Hey Everyone, I hope you enjoy this story. I thought that you'd hardly ever come across a story written from Gales POV so I decided to write one for a follower on Tumblr. Hope you enjoy it! I'd also like to thank Rory1300 for becoming my official Beta for this story, so some credit also goes to their way :D :)!
Disclaimer - ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO SUSANNE COLLINS.
The Hunger Games: Gales Story
Chapter One
I could hear the birds tweeting outside my bedroom window. One chirp after another, the sweet sounds swirled above my head and integrated into an extended melody. I propped myself up onto my elbows and looked up at the damp ceiling, leaking into my meek, cramped room.
Rory, my youngest brother and second eldest, was curled up like a ball at the edge of the bed; his cheeks flushed pink, his hair swept across his face, he looked so much my father. After my father came home from working long shifts in the mine, he always used to curl up next to us to tell us stories before bed.
My Father was killed in a mine explosion when I was 14 years old. I remember like it was yesterday... The horrific echo of the bells ringing out all the way to the Seam; I raced hurriedly grabbing Rory and Vick from their classes, running as fast as we could towards the crowds of people running to the mines. I wove frantically through the crowd as I bolted home, hoping that my mother was there. My mother was pregnant and ready to deliver any day now with yet another mouth to feed and body to cloth.
It all seemed too surreal, I saw her slouched between the wooden doorframe her body taking up most of the space. I left Rory and Vick in her care. A tear tickled down her cheek as her hand pressed against mine, her grey eyes full of worry, sadness and oddly enough, strength.
Despite her panic, she seemed to exude a sort of determination, giving me the power to move on. She was the strongest person I ever knew.
My eyes tore away from my family and my legs dashed towards the incident. There was a second explosion as I arrived. My knees finally gave in as I fell towards the ground, looking around and willing that somehow, my father was already out, or that somehow he still had a chance to run. But I knew better, and tears begun falling uncontrollably from my eyes as gentle pats of neighbors and strangers grazed my shoulders. I knew then, I would never see my father again.
The sky was filled with black smoke from the explosions. Every person that had communed there seemed painted with grief-stricken faces.
Thinking of my mother, I wiped my face free of tears with my sleeve and finally managed to pull myself up from the ground. I turned and ran away from this terrible place that marked my father's death, and pulled myself towards the woods.
That was the first time I went there; I taught my self how to build traps to gather food to bring for my starving family, as far as I knew I was the only one who hunted from the Seam, but incredibly, I found out I was wrong.
A girl from the Seam named Katniss Everdeen stumbled upon my hunting spot one day. Her Father also died in the mine explosion. At first she seemed like a pain, but as it turned out she was useful and she really grew on me. We taught each other tricks, hunted together, looked out for one another, confided in one another. I could be myself around her, and say things I couldn't say anywhere else. She quickly became my best friend.
Today, however, was the unluckiest day of the year for all of Panem. Today was the day of the reaping. As I gently climbed out of bed, I snuck into my mother's room, trying not to wake up Vick or my youngest sister, Posy. Mother gently lifted her head from her pillow, looked directly at me and smiled slightly. I returned the smile. She sat straight up on her side of the bed waiting for me to speak. I whispered cautiously, trying not to wake the kids up, "I'm heading out to meet Katniss, do you mind if I take the last Squirrel?"
"Of course Gale, but..." she said as I turned my back to walk out of the room. "Make sure you're home by noon to help me get the kids ready."
I sighed, "Course. We've got to look nice for the Capitol now, don't we?"
Before she could comment on how I should hold my tongue I disappeared out of the room.
First stop of the day was a trade; I headed over to the Bakery, as Mr. Mellark was a good person to trade with on days like this. Anticipating the sorrow in his eyes made it almost unbearable to step into the bakery, but today I came face to face with one of his sons.
He had three sons in total; I didn't know their names. All I knew was that the eldest was in the same year as me at school. But I've never met this one before. He had blonde sandy hair, and ocean blue eyes. He looked more like his father than the rest of his brothers who seemed to resemble their Mother. Despite how warm and kind their father was, there was something about their mother that sent shivers down to the bottom of my spine.
The boy was staring back at me, "Can I help you?" He asked.
"Yes, I-er was wondering if your Dad was around."
"No, he isn't at the moment, he's round at the butchers. Is there anything I can help you with?"
Should I ask him? I mean there's no harm in trying. "Well actually, I was wondering if your Father would like to do a trade." I pulled the squirrel from under my arm and placed it on the counter.
The boy swiftly pulled his hand through his hair and sighed, "Well I guess he wouldn't mind..."
