Song Suggestion: Florence and the Machine- Seven Devils

How to Snare a Bird in the Wild

That Same Night

Prim shivered in the cold. She didn't want to return home to her mother. If Cato showed up, he may not spare a life in the collateral damage. Instead, she crawled beyond the electric fence through the section Katniss used to hunt. She traveled to the fishing pond where her father, a man she barely remembered, spent most his time. She hid in the concrete structure without warmth or food, hugging her knees to her chest.

Why did Cato kiss me?

The question plagued her. The memory made her mouth dry as cotton. She wanted to swish out the feeling.

If it was a chase Cato wanted, she wouldn't be easy prey.

However, as morning dawned, she began to see the flaws in her plan. Who's to say staying away from her house protected her mother? Maybe he came to kill her and found her mother instead. Maybe in frustration…

She couldn't finish the thought. It made her violently ill. She lost Katniss; she couldn't lose the only family member left. It would destroy her.

The brambles and thorns of the forest cut up her ankles, and branches made tracks marks in her skin as she raced home, almost stumbling over the boulders and pathways which had become overgrown since Katniss left.

She slipped past the fence, crawling through the snow under the wires, avoiding yawning peacekeepers as she went. They drank out of steaming mugs under the brilliant colors of the morning sky. The air whipped against her cheeks. An eternity in the snow could not dull the ache of cold seeping into bone.

She stumbled her way home, nearly missing a peacekeeper or two—the dangerous ones from the capital, not the ones Gale sold to. When she finally barreled through the flimsy door to her family's meager shack, she found nothing amiss. Her mother was in her usual place before the fire, rocking away with a piece of knitting lying idle in her lap. She breathed a sigh of relief.

The feeling lasted only a moment.

Her trunk of clothes on the opposite side of the bed was pushed open, and it had been dug through. Something grey perched on top of the small number of treasured items she owned.

Prim picked it up and stared at first in confusion and then her stomach dropped low into the pit of her stomach.

Prim clutched a newspaper, the daily one from the capitol.

There, splashed across the front cover, was her. And not only her, but also Cato—the exact moment their lips connected. Someone had taken a picture.

The headline read:

Cinderella from District 12

Sorry girls, the Districts' most eligible bachelor, Cato Carthage, the Lion of District 2, is off the market. Her name is Primrose Everdeen. Some of you may know her as Katniss Everdeen's sister, a tribute from District 12 in the 74th hunger games who volunteered to take her sister's place. Cato famously honored Katniss' sacrifice by volunteering to take care of Primrose until her eighteenth birthday.

So how have the Beauty and the Brute come together? We asked Cato the question. "It just sort of happened. After my first Hunger Games, I was overcome with sorrow for Katniss' little sister. Here was a girl who knew her sister died for her. It just seemed the right thing to do at the time—to take care of her. We kept in contact through the years, and we became friends. Just recently it seems to have become more. At least, on my end."

But is it mutual? The picture seems to speak a thousand words, but Cato has doubts. "I'm not sure she feels the same way. It's weird, you know. I'm used to never knowing fear, but just the thought of her makes my palms sweat."

Cato may have his doubts, but Panem doesn't. The Capitol is already salivating over this hot new couple. Stay tuned, Panem: this relationship may develop into a true Cinderella story.

At the bottom of the page was a handwritten note in black ink which read:

Little birds may learn to escape their cage, but a true hunter can snare them in the wild. Enjoy your last moments in District 12.

CATO

The article made her go cold, especially Cato's commentary. Somehow, and she wasn't sure how yet, Cato did something that was intended to burn her world down. And now that the game had already been set in motion, she could do nothing but wait for his next move.

Later that Morning

Brightness blinded her as she stepped out of her shack in the morning.

"Prim," a voice yelled. "Are you and Cato official?"

"Wha—" She started. About ten people, with cameras poised at the ready, stood outside her house. They didn't wait for her to answer before click click, and her world went blind again. Spots floated in her vision.

They all began speaking at once, flinging questions at lightning speed, snapping photos, and shoving microphones into her face. Prim stood with a dumb expression on her face, still not able to understand what was happening.

The intensity scared her, and she backed up against the wood. Like wolves, they descended.

