I do not own 'Hunger Games' or anything related.
My immediate concern was to look for Katniss, to see if she was seeing what was happening, knowing what would happen if she did. Twenty five years the moment I saw Mel getting whipped I immediately ran to his aid before suddenly tripping and falling to the ground. I can still remember my teeth bashing into the ground, my mouth numb after the impact. Before I could get up, I felt someone fall on top of me. Whoever it was had me pinned to the ground so that I was unable to get up.
"Stay down," The whisper told me.
I recognised the voice belonging to Ray.
"Let go of me!" I snarled, trying to push her off, but unable to. She was surprisingly strong for such an old woman.
"You can't help your friend!" She continued to whisper, "Don't make it worse for yourself."
I was still able to look up, helpless as I stared at Mel continually getting flogged. At the time I didn't care what happened to me, all that mattered was trying to help Mel. It felt like an eternity watching him, wanting the whipping to stop.
And there she was, screaming as she threw herself between the new head peacekeeper and her friend, taking the blow meant for him. I was too late. I was too late to stop her from doing anything foolish like Ray had done for me. But I could still do something to stop it from getting worse.
"Hold it!"
I walked towards them, deliberately tripping over Darius as if I didn't see him, as if I was too drunk to be in full control of my actions. Pulling Katniss to her feet, I examined the cut across her face. Luckily it wasn't serious, but that was beside the point. I continued to berate the man, telling him off for disfiguring Katniss Everdeen, that she's due for a photo shoot the next week, and what was I supposed to tell the photographer, even threatening to call the Capitol. I was actually acting a lot braver than I felt. I knew this man could kill me, could kill any of us. Being a victor doesn't make you immune from the law. But one of the few things Mel taught me was when facing a predator you needed to look as big and intimidating as possible in order for them to back down. The peacekeeper told me that she interfered in the punishment of a confessed criminal. I doubt that the boy had actually confessed. More likely he came to visit Cray as usual with his preferred turkey only to come face to face with this new head instead, who wasn't as corrupt as the local peacekeepers and had no interest in receiving any illegal goods. Luckily Peeta was also there to back Katniss up, explaining that the criminal was her cousin, and that he was her fiance. The head turned to look at the other peacekeepers, who were familiar faces. One of them, Purnia, explained that Gale had already received the required amount of lashes (although I knew that wasn't true), but the new head accepted the answer, and told Katniss the next time he catches Gale poaching it will be the firing squad before splattering all of us with the blood on the whip. Honestly, we got off easy.
After releasing Gale from the stand, I knew at once who could help.
"Better get your mother."
A woman at the clothing stall sold us a board as a makeshift stretcher. This would be better than last time. Gale wasn't flogged as much, and it was during winter, better than during the summer. At least in Mel's case he was very popular, which proved helpful.
Once the peacekeepers left was when Ray let go of me, I immediately got up and ran to the stand. There were others as well, but I managed to get there first. I tried to undo the knots, but they were too tough. Someone passed me a knife (I don't know who to this day) which I used to cut them. Grabbing Mel, I gently place him on the ground.
"Mel?"
Mel had passed out from the pain.
"Mel, speak to me!"
I shook him, but he didn't wake up. I was really terrified at that moment he was done for. I raised my hand to hit him awake only to have my wrist grabbed by Ray.
"Doing anymore physical injury won't help him!" She told me.
"Like you care!" I snapped, still at the time not understanding what she did for me was to help me.
A makeshift stretcher was made for him (again, I don't know who by) as he was gently placed on it and he was carried to the apothecary. No one objected to me as one of the carriers. As we walked I noticed a bottle on the ground that was likely the cause for my tripping. Most likely Ray rolled it at my feet to stop me from stopping the peacekeeper. I wonder if she also made it look like she was just drunk as she collapsed on me.
