Hey everyone!
So this is my Galeniss fanfic where Gale volunteers (as the summary says); and I'd like to clear that my mother tongue is Spanish, so if you see any spelling mistake…
I HOPE YOU LIKE IT, because it's the English version of my own fanfic! (I even translated it myself)
Ps. In the original one (Spanish) this chapter is longer: I cut the part when Kantiss volunteers because #yolo.
Ps2. I am posting this fanfic on my tumblr too: .com
Summary: Gale volunteers at the 74th Hunger Games with Katniss. Is she angry with him? Of course, because he broke their pact, but she's worried about something else: a weird dream with a man, calling her to meet at dawn, under a tree…
At dawn
When everything is over
It isn't just a game, it's way more than that
FIRST PART: THE TRIBUTES
Chapter 1: " Fear the Reaping"
Far away, in the 18 area, someone steps aside from the crowd. My hands are sweating and all I can think of is what has already happened in today's Reaping: I volunteered for Prim, the only person I certainly know I love, and Effie Trinket called Peeta Mellark's name.
I think in the boy with the bread's older brother, the one who can still be reaped, but instead of finding another blonde guy, I meet a pair of challenging gray eyes. Dark hair, olive skin, pretty tall… It's Gale.
I want to scream but my throat doesn't let me do that. He steps forward and I realize that Peeta Mellark, who's next to me, is as surprised as I am. 'Why?' I wonder, 'Why are you doing this?'
I shake my head, looking straight at him. 'Come back to your place, please. Don't do this!' I think. He lifts his chin up and climbs up stairs to the stage. We stare at each other for a second until Peeta Merllak climbs down and looks at Gale, raising an eyebrow: I am sure he doesn't understand why he's doing this. He's replacing him, and they aren't even friends because they have never talked, even one.
I don't understand either.
Effie Trinket looks at him from head to toe and raises both eyebrows: she looks surprised, and maybe he is the best thing that has ever happened in any Reaping. Sh takes his arms and takes him to the microphone with quick steps.
"Tell us your name, volunteer" she says, smiling. Gale looks at her and I can notice hate and repulsion in his eyes, however, he contains himself and leans closer to the microphone.
"Gale Hawthorne" he says without any hesitation. All the cameras are focused on him and his face is showing on all the screens from the Square. The people make the same gesture that they made to me, and Gale looks at me. They press their three middle fingers of their left hand against their lips, and then they point us.
They respect us, and everyone in here knows that we are the hunters from the districts… and that there won't be more meat anymore.
After a long pause, the Mayor recites another long speech but I am too focused on my thoughts. How will Gale's sibling survive? And her mother? And what about my own family? We made a pact and one of us was supposed to stay here! But no, Gale had to volunteer… And here we are, listening to Panem's anthem.
Gale strokes my right elbow and then takes my hand. I swallow, but I don't care that the cameras are showing our image, holding hands, all over the place: I feel safe with his scrapping hand taking mine and the calluses between his fingers against mine. I don't even realize when the anthem is over and they have to separate us to our farewell so then we can take the train to the Capitol.
The room where I am locking in is very luxurious. A few rays or sun get through the windows (that are covered by a pair of heavy curtains) and illuminate the black velvet sofa.
I take a sit and my mother, with Prim, get into the dark room. They round me with their arms, tears in their eyes. I contain my urge to cry with them, but I don't want to look weak. I hug my sister and I let them sit on my lap, while I give them both a few advices.
I get mad with my mother, who promises she won't be "absent" again, like when my father died. She says she was sick, but I tell her to be strong for both of them.
The peacekeepers show up too quickly.
"Promise me you'll come back, Katniss… Both of you" says Prim, breaking my heart: she knows it's impossible for me to win, and she even asks me to brin Gale back! "Will you try?"
"I promise I will" I don't like promising impossible things but… she's my sister. "I love you both!" I yell at them before the peace keepers close the door behind them.
After them, the baker, Peeta Merllak's father, shows up. He isn't a man who talks a lot, so it doesn't look weird for me that he finally talks after a few minutes. He gives me a small package.
"It's for you" I open them and… there are cookies! Delicious and homemade cookies… "Don't worry; your little sister won't starve. I'll check she eats"
For some reason I feel calm when this stranger says that he will take care of Prim. I nod.
"Thank you" I say, trying to smile a little. "Could you thank your son, for me?" He nods without even asking why.
The time ends and he leaves without the escorting of any peacekeepers.
After him, Madge walks in. She's really straight and she doesn't even let me greet her. She takes the golden pin from her dress and gives it to me. It's a very small bird, flying.
"Would you like to take this? They let you take something from your district for the Arena" she says, but I raise an eyebrow.
"Your pin?"
"Yes! I'll put it on your dress, okay?" she after she does that, she smiles at me. "Promise me you'll use it into the Arena"
"I will"
And there goes another promise…
She kisses my cheek before leaving and I realize she is my friend, or was, after all.
At least, Gale's family gets in after Madge: Hazelle with Rory, Vick and Posy. Every single one of them hugs me, but Gale's mother kisses my forehead and the little children run to stare at some paintings on the walls.
