The days seemed to blur together. Artemis would wake up, sneak out of the house, and find Gale somewhere. Either they'd head to the Hobb after being in the woods forever or they would make their rounds around town.
She made sure to keep out of Davet's sight when Gale went to offer him a few fouls and a hare. Beau didn't know as well. Not like he had really cared, he didn't seem to want to come out of the house very much after the Reaping. He would just help out around the butchery or plop down in front of a screen and watch Peeta in the games.
Peeta recently had a life threatening experience. He had gotten ill from one of the careers attack him.
However, that cheesy kiss she watched him have with Katniss must've been a ploy because the next morning there was a Feast (basically the second version of the bloodbath) where it had his expensive medicine in it.
Katniss risked her life to retrieve the medicine for Peeta. That was admirable to Artemis. Her hopes of Peeta coming back were frail the weaker he got through the days. They were down to five tributes now and the next person who was going to die was Peeta.
She didn't want to think that way after all the hopes and wishes that he would return safe but, the other tributes are smart, swift, even brutal. Something Peeta couldn't be when he was recovering from his injury.
Artemis shrugged off the solemn feeling as she walked towards a part of town she'd never been to with Gale. It looked run down and over populated.
She didn't even realize it but, she had moved closer to Gale as they walked. A new place meant new danger. For some reason she put Gale as her protector through all of this.
She quickly shoved herself away from his side, causing him to look over at her with a quizzical look on his face.
He shrugged it off as he rounded to corner towards his house. "Watch your step." He warned her as he stepped up onto the makeshift front porch of the house.
He held out a hand for her to take, to help her up on to the porch. He knew how easy it was to trip up on. She ignored it and hoisted herself up. She looked challengingly into his cloudy eyes.
She didn't need help, she wasn't a damsel in distress. She crossed her arms in annoyance. Gale "humpf"ed as he turned towards the door of his house. Women.
As they entered the small house Artemis noticed it wasn't much cooler inside than it was outside. It almost felt too hot. There wasn't too much to it as well. A worn out couch with one chair in front of a fireplace in what seemed to be a living room.
The kitchen not too far behind it. To her left was a table with a large tub on top of it filled with soapy water left unattended.
There was a crashing sound from the kitchen that startled her. She clasped her hand over her chest as she steadied her nerves.
A woman's voice cursed as she brought up a large plate from under a counter. She didn't look too old, around the same age as her parents. She wondered if the women knew them.
Gale cleared his throat, beckoning for the woman's attention. She looked up over the counter with a flabbergasted look on her face. She wasn't expecting anyone.
Let alone a girl.
She nervously chuckled as Gale took a couple of steps towards her.
"Ma, I'd like you to meet Artemis." Gale announced as he grabbed his mother by her shoulders and guided her towards where Artemis stood awkwardly.
Hazelle's smile was warm and heartfelt as she beamed at Artemis while wiping her hands off on her apron. "I'm Hazelle." She greeted sticking out her hand to be embraced by the younger girls warm hand. "Artemis." She said coolly back with a hunch of a smile on her lips.
The smile turned into a hesitant frown as Artemis thought of why she was here. The games. Katniss. She was close to Gale which means she was probably close to Hazelle and her family. Like a second daughter. "I'm sorry." She whispered out, causing Hazelle's face to become solemn. She balled her fists at her sides in embarrassment. "My friend Peeta..."
"There's no need to apologize my dear." Hazelle cut her off by sweeping a piece of Artemis's hair behind her ear endearingly. "I just...feel so bad for you kids. You shouldn't have to go through this."
This was the most thoughtful thing she had heard anyone say to her about the games. Everyone she knew just asked if she was doing okay and never bothered to actually see what was going on.
A few tears built up in her eyes but, there was no way she was going to let them be shown around Gale and his mother. "Thank you." She stated, her voice barely above a whisper.
