Katniss.

I hear my name, but don't turn around. I'm sitting on a soft sofa. There's a large television set in front of me. There's a forest on the screen. It's quiet; I almost feel like it's a still picture. But I know that it's a live video by a sudden rustling in the leaves. A white hare hops across the screen. The leaves rustle again and another figure emerges from the shadows.

It's Gale.

"Gale," I breathe, sitting upright.

"Katniss!" It's not him returning my call, and my heart fills with disappointment. Hazelle wraps her arms around me. "Oh thank the heavens!"

I delicately touch my hand to my forehead. "What happened? Where's Gale?" I ask, closing my eyes and trying to remember. Suddenly, it all comes back to me.

"Gale!" I call frantically.

"He's fine." A breathe a sigh of relief, but in my head confusion is flooding in. How can he be fine? Riding to the capitol doesn't necessarily count as 'fine'. I turn my head and see Peeta, leaning against the wall.

I shift my legs and slide off the countertop, in my kitchen in the Victor's Village I realize, only to find myself incredibly dizzy. Peeta wraps his arms around my waist and holds me upright.

"You're hurt," he says, placing one hand on my hip and the other resting on the small of my back. I roll my eyes.

"I can see that. Where's Gale?" I demand. He sighs and looks up to Hazelle. She comes and helps him lay me back on the bed. Well, try to. I feel weak, but I'm able to resist.

"No, I can't rest now. Tell me where Gale is," I persist. Hazelle turns my head to look at her and strokes my hair. She sighs and I notice that her eyes are wet with tears.

"He's in the Justice Building. Saying goodbye." Saying goodbye? To who? His brothers? Hazelle was here, I was here. Was my mother and Prim saying goodbye? Peeta reads the confusion on my face.

"Katniss, Gale's not going into the Games. Rory is." Hazelle bursts into tears and begins to sob. Peeta attends to her and I hold onto the counter for support. He sits her down in a chair and strokes her back. The confusion about Gale flushes away as a new uncertainty settles in.

"Wait... what?" Peeta turns back to me and sighs.

"Rory volunteered for Gale," he explains. My eyes widen. Rory? Volunteer for Gale? I volunteered for Prim, Prim didn't volunteer for me.

I shake my head and try to wrap my head around all this. "So... what you're saying is... Gale's in the Justice Building," Peeta nods his head, "saying goodbye to Rory," another nod, "because he volunteered for Gale? And Gale didn't fight back? He didn't volunteer for Rory after he volunteered for him? What?" Peeta shook his head this time. "Ugh, I'm so lost." Nod.

The door to the kitchen swings open and Haymitch walked in. "Hey, sweetheart. Managed to explain it to her yet?" Peeta sighs and shakes his head.

"Nope. And Hazelle's broken down," he reports. Haymitch sighs heavily.

"I'll tell them to put the train on hold," he breathes, and leaves the room. I turn to Peeta and glare.

"What?"

I roll my eyes. "You talk about me as if I'm a child! I try to understand but... I just woke up and it's a lot to process. And besides, I think I got it. Gale got reaped. Rory volunteered for Gale. Gale's in the Justice Building saying goodbye to Rory." I look at him hopefully.

"Wrong." This time the voice wasn't Peeta's. I turned around and lunged for Gale.

"Gale!" I cry. "I was so worried! I'm so sorry about Rory, I really am, it's just-" My words are stopped by Gale's strong arms shoving me away. I look at him confused and hurt.

"Make sure he stays alive. Whatever it takes," he says coldly. Then he walks out and slams the door behind him. I move to go after him, but Peeta grabs my arm. I turn to look at him and he shakes his head. He sees the tears welling up in my eyes and pulls me into his embrace.

"He's not worth it," he mutters in my ear. The tears spill and we stand there. Eventually, Hazelle stands up and joins in, both of us sobbing with Peeta's strong arms wrapped around us.

The train station was bustling with reporters. A couple of them ask me how Gale was handling this, another asks Peeta how he would handle working with his arch enemy's younger brother, and he dismisses it with saying that he's not the jealous type and that he would gladly try to keep the boy alive as best he can.

When we finally make it to the train, we find Rory sitting at the dining table that was all too familiar. I sit next to him and give him a hug. "It's going to be okay," I say encouragingly. "You're going to be okay." I can feel his hot tears wetting my shirt, but I don't care. Gale was like my brother, which makes Rory family just as much as any Hawthorne is.

After dinner, I go immediately to my room and put on a thin nightgown. As I pull the covers up to my chin, I tell myself one thing.

Whatever it takes, Katniss. Whatever it takes.