C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C
C C 1 1 1 C C C C C C C C C C C 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 C C
C C 1 1 1 C C C C C C C C C 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 C
C C 1 1 1 C C C C C C C C 2 2 2 2 C C C C C C C 2 2 2 2 C
C C 1 1 1 C C C C C C 2 2 2 2 C C C C C C C C C 2 2 2 2 C
C C 1 1 1 C C C C C 2 2 2 2 C C C C C C C C 2 2 2 2 C C C
C C 1 1 1 C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C 2 2 2 2 C C C C
C C 1 1 1 C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C 2 2 2 2 C C C C C
C C 1 1 1 C C C C C C C C C C C C C C 2 2 2 2 C C C C C C
C C 1 1 1 C C C C C C C C C C C C C 2 2 2 2 C C C C C C C
C C 1 1 1 C C C C C C C C C C C C 2 2 2 2 C C C C C C C C
C C 1 1 1 C C C C C C C C C C C 2 2 2 2 C C C C C C C C C
C C 1 1 1 C C C C C C C C C C 2 2 2 2 C C C C C C C C C C
C C 1 1 1 C C C C C C 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 C
C C 1 1 1 C C C C C C 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 C
C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C

10. Men servasse ut essent qui me perderent?

They kept up a fairly steady pace. Glimmer started holding them back first, but luckily Cato was soon to follow, his hulking mass and heavy sword dragging him down. The woods were surprisingly silent other than their crashing gait, but Gale thought it was only because all the other noises had been drowned out entirely. After about half an hour, Gale realized they had chosen the wrong path. There was no way the girl could have gotten so far ahead of them, and the path wandered in a haphazard manner as if its maker had neither a clear destination nor suspicion of pursuit. Gale was anxious to turn back and save the supplies, but while Cato had slowed, he still doggedly followed the path.

The farther they went, the more often Gale took the lead. Glimmer had nearly led them down deer trails on several occasions, and without Gale, they would have soon lost their way. As it was, monotonous minutes passed, following the trail. They froze as a loud noise burst through the woods, startling some birds into shrieking flight. First one cannon went off, then many more quickly followed. Gale counted 12 shots. Half of the competition was already wiped out, but all the most dangerous were still alive. None of the now-dead tributes had done any killing, but Gale almost preferred it that way. No need to sacrifice their beliefs when they were already doomed to die.

It suddenly occurred to Gale that he had already spent three or four hours in the arena. And he was still alive. He had already exceeded the expectations of most of his district, and he had no reason to suspect his overall plan would come to an abrupt end anytime soon. Things were about as good as he could have dared to hope. In a completely ideal world, of course, the Capitol would have realized the error of their ways, called off the Hunger Games, and decided to give out enough food to feed everyone, but, Gale reflected, his life would have been pretty mundane without all the terror to keep himself occupied. He snorted quietly. People who chose danger paired with excitement over monotone peacefulness had never seen their baby brothers and sisters inches from starvation, or waited desperately to hear if loved ones had been killed.

Gale had been fourteen at the time of his father's death. When the warning sirens had punctuated his daily routine with their call, Gale had felt only guilty relief. He had been busy failing an English exam, and was grateful for the intrusion, despite its ominous origin. Only once eight short whistle blasts had sounded, did Gale grow minutely concerned. The long siren indicated there had been a cave-in in one of the mines; the clarifying whistle blasts announced the number of men still missing. Students around Gale had hastily packed their belongings, and rushed to comfort younger siblings and assuage or confirm their fears by reading the notice boards posted by the creaking, rusty, elevators. Gale had mimicked their initial movements, but once he cleared the door, his pace slowed. He had no siblings in school to comfort, and long years of false alarms had dulled his capacity to fret.

Instead, Gale had practically bounced as he set off, not for either home or the notice boards, but rather for the woods, thrilled with the prospect of extra time alone. He had spent a few cheerful hours setting snares and attempting to catch animals in surprise attacks, but as the day grew cold he had returned to the city. The streets had been unusually quiet, and Gale had finally begun to feel ill at ease. The mines were still billowing soot, but the rhythmic pounding of heavy machinery had abated. Gale had begun unconsciously quickening his pace, the light scrape of his boots on pavement becoming more frequent and pronounced, and echoing through the empty streets. No machinery meant missing men, and Gale had been ashamed to have left when his father was sure to be infusing the house with his worry. The boy had clutched the single rabbit he had been able to produce closer as he entered the Seam, and made himself as unnoteworthy as possible.

