a/n- Hey, this is the continuation of 'Thorn.' To straighten out confusion, I said in the author's note of the other one that it's a two-shot, so questions will be answered here. It took me very long to write this, because if you've checked out my stories, (even this one, I should add) they are all one-shots, with no continuation whatsoever. I'm not used to writing something after another idea. This chapter is written by an amateur, namely me, and I hope you guys understand it, what more, like it. :)

Warning, this chapter is not for the faint hearted. Blood and Gore. And trust me, pouring out your guts on your keys suck, not that it has happened to me before. ;)

THE OTHER SIDE

"Katniss! Wait!" I stumbled after her as she rushed into her house. "Wait!" I held the door open with my arms, as she was trying to close it.

Frustration came across me. From trying to push the door open, to keeping the blood flowing openly from my forehead, thoughts shuffled in my mind.

But the soft sound of someone sniggering brought me back. I looked sideways, to find that grimy baker's son, staggering through the dimly lit walk way, holding his arm to his chest.

With that brief glance, the door snapped shut. Anger washed over me.

I sprinted up to him, landing on him with me on my back, and at the same time, I brought my knife to the base of his neck.

I held his head up with the use of his hair.

"Can't you see what you've done, you ass?"

The sound of the gurgling of blood answered back to me. I grasped his fistful of hair tighter. And his eyes rolled back into his head.

"You're a bitch, can you hear me Peeta Mellark? You're a God damn son of a bitch." I felt my chest tighten, my heart beat faster. He was in such a vulnerable position; it would take me only a few seconds to kill him.

He continued to struggle against my hold, but my knees were pressed firmly into his stocky thighs, making it impossible to for him to escape. A trickle of blood erupted from his mouth. It dripped until his jaw, I stopped it with the tip of my blade and I wiped it on his shirt sleeve.

I removed the hand from his hair and instead placed it around his neck, blocking his airways.

In truth of it all, I didn't know what I was doing. I just wanted him to hurt so badly. I just wanted to kill him.

I placed my knife against his throat again, pressing it into his skin just a little bit deeper.

I just wanted him to die.

But as I thought about it, the figure that no longer struggled against my hold, the thought hit me with such a force, I let go.

By killing him, by merely hurting him, I have been like the foolish Capitol in so much ways. I have hurt for pleasure; I have injured to feel higher of myself. By hurting this disgusting boy, I have just been like the Capitol.

The Capitol who kills. I shook my head, knowing that this was for a particular reason, but I was disgusted, not only with him, but also with myself. I did not want to kill.

And at the same time I flung myself from him, a voice echoed from behind me, causing me to drop the knife. It clattered against the pavement.

"Gale!" It was Catnip, I could barely see her outline against the door frame. Her hands gripped the side of the door, and her head was hung low, and she barely whispered to me, "Don't kill him."

I ran to her, only to find myself face to face against a panel of wood. I knocked. I called her name, but she would not respond to either of them. But from this side of the door, I could feel her fear, and her complete disgust.

I didn't know why she was so upset with me, I was trying to protect her. I was confused, frustrated and I didn't know what to do. And so I did the only thing I was capable of, I slid down with my back against the door, my head in my hand. My other hand drumming against the tough wood.

"Catnip. Please open the door. I won't hurt you." I pleaded, hoping she would hear me. And as if I knew it would happen, I felt a familiar presence land with a thud against the door. Her warmth slid down, until I could feel her warm body just a few inches from mine, I felt her back against my own.

Soft sobs came from the other side of the door, and I felt my heart give a small squeeze, both out of pain and out of relief.

I pressed my palm and my ear to the door, hoping I could touch her, hoping I could remove this barrier between us. "Catnip…" My hand clenched into a fist, and my eyes closed. I let my hand drop and I pressed my forehead into the wooden panelling, causing blood to smudge onto the door. I wiped it away with my thumb.

After a few minutes of hearing her tears flow, I let go. I just let my head bang into the door frame and I slumped. I was breathing unevenly, and I realized that the cut above my eyebrow has not yet stopped bleeding. The loss of blood was making me feel dizzy. I was slowly drifting into unconsciousness, but a muffled voice helped me pull back up.

"Gale?"

"Hm?"