She watched as Hazelle went to busying herself with her washing tub. She looked over at Gale who was already staring at her with distress in his eyes.
She had never come to terms on how the games would effect Gale. She felt bad, she had only been thinking about herself in this situation. She didn't even realize Gale was hurting until now. He was so good at hiding it. Perhaps he didn't want to talk about Katniss just like how she didn't want to talk about Peeta.
A small girl no older than three walked towards Hazelle with arms spread open, begging her to pick her up. Gale's eyes shot over to the young girl, for the first time Artemis had seen him smile genuinely.
He stuck one finger out for the toddler to latch on to, she waved it back and fourth, cooing at him. "This is Posy. She just got better from being sick." Gale informed Artemis as he took his sister out of his mother's hands so she could return to work.
Artemis couldn't help but, smile as she watched Gale bounce his sister up and down making her giggle. He was such a sweet older brother to her. She knew that he spoiled her rotten.
Gale held out Posy towards Artemis, Posy's arms extending over to her. Her eyes widened as she looked at the toddler.
If she didn't take Posy, Gale may be offended but, if she did take Posy she wouldn't know what to do with her. She's never held a child before.
She gulped and meekly smiled as she took the toddler into her hands. Posy gurgled and giggled, snot running down her face, as she held her away from her body.
Her stomach felt a little queasy as Posy wiped her nose and then latched back on to her forearm. Snot covering her arm.
Gale held up a questioning brow at Artemis. "I've...never...held a kid." She admitted, a rosy blush coming off of her freckled cheeks.
No one in merchant square had had a kid since Carina and she was only four at the time. It's been well over ten years since she's even interacted with a kid.
"Where are the boys?" Gale wondered out loud with a perked brow. He pushed Artemis's elbows in, forcing her to have Posy straddle her hip.
Hazelle absentmindedly shrugged her shoulders. "Rory went out with some friends a couple of hours ago, Vick must be here somewhere." Hazelle replied as she threw a few clothes into the metal tin and began scrubbing them against the washboard.
She has been working overtime for the past couple of weeks to make sure they had enough for Posy's medicine. Her fingers were numb and chapped from the soapy water.
Artemis set down the toddler, letting her wander around the house as she crossed the room to Hazelle. "Do you need any help?" She asked as she watched Hazelle plunge her hands into the water with a blue shirt in hand.
Hazelle's eyes connected with Artemis's for a moment as she gauged on what to do. She was tired, and her daughter needed her but, she was unsure if she was asking to help her for money. She couldn't afford paid help at the moment. Hazelle plastered a smile upon her lips, holding a somewhat genuine look in her eyes.
"That's all right, my dear. When you get as old as me you don't mind the cold water." She shrugged off, continuing to labor over the washboard. Artemis looked at her confused for a moment, she looked a tad tired but still was continuing to drone on with her work. She figured that Hazelle was just guarding herself.
Even she had to agree that if some stranger she had just met offered her to help by doing her only job she would be cautious.
She was startled when Gale walked by her side holding out the ever-snotting Posy in his hands. "Just hold Posy." Gale instructed, leaving the toddler squirming in his friends arms.
Artemis latched on to Posy, lifting her up over her shoulder as Posy began to sniffle out a small cry of frustration. Absentmindedly she started bouncing the toddler up and down in her arms to try to calm her down.
Gale admired this for a split second, watching Posy get his friends shirt all slimy with her snot and drool. He couldn't help but let out a breathless laugh. Better her than him.
"Why are we here again?" She whispered out, her brows furrowing as she watched him lightly laugh. "You don't want to meet my family?" Gale teased, forcing her face to light up in embarrassment.
She stuttered for a moment before she found the word, "No.", as she watched him smirk.
His grasp latched on to a grey tattered jacket that was strewn behind a chair across the room. "It looks like it's going to rain." He mumbled out under his breath.
