Thanks to everyone that reviewed! As promised, here is another update! Get ready to be shocked...big revelation in this chapter.
Chapter 19
I walk further into the woods towards the little house by the lake. I need to talk to Gale and it needs be somewhere more private, especially after the incident with the kiss. I'm still not sure how Snow found out about that. As I travel, I leave little gifts on the fallen snow to guide Gale to me, if he will even show up. I haven't seen him since my arrival back to District 12. He's probably still trying to wrap his head around my engagement. I know he cannot be thrilled with the fact that I'd go this far to fake my relationship with Peeta. He also doesn't know about President Snow and the threats he made about his life.
After a couple of hours, I reach our meeting place. I go inside and start a small fire to warm myself. I sit down on the damp ground and hold my hands close to the fire. It reminds me of the nickname that Caesar gave me. I was the Girl on Fire. It seems to have stuck as I heard it throughout the Victory Tour.
Much to my surprise, I see Gale enter through the stone frame, throwing a dead turkey onto a small pile of snow in the corner. He lets the gifts fall to a pile in front of me.
"Those are for you. You can keep them." I say.
"I don't want them." he says bitterly.
"I got them for you…during the Tour. I was going to give them to you sooner but…" I trail off. I look up to see his anger is replaced with hurt.
"Why'd you do it Katniss?" he asked quietly.
"Snow saw us kiss…somehow. It was the only way to protect you." I say as calmly as I can.
"But you can't…you won't. Katniss you won't go through with it, will you?" he chokes out.
"I don't know." I tell him. It's the truth. I have no idea what to do about my current predicament.
"Since when were you one to give up so easily? You can fix this. You're a fighter. You've never let anyone control you and you sure as hell better not let someone start now." he says with fervor.
"It's not that simple Gale." I say, standing to meet him. "You don't know the whole story."
"So tell me." he said sitting down near the fire. I join him and tell him everything, about the Games, about Snow, about the Tour and the news report I saw. He listens the whole time, not once interrupting me.
"Sounds you really messed up the balance." he said with a smirk.
"It's not funny Gale; this is serious stuff."
"I should have known you'd give them hell."
"That was never my intention."
"So what do you next?" he asks.
"I have a plan. It's not a very good one but it's the only thing I could think of." I admit as I fidget with my gloves.
"Let's hear it." he said with anticipation.
"We run away." I say as seriously as I can while I look into his eyes.
"What?" he says in shock.
"Forget it." I say standing up to leave. I feel embarrassed that that is the best I could come up with. He was probably expecting something so much better than that. Gale springs from the floor and stops me before I can reach the door. He braces my shoulders, preventing me for leaving. I'm having a difficult time reading him right now.
"You want to make a run for it?" he asks.
"Yes, I was remembering that day of the Reaping, when you said we could live in the woods and I realized that it might be the only safe way for me to continue. And I think we could do it…survive in the woods. I think we both could make it."
"We?" he said with an eyebrow raised.
"You said you wanted to come with me. If you don't I under—" I am cut off mid-sentence as Gale lifts me and spins with me in his arms. He lowers me to the ground and he is smiling.
"Yes, of course I'll go." he says pulling me closer to him. "We can leave tonight and never look back!" I am surprised by Gale's enthusiasm. I have never seen him this excited before.
"We'd have to bring our families too. They wouldn't be safe if we fled."
"Of course we'd take them." he says as if it were a given. "We'll make it work Katniss. I know it might be difficult but we can do this. All those years of hunting and gathering have prepared us for this. I know we can make it work." he says as he presses his forehead to mine. I feel his arms pull me closer so there is no space between our bodies. We are silent in the moment, taking each other in. I'm so happy that he's no longer mad at me or trying to avoid me. He's even agreed to go along with my crazy plan.
"Katniss, there's something I need to tell you…something I tried to tell you after the Reaping but couldn't finish." he whispers.
"Then say it now." I whisper back. He takes a few deep breaths before the words escape his lips.
"I love you."
"I love you too." I say very casually. He pulls away slightly so his face is right in front of mine.
"No Katniss, I'm in love with you." he says. I stand there with my mouth hanging open as he makes his confession. I'm not sure why I'm so shocked. He had kissed me once before. I guess I though he did it out of curiosity, not desire.
"Katniss say something." he murmurs.
