Author: Becky L. Sly
Title: On Human Skin And Bones
Genre: Romance/Adventure/Drama
Rating: M (explicit sexual content and description of violence)

I don't own anything. All character belongs to Suzanne Collins

ON HUMAN SKIN AND BONES
by Becky L. Sly

Chapter 1 – The Reaping

Primrose Everdeen.

From all names that could have been picked up by Effie Trinket, Katniss wished for having never heard that one. She felt her muscles jelly and her body lost the trim. She felt herself totally numb, languid. Couldn't be happening what was happening. Actually, that all was sort of ironic, because a couple of seconds ago Katniss was wishing for her name to not be chosen. "Don't be me. Don't be me", she whispered in her mind. No, there wasn't her. Was Prim, her little sister.

"Prim?" Katniss muttered, No, that even sounded right. How Prim could have been picked up? Katniss was still feeling her body numb, then suddenly she realized a plenty of eyes looking at her, but she couldn't focus her sight in any of them. They were all stranger, were all pitying for what had happened. It was then that Katniss saw a pair of grey and familiar eyes looking at her. Gale was startled, almost as much as Katniss was. He was just a few feet away from her. He was resisting to the impulse of going through the crowd and stands by her side. But if he did that, luckily he only would get punched in his jaw from any of the Peacekeepers. However the truly reason that stagnated Gale where he was, preventing him from taking such a natural attitude for him as that, was that he was really shocked.

Gale's sight made Katniss hit the ground.

"Prim?!", she cried. She could see Prim, whom in the moment that listened at her sister's voice turned back to find her. Prim was on the verge of crying, trying to put her stubborn shirt into her skirt. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know if she should run away and hide herself somewhere, or if she should keep walking to the stage, where Effie Trinket was stretching her arms to welcome her.

"Prim, Prim, Prim", Katniss started to walk towards her sister, muttering Prim's name in each pace. Two Peacekeepers noticed her moving and they also started approximating themselves. Katniss reached Prim's arm, whom turned back frightened, in time to see the horror in Katniss's frown. Prim had never saw that face in her sister, and she hardly would forget that sight.

Before Katniss could did anything, those two Peacekeepers reached her arms and started to pulling her away from Prim. When she realized that she was being moved away, she struggled herself against the Peacekeepers, trying her best to cling Prim. She disentangled on of her hands, which hit the jaw of one of the Peacekeepers harder.

"No! No!" she bawled desperate, being pulled away even more from Prim. "I volunteer! I volunteer myself as a tribute!" she yelled. At that moment the Peacekeepers set Katniss's arms free. All in the square turned their eyes toward Effie Trinket.

Effie Trinket was stand on the stage slack-jawed. She was taking off her guard by the elapse of the Reaping.

"Oh, well…" she whispered so low that even the Mayor by her side couldn't had listen. She cleaned her throat and continued.

"Wonderful! Today is the day which the pleasant District 12 will be gifted with it's first volunteer for the games in so many years" Effie said with her weird accent from the Capitol. She stretched her hand towards Katniss, inviting her to the stage. "Come here, my dear".

Prim was holding Katniss's hand at that moment; she was trembling by the adrenaline rush that was traveling her little body. Suddenly Gale appeared from the behind and picked up Prim from the ground. Prim struggled; she didn't want to stay away from Katniss.

"That's okay, Prim" Katniss said over her shoulder while being escorted by Peacekeepers to the stage. "Stay with Gale"

Katniss climbed the steps to the stage, kind of reeling, still numb. Effie greeted her and asked for she to put herself on her left side. Katniss obeyed and walked slowly towards there. She turned forward to the crowd that was watching her.

She didn't want to cry, she didn't want to run away. Actually Katniss wasn't feeling anything by that moment. The only thing that she was thinking was that Prim was safe with Gale. Despite she had past through out that for five years, haunted by the possibility of being chosen, Katniss always felt inside her that it would never happen. Stupid crap, she muttered. Indeed, she was never picked up, she had volunteer herself for the Games. She had just signed for her death.

