NESSIE WINSA! That is your name! hah! I got it xD. My computer wouldn't pull up the reveiws so I couldn't find out what your name was. hahah sorry! =D

Anyway...this chapter is long. After this one, I might take The Potter Games advice and cut down to posting a chapter every other day or something. Shoot me. (hahaha jk. please dont.)

So here ya go!

P.S. It is fluffly. I know. I just had to do it. :D

"Ow," I suck in. "Ah, ow."

I walk up to my back door stiffly. Gale has his arm around my shoulder and helps me up the steps.

"Are you sure you are okay? That was a pretty big fall."

"I'm fine Gale." I shoot back.

It has been about two months since Gale showed me how to climb a tree for the first time.

I walk through the door. Mother sits on the small chair near the stairs. When we walk in, she is quick to look in our direction.

"What happened?" She asks immediately seeing my pained look.

"I-I fell out of a tree." My fists clench.

"What?" She gasps running up to me.

"I'm fine, Mom." My voice rises. Gale doesn't release his grip around my shoulders.

"She's not fine." Gale defends.

I look up at him and grimace, but worry is plastered over his face.

"Oh, Rissa," she whispers, "let's get you up to your bed. Then I'll call Ms. Steggle."

I try to protest, but Gale whisks me upstairs with mother following behind.

I take off my shoes the best I can and lower myself into the covers. Gale pulls the chair from my desk and sits down next to the bed.

"You okay?"

I stifle a laugh, "Yes Gale. You already asked me that."

His face brightens, "Oh, yeah."

I laugh. Try to, at least. It hurts too much. I laugh a little and then wince at the pain.

"Rissa," he says, back to the worrying.

"Gale, I am fine." I reassure him after recovering. "Maybe you should go. You worry too much. And I am tired."

He gets up and looks down at me. I can tell he is thinking whether or not to leave. "Fine." He bends over and brushes the hair back from my eyes. "Are you sure you are fine?"

"Yes."

"Okay." He kisses my forehead and leaves.

I can't help but smile.

Once he leaves, I let all of the emotion drain out of me.

I am not fine. At all. Emotionally or physically. I fell out of a 15 foot high branch today-probably broke something-and Gale and I have as much romance as a slug.

Gees.

-Break-

The weeks replay in my dream and I find myself sitting under the Oak tree, eating rolls with Gale. It has been a month since I accepted the deal.

Gale stands up to receive his bow.

My dream fast-forwards and I have his bow positioned in my hands, ready to shoot.

"Like this?" I ask, focused on nothing but holding the bow.

"Uhm," Gale lifts the bow up with his fingers. "There."

"Can I shoot now?" I whine. Clearly, my hands are in the wrong spots.

He puts his arms around me and grabs a hold of the bow and arrow. He readjusts my hands and smiles.

"Now pull back on the string," His hand and mine slowly pull the tight string back. "And…" We release the string and let the arrow fly into the bark of a tree, "there."

I drop the bow to my side. Gale stares into my eyes and I find his. His face is expressionless. He leans in closer to me, but quickly turns away. "That wraps up for today."

I stare down at my feet and replay in my head what just happened.

Gale. Does he love me?

The thought brings up a small smile and I look up.

Well, obviously, Gale and I have developed a strong relationship. Is it friendship or something else? I don't know. With Gale, it is hard to figure out. One day he is charming and thoughtful, the next he is grumpy and stingy.

I hand him the bow and we walk home.

My dream replays the events of the Saturday afternoons. I get to know a lot better. I find out that he can set snare, he is the oldest in his family, he is from District 12, and much more. He says that he lives in the old Victors' Village on the east side of town. Apparently, he came here because he wanted something more. He wanted to begin a life that he always wanted.

He even talks time to time about the famous victors Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark. He might not even know it, but he drops hints about Katniss and I come to conclude that he and she were best friends. Then she broke his heart.

I tell him things too like who is in my family, what I do at the bakery all day long, but I never elaborate on my father. That subject is too touchy.

We meet up by the Old Oak every Saturday after work. We eat, talk, laugh, all that jazz. Then he teaches me the things he knows about the wild.

It is a nice dream: full of happiness and fluff. But then it takes a turn for the worst. I am in the Oak tree. I'm up high in the top branches surveying the timberland below. Gale warned me to be careful up there, but I waved it off. He was up there with me too, but he has more experience that I do.

I was content with the afternoon. The whether was nice, Gale was here, and a little breeze was coming in from the North. I crossed my hands behind my head and laid back.

Gale and I were talking about what the Capitol was like when he grew silent.

I looked up, "What?"

He was staring next to my feet with a shocked look on his face. "Don't move."

"What?" I sat up and moved my feet. Right there, buzzing fiercely around the base of my branch was a Tracker Jacker.

"Don't Move!" Gale hissed. Too late.

I caught its attention, unfortunately.

It flew towards me and I flipped. I tried scooting back, but it kept following me.

Gale tried to swat at it to distract it, but it was set on me.

I was screaming in pure fear.

Tracker Jacker.

Do you know what one can do to you if one stings you?

I kept moving back.

Gale was shouting at me, but I couldn't hear him.

Apparently I scooted back to far.

I heard a squeak from Gale and then I felt nothing underneath me.

I fell about 15-20 feet Gale says.

Feeling the impact again, I bolt up right in bed.

-Break-

"Well, there are a few broken ribs, a twisted ankle, she has bruised some of her back, and her wrist is slightly damaged." Ms. Steggle finally observed after about a half an hour of pure torture.

I mean really. Torture. She walked in and asked me a few simple questions. Then she began probing my bones.

I wailed in agony as she poked here and there around my body. It hurt even worse then my dog attack wound.

"I give here about three weeks of bed rest to heal," She tells my mother. "And don't go to the woods while you're at it." She gives me a stern look "I know about you and that District 12 boy."

Oh, Gosh.

"Okay, thank you Ms. Steggle for your time," my mother interrupts, saving me from total embarrassment.

"Oh, my pleasure!" She beams. She saunters out of the room, following mother.

Gale is the one to come in next. He finds me propped up on a pillow and pulls up the chair.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm good. A few broken bones, but it's all good." I lie.

He gives me his Are-You-Serious look again. "Rissa…"

"Uh, ok. I am not good. Ms. Steggle tortured me -literally- while assessing my injuries and I feel like trash." I break.

"You are not trash." He says soothingly.

It is my turn to give him the Are-You-Serious look.

"You're not!" He blankly defends.

I laugh.

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Peace out ;D