Thievery was punishable by death or whipping, but law enforcement had grown lax under years of guidance by a lazy supervisor. He doubted many were bold enough to accost him in the open when his knife was prominently displayed, but the frigid weather made district 12's starving inhabitants desperate. Gale had felt no trepidation as he approached the door to his house, only the slight reluctance that comes with an unpleasant task. The sight of his family, huddled around the table brought him up short.

"Where have you been?"

"Setting up snares."

"How many times have I told you to warn us before you disappear like that. The power could have been turned on. You could have been stuck out there for hours."

"It's not like you'd have been any help if that happened."

"Gale Hawthorne."

"Fine, Fine." Gale had set his kill on the table before sitting to remove his icy boots. "I'll have to start setting out earlier if I want to catch any light. Gets darker by the day." In the silence after his response, Gale had finally noticed the light sniffling coming from Vic.

"Hey buddy, what's wrong." Gale had knelt, bringing his eyes even with Vic's red ones. But Vic only shook his head. "Look what's the matter with all of you?" As Gale stood, he became hyper aware of his family's unease. He had backtracked, eyes widened in confusion, ice having flooded his stomach.

"Gale." Gale had shaken his head vigorously, and bolted out of the house, boots half-unlaced. He had sprinted for the message boards, skidding on the ice road several times but only falling once. It did not him halt him long. A small crowd of the agitated and the macabrely curious citizens had still been clustered around the shaft, and they had no time to make room for Gale before he collided with them in his haste to read the board. He had scanned the words quickly, and there he found it, under the title "missing," between Martin Everdeen, and Randle Mettle. Rowan Hawthorne. Gale had taken a step back, and waited, unspeaking with the remainder of the crowd.

Waited as bodies of injured men had been brought forth, but never the one he wanted. Waited, as bits and pieces of what everyone assumed was Mr. Everdeen had been brought fraction-by-fraction to the surface and reassembled piecemeal upon arrival. Waited long into the night, as one final, unmoving, body had been brought forth from the pit, a body covered in a white cloth, sullied by its proximity to the mine. He hadn't needed to know any more, but Gale had not yet developed his ability to disconnect his ears from his head. Words had crept through, unbidden by both the speaker and the listener. "Couldn't get to him in time." "Suffocated, by my guess." "Nah, he was crushed look at his legs." "Real shame, I liked him." "Probably got trapped by that rock, I'm surprised it didn't go clean through his thigh." "You all know he was the only one to trust that tunnel." "Would have been better if it had. Then he could have made it out before the air got bad. Or at least would have bled out. Not a clue how long it took." "I didn't. Always said he was a self-righteous pig, and look where it got him." "Idiot. Shame Everdeen had to go down too." The chatter which arose at the new development was deafening, and but it took a long time for Gale to force his feet toward home.

"Hey, kid. You're Hawthorne's boy, right," Gale turned back, and was greeted by two darkened workers.

"Yes."

"I'm sorry about your father. He was a good man."

Nod.

"Sorry if it's insensitive, but what'd you have us do with the body?"

"The boy can't carry it home himself. Use your common sense."

"What are you doing with Everdeen?"

"The Mrs. hasn't shown up yet. Sent the two little girls home when they got the news."

"Leave him for now. I'll come back when I know what my mother wants done." Gale hated to leave him lying, but he couldn't yet connect the faceless body on the ground with the serious man who had treated him like an equal, and spoken to him for long hours in front of a dying fire.

"Good man." The worker had clapped Gale on the shoulder as he turned to leave again. Gale had trudged alone back though the darkened streets to his home.

Gale was the first to spot their quarry. Under normal circumstances, he would have either crept silently closer, or killed his prey from a distance with a simple, clean shot. Instead he nudged Cato, pointed out his discovery, and watched in skepticism as Cato bellowed and charged like an angry bear. The girl let out a small shriek, and sprinted away. Vigor infused the weary Careers as they bolted after her. Gale was not a sprinter, so it was no great challenge for him to hang back. Marvel dramatically decided to forgo weapons entirely and sprung at her once she was within range, tackling her to the ground. The others were quickly upon them.

Gale knew instantly that it was the wrong girl. She carried only a small packet of matches, and an unloaded slingshot. At the very least, the one they were looking for would have been intelligent enough to grab good supplies and use them to her advantage. Gale thus felt not even faint respect or pity for the girl before him.

"We played with the last one, and I want to get back to the Cornucopia. Who'll do the honors?" Cato was speaking rationally for once, and the Careers had no reason to argue.

