Author's note: This is a much need revision of a story published late Summer 2012.

Pahl and Gage

Pahl stared at the struggling fish in his hands, his hunger such, that he thought that he could eat the creature raw. The 17-year-old tribute carefully shuffled through the knee-deep water towards the nearest set of rocks on the river's edge. Remembering how the previous male tribute had killed the trout, he shifted his grip and raised the fish high in the air before the same boulder.

When the sun glistened off the fish's scales, it revealed the trout's many-colors, making him hesitate and lower his arms. Struggling to keep his grip, Pahl studied the dull eyes and gasping mouth of the fish. As he loosened his grip, he began admiring the fish's beauty, studying it from head to tail. He took stock of the small life held in his hands and sighed. He returned his gaze to the eyes for another moment before slowly lowering the fish to the river. The trout easily slipped from his hands and disappeared into the rush of water.

"That has to be the most pathetic thing that I have ever witnessed!"

Startled, Pahl spun around to see Gage, a 17-year-old female tribute, standing at the river's edge with a drawn knife.

The male tribute nervously wiped his hands across his jacket. "Are you going to kill me?"

"I should." She pointed her knife towards his head. "Aren't you hungry?"

"I'm starving."

She began to shuffle her feet in frustration as her hands came to rest on her hips, the sun reflecting off the steel blade. "I've been scanning these rivers since the start of the games, and I have yet to see a fish. Why on earth would you let the fish go when there are so few?"

His cold, numb feet stepped nimbly towards the riverbank. "I'm not going to win. Killing it would be a waste."

"It's just a fish."

"Not to me." Pahl shrugged.

"I can't believe that you're still alive."

A brief smile flashed across his face. "Me too. I thought for sure that I would have died on the first day." He stepped out of the water before his fellow tribute. "So, are you going to kill me?"

She lifted the knife, touching the tip of the blade to his throat. Gage's lips pressed together.

"Please, be quick about it. I don't want my family to watch me suffer for any longer than is needed on television." Pahl's eyes closed as his breath began to deepen.

Gage could see the boy's body tremble as her muscles tensed with unease. She spun away. "Ahhhg! I'm not going to kill you."

The male tribute opened his eyes to see her walk away and take a seat on a fallen log in the middle of a small clearing near the river. He inhaled deeply. "Thank you."

She tossed her knife, sticking it into the ground between her feet. "Oh shut up."

"Sorry." Pahl took a seat on the free end of the log. "If I had known that you were watching, I would have offered you the fish."

"I'm not angry about your idiocy. I'm angry at my own impending death."

Leaning on his knees, Pahl clasps his hands together. "You might outlast them."

"No, only those with the instinct to kill win, and I'm not a killer." She leaned forward onto her knees, bowing her head.

"You're like me."

"No!" She straightened. "I'm not a pacifist. I'll at least put up a fight when they come for me."

"Sorry." Pahl sat still in the hope of not angering his guest further.

As Gage leant over from exhaustion, Pahl took the opportunity to focus on the sounds of the forest. With so many other tributes out to kill him, his keen hearing and camouflage skills had kept him alive, allowing him to avoid any contact with any other tribute until today when the sound of rushing water masked his guest. Today the winds were light, unmasking more sounds from the dense forest next to the river that he now called home. He quickly surveyed the area over his shoulders for what his ears might miss.

He glanced at his visitor and could feel the exhaustion that seemed to pull on her face since the weeks apparently took a larger toll on her. Pahl retrieved from his pocket some nuts and held them out for her. "Here, I found a tree that has these. They're not ripe, and lack any flavor, but they do the job if you can ignore the somewhat bitter after taste."

Gage took them slowly from his hand. "Thanks."

"I'm Pahl. Pahl Calis."

"I know." The corner of her mouth pulled back, sneering as her brow furled.

"Gage, right?"

"Yah." She began chewing on the first nut. "This is like chewing on cardboard. Do the Gamemakers always have to be this cruel?"

"I suppose they do. When did you realize that anything sweet in the arena was poisonous?"

"When my district partner bit into an apple. You?"

