The sun is just rising when I wake up on May 8, the day that, sixteen years ago, I was born. My mother and Prim are still asleep, and I try not to wake my little sister as I slide out of bed and dress for the day. I know that they would rather me wake them up to celebrate, but, quite honestly, the only person that I want to be with right now is my best friend, Gale.
I put on my father's old hunting jacket and head towards the door when Buttercup, Prim's fat, ugly cat with its squashed face, hisses at me. I am quite used to this by now, and because the feeling is mutual I playfully hiss back.
The air is chilly for a spring morning. As I make my way towards the fence surrounding District 12, I take in deep breaths of the fresh, morning air. I subconsciously listen for the distinct hum of the decrepit electric fence that means it is on, which it almost never is, before I slide under it.
I retrieve my bow and arrow from a hollowed-out log and walk swiftly towards the spot where Gale and I meet everyday. My heart lightens as I quicken my pace and I simply cannot wait to see my hunting partner, to hear his voice and laughter.
When I arrive at the rock where we usually meet, I don't see Gale, but instead I see a few dozen berries in the shape of an arrow, pointing towards to woods to my left. I smile as I pop one into my mouth and make my way into the forest, knowing that Gale must have some sort of surprise waiting for me there.
Out of habit, I load my bow as I usually do when entering the woods and am confused when I see no sign of Gale after I walk about fifty yards through the trees. I am about to turn around when I see one of Gales snares in the distance. It looks as though he has caught something, but the prey doesn't appear to be an animal. Once I get a close enough look at it, I smile because it isn't prey at all; it is a paper bag.
I am just untangling the bag from the trap when I hear Gale's voice behind me saying, "You know, stealing is punishable by death."
I turn around and smile at him, still amazed, even after all these years, at how quietly he can move through the forest.
"Happy birthday, Catnip," he says with a grin.
"I see you've made quite a difficult catch," I say, opening the bag and letting out a gasp. There are about six cookies inside, and they're still warm and smell delightful. Cookies are a luxury my family can almost never afford. "What did you have to trade the baker for this?"
"Not telling," he says. "Come on."
We walk back to the rock and, when we arrive, Gale scoops up the berries and offers me some.
"So, any plans for the big day?" He asks.
"Well, I suppose later I'll go to the Justice Building and sign up for more tesserae and I'm sure Prim and mom have something planned."
"Ah, tesserae. The Capitol's way of saying, 'Happy Birthday.'" He says sarcastically. Oh no, I know what's about to come next: one of his rants about the Capitol. I'm used to listening to his frustration by now, after years spent in the woods where he can rave all he wants about their selfish ways.
"You know, I bet tesserae doesn't even exist in District 2," he goes on.
"No, but I bet those kids would love it if there was. More chances of getting chosen for the Games. You know how those Careers are. They revel in it," I retort.
"Yeah, but it's not like they need extra food. All of them have enough. It's not fair."
"Gale, it's never been fair, and it never will be. That's life."
"Maybe it will be some day. If I have anything to do with it," he says intently.
He doesn't go on, so it's my turn to keep the conversation going. "And what do you mean by that?"
"I mean that I'd like to give the Capitol a taste of what they've been dishing out. I'm not going to just sit here and watch this happen any longer. The Games, the starvation, the murder. I just want it to stop," he says, and fit seems as though his words have a different sting today than usual. Like something has provoked him.
"We all want it to stop, Gale," I reassure him.
"Yeah, but nobody's going to do a thing about it. Everyone's too scared of the Capitol to fight for what's right. For what matters."
"Well, last time someone tried to rebel against the Capitol, it didn't turn out too well," I counter.
"Could it get any worse, Katniss? They're already forcing us to make children murderers."
I pause, struck by his use of that word, but knowing that it is true. "What's bringing this up now?"
He takes a while to answer and sighs before he speaks. "Last night I had a dream that it was reaping day. For some reason, the boys names were called first. My brother got chosen, and before he could even move, I volunteered. I felt good, knowing that everyone I love was safe, until your name was called. I wished that I could volunteer again. I realized that, even though I did all I could do, it wasn't enough. I can never do enough to protect everyone. They always find a way to defeat you."
I have no idea how to respond to this. Gale usually does not express his feelings in any way, so to hear him talk about his emotional dream has taken me aback. We just sit in the silence for a while, taking in the reality that the Capitol will always win. That is, unless someone stands up to it.
I imagine the same dream visiting me in my slumbers, but with Prim and Gale, and for a moment I am ready to jump on board with a rebellion. Then I realize that there is no chance of rebellion against the Capitol. I try to banish the thought from my mind.
