Full summery- It's been six years scene Catching Fire (Mokingjay never happened or the last few chapters of Catching Fire) and snow is out for revenge. The Hunger Games have been changed this year, making Katniss a token when she is forced into the arena for a 3rd time. The first tribute to kill Katniss will be crowned victor on the spot and the remaining tributes will be killed by the capital. If Katniss is able to win the Hunger Games a 3rd time then the games will Stop forever and Panam will become a very free country again. How will Katniss survive when the only person everyone wants dead is her? Its 23 life's for the cost of freedom this Hunger Games.
Disclaimer; I do not own the Hunger Games.
I stand deep in the woods of District 12. With my bow in one hand and a freshly picked primrose in the other I allow the wind to whip around me, making the smells I love oh so much become stronger and more lovingly. I originally came out here to gather some herbs and get some meat for Peeta and myself but the second I saw how beautiful the prims were to day something inside told me to not rush my hunting and to enjoy a little bit of the place I once shared with my father.
It's been six years scene the Quarter Quill that had previous victors fight to the death in, six years scene Haymitch and former head game maker Plutarch Hevensbee rescued Peeta, Finnick, Joanna and I from the area, and six years scene I discovered that my fillings for Peeta weren't fake or as much for the cameras as I had hoped they would stay. The trick that Haymitch and Plutarch pulled was all a big diversion that President Snow himself came up with, no one knew what was really going on and still six years later no one knows the real truth behind it. Haymitch thought it was going to be a rescue trip, a plan to insure that both Peeta and I made it out of there alive and in a way he was somewhat right. Snow isn't the kind of person to just do random acts of aid without adding something sinister to cover it with, if he did then that would be extremely uncharacteristic of him and that would have the smarter half of Panam thinking that our "great ruler" has lost his mind.
I deeply believe that Snow has a horribly evil plan, one that will have the targets as me and Peeta. Snow never got his revenge on us for the berry stunt we pulled in our first games, Haymitch is always reminding and telling me that snow isn't the kind of man to just let things go, that he'll get revenge not today, not tomorrow or even ten years from now, he'll get it when he ready for it and finally that if I thought going into the games for a second time was bad then to just wait till he gives us the worst of it. The first time Haymitch had told me that my knees gave out and I almost started to vomit from the fear of what could be worse than having to go into the hunger games twice.
A pit of fear rises in my gut, this always happens when I think of the past or frightening future; the heavy filling in my stomach is something that I have become immune to every time it sets in I either let Peeta in close me in his arms or I go in to the woods to hunt.
Bringing the delicate primrose to my nose I breathe in its sweet delectate smell, its silky petals brush against my lips, sending a small tickling filling to run across them. This small yellow flower for which my sister was named, brings her fresh rain dropped shaped face to mind.
She and my mother moved to the capital two years ago, they got jobs at one of the main hospitals there. My mother as a doctor and Prim even though she was still young at the time got a position as a nurse. They stayed there for a couple of months, treating the sick capital people and such before they joined a group of doctors that go around to other districts and help train the doctors who aren't as experienced in the field of medicine as one should be. So far they've been to districts 1, 7, 8, 3, and 5, when they finish training all the country's doctors there going to come back to 12 for a while before they head back to the capital to get more training. The group that they joined has the only 50 people in in Panam who are allowed to freely travel among the districts, not even the game escorts such as Effie have that much freedom. There is only one major rule that they must follow which is every year on reaping day they must be present in there district for the calling of names, even the elders of the group.
So many changes have been made to the hunger games and not a single one of them is a good thing. Instead of only mixing up them up every twenty five years they now do it every two years. The first year they did it the reaping was the thing that was changed, that year the only names to go into the large crystal bowls were those of the population who were at the age of sixteen. That year they either had a 0% chance of being picked or a % that was too scary to wonder what it was. The next year the tributes weren't allowed to receive any parachutes, the arena that year was rigged with death traps and the weapons were nothing like anybody had ever seen, a simple spear had the power to shoot a toxic poising ten feet in the air and a simple knife if thrown right could hit the target at over 200mph. Peeta and I were mentors in both those games and the games between. This year will be another one of those years.
I load my bow then begin to walk slowly and quietly, my senses stay locked on super active. I walk along the same path I took that morning of my first games in hope of finding another deer. It's been awhile scene I took to this part of the forest. Everything looks so fresh; the leaves seam brighter, the river water looks bluer, even the dirt looks like a more relaxing shade of brown. I spot two squirrels in a tree fighting over an acorn and after a moment of careful aim they both go down. The arrow holds them together by their small necks. Necks are the best place to shoot a squirrel when you go for a double deal because they die instantly and sense there's not a lot of meat there the shot doesn't cost you any. I put them in my bag before moving on. By the time the heaviness in my stomach vanishes I have four squirrels, eight small birds, a turkey and a pail full of berries.
