Hello, it's me. I know, it's been a long time. I'm shamed I let it go this long un-updated. Well now the wait is over! Hope you like this chapter. It's the longest of all of mine, I believe. FF reformatted so it made all the others look terribly short. I'll try to fix that.

Today is the day the Games begin. Annually, the day death begins. May the odds be ever in your favor. That phrase replayed in my head over and over. If you were picked to fight in the arena, the odds were against you from the start. 24 to 1, the odds of winning were very slim. Especially if you are from 12. These were the type of thoughts that ran through my head.

I was sitting in the woods outside 12. Our special spot. My mind only wonders, will she ever be able to share this with me again? True, she is a talented hunter but there are the Careers. We haven't had a victor since the drunk who calls himself their mentor. I'm still pissed at him for making me lie to the world. Not for the first time I think back to the day of the reaping. I revisit that day every day now. This time I thought about the last time we both were here. We should have run. We could have made it. Who would have cared about two kids of some dead miners? Even if they did come after us, we could have hid. We know the forest far better than anybody the Capitol would muster up to go find us.

Our siblings were another story though. Who knows what would have happened to them. They can't handle things like we can. I sighed and gazed out over all the trees throughout the valley below me. I stopped and listened. Everything was abnormally quiet. Not even the birds were chirping. The Games must be starting; it's the quiet before the storm. They seem to know what's happening.

All I want is to stay out here. Out where I don't have to follow the Capitol rules. I don't have to watch the injustice. I can't stand seeing Katniss going through it all. It was hard enough for me to watch the interviews. Though it was nice to see her like that…

No! If she did die, then I would never forgive myself. I had to support her even if it destroyed me. With one last look of freedom, I stood up and walked back through the woods and to the un-buzzing fence. I slowly climbed through and rolled my eyes. The Capitol always has some way of pulling you back in. I picked up the pace and ran to the square. Surely Posy had saved me a seat in hope I would show up.

I came up to a crowd and pushed my way through. I came up to the front and then found my family. Certainly, Posy had her little hand over the seat next to her, guarding it. I smiled and scooped her up as I sat down.

"Gale!" her face just lit up as I placed her on my thighs. "Mommy said you might not come but I saved you a seat just in case!"

I smiled at her, "Thank you Posy." I looked up at the big screen and saw that the blood bath at the Cornucopia was nearly finished. I searched the screen and when I didn't see Katniss I turned to Posy, "What happened?" I didn't need to finish the rest; Posy knew what I was talking about.

"Well they counted lots of numbers then there was a loud gong noise. Katniss grabbed something orange and had to play dodge knife. It's like dodge ball but with knifes. The mean girl missed and Katniss disappeared in the woods." She looked up at me and smiled. She didn't understand the severity of it all yet. This is the first Games she can understand most of what's going on.

"So she's okay?"

"Yep! She's playing hide and seek now." Her innocent eyes bore into mine and I couldn't help but laugh. I kissed the top of her head.

"Thanks kiddo." She smiled satisfied and turned back to the screen. I hugged her against my chest. I followed her gaze and started to watch.

Not to my surprise, what I saw was horrific. Blood was soaking the grass making it appear red. Unidentifiable remains were left on the ground, the work of the careers. There were only a couple non-careers left. from what I could tell a boy was begging with one of the female careers, Glimmer I think it was. Whatever he said did not impress her. Loudly, so we could all hear, she yelled, "Twerp, say goodbye!" she raised her sword but was stopped. Another sword caught hers and she looked over to the owner. It was that blonde boy from Two, Cato I think it was. He stepped closer and looked the boy up and down.

"We could use him later…"

"But it would be easier to kill him nooow Cato!" She whined and looked back at the boy.

Cato took another step closer to her and spoke in her ear so softly we almost couldn't hear him. "With what I have planned, we are going to need someone with his skills." Cato said this last word as if he didn't even mean it. Glimmer smiled at him.

"Whatever you say Cato…" she turned back to the boy from ten, "Just this once! Don't screw up!" He stood up looking relieved.

"Go inventory the food that's left!" Cato barked at him. He then scurried off and made himself busy with the food.

The bloodbath was over, or was it? There was still one non-career left, begging for his life. His blonde hair shone in the sun. The camera was toying with the bird's eye view angle. Showing clearly all the dead tribute and the Careers, and the boy from one of the outcast districts. The boy from 12.

"Please, you'll need me…" Peeta looked up at Clove, who was holding two knifes in her hand and one up to his throat.

"I doubt that Lover boy." She sneered at him pressing the knife closer to his throat.

"Why isn't this vermin dead yet, Clove?" Cato walked over to his district partner and swung his sword in his hand.

"He thinks he can help us find her." She said, almost bored.

"You won't be able to find her. She's too good for that." Peeta turned his head to Cato. Unlike most who beg for their lives Peeta didn't seemed concerned with the fact that he might die in the next minute.

"We'll be able to find her. Are you calling us stupid?" Clove fired up at him.

"No," he said coolly, "I'm calling her smart. She knows how to hide. I'm her district partner; I know all of her strengths, her weaknesses. Without me you'll never find Katniss."

"I think you're giving her too much credit Lover boy." Cato scoffed at the idea. By now the rest of the Careers had come to watch Peeta's attempt at life.

"How else do you think she got an 11?" Peeta stated this fact so bluntly it emphasized his point. They need him. Cato sighed.

"Fine, but if you dare even mislead us, you can guarantee when we find her, her death will be the slowest most painful death in the history of the Games."

That traitor! He never really loved Katniss, if he did, he wouldn't be helping the Careers. Anger rose inside of my chest. I didn't know it was possible for me to hate him even more than I already do. Katniss did have a chance, less of one if Peeta helps them. I felt like leaving, destroying everything in my path, but when I looked down I saw Posy. I couldn't do that in front of her. I hugged her tighter and then slowly looked back to the screen, not really wanting to hear what they were talking about.

They gathered all the food and supplies. They carried it over to an empty part of the arena, closer to the woods. They created a giant pile of anything and everything you needed to survive with. The boy from Ten quickly found a shovel and started getting to work, on what, I don't know. The rest of them grabbed various weapons and took off into the woods. You could faintly see a fire in the distance. They picked up the pace and soon enough, they were at the source. A girl was by the fire, looking terrified.

Words. Words. Words. They came out of her mouth but I didn't hear any of it. I didn't want to hear it. Careers. Words. Weapons. Pleas. Begging. Then silence. A silent scream was let out and my silence was their silence.

The screen changed. It was now Katniss, she was up in a tree. Off to her side you could see the fire just in the distance. They were close. The traitor and the innocent. It was too close for my liking. She silently listened, but what she heard clearly shocked her. Her face broke and her eyes filled with the most emotion I've seen her show on screen. Betrayal. If I were there, I would surely kill the traitor myself.

"Gale. Gale." My mother was standing in front of me now gently shaking my shoulder. "It's time to go home. Get some sleep."

I watched her slowly walk away once she saw comprehension in my eyes. I looked down and sure enough, Posy was asleep in my arms. If only we all could have her innocence.

Well, what do you think? Let me know if you have any ideas in a review or something. Until next chapter.