I want to thank everyone who read and reviewed, alerted, favorited, all that. You are all amazing and I am extremely greatful. With one chapter, I had gotten 11 reviews, which I was really happy about. So thanks again! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter :)
Disclaimer: Forgot to put this on the last chapter, but I think it's pretty obvious I don't own the Hunger Games. If I did, Gale would be mine, and Peeta wouldn't exist :)
Silence. This was all I heard as my eyes started to flutter open. All around me was darkness. Instantly, I realized this darkness wasn't natural; it was man made. I sat up, and banged my head against a wall. Tears started to well in my eyes, but I quickly blinked them away. Now was not the time to cry, especially when I didn't know where I was, or what happened.
I attempted to stand, my legs wobbling beneath me, barely regaining their senses. It felt as if they were curled under me for hours. Of course, for all I knew, they could have been. My body rotated, trying to figure out where I was. I outstretched my arms, but was met by another wall. I turned, and my arm hit yet another, and another. My mind tried to comprehend what was happening, when where I was clicked.
Our closet. I had somehow fallen asleep in our closet. After another rotation, I figured out which wall was actually a door, and tugged on the handle. Nothing.
I was locked inside the closet. The small closet that felt as if it was growing smaller by the second. My fists started to bang on the door, hoping Prim would hear me. I waited. Nothing. I tried again, along with throwing my small frame against the door. My body fell back, the impact causing it to crumble, my head banging the wall again. But this time, a warm liquid started falling from my head, and trickled onto my arm. I was bleeding. The metallic scent quickly invaded the small space, and I found myself gasping for air, the lack of oxygen not helping my situation. How long have I been here?
My mind desperately searched for answers, but found nothing. I couldn't even remember what happened to me. I searched through my memories, willing for the right ones to appear. They didn't. The last I remembered was closing my eyes, my mother approaching me menacingly.
Maybe my head hit the wall a little harder than I thought. My sudden case of amnesia certainly wasn't helping my situation. I needed to regain my memories, and fast. The air was growing thinner, and would run out soon. Maybe if I yelled for help…
"Prim," I croaked. My voice was weak and scratchy, as though it had inhaled some sort of smoke. I tried again. "Prim," I attempted, a little louder and more coherent than before. Suddenly, a wave of nausea swept over me, and it took all my will power to not throw up. Trying to speak was not a good idea.
"Katniss?" I raised my head up immediately, and winced at the sudden movement. I remained still, wondering if I had imagined the voice, which I wouldn't doubt. Then I heard it again, slightly louder.
"Katniss, can you hear me?" Prim. I had never been happier to hear her angelic voice in my life. "Katniss?"
I sat up slowly, resting my head against the door. "Prim?" I whispered, hoping speaking at this low an interval wouldn't bring back the nausea.
"You're alive," she whispered back excitedly. "I thought… It doesn't matter. She didn't kill you, that's all that matters." My eyes widened at her words. Our mother tried to kill me? "Katniss, are you still there?"
I nodded, and then realized she couldn't see. "I'm here, Primrose. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere," I said, each whisper causing a strike of pain to run through me. I didn't care though. Talking to Prim, reassuring her, would always be more important then me and my pain. "Prim… what happened?" I struggled again to remember, but to no prevail.
A small gasp escaped her, barely audible. "You don't remember?" I shook my head, then quickly stopped.
"No-" My whisper broke as I coughed, a loud hacking sound that rocked my entire being. My lungs were gasping for air, and I struggled to stop, the motion making me dizzy. "Prim," I began after my coughs had subsided to mere hiccups. "You need to get me out of here. I can't breathe…" A gasp involuntarily escaped me. "Prim…"
"She locked you in here, Katniss. I didn't even know the closet locked. But she took the key, and was sleeping with it. Now I don't know where it is, probably still with her-"
"Prim, wait," I interrupted. I wanted the answer to the question that had been on my mind since I woke up. "Where is she?"
"I don't know, Katniss. After she put you in the closet, she pulled me into bed with her, and fell asleep. I didn't dare move. I guess I must have fallen asleep too, because she was gone when I woke up. I'm sorry…" Her soft whisper dropped even lower, and I could barely make out her final words.
"No, Prim. This isn't your fault…" I hiccupped, more violently than earlier. "Prim, you need to get me of here, soon," I whispered desperately.
"But Katniss, how…" Her voice trailed off, and I could tell she was thinking. Then she spoke the one word that was able to catch my attention immediately.
"Gale."
A small whimper escaped my lips. Gale. I broke my promise. He tried to protect me, but I was too prideful to listen. He could foresee this happening, but I was too ignorant to pay attention. After everything that happened between us, after that kiss, I broke the one thing I told him I wouldn't break. He trusted me, even when he had every reason not to. He shouldn't have let me go back. But he did, because Gale knew he couldn't keep me away. I was too strong willed, and I would have found a way here whether he liked it or not. Nothing was able to stop me when I had my mind set on something. And where did that get me? Locked in a closet, the lack of blood and oxygen slowly killing me.
