Story: Gale's Hunger Games
By: Pigy190
Disclaimer: The Hunger Games and all characters and words (including the ones copied for this story) belong to Suzanne Collins. No copy right infringement is intended. This story is purely for fun and fan fiction.
Summary: The Hunger Games (Book One) from Gale's Point of view. Follows the book and uses all of the same dialogue. *Non-Peeta bashing*
A/N: Okay, Okay, I know I suck at updating quickly. Life kinda happened and then I realized that I haven't updated in over a month... O.O Things will start moving more quickly once I get into the games.
A/N 2: So I had this chapter beta'd. And then my fiance came home (he's military and was overseas) and we went up to visit his parents (I'd never met them), so I haven't really been able to write. Hopefully that will change and I'll have chapter three written and beta'd by next week.
Chapter 2
The Opening Ceremonies are tonight. I'm not ready for this. I've spent the whole day hunting, but the reapings keep relaying in my head. The couple from District 1, especially the girl, Glimmer; the couple from District 2, Clove and Cato, the latter of which is a monstrous boy who lunged forward to volunteer; a fox-faced girl from District 5 who looks extremely cunning; a boy with a crippled foot from District 10; a little girl from District 11, Rue, who is no older than Prim, but no one volunteered for her; the huge boy from District 11, Thresh, who looks like he could easily live up to his name; and worst of all, Katniss. Watching the re-run was numbing. It almost seemed as if it happened to different people. Not me and Katniss.
I close my eyes and imagine she's standing next to me, silent, waiting for game to come by. But it's too silent and I can't even pretend she's here. If she were, I would be able to hear her heart beat.
The sun is close to setting by the time I make it back to the fence. Because I've been out all day, I have a larger haul than usual. I go by the Everdeen house first to see what they need so I can trade for the right items. Mrs. Everdeen gives me a list and I head for the Hob.
In the Hob, everyone I pass gives me a sympathetic look. I grit my teeth and head for Greasy Sae's stall.
"Ignore them, Gale," she says. "They'll be eating their whispered words when Katniss wins."
"I brought you some wild dog," I answer, ignoring her as well. I don't want to talk about Katniss; not in such a public place. Rumors spread quickly in District 12, especially rumors about Hunger Games Tributes and/or champions.
Thankfully Greasy Sae accepts the change in subject without question. She buys the wild dog for more than I expected. It's her way of helping me out, knowing I have to pick up the slack for Katniss being gone.
"I'm going to start a collection," Greasy Sae says as I turn to leave. "So we can send Katniss something in the arena."
I nod and walk away stiffly. I should have expected it; everyone liked Katniss, even if she didn't know it.
The rest of my trading goes just as easily. Now that I'm alone – and making up for Katniss' absence – people are willing to over pay or accept deals that aren't in their favor. It annoys me to no end, but I accept it none the less, because without Katniss we can use the extra money and food. By the end of my trading I have more meat left over than I originally thought I would. I hurry back to the Everdeens. I have to get back home before the Ceremonies start. It's a requirement to watch every part of the Hunger Games broadcast until the tributes go into the arena. Then if you go to work or school, you are allowed to miss those times, but everyone must watch the recaps of the day each evening. They also keep the games running in each classroom at the schools during breaks, so that we miss as little as possible of their precious games. I'm sure they would play them during class, but they want us to learn our jobs so we can serve them better. It's revolting. No matter what we can't escape the Capitol and their madness. Not until a rebellion happens.
Mrs. Everdeen and Prim are waiting for me, ready to go. They quickly put away the things I've traded for them before we hurry to my house. My mom is waiting for us when we get there. She and Mrs. Everdeen finish prepping the meager meal for tonight.
Posy comes into the kitchen. "It's time."
I swallow hard and follow my family out the door to the square. We don't have to sign in this time, but the Peacekeepers will be checking houses again tonight.
In the square everyone stares at us and the Mellarks. Mrs. Everdeen leads us over to them. She knew them when she was younger.
"Mrs. Everdeen, Mrs. Hawthorne, kids," Mr. Mellark greets us. Mrs. Mellark glares at me.
"Mr. Mellark," we answer as one.