"I don't know what to say." I tell him. The last thing I want is to hurt my best friend. I also know I cannot lie to him either.
"Do you love me?" he asks. My silence says it all. He knows I don't feel the same. He pulls away, grabbing his things from the ground.
"Gale, wait." I say grabbing onto his sleeve. I block the doorway and grab the fabric of his coat. "Gale, you know what you mean to me." As hard as his tries, his eyes cannot hide his disappointment.
"That day by the tree, when I kissed you…you didn't pull away. I just thought maybe, just maybe, just might have felt the same."
"I also didn't kiss you back." I mutter as I look at the ground.
"I think I could be good for you, Katniss. I could take care of you, I know I could." he says caressing my cheek. I turn away from him and walk to the window, leaning my arms on the sill. I'm not sure what to tell him. Should I let him know that the boy that he has been vying with for my affection is back in District 12? I know he'll find out eventually. It's a small District. He's bound to run into him sooner or later.
"Merrick's back." I say. I hear his belongings drop to the floor. His footsteps grow nearer and I turn my body slightly so I can gauge his reaction. He leans against the wall. I expected some big explosion from him; a wild tangent filled with angry words. Instead, he stands there collecting himself.
"It always comes back to him, doesn't it?" he asks. I nod. "How long is here for this time?"
"A long time." I say. I can tell he doesn't like my answer.
"And how does he feel about your engagement?" he asks with a smirk.
"You already know the answer to that." I say.
"Ok, maybe I just wanted to hear you say it. Is he's ok with it? With the whole façade?" He was now smiling. I couldn't help but think that Gale was actually enjoying himself right now.
"Wipe that grin off your face." I say rolling my eyes.
"It will be interesting to see what happens." he tells me.
"What do you mean?" I ask confused.
"You pretending to be in love with Peeta Mellark. I just hope he isn't the jealous type."
"He knows how I feel about him." I refute.
"Yeah but it's a different story when you see the person you like with another person. I've seen the way you are with Peeta in public, when people are watching. He's not going to like that."
"It's not like I want to do it. People are watching…Peacekeepers are watching."
"I know." he says. We are quite for a while. I see that Gale is thinking about something. I wait until he's ready to speak. "That plan of yours…to escape to the woods. Are you really going leave now that he is back?"
"I was going to ask him to come with us." I tell him. I can tell he doesn't like it.
"No, Katniss. Absolutely not!" he says. His anger returns.
"Why not?" I ask.
"It's going to be hard enough as it is without having to worry about another mouth to feed."
"You just don't want him to come." I spit back.
"No." he says, denying my claim.
"Yes you are. You're jealous. You're jealous that he got to me before you could." I shout. A stern look appears on his face.
"He is a Peacekeeper's son. You think if he comes with us that his father won't go straight to Capitol to tell him what happened. They'd search for us Katniss."
"And they won't search for us regardless? I'm 'important' now." I say using air quotes.
"If you ask him to go with us, I'm staying here."
"That's not fair!"
"I'll give you some time to think about it. I have deliveries to make." he says grabbing his things and exiting the house. I don't try to go after him. There is nothing I can say to make the situation better right now. His anger will not let him see reason. He's too stubborn for that. I'll wait until he is calm to try to repair the damage that was done in this small cabin.
I sit down by the fire, trying to suppress my own anger at him. Why did he have to confess his love for me? He knows we are just friends. He knows how much we rely on each other. I never gave him the slightest hint that my feelings from him could be something more.
I know that my plan is no longer viable. Either way I'd have to leave someone I care for behind. I take a deep breath to calm myself. I'll have to think of another plan…later. I stand up and stomp out the small fire that remains with my boot and then throw snow on the glowing embers. I gather my things and make my way back to the District. I move slowly, not wanting to run into Gale on the way back. It takes me an extra half hour to get back. I hide my bow and quiver and slide under the hole in the fence.
When I reach town, I see Merrick exiting one of the shops. When I catch his eye, he smiles and walks up to me. He grabs me by the hand and leads me to a small, secluded alleyway. He turns to face me and presses his lips to mine. As he kisses me, I know I could never leave him behind. My mind is made up. I will not escape to the woods. I will remain here with him.
"Thanks, I needed that." I say with a smile as I gaze into his eyes.
"Something wrong?" he asks.
"No, not anymore."