"Gale can help you. Where is he Katniss? The forest?" She sounded hopeful, and I was happy to find a positive connotation in her voice. The words positive and hopeful barely lived in this District, let alone this house.
"Yes, the forest," I whispered even softer than before. I could feel myself getting weaker, the thought of Gale the only thing keeping me hanging on. "Go, Prim. Hurry."
I heard her footsteps travel across the wood floor of the house, and through the door, to the forest, to my salvation.
I lay back down, my head now throbbing, my slowing heartbeat falling into a steady rhythm with it. My eyes started to shut, and I struggled to keep them open.
You have to stay awake, I told myself. But it was useless. I found myself fading away silently, one name on my mind as I drifted into a sleep I wasn't completely sure I would wake up from.
Katniss. She was the only thing on my mind tonight, as usual. But tonight, it was because I was worried about her. I remembered everything that happened since I saw the bruise on her arm, and couldn't believe it had been less then twenty-four hours. Our argument, the reaping, our making up, falling asleep, our kiss… Oh, that kiss. For so long I had wanted to kiss her, but I never wanted to ruin anything we had between us. It was obvious to everyone in the Seam she was mine, which was why every boy stayed away from her. When she was fourteen, the only time in her life she ever acted like a stereotypical teenage girl and considered romance, no boy would go near her, and she thought it was her fault.
I laughed out loud at the thought, then looked around to see if anyone heard. No one was around, of course. I was in the forbidden forest. The only people crazy enough to jump the fence were Katniss and I.
How could she even think something was wrong with her? Catnip was perfect. Her only flaw was her stubbornness, especially when it came to her mother. I closed my eyes, the headache that came whenever thoughts of her abuse ran through my head, hung precariously around me, waiting to strike.
I sighed. Katniss Everdeen, while being the person I loved most, was at times, the person I couldn't stand the most. She wanted to stay around her mother, the woman who makes her life a living hell. I couldn't comprehend it.
But, as usual, I couldn't understand half the things that ran through Catnip's head. She was one of the most fascinating people I had ever met, which was what intrigued me about her from the beginning.
An owl hooted in the distance, letting me know another hour had passed. They had the odd capability to tell time, hooting once at the top of every hour. Katniss taught me that when we had spent our first night out in the forest.
I smiled at the memory, knowing it was before we had to worry about her mother. That night, I had taught her how to set a snare to catch the nocturnal animals. While she failed the first few times, Katniss was not a quitter. I was almost ready to give up on her when she finally trapped a white rabbit, a good piece of game. The smile she gave me afterwards was one I'd never forget. It was the first real, genuine smile that had appeared on her face in a long time, and I savored it forever.
While I knew another hour had passed, I had no idea what actual time it was. All I knew was that it was late when Katniss had left, and I had fallen asleep afterwards. I anticipated to be woken up by her, since I knew her mother would be awake. She had to be, especially after the last time we fell asleep together. But my body woke up on its own, no sign of Katniss anywhere. I desperately hoped this meant her mother was asleep, and she was able to sneak back in safely. I knew she wouldn't break her promise. Catnip was many things, but she would never break her word, especially when it came to this.
But, despite all this, I couldn't help that something was telling me that something was wrong. Very wrong.
"Gale!" My head snapped up at the voice calling my name. Relief flooded through me, knowing she had kept her promise. Her mother got mad, and she came back before something could happen. I wanted to shout back, but decided not to. I needed to see her, to see that my Catnip was okay.
I jogged towards the fence, waiting for the moment to see Katniss, safe and sound. I briefly wondered why she hadn't jumped the fence and come to me, but I quickly shook the thought. Nothing was going to ruin this moment. I just wanted to be able to take her small body into my arms, and never let go. To feel her heartbeat against my chest, and run my hand through her hair. To kiss her soft lips again, over and over and over. A grin spread across my face at the thought.
"Gale!" The voice yelled again, and I stopped dead in my tracks. I could now hear the voice more clearly, and it was not Katniss'. The voice was softer, lighter, and had an innocence to it that Katniss had lost many years ago.
I broke into a sprint, and was out of breath by the time I reached the fence. My worst fear materialized when I saw a small blonde standing before me. Prim.
One look at her face, and I could tell something was wrong. Her eyes were filled with tears, and she was trying to talk, but no coherent words came out.
I jumped the fence, and ran with Prim to her house where, I could barely make out from her words, Katniss needed help.
I didn't care what it took, but I was going to save Catnip at all costs.
I hope you enjoyed it :) Another cliff hanger, I know. I'm sorry, I don't plan these things, they just happen. And, I decided to give Gale's POV a try. It was a little difficult, so please tell me if I captured his character right. It will probably go back to Katniss' POV from now on. It just would have been boring to be Katniss as she waited for Gale :) As usual, I'm pressed for time and can't proofread, which I know is very irresponsible as a writer. Again, sorry :) Hope you all forgive me if there's mistakes. Thanks again for all the reviews, and reading in general. Just knowing I'm entertaining someone with my imagination is payment enough. So please, review, and hopefully you'll be around for the next chapter!
