When I wake up, it's because of a nightmare. The boy from district two, threw me in with the mutts, and they were mawling my face and eyes. I sit up in bed and see the door open a crack, and see my little sister Prim, standing in the doorway.
"Katniss, you were screaming again..." Says Prim quietly.
"I'm sorry Prim, didn't mean to wake you." I reply. I look down and see the bed in damp from my sweat. Prim walks over to me and puts her arms around my neck and sits on my lap. She just sits there and hugs me, not saying anything just wrapping me in her cool embrace.
I eventually drift off to sleep, with Prim in my arms because when I awake she is still there with me. Her eyes are closed and I look down on her. Her eyelids flutter open showing me her dark blue eyes, when I am hit with a sharp fierce pain in my chest. Those eyes, look like Peeta's.
I am in the arena, going to blow up the supplies with Rue, when I see him. Peeta makes a run towards the supplies to grab something. I stop my arrow and watch letting him pass so I don't kill him. But he doesn't realize it, and I don't either, that Cato is right behind him.
Cato's sword goes to Peeta's neck and I see the muscles in Cato's arm rip, and then I hear cannon. They boy who admitted his love for me, has just been killed, right in front of my helpless eyes. I shoot the arrow and it lands in the burlap sack and all of the apples come tumbling out, causing an explosion that throws me back into the trees.
"Katniss, Katniss! Stop screaming please! Stop!" I hear a voice say in my ear. I slowly open my eyes and unclench my fists. Only then do I realize I'm screaming and probably terrorizing Prim. I clench my teeth and stop screaming. Prim stops shaking me when my mother comes in an wraps me in her arms.
"Shhh… Shh… It's okay… Just a dream Katniss… It's just a dream…" She tries to soothe me and after thirty minutes, I finally open my eyes and see my mother looking down at me.
I lay in the wide bed in the fluffy comforter on top of me and Prim. Prim is staring at me and smiling and crawls over to my mother and I. They leave after an hour and I decide I need to go out meet Gale in the woods.
Ever since I won the games, I've been rethinking out relationship. I like him more than a friend, and I think I want him to know, but every time I'm about to tell him, I end up chickening out. Today I don't think I have any plans of telling him but, who knows. I just might.
Ever since I won the games, things have been different here in the District. The District has been getting more food, an so not as many people are starving and I'm glad for that. I get up and look around my room. With its white walls and dark wood floors. Across from me are a dresser and a desk with flowers. Then my bed is behind me and then behind that there is a small couch and a bookshelf.
I go to the dresser and take off my nightgown and throw on long brown pants and a dark red tunic and I put on my boots. I go into the bathroom and brush out my hair and brush my teeth. I walk downstairs and tell Prim where I am going. She hugs me and I walk out the door.
I walk through the coal dust covered streets and see late stragglers jogging to the mines. Eventually I come to my old house and I go under the fence to the meadow. I jog to the log and pull out my bow and take my arrows and I walk through the forest.
I walk through and come to a small lake when I feel a hand on my shoulder. I jump around and punch the thing and I hear a loud grunt and then I see Gale on the floor.
"Dammit Gale! Why'd you do that! Scared the life out of me!" I shout then look around to make sure no one heard.
"Wow, you can hit hard. I think your broke my nose," As he says that I see blood trickling down his face. I pull moss of a nearby log and pat down his nose until all of the blood is gone.
"Sorry, I picked up a few things while fighting to survive." I say sarcastically.
"Well, I'm surprised you didn't beat everyone up." He says. He stretches his back and sits down. I sit next to him and I feel his arm touching mine.
"Did you have any nightmares?" He asks seriously. I look at him and see some pain in his eyes. I know it's from watching me fight and almost die several times and I nod.
"Were they about…" He drifts off knowing that I won't answer.
"Well, come on. Let's go hunting!" He says.
We do go hunting, and we catch three rabbits and two squirrels. Not our usual haul, but still better than nothing. We go to our spot, which is a small nook in the rocks near a field of flowers. We talk about our game and about his family and mine.
He tells me he's going to go work in the mines, and this brings me to shudder. He looks at me questioningly as if to ask "What?"
"I just… Don't want to lose you Gale. You're my best friend." I say to him blushing slightly as I look down at the ground.
"You won't lose me. I swear Catnip," He says laughing. We sit in silence for a while staring at the flowers blooming. There are dandelions and pokeweeds, all blooming.
"So Posy is doing good. She still has a little fever and I took Rory hunting and he's a natural." He scoots closer to me and puts his arm on my shoulder. We used to do this all the time but to me, this feels much different.
He looks at me with his gray seam eyes and smiles. His head slightly moves to the side and it's like he's looking into my mind.
"I love you Gale," I say. I immediately put my hand over my mouth and I jump up and run into the woods.
"Katniss! Katniss wait up!" He calls. I sprint faster, my feet making loud crunching sounds on the pine needles and I stop when I think I've lost him. I pant for my breath and then when I turn towards the trees, Gale is right in front of me.
I start to move, but Gale puts his hands on my shoulders. He's panting slightly and I realize that I probably just ran about three miles.
"Katniss, Stop! You don't need to run." He says gripping my shoulders.
"Gale, please let go of me. Please just let go." I say struggling slightly.
"Katniss, please… It's okay because I love you too." He says. His hand cradles my face and he leans in and kisses me. I feel a stirring in my chest and my pulse seems to race. My hands find a way to his hips and he pulls back.
"Are you gonna stay now?" He asks. I can hear the smile in his voice and I look up to see his eyes alight. I nod and I realize that I probably have the biggest grin ever on my face.
"I've wanted to do that for a really long time now." He says. He pushes a lock of hair out my face and I feel like the sun is bursting.
"Gale, I don't want this to interfere with anythi-" He cuts me off with another kiss, not a long one, just a short one. When he pulls back, he lowers down to my eye level.
"This won't interfere with anything. I swear Catnip." I nod and he grabs my hand. "Now, let's go get our game bags." He says.
"Okay," I say. We go back and get our game bags and we walk back to the District. After we get back under the fence, I walk Gale to his house.
"Bye Gale." I say. I turn to leave and he grabs my arm and pulls me into an embrace. He just hugs me and says nothing and then kisses my nose.
"Bye Catnip." He says as he walks inside.