By the time I finish skinning the animals it's around three in the afternoon. Leaving the district it still illegal, so when I put my game in to my bag I try to make it look as concealed as I can without damaging the game. I don't even try to hide the berries because I won't be in possession of them much longer.
I still do my trading at the hob but mostly only when we're in need of like gauze, yarn or something like that. Most times I go in there it's to give Greasy Saul some meet or to just chat with people.
Before I go to the hob I stop by Peetas families' bakery. I walk in and a little bell goes off above the door. Peetas mother greats me behind the counter she looks at me with an ice cold glare then disappears into the back.
Peetas mother has never been found of me; to her I'm the seam brat that her son just happens to be in love with. Before Peeta and I had our toasting she could look at me in civil manner and every now and again call me by my name and not by seam brat. Ever scene the day I changed from Katniss Everdeen in to Katniss Mellark I've never gotten a look from that woman even close to civil, sometimes I think she hates me more than Snow.
Peeta walks out from the back whipping his hand on a rag, when he speaks his voice is warm and soft, "Hi."
"Hi… I brought you some berries for that bread," I hold up the pail.
"Thanks," he takes the pail from me and pops a blue berry in his mouth.
I walk to him and run my fingers through his blond hair, flour falls from it, covering the floor with a thin layer of white. I roll my eyes at the amount.
"How is it possible for a twenty-two year old to get this much flour in his hair?" I ask.
Peeta just looks at me and smiles.
I can't help but to smile back he can be so stupid sometimes. A few minutes go by while I stand and watch Peeta pick out all the blue berries in the bucket and eat them. I snag a strawberry and bit in to it, its sweet flavor explodes in my mouth. I finish off a couple before I remember the turkey I was going to give to Greasy Saul.
"I'm going to the hob. I'll see you at home." I give him a quick kiss and hop down from my spot on the counter.
The hob is as dark and crowded as it always is when I arrive, I find Greasy Saul in the back whipping off of the counter, when she sees the turkey in my hand her hand goes out automatically. I hand it over and she weighs it her hand. I plop some of the birds down too and she smiles.
"Thank you, girl," she says.
"Mmhhm."
Greasy Saul begins to chop up the birds and throw the chunks in a barrel of salt; she sells all the innards within five minutes.
"How's Gale been?" her question is so sudden and unexpected that I don't know what to do.
I think, Gale? Gale? Why would she ask me about him? Everyone in District 12 knows that Gale and I don't speak anymore or at least I thought everyone knew. Truth be told Gale and I haven't spoken in over five years. When I came back from the capital after the Quarter Quill he was so distant and mad at me because of what he saw on the hobs old TV, that every time I would try to talk to him he'd just stare at me with a blank expression I knew too well. When we would hunt together in the past and he was in one of his moods he would just look at me with that blank zoomed out all most dead looking expression. Every time he wore it, it made my blood boil. The last time we talked it was winter and we had agreed to meet in the log cabin that my father and I found once upon a time. When Gale had walked in I didn't even have time to ask him what his problem was before he was in my face yelling at me about a number of things most of which had the main topic of Peeta and how if I'd never volunteered for Prim then we wouldn't be in this hell of a situation. Through his enter rant the only thing that stuck to me was what he said about Prim because even though he never said the exact words he basically told me that I should have just let Prim go and die in the hunger games so that I could be his. Unfortunately I was stupid and didn't bring my bow with me that day because if I had had it I would have shot and arrow into his heart, I had to settle for slapping him in his face and kicking him in his groan. That was the last time we spoke or came within ten feet of one another. The last time I even saw him was a month ago here at the hob he was sitting on the counter talking to one of the older miners, he didn't see me because I had bolted to the meadow wear I laid in the grass for a few hours and thought back on something's.
"I, I don't know…" my words come out in a whisper, "I thought you knew..." my senesce drops and I stare at my hands.
"I know, girl, everyone knows."
I look up at her in confusion, "Then why'd you ask?"
Greasy Saul looks at me with an expression I can't place, "He came in the other day and said that you to have talked about something's, said you were pleased to see him. I was surprised and I had to hear it from the horse's mouth in order to believe it"
"No…no, Gale and I haven't spoken in over five years, I haven't seen him in about a month."
