What?"
"No one wins when it comes to the Games. Twenty-three tributes lose their liv...
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● WARNING: depictions of PTSD, anxiety, depression, and hints of body dysmorphia ●
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Shay opened her eyes to see the drab monochrome walls of her bedroom. Faintly, she remembered the events that led her here; the growing pressure in her chest, the gasps for air, the familiar blonde head of hair that sent her spiraling, and lastly, the cool blue of Cato's eyes as everything faded away.
Her mouth was dry as she came to and her thirst was all she could focus on. She never did get to grab a drink after her intense workout since she was too busy having a panic attack. She sat up and turned to swing her legs over the side of the bed.
"You're up," a deep voice said, startling her from her one-track mind. Her eyes darted to Cato who was perched on a rather uncomfortable-looking chair in the corner of the room. Shay silently cursed herself for not being more aware of her surroundings. It could get her killed.
No. I'm safe here. I'm safe here, she repeated in her head. She wasn't in the arena anymore. She hadn't been for months, yet the effects were ever-present.
"You scared me," she told him, her hand resting over her heart.
He muttered a quick apology under his breath as he approached her. She didn't say anything as he took a seat beside her on her bed, the sheets wrinkling further under his weight. "You scared me too," he said honestly, his eyes filled with the same concern she'd seen before she passed out in the main training room. "How are you feeling now? Do you know what triggered it this time?"
Shay shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm fine. I swear. I think I was just tired," she lied. "It was a lot more than I was expecting for my first day. Like one extreme to the other." She wanted to appear genuine. Her reasoning was logical enough; realistic. However, the worry did not wash from his gaze as he continued to focus on her with his brows furrowed.
The blonde girl forced a small smile, attempting to comfort him and convince him to believe her. She didn't want people to hover over her in a constant state of concern. The thought of that alone was suffocating.
Lottie was his friend and although she reminded Shay startlingly of Glimmer, the District 1 girl whom she killed, she refused to say it aloud. If she was honest with Cato, she didn't know what he would do, but she feared it would affect the relationships he was forming—the friendships. The last thing she wanted was to jeopardize those bonds because they kept him anchored and comfortable.
Because Lottie wasn't Glimmer.
She had been pleasant and friendly. The cruel, twisted version of her had all been in Shay's head. A corruption of the girl into the Career she looked so much like. But, truthfully, Shay knew nothing about her aside from the handful of details Cato had told her.
