Sorry for the long time of waiting for the chapter. But here it is, just took me awhile. So Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Suzanne Collins does. (sings to a joyous melody)


Peeta! I can't believe I didn't see this coming! Of course my life could use more drama. I seem to be running out of it, lately.

Everything feels like it is moving in fast motion. I hear Gale groan and Gwendolyn gasp and my mind go, "dun Dun DUNNN!"

"Peeta," I stumble with words. "Wh-What are you doing here?" My eyes are wide and I can imagine my companions' are too. Peeta glances towards Gale and Gwen. I can tell by look on his face that he recognizes Gwen. Then he fixes his gaze back on me.

"Why is that important?" he asks. "I should be asking what you aredoing. Your family is worried sick about you." At first I start to fret, but I can tell what he is doing. He's lying. My family isn't awake yet. Peeta is worried about me. Well, I don't need someone concerned. I think I've proven that I can survive on my own.

"If you must know," I start, "we're leaving District 12." I finish simply as if I was stating my own name. Peeta looks shocked. I prepare an argument in my mind against Peeta's reasons for me to stay. But it turns out I don't need it.

Peeta's face is calm and collected when he says, "I want to go with you." My mouth falls open with surprise.

Gale decides to speak up, which lucky for me because I don't think I could have. "We need to talk about that first," he growls.

"Fine," Peeta snaps. I could almost swear I saw the air crack with furious energy between the two.

Gale takes Gwendolyn's and my arms, and pulls us away from Peeta. "Absolutely not!" he roars once we're a good distant away.

Gwen looks thoughtful. "We might need him. I mean, I saw the Hunger Games this year. I saw how well he did."

Gale snorts at Gwen's comment. "Apparently," he says angrily. "You didn't see the entire games or you would have saw Catnip keep him alive by risking her life almost the entire time!"

"I did see that," she says matter-of-factly. "But he would have done a lot better if he had not been injured saving Katniss."

I could tell by her statements that she had won. I have to agree with her. We probably do better with Peeta.

"Fine," says Gale defeated. "He can come. But he will go home if he holds us back at all.

"Agreed," say Gwendolyn. I have to applaud her for her shrewdness during the whole conversation, especially when she was in disagreement with Gale. Not everyone can beat Gale. It's good to know that Gwen is smart and will keep us from making stupid mistakes.

We walk back over to where Peeta is standing, Gale shuffling behind us, clearly upset.

"What's the verdict?" Peeta asks. His expression looks somewhat sad, as if he thinks he cannot join us.

"You can come," Gwen says. "But Gale says if you slow us down you have to leave."

"That's okay with me," Peeta says happily. This does nothing for Gale's mood. He becomes more depressed, but I know he'll get over it. I think it is very humorous when Gale is sad. It's like a child's misery.

Our trio becomes a quartet and we all begin to walk. Gale drags his feet, his head down. I smile to myself and slow my pace to meet his. When I am walking next to him, Gale straightens up, pretending nothing's immoral to his principles at the moment.

"What's wrong?" I ask him in good humor.

"Oh just Peeta," He sighs. "Now that he's coming; I have to compete with him for you." He gives me a somewhat mischievous grin and suddenly I'm afraid for Peeta. I stop in my tracks and Gale continues, smiling his head off.

Oh great, I think to myself, as I start to walk again, this couldn't possibly turn out good. I knew this was coming, but I did nothing about it. Again it is my fault someone is going to get hurt. Even though now it is unserious, it's not going to end that way. I can feel it.

We continue to walk until sundown. The sun, what I can see of it anyways, is a dazzling yellow-orange. The sky had turned a brilliant red. We stop to rest in a small clearing we had found. It's about twenty feet long and surround by trees. The four of us collapse to the ground exhausted.

Gwen is the first to break the hours of silence. "We can't keep walking like this every day," she pants. Peeta, Gale and I nod, too tired to respond to her with words.

I rest against a random tree. My backpack pokes my back and I bend forward to slide it off my back. I lean back again with the pack on my lap. I open the pouch and aimlessly search through it.

As I run my hand on the contents, I stop on my father's map. I pull out the drawing and unfold it. I stare at the etchings and point to a place on it.

"I think we're here," I say to no one in particular. Gale rises from the ground and squats next to me.

"I think you're right," he says studying the map. "Or you're at least close to where we are." I gaze at Gale for a brief moment before becoming embarrassed and looking away. You're pathetic Everdeen, scolds my mind.

Night has come and Peeta starts to build a fire. Gale and I go further into the woods to look for game.

"So," Gale starts but doesn't finish.

"So what?" I ask, raising my eyebrows. I have a bad feeling about what's coming; and I wish he chooses not to say his thoughts.

He's silent for a brief moment and I think for a second that he isn't going to say anything.

Then he blurts out. "Do you love him Catnip?" he asks. I can see the pain in his eyes. Oh why do I hurt so much?" I think to myself agonizingly. Gale is staring at me, waiting for an answer. I feel like he's looking right through me.

"Um… I… I don't know," I wind up lamely. "Whatever you saw in the games, I can't tell what I was doing half of the time; I just wanted to come home." I start to feel tears well up in my eyes and I blink them back furiously. You will not cry Everdeen, especially not in front of Gale, I tell myself angrily.

"I'm sorry, Katniss," Gale apologizes quietly. "I didn't know."

"I know you didn't," I say embarrassed. "You had no way of knowing. It's not your fault." It's my fault, I think somberly.

