Chapter 1 - Day 1 (Early Morning - Reaping)
"We could do it you know," Gale says quietly.
"What?" I ask.
"Leave the district. Run off. Live in the woods. You and I, we could make it," says Gale.
"Could we?" I ask, ignoring the absurdity of the very thought. After all, running away could cost not only mine but also my family's lives. Prim's life.
Maybe it's my affinity to the woods. Maybe it's the unease today's reaping brings, one that I'm not used to despite the number of years it's been happening. Despite the number of chits in the bowl.
"If we didn't have so many kids" answers Gale.
Right, it isn't easy to run away with four kids who are scared away by the worms and spiders in the forest and two women no better than the kids.
"We can't leave them. We won't."
They need us or they'll probably starve to death before the peacekeepers even reach them. Prim won't survive, feeding the stupid cat before herself and mother… I can't place any hopes on her.
"I know, but maybe we could all try -"
"And lose our lives?" They'd shoot us all to death before we even cross the fence with the number of people we have." I cut him off.
"We could lose our lives even without that happening," he laughs dryly. "Today is the reaping. If any of our names come out what will happen? How many days can one of us survive against those bulky careers? How long can a single one of us feed both our families?"
"It won't happen. There are so many other people." I say faintly trying to avoid the minute possibility.
"You can't be sure. You can't be sure Katniss." it's been long since he used my real name. "It's not like the odds have ever been in our favour," he adds in a high pitched voice mimicking those stupid clowns from the Capitol.
Indeed, I can't be sure. And today's Reaping is putting me in a state of unease I've not felt before.
"Let's do it," I say resolutely, shocking Gale and leaving him speechless for a moment.
"But we can't do it without a plan. That'd be suicide." I continue. Maybe we could plan and leave today or in a few weeks or after the winter. Winters in the wilds are harsh.
"I have a plan," says Gale.
"You do? How? When?" It's my turn to be shocked now.
"Sometimes when you are too hungry to sleep you need thoughts to put you to sleep," he chuckles.
I know, I've done the same. Only my thought is that of a carefree life with Father still hunting for meat on Sundays, Mum not sitting lifelessly in a corner and having enough food to go by.
"Tell me about it. Let's do it then," in my heart I hope I don't regret today as I say this.
It was too late to change anything when I realized reality was planning to go in the opposite direction of what I hoped, what I planned and what I wished.