The Seal of Panem comes on the screens and the national anthem cuts off any further conversation. President Snow comes on, welcoming us to the 74th Hunger Games. I don't listen to his speech, worried to death over what Katniss will be wearing. Each tribute will be wearing something to represent his or her district. A few years ago the tributes from District 12 were stark naked and covered in black powder to represent coal dust. It was a break from the usual skimpy outfits and hats with headlamps, but I don't think I could deal well with Katniss being in either of those. Of course, I'm still not sure how I'm going to survive the next few weeks. I take a breath and prepare myself for whatever comes as the doors open and the tributes from District 1 appear.
They look beautiful, as always: spray-painted silver, in tasteful tunics glittering with jewels. They are the richest district, providing luxury items for the Capitol.
District 2, the masonry district, wears what is supposed to be a mason's outfit, but looks more like something someone would wearing in the bedroom to entice their significant other. I fight the urge to cover Prim's and Posy's eyes as usual.
District 3, who provide Panem's technology, comes out looking like some sort of spray-painted robots.
District 4, whoose industry is fishing, comes out wearing nets and fish.
District 5, who produce Panem's power, comes out looking like lightning bolts.
District 6 builds transportation for Panem and its tributes look like they're supposed to be a cross between humans and cars.
District 7, Panem's lumber providers, is trees, as the tributes have been every year for as long as I can remember.
District 8, whose industry is textiles, comes out wearing what looks like pieces of cloth glued to them.
District 9, Panem's grain producers, come out looking like stalks of grain. They are stark naked, painted, with their hair done up as the tops.
District 10 makes me laugh. They provide Panem's livestock. They are wearing next to nothing and painted as cows.
District 11 makes it hard to breathe again. The little girl that reminds me of Prim is dressed as an apple. Her partner is dressed as some sort of grain stalk.
Prim grabs my hand. We see the coal black horses coming out. They seem to be going in slow motion. People begin to scream because Katniss and Peeta are on fire. My knees nearly give out on me. I wasn't expecting to see her die yet.
Then the cheering starts. I shake my head to clear the layer of despair that's come over me and look up again. Katniss is smiling and waving. She and Peeta are dressed in black leotards and black boots. They each wear a flaming cape and headpiece. They are the only District wearing identical outfits. And they are holding hands.
My heart stops. Why is she holding his hand? Did they form some sort of relationship in the day since they left District 12? It's always been obvious that Peeta has a thing for Katniss, anyone who ever saw the way he stared at her knew that. But Katniss? Katniss doesn't notice boys, does she? Or did she just not notice me? Did I not notice her growing up and noticing him?
As Katniss starts blowing kisses at the crowd I start wondering if she's completely insane. When she catches a rose, smells it, and blows a kiss in the direction it came from I know she is. Then she looks directly at the camera and blows a kiss. I pretend like it's for me, even though I know it's not.
"She looks amazing," Prim says in a hushed tone. She's right. Katniss's face glows in the twilight. Her face has very little make-up and her hair is in its usual braid. I'm thankful to her stylist for not turning her into someone from the Capitol. Of course, he or she may still do that.
"They'll definitely get sponsors," Rory says, grinning at Prim. I wonder if I'm missing something. Has my younger brother been taken by the youngest Everdeen girl? I make a mental note to keep an eye on them.
The twelve chariots finally make it to the City Circle, filling the loop and coming to a halt in front of the President's Mansion.
The President, a small, thin man with paper-white hair, gives the official welcome from his balcony. Usually the cameras cut away from the tributes and focus on the President during his speech, but the cameras are focused on Katniss and Peeta. The darker it becomes, the more difficult it is to take your eyes off their flickering. When the national anthem plays, they do make an effort to do a quick cut around to each pair of tributes, but the camera holds on the District 12 chariot as it parades around the circle one final time and disappears into the Training Center.
My heart drops to the floor. That is the last time I will see her for the next week. Tributes live in the Training Center for a week to get ready for the games. During that week we go back to school and work as normal. Our short vacation is over. During the ending Ceremonies, during which the winner tours the districts, we will have another break.
Now that the tributes are gone, they interview the sponsors, escorts, stylists, and mentors. Various people comment on Peeta and Katniss. Effie Trinket says some nonsense about putting pressure on coal and it turning to pearls. District 12 laughs, but the sponsors and interviewers seem to take her seriously.
Katniss's stylist, Cinna, is nothing like I imagined he would be. Instead of the usual overly made-up or surgically altered appearance, he has close cut dark hair that looks natural and just a bit of gold eye-liner.
