A/N:- Okay... frankly asking, have I lost you guys?
And yes, Plex is an iPad kind of a thing but strictly used for military operations, as in it gives Gale updates and orders being issued across Panem. It is only given to higher military officials.
Disclaimer: Plex is strictly a literary intel and I own the credits to coming with the idea just the same :D!
My shoulder hurts and I just want to sit down but I don't complain. Gale literally pulls my arm out of my shoulder socket, pulling me through the turns of the base, effectively making his way through the crowd who seem very oblivious to the fact.
My head hurts. There's this lump in my throat that won't go away no matter how hard I try to swallow and the more I try, the more it grows and the more it hurts.
This is all my fault. My fault.
Gale's face is in a permanent scowl ever since we...um... left off from where we did and I worry that the worry lines will permanent etch themselves on his face. It's the silliest thing to worry about right now but when my complete life is in a turmoil, I can't seem to grasp the bigger thoughts as they whiz past in my head.
"General," a stoic looking man walks past a couple people to reach us. He eyes my hand in Gale's but says nothing. He comes right up to Gale and salutes him.
"What is it?" Gale rocks on his feet, impatient to get where we wants to go.
"It's being held in the basement cellar. President Paylor wants me to tell you to get your Plex before you go under," He nods and Gale groans dismissing him.
"Gale?" I pull his shirt to get his undivided attention but then he just pulls me again.
Right, left, right, right and the last door to the left of the hallway. As soon as I walk into the room, I gasp. The room feels cool and I notice that there's a ventilation shaft near the ceiling. The right side of the room in completely covered from ceiling to floor glass windows that overlooks the town and the left hand side of the room is nothing but a big screen that displays the logo for New Panem. On careful evaluation, I learn that it has more than one screen placed together to make up for a big screen.
I have never seen this much intel in one place. While I stand gawking at Gale's office, he is frantically searching for the supposed "Plex" on his desk on the far side of the room. This room is as big as my bedroom back in District 12 and being the mayor's daughter, that's saying something.
He ruffles through drawers in his desk and peeks through the piles of papers on his desk. Does he ever clean anything of his?
I walk up to him, "What are you looking for?"
"My Plex," he says from within the stacks. Oh really?
"What is it suppose to look like?"
He looks up, "It's this big," he gestures with his hand, "and has a blue screen with lots of things flashing on it."
I nod and just when I am even about to start looking for it, I see a flash of blue light from under a stack. Without thinking it through, I pull it from under the stack and the entire thing falls on Gale.
He gives a rather un-manly shriek and when he realises that, he coughs and pulls out the Plex out of my hand.
"Thanks," he just moves around the table to reach the door when I stop.
"Gale please," he stops and turns to look at me with a puzzled expression, "where are we going? What's happening?" I need to know the extent of my damage. I want to know what I did. I don't know why and how it's going to help me but I want to know nevertheless.
Gale raises his hand to touch my cheek and his thumb caresses my cheekbones. My breath gets caught in my throat by the intense way he is looking at me.
"I am sorry I pulled you out of the bed in the middle of the night," he rests his forehead against mine and breathes in, calming him and me too in that process. "Just bear with me?"
"Well, I can I suppose," I say haughtily and he grins to that.
"You wait here. You don't have to come with me,"
"But I want to," I say pleading. His expression turns sheepish and he rubs the back of his neck.
"Okay, let me reframe my sentence in this way. I am not even allowed to let you into the base. Let alone in the conference down the hall. I just couldn't have you stay alone in the house after what happened," he tells me and that's when I realize that I did feel quite a lot of people stare at me when I came along with Gale. I suppose it's highly unlikely.
"Oh okay," I nod. He leans in to kiss me but immediately pulls back. Seconds later Yohan walks in. His hunter instincts might have picked up on his footstep but he wasn't fast enough to retrace his hand from my cheek and Yohan is taken aback by our situation.
The surprising fact is, I expected him to be amused or have a mocking expression but just for a second or so, his face reflects an emotion of betrayal before going completely blank.
"President wants you," Yohan says curtly and traces Gale's hand from my cheek to my eyes only to drop them immediately, "Now."
"You stay here," Gale orders.
"I'll stay with her," Yohan perks up but immediately tones his excitement down. Gale narrows his eyes and it seems like he is debating whether to comply to that or not but it seems like he really does not want me to be left alone because he nods and walks out of the room.
Uncomfortable silence fills the room.
