The rest of the month passed without flourish. I ran towards the edge of the district, hoping to go hunting with Gale. I checked the fence for a low hum, but it was silent. I ran into the meadow, and Gale was already sitting there.
"Hey, Catnip."
"Hi Gale." I took a seat, before Gale asked "I was hoping you would tell me on your own accord, but you didn't, so I have to ask. What did Snow say to you during the tour?" I just remembered that I never told him.
"Sorry, I forgot to tell you, didn't I?" He nodded, and motioned for me to continue.
"He said there are uprisings in the district that were caused by me pulling out those berries. He called me a spark, and the rest of the districts tinder." Gale looks at me worriedly, probably anticipating what I'll say. I swallow hard and fight to keep my voice steady and my eyes dry.
"And, well, when a flame becomes dangerous, you put it out." No matter how much I blink, no matter how hard I try, I can't hold back the tears anymore. I'm not worried for my own life; I'm worried for Gale's. He knew that Gale and Prim were the only ones who I could never truly recover from if they died, and Prim's name being called twice was too suspicious, so that left Gale. Snow will probably find some way to throw him in the games. Gale wrapped an arm soothingly around my waist, and gently pushed my head on his chest.
"There's something you're not telling me," he states. How did he know?
"How did you know?"
"You've never cried over your own life before. Only others." He was right, during the Games I thought of Prim, not me. And to be honest, I'm not worried about my life now, I'm worried about Gale's.
"Gale, I think Snow will put you in the Quarter Quell." He breathes in sharply, and pulls me closer to him. He's silent, nothing can be said to make this any better.
"Well, I guess we can't do anything about it. Worrying won't stop Snow."
I nod, knowing he's right, but it's still hard for me to stop crying.
We sit there for a long time until my tears finally stop flowing. By then, it was about mid-afternoon and the sun was bright and hot.
"Do you want to go to the lake and cool off?" I asked Gale.
"Sure." He pulled me up and took my hand in his. We walked silently through the woods until I saw the gleaming surface of water. I pulled my hand from his, and started running before I yelled back, "Race ya there!" He rolled his eyes before starting after me. I'm a pretty fast runner, but so is Gale, and his legs are so much longer than mine. He caught up to me when we were at the bank, and he grabbed me and threw me over his back. He slowed down to a jog, while I tried fruitlessly to escape.
"Don't get too feisty now, Catnip." He started to slow down when we were at the edge, and lowered me from his grasp.
"Don't you DARE throw me in the lake, Hawthorne."
"Actually, that's a good idea, Everdeen." Oh. No.
I felt my body sink into the ice cold water, before I came up, sputtering for air.
"Gale, I will kill you, I swear." He just laughed, and sat down the ledge where he threw me in. I clambered up beside him, clothes dripping wet. Time for revenge. I gave him a sugary sweet smile, and tried my best to look innocent.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be so harsh." I ran forward, and gave him a huge hug, messing up his hair and dirtying up his clothes.
"Eww, get off me!" But I wasn't done yet. While his guard was down, I managed to tip him over the ledge, and we both fell into the lake. The difference, though, was that I was prepared. I came to the surface to breathe without a hitch, but when Gale came up, he was choking on water and trying to get his breath back.
"I- will- get you- for th-that," he said between breaths. I laughed, and swam towards shore. He pulled himself up after me, before pulling off his jacket and his shirt.
"What are you doing?"
"I don want to catch a cold." He smirked, before pulling off his pants and setting them out in the sun to dry. Then, he came a little closer to me, and pulled off my jacket, then my shirt.
"Gale-" but I was cut off with a kiss. He pulled my pants off, and placed them next to his. He came back into the shade, and sat down, pulling me into his lap. I turned around to face him, and he kissed my nose, and then moved down to my lips. I kissed him back, and ran my fingers through his hair. He traced small circles on my lower back, sending shivers up my spine. He moved his lips down my neck, sucking lightly, then moved back up, nibbling at my earlobe. He kissed down my cheekbone, and returned to my lips. I pulled away after a while, and moved down his jaw line to his neck, and around to his collarbone. He moaned, but pulled my face up to meet his. He kissed me again, and unclasped my bra, flinging it to the side. He gently rubs my breast, and I let out a guttural sound, enjoying the feel of his chapped hands on my tender skin. He kissed down my belly, before he slowly pulled off my underwear. He rubbed my most sensitive area, and I gave a small moan in reply. He pulled himself up to meet my face, before inserting his length in me. I was filled with pleasure and warmth, and he slowly strokes in and out of me.
"Gale...I...I'm..." But before I can finish, he releases, and pulls out before I could have my own pleasure. He smirked, and laughed once he saw my face.
"I said I would get you for pushing me in the lake. Now I did. He pulled on his underwear, before pulling in his pants, which were mostly dry. I sat there, seeing, but not believing. I pulled on my underclothes but nothing else, and sat and pouted while he pulled on his shirt. He smiled and sat down next to me, pulling me into his lap again. He kissed me lightly, but I refused I return the favor.
"Come on, Catnip." He licked my lip, and trailed kisses down my jaw, before returning to my mouth. I sat there unmoving. He sighed, and settled on running his hands through my hair and tracing random shapes on my back. I refused to react, so I sat there stiffly until he murmured "I'm sorry. I didn't know it would upset you so much." Deciding he's suffered enough, I kissed him. He laughed, but kissed me back. He ran his hands down my waist, making me shiver. Our clothes came off once again.
Oooh! ;) know it's not very "in character", but I couldn't help myself. Sorry it's so short, I'll have the next chapter up tomorrow, I promise.