The interviewer trills on about how wonderful the outfits were and what a impact District 12 made at the Opening Ceremonies. Then she says, "So you're new to the games. How do you feel about being stuck with District 12?"
Amazingly, Cinna only looks slightly annoyed. "I asked for District 12," he says. She tries to get more out of him, but he just talks about how amazing he thinks "The Girl on Fire" will be in the games.
When the interviews are finally over, we are dismissed to go home and eat dinner and celebrate. Prim and Posy hold hands and skip home. Even my mother and Mrs. Everdeen are cheered up by the impression Katniss made in the Opening Ceremonies, but I can't help but notice that Haymitch wasn't there to be interviewed. While all the other mentors were around talking up their tributes to sponsors, Haymitch was off somewhere else, probably getting drunk.
All throughout dinner everyone talks about how amazing Katniss was. It's a complete 180 from last night's depressing meal. I keep to myself and resist the urge to point out that they still have the scores to get through and sponsors aren't 100% yet. The worst moment for me is when Vick brings up Katniss and Peeta holding hands.
"I don't understand," he says. "They're going to go fight each other. Why present them as a team? Why have them hold hands?"
"To put on a show," Prim answers. "This whole thing is a show for the Capitol. Playing along gets you through alive. Katniss promised she'd come back, so she has to play their game and entertain them."
"So you don't think it's 'cause she likes him?" Posy asks.
Prim shakes her head. "No, Katniss likes someone else," she says with a pointed look at me.
I look down at my food, my face burning. "Katniss isn't interested in boys or marriage," I mumble.
Prim and Mrs. Everdeen snort. "Sure," Prim says.
Dinner finishes soon after. We all pitch in to clean up and Mrs. Everdeen and Prim get ready to leave. My mom takes Posy, Rory, and Vick to get ready for bed and I walk the Everdeens to the door.
To my complete surprise Mrs. Everdeen turns to me and says, "She may not have realized it, but Katniss is in love with you."
I stand in the door way, mouth gaping, until my mother calls me inside to help her.
Once Posy, Rory, and Vick are in bed, I start to get ready. Before I can go into the room I share with Vick and Rory, my mom stops me.
"You'll have to go to the mines soon," she says.
"Once the games are over," I answer, trying to keep all emotion out of my voice. I'm not sure if my anger or despair would win, if I let either of them show.
She comes over and puts a hand on my shoulder. "You're a good man, Gale. Your father would be proud." Then she disappears into her and Posy's room.
I shake my head and slip into the room I share with Rory and Vick. Katniss being in the games is making everyone behave strangely.
- [break] -
I drum my fingers on the table as we wait for the Everdeens. My mom shoots me a disapproving look.
"Go check on Rory and Vick since you're already ready," she says straightening the bow in Posy's hair.
I sigh and walk to our room. Rory and Vick are still changing. "Hurry up," I tell them. "Prim and Mrs. Everdeen will be here any second."
Right on cue there is a knock on the door. I hear my mom greet Mrs. Everdeen and Prim.
"Boys! Time to go!" My mother calls. I rush into the kitchen, followed closely by Rory and Vick. Prim gives me a hug. "Let's go! We don't want to be late!" my mother fusses. She shoves me out the door. We make it to the square in time for the national anthem. Mrs. Everdeen is looking around frantically. Suddenly she waves and grabs Prim's arm. Now she's pulling her towards the Mellarks. I curse in my head. I really don't like bread-boy's family, well, except the baker. I only like him because he buys my squirrels.
The national anthem ends and President Snow comes on. Usually at this point I would look at Katniss and zone out during the speech, making fun of Snow through silent expressions that only the two of us understood. Today, I stand rigidly, hands clenched into fists, still not listening to his speech.
Scores are really only important if they're high. No one pays attention to the bad or mediocre ones. For all they know, you could be hiding your talents to get a low score on purpose. People use that strategy. But everyone knows District 12 is awful. No one would believe a low score from District 12 is a person trying to hide their talents. We don't usually make it past the first day.
Snow finishes talking and they start with the scores. First they show a photo of the tribute, then flash their score below it. The Career Tributes naturally get in the eight-to-ten range. Most of the other tributes average a five. Surprisingly, Rue, the little twelve-year-old girl from District 11, gets a seven. Peeta pulls an eight.
