A/N: hope you're all having a safe and fun new year! i'll be travelling tomorrow, so expect more chapters :)
This suspense is terrible, i hope it lasts. ~Oscar Wilde
The next two days of training are really boring. The careers show off in every single weapon imaginable, ignoring the edible plants, snares, fire starting, or any other skill that might come in handy while we're in the arena. But it's not like I'm encouraging them to try anything that'll actually help them. I already know what's good to eat, how to catch animals, and how to start fires, so the careers can kiss my ass.
I keep an eye on Katniss and Peeta, making sure that they visit the stations they need to without showing too many of their skills. Being able to communicate without words comes in handy, and often we have conversations across the room without anyone else realizing—except Peeta. His jealousy keeps growing, and it's honestly hilarious to me.
Towards the end of the second day of training, I decide that it's finally time for me to shoot a bow. I pick up one that is close to the size of my bow in 12 and a few arrows before stepping up to the archery range. I haven't let on to any of the alliance that I can shoot at all, so they all think I'm trying to learn and just go back to their business, only Glimmer decides to follow me, and she's been glued to one side of me all week. Clove's been glued to the other side and it's all I can stand not to tell them it's a joke and sit by Katniss. All in good time, I tell myself.
Glimmer selects a smaller bow and begins trying to shoot, but it's obvious that she doesn't know what she's doing. I take a deep breath and aim the arrow for the middle of the target and realize that the string is strung tighter than my bow at home. I draw back and release the arrow, just missing to the left, probably the result of the tighter string. I make a mental note to tell Katniss and look up to see that she's already watching me shoot. I wink at her and adjust my aim, hitting the bulls eye of the target.
I see Katniss grin out of the corner of my eye and go back to her camouflage, but Glimmer comes over next to me, touching my arms and begging for me to teach her. Internally, I groan, but she's supposed to be in my pack, so I deflect her. "No, Glimmer. I'm not a very good teacher, go ask one of the instructors."
She doesn't take my hint, and gets in between me and the stand for the bows, pressing her pelvis into me, "Maybe you could teach me something else?"
What the hell is with the girls here?
I shake my head and try to escape her grasp, but not before seeing Katniss and Peeta dying of laughter out of the corner of my eye. Figures. Glimmer just returns to Clove on a bench, pouting. Why would someone want to start a relationship with some guy they've barely met, who they're going to end up having to kill just to get home anyway? Makes no damn sense to me.
I decide to put away the weapons for a while, all I really wanted to see was if the bows shot any differently so I could tell Katniss for her private session tomorrow. All the rest of the careers are just trying to show off more, but I just decide to sit and observe. Thresh is the big guy from 11 who I told Marvel to recruit. He's told me that the guy refused (not that I really saw him joining the alliance anyway), and the only other guy they would consider asking is Peeta, but I went ahead and shut that one down. The last thing I need is Peeta Mellark telling everyone that I've been in love with Katniss for a year and a half.
"Hawthorne," Marvel says, "Private sessions are tomorrow, got any idea what you're going to do?"
I shake my head, "I haven't really thought about it yet, what about you?"
Marvel laughs, "Don't you know? We're in the Career pack. They'll give us a score anywhere from 8-10 just based on that fact. I could go in there and just sit for 10 minutes and come out with an 8."
"So the games are rigged?"
He shakes his head, "No, just the scores. I mean, they play to whoever has the most sponsorship money, but our pack is likely okay in that aspect too."
I just nod and let the comment go. It's nothing that I didn't think about anyway, but it just pisses me off to hear someone confirm it. Fucking lapdogs.
The woman comes out to tell us that the training sessions are over and that it's time to return to our floors until the private sessions are over. Brutus and Enobaria meet Clove and I in the lobby with big smiles. I catch Haymitch's eye from across the lobby, and he winks at me, which leads me to think that I'm doing a pretty good job faking this Career thing.
Our mentors lead Clove and I up to the elevator, and we catch the same one as district 1 and 12. Katniss has to stifle a giggle as Glimmer and Clove do their best to get close to me. Glimmer apparently notices that Katniss is giggling at her, because when the elevator stops at her floor, she reaches up to my cheek. At first I think she's going to whisper something to me, but she kisses me. Glimmer kisses my cheek, my neck, and my ear before finally facing me to kiss me square on the lips. She looks back at Katniss before whispering in my ear, "I'll see you later," and winks at me before exiting the elevator.
Clove just begins to laugh at the attention I'm getting, and before long Enobaria and Haymitch start laughing too. "What the fuck was that?"
"Seems like everybody wants in your pants, Gale," Katniss says. I roll my eyes at her and thank my stars when the elevator stops at our floor and I can escape.
Katniss and I have been meeting every night on the rooftop, so my mentors think nothing of it when I change clothes and start to head back for the elevator. Only Rysalee has a problem.