She raised her brows, making a silent "oh" sound. The clouds were a bit more grey than usual today. She wondered if the rain would help mask their scent while hunting or if it would give their position away for some reason. Whatever the reason she knew she was going to get drenched.
She hadn't exactly noticed the sky or weather pattern until Gale brought it up. Which meant she left her jacket at home.
The toddler squirmed in her arms, squeaking out cries of frustration, demanding to be set down. Afraid of losing her grip, Artemis placed Posy on the ground for a half second before attempting to pick her up once more.
She felt Gale's rough hand wrap around her right wrist. She peered up at him in confusion as he shook his head once. A man of few words. She rolled her eyes leaving Posy alone to wobble around the house. "Let's go." Gale's voice was firm and low.
Hazelle looked up from the wash tub to see her son and his friend getting ready to flee. She placed a small smile on her face as she caught Artemis's wandering eye. "Be good." Hazelle advised them. "It was nice to meet you."
The young girl waved towards Hazelle before being ushered out the door by Gale.
"Your mom seems nice." Artemis stated as she strode along side Gale on their way towards the fence. "Yeah, well, it's not everyday I bring a girl home."
Artemis snorted at his response. Granted, they have not met until recently she had heard a few girls in the school yard swoon over him. It was unbelievable that he hadn't brought a girl home, other than Katniss. "You're not catching feelings for me are you?" She teased, a smirk coming across her lips.
He let out a cold chuckle at her statement. "C'mon, we're not even friends. Remember?"
The words that she uttered out a few days prior poked a certain pain in her chest. She felt remorse for what she had said, especially after meeting his family and his friends, teaching her how to hunt, providing to her family along with Katniss's. Gale was more than accommodating to her and she had treated him like garbage.
"Touché." Artemis whispered out under her breath. A moment of silence was split between the two as they walked on the gravel path away from the Seam. The only sound heard was the crunching of rock and dirt beneath their feet.
Her mind wandered back to Gale's words from before. It was like it had singed away at her heart. Gale was a friend, maybe not then, but now. He's also going through the same struggle as herself, he had lost his dear friend to the Games which she may never return from.
When she thought of Peeta it made her heart ache even more than it was, she hadn't spoken with Beau since the Reaping. Something he would never do if Peeta hadn't been reaped.
He had consumed himself in helping his father at the butchery. It must be nice to have a steady supply of meats coming to their door. Meats that Artemis hunts for. Meats that are too pricy for her family at the moment even though she hunts for it, skins it, bargains for it with Gale at times.
A cool hatred for her best friend boiled up inside of her as she thought of him. She knew she had to speak with him whether he liked it or not.
Perhaps if she spoke to him while Gale was around he would know she meant business when she wanted to talk.
She thought for a moment about Gale. Perhaps she was absentmindedly replacing Beau with Gale. But the real question was if that was a bad thing.
A slight glance up at the grey sky made Artemis flinch in regret that she hadn't worn a jacket. However it was the spring almost summer, how cold could the falling rain be?
Her eyes fell on Gale's large stature as they approached the fence. He was cold but, he was humble, and grateful enough to help her provide for her family in this time of struggle.
She huffed out a sigh as she watched him swoop his torso under the fence. "I'm sorry." She broke the silence.
Gale peered from the other side of the fence at her confused. She shuffled her feet while twiddling her thumbs, her face feeling hot as she knew she had Gale's direct attention.
"I'm sorry for being a jerk back at the Hobb. I shouldn't have said you weren't my friend. In fact right now-" She duct her head under the fence, the rest of her body following in on swift motion. She tucked a loose hair of hers behind her ear as she looked up into Gale's stormy grey eyes. "Right now, you're my only friend."
Gale could feel his lips ajar slightly as Artemis seemed sincere about this apology. Her face seemed to be tinted a light pink as she avoid eye contact with him, her feet shuffling underneath her.
He smirk a little before licking his bottom lip and clearing his throat, gaining her attention. He shoved his hands in his pockets, his posture becoming a bit more relaxed than usual.
