Sparks

"I volunteer as a tribute," I gasped. I can heard the audience cringe. Prim's primal cries rang in my ears and out of the corner of my eye, I caught Gale returning Prim back to the girl's section so I felt calm. He would take care of her. He wouldn't let Prim starve, nor my mother. They would be all right, I assured myself as Effie Trinket began to pull the male tribute name as Haymitch Abernathy stumbled around the stage as he was clearly intoxicated.

"I bet my buttons that was your sister, can't let her steal the glory, now can't we?" she said. I was ready to spit in her face. "Now, lets see who our lucky gentleman will be!" She fished around the bowl to find a name, and then read it, "And our lucky gentleman is…Peeta Mellark!" she said. No! No, anybody but him, I thought. He won't even remember me, I recited to myself. It would be okay, just like another year- hopefully. I looked him in the eye, and I knew that he hasn't forgotten me.

"I volunteer as a tribute," a familiar voice called from the boys section and I aw Gale standing up and I think, go back! Don't volunteer. My family, and yours, they all need you! Peeta glanced at Gale and then glumly returns back to the bleachers. When I finally looked Gale in the eye, I felt calm again. Gale can win. Or I can and then both of our families will have enough food. and everything will be alright.

"You can't go Katniss!" Prim cried. I shook her away, and reminded our mother that she has to take care of Prim. Prim dried her tears and then looked me in the eyes, hers were blotchy and bloodshot from crying too much. "You have to promise to win, to come back."

I don't answer and I left my house in the Seam in District Twelve in the country of Panem, and go to the Capitol. Gale was waiting. The train, they said, was going to be a two day ride. This would surely be the longest forty-eight hours of my life.

"Are you crazy?" I whispered to him.

"So are you Catnip," he reminded me roughly. I roll my eyes and climb onto the train. Haymitch looked sober. He was even smiling. I couldn't believe my eyes. It was possible that we might actually have a mentor if Haymitch decided to be sober through the entire tribute campaign.

"Spill, you two," he said coldly. "How do you two know each other."

"We're hunting partners," I replied bluntly. No point in hedging. And he'd figure it out eventually if not in the Games. We would be a team in the Games, I already knew that. "Now if you'll leave us be, we can go practice or something."

"You two planning on teaming up?" Haymitch asked. I nod. Gale nodded. Haymitch, on the other hand, shook his head. "It won't happen the way you want it. Only one of you two can win."

"Katniss," Gale whispered. "Katniss, I want you to know something."

"Say I don't want to hear it?" I asked, joking of course, but Gale scowled anyways. "But I want to, so it doesn't matter Gale."

He swallowed, and ever so slowly told me three words. Three very simple words.

"Are you going to shoot for the Gamemakers?" Gale asked quietly as he put his arm around me. "You should. They'd give you a twelve."

"I suppose. But we can't both go in and shoot," I told him. "You're going in first. You shoot. I'll think of something else."

They called him up to perform for the Gamemakers and tried to think of something to impress the Gamemakers with, absolutely nothing. When I am called, the first thing I do is check the targets. Gale hadn't been shooting.

I wait for them to flash our numbers. The regular. Careers scored in the seven to ten range and mostly everyone else scored the lower range. Finally they come to District 12 and I saw a 10 and a 11 flashing on the screen.

"Good God, maybe we have a shot after all," I heard Haymitch murmur.

"Great job guys!" Effie gushed. I shrugged and turned away. Gale grabbed my arm but I shook him off and went to my room. I hadn't wanted to talk to Effie, or Haymitch, or even Gale. I hadn't known why I was so mad, but why had they given me such a high score? It really hadn't been that impressive.

Someone knocked at the door. It was Gale. "Do you want to talk about it Katniss?"

"Go away."

"I'm coming in anyways."

It was going to be the longest sixty seconds of my life. I don't care much abut the arena as I do about the Cornucopia. I see two bows with my and Gale's name written on it. Haymitch had told us to stick around at the Cornucopia. Gale and I were both strong enough to handle it, that is, if we got our hands on some bows. There's a piece of plastic by my foot, but I ignored it. It wouldn't be of much use.

I braced myself to sprint. Suddenly, the gong went off. The sound was as poignant as Prim's cries the day we left. Both Gale and I were sprinting ahead of the other two. Just like killing animals in the forest, I remind myself calmly as I reach the bow and knock an arrow.

My first arrow headed towards the boy with the lame foot. I knew it was cruel, but I'd do the same thing to any animal that was wounded in the forest, like that deer that had its shoulder mauled. Same thing here, I told myself, its just like hunting. Better a quick death than a long death at the hands of someone unskilled. I pierce him right in the eye. Gale nods and loads another bow that looks just as expensive as the one in my hands.