"Back off!" A male voice yelled at the crowd. Gale soon showed himself and barreled through, pushing people aside with his broad shoulders. Gale opened the door, grabbed Prim by the shoulder, and threw her inside. She stumbled backwards, barley catching herself against the corner off the rough-hewn table. Gale slammed the door behind him, cutting off the screaming reporters and smacked a copy of the newspaper on the table.

"Can you tell me the meaning of this?"

The tone was sharp, and it took a couple seconds of shaking the cobwebs out of her mind before Prim realized he was angry at her. Very angry. Thin lines appeared between his eyebrows, and his body crouched as if he wanted to attack something.

"I didn't—"

"Don't say you didn't do anything. Because this," he pointed at the paper, "is something." He breathed through his nostrils hard a moment and looked at the ceiling as if trying to calm himself down. "How—how could you? This is… disgusting. He killed Katniss. How could you forget that?"

The accusation took her back. How dare he blame her for something she didn't do?

"That cockroach kissed me. It's not like I would ever want—"

"You sure didn't fight it too hard."

"And how would you know?" Prim spat. "You weren't even there like you promised."

The guilt tactics she used were low, but they seemed to be working. Pink spots bloomed on his cheeks, and he glanced at the floor instead of at her.

Prim's heart clenched. He had promised to escort her, but changed his mind at the last minute, sending Rory in his stead. She was afraid to ask where he had been instead. Probably Madge's. Since Katniss's death, the two never strayed far from each other's side. What chance did Prim have? No matter how much time passed, Gale would never see her as anything more than a little girl.

Gale sighed.

"You're right. I'm sorry. I'm not sure why I thought you would ever…" He grimaced again, "But why did he? Why set-up the photo? Something doesn't make sense." He collapsed into the old rocking chair, which squeaked against the wood floor. "He wants something from you. There's an end game. I'm just not sure what it could be."

They fell into a deep silence. One of contemplation.

For some reason, the thought never occurred to her that Cato set up the photo. That took pre-planning and intention. That took a deeper reason than wanting a kiss or causing a scene.

Realization struck like a train, almost knocking her over.

"He doesn't want to kill me. Not yet. He wants to force me to be with him."

The statement came out in a horrified whisper. It seemed so obvious now.

"What?" Gale asked in confusion. "Be with him? I don't think—"

"No, he does. He promised me a house. A house, Gale. And he always reminds me that my life belongs to him. Maybe he's taking that literally, like a slave or something."

The room went quiet.

Gale ran his fingers through his hair, making the ends stand straight into the air. Prim loved his hair, especially when it looked like this. If the situation wasn't so dire, she'd be internally fawning.

"I still don't understand why he'd want to pretend to have a relationship with you. It obviously isn't because he wants you in that way. So what does he want?"

The statement felt like a slap, an undercover insult. Of course, he wouldn't understand why anybody would want to be with her. Prim stood, walking to the fireplace, attempting to cover the fact her eyes watered.

"Maybe Snow is forcing him? There have been talks of rebellion. Maybe they are more serious than the capitol is letting on. Maybe they need another distraction in between the games."

That still sounded far-fetched. But why else would he go through the trouble. Why kiss her? Why convince the capitol? She touched her lips.

Gale noticed her tears.

"Don't cry, Prim." He walked over and placed his hands on her shoulders. She shivered even though she stood next to fire. "We'll think of something. He can't get away with whatever he's planning. The districts won't be so easily fooled."

That angered Prim. She wiggled out of his hold, twisting to face him.

"And what exactly do you plan on doing? Cato's right. He can make me do what he wants. He proved it by this." She pointed to the piece of paper on the table. "Already he turned the capitol to his side. They are 'salivating' over the new it couple—the monster and the poor girl. He'll get what he wants Gale, and when he does, when my purpose is served—whatever that is—I'll be in a grave beside my sister."

Gale paused, and his face went pale. He began to pace, once again running his hands through his hair.

"I'm not going to let him."

"There's not much you can—"

"He's not the only one who made a promise to you."

"No, Gale. Don't—"

"I'm a man of my word. And I'm not about to change now. I promised your sister I'd protect you at all costs." He stopped suddenly and dropped to his knee. "Prim, will you marry me. If you do, he can't continue his lie."

