Chapter 10!
"Gale?"
"Yes Madge?"
"I'm scared."
"It'll be alright, we'll get out of this." The two of them were on watch duty for the next few hours. Everyone was tired from the long hike the day before, and had all fallen asleep quickly.
"How do you know?
"I just know, okay? Trust me."
"I do Gale." She then lays her head on his shoulder and he puts his arm around her and they sit like that, in silence for a while.
I was watching this by myself today, since Mom was helping deliver a baby, Prim and Carla were at the Hawthorns' and Peeta had to work all day.
I didn't like to watch Gale and Madge together, but I couldn't make myself get off the couch and find something else with which to occupy my time. I got this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, I don't know why, it's just there when I see Madge leaning on Gale and he showing the same affection. It sure can't be jealousy, I never thought of Gale as more than a best friend and hunting partner, it's just that I guess I don't want to share him.
I wasn't able to sleep much last night, my thoughts were filled with what the tributes plan could possibly be after they kill off the rest of the careers. I had woken up pretty early and headed out to the woods before dawn. I brought half of my haul to Hazelle, which she greatly appreciated. I told her it was nothing, that Gale would have done the same for my family if the tables and been turned.
The camera lingered on the couple for a few minutes longer, then the careers were shown. I usually turn it off right about now.
I then walked into the kitchen and decided to make a rabbit stew for lunch, or I guess supper seeing on how late it's getting already. My rabbit was skinned and gutted already so I just cut up the meat and put it in a pot to boil. I went to the side of the house to Prim's small garden and dug up a few carrots and onions and potatoes for the stew. I washed them then brought them inside to be cut up and thrown into the pot along with the sizzling meat.
I grabbed a sharp knife and began chopping the carrots. I like them to be cut into small wheels so that's what I how I began to prepare them. I was half way through when I was chopping but my mind was a mile away. All of a sudden a sharp pain went threw my hand. I just stared at the blood pouring out of the deep slice I made on the side of my thumb. I shuffled to the sink and started letting cold water wash away the blood, but it just kept on coming. I would get red drops all over the house if I went to the bathroom for a bandage; I wasn't to steady on my feet anyway. So I decided to wait for mother to fix me up, she should be home soon anyway.
I began to feel sick to my stomach and ended up retching up my meager breakfast into the sink. I sank down into a tall chair and continued to let the water run on my poor finger. This is not good, I need this finger for shooting my bow, and it'll be pretty hard if it's all wrapped up in a big bulking bandage.
I don't know how much time went by, but I heard the door and knew Mother would help me. But it wasn't her.
"Katniss! "Katniss say something, what happened?" I must have been staring off into space and scared Peeta pretty bad.
"My finger." I whisper, and hold it up for him to see.
"Keep it under the cold water and I'll go get something for that."
"Thanks, they're in the bathroom cabinet."
"Got it."
Before I knew it he was back with a box of medical things that I didn't know anything about.
"Katniss, you're so pale." It was probably the trauma, and loss of blood.
"I'll be fine." Peeta finds some gauze and medical tape and wraps up my thumb, then he carefully leads me to the couch.
"Want to tell me what happened?"
"I was cutting carrots, for the stew." I say, already out of breath from that small phrase." I began to feel dizzy and lay my head on the couch.
"Will you stay with me?" I ask him. I'm almost asleep, but I catch what he says.
"Always." Then I drift off, with Peeta holding onto my good hand.
When I wake up it feels like I have another heart in my thumb it's throbbing so hard.
Peeta is still on the couch holding my hand but has fallen asleep, Mom is on the other couch watching us.
"How are you feeling?" she asks quietly.
"A little better. Peeta came at good time, I thought I was going to faint."
"He sure did." Just then Peeta moves a little and lifts up his head from where it was resting on the back of the couch.
"Did I just hear my name?"
Mom and I just chuckle a bit.
"Thanks for coming Peeta, if you had come a little later you might have found me on the floor."
"I'm glad I came when I did too." He said smiling.
"Oh goodness, your mom is going to kill you for not coming right back!"
"Don't worry about it Katniss, I was on my break anyway."
"Oh, ok. Sorry about the stew mom."
"No problem, I finished it and it'll be delicious."
"Thanks." I know it was just a cut on my finger but it sure did drain my energy, and it's quite painful!
"Can I get you anything?" Peeta asks.
"Come on, I'm not a baby, I just cut my finger!"
"Sorry." He says sadly and looks down.
"Oh Peeta! I didn't mean it like that!"
"It's fine Katniss, I know how independent you are and don't like people doing things for you, it's just who you are."