"So is there something going on between you and Gal —General?"
How do I answer that? Is there something really going on between me and Gale? Or talking about our feelings had him keyed up on emotions? I don't know. What I do know is that I can't risk to make anything substantial out of the situation we have had. I have learned it the hard way that making anything solid out of a temporary situation with Gale will always result in a heartbreak. That's for sure. So I tell him what is expected out of it.
"No," I waver when I answer. His expression suggests he is doubtful but says nothing.
"You know I always thought Gale's going to end up with Risa in the end," Yohan huffs out, plopping himself down on the couch near the window. A hint of jealousy creeps up within me. Okay, it's bull, a bucket load of jealousy it is. But I guess I am not the only prey to that indignation. Everyone with a sound mind will come to that conclusion once and only once they get to see both of them together. Everyone who knows Gale is aware of the fact that the guy is very hard to warm up to and Risa is pretty comfortable with him. That has got to count for something.
"And why's that?" My head pounds. My voice quivers. I am not doing one damn single thing right with my life.
"You know, "she was the one to bring him out of his despair"," he said with making air quotes.
"Despair?"
"Yeah. Let's say Gale didn't exactly have a respectable reputation in the beginning when he came here." No kidding. "The scandal with the girls and the alcohol, it pretty much did him in."
"And how did she help him get out of it all exactly?" Yohan smiles, a bit painfully. Frankly, there's exactly two ways she could help him. You know, the glass is half full and half empty kind of a situation. I am leaning more towards the glass is half empty kind of a relevation because where Gale is concerned it's nearly impossible to think otherwise.
"It's definitely not what you make out of it." Yohan chuckles before continuing, "Risa's a nice girl. I have practically grown up with her. We were neighbors actually," he sighs.
"I didn't know," I quip up.
"How would you? Even Gale does not know it yet," he says with a tinge of sadness in his voice, "Back to where I was. She is quite determined and stubborn and strong minded, just like Gale. I liked her. Like her. A lot," he huffs and drops his head in his hands. I walk to him and sit beside him on the couch just learning the fact that I had been standing for so long.
"Then why don't you tell her?" He laughs in his hand and gazes up at me.
"If only things were that simple. It's not difficult for anyone to notice how much she admires Gale. And whatever he has that she admires, clearly I don't have any. And she never mentions our before-rebellion connection to anyone, not even when we are alone. I just don't get it."
"Get what?" I take his hand in mine and squeeze it reassuringly.
"Why am I telling you all this? I mean it's not like you are going to help me with it otherwise," I fake a gasp and he smiles a little bit.
"Oh I am offended. I could help you know," I say in a typical capitol upbeat tone. He laughs quite breathlessly before responding.
"And how are you going to do that Ms. Undersee?"
"Well, I shall use the most traditional tactic of all. You know, make Gale mine so Risa has no option but to come to you." Yohan laughs so hard that he doubles over the falls to the floor. It was funny yes, but not that funny. I look at him quizzically.
"Gosh! Your capitol accent! It's spot on!" He breaks out laughing and falling all over again. I smile because in fact it is.
"Well, I practically lived my entire life sucking up to them," I smile.
Yohan pulls him self onto the couch and is still struggling to breathe decently. "And why's that?"
"Being the mayor's daughter I am used to studying and hearing them at a close-ish range," I say making a gesture of how close I was.
The laughter fades away as quickly and abruptly as it had come. Yohan's face drains itself of its colour and I start to panic inwardly. Did I say something wrong? Did I just give away something unconsciously?
"You are the mayor's daughter?" He whispers. Or air has left his lungs all to entirely.
"Y-Yes," He wears an impassive expression. Not giving away anything at all.
"District 12," I nod but I know he wasn't asking me, just making a statement.
"Yohan? Did I say something wrong?" My voice quivers. He looks at me and a soft smile graces his face.
"I-I don't know. I mean ofcourse you haven't said anything wrong. It's just I haven't met anyone of my kind ever. And I lost hope of it altogether after the rebellion since I don't know, it was hard for me to get out and I thought it was the same with everyone," he babbles on quickly. One look at my face and he gets that I don't get any of it.
"District 9, Mayor's son, Yohan Jax Clearwater, Nice to meet someone of my kind finally."
A/N: I am extremely sorry for such a short chapter. I am literally stuck after this. Writer's block. I guess it's going to take some time to get my head around. I just deviated a bit from my plotline and it was needed to be done. I'd like to know how you guys find the story so far.