I release a bit of the breath I've been holding. If Bread-boy can come up with an eight, Katniss can do at least as good if not better.
Katniss's picture comes up and I hold my breath again. I squeeze my eyes shut, not sure I can handle the score.
Around me I hear cheering. My eyes snap open.
Eleven. They're flashing an eleven. Katniss has gotten the highest score of any tribute. The highest score I've ever seen.
Prim tackles me, nearly knocking me over. "She's going to make it! She's going to make it!" she screams in my ear. I hug her back, still in shock.
I look up and see Mrs. Everdeen wearing the same expression I feel on my face. Happiness mixed with disbelief and terror. An eleven might mean she's going to get sponsors like crazy, but it also makes her the prime target for every other tribute.
They take Katniss's picture off the screen and interview a few people to get their opinions on the scores. I'm, once again, not paying attention. I keep seeing Katniss's face with an eleven flashing below it.
Mrs. Mellark is glaring at Mrs. Everdeen with a mixture of envy and anger. Mr. Mellark just looka sad.
My mom comes up to me and starts guiding me back toward the house. People come up and congratulate Mrs. Everdeen and Prim as we pass them.
Madge catches my eye and flashes me a relieved smile. I try to return it, but the image of Katniss facing some of the huge tributes stops me. "Tomorrow," she mouths.
I have no idea what she means and let myself be led home. My mom forces me to sit down and puts a bowl of food in front of me. "Eat."
I force myself to eat while everyone chatters around me about how great Katniss did and tries to figure out what she could have done. She must have shown them exactly how well she could shoot. Suddenly I'm sure there won't be a bow and arrow in the arena. It'd be too easy for her to pick off all the tributes.
Dinner is over quickly and the Everdeen's head home. The interviews are in two days. Tomorrow is Sunday, so we will have a day of rest before the excitement of the interviews followed by the tributes going into the arena. We go to bed earlier than usual. We will get Tuesday off to watch them go into the arena.
I lie in bed for hours, Katniss's picture and the eleven flashing behind my eyelids.
I'm up before dawn, heading into the woods. It's Sunday, my day to stock up for the week, though I hardly need to considering how biased people have been trading. I wake up Rory to take him with me. It'll be good to train a new partner, just in case.
Rory mutters under his breath as I drag him into the
Rory mutters under his breath as I drag him into the woods. I hand him a knife and the small bow I first saw Katniss with all those years ago.
We hunt and gather in silence for a few hours before Rory finally brings up the topic plaguing both our minds. "So, an eleven," he says.
"There's room for improvement there," I answer with a smile, thinking of Katniss's expression if I said that to her. She'd respond to my smile with one of her own, but her eyes would be giving me a look that clearly states "I'd like to see you do better."
Rory laughs. "Do you think she'll make it?"
I sigh. "If she can get away from the Careers that are now going to be determined to kill her first and get a bow, yes."
"You think they'll go after her first?" he asks.
"She scored the highest, Ror, what do you think?" I answer.
"I think she can make it," he tells me. "She'll come home for Prim. For you."
"Yeah," I say. If Katniss comes home it will be for Prim, not me. I'm not even sure if I believe she's thought about me. I hope she has, but she's Katniss. She doesn't waste time thinking about unnecessary things such as missing someone. She'll be too busy focusing on how to get home.
My late afternoon we have enough game to be able to trade for everything we need this week. Since I can't start in the mines until this school year ends, I'll be able to check my snares after school the way I always did with Katniss.
We head home. I check the fence for electricity and look around for people before we slip under the fence and into the Meadow. We've just crossed the Meadow when Madge comes rushing up to us.
"Gale," she says slightly out of breath.
"Rory, take the meat to the Everdeens then head home. I'll meet you there after I go to the Hob," I tell him. Rory nods and hurries off.
I turn to Madge. "Madge."
"She shot an arrow at the Gamemakers," Madge says without preamble.
My mouth drops open. "What?" I asked in complete shock.
"To get the eleven," Madge says. "She shot an arrow at the Gamemakers. Speared the apple right out of the pig's mouth."
"So she shot at the apple," I say. If Katniss shot the apple out of the pig's mouth, that's where she was aiming.
"Yes," Madge says. "But you can't tell anyone. You're not supposed to know. I am not supposed to know."
"How do you know?" I ask.