"Come on, I'll walk you home." he says taking my hand. I let him hold it while we are in the alleyway but release it as soon as reach the road. I cannot have anyone thinking that there is something going on with him. In the public eye, I belong to someone else. We make our way to the square where a large crowd is assembled. Their whispering and gasps are a backdrop to the large cracking noise that sounds out every couple of seconds.
"What's that?" I ask, unfamiliar with the sound. Merrick leads me to a wall where some large crates are stacked. He climbs one to see what all the commotion is about. I start to climb but he jumps down and pulls me off the top of the crate before I can see anything.
"Get out of here." he says with insistence as he pushes me in the direction of Victor's Village. Fear is written on his face.
"What is it?" I ask, dodging past him for the crate. I need to see it.
"Katniss, go home!" he says, nudging me in the direction of my house. He then disappears into the crowd, pushing his way through. I follow him, wondering what he could possibly be doing. I hear warnings from the people in the crowd, telling me to stay away, that I'll only make it worse. I'm not sure what they mean by that. It only compels me to travel faster to the center to see what is waiting there for me.
I reach a break in the crowd and am horrified by what I see. I see Gale bound to a wooden post, slumped over and shirtless. Blood is trickling down his back and low moans escape him. There is a tall man, dressed in a gray uniform jacket holding onto a whip. I cannot see his face but I know it isn't Cray; it's someone new. A new Head Peacekeeper. My brain struggles to connect why this is happening. I look further up the post and see the turkey Gale had been carrying when he met me in the cabin. He was caught. Now this was his punishment. I jump when I feel someone grab a hold of me.
"Katniss, I told you to get out here!" Merrick pleads.
"Gale—" I choke out, unable think of anything else at the moment.
"I'm going to take care of this." he says before walking closer to the pair in the middle.
"No!" I plead as I follow him.
"Stop!" he shouts. The man continues to crack the whip onto Gale's mutilated flesh.
"Merrick!" I shout. I don't want him to get in trouble. I don't want him to be next. At the sound of his name, the man turns around, his brow furrowed.
"Go home Merrick." I hear the man say in a calm tone. What is he doing? Why is he talking to Merrick as if he knows him? The man turns to face Gale and cracks the whip again.
"Father, stop! He's had enough!" Merrick shouts as steps on the end of the whip. I feel a cry rise in the back of my throat as I make the connections. Merrick showing up in District 12, telling me he will be here for a long time. Him telling me that his father got a promotion. He failed to mention what that promotion was.
"I think I can determine when enough is enough." he says pulling the whip free from Merrick's foot. "Now leave."
"No, not until you stop." Merrick says. His father walks closer to him and mutters quiet words to him. While this exchange is occurring, I find the person closest to me to get answers.
"Who's that man?"
"Romulus Thread. New Head Peacekeeper. Very strict, follows rules by the book." a woman said.
"What about Cray?" I ask, still not understanding why there was a change in administration.
"Capitol found out he was being too lax, letting too many illegal practices slip by. They brought in someone new. Some who they thought could do the job better."
I look back and see Merrick take a step back. Two Peacekeepers appear behind him and escort him away from the square. Romulus Thread raises his whip again. I then do something very irrational. I run as fast as I can, covering Gale's body with my own. I feel the whip pound into my back. The pain is intense, even with my clothing and heavy coat to soften the blow. The end on the whip grazes my cheek, and a flash of white blinds my vision. I place my hand to my face and find my hand covered with blood.
I grip onto Gale tightly, not letting him take another beating to his back. It's bad enough as it is. I hear Thread crack the whip in the air and he laughs, teasing me. I then feel it again on my back and press my lips together to hold back from shouting.
"Hold it!" a voice presses. I look up and see Haymitch staggering towards us. He pulls me off of Gale and inspects my face.
"You did this?" Haymitch grunts at Thread.
"She got in the way of my whip." he says without apology.
"She's got a photo shoot for the Capitol next week modeling wedding dresses. What am I suppose to do about this?" he asks pointing to my cheek.
"Maybe she should think about her actions. I am just delivering punishment to this criminal." Haymitch then goes on a tangent telling the man how ridiculous he's being and that he will be calling the Capitol to complain. The man asks what motive I have for protecting him. Haymitch gives him a clever lie, telling him that Gale is my cousin. He seems to believe it. More words are exchanged with someone from the crowd explaining something to the New Peacekeeper. I'm not really sure what they are saying. I am kneeling on the ground in front Gale, trying to rouse him. I gently tap his face but it's not enough. Thread comes over to me and tells me that next time, there will be no second chance. He then leaves, taking the Peacekeepers with him. Haymitch pulls me off the ground.