The chime from the bakery door made the boy look up. I turned round to come face to face with the Baker and smiled swiftly at him as he went to join his son. "He came to make a trade," the boy said to his father.
"Right, Ok." answered Mr. Mellark.
"I only have a squirrel to trade today."
He nodded, grabbing a white loaf of wheat bread fresh from the oven and wrapped it in a paper towel. "Thank You," I said taking the loaf of bread from his hands. My head nodded towards the son as he called after me, "Good Luck today… We all need it."
"Thank You," I replied, "You too."
Walking across the town square I notice how barren the streets were. Normally, men and women would be crawling back home from the morning shift at the mines, but today the cinder-stained streets were empty. Shutters on the squat grey houses were closed, since the reaping wasn't until two, why not sleep in and worry for their children from the containments of their homes?
The sense of awkwardness troubled me until I reached the edge of the Seam, as in the distance, I could see the electrical fence that cut off district 12 and the forbidden meadow, concealed by a clump of bushes.
The fence topped with barbed loops of wire spreading in each distance surrounding District 12 was meant to be electrified 24 hours.
In theory, the wire was meant to deter the predators that lived in the woods. Animals like wild dogs, lone cougars and bears. As I drew closer to the fence, I checked to see if I could hear the humming indicating if the fence was alive. At this moment the fence was stone silent. I dropped the loaf of bread over the fence, flattened myself onto my belly and slid under a two-foot stretch that has been loose for years, even before I started to come here after my Father passed.
There were several weak spots in the fence, but this one was the closest from the Seam, that allowed me to pass without hurting myself. As soon as the forest concealed me I gathered my hunting tools; a knife, some snares I built beforehand, a quiver full of arrows and my bow.
Inside the woods the animals roamed freely. This could be dangerous if I were caught off guard or outnumbered. There were added concerns for my safety such as venomous snakes, rabid animals and no real paths to follow, so it was easy to get lost. But there was also food, if you knew where to find it, and after years of hunting, these woods were my home.
The only danger that really concerned me was getting caught, since trespassing into the woods was illegal and poaching carried the severest of penalties. Katniss and I have discussed this and know that more people would risk it if they had weapons. Unfortunately, most people aren't bold enough to venture out, with or without a knife. Anything more elaborate was hard to come by. It took me months to figure out how to make this bow, and even then I needed help.
Most of the peacekeepers in town were forced here by the Capitol to maintain any restrictions of law into each district. But even they turned a blind eye to the few of us who hunt because they were as hungry for the fresh meat as the rest of us.
"District 12. Home of the hungry." I muttered under my breath as I continued to walk a far distance through the woods. I glanced over my shoulder quickly to see if anyone was following me. You could never be too careful, because even under the protection of the forest, there was always a chance someone could have followed you and you could be overheard.
If anyone were caught badmouthing the Capitol or the people who control our Country, Panem, they would be punished.
Sometimes things slipped out in discussions down at the Hob, where I made most of my money in trading. The Hob was basically a black market that operated in an abandoned warehouse that once held coal.
What angered me most was that even when I was at home I had to try and hold my tongue about tricky topics such as reapings; food shortages or even the Hunger Games. If I let the kids know how I felt, they might begin to repeat my opinions and then where would we be?
But in the woods, there was only one person I could share all of my thoughts with, without consequence, and that person was Katniss. She was more than just a best friend; she was incredible. Her brown hair mesmerized me as it floated softly down her small arched back. The way the sun shone upon her grey eyes, made them shimmer as if diamonds were embedded within the surface. I begun to feel tense trying to work out what all of these feelings meant... I've known her since she was 12 years old, and just a skinny little thing hovering around, watching me hunt. She had an amazing aim and when it came to finding good hunting partners, Katniss was likely the best you could ever get. She was my best friend. I couldn't help but wonder if that was all she was ever going to be? Then it hit me; all of a sudden it hit me, like I knew it all along...
Lost in my thoughts I heard a slight shovel of leaves from the distance. I stood up as my head reacted to the noise of her nearly silent footsteps approaching.
"Hey Catnip," I gleam at the memory of Katniss first telling me her name. She mumbled it so quietly I only made out 'Catnip' and as strange as names go in this town, I thought this might as well be her name. As she put her stuff down on a nearby rock, I stuck one of my arrows through the loaf of bread I traded at the Bakery.
"Look what I shot," grabbing her attention, I held up the loaf in front of her. Katniss' breath rushed out in a sweet, croaky laugh, making me smile in return. I passed the loaf to her and she inhaled the fragrance coming off the bread making her eyes widen with delight.