"I had my suspicions immediately since the fruits and berries that I was seeing were not at the edible plant station during training. I knew for certain when I saw the guy from District Ten casually pull off some berries over there by the rocks to eat while the fish that he had just caught cooked. It was not a quick death."

Gage took a small bite from the second nut. "Were you two allies?"

"No. I was hiding in the trees. I learned to trap the trout in the shallow rock pool by spying on him."

"Did he teach you how to release it too?"

Pahl sighed as he resisted the urge to defend himself. "Your last name is Brunel, right?"

"Yah." Gage popped the remaining partial nut into her mouth. "So you've been hiding here this whole time?"

"Yep. This forest arena is perfect for me." Pahl swept his arm towards the trees over his right shoulder. "There are plenty of wondrous pines in which to get lost."

"Aren't they hard to climb?"

"You stay on the ground next to the trunk. The dead grass and fallen leaves provide enough protection from the cold at night. How have you've been staying warm at night?"

Gage pointed to the edge of the clearing where Pahl spotted a small backpack and sleeping bag. "I took the sleeping bag from my district partner when he died from the poison apple. The pack I picked up while I was running from the Cornucopia at the start of the games."

"I didn't grab anything at the start. I just turned and ran." Pahl bit a nut in half.

"Smartest thing to do. I only grabbed the pack since it was relatively close. I spotted my district partner soon after, and we took off together."

As the horrible sounds of tributes dying came rushing back into his thoughts, Pahl began to fidget with his hands. "I took off without my district partner. We did have a backup plan to meet up in any forests located close to water, if there were any forests, or water. We would have never guessed that we would find ourselves in such a lush, widespread forest with rivers. She's still alive, but not near this stream. I've searched along both of rivers on this side of the arena without any luck."

After popping another nut into her mouth, Gage brushed back her blonde hair. "At least they gave us plenty of water despite the lack of food. How many streams pass through the arena?"

"Not sure. I only know of the two, and neither appear to empty into a lake. There can't be many more since the arena is smaller than normal. It can't be more than a few miles squared."

Her eyes heavy, Gage hunched over and fell silent as she finished her last bite.

With pressed lips, Pahl stared at her out of the corner of his eye. "I'll be right back." He moved to the edge of the clearing and slowly entered the forest. Just a few yards in, he lowered to his knees and crawled under a large conifer tree that had been his home since the start of the games. He retrieved a small pack along with two water flasks before returning to clearing. He sat on the ground before the female tribute and held out a flask for her to take.

She took the flask. "Did you get the pack off of the District Ten tribute?"

"Yes."

"Did you warn him about the poison berries?"

"No." Pahl watched her open the flask as she waited for more of an explanation. "I may be a pacifist, but I don't want to die. Hard to tell how someone will react." He began to feel uneasy from her stare. "I didn't poison the water. Do you want me to take a sip to prove it?"

Gage's mouth formed a small smirk as she sipped from the flask. "I very much doubt that a pacifist who would let dinner swim away would poison a water flask."

"I did purify the water with iodine. Not sure if I should bother since I've been drinking straight from the river since the beginning."

"Thanks. If it hasn't hurt you by now..." Gage was staring down at his now open pack. "That's quite the knife. Shouldn't it be strapped to your hip?"

He held up a large hunting knife. "I only use it to dig for roots."

"You could use it to scare away someone who's trying to kill you."

Pahl smiled. "No one is going to run from me."

"That's right." Gage shook her head. "Why on earth did you announce to everyone that you were a pacifist?"

"I still am."

"Shut up." She sipped from the flask. "Why make yourself the easiest target?"

Returning the knife to the pack, Pahl made himself more comfortable on the ground. "I don't know. I think that I had accepted my fate and just wanted to be me. Besides, Caesar Flickerman made the television interview so relaxed; it just came out. I don't think it was a secret."

"Everyone was wondering why the Gamemakers didn't give you the lowest score possible?" Gage sipped more water.

"I showed my camouflage skills during my private session. I told them that I could disappear into trees. Since they must have known the topography of the arena awaiting us, they gave me a three."

Gage glared at her fellow tribute for a long pause. "At the start of the games, I thought that you'd step off your platform early to blow yourself up or lay down in the middle of the Cornucopia as a sacrifice."