"Mine," said Marvel. Pearl made a move to object, but he silenced her with a look. "Knife." Clove let him borrow one of hers as he one-handedly restrained the struggling tribute. She was blubbering incoherently, but the sight was nothing compared to the boy-tribute's gruesome death only hours before, and Gale felt little urge to step in, much to his own unease. Marvel drove his knife into her side without any further delay. Gale could see he hadn't been able to get a good angle on her from the way she was squirming, and he knew it would take her hours to die. The girl, in her first sensible act, feigned unconsciousness. Marvel dropped her unceremoniously, and stood. "Lets head back, the cannon'll go off when we've started.

The others turned back and started jogging, but Gale stooped down next to the girl. "It's really for your own good. You wouldn't live with a stomach wound like that anyway." Gale put his hand over her mouth, but her eyes grew wide with fear as he tore out the knife and replaced it in a much more lethal area. He turned and quickly ran to catch up to the other Careers before her cannon sounded. He needn't have bothered. None of them looked back, probably out of an accurately placed fear of showing weakness.

The return journey was much quicker, as they had no need to stop and look carefully for the trail. They had paved the way so blatantly even the most urbanized of Capitol Citizens could have found it. Gale checked himself. There was no need to exaggerate, and the most ignorant of the Capitol's population probably couldn't even distinguish one plant from another, much less follow any trail not marked by concrete.

The miles of jogging left Gale in a peculiar state of mind. Thoughts passed in and out without inspection, like he was on the verge of sleep. He paid no mind to them, and the primitive mindset he always encountered while hunting in the woods took over. His thoughts darted from reasoning out the intricacies of the Capitol's motives to the instinctive movements of where to step next, without the slightest hesitance. He latched his mind onto the simpler, more pleasant topics such as reasoning out the few items he had seen on the Cornucopia. He needed to stay far away from dangerous topics. It would be impossible to vent if he became worked up over the incomprehensibility of the Capitol's cruelty.

More than two hours had passed since they had abandoned the Cornucopia, and Gale could feel the tension in the group rising. Cato was too stubborn to admit he had made an error, and his frustration with himself was projected at the others.

"Hurry up. We haven't got all day." They quickened their pace, but it was still another hour before they reached the edge of the woods. A figure was crouched on the ground, and Cato nodded to Gale, who already had his bow ready. Gale was just releasing his arrow when Marvel pushed his hand out of the way. The arrow went wide, and the tribute looked around in fear. Gale turned on Marvel, who hushed him before whispering, "Something's not right." Gale moved to respond, but was instead distracted by a large explosion. It shook the earth around them, and they all unconsciously ducked for cover. Gale peaked his head around a bush when the shaking stopped. The figure, which Gale recognized as the boy from 3, stood facing in their direction.

"Don't move, or I'll blow you all up." Gale doubted the boy could make good on his threat, or he would have already done so, but the explosion had caught him off guard. There was a new variable in play, and he would have to see how he could work it to his advantage.

"How did you do that?" Glimmer had wisely decided to lead negotiations before Cato could speak up.

"I've rigged the mines from under the launch pads. I was wondering if you wanted to make a deal with me." Gale had to admit he had guts. And brains. No one had ever taken advantage of the mines in such an ingenious way before. Between him and the girl who had hidden among the dead, it appeared there was much more intelligence in the arena than he had suspected. Hopefully it wouldn't end up mattering.

"What kind of deal?" Cato cut in suspiciously before Glimmer could formulate a more diplomatic response.

"I set up the mines to guard the stuff in the Cornucopia, you protect me, and neither of us kills each other for the time being." Gale didn't like it. If the boy was half as smart as Gale thought he was, he would kill the lot of them at the first available opportunity. He whispered as much to the others.

"Yes, but think of the advantages. He can set up a much better defense system than we could have thought up, and one more person can help with guard shifts," countered Marvel.

"Besides, do you really think that punk's a threat? We can kill him as soon as his use has run out anyway," added Cato dismissively. Gale saw Marvel frown, but didn't have long to think on it. "Alright, deal. Now don't try anything, we're coming to join you."

"And how can I know you won't double cross me?" Cato was losing patience, the past few hours had been wearing on his nerves.

"We accepted your deal, take it or leave it. Now we're coming the fuck out." Cato stood and started for the plain. Gale followed a few steps behind him and the district 1 tributes, with Pearl. His hand didn't stray far from his bow. The boy from 3 was tense, and Gale could see beads of sweat glistening on his forehead as they approached. "Now which mines have you dug out, and where are they?" The boy gestured to the upturned dirt around him.

"I've got these three dug out, but they're still inactive. Over there," the boy pointed out a spot near where they had been hiding. It was easy to see a hastily dug and refilled hole. He turned back to the Careers, and continued, "is a mine that can be set off by connecting these two wires." Two black wires sat unthreateningly in his hand. "The others are still under the pads. Once we dig them out, I can set them up to react to weight like before."

