Disclaimer:
No. I am not Suzanne Collins. I wish I was, though.
Prim's POV
"Come on, Prim. We need to get back home." The peacekeepers had escorted us from the justice building where I had said my last goodbye to Katniss. Now Mother was urging me softly to come on. There was an edge of pain to her voice. Of course there was. Katniss was on her way to what was almost certain death.
She promised me she'd win.
But could Katniss keep that promise, with twenty-three other tributes wanting to kill her?
"Prim." This time it wasn't my mother's voice calling out. Somewhere in the crowd, Gale had appeared and was striding towards us.
"I told Katniss I would take care of you and I will." His voice held such fierceness I didn't dare argue. Instead I let him lead me back, towards…. the fence? Why was he taking me here?
"Look, I'm going to have to go working in the mines soon, you understand, Primrose? I'll still do my best to take care of you and your mother, but you'll have to learn to hunt yourself. I'll accompany you to the Hob, at first." Wait. Hunt? Katniss had tried to teach me how to hunt once. I was terrible at it, and she had given me up for a lost cause.
Katniss. You have to win this. You HAVE to!
"Okay." I could feel tears coming up, and I pushed them back down.
"I'll take her from here, if you don't mind, Mrs. Everdeen." Gale bent down and took my hand. "Look. There's a gap in the fence there. I'll go through first. Remember, if you hear the buzz of electricity, it's best not to touch it. Going down flat on his belly, Gale got through to the other side. I followed. Fear was welling up inside of me. There's a reason we're told not to go out here. This is dangerous. And the penalty for poaching is death. If Gale could sense the fear in me, he ignored it.
"It's too early to teach you to use a bow yet, so I'll show you a basic trap." He pulled out a roll of wire. Just then, a howl echoed across the woods. My stomach twisted into a knot.
"Get up, Prim, for God's sake! Surely you know how to climb. God, I don't know how Katniss managed to keep you alive for so long." He was now on a branch, his arm dangling down. The wild dogs were getting closer. I couldn't help it any more. A sob broke out of my chest as I grabbed his hand. Once I was safely up, he pulled me into a tight hug, letting me cry freely.
"I'm sorry, Prim. I won't make you hunt. I promise. My vow to Katniss is more important than my obligation to get a job as a coal miner. She'll come back, Prim. Don't you worry. If I know that girl, she won't let any Games stand between her and you." My entire body was shaking, and I knew I believed him, at least right then. Katniss would come back. She had to.
"So. No more hunting?"
Gale's POV
Prim was shaking violently. I knew how she felt. She was lucky, though. She was twelve and she was allowed to cry. I had to be strong. For her. For Katniss. And while all my life I had been the strong one, now it was not so easy.
"No more hunting. C'mon, the pack's gone. We can go back now. " Guilt washed over me. I shouldn't have been so harsh with her. But…. I felt so angry. Angry at the Capitol, for taking Katniss away. Angry at myself, for letting them, even though there was nothing I could have done to stop them. Angry at Katniss, for volunteering, because awful as it may sound I would rather have watched Prim die than her. And finally, while hating myself for it, I was angry at Prim because it had been her Katniss had volunteered for. All that rage was misdirected, of course. It was only the Capitol I truly had cause to be angry at.
"We're going home now. Come on , Prim." Prim's tears had subsided somewhat and she weakly followed my lead. I immediately felt bad for making her cry. Somehow, I would make it up to her. I would keep my promise to Katniss. I would take care of her.
On the road, I met Peeta's dad. He gave her a fresh roll, saying that he too had promised to protect her. That would help me keep her safe, too.
Please review. Please. Pretty Please. It's not that bad, is it?