Disclaimer: The Hunger Games Trilogy is property of Suzanne Collins. This is a parody fanwork by fans for fans. No money was made off of the creation of this fanwork.
Spectator
By Fanfic Allergy
Chapter Nine
The last day before the Games start begins very quietly. Even the birds seem subdued I note as I walk across the Meadow on my way to the edge of District Twelve. Gale meets me with a small nod of greeting at the fence and we climb under.
"So what's the plan for today?" he asks, playing with a coil of wire .
"I need just ten more coin and I'll have enough for Prim's sponsorship gift," I answer.
Putting the wire into one of his jacket pockets, he nods. "Shouldn't be too hard to get." He looks at me critically. "Katniss, do you have enough?"
I deliberately misunderstand his question. "Money? I just told you, I need ten coin more."
"No, not that," he says with shake of his head. "I mean for the baby. You're still really thin."
"I'm from the Seam, I've always been thin," I counter.
"Not this thin. My mother says it's not good for you or the baby."
I can feel my anger starting to rise. "I would think my mother, who's a whole lot more familiar with medicine than your mother, would tell me if I weren't healthy."
"Katniss..."
"Don't 'Katniss' me. You are not my mother. You aren't my husband-"
"Because you won't let me be!" Gale interrupts.
I continue on without acknowledging his protest. "And that means you don't get to tell me what to do. It's my life. And you've screwed it up enough as it is."
"Well forgive me for thinking I meant something to you," Gale snaps sarcastically. "I can see now that I was wrong."
I'm angry so I rail back. "Yeah, you really were. You were my friend, Gale. That meant a lot to me." I pause and look down at my feet. In a softer tone, I continue, "It still does. But any more than that? I don't know. I'm not ready to be thinking about that right now. But if you keep acting like this, I'm not going to ever be ready and it will never be you. Never. You're my friend, Gale. I can't give you anymore. Not now. Maybe not ever. Do you understand?" I'm tired of this same conversation with him.
He opens his mouth to say something then thinks better of it. "Yeah, I think I do."
"I hope so, I'd hate to lose you as a friend, Gale."
"I'd hate to lose you too." He takes a step closer to me, like he's going to give me a hug but decides against it. That is probably a wise choice, I'm not in a mood to be touched at the moment.
I look up and readjust my hunting jacket over my belly. "So let's get going. I don't have a lot of time left and we haven't even started yet."
"Lead the way." He makes sweeping motion with his hand.
Things are a little less tense after that, although I can tell that Gale isn't happy. That's okay, I'm not happy either. Gale goes off to set several snares while I spend my time along the stream bank. I set my nets again and wander up and down along the edge. I pick off whatever animals I can find, there aren't many only a squirrel and a raccoon, who was washing something off in the stream.
I also find a slower section of the stream that has cattails and katniss growing beside it. I smile, remembering my father's words that so long as I could find my namesake I wouldn't starve. I take off my shoes and root around in the mud with my toes to loosen up the tubers to float to the surface. I grab them and toss them up on to the bank before the stream whisks them away. I gather the cattails whole since the entire plant is useful. The katniss I just cut off the roots to take home.
Anything that I find that is edible will go into my bag today. I don't want to have to go out during the Games and after my argument with Gale I really don't want to count on him. He'd take it the wrong way and start pressuring me again to marry him.
"How's it going, Catnip?" Gale says from the edge of the wood.
"Okay," I answer looking at my haul. "Want to go pick strawberries?"
"Are they going to be ready? It's only been a few days."
I shrug. "It's worth a check. I'm going to the Mayor's tomorrow morning anyway."
"Is that when you're going to make the phone call for sponsorship?"
"Yeah. Madge is also giving me whatever donations she's managed to raise then too," I add. "So some strawberries might be enough to make up the difference if I'm short."
"Good idea."
We travel to the clearing and gather up as many strawberries as we can find. There aren't many so Gale suggests we head to our old meeting place to get blackberries too. We make out better there and after about an hour my berry bag is full.
I sit down on one of the rocks and look around a little sadly. This was my and Gale's place. Now, it's just the place that I come to get blackberries. It's a big change. "So what do we want to do now?" I ask.
He looks at me. "I think that's up to you. We can try to go tracking more game."