"How the hell do you know all this," said Pearl, ineloquently expressing all of their thoughts.

"I worked in a factory where they made mines back in three. Hell, I probably even made some of these myself at some point."

"Whatever. Can we go over to the supplies yet?"

"Does it look like there's any mines over there?" The boy responded sarcastically. Cato forewent discussion and punched him in the side of the face.

"Don't get smart with me kid." Cato stalked back over to the supplies, as Marvel helped the boy to his feet. The rest of the Careers followed Cato, leaving Gale alone with the kid.

"Nice trick." Gale gestured at the mines, and the boy nodded, brushing off the dirt from his clothes. "What's your name again?"

"Cobalt." The word sounded vaguely familiar, but Gale didn't think they'd ever actually talked. Gale offered his hand to him. They shook.

"Gale." He gestured for the boy to follow as he turned to go look over their spoils.

The supplies had been arranged based on how essential they were, with the most valuable items placed closest to the Cornucopia. They largely ignored the tarps and small bits of rope on the outer edges, although Gale pocketed some wire when no one was looking. The Careers identified most of the items, even ones they had only seen in other Games. Gale wouldn't have been surprised if they had watched every Game there ever was several times over. The most valuable items, in Gale's opinion, were the night vision goggles, water purification tablets, and of course the weapons. The Careers were a little more thrilled to discover water itself along with prepared food. They tore into the packs like animals, heedless of whether they would finish the rest before it spoiled. It grated against Gale's nerves to see them waste so much, but a dwindling food supply could only work to his advantage should his plan fail. Not that he would be around long enough for it to matter if his plan didn't succeed.

Among the scattered goods, there were also sleeping bags, coal, matches, and warmer jackets, from which Gale deduced that cold would come soon. That was good, as desperate tributes were easier to fool, although he doubted any would be stupid enough to light a fire without dire need. A quick squabble broke out over the benefits of using the tent for warmth versus the potential for restricted movement in case of a sudden attack. For once Cato and Gale were on the same side, but eventually Clove, Pearl, Glimmer, and Marvel won. As much as they could win, anyway. They gained the right to sleep in the tent if they wanted to, but no one would be forcing Cato to do anything.

Assembling the contraption took almost an hour. It was a complex new design, and Cato refused point-blank to help. Gale was too amused watching them struggle to be of much assistance, and he and the boy from three shared a stealthy laugh that was quickly stifled. Cobalt eventually took pity on them, and the tent flew up with little delay. After that, another discussion broke out.

"If we leave now, we might still be able to catch the bitch who took our supplies." The sun was starting its gradual decent, but Cato's enthusiasm lingered on. "If we wait till tomorrow, we may never get her."

"We'll get her eventually," Marvel smirked. "Besides, what about these mines."

"If you want to try setting explosives in the dark, be my guest. Survival of the fittest."

Marvel rolled his eyes. "We can start digging holes. It has to get done sometime anyway."

"I volunteer for hunting duty," Glimmer immediately stated. Clove laughed.

"Of course you would. I'm staying here. I've had enough tramping through the woods."

"Well, I'm going. I've only got one kill so far." Pearl looked rather put out by the prospect.

"Your own fault." If Cato had been anyone else, he would have been bouncing in eagerness to leave. "That leaves you. Coming or staying?"

Gale didn't have to think long. "Staying. I think four's pretty respectable for a first day." Gale flashed a smirk, which Cato didn't return.

"Let's go." He turned and stalked into the woods without further ado. Glimmer stopped to grab some night vision goggles before departing.

"I'll try to bring him back before dawn." She rolled her eyes, and Gale gave her a sympathetic look. She started to follow him, but Gale interrupted her.

"Staying the night with Cato, very risqué." Glimmer didn't even look back, flicking him off without pause.

"Ouch, Gale, trouble in paradise?" Gale turned to Clove, who was laughing.

"If this was paradise, there'd be a little less bugs," he joked, swatting at an imaginary insect.

"Careful, if you ask for it they'll give it to you." Gale was sure to keep the discussion light. There was always a chance the makers might curse him.

"Too true. Actually I quite enjoy this year's arena. Much better then the year with the maces." Clove nodded.

"That's the one thing I was worried about. Wouldn't trust Glimmer or Cato not to ditch the alliance real quick if they got such a good advantage."

"I'm just glad there was a bow. I know the basics of making one, but so far all my attempts have been pretty shitty."

"You can make a bow?" Clove's eyes grew wide.

