Safe and Sound
Intro
"Ready for the reaping?" Gale says, looking at me.
"As ready as I'll ever be." I shrug.
"Wear something pretty," he says flatly. We walk in opposite directions.
After I get ready for the event, Prim and my mother and I join everyone in the square. Gale and I exchange bored looks. Hopefully we can just get this over with quickly. After I look away, I glance back at Gale's face for a moment. He's looking at me with genuine concern, his brow furrowed in frustration. As soon as our eyes meet, he looks away quickly. Maybe I just imagined his worried facial expression.
He couldn't actually be scared, could he? The brave, strong Gale I know would never worry for himself. None of his family members are in the reaping today. Could he be nervous for me?
"Ladies first, as usual," says Effie Trinket in her capitol accent. Not Prim, I think. Please, not her.
Effie's hand swims around the bowl until she selects a paper. She takes a breath as I hold my breath. "Primrose Everdeen!" Suddenly everything is in slow motion. Is this happening? No. It can't be. Prim's name was only in there once. Suddenly, my feet are moving. This is not happening.
"I volunteer as tribute!"
"How exciting!" trills Effie. "Now for the male tribute." She digs her hand into the bowl. "Pe-"
"I volunteer," says a low voice. A voice that I would recognize anywhere. Gale.
"It seems we have another volunteer!" Effie claps as Gale walks towards the stage. I'm staring at him, my mouth hanging slightly limp. He won't meet my gaze. He knows I'm angry.
Saying goodbye to Prim was the hardest. Now I must focus on surviving. Dinner was an interesting affair. I've never seen so much food in my life. After bathing, I changed into clothes softer than anything I've ever felt. Now, sitting in my room on the capitol train after dinner, I feel the lonely and worried.
Before I even know what I'm doing, I find myself knocking on Gale's door. As soon as the door opens, I go into his arms without hesitation. We stand in the doorway for I don't know how long. I'm not sure how to explain it, but it just feels right to be with Gale. We get along easily. He's my best friend, but could he ever be more? Could I ever love him the way a woman loves her husband?
I suddenly feel extremely aware of how close we are. How his hand rests on the small of my back while his free hand strokes my hair. It's so innocent and gentle. I enjoy our embrace more than I should. We fit together so perfectly.
"Gale?" I ask, breaking the silence.
"Yes, Catnip?" he asks as he looks down at me. When did he get so tall?
"What are we going to do?" When the words leave my mouth, I see a sadness creep into his eyes.
"I don't know," he whispers. I've never seen Gale this vulnerable before.
He stares into my eyes intently. I cock my head to the side as if to say, What are you thinking?
Without warning, he lifts my face to his. His lips are warm and spicy; they taste faintly of cinnamon. At first I'm not sure what to do; he's like my brother! After a few seconds though, my lips melt into his. It's the most pleasant thing I've ever felt. An excited feeling sits in my stomach. When he pulls away, we look into each other's eyes again. Slowly a grin spreads across Gale's face. "I've always wanted to do that," he says.
And suddenly I realize, I've always wanted to do it too.
END CHAPTER
a/n: Sorry that it's so short, I didn't want the introduction to be very long. Chapters will be much longer.