I think about it for several moments. Actively hunting doesn't appeal to me. Granted I only have two animals for trade, but the thought of stalking my prey through the woods makes my stomach churn. I'm tired, but I don't dare say that to Gale. So I struggle to find a way to suggest that we not tramp through the woods. "I don't think we need to. It's a nice day and lots of animals are going to come down to the stream to get a drink, we can just pick them off when they show up."
"Okay," he says giving me a funny look.
Crap! He's noticed something in my tone. I quickly come up with a reason he'll accept without too much fuss. "We can also see what we can find along the banks. I think the baby wants crayfish."
He glances down at my stomach. "Well, whatever the baby wants..."
"The baby gets," I finish. "So let's hop to it."
The rest of the day is spent splashing and patrolling the stream banks. Gale and I manage to have a good time and catch a few crayfish. Not enough for a whole meal but if I put them into a stew they'd taste good. I also gather any plants I can that I know are edible - marsh marigold, watercress, mint, chicory, nettle, thistle, and of course dandelions. The dandelions remind me of Peeta and the hope that he brought me in that terrible time after my father died. I still owe him, I think, and I have no way of paying him back.
Gale glances at the sky and tells me that it's getting close to three. Time to call it a day. I pull in my nets and small haul of fish while Gale goes and checks his snares for any game. He too only comes back with a few rabbits. I only have five fish, mostly small catfish with one trout.
We pack everything up and slip back under the fence. Gale walks me to my house and helps me unload everything. I repack my game bag with the trout, squirrel and raccoon and put the other four fish in the cooler for later. Gale gives me one of his rabbits and I want to refuse, but it's for Prim. I should have enough to get the ten coin I need but a little extra won't hurt.
The Hob is bustling with people bringing in items to trade. I beeline for Sae's booth and pull out my game and fish. She gives me a hard look and asks bluntly, "How much you short by?"
I tell her and she nods. "I can give you that for this lot. Save you from tramping around everywhere."
I probably could make more, but she's right, I'd have to go all over town. I'd rather get home, there's a lot of things I'd like to do before the interviews, mainly double and triple checking to make sure that I haven't miscounted anything. But there's also normal everyday living things that I need to do, things like laundry, making cheese, pickling the vegetables that I've gathered, making jam. Things that will mean that I can survive the winter or even the next few days.
I get home and start my chores. I am not the greatest of cooks but I can do simple things and at least do all of the prep work for my mother to finish. But before I do any of that, I take down the jar holding the money I've earned and spill it out onto the bed. Carefully I count the coins, dropping them back into the jar in multiples of ten. I do it once and the do it again.
When I get done with my second count, I sit back with a smile on my face. Three hundred and fifty two coin. Enough to buy the spool I want and a little left over to start rebuilding the nest egg I'd sacrificed. I don't even need to sell the strawberries to the Mayor, although I probably still will. After all, I have a baby coming in a few months.
My mother returns home and smiles at my preparations, we spend the next few hours canning and preserving what I got from the woods. I clean the fish and feed the entrails to Buttercup, he mewls pathetically and looks around expectantly for his mistress. When she doesn't show up, he hisses at me.
"I miss her, too," I tell him.
He hisses at me again. Stupid cat.
A little before seven, my mother hands me a bowl of crayfish stew with katniss root and we sit down in front of the screen. I know that Caesar Flickerman has this amazing knack of making the tributes look as good as they can.
He comes out in his blue hair and sparkling suit and the crowd cheers. He greets them and gets right down to business. After all he's got twenty four tributes to get through and even though they only get three minutes per tribute, that's still a lot to get through.
As always, District One starts off. Glimmer flounces up onstage in a sheer, opaque dress that sparkles when she moves. She looks even more gorgeous than she did during the parade and I know that she's going to get a lot of sponsors. She flirts and gives all sorts of innuendo during her interview.
My mother snorts at her and looks over at me. "That girl is a tramp."
"A deadly one," I reply.
"She's got no shame. I'm glad your father and I raised you girls better than that."
I feel guilty. She also raised us to wait until marriage to engage in any kind of sexual activity. I know she's disappointed in me, but she doesn't say anything. What good would it do? It's okay, she's disappointed me in the past too.
