A/N: I hate whiney "Why isn't anybody reviewing?! D':" posts but… I've got nearly 300 views and only 6 reviews…? Is it just a lack of interest in the story itself or what? Anyway, this is kind of a short chapter but I promise you a very long one is next :3
She and Gale weren't allowed in town for the Reaping. So they went over their plan with Prim once again and, after making sure the girl had Inam's token, they went to wait by the tree for her little sister.
"Take a nap!" Katniss called after her as they separated. Prim nodded, fingering the token in her hand.
She looked to Gale, searching for something in his expression, she desperately needed to see… something. She was frustrated and scared. She hoped with all her being that her mother didn't do something stupid to draw the attention of the Reapers to her sister. She was breathing heavily now. Gale just kept looking ahead, face unreadable. He seemed focused, determined - he was always edgy with the Reaping near.
She looked to the sky for the position of the sun. What time was it? She couldn't see it past the tree cover, however. It must be late afternoon. She saw the moon hanging above the canopy, waiting to take over the burden of lighting the world. She wondered what they thought of this? If they thought at all. If the light from those heavenly bodies shone as bright on the Capitol as it did on the districts - or if they even reveled in the Games. She started to pray. She prayed for her Lady to bring Prim swiftly to the safety of her devoted and her gifted. She grabbed Gale's hand and he squeezed hers tightly in reply.
Once they had landed on the other side of the fence Gale stripped, throwing his clothing at Katniss.
"Wait here." He said and then he changed and ran off into the forest.
…
It had just turned dark by the time he returned. He had the silk bag with him. She took it from his mouth and he shifted back to human form. He had drying blood smeared on his front, she noticed. He had caught something, but there was no sign of it. He dressed again. They leaned against a nearby tree and waited for the cannon to fire. The anticipation was killing her and she fidgeted uncomfortably, drawing pictures in the dirt with sticks and pulling up bits of grass so she could tear them apart.
It seemed like ages before they heard the boom. She took a deep breath and exhaled. Trying to clear her mind. She needed to stay calm, she needed to focus. There were more kids than just Prim. They would be coming and they didn't need a shaky, fidgety little girl hindering them. In the moonlight she could see Gale's eyes narrowing, scanning the brush for any signs of movement. He sniffed the air. Her senses weren't as acute as his, so she just took to pacing the fence, still breathing heavily.
A boy, a first timer like Prim, was the first to reach the fence. He tried to grab at the mesh of it before Gale shouted at him to scale the tree. He fell into Gale's arms and Katniss led him back into a clearing they had formed to seat what victims they could. They stood waiting for several hours before Gale said "There aren't nearly as many as last year." Katniss took this as a bad omen. Prim should be here by now. She worried her lip with her teeth. Another girl, probably her age came crashing through the undergrowth, she was sobbing.
"Climb the tree." She tried to say it as calmly as possible, but the girl was hysterical. She had several weights on her arms and shoulders and appeared to be limping. She struggled to grasp the branches, to pull herself up. Her attempts all ended in her falling to the ground. Gale had pulled his rope from the bag and was in the process of lassoing it over the branch before she even thought to act. He climbed it with ease and dropped down on the other side. He hoisted the trembling girl onto his back, wincing when her shackles dug into his flesh. He lowered her down to Katniss who led her back to the clearing. They only had the two kids so far and the Reaping was surely almost over.
"They weren't in the streets." The girl sobbed. "They were in the forest." Katniss tried to swallow the lump in her throat. "Hanna - they - they did - they're the most awful…" The girl trailed off before vomiting into a nearby bush. Katniss unwisely let her imagination fill in the rest. She felt faint. If the Reapers were in the woods then… Prim. She imagined her sister trusting her plan. Running into the forest and meeting the demons. Her pulse pounded in her ears, she felt her face flush. She needed to tell Gale, they had to go find her. To hell with the rules, they never followed them before.
"Katniss!" It was Gale shouting for her. She ran to his voice seeing him standing on the other side of the fence with the heavily bound boy and the older one from before. The older one was holding his arm, blood pouring from a wound he had sustained.
"I can't pull him over by myself." Gale pleaded. Katniss grabbed her rope, taking it with her. She stayed on the branch as the two unweighted boys below her lifted the wretch up to her. She helped him pull one arm over the branch until he was resting on his chest, she then threw one end of the rope down to Gale. The older boy tied the rope to his shackled leg. Katniss pulled him up as Gale pushed until he was finally seated completely on the thick branch. She helped him maneuver until they sat at the end of the branch, it creaked ominously as they spanned the fence. She chanced a worried look at the boy who shared her concern. She loosened Gale's rope from its place and tied it around the boys chest.
"You'll be okay." She assured him before dismounting. Gale clambered across the tree and took a place by her side. They took the loose end of the rope, having the boy lower himself slowly until they got him on the ground. They helped him to the camp before returning to their place. The boys brother had gone by then.