"Go to your mother. Let her know what's happened. We'll bring him over." he says. I nod and then go, running back towards Victor's Village. I fall as I collide with someone that gets in my way. It's Merrick.
"Katniss!" he says with worry when he sees my cheek.
"I have to go." I say, continuing on my way.
"Katniss, wait." he says catching up to me.
"Merrick now is not a good time. I have to go to my mother so she can help Gale." I say, brushing him off. I'm not too happy with him right now. How could he leave out part of the reason he was in District 12?
"Is he going to be ok?"
"I don't know." I snap at him. "Why didn't you tell me your father was the new Head Peacekeeper?"
"I didn't think that mattered."
"Merrick, you know we hunt and trade with the officials in District 12. Gale went to your house thinking Cray would answer. You father just about killed him…and he might…I need to go." I say running away as tears pour down my face. I reach my house and burst through the door, shouting for my mother. She hurries into the hallway.
"Katniss, what's wrong?" she asks calmly.
"It's Gale. The new Head Peacekeeper whipped him for poaching. They're bringing him here…Haymitch and the others. We need to get things ready."
She leads me into the kitchen and leaves for a moment, returning with some blankets in her hand. She instructs me to clear off the kitchen table and lay the blankets on top of it. I do as she says. I hear a tap on the door and quickly go to answer it. Haymitch, Peeta, and two other guys are carrying Gale on a plank of wood. I show them to the kitchen. They lay the plank on the kitchen table and then remove it from underneath Gale. I rush to Gale's side, sitting down by his head. I stroke his hair while gently saying his name. I feel so bad that this happened to him. I feel bad that our last conversation consisted of us fighting. I hope he makes it. That cannot be the last conversation I have with him.
My mother comes to the table with a bowl of warm water, which has a satchel of soothing herbs floating in it. She dips a cloth into the basin and squeezes the excess water before gently patting his back. The cloth takes on a reddish color as she cleans his ravaged flesh. It's too painful to look at. Instead I look at his face, which is vacant of any expression. Maybe it's better that he isn't conscious for this.
"Stay with me Gale." I whisper. I feel a hand on my shoulder and turn to find Peeta.
"Here put this on your cheek." he says handing me a handkerchief filled with snow. I place it on my cheek and feel the coldness numb my face.
"What happened?" he asked sitting next to me. I tell him as much as I know. There are still gaps in the story that I don't know yet. I know the gist though. There is another knock on the door. I look to Peeta.
"I'll get it. You stay with him." he says. A few seconds later, Hazelle Hawthorne enters the kitchen, scurrying to my side.
"I'm sorry." I cry as she takes me in her arms. "How did you find out?"
"Someone who saw it came to get me. Told me to leave the children. How is he?"
"I don't know. Mom?" I ask looking up to her.
"Too soon to say. We'll have to wait until tomorrow." she says as she continues to clean the blood from his wound. She then applies a salve she made and a light linen bandage. As soon as she finishes, I heard a faint moan muttered from Gale's lips. He's waking. I move away from him to my mother who is digging through her medicine chest.
"Mom he needs something. The pain will be too much."
"I know Katniss." she says in an even tone. She pulls out a syringe and a small vial of pain medicine. She fills the syringes with a tiny bit of the green liquid.
"That's not enough. He needs more than that."
"Katniss, we have to save as much as we can. You know our supply is dwindling down."
"But it won't help him. It won't be enough for the pain. Mom, it's Gale!" I say exasperated. She doesn't seem to care though. She walks over to administer the shot. "No, he needs more!" I shout, grabbing her arm. I'm immediately restrained my Haymitch and Peeta. A groan comes from Gale.
"He'll be able to handle it." she tells me.
"How do you know that! You don't know what it's like getting whipped. He needs it!" I say thrashing around, trying to break free. My foot hits my mother's arm, causing her to almost drop the syringe.
"That's it, get her out of here!" she urges.
"Gale!" I shout. He lets out another groan and reaches for me, reopening his wounds. I'm carried out of the room into the living room where I'm dumped onto the couch. Haymitch holds me down.