"They told my father," she answers. "I happened to be outside the room at the time. Usually they don't talk about what happened inside the training rooms, not even to the Mayors, but they were so impressed with Katniss's daring that they told my father." She looks past me into the woods. "I just thought you would want to know. I know you're her...friend."
The way she says "friend" makes me uncomfortable. "I'm pretty sure you and I are her only friends," I tell her.
Madge nods. "Well, I'll let you go on."
I give her a close lipped smile. "Thanks."
She nods again and then disappears off down the road.
At the Hob, everyone congratulates me. I'm not sure why they congratulate me, I'm not the one that scored an eleven, Katniss is. I'm not the one that taught her to shoot, she taught me.
Once again, people trade with me in my favor and not theirs. Even the butcher pays me more than usual, but you don't argue with her.
I head home with more money that I'm used to. I stop by the Everdeens to give them some. Mrs. Everdeen thanks me.
That evening, supper is a quiet affair. Rory must have said something to my family about how I reacted in the woods. I don't really care.
Thank night I help my mom prepare the food for storage before we go to bed. It's a long, silent process. Usually I do this with Katniss in the backyard.
When I finally go to bed, Madge's words run through my head. "She shot an arrow at the Gamemakers." Only my Catnip would do something so stupid yet amazing. I finally drift off, thinking of her coming to me again.
The sun has come up by the time I get up in the morning. Rory kicks me out of bed as revenge for me waking him up yesterday morning.
We eat breakfast and head to school. The interviews are tonight. But since they're not until the evening, there is no reason for us not to go to school. Our short lived holiday is over. The Capitol needs its coal after all.
School passes by in a blur. I'm still not sure how they can stretch learning about coal over twelve years.
After school, we head home to get ready for the interviews. Today we're going to the Everdeens for supper. We head out early, carrying our share of the food.
At the Everdeens my heart starts hammering. This is the first time I've been inside since Katniss left. I have been doing all of my dropping off in the most literal sense, afraid to go inside, where the absence of Katniss will be unavoidable. My mother gives me no choice and pushes me through the door. Immediately my eyes go to the bedroom, waiting for Katniss to emerge. She doesn't. Prim does.
Prim meets my eyes, knowing who I am looking for. I see my pain reflected in her. Katniss wanted to protect her innocent little sister, but after these games, Prim won't be innocent anymore. Being put through this leaves no innocence.
We head towards the square without a word. No one has anything to say now. The pros of Katniss's score have been bled dry.
Once in the square, Mrs. Everdeen pulls us over to the Mellarks. I'm really getting tired of this tradition. I don't want to continue standing with the family of the boy that, starting tomorrow, is Katniss's enemy.
As usual, conversation is impossible as the the Panem Seal and the national anthem come on. The Seal fades away to reveal a stage with twenty-four chairs in a big arch. The tributes file onto the stage one-by-one, starting, as always, with District 1 and ending with District 12.
All the tributes are wearing something flashy in the color of their district. It works fairly well, since any color can become flashy if done right. Though flashy also means revealing in many cases.
They show the tributes and then flash to the stylists as the crowd goes wild. The tributes pass in a blur until Katniss comes on screen. She is wearing a dress made entirely of jewels. Red,, yellow and white with bits of blue that accent the tips of the flame design. Her skin shimmers and with every step she gives the impression she is engulfed in flames. She looks gorgeous, but she no longer looks like my Katniss. They show her stylist, Cinna, who gives a wave and a smile before they flash to Peeta. He is wearing a suit that matches Katniss's dress. They flash to Portia, Peeta's stylist and then pan out to view the whole stage.
My eyes are gluef to Katniss until Caesar Flickerman, the man who has hosted the interviews for more than forty years, bounces onto the stage. Caesar freaks me out. His appearance has been virtually unchanged during all that time. Same face under a coating of pure white makeup. Same hairstyle that he dyes a different color for each Hunger Games. Same ceremonial suit, midnight blue dotted with a thousand tiny electrical bulbs that twinkle like stars. They do surgery in the Capitol to make people appear younger and thinner. In District 12, looking old is something of an achievement since so many people die early. You see an elderly person, you want to congratulate them on their longevity, ask the secret of survival. A plump person is envied because they aren't scraping by like the majority of us. But there it is different. Wrinkles aren't desirable. A round belly isn't a sign of success.
