Contention

"We could do it you know." The words echoed in her head, resonating louder with each repeat. As fast as she had dismissed the idea of leaving District 12, Gale's proposal stuck with her, and refused to vanish. Even now, as she stood at the reaping, Katniss could not banish the taunting, tempting thoughts from her head. To never again have to stand here and await the announcement of death, to never have to fear for her family again, it was too much to hope for. And yet… And yet, it could work.

Of course, it'll be hard for everyone who didn't hunt on a regular basis, but between Gale and herself, they may have a chance. They could teach Vick and Rory how to hunt, and Posy could learn how to heal from Katniss's mom along side-

"Primrose Everdeen!"

"Leave. Live in the woods. Leave…" Freedom, food, the chance for a better life.

Wait.

What's happening?

"Prim!"

"Peeta Mellark!"

No. No, no, no!

"…The District 12 Tributes." She was too late. She had to try.

"I volunteer!" The words stuck in her throat. The crowd was already dispersing. The tributes were gone. Katniss stood frozen in a panic, then crumpled to the ground. Kneeling in the dirt and cobble stones, she clutched her head in horror. She'd failed her. She'd failed her. She'd failed her! That little girl had depended on her and her alone for years, and the one time –the one time! - she had felt safe in straying in thought Prim had paid for it with her life.

"Katniss. Katniss!" Gale was by her side, trying to get her to move. "Katniss, we have to go see her."

That got her to move, but with movement came the end of the paralyzing shock, and the beginning of the tears. She walked slowly, as if to her own doom; legs half frozen in fear. When they finally made it to the room in the Justice Building, Katniss was surprised not to find her sister a bleeding, disfigured corpse yet. She was still alive… for now.

"Katniss!" Prim ran into her arms when she saw her sister. Katniss, numb with grief, pulled Prim close to her on instinct, tears still cascading down her face.

"Prim, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry." Prim just stood there and cried in her arms as Katniss apologized over and over again. They didn't notice their mom come in. They didn't notice her leave in silence. Finally, Katniss loosened her grip and kneeled in front of her sister.

"Prim, look at me." With her last ounce of strength, Katniss did the one thing she had promised herself she would never do. "Prim, you know everything I do about plants, what's safe to eat, what to use on wounds. You can use that in the arena. You just need to run. Just run and hide and don't let them find you. You just need to out last the rest of them." Besides let Prim down, and cause her to die by her failure, Katniss had promised herself she would never lie to Prim.

Prim just looked at her sister and nodded her head, wiping her tears from her eyes. Katniss pulled her down to her shoulder and held her close one last time. Gale came in at one point and said something, but Katniss was deaf to anything but the beating of her sister's heart. How many times would it beat before it stopped? How long did she have left to live? Why was this happening? She was one slip of paper in hundreds!

Suddenly Katniss was being yanked up by the back of her dress. The Peacekeepers had waited long enough to take their victims to their deaths. Gale punched the one who had grabbed Katniss, but was grabbed by three others and forced out of the room. Katniss could not hold on tight enough to Prim; they had to pry the two sisters apart screaming. It took two Peacekeepers to drag Katniss outside the Justice Building, where they threw her into Gale's arms. Still she fought; clawing and kicking to get back to Prim's side, to protect her as she had failed to at the Reaping.

Gale held her back, even the most forgiving Peacekeepers who knew them personally would not be so a second time. Not today. Not when all of Panem was watching. He held her back and was knocked to the ground for his efforts. Finally, exhausted, devastated, her strength left her and Katniss slumped against Gale's shoulder, and cried. Gale wrapped himself around her and there they stayed. Gale held her and rubbed her back. He knew what Prim's leaving meant; now that she was gone, nothing would be the same. Katniss's heart was broken, possibly for good.

Gale watched as the car came for the tributes and took them to the train station. He made no effort to get up off the ground. As the car drove away, however, Katniss came back to herself, and stood to follow.

"Are you sure you can do this?" Gale asked, standing beside her.

"I have to. I owe her that much." She replied, chocking back what seemed to be an endless supply of tears. Gale noticed that Katniss stood as frightened prey often did; when they heard the predator, and saw the arrow fly, just before the instinct to flee kicked in. Tense, ready to bolt at a second's notice, and yet knowing full well, her time had come. Gale took her hand and led her to the train station just in time to see Prim's final farewells.

Prim scanned the crowd in front of her, wishing Katniss would come bounding out of it, sweep her up and away to safety, but where was safe? All of Panem had heard her name, seen her face. This time, Katniss could do nothing to protect her. The odds were in her favor, and yet she had still been chosen. This time- this time it was her turn to show Katniss how strong she could be.

Prim found Gale's eyes, and locked onto them. She stood a little straighter; her red eyes seemed to burn with fire instead of unspent tears. Gale nodded. He would deliver her message. Or maybe he didn't have to. There was Katniss! How much had Katniss been crying? This had been the first day in years that Prim had seen Katniss cry, and she knew that, one way or another, it would be the last.

Prim stood tall and proud before her gathered district on the platform in front of the train that would take her to her death. Next to her stood the boy Katniss never thanked for her life. Both had obviously been crying, but that fire in Prim's eyes seemed to catch in Peeta's as she took his hand and cocked a small smile for the cameras. That smile lit a spark of insane hope that began to melt the ice that had formed in Katniss's heart.

It was truly an insane hope, and one that she knew was wrong, and yet, that small smile ignited a district of realists into believers of the impossible. Maybe she had a shot after all. Katniss stepped to the front of the crowd, touched the three middle fingers of her right hand to her lips and lifted them towards Prim and Peeta as a silent thank you and farewell. As the District 12 tributes turned to enter the train at their backs, one by one, every person gathered at the station followed in the sign of respect and farewell.