"We have to go find Prim." She said as she began scaling the rope. Gale pulled her back down and she felt a stab of betrayal before she shoved him away from her, trying to continue her mission.
"They'll shoot us on sight, Katniss." He grabbed her from the rope again. She smacked his hands away. Ready to hit him for real if he tried to grab her again. He did.
She threw a jab at his face, almost hitting him in the jaw, but he ducked back out of the way. He tried holding her wrists down to keep her from striking him, but she just began to kick. He trapped her arms between their chests as he pulled her into a bear hug and bore down on her, making it difficult for her to get momentum with her legs.
"Let go of me!" She shouted. This is what she got for with sparring with him, she supposed. He knew how she moved, knew how hard she could hit. He was prepared for it. She tried biting him, but he just huffed.
"She's going to be fine, Katniss." He said "And you're no good to her dead." She shrieked, trying to twist out of his hold.
"How do you know?!" She shouted. "How do you know she's going to be okay?!" She managed to get a knee up between the two of them and tried to push away from him. All she got was a sickening pain in her neck and spine. Is he made out of rocks?
"Because if she's anything like you, they're probably too scared to go after her." His attempt at humor calmed her slightly, but she still fought against him.
Her retort was stunted by the sound of a cannon. Dawn was breaking. The Reaping was over. She heard the buzzing from the electrified fence fall silent. She hadn't even realized it had been making a sound. She gripped Gale's shirt. Going slack in his arms. He loosened his hold on her and she stayed still. She leaned up to kiss him, and he returned it, though with caution. He let her go and went to check that it was safe to touch the fence while she fetched the now free children.
They returned to find Gale holding the thick cables open for the kids to slip through. Then he and Katniss led them back into town. Everyone in the district gathered in the town square to hear the results of the Reaping. Parents cried while scanning the crowd for their missing children. Katniss searched for her sister, but found no sign of her. Worry nagged at her gut. She unconsciously held Gale's hand around her waist. She saw the woman who had dragged Peeta off. Her face was grim. The man standing next to her was even worse. All the color had drained from his features. He had dark circles under his eyes from the exhaustion of worrying all night for his son... sons. He looked like a corpse.
Once everyone was present, the Capitol woman from before took her place behind the podium. Katniss and Gale were ushered to the side of the stage, away from the crowd where the peacekeepers could keep an eye on them. She was certain she wouldn't see her sister in the thick mass of people. She tried to put her worry to the back of her mind. The woman reminded them of the rules of the Reaping.
"Once the Champions are announced, someone with in the range of age may volunteer in their place," She smiled. Through her thick make up it looked maniacal. "Announcing his or her allegiance." She spared a quick glance toward Katniss and Gale. "Any non-blasphemers, of course."
She mentioned this because she and Gale couldn't volunteer as Champions. They owed no allegiance to the Pantheon. They could only volunteer as tributes. Voluntary sacrifices to take the place of the true victor, except under very specific circumstances. First they had to kill the reigning victor, and then they had to survive.
"And now, meet your new District 12 Champions," She giggled. Peeta was led out of the door behind her and onto the stage. Katniss' heart broke for him. He was obviously trying to hide the fear he felt. Swallowing it so that all that was left was hopelessness. His eyes combed through the crowd, searching for someone - or some ones. He didn't find what he was looking for. His face fell and he held his bottom lip between his teeth. "Peeta Mellark," She clapped - trying to bring the audience in to it. She failed.
The appearance of the female champion froze Katniss' blood. Gale jerked forward and a peacekeeper made a warning motion with his gun. Prim walked out onto the stage. She was clutching herself and trembling. Eyes darting over the crowd looking for her sister.
"And Primrose Everdeen" The woman's words were like nails on a chalk board, setting the archer's teeth on edge.
"Prim!" She lunged forward at the stage, unsure of what she would do once she got there. Gale grabbed her waist - shouting something at her. She couldn't hear him, his words sounded so far away. Prim was the only thing she could focus on. Peacekeepers were rushed at her to hold her back, their shouts mingling with Gale's. Prim looked at her elder sister and started to cry. Cato will see that. He'll see it as weakness, he'll see her as prey. Her vision began to blur. She had to do something. If she rushed the stage, the peacekeepers would kill her and Gale both. Who would feed their families? Who would take care of Prim?
It seemed as if time had stopped. The solution to her problem suddenly seemed so obvious. Gale would take care of Prim - because Katniss would be taking her place.
She spun around in Gale's arms and kissed him passionately. He didn't have much time to respond as she tore herself away from him, running at the stage. A peacekeeper grabbed her arm, jerking her away.
"I volunteer!" She shouted, her voice hoarse. "I volunteer as a tribute!" The peacekeeper relaxed his hold on her and let her continue forward. Gale was shouting something again. The woman at the podium seemed absolutely thrilled. She opened her mouth in a wide smile.