"Well, now to the boys", Effie's mellow voice took Katniss away from her thoughts. "Any volunteer?" Effie asked. Honestly, that was a very rude question. Nobody wants to be there.

"Well, let's go to the names, then", Effie finally said, putting her hand into the big bowl and grabbing a little card of paper. Katniss looked to the boy's row in front of her. Almost all of them were looking towards their own foot with a pained face, playing with the dust beneath their shoes. One or other were looking straight to the stage, but Katniss could swear that they were holding on their breaths.

Everything will be okay, Katniss thought. Prim and mom will be safe with Gale, and they won't die by starvation.

"Gale Hawthorne" Effie said with a unnecessary joyous voice. Katniss breathed out all the air of her lungs at once. It was like someone had just punched her in the stomach. They must be kidding me! Katniss's face was doleful. No, no, no, not Gale!

Far from the stage, Gale was standing near Prim, still trying to keep her calm, but when he heard his name by Effie's voice, he froze. Prim looked gravely to Gale, whom appeared with a totally expressionless face. He released Prim's hand mechanically and started to walk toward the stage. A dead silence settled by the Square at that moment. Gale was still walking to stage when he glanced to the youngest boy's row, catching the sight of his little brother, Rory, whom was looking back to him. Rory moved his lips trying to murmur something to his brother, but Gale didn't understand. He kept walking till he reached the stage, putting himself at Effie's right side.

"Well, well", Effie said, breaking the silence. "Ladies and gentlemen, your District 12 tribute for this 74th Hunger Games"

Katniss and Gale were taken to the Justice Building and each one was placed in two different rooms where they should wait to receive their visitors before embarking on the train that would take them to the Capitol.

While they were being taken, Katniss tried to reach Gale's eyes, hoping that he could tell her that everything would be okay, like he always did to calm her down. But Gale was avoiding himself from looking at her as hard as he could. He didn't wanted to. He'd rather believe that if he didn't look, maybe that was not happening at all. He couldn't bear the fact the he was supposed to join a competition where he would be forced to kill the one who he much cared about from all people.

If not the most cared one.

Katniss was left in an extremely luxury room, full with velvet carpets and leather armchairs. She sat in one of those and waited for her visitor. Not so long after that, Katniss heard a noise coming from her door and in the next second Prim and her mother appeared.

Prim ran into Katniss and hugged her toughly, she was whimpering harder. "This's not fair" Prim croaked between a sob and other.

"Listen to me carefully, Prim" Katniss gently held her sister's face with her hands and spoke to her with a very weak voice, avoiding herself from crying. "You need to be strong, kay? You need to be strong for me and for mom, now. You'll have to find a way to get food".

"But how?"

"Learn how to hunt. You know where my bow is. You'll have to learn that by yourself" said Katniss, trembling in the last sentence, feeling a tear streaming down her face. "You need to be strong now, Prim"

Prim nodded and threw her arms once more against Katniss, burring her face in her sister's shoulder and starting to sob again. Katniss felt another hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw her mother with a glazed face and red eyes. Katniss stood up and hugged her tightly.

"Promise me that you'll be strong. You'll be strong for Prim"

"I Promise"

"Do you?"

"I do" Katniss's mother said steady before she looked away for a few seconds, then returning to face her daughter's grey eyes. "Are you gonna try to win?"

To win involved the fact that Katniss would had to kill her best and only friend. That thought gave Katniss a chill in her spine. She didn't want to think about that.

"I don't know", she answered, frankly.

"Could you try?" her mother asked her in a very respectable voice, and her eyes etched that too. She needed her daughter. Alive. Her husband's death almost had taken the life from her and now here she was again, on the verge of losing one of the most precious people that she got. If it was necessary to kill Gale, the young and strong boy whom Carolyn* had seen growing up together with her daughter, in order to Katniss come back home, that was it. For sure, that thought would turn her to a selfish bitch, but that was her duty: to wish the best to Katniss and the best of course was to be alive.

Katniss didn't answered. And there was an answer for that? The only thing that Katniss wanted to was to wake up and discovered that all that was nothing but a nightmare.

