Chapter 3: Take Me Instead

Several months had passed since Peeta's deployment. To distract herself from pining for her husband, Katniss forced herself to fall into a normal routine, which usually meant going hunting whenever Prim was in school or being otherwise cared for.

One day, she was returning from the woods and heading into town to pick Prim up at school. As she approached the main square, Katniss noticed a crowd gathered around the whipping posts and stockades. Not again! Punishments had become more frequent under Cray. Katniss suddenly heard a scream that made her blood run cold. She knew that scream. Her sister's scream.

"Prim!"

Katniss pushed through the crowd to see her baby sister tied to one of the posts, her back exposed to the lash now being administered by Cray. Katniss bravely ran between the Head Peacekeeper and her sister, throwing out a hand to stop him. WHAM! Cray simply punched in the face. Katniss went down but refused to stand aside. She could taste the metallic rust of blood on her mouth and realized Cray had accidentally struck her with the whip.

Huntress and Peacekeeper regarded each other. Cray had a rugged face, light stubble dotted his chin and jawline. His piercing gray eyes were narrowed into slits. Were it not for the uniform he wore, he may have passed as someone from the Seam.

"Move," he snarled. Katniss didn't move an inch. Cray raised the whip slightly. "You want another?"

"Go ahead," Katniss dared him.

Furious at her insubordination, Cray suddenly whipped out a gun and cocked it, aiming it at the young woman.

"You can do that too," Katniss goaded, strangely as calm as could be. "But answer me this first: why are you whipping my sister? What has she done?"

"She was caught stealing," was the only response.

Katniss almost called bullshit literally, but held her tongue. She knew Cray had to be lying. For one thing, Prim was no thief. For another, it was well known that Cray had many times whipped innocent people at random, just to send a message of intimidation. Brief as it still was, the Head Peacekeeper's reputation preceded him.

"Move, huntress," Cray rumbled. "I will not ask a second time."

An idea struck Katniss. "You like making deals. Take me instead."

"She, you - what does it matter?" A pause, as if the man was having second thoughts. "You would…. take her place?"

"If I did…. would you let her go?"

Cray considered this. "Yes. But…. you must promise to stay at my mansion as a prisoner - indefinitely."

So it was house arrest, then. Well, better Katniss serving that than Prim being whipped within an inch of her life. Swallowing hard, Katniss nodded. "You have my word."

"Done."

Katniss ran to her sister and untied her bonds. "Prim, go home. I…. I will see you soon. Maybe." Fighting back tears, the sisters hugged and Prim raced off down the path. The crowd dispersed until there was no one left in the square but Katniss and Cray. The Head Peacekeeper turned on his heel and marched up towards the foreboding black mansion on a hill overlooking the district. Katniss had no choice but to follow.