"Well, dinner's not going to catch itself," Gale finally says, standing up.
I get up, too, and string my bow. I'm thankful that even after having such a grim conversation Gale and I can always go back to being hunting partners. The fact that we both must provide food for our families brings us to our senses and gives us motivation to hunt.
We hunt for quite some time, catching two wild turkeys and three rabbits. We decide to head back to civilization and trade some of the game at the Hob. The rest will make a lovely birthday dinner.
We make a good trade for two of the rabbits and Gale walks with me to my house. As we approach, Prim flings open the door and launches herself into my arms.
"Katniss! Happy birthday!" She squeals. We bring one of the turkeys inside and my mother also gives me a hug.
"Happy birthday, sweetie," she says quietly and smiles. I smile back and turn to Prim.
"Gale caught something special today," I say, removing the bag of cookies from inside my jacket and handing it to her.
She takes the bag and opens it. "Cookies!" She says in amazement. "Mm, thy smell delicious! Thanks, Gale!"
I turn to Gale and see that he is smiling at Prim. "Let's wait until after dinner and these will make a nice dessert, huh?" I say gently to Prim.
"Alright, I guess I can wait until then, " she sighs and puts the bag on a shelf.
"Mom," I call across the room. "I'm going to pick up the tesserae and then I'll be back soon."
She nods and, after kissing Prim's forehead, I head out with Gale.
"I'll come with you," he suggests.
"Okay," I say and we head off in the direction of the town. Usually, I just pick up my tesserae alone, but it's nice to have a friend.
He's silent for the first part of the walk, but then I speak.
"You'll be eighteen soon and you'll have to work in the mines," I point out.
"Yes, that's true. Think you'll still be my friend when I'm covered in coal dust all the time?" He smiles down at me.
I laugh. "I'll think about it." I pause. "But seriously, things are going to change. We won't get to hunt as often."
"No, I suppose not. But we always have the weekends. I'm not going to let the mines keep me away from my hunting partner."
"Yeah, but when you start working, you'll get money for food. You won't really need to hunt." I've been worried about this for quite some time. That when Gale becomes a coal miner, I will be without a hunting partner. I don't enjoy hunting alone as much as I do when Gale is by my side. It makes the load lighter and acquiring food for our families enjoyable.
But there is something else that worries me about Gale becoming a coal miner. I suppose it's natural for a girl who lost her father in the mines to worry about anyone she cares about going down there. If Gale was ever caught in a mine explosion, I don't think I would ever recover.
I'm not going to let those mines take him away from me.
"Don't worry, I'm still going to hunt for my food. Well, most of it," he reassures me. "And I know that's not the only reason you don't want me in the mines. I think about the same thing. My dad died down there, too, remember?"
"It's just that I don't want the mines to take another person away from me."
Gale doesn't respond, and we reach the Justice Building. He tells me he will wait for me on the steps, and when I come out with the wagon, he is still there.
"I'll get that for you, birthday girl," he offers, and I let him.
During the silent walk back to the Seam, I am overcome with thoughts about Gale. About how much I care for him and about how much he cares for me. I can't help wondering if we will ever become more than friends. It seems odd, adding romance into our relationship. We obviously love each other, but in the way that brothers love sisters. We are hunting partners. Gale and Katniss, an inseparable pair.
He is the only friend I have, really. And the only person, other than Prim, who can coax a smile or laugh out of me. I'm extremely grateful that I have him. It makes living in District 12 a little less miserable.
I look up at him. He is indeed handsome, no doubt about that. He has defined dark features and a strong jaw. He cleared six feet long ago and is very fit from years of hunting. I know that other girls at school notice his good looks. They all give me jealous glares because of how much time I spend with him. They must not know that he is not my boyfriend.
Boyfriend. No, I can't imagine calling Gale that. He's almost like the big brother I never had. I know that he would protect me if needed. And then I'm remembering that dream he told me about. How he thought that everyone he loved was safe until my name was drawn. How he wished he could volunteer for me, too. It seemed to add a new level to his rancor towards the Capitol.
We finally reach my house, and Gale says he better get back home. He gives me a hug and wishes me a happy birthday once again.
I watch him walk away, knowing that Gale's words today were more than just his usual rage. That they had much more depth to them this time. That he really will, one day, do everything he can to bring down the Capitol. To prove that they don't own us. To protect the ones he loves no matter what.
And I might just be crazy enough to join him.