The doors of the room opened once more, and the Peacekeepers announced that the visitor's time was finished. Katniss hugged her family and saw they leaving just in front of her eyes. The door closed and Katniss sat on the armchair again. She was not expecting for the door to open again, neither that she had another visitor. However, when Madge came in Katniss smiled to her.

"I don't know what to say, Katniss", said Madge. Katniss and Madge were sort of friends, but Katniss face was quizzical. She nodded her head.

"I just came here to give you this" Madge stretched her arm to give Katniss a gift: her gold pin. Actually, it was a Mockingjay holding an arrow in its beak, inscribed in a circle. "It's to give you luck"

Katniss didn't know what to say. She was completely gawky by Madge's gesture. Katniss smirked and thanked Madge for the little present, which with no ceremony left the room, leaving Katniss alone again.

Katniss stood there, holding her pin. She looked to the door, wondering if someone else would visit her. But anyone else entered to see her. From the other side of the door, Katniss could listen to Effie's voice, which seemed extremely anxious and angry. From where Katniss was she couldn't hear clearly what the other woman was saying. She approached herself to the door and propped her ear at the mahogany board. Effie's voice was clearer.

"What do you mean with 'blocked'? That's ridiculous… Don't come to me with theses stories. We have to follow the schedule… I hope you don't kiss you mother with that mouth."

To listen to Effie Trinket, the woman always excited and positive, being angry was somewhat comical. Seeing all that fake performance trembled was something worthwhile listening to. Suddenly the mahogany door opened, hitting roughly Katniss's chin, throwing her to the floor. She collapsed the ground with her chin aching.

"Shit, I'm sorry. I didn't know that you were peeking behind the door" said Haymitch. Katniss could swear that he was amused by the situation. Katniss looked up to see Haymitch grinned. "Come here. Let me se if I caused too much damage" he held Katniss's chin roughly, approaching her to him, scanning the injured area. The alcohol in Haymitch breath was intoxicating at that short distance.

"No, you are just fine to me", he dropped her face. "I don't think that you could use that as an excuse for not joining the Games" said Haymitch before he barked a laugh "Though it would be funny: injured by her own mentor" he laughed harder again.

"Funny", said Katniss. She was still rubbing the injured area. Haymitch pulled himself together and extended his hand to Katniss.

"I'm Haymitch, by the away" he grinned. "As known as you mentor"

"Katniss Everdeen"

"Well Katniss, I got a good and a bad news for you" he began, approaching even more. Katniss noticed that Haymitch's eyes were also gray, lighter than Gale's. Despite he was a man with his forty years, all dirty and wasted, Katniss could tell that Haymitch was good-looking.

"Okay", said Katniss. Haymitch turned away from her then he began a search for any bottle of beverage that perhaps had been left there.

"Good news: something is blocking the trails that takes us to the Capitol from District 11" Haymitch stooped to reach something under the armchair. When he realized that object was worthless, he threw it over his shoulders.

"What does that mean?"

"That means that will take two days for unblocking the trails", he walked towards Katniss. "We'll only left two days from now". He grinned, sort of amused that he had two days left before attempting that damn hell that he had to every year.

"And the bad one?" Katniss asked. Honestly, what could be worst than the situation that she as living?

"We can't go home. You'll have to wait here" Haymitch said expressionless. Katniss nodded. Actually it was better like that. If she returned home, she would probably try to run away and soon she would be catch and probably punished. Luckily they would just shot her, but there was always the possibility of they shot her family and forced her to join the Game anyway.

"Two days here. Well, that could be worse".

"Two day here?" asked Gale to Haymitch, who was filling a class with whisky. Before go to Gale to tell him the news, Haymitch decided to pass in the kitchen to check the liquor stock.

"Yeah" said Haymitch. He drank his beverage and released a little "aah" after swallowed it. Gale faced the man, who was as higher as him. Haymitch noticed that he was being observed.

"So" he started, putting in his glass more whisky. "You and… Katniss", he looked up facing Gale that stiffened his muscles when listened his friend's name.

"How long are you together?" said Haymitch before emptying his glass once more. Gale frowned.

"What you mean?"

"C'mon, you know. I have seen you together" Haymitch turned back and sat on an armchair in front of Gale, he left his glass on a coffee table and headed to him again. "Actually I always see you two together".