"Just where do you think you're going, mister?"
I roll my eyes, "Same place I've been going."
"Oh no sir," she states. "Someone got word of tributes being up there, so they've got Peacekeepers up there round the clock. And that is just something you do not need right before private sessions, Gale."
"She's right," Brutus agrees. "You need to stay here tonight."
"Effie has told them too," Rysalee went on. "Katniss won't be there tonight."
Clove huffs from her seat on the couch, "Can we please stop talking about her? All anybody can freaking talk about is the 'Girl on Fire' and I could really care less. I'm going to kill her as soon as I can, so who cares."
The comment is provoking me, and I know it. Instead of shouting back, I just retreat to my room for the night. Maybe the private session tomorrow will put me in a better mood. I go back to the shower and focus on the hot water running down my body. All I can think about is Katniss, and I know I have to find some way to tell her about the bows for tomorrow.
My dreams feature her again tonight, but this time I can't find her. I can hear her calling my name and calling for me, but it doesn't matter where I turn, I can't find her. I call for her and call, but the forest and the fog are all too much for me, and I can't find her. I wake up screaming her name only to realize that I'm still in the bed of the training center.
I take a shower to wash off the terrible memory of the dream, dress in the clothes I'm supposed to and head to the dining room for breakfast. Clove looks like her usual morning self, and I see Enobaria and Brutus in deep conversation. When I sit down at the table they stop and turn to Clove and I.
"Okay, dears," purrs Enobaria. "Today is the private sessions. You'll be in with the Gamemakers for 10 minutes each."
"This is the time to show them everything you have," Brutus says. "If you've been hiding a skill, show it to them in the biggest way possible."
Clove and I both nod and return to our breakfast. Rysalee enters the room to escort us to where we will wait for our private sessions with the other tributes. We're lucky, because Clove will be the third one to go and I'll be fourth, so we won't have to wait as long as Katniss or Peeta.
Before we leave, I find a piece of paper and a pen. Since I didn't get to tell Katniss about the bows last night, I figure I should get to do it now. I write the message and ball the piece of paper in my fist so no one will notice.
When the elevator comes to our floor, Peeta, Katniss, and Effie are the only occupants. I smile at my good luck and casually hold my hand out, just enough for her to tell that I want to give her something. I back into her and slip the note into her hand. We stay silent until our escorts lead us into the room to wait for us to be called in.
Clove sits next to me on one side, and one of the guys from four on my other side. I know he's in my alliance, but I don't even bother learning his name. Too soon, my name is called and I walk through the room to where the Gamemakers sit, ready to watch me make some kind of impression on them.
I walk to the rope tying station and begin to set up a snare. It's not very complicated for me, but it looks complicated. When I finish, I roll a dummy onto it and it gets strung up by its plastic ankles. I then walk to the set up with the bows and pick up the same one I had yesterday. I shoot five arrows straight through the heart of one dummy, and then send another three into the heart of the one caught in my snare, while it's still swinging.
Seneca Crane, the head Gamemaker announces, "You may go now, Mr. Hawthorne."
And just like that, I'm free to go.
…
I sit on the couch in our suite waiting for the coverage to come on with Brutus. Enobaria and Clove have elected to watch from Clove's room and discuss strategies. Frankly I don't really give a shit. Clove's been attached to me all afternoon, and I almost can't wait for the Games to start just so I can be rid of her.
Marvel, Glimmer, and Clove all score average for Careers, and I can't say that I'm very impressed. Clove scored the highest of the three with a 9, but it's only because of her knife throwing skills. My picture comes up next, and Caesar smiles, "Gale Hawthorne, from district 2… 10!"
Brutus slaps me on the back and smiles, "Now the Career pack will be following you for sure, Gale." Perfect.
We keep watching, but no one else gets a higher score than me until district 11. The girl, who reminds me of Prim, scores an 8, which sets me to wondering what on Earth she did to earn it. Peeta scores an 8 too, but that doesn't surprise me the way the girl (Rue?) did. Katniss's picture comes up, and Caesar announces an… eleven?
Since Rysalee isn't breathing down my back anymore, I sneak onto the roof to wait for Katniss like I had told her I would be in my note. I want to know what she did to get her 11. Shooting a bow couldn't have gotten her a score like that.
She makes her way up to the rooftop, and her eyes find me sitting in a corner before she rushes to me and stays in my arms. I kiss her forehead, "What the hell did you do to make you so loving?" I tease.
She laughs, "I shot an arrow at the Gamemakers."
What. She notices my tense body posture and laughs, "They weren't paying attention, and they had just brought in a huge pig. So I shot the arrow through the apple in the pig's mouth. Haymitch thinks they were impressed enough to give me an 11."
I just shake my head. What on Earth am I going to do with this girl.