"I want to live; I'm just not going to kill to do it."

A huff escaped from Gage as she stared off into the distance.

Pahl removed a small bundle of cloth from his pack and proceeded to unwrap a half-loaf of bread. When the bread became exposed to the fresh air, the fragrant scent immediately grabbed Gage's attention, causing her to sit up. He broke the bread in half and offered her one of the pieces. "Here, I've been tearing off small chunks for the past couple days. It came with the pack."

"Cheese bread." With a hesitant hand, Gage took it. "Why are you being nice to me?"

"Just returning the kindness." Looking away, Pahl bit into the bread.

"I haven't been nice to you."

"You're not killing me. I consider that a nice gesture."

Gage took a long sniff of her treat before taking a bite. She moaned from the explosion of cheesy goodness of real food that had been absent for the past couple of weeks. "I don't deserve this. District Ten bread is the best of all of the districts."

"I'm happy that I could share it with you. I did not think that I would ever get to sit down and talk to anyone ever again. This is nice. Maybe we could form an alliance?"

Laughter erupted from Gage. "More like a suicide pact."

Pahl smiled through pursed lips.

Her nose wrinkled with regret. "Sorry."

"No, you're right." He shook his head. "I'm probably more of a danger to you, being who I am." The male tribute positioned himself against the log and began to watch the trees sway in the light breeze.

Gage tried to pace her eating, but soon she found her hands empty of food. She unzipped her jacket and slid down to the ground, leaning against the log. "Is it safe to stay in one spot for so long?"

"Not sure. I'm wondering if it's a dead spot that the cameras can't see."

"I doubt that there are any dead spots. Didn't you say that a tribute died here?"

"Yes."

"They came for his body?"

"Yes."

"Then they know and see everything." Gage ran her fingers through her hair with a slow deep breath. "It's nice here. I just wish that I could properly wash my hair."

Pahl turned his body towards Gage. "Why would they let me linger here? They never let tributes linger."

"They probably think that it would be funny to see a pacifist come in second to last. If there was only one other tribute left, I'm sure that they would flush you out to see if you are truly a pacifist."

"They think I'm bluffing? Do you think I'm bluffing?"

"I think you're an idiot."

"Funny, that's what my mentor said."

Gage draped her arms over her knees. "Did you tell your mentor that you weren't going to try?"

"I never said that I wasn't going to try."

"I didn't see you in weapon training."

Pahl crossed his ankles and stared out across the river. "I spent all my training at the survival stations. My plan was to out survive everyone. It happened a couple years ago for that Annie girl from District Four."

"The odds are very slim for that happening again, especially with your open pacifism."

"I want to live no matter how slim the chance. I just want to do the right thing."

Gage bit her lip, waiting. "Which is...?"

Pahl's gaze fell to the grass at his side. "Not hurt anyone and die bravely, if I can."

"You truly are an idiot."

"Perhaps." He looked up at the female tribute with a faint grin. "You don't seem to be the killing type."

"I'm not. I'm the surviving type who'll fight back." Gage began picking at the grass. "There are other incentives too. The rewards for being the last survivor could bring relief to my family and friends. Don't you want to try to survive in the name of your family?"

Nervously scanning the forest surroundings over his shoulders, Pahl faintly shrugged. "I do. I will try as long as I don't have to kill. I promised this to my mother, and she told me that she was proud of me."

Gage pulled her knees up tight. "What did your father say?"

"He um…admitted to me that he never quite understood me, but he too was proud of me. He told me to follow my heart. He said that he was honored to have such a thoughtful son."

"Thoughtful? Is that Districts Seven's way of saying stupid?"

Pahl frowned. "All right, you've made your point."

"Well, I'm not done pointing it out how insane it all is."

"If you want me to leave, just say so. I'll find a different hiding spot."

Flicking strands of grass into the light breeze, Gage crossed her arms and gazed across the river. Pahl, red faced, fell silent with eyes directed towards the treetops. Listening together to the river, neither tribute got up to leave.

The sun gradually centered overhead, and the radiant warmth caused each tribute to shed their jacket. The afternoon winds increased, causing the leaves to rustle louder and the branches to sway more. Unbeknownst to the other, each tribute secretly basked in the other's unthreatening companionship, for they were both mentally and physically exhausted from simply surviving.