The buzzer rings and Marvel saunters up onstage. He poses and smirks and I can hear a few of the younger members of the audience let out high pitched squeals. I don't get it. I suppose Marvel is good looking but I'm just not into the persona he's creating.
My mother agrees with me. "He's a bad boy."
"He's a Career," I state. It's a given he's a bad boy.
My mother chuckles. "No, not that way. He's the kind of boy who'd break a girl's heart and then go out with her best friend just because he could. I don't like him."
"You're not supposed to like him," I point out.
"Maybe not, but I can feel sorry for them most years. They're also victims of the Games."
She's got a point. Even Careers are victims of the Capitol, even if they volunteered to be there.
Clove walks up next. She's dressed in a simple black and gold dress with lace up sandals. Her lean muscles are accentuated. She greets Caesar politely and sits down on the couch next to his chair.
"So Clove Miner, you certainly are a lovely tribute."
"Thank you, Caesar. My stylist is wonderful to turn a poor district girl into this." She motions to her hair and dress.
"Well, they certainly had a great canvas to work on. So tell me, what did you do to earn such a high score?"
Clove smiles cruelly. "I'll let you use your imagination on that one. But let's just say that I made an impression and go with that. You can't expect a girl to give away all of her secrets."
"No, of course not. So let's go back to the day you were reaped. What was going through your head when you heard your name called?"
Clove 's face drains of color and she takes a few seconds to reply to Caesar, which is in stark contrast to the cocky girl she was portraying earlier. "I was honored, of course," she says eventually. "Who wouldn't be to compete in a Games like these? In fact, I thought that someone would want to take my place and get the glory for herself. I guess she lost her nerve."
"Well, lucky for us that she did."
Clove tries to smile but it comes out like she is trying not to cry or bite Caesar's head off. Thankfully the buzzer sounds and she positively bolts from the stage. That clinches it in my mind, she doesn't want to be there. That is unusual for a Career. There is something else going on, only I'm not sure what.
Cato places a hand on Clove's shoulder before he strides onstage. They share a look.
Caesar comments on it as soon as the Career sits down. "It looks like you and Clove are close. Did you know each other back in District Two?"
Cato glances over to Clove before answering and she gives him a small nod. "I've known her all my life. We grew up together."
"So would you say that you're good friends?"
"Yes, I'd say that." He glances back over to her and I begin to feel the stirrings of sympathy for the two. That's probably why they're both so upset, they don't want to kill their friend.
Caesar however seems to see something that I don't and presses on. "Would you say that you're more than friends?"
Cato freezes. This is not the angle he was planning on portraying. I can tell that from his face. But to refuse to answer Caesar hurts the tributes, any Career knows that. Again he looks to Clove for some kind of confirmation. She closes her eyes and a spasm of pain crosses her features but she gives another brief nod.
Taking a deep breath, Cato finally answers Caesar's question. "She's the most important person in my life."
The crowd erupts into a series of loud shouts and cries. Most of them exclaiming how horrible it is that two lovers are having to go into the Arena but some are excited, wanting to see love turn into murderous rage. It makes me sick to my stomach.
The audience doesn't manage to get back under control in time for Caesar to ask another question, so Cato manages to escape back to his seat next to Clove. I feel sorry for the girl from Three, no one, not even the camera, is paying any attention to her. They're too focused on Cato and Clove trying to recover from Cato's admission. I can see them whispering to each other and I'm grateful that the Capitol cameras can't see their lips clearly, otherwise we'd be having a running translation of what they are saying.
The boy from Three, Axel, manages to get the attention back on him. He's quiet, polite, and when asked if he has a strategy he gives a little smile and answers. "I do. And it's going to be something with a real bang to it."
Four is up next. Coral is a typical Career from Four: quiet and arrogant. Unlike One and Two, Four careers tend to let their weapons and kills speak for them. She doesn't say much other than to remind Caesar that there's a reason why there are a lot of winners from Four and that she intends on being the next one.
Reef apparently is camera shy. Which Caesar manages to turn into something adorable. The poor boy stutters through his interview but his score and physique will still manage to get him sponsors.