Saul smiles a little and shakes her head in slow disapproving manner, "Knew that boy was lying, you ani't the kind of girl to let something like that go."
My eyes find their way back to my dirty nails, "Yah… I have to go Peetas expecting me." I say as I push off the counter.
Greasy Saul thanks me for the game once more before I head home. As I walk down the road to Victors Village Greasy Saul's words replay in my mind over and over "he said you to talked about something's, said you were pleased to see him." Why would Gale lie and say we talked?Why would he even say something like that to Greasy Saul when he more than likely knew that she would tell me? If he trying to mess with my mind and make me do something that would cause me to fill stupid about doing later on? Or is he spreading lies because he nothing else to do? All these questions swim around in my mind; by the time I reach home I have a head ache and that uneasy feeling in my stomach has come back.
I open the front door to be hit by the smell of baking bread. I find Peeta in the kitchen leaning over a pot of boiling vegetables. He doesn't even look up when I hand him the bag with the two squirrels and four birds in it, instead he just takes the bag and begins to add chunks of squirrel to the stew. One a normal day this would have bugged me because when I get home he usually greets me with a kiss or smile but all that thinking about Gales little lie has left my brain filling like a beaten ball of dough.
I go up to Peeta and I's room, after I've taken off my boots and my father's old hunting jacket I head to the bath room to get a shower. The water burns my skin but I don't dare turn down the heat, it fills much too good. I scrub my hair with a berry scented shampoo and wash my body with a similar smelling body wash. I dried myself off and bride my hair back, then pull on cotton pants and soft long sleeved shirt.
When I get to the kitchen I find that dinner is done for the most part, assuming from what is on the island I guess that the bread is the thing that makes us wait.
The questions about Gale still swim around in my mind, not knowing the answer to his lie is making my body run hot, the fact that I don't even have an idea as to why he told it makes my left temple boom with an exploding pain every time my heart beats. I place my head in my hands and let out a load groan of irritation. Why is this one little thing making me go insane? I mean if it was something like him telling the district that I was dead then that would make scene to me, but this? Out of all the things that could be making me fill sick it's a lie that my former friend said about how I was happy to see him during a conversation we had that never really happened. Maybe Haymitch is right, I am losing my mind.
A gentle hand grips my shoulder; I jump and nearly fall off of my stool. I turn around to meet Peetas crystal blue eyes they shine with worry. "You ok?"
I go to say yes but think against it I can't lie to Peeta he knows me to well, "No… not really."
"What's wrong?" his hand moves to stroke my cheek.
I let out a deep breath then tell him everything that's been going on in my head from the recapping questions to the conversation with Greasy Saul even the part about my deciding why this was bugging me so much. Peeta doesn't once interrupt me; he just leans back on the island and listens. At the beginning I can tell he is confused and start to stop not even then dose he speak he just simply holds up a finger, telling me to give him a minute, then makes a gesture with his hand for me to continue. By the time I finish the bread is done and I want nothing more than to stuff myself full with squirrel stew and bread then to fall into a deep sleep and forget this mind damaging day.
Peeta dishes out the stew and bread. I'm half way through my stew when Peeta speaks for the first time scene asking me what's wrong. "He forgives you."
"Who for what?" what's he talking about?
"Gale. He forgives you for what you did to him that day five years ago." Peeta whispers the words.
My head shoots in his direction, my eyes glaring, "Wrong, I didn't do a dam thing to Gale all I did was give him what he deserved after what he said about Prim. If anyone should be forgiving anyone then it should be me, not him."
Peeta looks up from his stew, his blue eyes stair in to my gray ones for so long and hard that I fill as if he was trying to melt me.
"Katniss, it's either that or he knows that something is going to happen wear you two will need to forgive each other."
The first thing that pops to mind is Snows revenge, dose Gale what it is? Is it going to be happening so soon that now is the only time he has to make things right? If so then why won't he come out of hiding and confront me? Is he scared or… what?
"I can't think right now. What you just said confused me more than I ever thought a person could possibly be. I going to bed I love you."
I give Peeta a quick kiss then dash up stairs and collapse onto our bed. I lay there for a while, trying not to think of the confusion today has given me. It's not until Peeta comes to bed and I'm snuggled against his chest that I can fill my mind and body start to relax, I soon fall asleep all signs of today's confusion gone.
A/N- how was it? I know this chapter is a little slow but I promise that within the next one or two that it will become the story that y'all are all waiting for. I'll up date as soon as I can so please don't be getting mad if I don't post for a few weeks every now and again. What do y'all think about Gale becoming one of the bad guys? Let me know.