"Sorry." Gage briefly turned to look at Pahl. "I've been lashing out ever since..."

"That's okay. The games take their toll on everyone." Pahl passed one of two remaining nuts to Gage.

She rolled it in her hands. "Thanks again."

"These are the last. We can go gather more nuts at sunset. The tree is in a middle of a field, which is too dangerous to visit during the day. That is, if you want to come with me?"

"Sure. I'll go with you." She bit into the nut.

"We can dig up some roots. They taste even worse than the nuts, but they provide additional nutrition. They've kept me relatively well for the past couple weeks."

"Okay." Gage began inspecting the nut in her hand.

Pahl studied Gage's slow movements. "Did I say something that has upset you?"

"No. I'm just remembering my reaping day when I said goodbye to everyone, three long weeks ago. It feels like an eternity."

"What did your parents say to you?" Pahl bit into his last nut.

"They weren't there." Gage turned her face away.

Pahl stopped chewing. "Are they alive?"

"They are, but my dad is away working on one of the northern train lines, performing summer maintenance. My mother came to see me off, but she wasn't really there."

Shifting his body against the log, Pahl struggled to understand. "I'm sorry. I don't—"

"My mom's a morphling addict."

Pahl slowly sat back. "Oh."

"Do you know what my mom asked me during our private session before they took me away? She asked if I had any money stashed away, as if I would have any money. She was more concerned about her next fix than losing her youngest daughter."

Unsure of what to say, the male tribute began to fidget. "Sorry."

"It is what it is. At least, my older brother and sister came to say goodbye."

Pahl took a long sip of water. "Did they let you call your father on a government phone or something?"

"Not possible." A faint smile almost slipped past her frown. "Since so many parents are away on reaping day performing summer maintenance on the railroad in the far-reaching districts, our district created a special day in early spring that we call Resolution Day. On this day, parents and reaping eligible children spend the entire day together, pretending that it is their last day together. My mom was high as usual, but my younger brother and I had a wonderful day with our father."

"That sounds wonderful." Pahl began to relax. "What does everyone normally do?"

"The day is spent doing fun activities, but at night after a nice dinner, we pretend to say our goodbyes. We sometimes confess to mistakes, tell each other that we love them, and resolve any differences we may have with others in the family."

"Are parents gone a lot in District Six?"

"In the summer, yes. During the other seasons, families spend a lot more time together with railroad maintenance closer to home. I was fortunate that my father performed overhauls to the train engines and railcars in the off-season. He was home a lot in the winter"

"Resolution Day sounds nice. Perhaps every district should participate." Pahl surveyed their surroundings again, listening to the sounds coming from the trees before focusing again on his guest. "Did you get to say anything to your mom on reaping day?"

"No, I was too furious at the time. But I've had a couple weeks to think about it and would like to say something now since I know the cameras are watching us."

Pahl pulled up his legs tight as he glanced over his shoulders a second time. "Are you sure? Let sleeping dogs lie and all that."

Gage smiled. "I just want to say that I forgive my mother."

Surprised, Pahl turned to face her. "Really?"

"Yes, I'm a bit p.o.'d about her being high, but the morphling is what turned her into a zombie. And if someday, she manages to sober up and watch this, I want her to know that I forgive her. I hope that she can find natural happiness once again."

"Do people ever break their morphling addiction?"

"Very few. Most die from starvation since they cannot afford food and morphling. If by miracle she does come clean, I want her to know that I don't hate her." Gage lifted her face to the sunlight and slowly exhaled.

"See. I knew that you had a good heart."

Gage smiled, glancing at him from the corner of her eye. "Bull. You are only saying that because I didn't kill you."

"Well if I could choose a winner of this year's games, I hope it's you."

"Did I ever say that you're an idiot?"

"Yes. You've made that quite clear." Pahl matched her in smile. "Come, let's gather roots. By the time we're done gathering them, it will be dark enough to cross the field to collect nuts."

"Okay."

"And if we leave now, I'll have enough light to show you something special."

"What?"

Pahl helped Gage to her feet. "You'll see."