"Mm, still warm," she said, "What did it cost you?"
"Just a squirrel. Think the old man was feeling sentimental this morning," I replied. "Even wished me luck." I left out the boy, not really knowing if she knew him herself. Besides, this morning was about Katniss and me.
"Well, we all feel a little closer today, don't we?" she said, still concentrating on the bread in her hands, she took a deep breath, and looked up into my eyes. "Prim left us a cheese." She placed the bread down and pulled a small cube of cheese from her jacket pocket.
I smiled brightly at Katniss, "Thank you, Prim. We'll have a real feast." in spite of the festivities I put on my best Effie Trinket voice and mimicked the upbeat women who arrived each year to deliver the news of which one boy and one girl would be going in the Hunger Games that year. "I almost forgot! Happy Hunger Games." I sit down beside Katniss on the rock and reach over her shoulder plucking a few blackberries from a bush that surrounded us. "And may the odds -" I tossed a berry in a high arc towards Katniss, She caught it in her heart shaped mouth and I could hear her break of the delicate skin of the berry beneath her teeth before she finished of my sentence with "- be ever in your favor!"
We joked about the games in order to stop us from becoming scared out our wits. Besides, saying anything in the Capitol Accent sounded silly.
As I smiled to myself I pulled out my knife and began to slice the fresh bread. I spread Prim's goat cheese onto the bread slices carefully placing a basil leaf on each while Katniss striped the bushes of blueberries.
It was a beautiful day, the view of the valley stretched out, teeming of summer life with delicate sunlight. If only I could freeze time and spend this moment with Katniss, forever. Which made me think about what would happen if Katniss and I just ran away this second, we could escape the reapings, the danger that surrounds District 12, the terror that came with waiting anxiously to find out whether or not your name was going to be called out of that big glass bowl.
I glanced towards Katniss who was taking in the glorious view before us, the gentle breeze swiftly lifting her hair, making it swim gracefully above her shoulders. She was utterly beautiful. I couldn't picture a single moment of my life without her in it. All I wanted was for us to be together, and to someday to get married… and hopefully, when it's safe have children of our own.
I was in love with Katniss Everdeen and there were no doubts about it. Everything would be perfect in a happy and distant place. But the reality of the situation was that at two o'clock we would have to be standing in the town's square, waiting for the names to be called out for this years reaping. But did it really have to be that way?
"We could do it you know," I said quietly.
"What," She asks.
"Leave the district. Run off. Live in the woods. You and I, we could make it," I reply.
Then there was silence. She was probably gathering her thoughts. Or maybe she doesn't feel the same way… Even if she does, could I possibly leave without my family, and hers? "If we didn't have so many kids," I added quickly trying to break the silence.
"I never want to have kids," she said finally.
"I might. If I didn't live here," I admitted.
"But you do," Katniss huffed, irritated. The conversation suddenly felt wrong. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything and took our chances at the reaping today. But this was the one time that I had to be honest when we were on our own, where nobody could find us. This was the time to open up and fully discuss what options we had and which we could endeavor.
"What do you want to do?" Katniss finally asked.
I knew she wasn't talking about running away, so I answered, "Let's fish at the lake. We can leave our poles and gather in the woods. Get something nice for tonight,"
Tonight. After the reaping, where everyone but two families would be celebrating the fact that they survived another year of reaping. But at least those two families will pull their shutters, lock theirs doors and try and figure out how they will survive the painful and excruciating weeks to come. It was utterly barbaric.
By late morning, Katniss and I had caught a dozen fish. We decided it was time to head back, start trading and get home to get ready for the reaping this afternoon.
First we swung by the Hob. Most businesses were closed by this time on reaping day but the black market was still fairly busy. We easily traded six of the fish for good bread, the next two for salt. Greasy Sae, a bony old woman who sold bowls of soup from a large kettle took half of the greens that we collected as we were traveling back through the woods in exchange for a couple of chunks of paraffin.
We might of done a tad better elsewhere but Katniss pointed out to me that we need to make an effort to stay on good terms with Sae, since she's the only one who can consistently be counted on to buy a wild dog. Katniss and I never hunted them on purpose, but we have been attacked once or twice, and, of course, have had to take out a dog or two. Meat is meat, after all, and Sae is incredibly skilled in making dog taste like beef or something in the stew and nobody could ever tell the difference.