"Listen, Katniss…" she makes sure her children are away before keep on going, "I know about the pact, and I know you might be wondering why he did this. He always thinks he's doing what is right. You know Gale more than anyone else, okay? Please, try to keep him safe, try to control him because I don't want him to insult the Capitol on screen and that they kill him before even starting the Games" I nod and hug her.
The peacekeepers show up faster than the other times. My friend's siblings hug me as if I were their sister, and Hazelle kisses my forehead again. "Katniss, maybe you don't understand, but he's doing this because-"
The door closes before she can end the sentence.
I sit down again and stroke the soft and dark velvet before another peacekeepers escort me, with Gale, to our district's train station. Before boarding, the cameras focus on us again, and I can see Gale's face expression on a few screens: he looks as bored as me, and of course he didn't cry. Which means he isn't weak… but who would think he'll be another weak victim? Gale looks almost as a career tribute, and that makes me wonder… What if the Games change him and he turns into a murderer like them? What if he joins the careers?
He takes my hand and I look at the closest screen before boarding: I don't look happy, at all… I look nervous.
When we get into the car, the doors automatically close behind us. I hand loose, looking uncomfortable, and stroke the plaids of my mother's dress. Haymitch steps between us, walks through the hallway and he is so drunk that I can hear a laugher before the noise of a door closing. Effie rolls her eyes and then looks at both of us.
"You'll have one room for each other, with any kind of clothes you want and accessories into your wardrobes" she smiles at me and pats my head, "Don't worry! All these articles came from the Capitol! So you won't have to wear this old dress for dinner. Oh, and talking about dinner… it'll be ready in an hour"
She smiles again and leaves the hallway as I look at Gale, who's extremely quiet.
"I am mad at you because we had a greeting, and you're ruining your life" He nods and I sigh. "See you later, I guess…"
I walk through the corridor until I find my new room. Before closing its door, I can hear Gale's scream.
"By the way, your mother's dress looks pretty on you"
I think… I think I've just broken the door. I've got the doorknob on my hand: it's made of gold and has little pieces of diamonds. Therefore, I try to repair it.
Later, I get into the shower and press all the buttons. I look at my hands and even my nails are clean. After drying, I open a drawer and it has a lot of colorful clothes, and I even want to vomit… until a find a dark green shirt that matches with a pair of trousers. I look in the wardrobe for a pair of decent boots between some yellow and purple high heels. Then, I stare at my reflection in the mirror but I don't braid my hair again.
Effie opens the door and keeps the doorknob in her hand. She inspects it frowning for a seconds and then she looks at me, blankly.
"It was broken when I got in. I tried to repair it but…" I try to look as calmer as I can and she interrupts me.
"What a pity! We should tell someone about this… after dinner, of course. Come on, dear. Follow me, please" After getting out of the room I sigh: thank the odds she didn't hear the slam.
We enter in the dining-room, where there's a long table with the Capitol's sing, just as a reminder of where we are going. It's full with food that looks delicious… and Gale's repulsion face. He's sitting with his elbows on the table; he even left a free chair next to him for me. We stare at each other until I raise an eyebrow and he puts his elbows off the table after Effie complains.
"At least you have good manners" she says when we are already eating. "Last year's couple ate with their hands! I really wanted to vomit while watching then…"
Gale cleans with mouth and leans closer to my ear and whispers "How could anyone resist this?"
"Telling secrets at meetings is very rude" says Effie, eating more salad. Gale clears his throat and I try to stop him but…
"I said: How could a person from the Seam, where people starve and you should feel lucky if you live more than 40 years… resist him or herself of eating all these delicious dishes?" Then, he cleans his hands on the white tablecloth, smiling. Effie swallows and looks at him, surprised. Gale keeps eating and she pretends she didn't hear anything.
We finish dinner in completely silence. After that, we take place on a huge sofa and look at the rest of the tributes on screen, because they are showing all the reapings again. Of course I am not surprised that there are careers (they always volunteer), but a little girl from District 11 takes all my attention… until we appear, the very first volunteers of District 12.
They show how I run to my sister and pushed her behind me, then when I climbed to the stage and Haymitch fell from it (everyone started laughing in that part). Then Peeta Mellark was called and Gale step aside from my crowd of children. But they focused on our hands.
"That man should learn how to control himself. Maybe have some classes about presentation in front of the cameras…" says Effie about our mentor.
"He was drunk, like every year" replies Gale, angry.
"Like every day" I say, laughing. Gale joins me but Effie rolls her eyes. Then she says Haymitch Abernathy will be our difference between life and death in the Arena.
And talking about Haymitch… he gets into the room, lurching.
"Have I missed something interesting?" he vomits on the carpet and falls. The smell of alcohol mixed with vegetables isn't very nice…
"Go on! Keep laughing!" says Effie and she leaves. But it isn't out fault! We just can't control our laugher!
But then I stop laughing and stare at Gale for a second and remember that, in a few weeks… he could be killing me.
END OF CHAPTER ONE
Grammar? Spelling? Anything you want to tell me?
Just in case, CH4 (or A, because it's like an extra because it's Gale's POV) is like a bomb, because everything EVERYTHING changes after that.
EVERYTHING.
I hope you liked this first chapter!
Camila