No, it's not my fault! It's the Capitol's. Their fault my life is ruined. That is their mistake. And it will be their last if I have it my way.

Gale and I continue our hunt. I shoot down a rabbit, right through the eye. I tie it to my belt.

"Catnip," Gale asks hoarsely, "what were the games like? I mean I saw them, but what was it like to be there?"

I sigh, thinking over this question. I debate on whether to answer it or not. On one hand I really didn't want to talk about, reliving the experiences would be torture. On the other hand this is Gale who I trust more than anyone.

Finally I decide to answer him, "It was terrifying with everyone out to get me, but I think the scariest part was the fact we were killing each other to stay alive. It's the Capitol who was making us…," I search for the right word, "murder." I feel myself start to get angry, forgetting Gale is with me.

"And Rue, she's dead, and Thresh and everyone else. It's not fair. No matter what they did to me in the arena, I wouldn't wish them dead!" My voice is raising and I know I have to be quiet. I'm scaring off game and who knows what else could be listening. Or who, I should say.

I quiet myself down by taking deep breaths. It helps a little. I decide to keep the games in my head for now on. Gale had been staring at me the entire time I was ranting.

"It'll be okay, Catnip," he says hushed. "The matter isn't going to change at all, but you'll learn to live with it." He wraps his arms around me and holds me tight. I find this very comforting. The gesture is friend-like, not romantic at all. I bury my face in his chest, still somewhat embarrassed with my behavior.

"I hope you're right," I say simply. And for my sanity's sake, he needs to be right. The thing about Gale is that he says exactly what he thinks; he doesn't try to make feel better with lies. And no matter how much the truth hurts; he'll tell it to me if I need to hear it.

I realize now how grateful I am for Gale and how much I need him. Ugh, Katniss, don't go there, I think disgusted with myself.

Gale and I finish our hunting trip with three rabbits and bag of greens. I think we did pretty well. When we arrive at the clearing Peeta is done with the fire; and he and Gwendolyn are sitting around it, talking quietly. Their eyes light up when they see our haul and I allow myself a small smile.

Gwen rises from the ground and walks over to us. "I'll cook these up," she says. I hand her the rabbits and she goes right to work. I trust her with the cooking because, let's face it, Gale and I are not the best cooks there is and Peeta just, well, bakes bread. So it's best if Gwen does the cooking.

Gwendolyn skins and guts the animals. She fastens the rabbits on a stick; I have to laugh at the picture of this; and she sits down on a fallen log, sticking the meat into the fire. Gwen inhales deeply and twists the stick. After awhile and one time of the rabbit catching on fire, the meat is done.

The four of us gather in a circle next to the fire.

"Now what are we going to do?" Peeta asks as everyone is eating rabbit and greens. I know what he is talking about. What about tomorrow? Are we going to keep walking? More and more this seems like a stupid idea, leaving the district. The Capitol is eventually going to come looking for us. And what happens when they can't find us back in District 12? What are they going to do? What about our families? So many questions flood my head as I debate the entire matter. This was my idea to run away. I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach, that no matter how far I run, I can't escape my problems.

Suddenly I don't feel hungry anymore, but I finish my food off anyways. By the time Gale, Peeta, and Gwendolyn are done eating, everyone is yawning and very tired.

"Let's go to sleep," says Gale stretching. "I hope you brought your own sleeping bag." he says severely to Peeta.

"Oh no, did I forget?" Peeta says sarcastically. "I was too busy following you three out of the district."

"Okay, arguing doesn't help anyone!" I say holding up my hands. Oh look, my philosopher side is showing again, but I really don't care. I am, well frankly, peeved at Gale and Peeta for being so immature.

"Look, maybe we could take watch shifts and switch sleeping bags during those times," I don't wait for them to answer. "Great, I'll take first shift."

Gwen obediently climbs into her bag; and Gale and Peeta do too, just with some grumbling. "Good boys," I say. They give me annoyed looks.

"Go to sleep," I say and they reluctantly close their eyes. I grin to myself. That was kind of fun in that childish kind of way, I think to myself happily.

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Two hours later, I wake up Gale for the next shift. He gets up and sits by a tree. I feel sorry for him that Peeta had put the fire out a couple hours ago so it didn't attract predators.

I climb into the already warm sleeping bag and snuggle in. My eyelids are heavy and I let go of all thoughts, releasing myself to sleep.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"The world has transformed to flame and smoke. Burning branches crack from trees and fall in showers of sparks at my feet. All I can do is follow the others, the rabbits and the deer and I even spot a wild dog pack shooting through the woods. I trust their sense of direction because their instincts are sharper than mine. But they are much faster, flying through the underbrush so gracefully as my boots catch on roots and fallen tree limbs, that there's no way I can keep apace with them."

I recognize where I am. I'm in the arena again. I am living the experience of the fire again. No, I want to scream but I can't because of the smoke. Isn't bad enough that I went through this the first time?

My boots suddenly seem heavier and the next thing I know I'm lying on my stomach because of a tree root I tripped on. I try to scramble to my feet, but only get as far as my hands and knees. I crawl as fast as I can. It's not fast enough though. Soon the world is shaking and the fire engulfs me.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Katniss," I hear Gale shouting my name over some kind of loud roaring noise. He is shaking me hard. I open my eyes. His face shows fear and concern for me.

But I pay little attention to that. I'm am too busy looking behind him at the massive wall of flames that are descending on us.


OOH cliffhanger!