Gale shrugged.

"We are friends and we go to the same school"

"And hunt", completed Haymitch displeasing, not caring too much for what he was saying. Gale was wide-eyed, concerned that somebody might had listened what Haymitch said. He looked up and understanding Gale's reaction he completed. "Don't worry. Nobody can hear us here" and started to drink again now directly from the bottle. Gale nodded.

"What I truly mean is that I noticed the way that you look at her" said Haymitch. Gale didn't answer. "C'mon, you are not goona say that I'm a damn drunk, aren't you?"

"I don't know what you are talking about" shrugged Gale.

"Of curse you know!" yelled Haymitch who stood up in a jump, walking towards the boy. Gale remained still, closing his fists. Haymitch was a few feet close to Gale and spitted on Gale's face the next words. "I was just like you. Handsome, stronger, with a glowering face, could have any girl that I wanted but only had eyes for one"

Gale still stiffened on his places, however Haymitch had calmed down a little.

"And the best part is that I never had my chance with her", Haymitch finished, before turning back and looking for his bottle.

"What happened?" asked Gale. Haymitch turned again to face the boy.

"I was reaped" he raised his bottle to Gale before drinking from it "And when I came back I was so fucking rich and so fucking destroyed so that she could notice".

Gale nodded felling a little uncomfortable with the situation.

"Of curse my situation is not quite as yours, but" Haymitch shrugged. "The true is that no one never win these Games"

"I don't know what to do", said Gale, not knowing exactly what he meant with that. Katniss. He couldn't stand thinking about her and more than never he wanted to be around her. His chest ached every time that he pictured himself join a competition with his best friend and leaving it without her, one way or another. No, no. He was not going anywhere without her.

"That's why I drink", said Haymitch taking Gale out of his own thoughts. "Actually my wish is to jump off that train. Every year I enter that damn train and every year I wish I could jump off," said Haymitch with a doleful look and then looking way he continued.

"Honestly I don't know if I drink to forget this idea or if it is to get the courage to do it"

Effie did her best to solve that situation, but she couldn't do much. When she contacted her superiors from the Capitol, they didn't care as much as she whished. This is what happens when you pick up a shabby District: nobody cares for it. Effie asked for her helpers to go to the train station and bring to her some blankets and pillows. She decides that she, her helpers and Haymitch would stay those two nights on the train, but when she asked to her superiors if Katniss and Gale could do the same, they denied, affirming that the Peacekeepers would have more control of then if they both stayed at the Justice Building. So, the only thing that Effie could do was to make that place as confortable as possible.

"I hope that you are hungry", said Effie as Gale and Katniss entered the kitchen. That was sort of an offensive question since everybody in District 12 were always starving. Effie asked for the cookers to make something in the train to bring it to the building, since the building's kitchen was way too small for it. They made an outstanding dinner, crowding the little round table of the kitchen.

At first Katniss didn't want to eat with Haymitch and Effie and also to eat any of all food that she never imagined to eat in her whole life, but when she saw Gale sitting at the table and grabbing a chicken thigh and gorged it like an animal, she didn't see a way to skip the invitation.

"Sorry for the size of the tabled", said Effie ashamed. "But this is the best we can do to make yourselves confortable". Gale barked a laugh at that.

During the dinner Effie was saying how beautiful the Capitol was and how sorry she was for delaying the trip. Haymitch was eating his meal in silence, and once in a while he made a sarcastic comment to Effie, who easily ignored it. Katniss couldn't stop facing Gale, who still didn't look at her. Rage was boiling on her and before she could think about anything, she was throwing a spoon at Gale, which hit his chest. Everybody was astonished.

Katniss were wild-eyed facing Gale, breathing between her teeth. Gale grabbed the spoon and dropped it on the tabled and then, finally, looked at her.

"What?" he said glazed. Katniss was ready to throw another thing at Gale, but Haymitch grabbed her arm in time.

"Wow, let's save this for the games", said Haymitch still grabbing Katniss's arm, and when he convinced himself that no more tableware would be thrown over the table, he let her go.