When we got him to the apothecary, at first Pheena was frozen. Then she immediately went to work. I'm still amazed now how clear headed she remained during the incident, considering who it was that was taken to her. But then maybe it was because of who was taken to her that she knew she had to remain clear headed, to do everything she could to keep him alive. He was taken to the kitchen, where her parents cleared the table, she placed a sterile white cloth on that Mel was then laid on. Then she poured water from a kettle into a basin, and going to a medicine cabinet to fetch out some remedies. In the present, I assured Katniss that Gale would be alright, that her mother was the one flogged victims were taken to. Now and back then, Pheena had her ingredients placed in the basin before soaking a cloth in it and applying it to the destroyed back, cleaning the mutilated flesh. I told Gale's crew to go home, giving them money to compensate gale's absence. A woman burst in. It was Mel's mother.
"Where is he?" She demanded, "Where's my boy! Where's Philly Black?"
For a moment, I didn't realise who she was talking about, until she saw Mel lying on the table.
"No. No!"
At once she clutched his face.
"Oh my boy! My sweet Philomel!"
It takes a long time to clean the wounds, arrange what's left of the skin, applying a salve and bandage. Stroking his hair, the still crying Mrs Everdeen started singing 'Deep in the Meadow'. She had barely gotten through the first stanza when Ray pulled her off.
"No."
She then grabbed her by the arms and shook her.
"No, you listen to me, Maude Ivory! Your son is strong. He's the strongest person I know! If anyone can survive this, he can!"
"I-I-" Mrs Everdeen started stammering.
"Hey, leave her alone!" I shouted at Ray, releasing some of my own anger over the whole thing.
Looking at me, Ray let her go.
As he regained consciousness, they decided to give him some painkillers.
"Can you save him?" I asked Pheena.
She ignored me.
"CAN YOU SAVE HIM?"
"Mr Abernathy," Mr Oak frowned, "That is my daughter and this is my house, and I would ask you not to raise your voice-"
"HE LOVES YOU!" I shouted at her, gaining her attention, "HE LOVES YOU MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THE WORLD, AND YOU'RE JUST GONNA LET HIM DIE?"
I felt as if I was stuck in two time periods, between now and twenty-five years ago, ago shouting at Pheena and now Katniss shouting at her.
"Get him out of here," Pheena ordered.
A couple of people grabbed me and tried to drag me out, but I was too strong for them.
"No!" I managed to pull myself free from one of them. Another grabbed me.
"No!"
I managed to pull him off too, then the next thing I knew I felt a hard object against the back of my head.
Fortunately I was still conscious for what was happening in the present, as me and Peeta dragged Katniss out of the room kicking and screaming. Luckily she wasn't as strong as I was so no one had to knock her out in order to stop her from bothering the healer. Taking her to one of the bedrooms, we pinned her down on the bed until she stopped fighting. Then she started crying. As we left her there in her pitiful state, we were far enough away so that Peeta told me about the uprising in 8.
"She wants us to run," He told me.
I didn't give him my opinion on that. Probably best to talk about that later. Later the doorbell rang, and our first guess was peacekeepers.
"They can't have him," Katniss said straight away.
"Probably you they're after," I remind her.
"Or you."
"Not my house," I shrugged.
Even so, I said that I would get the door, wanting Katniss away from this as much as possible, but then Pheena, who had joined us to tend to Katniss's wound, said that she would open it. We all ended up going down the stairs to open the door. To my surprise, it wasn't a peacekeeper squad. It was the mayor's daughter, who had come over to offer the morphling belonging to her mother, Maysilee's sister, begging them to take the box before running off.
"Crazy girl," I muttered, wondering why she would want to help Gale. Then again, big handsome guy like that would be popular with the girls, even with the non-seam.
We followed Pheena into the kitchen, where she injected Gale with some of the stuff.
"What is that?" Peeta asked.
"It's called Morphling," Pheena answered, "It's from the capitol."
"I didn't even know Madge knew Gale."
"We used to sell her strawberries," Katniss explained, angrily for some reason.
I wondered if strawberries were all she wanted.
"She must have quite a taste for them," I added.
I then realised why Katniss appeared angry. I started to wonder whether this boy was indeed more than a friend to her.
"She's my friend," Katniss answered.
Now that took me by surprise! I was under the impression that Katniss didn't have any friends! Well, I at least had the one so I guess she could have one as well.