The foxfaced girl from Five is next. Uranium's a marked contrast to Reef: poised, polished, and reeking of suppressed danger. She's the kind of girl you'd expect to sneak up behind you and stab you in the back. She reminds Caesar that the scores aren't everything and that most years the highest scoring tributes tend to end up dead. She smiles a little at that and my blood runs a little cold.
I miss her district partner's time because I decide that I need a nice cup of warm tea after Uranium's interview.
The two from Six are equally pathetic. The girl is barely able to get any words out and the boy has already given up. I feel sorry for Caesar since there is nothing he can do with either of them.
You can almost taste Caesar's relief when Tacoma comes up onstage. She's clearly trying to channel Johanna Mason's post games persona. She's rough, crude and abrasive. But she also makes an impression.
When Caesar asks "Are you as strong as you look?"
Her answer is to pick him up into a bear hug. "Is that strong enough for you?" she asks as she sets him down.
"Oh, I think so!" he exclaims to the crowd's cheers. I can see out at the edge of the screen that there were Peacekeepers poised to come up onstage and that only a hand wave from Caesar kept them from bounding up there and forcibly restraining Tacoma. I wonder if the girl knows what kind of trouble she's in. And in my mind, I lower her chances even further. After her display, the Gamemakers are never going to allow her to win. She's just too unpredictable.
Elm seems to realize that and his interview is calm, polite and boring. As are the two from Eight. My bladder twinges and I excuse myself to go to the bathroom. I don't want to miss Prim's interview and I honestly don't think the tributes from Nine are going to be any competition. I come back in on the tail end of the girl from Ten's interview. Piper seems sweet but I'm remembering her seven training score. She may seem sweet, but so are a lot of poisons. Both can kill you.
The boy from Ten, Clint, limps up on stage. Naturally Caesar focuses in on that. "How is your foot going to affect your Games?" he asks bluntly.
The boy glares at him. "It isn't."
"If you say so! So mind giving us a hint of what to expect from you?"
"No," he replies sullenly.
"Oh my, it seems that you've got a bit of a temper on you," Caesar points out.
"Was that a question?" I find myself liking this Clint. He's obviously aware that no one is going to sponsor him because of his limp and so is refusing to play their little game. I have to respect him for that and in any other Games but this one I'd be rooting for him.
Rue bounces up onto the stage in a light blue outfit complete with little gossamer wings. She's rocking it. She also manages to completely charm Caesar with her assertion that even though she's small, she shouldn't be counted out. I almost wish that Prim had that kind of pluck but I know that I'm underestimating my sister. She's sweet and able to make anyone love her. She's going to do fine.
Thresh, Rue's district partner, also seems unwilling to play the Capitol's game. Although unlike Clint from Ten, his monosyllabic replies make him come off as menacing and not sullen. He'll get sponsors just based on his size alone.
I lean forward as the buzzer sounds. It's Prim's turn. She floats up onstage in a white and yellow sundress with a crown of daisies in her hair. She looks fresh and sweet and I bless whoever her stylist is that they're not trying to sexualize my twelve year old sister. She sits down and looks expectantly at Caesar.
"So, Primrose Everdeen, how are you finding the Capitol?"
Prim smiles. "I wish I could see more of it! What I saw at the Parade and from my window here at the Training Center it all looks so pretty!"
"So what's your favorite thing so far?"
She thinks about it for a moment. "If you'd asked me when I first got here I would have said the food. But now, I think it's the people I've met. They've all been so nice!"
The crowd coos at her and I smile. She's winning them over. Caesar senses this and moves on. "Well, it sounds like the Capitol likes you too."
"Oh, I hope so!"
"So take us back to the Parade. How did it feel being on fire like that?"
Prim leans forward. "Can I tell you a secret?"
"Of course you can!"
"I was a little scared. I even asked Peeta to tear the cape off of me if the fire got too high. But then he put me up on his shoulders and I was having too much fun to be scared."
"So the Parade was fun?"
"Uh-huh! With all of the people waving and cheering and throwing flowers. I just wish I could have saved all of the flowers I got." She looks sad and I know that the Capitol is just eating this up.
"I'm sure you'll get more flowers, Primrose."
"Prim. Call me Prim. It's what all of my friends call me." She smiles winningly at the blue-haired man.
Caesar looks flattered. "Okay, Prim. So we all know that you volunteered for your sister, why did you do that?"