"Listen, sweetheart. It's going to be a lot easier if you don't put up a fight. She knows what she's doing. She's done this many times before Cray came to power. She'll fix him." he tells me. My mother enters the living room and treats my wound, cleaning it and rubbing the same salve over it that she used on Gale.
"You need to trust me." she tells me. I nod my head.
Suddenly, we hear a knock on the door. All of our heads immediately turn towards it.
"Maybe they've come back for him." Haymitch says with a cynical laugh.
"Well they can't have him. I won't let them take him." I say with determination.
"Or maybe they it's you they want. It is your house."
"I'll go, if it will keep him safe." I say. I take a deep breath then walk to the door. I expect Peacekeepers but instead see Madge Undersee standing in the middle of a blizzard.
"Use these on him. My mother gave them to me. She wants to help." she says handing me a box. I open the box to find a set of 8 vials of clear liquid. Before I even have time to open my mouth to thank her, she is gone. My mother enters the hall and closes the door that is wide open. she then stands beside me.
"What did she bring?" she asks and she lightly touches my lower back. I clutch onto the box and squeeze my eyes shut as searing pain courses through my back. Now that the adrenaline is wearing out, the pain from the whipping is returning. I crouch down, setting the box on the ground as I moan in pain.
"Katniss what is it?"
"Thread, he whipped me twice with my coat on. I was trying to protect him." I say.
"We need to get you upstairs to your bed." she says.
"No, first Gale." I say handing her the box. I manage to straighten up and hobble into the kitchen. When we enter, I can hear his shouts permeate the air. My mother quickly fills the syringe and sticks it into his arm.
"What is that?" I ask.
"It's morphling…a drug from the Capitol." she explains. "Come on, let's tend to you now."
"No, I want to stay here. Just until he's asleep." I say. Hazelle leaves his side to talk to my mother in private. I take her seat, laying my head next to his, so close that our foreheads and noses are touching. He eyes stare at mine through the drug-filled haze.
"You'll be ok now. You won't feel a thing." I whisper to him. I see the worry in his eyes as his finger sweeps the skin under my wound.
"Catnip." he whispers.
"I'm fine." I whisper back. The truth is I'm not fine really. The position I'm seated in, with my back twisted only intensifies my pain. It's worth it though, to let him know I'm right here with him.
"You're hurt." he says.
"I'm fine." I reassure him. Then I do something I never expected I would do. I move my lips closer to his for a kiss. I feel his lips quiver for a few seconds. He can't hold on for too long though. The drugs are coursing though his system. When I pull away, I see him lying there, eyes closed, in a deep sleep. A kiss his forehead and stand up, gasping as I do. Peeta enters the room and lifts me off the ground, carrying me upstairs. He takes me to my room where my mother is waiting. Once Peeta leaves the room, my mother strips the clothes off my upper body.
"How bad is it?" I inquire, wincing as she touches my skin.
"No broken skin but you're bruised pretty badly. There is warm water in the tub waiting for you. Soak for 20 minutes and then straight to bed." she tells me. She leaves the room to go look after Gale, leaving me alone. I walk into my bathroom and turn so my back is facing the mirror. I look over my shoulder and find a rainbow of colors on my back, ranging from a yellowish tone, to a vibrant blue to a deep purple. I wonder how long it will take for the colors to fade. I slowly make my way into the tub, positioning myself so that my back doesn't hit the wall of the tub. I close my eyes and think about what happened today. I wonder what Merrick is doing right now. I wonder if he got in trouble for trying to stop his father. I don't know how I feel about him right now. The fact that he could be related to someone so evil is beyond me right now. I don't know what this will mean for us and our future, especially if Gale doesn't make it through this. Maybe Gale was right. Maybe we were never supposed to be together. We come from such different worlds.
Once the water is tepid, I remove myself from the tub. I drain the water and return to my room, dressing myself for bed. I turn out the light and lay on my stomach, gazing into the darkness, trying to think about what the future holds. Hoping that Gale is safe, that he'll recover. Hoping that Merrick will remain the same sweet boy he's always been. Hoping his father won't influence him or change him. These thoughts course through my brain until my eyelids become heavy and I fall into sleep.
Merrick is Thread's son! Didn't see that coming, did you? I had planned from the beginning for this turn of events to happen. Let me know what you thought about it. Also, what do you think this means for Merrick/Katniss? Let me know in the reviews.