"You know," He started, his hand right hand coming up to scratch the stubble growing on his face. "I didn't say that you were my friend."
That was it.
Artemis swore she could feel her heart drop to her stomach. She could slap herself for actually believing someone other than the two people she grew up with, would want to be her friend.
She was obnoxious and anti-social, who would want to be friends with that?
A stinging sensation pricked at her eyes, she forcibly blinked it away. She couldn't show how upset she was, that would be showing weakness.
Instead, she looked up at Gale and nodded her head silently before starting to walk into the woods. Each step seemed to last an eternity with her hopes of a new friendship getting crushed.
Gale could visibly see the difference in her attitude as they walked. He rubbed the back of his neck guiltily. She had taken his joke rather seriously.
As they made the tree line he slung his arm around her shoulders, before saying, "I'm just messing with ya."
This made her stop mid stride, along with Gale who only seemed to smile genuinely at her surprise. He could see that she was happy that he had agreed to be friends with her but, she didn't want to show it.
He chuckled a little before striding in front of her to lead the way. "Let's go, Artie." He chirped from ahead. She perked her brows up in surprise at the new nickname he had given her. "Artie?"
By the mid afternoon their hunting plans were up in the air as a dense downpour left them stranded in the middle of the woods drenched.
It was sudden and had frankly caught the both of them off guard. Gale didn't seem to mind it, he had brought his jacket after all. He had also spent a lot of his time in the rain during hunts with Katniss. It didn't bother him. It was also an advantage to hunting.
Artemis crossed her arms over her chest, clinging on to her body in a vice grip. She couldn't believe how cold the rain was, it was almost summer. She cursed herself for not wearing a jacket.
Gale peered down at his smaller friend watching her shiver as her hair became completely soaked. He rolled his eyes at how unprepared she was as he noticed a shiver roll through her body.
He held a tight grasp on her upper arm, gaining her attention. Her green eyes looking up at him defensively. "Follow me." His words were drown out by the sound of the pouring rain, she could barely make out what he was saying.
She panicked for a moment as he started to walk down a small slope, she didn't know if he wanted her to follow or not. Whether he instructed her or not she slipped down the slope after him.
The cold rain was nipping at her skin and she could already see the mud working its way up her pant legs as she came to the bottom of the slope. She twisted her head around to find Gale towards her right, heading towards the lip of a shallow cave.
He turned to see if she was still behind him, a small feeling of relief hit him as he watched her come to a halt at the bottom of the slope clumsily. Elegance was not her style. She watched as he jerked his head in the direction of the small shelter, as he walked over and began standing under the opening of the small cave to keep warm.
She eyed the place warily. It wasn't deep, she could see the end of the cave, there were no animals, but there was something about being stuck in a cave at the bottom of a slope that put her on edge. The thought of a mudslide happening and no one would know where they were made her stomach queasy. However, she would take the chance of that happening over getting a terrible cold and not being able to afford medicine.
She cautiously stepped into the small opening, out from the cold rain, soaking up the dryness of the air that it provided. A shiver once again rolled up her spine. She ignored it as she continued to look at the forest which had become a muddy playground.
Gale sat down on the floor of the cave, taking out his knife (much sharper that the one Artemis's father gave her) and whittling away at a stick.
Artemis quickly followed Gale's move and sat on the ground a few feet away from him. She wrapped her arms around her knees and hugged them close to her chest as she shivered once again.
"What did we learn?" Gale's voice was almost taunting. Artemis shot him a quick glare which he was there to return. She sighed out in irritation. "Always bring a jacket."
"Not always. The key is to look at the sky before leaving the house." Gale jeered as he cut a large chunk of wood off the stick he was playing with.
"Well grey skies don't always mean torrential rain. They could mean it's just cloudy or it's going to snow. Would you like me to wear a thick jacket in the middle of July when there's a cloudy sky?"