Prim looks like she's about to cry. "I didn't want her and the baby to die. I couldn't let that happen, not when I could stop it."
"That was very brave of you."
She shakes her head. "It's what sisters do. We look out for each other, I know she'd have done the same if it were me."
"Is there anything you want to say to your sister right now, Prim?"
She waves at the camera. "I love you, Katniss. And I'll be home soon!"
The buzzer sounds and I'm trying not to break down and cry. My sister did so well, she was sweet and charming and the Capitol loved her. But it isn't enough. Not with the star-crossed lovers of District Two, the conniving girl from Five, and the mountain that is Thresh. My sister doesn't stand a chance.
Peeta gives Prim a quick hug and walks up onstage. Caesar immediately asks him about the hug. "So you're close to Prim?"
Peeta shakes his head. "I didn't know her all that well back home. But I've really grown to love her in the time that I've known her. There's just something about her that makes people care about her."
"You know, I think you're right. I just met Prim and it feels like I've known her forever."
"She's just that loveable, I suppose," Peeta agrees.
"So what is your favorite thing about the Capitol?" Caesar asks. It's his go to question.
Peeta is prepared because he smoothly goes into a long thing about the Capitol showers culminating with having Caesar smell his arm. The audience eats this up and is laughing the whole time.
"So do you think your shower mishap affected your score?"
Peeta laughs. "Not unless I bowled the Gamemakers over with my smell. And in that case I should have gotten an eleven!"
"Still, a ten is nothing to sneeze at."
"I'm just grateful that they thought so highly of me. It's really an honor."
"So is there anyone waiting for you back home? Maybe a girlfriend?" I raise an eyebrow. Caesar only asks that question when the tribute has a good chance of making the top eight and most of the time is the winner of their Games. In the games I can remember he's asked that question in Finnick Odair's, Cashmere Velvet's, Gloss Velvet's, Annie Cresta's, and last year's winner's Lupus Maxim from Two's interviews and each time those people went on to win. He must think Peeta has a good chance to be asking that question.
Peeta's face goes carefully blank. "Well, there is a girl I really love, Caesar."
"Oh? Did you two do anything special before you came here?"
"She did come see me in the Justice Building," he replies and I feel my heart stop. He can't mean... Peeta continues unaware of my fears. "We hugged and talked and I gave her a kiss goodbye. We didn't have a lot of time so I couldn't tell her everything I wanted to say."
"Well when you win, you'll get a chance to get those words out."
Peeta shakes his head sadly. "I don't think she'll talk to me if I win."
"And why's that?"
"Because her sister is in the Games with me."
The audience explodes into a cacophony of cries and protests and I wish I could join in with them. My mother looks over at me sharply and I can't even find words to protest, I'm just in too much shock.
"Peeta likes me," I whisper.
"I'm surprised you didn't figure that out earlier," my mother says quietly.
I shoot her a sharp look.
"You've always been oblivious to that kind of thing, Katniss."
"I'm sorry," I snap. "I have more important things to worry about. And how was I supposed to know, we've said all of three words to each other before the Reaping."
My mother smiles at me sadly. "I guess I view the world a little differently."
"So that's why he promised to bring Prim home."
She nods.
I replay the time I spent with Peeta in the Justice Building and suddenly things make a lot more sense. The request for the hug. His words. The kiss. Even his promise to bring Prim home. All of it was because he loves me. "Peeta loves me."
"I know."
"Why?" I ask. "How?"
She shrugs. "Who knows? Love's a funny thing, you don't always get to choose who you fall in love with. It just happens."
I think of her and my father and nod. She would know. They were the star-crossed lovers of District Twelve in their time.
"I didn't need this," I grouse. "It's just one more thing to worry about."
My mother looks out the window and then back at me. "I'm afraid that's not the only thing you have to worry about."
"What's that?"
"Gale's here."
AN:
Written November 2012 as part of NaNoWriMo.
Revised 7/12/13
Beta read by RoseFyre.
Yes, things have changed. I'll admit that I tend to think of Cato and Clove being a little more than just district partners. There's his reaction to her death in the books. The fact that he begs her to stay with him is very telling. So yes, I think they likely meant something to each other. So in my story Cato stole some of Peeta's thunder.
Up Next: The Games Begin!
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