"What? Seriously?", said Katniss between her teeth. "You are avoiding me since you get up on that stage! You don't want to look at me anymore? Are you no longer my friend? Did you made your mind about killing me and returning safe to you home?" said Katniss in one breath. Gale was extremely offended by that and he was on the verge of saying a lot of things that he would probably regret later, but he didn't. He stood up and get out of the kitchen walking towards the room where he would pass the night in. As he walked out he listened the sound of a chair moving and he could swear that it was Katniss's chair. She was going to reach him and probably she would punch him on the stomach. Maybe he deserved that. But then he listened to Haymitch's voice in the kitchen.

"Let it go. Give him some break"

Gale was sure that Haymitch had said that to Katniss in order to stop her, but he knew his friend. He was waiting to Katniss ignore Haymitch and came towards him. But she didn't. Indeed, Katniss listened to Haymitch for Gale's surprise. Disappointed, he walked in his room and slapped the door behind him.

He threw himself on the couch and faced the celling. Shit. There is no better word to describe his situation.

I'm Gale Hawthorne and I live in District 12. I'm one of the tributes of the 74th Hunger Games and I'm about to wrestle my best friend Katniss Everdeen to death

Gale stood up in a jump. Shit, shit, shit. Why has Haymitch had told him earlier that whole story about life wasted and love lost? Gale was already dealing with enough without that. Worst than seeing Katniss on that stage was joined her to the same destiny. He was doomed.

Doomed and locked.

He started to walk through the room and suddenly he kicked the couch. He needed to release his anger. He needed to figure out something. He needed a strategic.

"Holy shit", he muttered as an idea came to his mind. It was brilliant. Brilliant and suicidal.

Thank you, Haymitch.

Katniss was almost falling asleep. Unfortunately the room that she was left had no couch, only two armchairs that were extremely heavy to be united into a bed. Katniss gave up to find a position in that armchair, so she decided to sleep on the floor over the velvet carpet.

She was too distressed that she couldn't control her own thoughts. They went from Prim and her mother to the woods, which she'd probably never would see again. Not even feel the wind and the smells of that place where she felt herself so free. And remembering the woods she remembered Gale.

Gale, that bastard.

Katniss rolled to the other side of the room. She didn't want to think about Gale. If she weren't so mad she would be crying. She was crushed, maybe even more than crushed. Her heart was broken. Katniss really believed that Gale was preparing himself to kill her. Who can blame him? He had three little siblings to care for and also a mother to feed. Katniss only hope that he could remember her family when he returned as a winner.

Katniss put her hands against her face. This was driving her crazy.

All of a sudden, she heard a noise at her door, pulling up the blanket that was given to her till her chest. All the windows of the room were locked and it was so hot inside that Katniss had taken off her mother's dress, being only with her underwear.

The door opened slowly. Katniss was still on the floor. She looked to the armchair where her dress was and realized that she didn't have time to put it on.

"Katniss", Gale muttered and closed the door behind him carefully. "Are you awake?" he crouched to the floor and started to crawl on it, looking for her.

Katniss didn't answered. She thought he would just leave if she remained herself quiet. She wanted to hit Gale, to punch him until he felt the same way as she. However Gale found Katniss's ankle. She was about to take his hand off her when he started to travel his hand over her leg, from her calf till he reached her knee. Katniss held herself as he touched her skin. He already had touched her many times before, including her leg. but something was different about that touch. His warm hand was thrilling her now. Katniss pretend to cough and Gale took his hand off.

"Hey, Catnip" said Gale as he approached himself from Katniss and hugged her. At first she wanted to pull him away, but feeling his warm body next to her changed her mind. She hugged him back, forgetting that she was only in her underwear.

"I'm so sorry, Katniss. I just… I don't know how to deal with this" he took his arms off Katniss and held her face gently with his hands. His sight was getting used to the darkness, and Katniss's expressions were getting clearer.