"Have a little common sense." Gale snapped. This felt jolting to Artemis, his voice was cool and irritated. She could tell he was upset that he couldn't hunt since she forgot to bring a jacket. No hunting meant no food on the table for him. She would be irritated as well if her family went a day without eating. Luckily, they've saved some food like berries and honey and bread just in case.
She could tell this wasn't the only thing that was bothering him. It was Katniss. She never left his mind, not even for a fleeting moment. She would have done so much better out in this environment than Artemis.
A pain of guilt built up inside of her. She turned her entire body to face Gale, who held a questionable brow up to her. "How old were you?" She asked not specifying what she meant. Gale shook his head at the broad question. "When you started doing this?" She specified this time.
Gale looked up towards the cave ceiling, sighing as he did so, trying to think back. "I don't know. Maybe thirteen or fourteen. It's been a long time." He answered solemnly. She nodded her head at the answer, trying not to look at him. "Is that when you met Katniss or did you meet her before-"
"Why are you doing this?" Gale snapped in an annoyed voice.
Artemis stared blankly at him for a moment flustered, her nose wrinkling in the process. "Forgive me for trying to get to know you. I thought that's what friends did." She jeered, crossing her arms across her chest.
Perhaps she had poked at him too far, perhaps she had over stepped her boundaries. She couldn't help it, she wanted to get to know him. He was providing for her and her family, introducing her to to his family and friends, showing her new things and she hadn't really gotten to know him except for maybe a few habits he did while he was hunting.
Like whistling.
She learned he loved to whistle while they were on the way to the fence. Another shiver ripped through her, this time as she clutched on to her legs, she felt Gale's presence move closer to her.
She shot him a defensive look to which he held up his hands. "I'm not gonna touch you. I'm just scooting closer. Body heat will make you warm." He informed her, sliding beside her.
They sat in silence as they watched the rain trickle down the lip of the cave and splash in the newfound puddle in front of the cave entrance.
Even though Artemis was never too fond of going into the forest, she found that in this moment it was beautiful. She could see why Gale and Katniss spent a majority of their time here. Here they can act as if they're free.
Free from the Capitol, from the Peacekeepers, from the Games, from death itself.
"Do you ever hurt when you think about him?" Gale spoke up breaking the silence. Artemis blinked in confusion for a moment before feeling a blistering irritation gnawing at the back of her mind about Peeta.
She looked over at Gale who was waiting for her answer, his eyes held a look of sorrow as he scanned her face. He was hurting. Something reminded him of her.
Artemis couldn't help but feel bad for him because she knew the pain he was going through. This was the first time he was opening up about it. Artemis returned her gaze out of the cave towards the forest.
"All the time. He's on my mind a lot. I grew up with him, it's kind of hard to know that he won't be coming home."
"You think he won't?"
Artemis pursed her lips as she thought of what to say next. She didn't want to come to terms with him not coming home but as the end grew near and Peeta being badly injured she could almost hear the canon calling his name. "Have you seen him?" Her voice cracked as she spoke softly.
All she could picture was him covered in mud and blood, a couple of large bumps on his skin from where a Trackerjacker had stung him. A frail voice was the last thing she remembered hearing from him. Small, weak, dying as he spoke to Katniss as she tried to soothe him. It wouldn't be much longer until he was gone. Her heart clenched at the thought of him being gone forever. All the memories they shared would sting in her mind for the rest of her life.
She broke.
She tried to stifle it back but she couldn't conceal it well. She whimpered as tears left trails of warmth down her cheeks. She didn't even want to look at Gale, she knew she was showing her weakness by crying. She deemed herself as stupid for it.
A hesitant arm reached around her shoulder, rubbing up and down her upper arm in a comforting manner. "It's okay." Gale stated. His voice sounded uneasy. She couldn't pinpoint whether it was because this was making him uncomfortable or if he wanted to explode as well.
