It's only pretend, after all.
Katniss is still pretending, even five years after the war.
A.N. Short story set five years after the war that brought Panem to it's knees. The story will be about four chapters long, and will be Gale/Katniss. No Peeta bashing.
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Chapter 1
Gale POV
I woke up feeling groggy. I had lay on my stomach, so I rolled over and tried to remember what woke me up. My mouth was parched, so I stretched over to my night-stand and grabbed my glass of water, only to find it disappointingly empty.
The source of what aroused me from my slumber became apparent when I heard two soft knocks on my bedroom door. That was hard to get used to. For as long as I could remember, I shared a room with my three siblings whilst my mother slept on the old beaten down couch that had springs poking from it. She no longer could sleep in the bed she once shared with my father. So Vicky and Posy shared that one, whilst Rory and I shared the other. Now though we all slept in a large five bedroomed home, with plush, over stuffed sofas, and thick, foamy mattress topping each four poster bed. A reward for my part in the rebellion. Five years on and I still wasn't used to it. It was missing someone very important.
The knocking persisted dragging me out of my musings. "I'm not hungry, mum," I said irritably. My normal response.
I hardly ate these days, I hardly done anything. Signed off work with 'post traumatic stress', all I done was lay in bed, wallowing in my misery. With having gained so much money the first three years of working, I had enough money to support my family for years to come, so work became unnecessary. I had lost interest, began going in late, leaving early, skipping days all together, so I was signed off as sick.
I wasn't sick though, well not physically at least. My heart was though, it was slowly breaking into pieces, and I began to lose the will to survive. I lost her, so I seen no reason to carry on.
"It's Posy," the soft voice of my sweet little sister called. I smiled despite my grief.
"I'm not hungry, Posy." I repeated.
She ignored me and opened my door any ways. She smiled at me brightly and handed me a glass of water. I drank it greedily.
"You need to eat." she said sadly. I looked into her sad, pale-liquid grey eyes and sighed heavily. She was only eight, and wise beyond her years. She worried about me daily, and she had a right too. I was thin, like I used to be back when we all were starving back in twelve. My skin was sallow, and pale, not drinking enough, and having not seen sunlight in years. I looked like a walking corpse.
"I'll eat later, I promise." I said.
"What about going for a walk outside? Hunt?" she said timidly. I tensed.
"No." I ground out. I couldn't it was too painful. It didn't feel the same without her.
"But..." she began, but I wouldn't let her finish.
"No, Posy!" I yelled, she jumped in fright. "No hunting." I said in a softer tone.
"Fine!" she huffed and stormed out.
I sighed and laid back down on my bed. Images flickered in my mind, and I groaned in pain. Images of a tall, svelte, brunette, with gun metal grey eyes, and olive-toned skin. Her trade mark braid fell on her shoulder, her chocolate brown hair, highlighted by the sun. Bow and arrow in hand, she looked at me intensely.
"Katniss," I whispered into the darkness. I rolled over and shut my eyes tight. Trying in vain to block out the memory of my love.
It didn't work, it never did.
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Katniss POV
I woke up with a start, and bolted upright. I was drenched with sweat and panting heavily. Someone had said my name. No. He had said my name.
I had heard him whisper my name, and it felt as if he was lying right beside me. I felt all around me frantically, as if trying to convince myself that it was a dream.
I breathed in deeply, and breathed out one, two, three, four. Several minutes passed and I was able to calm myself. Convinced that it was just a dream. Of course it was. I would never hear him say my name again.
Looking at my clock I sighed. Five-fourty, I wasn't going to get back to sleep so I got up and went for a shower. Shaking off the remnants of my dream. I couldn't afford to think of him. It caused too much pain.
After drying off, I dressed in my usual hunting gear. Not entirely usual, in the way that it was all new from the Capitol, but I had wore it every day since coming back. Black trousers that were fitted, and a dark long sleeved tee. I laced up my boots, also new, and did my hair in a braid.
I looked to the frame that hung on my wall, with a slight smile. It was my dad's hunting boots, which were always too big for me, framed with some kind of hard plastic, and black painted wood. A gift from Effie on my last birthday. The new boots were from Haymitch. I lifted three fingers to my lips and pressed a kiss onto them, before touching the frame. A morning ritual that I always done before hunting.