When we finished our business at the market, we went to the back door of the mayor's house to sell half of the strawberries we had also collected, knowing he had a particular fondness for them. Not to mention, he could afford our price; Mayor Undersee is better off than most, so price is no object to him. Instead of greeting the Mayor, his daughter Madge, opened the door. She was in Katniss's year at school. She spent time with Katniss and myself at school, so I tolerated her, but honestly, couldn't help but think of her as a snob. Thankfully, she usually kept to herself the few times I've seen her.
Madge peered through the doorframe dressed in an expensive white dress, her blonde hair done up with pink ribbon. Reaping Clothes. Even the mayor's daughter gets put into the reaping each year, but seeing as she never had to put her name in for tesserae, nor did she have any siblings to care for, the odds were definitely in her favor.
"Pretty dress," I said eyeing it up and down as I spoke. She shot me a look to see if I was actually being serious or if I was messing with her.
She purses her lips together and then smiles. "Well, if I end up going to the Capitol, I want to look nice, don't I?" Was she actually serious? Did she think she could ever end up being a Tribute in the Capitol?
"You won't be in the Capitol," I replied coolly. My eyes drew to a specific symbol pinned on her chest. Then I realized it was gold pin… a real gold pin, in a circular design. I began to calculate her age and spat, "What can you have? Five entries? I had six when I was just 12 years old."
"That's not her fault," Katniss assured me.
"No. It's no one's fault. Just the way it is," I stared at Katniss's face then back to Madge whose face had been closed off. She placed the money for the berries in Katniss's hand and said, "Good luck, Katniss."
"You too," she replied as Madge closed the door behind her.
We walk the rest of the way to the Seam in silence and I began to wonder how easy Madge's life must be without worrying about food and shelter for her and her family, how she had no idea what it was like to live on shortages of supplies.
I could tell that Katniss didn't like me laying into Madge like that but, the facts were there, and I couldn't deny that it was all true.
The reaping system was monstrously unfair. Once you reached 12 years of age you were automatically entered into the reaping, the second year your entry doubled and so on until you reached the age of 18, the final year of the eligibility, where your name would go into the pool seven times. This was true for every citizen in all 12 Districts of Panem. But of course, being the Capitol's game, there was a catch. If you were poor and starving like my family and many others in the Seam you can put your name forward an additional time for tesserae, and even more times if you have a larger family with more mouths to feed. The more you would take out the more your name was put forward into those fancy-looking glass bowls. So now, at the age of 18, my name has been entered into the bowl 42 times, simply for single-handedly helping out my family. I wince as I think about how there were 42, hand-written "Gale Hawthrone" entries inside the bowl. I wonder how many Katniss had.
Katniss should surely understand my anger at Madge. It was just another way the Capitol managed to cause misery in each district.
As we walked, I could feel Katniss's eyes upon my face. I sighed and divided our spoils, leaving two fish, a couple of loaves of good bread, greens, a quart of strawberries, salt, paraffin and a bit of money for each.
"See you in the square," she said
"Wear something pretty," I replied flatly.
I walked home holding my items in one hand, opening the front door with the other. I could hear that the kids were up as Mother tried to settle them down.
"Posey, Vick, Rory... Please do what Mum wants you to do. It's reaping day. Best behavior." I said as I dumped the items on the kitchen surface. Mother stretched up on her toes and kissed me on the cheek.
"Where were you half and hour ago to calm them, down?"
I shrugged and slumped up to my room to get ready.
Twenty minutes later Mother had tea ready on the table, She cooked the fish into a stew with the greens, Posey was eating a couple of strawberries from her seat, which were her favorite. After a couple of glasses of water we used to swallow our meals down, we started heading out towards the square.
It was 1:05 PM, as we walked out to the square. Rory held my left hand and Vick my right. Attendance was mandatory unless, of course, you were at deaths door. This evening, officials would come round and check to see if this was the case. If not, then you were imprisoned. It's too bad that they held the reaping in the square – one of the few places in which District 12 shows to be pleasant. But today, despite the bright banners and good weather, the air was full of grimness. The camera crews, perched on rooftops, only added to the effect.
We begin to fall in silently and sign in. The reaping was a good opportunity for the Capitol to keep tabs on the population as well… as if they really care about that.
Twelve to 18 year olds herded into the roped areas, I had to tear away from Rory and Vick, now. Vick went to join our mother whilst Rory left to stand with the 12 year old boys. I move to the front with the older children. Family members line up around the perimeter, holding lightly to one another's hands.
I remembered being in the forest with Katniss earlier and think about how free we felt, and couldn't help but compare to how trapped we were now. I remember how we had discussed once that if we were taken for torture, and we had to choose between dying of hunger and a bullet to the head, the bullet would be much quicker to deal with.