After a moment of sobbing, she finally had caught her breath to calm down. Her finger numbly traced a pattern on the cool ground beside her. The rock beneath her fingertip was rough and jagged yet it seemed to relax her even more.
"Does it hurt you as well?" She whispered out, her voice barely a mumble but it was loud enough for him to hear. Gale retracted his arm away from her as he bit the inside of his cheek. "In a way. But if she were to die out there, it'd be better than dying here." He mused as he picked up a tiny pebble and held it in his hand.
"How so?" Artemis wondered. Gale peered down at her, her cheeks rosy from the exhaustion of crying, hair damp from the rain sticking to her cheeks. He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure. Here, she would die of starvation, hating the Capitol-"
"But if they die in there, they're nothing but slaves to the Capitol." Artemis interrupted.
"And if they make it out they're slaves to the Capitol." Gale responded coolly, a disheartened look on his face. Artemis knew he had more on his mind, more about Katniss, yet he refused to speak to her about it. She understood. They had only known each other for a couple weeks yet, it had felt like an eternity in her eyes. She had no friends, that may be why she felt as if it were forever. Gale leaned back with his palms on the ground behind him, almost relaxed. "What's it like?" He wondered aloud, catching Artemis off guard. Her face turned to him puzzled. "To not live like I do. What's it like?"
Artemis scoff and shook her head at the question. Of course he felt as if he were beneath her. "What do you mean, we're the same." Artemis choked out with a smirk on her face. Gale let out a monotone, "Ha." forcing Artemis to roll her eyes.
She glanced back to him with a frown on her face. "Seriously, What makes you think we're different?" Artemis's voice was hot, filled with spite.
"Look where I am right now. I'm in the middle of the woods trying to hunt for my family, stuck in the same cave as you. We don't have that much money. I mean we may have a higher status but, do you think that comes with special privileges? My name still gets entered into the Games, I still live in poverty, I still live under the Capitol's reign just as you. Just as everyone in the Seam, just as the Undersee's, just as District Five, District Seven, all of the Districts. I don't know what kind of special treatment you think everyone gets besides the people in The Seam but I can guarantee you, no one is happy. Except for the people in the Capitol."
Gale rose to his feet abruptly, startling Artemis. It was as if he had sat on a fire. "Then let's do it." He quipped, sticking his hands in his pockets and pacing around the small entrance of the cave. Artemis threw a confused look at him, his whole stature had changed from being defensive and moody to determined and strong willed. "Do...what?" She asked hesitantly. He stopped in his tracks to turn back to Artemis, a smile upon his face. "Let's leave."
"Leave?" Artemis reiterated.
"Leave. Grab our families and go. Live in the woods. Away from the District, away from the Capitol-"
"You're suggesting that we live in the woods? We couldn't do that, we'd be caught. Too many people would notice we'd be gone. A-and even if we weren't caught who says we could survive out here? All of us. There's no way we'd have enough food-" Artemis protested as she stood up from the ground of the cave, she noticed the small puddle her soaked body had left behind. Gale crossed the way and gripped onto her shoulders. "The difference is that if we die out here we won't be slaves."
Artemis's pursed her lips, she was surprised by the sudden action of Gale. He couldn't even open up fully to her and here he was asking for her to run away from everything, possibly running for her life if the Capitol found out. "Gale..." She hummed out in a worrisome tone but before she could even finish she noticed his actions changed instantly. He was back to his solemn moody self again, eyes clouded and lips drawn into a firm frown. "It doesn't have to be now. Just think about it."
Artemis stared at him for a moment, she could've sworn she had seen a spark in his eye but, it had quickly vanished as it had appeared. If Peeta and Katniss never came back their lives would intertwined for the rest of their days, or at least until they found other people to provide for. She couldn't even imagine what their lives would be like if Katniss or Peeta didn't return. Her feet shuffled around the cave ground before she answered his question.
"Okay."