No, not like this. He wasn't supposed to marry her off a promise. It was supposed to be true love. He was supposed to sweep her off her feet, declare his affections for her in a rush of emotion. There wasn't even a ring.

Regardless, true or not, Prim game a small, severe smile, trying to hold in her tears. A little of her dream was better than none.

"Yes."

A Few Days Later

Her mother reached into her old trunk, pulling out an ancient veil made from lace. The years were not kind to it—the edges frayed, and it was mottled with age stains. However, it was the only piece of heritage she owned. It once held value, unlike anything else in their tiny shack.

"This was your father's grandmothers. She wore it on her wedding day and her daughter after that. I did too. And now it's your turn."

Her mother was in a rare mood. She surprised Prim by coming alive when Prim came in and told her about her upcoming wedding to Gale. It was to be held in just a few hours, and she still couldn't believe it.

Gale had wanted to go to the courthouse right away, but Prim wanted to wait a few days. She needed time to absorb everything. She also didn't want it to be rushed. What would be the point? Cato had already left District 12 by the time he proposed. They had a year or years to do the deed.

She wanted her mother there and to wear a wedding dress, even if everything else about it was a farce.

However, even a few days of leeway gave no real time. Only enough time to patch up a hand-me-down dress and pull the wedding veil from storage. She rubbed her fingers against the lace, wondering if the fear in her stomach was normal. She always thought the night before her wedding would be filled with excitement instead of dread.

Someone knocked on the door. Prim shook her head, getting up from her crouched position.

"That must be Gale." Her mother knew nothing about the arrangement. She thought it was true love.

"I expected this one day. I hoped for this." She had told her right before taking out the old wedding chest. "Gale's a good man. He'll treat you right the rest of your life."

Yes, she wanted to scream, he may treat me right. But will he love me? Will be desire me? Or will he detest me for this?

She was brought back to the present by a second knock.

Prim looked back at her mother.

"Go on. The dress and veil will still be here when you get back. Go to Gale. It reminds me of your father. He wanted to see me before our wedding too. " She smiled, and it nearly broke Prim's heart again.

Her mother went and sat back down in her chair, pulling her knitting into her lap. Prim went to the door. She wanted to chide herself on how ridiculous her feelings were. This was just Gale. He held her hand when she was small, used to put her on his shoulders to see things in the distance. But now she was about to marry him, and each step towards the door reminded her of that fact. She wondered why it felt she was walking toward regret.

She opened the door to find nothing.

What?

Prim stepped out into the night, wrapping her arms around her shoulders, warding off the cold from the little protection her blue dress gave her. It was meant for spring, not the howling winds of winter.

"Gale? Are you there?"

Maybe he was by the shed. Sometimes he came by to give Lady a treat or two. She walked towards the shed and only got a couple steps away from her house before the door slammed behind her, dissolving the candlelight. Rolling clouds hid away the moon and stars, leaving only a smattering of light for vision.

But Prim didn't need sight to know who stood in the shadows.

He was supposed to be already long gone after the victory tour, but there he stood.

"Hello, little bird."

She bolted to the right, but he stepped into her path. She twisted in an attempted to run the opposite way, but his arms grabbed around her waist, picking her up into the air. She kicked her legs into empty space, trying to free herself, but he held her flush against his body.

"Planning to marry a fellow slum rat behind my back? How fucking romantic."

Prim almost screamed, but a wet cloth went over her mouth.

She knew what this was—chloroform. She used it on her mother's patients on the few times they were lucky enough to secure it. She couldn't breathe it in. She must not.

The seconds ticked by.

"I can see you aren't stupid. You know what this is, don't you?" He whispered into her ear. The scruff on his cheek prickled her skin. "Stop resisting and breath."

Tempting. Her lungs burned, but she knew if she gave into biological instinct, it would be her last breath as a free woman, maybe her last breath alive.

Cato sighed into her ear.

"Things will be far easier when you learn to cooperate. As it stands-"

The arms around her waist slammed upward, delivering a painful blow to her lungs.

Her breath sputtered out and wheezed back in.

The world vanished into darkness.