"It's okay. I don't know how to deal with this too"

"No. I was a jerk"

"Gale, it's fine. Soon or later we would end up talking about this, right?" she grinned, not sure if he would see it. But he did. Not only her smile but also the fact that she was wearing nothing but her underwear. She was wearing a very thin top that underlined her breasts. He looked further down and saw that Katniss was wearing a dark pantie, maybe gray or black. It was interesting because once or twice he had pictured her wearing only her underwear… Or nothing.

"Gale?" she called him. If this were any other situation, maybe Gale would be a little ashamed for being caught in the act by looking Katniss body. Maybe he would have figured out some excuse and changed the subject. But here they were, facing an imminent death. No, Gale wouldn't apologize for that.

He trended himself to Katniss, kissing her. At first she was surprised with that and held her air in, but when she felt his tongue licking her lower lip she let him give her a long, slow, open-mouthed kiss. He had never kissed her before, but it was so good that Katniss went dizzy for a while. Gale leaned his body even more towards Katniss. He started kissing her neck while one of his hands was on her waist and the other were tangled in her bad-done braid hair. He pressed his body over hers, forcing Katniss to lie down beneath him. He put his leg between hers and started to kiss her mouth all over again. Katniss was breathless and sometime she needed to stop the kiss for catching some air and then kissing Gale again. One of her hands was against his chest while the other was playing with his hair.

"Oh, Katniss", he moaned, kissing her neck again. "I can't let you go". Katniss stopped the kiss and stared his eyes. Both of them were breathless and warm.

"I can't lose you, too" she said. He brought his face near Katniss, with his frown against hers.

"I got a plan"

"Which plan?"

"Let's run away"

Katniss looked at him astonished, getting up and forcing him to do the same. He couldn't be serious.

"Gale, this is pathetic. There are plenty of Peacekeepers outside just waiting for us to do that"

"Do you want to join the Games?" he asked serious. Katniss was offended.

"Of curse not!"

"So this is the only ways," he said. Katniss took a deep breath, not convinced. "We can do this tomorrow at dawn. We get out of here and run away to the woods, like we always said. Nobody will find us there"

"Gale, are you listening to yourself?" she asked angrily "This whole plan is a fiasco. The woods are the first place where they will look up for us. Doesn't matter how much we run, they will always be on our back"

"They will give up a hour. The Peacekeepers don't know the forest well, they would already have found us there if they did" he said. "Besides, they would be afraid of facing some cougars or bears. They would not too risk much"

"Okay. Let's imagine that it would work. How about our families?" she asked roughly, although she was afraid of the answer. "Are we gonna leave them here?" Katniss asked.

The truth was that Katniss was excited with the idea. It would probably go wrong, but just the thought of running away from there were delightful. However she couldn't just abandon Prim and run to the woods with Gale. As she knew he couldn't do the same with his own family.

Gale considered her question for a second.

"We will take them"

"What?"

"We will take them", Gale shrugged. Katniss stood up and started walking through the room one side to another.

"This is madness. How are we going to do this? And what if they catch us?" she was breathless again.

"Katniss", Gale held her shoulders forcing her to stop and face him. "I'd rather die trying to get out of here than going to the arena and be forced to watch you die there". Katniss was still quiet, facing him back.

"We can run away and try to live" he paused. "But if we stay here, I'm not going to watch you die"

"What you mean?"

"You'll win the Game"

"Gale, this is pathetic. I don't have any chance of winning. You should win…"

"I'm not going to see you die, Katniss!" he barked, forcing Katniss to shut up. "I can't lose you"

And Katniss couldn't lose him as well. It was obvious. She just didn't wanted to be part of that. She just wanted her life back. What life? Having fear every year couldn't be called life. Maybe Gale was right. Perhaps they should run away and hide. Maybe Gale's plan could work out. Perhaps it was better to die trying to escape than dying in the arena.

"So, are we gonna escape?" she asked staring Gale's eyes, but her voice were much more sweet now. Gale smirked and grabbed her hands.

"This is exactly what we are about to do".

N/A: * The lovely Mrs. Everdeen doesn't have a forename on the books, which is an absurd in my opinion. So, I had the honor to name her Carolyn.

This is the end of the very first chapter! My dears, I hope you all know that reviews are so much important for us authors. So don't forget to submit me your review to let me know if I should go on with this.