Chapter One/Gale's POV

I've been up since dawn. The first I did was check my snares, where I found a large squirrel and two rabbits hanging. I knew Katniss wouldn't be out until later, so I went to the square to see what I could get as a present to her. The baker sold me a loaf of bread with nuts and raisins for only a squirrel. Perhaps a sentimental gift? After all, it is the Reaping day. I wouldn't be surprised.

Now I'm back in the woods, waiting at ours - mine and Katniss' - special place. It's a small hill overlooking a lush green valley, away from prying eyes. I know that Katniss will be upset this morning; it is her sister's first Reaping, after all. So I stick an arrow in the loaf of bread, hoping I'll be able to make her laugh.

I don't have to wait long. Within a few minutes, Katniss is coming through the trees, her shadow alerting me to her presence. "Hey, Catnip," I greet her, using our old nickname. She smiles as she only ever does in the woods and sits down next to me.

Once she's comfortable, I hold up the loaf of bread. "Look what I shot," I joke. Katniss laughs and the sound warms me. She takes the bread in her hands and pulls out the arrow, sniffs it, and comments, "Mmm, still warm. What did it cost you?" "Just a squirrel. Think the old man was feeling sentimental this morning. Even wished me luck," I tell her.

Katniss says wryly, "Well, we all feel a little closer, don't we?" She pulls out a round yellow circle. "Prim left us a cheese." Prim is her twelve-year-old sister. I brighten considerably. "Thank you, Prim. We'll have a real feast."

Another chance to make Katniss laugh presents itself. "I almost forgot! Happy Hunger Games!" I say, plucking a blackberry from a nearby bush. "And may the odds - " I throw the berry high into the air towards her. She catches it and finishes, "-be ever in your favor!"

I pull out my hunting knife and slice the bread. I can feel her watching me, but I try to concentrate on the task at hand. Even still, my mind wanders.

The two of us look a lot alike: olive complexions, black hair, gray eyes. Like most people in the Seam. It would make for good pictures, and gorgeous children, if they looked like their mom…

The bread is at the last loaf and I stop, silently scolding myself for such thoughts. Stupid, Gale, real stupid. Just focus, would you? I take the goat cheese and spread it evenly on the bread. There are basil leaves around us, so I pluck them and place one carefully on each slice. Katniss plucks berries from the bushes, and we settle back to eat.

If only this was only just a holiday! If only it wasn't the Reaping day, where we have to be in the square by two o'clock sharp instead of spending all day hunting with Katniss. Waiting, panicking silently, hoping that I don't hear her name being called out.

An idea hits me, and I say quietly, almost whispering, "We could do it, you know." She looks confused. "What?" "Leave the district. Run off. Live in the woods. You and I, we could make it." When she doesn't respond, I add, "If we didn't have so many kids."

They aren't really our kids, but they might as be. My two little brothers and one sister, and my mom. Katniss' little sister and her mother. We couldn't leave them behind, not where they'd go hungry in less than a week.

Katniss sighs. "I never want to have kids." "I might. If I didn't live here," I reply. She sounds annoyed when she answers, "But you do." "Forget it," I snap.

I can't tell what she's thinking, but it looks like she's remembering something. Which of course, makes me remember how we were when we first met. When Katniss was twelve years old, a short, scrawny little thing, and I was fourteen. She admitted to me once that she thought I had already looked like a man. We argued a lot at first, but eventually we managed to help each other out.

Katniss breaks me out of my thoughts when she asks what I want to do. There's hunting, fishing, or gathering. I choose fishing and add, "We can leave our poles and gather in the woods. Get something nice for tonight."

We end up with a dozen fish, a full bag of greens, and an entire gallon of strawberries. The mayor loves strawberries, and he can afford our price for them, so this is a great find.

The two of us go to the Hob on our way home. The Hob is a black market set in an abandoned warehouse. We trade six fish for good bread, and two for salt. We also get a few chunks of paraffin for half the greens.

After that, we go to the mayor's house to sell the strawberries. We're greeted by his daughter, Madge, who's wearing a pretty white dress. I'm not sure why, but it rubs me the wrong way when she responds to my comment on it with, "Well, if I end up going to the Capitol, I want to look nice, don't I?"

I tell her she isn't going to the capitol. She can only have, what, five entries? "I had six when I was twelve years old." Katniss defends her. "That isn't her fault." "No, it's no one's fault. Just the way it is," I say. Madge puts the money in Katniss' hand, wishes her luck, and closes the door.

Katniss and I divide up the rest of our spoils. We each get two fish, two loaves of bread, greens, salt, and a couple chunks of paraffin. Then we say our goodbyes and part.

END OF CHAPTER ONE