Wow he knows almost more than I do about myself!
"I'd better be getting back to the bakery or mom really will kill me." Peeta smiles.
"Thanks again Peeta." I say giving him a one armed hug.
"Don't mention it." Then he's gone.
Prim isn't home yet so I just decide to continue watching the games. Mom sits down next to me.
"I found their camp!" Thresh runs over tow where the rest of his group is sitting, probably waiting for his return.
"Where is it?" Gale asks, getting up, then helping Madge to her feet.
Thresh points in the direction he came from. "Over there, about a ten minute walk from here."
"Great! Lets go put an end to this." Apparently they all understand what he means, but I don't.
"I don't want Madge and the other girls to see this." Gale whispers to Thresh and he nods in agreement. "Lets leave them in the woods close by, where they can't get hurt."
All the girls were left to wait in a clump of bushes while the group of boys, I still haven't figured out how many, went to get rid of the last to of their enemies.
"What's the plan?" Sam whispers.
"We'll circle them and try to kill them quickly." Thresh tells him. Sam nodded, but I could tell he was pretty nervous. Hopefully Thresh and Gale and the boy from 4 would do the killing and he wouldn't have to take part in it. They outnumbered the others from about 4 to 1, but the careers were better fighters, and probably had countless numbers of weapons from the cornucopia.
"Ready?" Gale whispers to the group of boys. They all nod slowly, then he does something that surprises me. Gale goes around and shakes each ones hand and says something encouraging to them. The capitol is probably going crazy, tributes aren't supposed to show any sort of affection to the people they are trained to kill to get back home to their families.
I guess the Game Makers were getting interested in this, because they weren't moving to the girls or the careers. This must be the most exciting thing that has happened for a day or two and the capitol people were probably screaming for action and fighting.
The boys began to circle the area, getting closer and closer until they were only a few yards away. The tributes, a big muscular boy from 2, and a solid girl that was surrounded in her knives, sat next to each other eating something from there abundant supply of food. Once they were out of the way everyone would have enough to eat.
All of a sudden the girl, I think her name is Clove stood up quickly. Her District partner did the same and asked her what it was. She put a finger to her lips and pointed to where one of the boys was stationed.
Come on already! I whisper to myself. This waiting for them to strike was driving me insane! Why didn't Gale just throw a spear and finish on of them off that quick?
Then, a knife whizzes into the trees right where Gale is standing. Move Gale! He sees it just in time a jerks to the side, but the knife still grazes the side of his ear making it start to bleed. He winces, but doesn't cry out. He picks up his spear from where it was leaning on a tree beside him and positions it to go straight to the freaky girl with all the knives. As soon as he lets it go Clove turns toward him and is about to unleash another one of her deadly weapons when the spear lodges itself in her abdomen. She screams and her partner rushes to her side. He's crying and telling her not to leave him but she's too far gone; a few seconds later her canon goes off. Thresh is about to let another spear fly towards the boy, but he doesn't get the chance. The boys apparently didn't find life to valuable without the girl, and plunged one of her knives into his heart. His canon fires immediately.
The boys hurry over to the girls' hiding place before the hovercraft comes to pick up the dead tributes.
"Well that was easier than I expected." Thresh says.
"Yeah." Gale agrees. Their enemies are dead, but they still didn't enjoy killing them, or her. They were only trying to get home too.
They arrived at the girls and Madge jumped up and flew into Gale's arms.
"I was so worried about you." She murmurs into his chest. He holds her for a minute longer before letting her go.
Everyone else is hugging each other and a few happy tears are shed. These games are definitely different this year.
"Let's continue." Gale takes command and everyone starts following him through the woods. What are they up to?
I knew they were safe now so I didn't have to worry now. I was tired and decided
go to bed early. I give mom and kiss on the cheek and head to my room. Prim and
Carla are spending the night at the Hawthorne's tonight so I don't have to go pick
them up. I fall onto my bed without bothering to change and fall right to sleep.
Meanwhile the tributes in the 74th Hunger Games are beginning their long walk to
find the end of the arena. They made this plan by whispering in each other's ears so
that everyone wouldn't find out what they were planning to do and kill them all
right then and there. The plan was they find the end of the arena like Haymitch did
and somehow try to get through the force field. They had an idea that District 13
would help them in their time of need. But does it really exist? And would they really
help them? All they had was hope.
Sorry if you though Katniss cutting herself was weird to put in but that exact thing happened to me this morning my cutting carrots so I felt like adding it in. All her feelings were really what I felt so that part was easy to write, although I can't type with my left thumb Hope you liked it and please review! Until chapter 11!