After Gale drifted off everyone calmed down. Prim gave us some stew and bread to eat. I offered to stay over, more for Katniss's sake than Gale, and Peeta did the same, but Pheena ordered us to go home for sleep. I knew there was no point arguing with her. I didn't go to bed, though. Instead I took out a fresh bottle of white liquour, and as I drank it I thought of what Katniss must be going through, and what I went through.
The next thing I knew after being hit with a blunt object, I found myself staring at my ceiling. It took me a moment to remember what had happened. At once I sat up, my head felt like it was swimming. Walking out of my room I staggered down the stairs.
"Haymitch!"
At once seeing me, my Ma came to me.
"Haymitch, how are you feeling?"
"The apothecary," I muttered, "I need to get to the apothecary."
"Raybearta told us. She told us what happened to Mel."
I didn't bother trying to hide my tears.
"I need to get back there! I need to check on him-"
"Stay here first, Haymitch! Raybearta told us you got into a scuffle with some of Mel's friends and one of them had to knock you out to get you out of there."
I checked the back of my head. The bump there was still sore.
"How did I get here?" I asked.
"Raybearta said she dragged you from the apothecary. When she got here the two of us managed to carry you to your room."
"I've got to see him."
"Wait here," Ma said again, "Stay here until you're OK."
"I'm fine," I replied, before staggering a little.
"Haymitch, please!" My ma pleaded, "You can't do anything to help him, and you're not doing yourself any favours by going as you are now!"
I didn't care about myself. I was fine, or mostly fine. I just needed to see him. But seeing that my Ma was not going to let me leave the house until she was sure I was fine, I complied, sitting down in one of the chairs.
"Larie, please let Raybearta know that Haymitch is up. She wanted us to inform her the moment you were awake."
Once my head had stopped swimming, the banging in my head had passed and I proved that I could walk in a straight line was when Ma allowed me to leave the house. It was when I was certainly out of the sight of my ma from the house that Ray walked up to me and slapped me across the face.
"You stupid boy!" She snapped, "Do you really think that girl wasn't doing everything in her power to save that boy? Do you really think you were being helpful shouting at her like that?"
I rubbed my stinging cheek.
"What's it to you what I do? What business is it yours to interfere in my life? You didn't bother to help me at all during the Hunger Games so why do you suddenly care now?"
"I didn't help you because I thought you were a lost cause!"
"So why are you trying to mentor me, now?"
Ray appeared to struggled with an answer.
"And what was with you shouting at Mel's ma like that? When all she was doing was singing to him?"
"You stupid boy! Didn't you realise the meanings behind her words?"
"She- she was just singing a nice song. That's all she was singing."
"Yes. She was singing him a nice song. A nice song about a peaceful, beautiful place where you are loved."
I still didn't get her point.
"Don't you understand?" She snapped, "She thought he was dying! She thought she was singing to him as he died, her song the last moments of comfort to him in this life!"
"But- but he's not going to die!"
"I know that! But she didn't, so I was trying to assure her that her boy would survive!"
It then struck me that the things she said to Mrs Everdeen were a little odd.
"Do you know her?" I asked.
For a moment, Ray displayed a rare display of vulnerability.
"After the rebellion," She said, "I grew up in the home. I don't think I need to tell you what a dreary, horrible place that is. Sometimes, I still remember being up at night, the hopelessness I felt, wanting nothing more to cry. And that was usually when the covey children played their instruments and sang their songs, even when they weren't supposed to, when we were supposed to be fast asleep at that point. They were orphans like us, yet somehow they retained their spirits, and were able to lift the rest of ours. I don't think I would have gotten through that dark time if they didn't keep the light going. What makes you think I know her?"
"Well then how else would you know how strong Mel is?" I asked.
Her comment struck me as strange. I was unaware that she knew Mel. She shrugged.
"What else was I supposed to tell her?"
That was true, I guessed. I then thought of something else.
"Oh, do you know who knocked me out in the apothecary?"
My first guess was Breese Hawthorne, Mel's biggest friend as well as fan who followed him like a lost puppy.
"Oh that was me."
"What?"
I don't know why I was surprised.
"Well it seemed like the only way to get you out of there. It's worst for me, losing a good bottle of white liquor!"