This year, Caesar's hair is powder blue and his eyelids and lips are coated in the same hue. He looks freakish but less frightening than he did last year when his color was crimson and he seemed to be bleeding. Katniss and I spent quite a bit of time making fun of him.
Caesar tells a few jokes to warm up the audience but then gets down to business.
The girl tribute from District 1, looking provocative in a see-through gold gown, steps up to the center of the stage to join Caesar for her interview.
Each interview only lasts three minutes. Then a buzzer goes off and the next tribute is up. Though he may be a bit freakish, Caesar really does his best to make the tributes shine. He's friendly, tries to set the nervous ones at ease, laughs at lame jokes, and can turn a weak response into a memorable one by the way he reacts.
Katniss sits stiffly, in a way that reminds me of Effie. Few tributes stick in my mind. The monstrous boy from District 2 is presented as a ruthless killing machine. The fox-faced girl from District 5 is presented as sly and elusive. And of course, Rue, who is dressed in a gossamer gown complete with wings. As she flutters her way down to Caesar, a hush falls over the crowd. Caesar's very sweet with her, complimenting her seven in training, an excellent score for one so small. When he asks her what her greatest strength in the arena will be, she doesn't hesitate. "I'm very hard to catch," she says in a tremulous voice. "And if they can't catch me, they can't kill me. So don't count me out."
"I wouldn't in a million years," says Caesar encouragingly. I secretly hope someone kills her before she meets up with Katniss. I know Katniss could never kill her.
The boy tribute from District 11 doesn't say much. But it doesn't matter, because I wouldn't have listened to him anyways. Katniss is up next. The buzzer rings. Thresh walks off to his seat. They call Katniss.
Katniss gets up and walks towards Caesar and shakes his hand.
"So, Katniss, the Capitol must be quite a change from District Twelve. What's impressed you most since you arrived here?" asks Caesar. Katniss stares at him for a few seconds. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest, waiting to hear her voice again.
"The lamb stew," she says finally. I grimace. Though Caesar and the Capitol audience laugh, District 12 doesn't. We can only wish to someday eat food half as rich as they have in the Capitol.
"The one with the dried plums?" ask Caesar. Katniss just nods. "Oh, I eat it by the bucketful." He turns sideways to the audience and camera in horror, hand on his stomach. "It doesn't show does it?" I grit my teeth until the audience shouts reassurances to him and applause. He's only helping Katniss out, he's really not a bad guy. It's not his fault he was born to a Capitol family instead of a District 12 family.
"Now, Katniss," he says, "When you came out in the opening ceremonies, my heart actually stopped. What did you think of that costume?" I lean towards the screen slightly, not wanting to miss a single word she says. It's the first time in my life I've actually paid attention to the Hunger Games beyond making sure I can answer the Peacekeepers questions should the wonder if I watched.
Katniss looks towards the stylists. She must like Cinna a lot to be answering to him more than Caesar. "You mean after I got over my fear of being burned alive?" She asks.
Even District 12 laughs now.
"Yes. Start then," says Caesar.
"I thought Cinna was brilliant and it was the most gorgeous costume I'd ever seen and I couldn't believe I was wearing it. I can't believe I'm wearing this, either." She lifts up her skirt to spread it out. "I mean, look at it."
I am looking. All of Panem is looking at how gorgeous she looks. Finally she is wearing something that makes the fire inside her show on the outside. The whole world now sees inside her without knowing it.
The audience oohs and aahs and suddenly Katniss spins in a circle. I gasp. The audience roars in pleasure. She looks even more breathtaking.
"Oh, do it again!" says Caesar, and so Katniss lifts up her arms and spins around and around letting the skirt fly out, letting the dress engulf her in flames. The audience cheers. When she finally stops, she clutches Caesar's arm.
"Don't stop," he says.
"I have to, I'm dizzy!" She giggles. I stare at the screen in shock. Katniss Everdeen does not giggle. Katniss Everdeen rarely even smiles, yet there she is wearing a beautiful Capitol dress, clutching Caesar Flickerman's arm, giggling.
Caesar wraps an arm around her. I growl. "Don't worry, I've got you. Can't have you following in your mentor's footsteps."
The crowd hoots as the cameras find Haymitch, who is by now famous for his head dive at the reaping, and he waves them away good-naturedly and points back to Katniss.