The others are beginning to get closer to us and I picked up two backpacks incase I had to run, three daggers and an impressive looking first-aid kit. I also grabbed a belt. Might be useful. I put the sword in the sheath that is attached and load another arrow. It took about fifteen seconds. Fifteen seconds I could have been shooting somebody.

Gale has shot the District 3 girl. She won't last another minute. Her partner was close enough to have a chance to knick the skin with a spear but I quickly slid away from his reach and attempt to throw one of the small daggers at him. I hit him, but since I was a bit flimsy with it and it scraped my right forefinger on my right hand. I mentally cursed myself out. Shooting would be more difficult now. The boy is at least out of the game, clearly consumed with the pain of the dagger.

"Go for the careers," Gale hissed as he shot an arrow at a blonde girl, Glimmer, as I recalled her name. He got her right in the Achilles' heel and she falls to the ground. By the looks of it, the arrow was embedded through her tendon and deep into the ground. Ouch. She wouldn't be going anywhere for a while. I loaded another arrow and fire it at the male from District 5. His red-head accomplice was already gone.

By now, everyone is dead or gone, except Gale and I. We moved away from the Cornucopia a bit so they'd fire cannons and collect dead bodies. I can't believe it. None of the Career tributes have actually taken the Cornucopia. It's hard to believe.

"We did it, Catnip," Gale murmured and landed a soft kiss on my lips.

"C'mon, we have to sort through our loot," Gale said with a twinge of excitement, gently stirring me. My eyes flickered and I was awake and alert in a few minutes. We took turn sorting the goods. It felt like organizing game after a hunt, but these goods were much more valuable. The first thing we did was to pull out all the armor and either throw it on the pyre we made or put it on. Might as well get rid of it. There were conveniently sheaths of arrows. There also happened to be a bucket load of food. I was not sure whether we should sleep on it or if we should put it up somewhere.

In the end, we tied up about half of it and placed little mines around it, and take the other half of it with us as we start to hunt down the rest of the competitors. Neither of us want to talk about what happens when it gets down to two of us.

In the outskirts of the Cornucopia was a field of tall grasses. I saw several tributes head there. There also is a forest. Gale and I decided to head for the forest first- where we're the most comfortable hunting.

"How many Careers are there?" I asked Gale.

"Two. Me and you," he replied with a straight face. I gave him a look and he said he forgot. Remembering back to the cannons, there were 15 dead. The Cornucopia had been surprisingly deadly. I cannot remember a time when so many of the competitors had died. There were nine of us left and it was only day two.

Rue, Cato, Clove, Thresh, Gale and I were the only ones left. I don't know what happened to the others, but this Game was quick and deadly. I was sure the capitol audience loved it. I kept thinking back to Prim. Gale has been completely been avoiding the subject of when the other four get killed off.

"Let's go after Thresh," Gale suggested. I shook my head. "We have to attack somebody!"

"Maybe we can just wait for them to kill each other," I tried. I knew it's a hopeless cause. I just want someone to kill Rue. Thresh was going to be hard to track down, and Cato and Clove was going to be bloody. That would mean we'd have to fight Thresh and Rue wounded.

Just Cato and Clove. I grieved for Rue and Thresh but in my heart, I knew it all along that I had to win. Prim's begging for me to come home was embedded into my memory and I couldn't break her promise.

"You think we'll win?" I inquired.

"I hope so," he replied. From the looks of it, he really didn't know the right answer. At least he wasn't lying to me. I give him a kiss on the cheek. "We can return to District 12 as victors and lovers you know."

"Yes, I know," I replied to him, trying to keep a neutral tone.

"I still love you Katniss," Gale reminded me softly. He'd been telling me the same thing ever since the change in rules had been made. I gave him a gentle kiss and he smiles and fell asleep. It was so unlike him, I don't know what to say. It was so unlike me I didn't know what to do.

No one left between me and the Capitol and I was beginning to see the small sparks of hope ignite, and burn wondrously. So now, I could return as a victor with a family and a lover and a simple life.

et finis

Hope you liked it. Yet again I was procrastinating about my other longer stories and decided to revisit Sparks. The original version was ok but I did get a lot of reviews of confused people so I decided to give it a 'revamp' so here it is (and also in the past tense). I've taken a bit out, added a bit more and make it flow...a bit more perhaps?

If you read the original and have decided that this is just too similiar to be worth reading, sorry to take up your time! :|

To everyone else who hadn't read the original, I hope you have time to comment! All comments are really appreciated!

CHECK OUT MY OTHER STORIES! (i.e. The Last Year, which is a Hunger Games fanfic)
Happy holidays!
Marionettes