Hello fanfiction nerds! I say that in a good way . Her is chapter 9. Still Gale's POV because I know how much you love him! Okay sorry for the delayed post. Enjoy!
I glanced around the square. I looked at the people's faces, which overall were dismal. There were a few exceptions of those who would get their moments of fame. We generally were all in a bad mood when the capitol people came to visit. Their whole purpose of their lives is so they can be entertained. I hadn't bothered to tell anyone about lying. Besides Greasy Sae, I mean. Most likely they would all figure I just didn't want to talk about it. I never really did. Only with Posy.
Finally the Capitol people had finished setting up their equipment. They had lights, cameras, and crews running all over the place. They had motioned for us, Katniss family and me, to come over to the stage they had created. They also motioned to Peeta's family and his many friends to come over to the stage as well. Some very busy person holding a clipboard was telling everyone where to sit. I sat just next to Prim on the end. I was not going to be in view of the camera so I could zone out and stare blankly into space.
Caesar appeared out of the Justice building and stepped onto the stage. He lifted the microfone to his mouth and the show began. He interviewed the Baker and his wife, then Peeta's friends. You could tell Caesar wasn't too happy with their answers. They didn't supply him with the dirt he was looking for so he quickly moved onto Katniss' mother.
"So Mrs. Everdeen, where is your husband today? I don't see him up here on the stage with you." I sat up straighter as I studied her face. I could tell he just wanted something like he was too upset to be here today or something, but he had no idea what he was going to get next.
Her voice went cold as she glared at him. "My husband? You want to know where he is right now?"
"Yes, I believe that is the question I asked."
"Well my husband happens to be underground."
"He's in the mines? Well surely he should get a day off for a day like today!" He looked into the cameras like every time the Capitol broadcasted something, that day should be declared a holiday. And it probably was in the Capitol. Mrs. Everdeen just looked thoroughly pissed that Caesar didn't pick up on her hint.
"My husband is dead." Her voice was sharp and cold. It made nearly everyone in the audience shudder.
"Oh, I'm so sorry." He said clearly shocked. No one had ever done this with him before.
"No you're not." This was a fact that she spoke. No one ever had contradicted Caesar before. They always had loved him. I smiled, glad that someone finally had the nerve to stand up to him, a piece of the Capitol. It was a little rebellion in itself. She turned and headed off the stage. She looked at me making sure I would take Prim home and I nodded.
So shocked, Caesar turned not knowing what to do for a minute. He regained his composure and turned to Prim. Prim got out of her chair and skipped over to Caesar. She answered all of his questions in her innocent little voice. She put his confidence back in order. Prim never likes seeing anyone upset.
"So tell me about Katniss. What's her favorite activity?" Prim smiled.
"That's easy. She always hangs out with Gale. They like to take care our families." She smiled a girlish smile and waved to me. I waved back and sighed. She was smart not to say we hunted. We would have been screwed. I will have to cover for what Caesar is starting to think. That was the phrase that was stuck in my head. Lies were wrapping around that one statement. I made sure my story wouldn't contradict anything that had already been said.
"Gale! Come on up here!" Prim was done talking and it was my turn to go up and talk. My body was numb as were my emotions. I stood up and looked Caesar straight in the eyes. I looked down on him. He was shorter in person. I also made sure my face gave nothing away, no emotions. I waited until it was clear that I wasn't going to greet him.
"So what's your relationship with Katniss like?" He was cutting the nonsense and jumping straight to what he wanted to know.
"Well if you're wondering if we are a 'couple' you're completely wrong." I stated. This was true. We weren't a couple. Everyone just pegged us to be. "I'm her cousin." My first lie.
"Her cousin? I can see the resemblance." He bought into my story. Well, nearly everyone did.
"Yes. We are really close." Fact number 2. Maybe if I could outweigh the lies with facts I could feel a little better. "When both of our fathers died in the mining accident we took charge and made sure everyone in our family was fed." Another fact.
"Mining accident? How tragic!" Fake sympathy coated his voice but I didn't care. No one else picked up on it. A sob story might get more sponsors for her.
"Yes. It's been really hard to cope ever since. That's the reason we drew so close. We learned to depend on each other." Two more facts. I was doing okay.
"That's moving. Well that's all the time we have right now…" I could tell he was done with me. He had gotten all the information out of me as he could. I stepped back and took Prim's hand. Together we walked off the stage.
Now that you're done reading PLEASE REVIEW! It means the world to me. Also I would love to hear your suggestions about where I should take this story. Thanks!