The space tightens where I stand, with a clamp of 18-year-old boys from the Seam. We all stand firmly facing forward towards the stage where the two glass bowls of boys and girls names lay. A temporary stage had been built with three chairs and a podium set just before the justice building. Two of the three chairs were occupied with Madge's father, Mayor Undersee, who is rather tall, bald man and Effie Trinket, District 12's escort, fresh from the Capitol with a scary white grin. Her clown hair has been dyed an unnatural shade of pink this year. She also wore a suit that was an odd shade of green. As the clock struck two, the mayor stepped up to the podium and began to read.
I tuned out, since it was the same story each year. He went off about the history of Panem, the country that rose up out of the ashes of a place that was once called North America. He lists the disasters, the droughts, the storms, the fires, the encroaching seas that swallowed up so much of the land, the brutal war for what little sustenance remained. The result brought peace and prosperity to its citizens. Then came the Dark Days, the upraising of the districts against The Capitol. Unfortunately for us, 12 were defeated, while the 13th was obliterated. The Treaty of Treason gave us new laws to guarantee peace and, as our yearly reminder that the Dark Days must never be repeated, we were given The Hunger Games.
The rules of the Hunger Games were simple. In punishment for the upraising, each of the 12 districts must provide one girl and one boy, called Tributess, to participate. The 24 Tributess will be imprisoned in a vast outdoor arena that would hold anything from a burning desert to a frozen wasteland. Over a period of several weeks, the competitors must fight to the death. The last Tribute standing wins.
Taking kids from their districts and making us watch was the Capitol's way of reminding us how completely at their mercy all of us were. How little chance we would stand of surviving another rebellion. Whatever they used, the message was clear enough, "We are not to be trifled with. We are so powerful, we can take your children and sacrifice them and there is nothing you can do to save them. If you lift a finger, we will destroy every last one of you. Just as we did 13."
If you were lucky enough to be the last Tribute alive at the end of the Hunger Games, your district would be showered in prizes, while the winning Tribute received a life of ease at home. All year, the Capitol would shower the winning district with luxurious gifts of grain and oil and even sugar, while everyone else battled starvation.
"It is time for repentance and time for thanks," intones the mayor and continues to read the list of past District 12 Victors.
Our district has been so poor and malnourished, that in the past 74 years, we have had exactly two Victors. Only one was still alive, and unfortunately for us, Haymitch Abernathy was a middle-aged man who appeared to be nothing but an unintelligible, unstable drunk. I suspected this was a product of the Hunger Games. As a Victor, Haymitch had to mentor and watch children die each year. It's no wonder that today he seemed to have indulged even more than usual in bottles upon bottles of white liquor. He stumbled onto the stage and the crowd reacted with applause. Apparently applause was disorienting enough to confuse Haymitch, who caused some distress on the stage.
Since Haymitch was often belligerent and disoriented while drunk—which was all the time—he became inappropriately affectionate when greeting everyone at the podium, Effie Trinket in particular, making Effie very uncomfortable. Since all of this was being televised, right now District 12 would become the laughingstock of Panem. As if we needed any help looking bad.
Bright and bubbly as ever, after shrugging off a sloppy-footed Haymich, Effie Trinket trotted to the podium and gave her signature, "Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!" Her pink wig slouched on her forehead in a slightly lopsided angle since her encounter with Haymitch. Effie continued her speech on how pleased she was to be here, in what can only be described as an insincere tone.
I rolled my eyes and tried to drown out that annoying Capitol accent of hers. My gaze turned to catch Katniss's eye from across the crowd, I recognized a ghost of a smile reflected back onto her features as well as mine, considering our conversation not so long ago.
As reapings go this one was off to an entertaining start. I drew my attention back to the front hoping that both our names would not get drawn out of those bowls. I sighed heavily anticipating the worst, and wondered how I could kill someone that I was in love with? I tried not to think about the number of slips with my name on it, let alone Katniss's.
It was time for the first drawing when Effie Trinket chirped, as she always does, "Ladies First!" she reached in the glass bowl containing the slips of all of the girls names. As she reached in I sent a silent prayer to anyone that could hear me, hoping that Katniss's name would not get called out. As she pulled out the slip of paper the crowd drew in a collective breath. You could hear a pin drop. I began very anxiously looking back and forth between the slip and Katniss, the slip and Katniss. Effie Trinket crossed back to the podium, smoothed out the slip of paper and in a clear voice shrilled, "Primrose Everdeen."