"Oh my!" She squealed. "District 12's first ever volunteer." She looked back at a grungy looking blonde man. "And a tribute, at that!"
Prim gaped, shocked at Katniss as she was escorted up onto the stage. They helped the young girl down the stairs. She ran into Gale's arms, looking back at her sister. If Katniss thought she looked scared before, she was terrified now. She looked up at Gale. She had never seen him look so lost. At some point his lip had been bloodied and the red liquid was now smeared across his chin. She hoped it wasn't caused by her. She took her place on the platform, looking around blankly, like some sort of simpleton. Her eyes met Peeta's. He was as stunned by her outburst as she was, apparently.
"What is your name, darling." The woman asked her, putting the microphone in front of her face.
"Kat-" Her voice disappeared, squeaking out the '-niss'. She tried again. "Katniss - Everdeen"
"Oh my." The woman purred. "Am I correct in assuming that that girl was your sister?"
Katniss nodded, not trusting herself to speak. The woman returned to her place at the podium.
"There you have it!" She was unable to contain her excitement at this point, she was bouncing on her ridiculously high heels. "Your champion, Peeta Mellark; and the disciple of a false god, your tribute, Katniss Everdeen!"
Katniss smelled the thick scent of alcohol before she felt a heavy arm fall across her shoulders. She looked over into the face of the dirty blonde man. He was too drunk to be able to focus fully on her, but he did manage to slur out, "That was really stupid, what you just did." Before vomiting at her feet and collapsing onto the floor. A Capitol man in a black suit started dragging her into the building behind them. She took a last look at Gale. His expression hadn't changed. She needed to say something, anything, to remove that expression of guilt and sorrow from his handsome face. So she said what they had always taken for granted, so never thought to say.
"I love you." And she was forced into the building. He didn't have time to respond before the door was closed behind her.
…
She stood in an empty office. There was a chair in the corner, and a much more comfortable looking one behind the desk, but she couldn't find it in herself to sit. Her rational mind was off floating somewhere and she was afraid she wouldn't be there to catch it at its return if she sat down. She heard the door open behind her and she spun around. Prim stood gaping at her. She ran to her sister. Katniss embraced her when they collided. Stroking her hair.
The girl's dress was dirty. She had obviously been dragged through the mud. Katniss didn't want to ask how she got caught. She didn't want Prim to think she was blaming her.
"Mom couldn't -" The girl started, but Katniss shushed her.
"Stay alive, Prim." She said. "You can sell cheese from your goat." Prim nodded. "You can trade with Gale at the Hob."
"I love you, Katniss." Katniss smiled at her.
"I love you too, little duck."
"I - I have to go, we don't have very long with you." The girl said.
Katniss' heart broke. This would probably be the last time she ever saw her sister. There were no parting words of wisdom she could think of, no great philosophical insights. This seemed hollow. Empty.
"Go see Peeta." She finally. "I don't think he has anyone."
Prim gave her a sad smile and nodded, giving her one last hug before exiting the room.
They sent in Gale next. He was distraught. The cut on his lip had closed and he had wiped the blood off. He put his arms around her waist and they kissed, her arms draping around his neck.
"I really do love you, you know?" She whispered against his ear. He kissed her again at the words.
"Yeah. And I really love you." His voice hoarse. He kept her held close to him, only removing an arm from around her to pull something from under the front of his shirt. It was their Lady's token. She shook her head, pushing it away when he tried to place it in her hand.
"Take it." He said. There was no question in his voice. He pulled the necklace over her head. The rough twine itching her neck. She analyzed the token for the first time. It was made of a hard stone. Etched into its surface was the image of a mockingjay catching an arrow. It was symbolic, she knew. She tried to decipher its meaning.
"Take care of them, Gale." She told him. "Don't let them starve, don't let Prim sign up for tesserae."
"I won't." He promised her. His voice was cracking again. The light from the window swimming in his eyes. "I haven't cried since my dad died." He had told her, many years ago when they had first met. But now standing before her, he was displaying a lot of emotions she never thought him capable of possessing. He looked vulnerable, and for the first time, he was the one who needed her comfort. She hated that she did this to him. She hated the Capitol for doing this to all of them. He put his forehead to hers. Hands cradling the back of her head and the small of her back.
"Please don't die." He whispered, eyes closed.
She closed hers as well. She thought of the dragon from District 2. She thought of how his flames had engulfed Prim in her dream. About what they would now do to her.
"I won't." She lied. She heard Gale suck in a shaky breath. She couldn't bear to look.
Then she felt him being pulled away from her. She did open her eyes for that. A peacekeeper had a hold of his arm, escorting him out the door.
"I love you." He said again.
"I love you too."
"And remember, I -" And the door shut behind him.
A few minutes later she was escorted out of the office and onto a train leaving for the Capitol.