"I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for." I responded quietly, trying to prevent the blood from going into my eyes.

"I didn't mean to yell and be upset with you. I was just startled."

"By what?"

"I heard you argue with that- that- boy."

"And?"

"I heard everything, Gale. Everything. And now, I don't know what to feel. I'm not sure if I have to feel violated, or angry, or crushed. But I don't."

I could hear her voice cracking in the end. I felt a pang of sadness just then and there.

"What do you feel? Happy?" I couldn't help it. Through all the pain I was undergoing, I snorted.

"How can you say that? I do not feel happy." She banged her head against the door, hitting mine.

"Then what?" I scrunched my brows together, hoping for a better answer.

"I feel confused."

"Me too."

"I feel hurt."

Silence.

"I feel vulnerable." Her voice softened, and I was afraid the sobs would come back, but I only heard her deep breathing.

And from those breaths, I knew she was holding it all in, for my sake.

"I'm sorry."

"What-"

"You didn't have to see me like that. You didn't have to hear me say that."

I heard a sigh erupt from her lips.

"I see you hunt. I have seen you do that a lot. I have seen you like that in the forest, and it makes you happy, but tonight, I saw your anger. I saw the unfamiliar menace in your eyes."

"I just had to."

"Why?"

"He saw you. He removed your dignity. I just- I just-"

"Sh, Gale. You don't have to hurt for me, but I thank you." I could hear the sadness seeping from her tone.

"I know I don't. But I didn't want him to ever do it again. You are a part of me Catnip. Seeing him do that to you.. I just couldn't take- "

"And it may be disorienting, but I already knew that."

"You knew what?"

"I already knew that I was yours, Gale." She said sweetly. Her fingers slipped into that small space underneath the door, and my hands crept to it. And I felt happy, I could finally feel her, even if I was just holding her fingertips.

"You don't have to belong to anyone, Katniss." My words were muffled as I wiped the still flowing blood off my cheek.

"But I do. And if I didn't, I wouldn't have anyone here to protect me." And her hand tried to slip out further, but the limited space would not allow. I just gripped on it tighter.

"You don't need protecting." I laughed softly, and I started to play with her exposed fingers.

"I do. That's why I have you."

A breath I didn't know I was holding gave out, and because I was trapped in my own little game of life, I did not hear the figure behind me get up and grab my knife.

I closed my eyes, still oblivious to the boy about to throw at me. But when I heard a silent shuffling of feet, my eyes shot open, and a hot pain shot up across my left shoulder.

I drew a sharp intake of breath. Already too weak to stand up because of the loss of blood, I let my head drop to the side, letting blood drip onto our entwined fingers. Immediately, I took the knife out of my shoulder and looked up into the face of my attacker.

A scruffy medium built blonde haired boy, with a cut on his face, bruises all over, and with blood around his mouth. It was the Baker's son.

He chuckled darkly, and began running. He said some words too soft for me to hear, but I heard them. And they will be forever echoing in my mind.

" You won't always be there to protect her."

I released the knife from my hand, and it rattled as it hit the floor.

Both the blood from my face and my shoulder seemed to drip into our entangled fingers. And the delicate, gentle hand was taken back from my own, leaving my hand palm down into the dirt.

The world swirled around me, darkness over powering my will to stay awake if he returns. And before I collapsed against her door, I only heard the sweetest voice pain me with the worry it was drenched in.

"Gale? Gale! Gale! IS THIS YOUR BLOOD?"

And finally the wood behind me gave way, and I landed on my back, my eyes squinted at the bright light in the warm room, but wetness around me was still spreading, and in a matter of seconds, I was unconscious.

"GALE!"

…

a/n- Hehehehe. Sorry for the cliff hanger. If you guys want a continuation, you can write it for yourselves. *smug* I wrote this a little bit faster since I can get up without needing help now. So it's easier for me to move. Anyway, while writing this, it inspired me to make an advocacy about the empowerment of women. If you are with me in this, and if you wish that what happened to Katniss in this fic wouldn't happen to any other girls all over the world, you should go check it out in my profile.

School is starting in a couple of weeks for us. So I hope you guys don't feel bad if I update a little less after the twentieth chapter. :)

Review?