I headed out the door and down to the kitchen. Greasy Sae was already here cooking my breakfast, an early riser like me, she and I had become accustomed to having breakfast together. After all I couldn't cook, and she was lonely.
The day after I returned from the Capitol, I remember being surprised to find her in my kitchen. 'You need fattening up,' was all she said, before going back to her work, and from then on, twice a day, we ate together. I provided the food, and she provided the company.
After breakfast I grabbed my bow and arrow, and my father's old hunting jacket. I left to go and do my favourite activity.
The sun was barely up, being only six-thirty, but I relished in the quietness. I loved the seam at this time, so peaceful and quiet. Barely a soul stirred. It was calming, like a balm on my fractured soul.
I allowed myself a glance at Peeta's house, he was still sleeping, as usual, I smiled and carried on. I owed so much to Peeta. He arrived back home six months after the war, almost back to normal thanks to the Capitol's relentless work. I however, was catatonic. I barely ate, nor slept, and hadn't talked to anyone since my return. I just sat and stared into the distance, reliving the horrible nightmare of Prim dying right before my eyes.
Peeta slowly began talking to me, about mundane things, then talks turned to the rebuilding of the town, and finally to Prim. He helped me remember the good times, and I slowly began to talk. Soon I was showering, and eating, and after two years, I had my routine. He had gently reminded me that Prim would have wanted me to go on living. So I did.
I found solace in the woods, that were covered in Primroses. I began to live again, yet I wasn't really alive. I never would be, because not only did I not have Prim, but I had lost him. He whom was the second most important person to me, and it left a great gaping hole in my very soul.
The war changed us, Peeta and I, so nothing ever became of our love. We grew apart, and became different people. But we had a solid friendship, and a love for each other that could only come from the bond over the shared horror that we had faced.
There was only one person whom I could be in love with, but that love was wrong. For he killed my sister, and it shamed me to yearn for him.
My day went on as normal, I hunted, traded with Sae in the hob, bought some fresh vegetables for dinner. Went home, skinned my game. Had lunch with Peeta and Haymitch, went into town to lend a hand with any rebuild I could. Had dinner, and settled down in front of the roaring fire in my kitchen. That was my favourite end of the night activity. The fire felt peaceful, and calming. Despite the havoc it had reeked in the past.
Yes. All was quite as it usually was. Until I heard a knock in my front door. I looked at the clock on the wall before turning my attention to the front door, as if I could magically see through it and see who was on the other side. It was nine-fourtyfive. Too late for it to be Sae, or Peeta, and Haymitch's knock was gruffer, so who was it?
The knocking persisted, so deciding that it was better to answer it, then to stare at the door as if it was a bomb ready to explode, I got up and slowly walked to the door.
I was not prepared for who was on the other side of it when I eventually opened it.
"Posy?"
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Gale POV
My sleep was disturbed yet again later that night, only this time by my frantic brother, Rory.
"Gale, come on, get up, mom's looking you," he said as he roughly shook me awake.
"Why?" I asked irritably, not moving an inch.
"Posy's gone, she's ran away!" he said desperately. I fell out of my bed in shock. Why on earth would Posy run away? It didn't make sense. I rushed to get dressed and thundered down the stairs, and into the kitchen where mom and the boys were waiting.
"Mom, what's going on?" I asked, my heart hammering in my chest.
"She left...this morning... for school..." she choked out in between sobs..."she was mad...after talking...to you...and she...never...turned up." I looked up at the clock it was ten at night. Posy had been missing for thirteen hours.
"Mom it's ten at night, why didn't you wake me earlier?"
"I was looking for her," Rory said. I sighed and put my head in my hands panic was gripping at my heart and threatening to take over. I needed to try remain calm.
"She said something about making things right, like they used to be. Before she left for school this morning." My youngest brother, Vick supplied.
Making things right? What did that mean? Then it clicked, hitting me like a lighting bolt. An image of Katniss formed in my mind and I knew.
"She's gone to twelve," I said before rushing out the door.
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A.N. Hope you all like it. I'm quite new to writing Hunger Games fanfiction. I apologise for any errors in grammar, I'm not very good at it ;P.