"How did you get here?" I exclaimed, I hadn't known that anyone followed us.
"I saw the two of you disappear into the woods with an odd looking man," Gale replies "and since you can never be too careful I decided to make sure everything was ok."
This seems odd to me that Gale would think Peeta and I, two victors of the hunger games, couldn't take on a middle aged man that looked so frail I bet Prim could take him down.
"So about those swimming lessons," Gale says
"Guess a little instruction couldn't hurt us" Peeta replies.
With that Gale takes his shirt off, and where Peeta is medium height and has stocky muscles Gale is lean and tall with muscles in places where Peeta does not have them. These muscles come from years of hard work. My eyes flick back to Peeta and he looks uncomfortable.
Gale lopes over to the pond and gracefully dives in, and he begins to swim around. He goes under and just as I start to get nervous that he will not resurface, his head appears. Where on earth did he learn to do that? "so are you guys going to watch all day or are you actually going to get into the water?"
With that Peeta and I begin to wade into the water and we are just at the point where our torso has become submerged. I don't know why I haven't told them that I can swim yet. Maybe it's because I like having the upper hand. I decide to keep this my secret for a little while and let Gale play teacher. Peeta suddenly sets his jaw and goes out further until he cannot touch the ground anymore and he begins to do this weird doggie paddle type of swim and I can tell that Gale is trying not to laugh. I don't know why this upsets me but it does so I go out with Peeta and pretend that I don't know how to swim either. Gale looks confused for a second then begins to help us.
He shows us the different strokes. Peeta really enjoys freestyle whereas I enjoy the breast stroke. Gales best is by far the back stroke. After a few hours of swimming around we begin to have a little fun. We see who can swim fastest in all strokes and though I know I can easily beat both of them I hold myself back and let them win. After being made fun of relentlessly for not being able to keep up I steel my gaze onto Gale. You. Me. Any stoke. Peeta will start us and he will determine the winner.
"well what do I get when I win?" Gale responds
before even think about Peeta standing right there I respond "a kiss" Peetas jaw almost hits the floor and Gales smile grows bigger. It's no secret that Gale has a thing for me and Peeta knows it. Peeta and I have had a few kisses to where he is still upset about me lying in the games but he thinks we are something official. Before Peeta can protest I wink at him "but," I continue, "if I win, no more jokes about Peeta being a bad swimmer, AND you must tell everyone that asks that you have a crush on Delly Cartwright."
Gale scoffs "you're on"
Peeta gives me a hurt look as he says "On your mark, get set, go"
Gale shoots off and I follow not too far behind he lifts his head and looks to see where I am. When he notices how far behind I am he makes a kissy face at me and that's when i decide to turn the joke on him. I pick up my pace and I can feel the crazy energy flowing through my arms. I reach him in six strokes and it takes another three before I pass him. I swim my hardest back to Peeta and find that I beat Gale by a whole three body lengths. I hop out of the water to a stunned Peeta and plant a huge kiss right on his lips as an apology. Right as I realize how dirty this scene might look to Gale Peeta breaks the kiss and gives Gale a look. "so Delly Cartwright huh?"
Gale is fuming and complaining that he doesn't actually have to go through with it because I hustled him, but I know that he will anyways, Gale is a man of his word. A few days pass and Peeta decide to head over to Haymitches to talk some more strategy when we find Gale sitting at the counter. I greet him but as I look at Peeta I notice that his face is as white as a ghost.
"You can't" says Peeta
"I can, and there is nothing you can do to stop me. Just take a minute to think about it. I'll be helping her just as much as you are and isn't that what you want"
I have absolutely no idea what is going on at this point but I can almost see Peeta having a conversation with himself inside his head.
"He is right Peeta" Replies Haymitch.
"Can someone please tell me what is going on?"
"I'm joining you in the 75th Hunger Games."
My heart sinks as I realize that this has been his plan all along. He wasn't following us that day because he was worried, he was following us because he needs to prepare his body as well.
"No, what about your brothers Gale? How will they survive without you? And Prim, she will have no one"
Even as I say this I realize that there is no stopping Gale. He has his mind made up and now we are in this together. I still try and talk him out of it but its Peeta that cuts in telling me that this is best. We can really win this thing. I'm thinking of the very real possibility that we will all be coming home when i hear what they are talking about. Apparently there is supposed to be some sort of capitol announcement tonight. We have all been expecting it, what with the reaping only a few weeks away, they're going to have to announce the victors that will be going back in.