I am going to try and do weekly updates from now on, maybe twice a week if I am feeling creative. I hope you enjoy this chapter and keep reviewing!

-HungerGamesLoverMM

Never Safe

Gale

I scream and rush into the square. The crowd makes room for me and look at me as if I am a madman. Maybe I am. At the sound of my scream, the mystery man with the whip looks up distracted. My strangled scream wasn't much, but his slight delay allowed enough time for me to get in between Katniss and the whip.

"Stop!" I yell, "You'll kill her!"

The mystery man looks at me hard. He is a tough looking man with sharp features, and gray hair shaved nearly to nonexistence. The man raises his arm again, this time at me, and I attempt to cover myself and what was left on Katniss' bare back. I grit my teeth in anticipation of the next lash.

"Hold it!" A voice interrupts. Haymitch walks briskly into the square, nearly tripping over the two bodies lying motionless other than the rise and fall of their chests. One I recognize immediately as Darius. His bright red hair stood out like a sore thumb among the sea of black and gray. The other body was lying face down, and the only identifying characteristic was short, blond hair. Had these two people come to Katniss' aid before I had arrived?

Haymitch barely takes notice of them and roughly pulls me to my feet.

"What do you think you are doing?" Haymitch yells at the man, "Attempting to mess up my Victor's handsome face, are you?"

Recognition flashes in the man's face. Under the hat I was wearing, and without all of the Capitol outfits they put me in, it would probably be hard to identify me as the Victor of the most recent Hunger Games. Haymitch on the other hand had been appearing on television for years, and was virtually impossible to forget.

The cruel man holds the whip by his side, "He was interrupting the punishment of a criminal." His voice was strong and certain; hinting at another District's or maybe even the Capitol's accent.

"I don't care if he blew up the whole town!" Haymitch nearly shouts, "What do you think his stylist would of done if you messed up his face?"

The man's voice betrays some uncertainty and he looks down at the ground, "Not my problem."

"Oh it will be," Haymitch angrily points his finger at the man, "Because the first call I make when I get home is to the Capitol!"

"She was caught poaching." He states, "What business is it of his anyways?"

"Well," Haymitch begins, "That's his cousin so if you want to get to her, you have to go through us first."

There is nothing really the man can say to us. Maybe we are it. The only few people in the District who can make a stand like this. I am sure that there will be repercussions later, but all I care about now is keeping Katniss alive. He looks behind him for back-up from his fellow peacekeepers. Thankfully they were all familiar faces from the Hob.

One woman, Purnia, comes to our aid. She explains that the number of lashes for a first time offense have been dispensed and that if the objective was to kill that would be carried out via firing squad. He looks uncertain, but his hands were tied.

"Very well, get her out of here, and maybe remind your cousin of the laws of District Twelve's." He coils his whip into neat little loops and stalks off in the opposite direction. The rest of the peacekeepers fall in awkward formation behind him, dragging an unconscious Darius along with them. The other person on the floor starts to moan and rolls over onto their back. He holds a hand to the goose egg developing on his forehead. I walk over to him, attempting to help him to his feet.

"Peeta?" I say in disbelief when I get close enough.

"Gale?" He responds, matching my disbelieving tone.

"What are you doing here?" We both say at the same time.

"Saving Katniss." I respond immediately.

"Why?" He asks confused, "You aren't her boyfriend."

"And you are?" I respond rudely.

Katniss

I hear voices and flashes of light before blacking out again. My memory is corrupted, and I only remember shattered pieces of what happened. It was hard to think about anything other than the scorching pain in my back. I do remember waking up this morning and deciding to go hunting. I didn't make it very far because of my injured knee. Luckily a rabbit had practically run over my foot as it dashed through the light coating of snow.

That would be enough for tonight's dinner I had thought, and I started making my way back to town. I was walking, well limping, to my house when I got stopped. The man was wearing a peacekeepers uniform, but I had never seen him before.

"Show me the bag." He said roughly in a no nonsense voice.

I squinted my eyes in distaste. I had never been asked that before because frankly the peacekeepers were as hungry for fresh eat as anybody. This man however was definitely not Darius. When I didn't hand over the bag he ripped it from my shoulder and dumped its contents onto the snow covered ground. Out fell the rabbit and a couple of left over coins.

I held my breath, awaiting his reaction. He smiled sinisterly and seized my arms. He roughly held them behind my back as I screamed and fought at his grip. He dragged me kicking and screaming to the main square, made me plead guilty to my crime, and sentenced me to a whipping that would be carried out immediately.

I remember the first few strikes, but I passed out after maybe fifteen. I also vaguely remember something about Peeta. He was there, but I can't remember if he was just a bystander or not.

I heard Gale's voice and I stirred. I remember him demanding that the sinister man stop before I blacked out once more.

Gale

The old women at the clothing store sold us the board she used as a countertop. Haymitch, Peeta, and I hoisted her gently onto the board. She only weighed ninety pounds so it didn't take much to carry her. Peeta looked a little worse for wear, and should have probably gotten some ice on that bump of his, but he insisted in helping us carry Katniss.

I was still steaming over the whole boyfriend thing. Why him? Why him and not me? Well I was obviously engaged, but why hadn't she asked me before this whole mess had happened? Back in the day when we were just two kids supporting their families. This wasn't the time for that though. We could work out all of that later. Right now the priority was her life.

We arrived at the Everdeen's house. There really wasn't anybody better than Katniss' own mother for this job. She was shocked at first, but then she went into a sort of mode. She didn't talk to anybody other than Prim occasionally; the rest of us could wait. Her priority was the patient and only the patient. A white cloth was laid on the table and Mrs. Everdeen was instructing Prim to grab her different herbs and remedies.

I watched as she crumbled this and put in drops of that. She gently started cleaning the mangled flesh. I was glad that Katniss was knocked out because I couldn't imagine the pain she was in. Unfortunately as the last bandages went on she awoke. Katniss was a survivor, but this was too much even for her. She was covered in sweat and gritting her teeth.

"Can you give her anything for the pain?" Peeta asked concerned. He looked pained by her expression as if it was happening to him as well.

Mrs. Everdeen went through her meagre supplies of painkillers. I recognized some and sighed. Most would barely knock out a headache. Really all we could do was wait. My mother showed up at some point in the night with a home cooked meal. Mrs. Everdeen was very grateful for the food. In the early hours of the morning we heard a knock at the door. Madge was there with a small box in her hands.

"Here," She says holding out the box, "They will help with the pain."

I gladly accepted the box and Madge was gone into the blackness of the night. Mrs. Everdeen shot the syringe of clear liquid into Katniss' arm and her face almost immediately relaxed. A few minutes later she was breathing softly, obviously asleep. Maybe we could all get some sleep.