"Like I said, not a real one," Gale hastily backtracked. The ability to manufacture weapons wasn't a skill worth bragging about. "The best one couldn't even hit a wild dog if the thing laid down and decided to take a nap in front of me," he joked. Clove gave a laugh that luckily sounded only a bit forced.

"You know you're supposed to impress me with your skills." She punched him lightly on the shoulder. "You're not very good at the whole seducer thing." Gale grinned cheekily.

"I don't know about that. I bet I'm still closer to you right now than any of the boys back home ever got without you sticking a knife in them." Clove stopped smiling when he leaned down and gave her a peck on the lips. Gale almost tripped over his own feet in his haste to get away. He sprinted the moment he was turned around fully, and felt only a grazing punch to his back as Clove gave chase.

"Gale get the fuck back over here so I can kill you." Gale wisely headed for the woods, and scaled a nearby pine tree. Years in the woods with Katniss had severely dented his ego in the climbing department, but most of that went away at Clove's shocked expression. "How the hell did you…?" She trailed off before starting again. "Get down here this instant."

"I don't know if that's a great idea. I like my body un-stabbed, thank you very much."

"Stab you is the least I'm going to do. I'll skin you, take your head off, put it on a stake and leave it outside my house as a warning. Vultures'll peck out your eyes before anyone cares enough to take it down, and I'll feed your body to a pack of hungry dogs." Gale made to reply, but Marvel cut in before him.

"Quit flirting, you two. We need to get started with these holes." Marvel was distinctly unimpressed with their childish behavior. Cobalt stood behind him, paying attention only to the complex circuitry in his hands.

"I don't think I want to come down."

"Gale, shut the fuck up, and get down here." Marvel's tone left no room for argument, and Gale didn't think he was above cutting the tree down to get Gale out of it.

"Can do." Gale saluted him mockingly, with exaggerated enthusiasm that he didn't feel in the slightest. He had caught sight of a small dark shadow hidden in the top of the tree adjacent to him. It was pressed against the trunk, but there was no mistaking it. The little girl from 11 had decided to remain close to the Career's main camp. There certainly was no shortage of bold tributes this Game. Gale caught her eye, and she sheepishly pulled away from the shadows. A quick glance down showed Clove walking back to the Cornucopia and no one paying them any mind.

Gale made up his mind, knowing he would probably regret his decision. He pointed at the girl, pointed deeper into the woods, pointed at the ground, and then held out his knife. The message couldn't have been clearer, and the girl nodded hastily, seeing her reprieve for what it was. Before Gale could mime anything else, however, the girl startled him by leaping from the tree. She landed gracefully in another, deeper in, as Gale looked on in admiration.

"Cool trick," he murmured, just loud enough for the microphones to pick up. Already part of him bemoaned his idiocy. He had shown himself to be soft before the cameras. But they wouldn't be able to ignore his fourish kills, he hastily reminded himself. And the little girl would have a very difficult time hurting him once he had spared her once. Anyone from the Seam would, and it stood to reason the citizens from 11 wouldn't be much different from 12. He stopped his train of thought. She had already surprised him once with her tree climbing skills; he wouldn't underestimate her again.

Gale climbed down the tree gracefully, before quickly approaching the Cornucopia. Fortunately, none of the Careers or pseudo Careers noticed the time lapse.

"Finally. Take this, and dig here." Cobalt would have to ditch his habit of giving orders if he wanted to live long. Gale didn't mind, but he doubted Glimmer or Cato would be so understanding.

Gale's next few hours were monotonously filled digging roughly circular holes to contain the mines. And he thought he had escaped a life of digging one way or another by entering the Games. Gale was unsurprisingly much more efficient than the other Careers. While almost all of the actual mining was done with machines, that didn't stop over-exuberant gym teachers from forcing their unwilling prisoners to move dirt the old fashioned way. It was the one skill being in district 12 had granted him, and probably the one time in the history of the Games that it was being used.

It hadn't escaped him that where district seven could operate axes and eleven, and the five tributes were at home with scythes, the best he could do was dig a hole and hope someone tripped into it. Then again, if he put spikes at the bottom, that wouldn't be too awful of a skill. He would have to look into it. The sun fell as they were working, and the others quickly grew bored and decided to make a fire and sit around instead of work. Cobalt kept working of course, eager to prove his worth, but they made him stay far away as he worked by flashlight on enough explosives to kill them twenty four times over.

Sorry to any reviewers who I haven't responded to yet, I'll get to it soon, I just decided to put up this chapter first. I hope this was a little more lighthearted, although it would have been hard not to be... Whatever. Hope you enjoyed, Please review! -Terence