"It's all right," Caesar reassures the crowd. "She's safe with me. So, how about that training score. Eleven. Give us a hint what happened in there." I swallow, not daring to take my eyes off the screen. Caesar might be dying to know how she got it, but I already know. Katniss is an amazing marksman. Even the butcher is amazed by her skills.
On screen Katniss glances off screen and bites her lip. "Um...all I can say is that it was a first."
The cameras flash to the Gamemakers, who are chuckling and nodding. Now I'm interested as well. Being a good shot is one thing, causing the Gamemakers to react like this is another.
"You're killing us," says Caesar as if in actual pain. "Details. Details."
Katniss keeps her eyes on what I'm guessing is the Gamemakers. "I'm not supposed to talk about it, right?"
One of the game makers shouts out, "She's not!" I'll have to ask her about it when she comes back. I swallow hard, knowing good and well that she might not come back.
"Thank you," says Katniss. "Sorry. My lips are sealed." Not to me. Not unless. I shake my head and turn back to the screen.
"Let's go back then, to the moment they called your sister's name at the reaping," says Caesar. His mood is quieter now. "And you volunteered. Can you tell us about her?"
I doubt Caesar or the Capitol crowd sees the pain flash across her features, but I catch it. Prim grabs my hand and I know she saw it as well. "Her name's Prim. She's just twelve. And I love her more than anything."
Everyone is silent. I can hear Prim sniffling beside me.
"What did she say to you? After the reaping?" Caesar asks.
I watch Katniss swallow hard, another movement I'm sure they all miss. Prim is squeezing my hand so hard that it's beginning to hurt. For such a small person she sure is strong. "She asked me to try really hard to win."
"And what did you say?" prompts Caesar gently.
Katniss tenses the way she does before a kill. When she speaks, her voice has dropped an octave. "I swore I would." A shiver runs down my back.
"I bet you did," says Caesar. The buzzer goes off. "Sorry we're out of time. Best of luck, Katniss Everdeen, tribute from District Twelve."
The applause continues long after she's seated. I'm glad, because it keeps the cameras trained on her even longer. Eventually, the applause dies down and they call Peeta Mellark. I don't really pay attention to him, but instead watch Katniss in the background. She seems to be in some sort of daze. Peeta has the audience laughing from the get-go. He plays up the baker's son thing, comparing the tributes to the breads from their districts. "That's my boy," says Mr. Mellark. I roll my eyes.
Then he has a funny anecdote about the perils of the Capitol showers. "Tell me, do I still smell like roses?" he asks Caesar, and then there's a whole run where they take turns sniffing each other that brings down the house. I start zoning out again. Caesar asks him if he has a girlfriend back home.
Peeta hesitates, then gives an unconvincing shake of his head.
"Handsome lad like you. There must be some special girl. Come on, what's her name?" says Caesar.
Peeta sighs. "Well, there is this one girl. I've had a crush on her ever since I can remember. But I'm pretty sure she didn't know I was alive until the reaping."
Sounds of sympathy from the crowd. I try and think back if I've seen him looking at any girls in the school yard. The only one I can think of is Katniss. No.
"She have another fellow?" asks Caesar. Yeah. Me.
"Gale," Prim whispers.
I realize I'm squeezing her hand, probably hurting her. "Sorry," I mutter.
"I don't know, but a lot of boys like her," says Peeta.
"So, here's what you do. You win, you go home. She can't turn you down then, eh?" says Caesar encouragingly.
"I don't think it's going to work out. Winning... won't help in my case," says Peeta.
"No," gasps Prim. I wish I had thought of slugging him in the face before he left. One of those times I saw him staring at Katniss in the school yard.
"Why ever not?" says Caesar, mystified.
Peeta blushes beet red and stammers out. "Because... because... she came here with me."
I wish I was in the arena, so I could personally kill him. Prim tries to hold onto my hand, but I rip away from her. I turn from the square and rush through the Seam until I get to the fence. Darius and Cray both see me, but neither tries to stop me. I get to the fence and slip underneath, grabbing my bow as I pass the log. Before I know it I'm at our rock. I sit down, but it feels too empty without Katniss there.
Her absence is the final straw. I start to cry. I should have told her how I felt when I had the chance, now, no matter what I do, I can't top Peeta telling her in front of all of Panem.
A/N: Please review! Reviews help me write faster.