Let Me Fly
by FanficAllergy & RoseFyre

oOo

Chapter Two: Carry On My Wayward Son

oOo

Last Time in Let Me Fly:

"Gale, what's wrong?" My mother asks.

He leans heavily against the doorframe. "Posy. My mom." He draws a ragged breath. "They're dead."

oOo

Placing my knife on the counter carefully, I wipe my hands on a towel. Then, I walk over to Gale and put my arms around him. His body gives a little lurch and he clings to me, shaking in grief.

I suppress my own grief at Hazelle and Posy's deaths to focus on my best friend. "I'm so sorry," I say. What else am I supposed to say? I know what it's like to lose a parent but I can't imagine what Gale's feeling at this moment. I replay his words in my mind and notice two notable absences. "What about Rory and Vick?" I ask against his chest.

"Sick," he answers, then shudders. "Why, Katniss? Why? Posy didn't do anything wrong. She never did anything wrong. What did she do to deserve this? What did I do?" He draws a shaky breath. "I tried everything. Hot compresses. Teas. Everything! Nothing worked! I couldn't do anything to save her. She just died in my arms." He breaks down into huge, wracking sobs, unable to speak any further.

This is the most emotional I've ever seen Gale and I'm embarrassed on his behalf. Unsure what I'm supposed to do, I awkwardly pat his back.

Thankfully, my mother steps in and takes charge. "Katniss, you stay here with Gale. I'll head over to the Hawthornes'. Prim, finish cooking the turkey, then join me."

Gale looks up, his face red with tears. "Please. Don't tell anyone my mom's dead. We can't go to the community home. We can't!"

My mother looks torn. It's against the law to hide a dead body, but she understands why Gale's asking this of her. Gale is already eighteen and if they go to the community home, the kids don't really stand a chance. All community home kids are required to take out tesserae and even during a good year several die from starvation or disease. I can't imagine how bad the conditions are now that there's a plague going on. "Alright," she finally says.

My mother leaves and I lead Gale into the bedroom to give us some privacy.

"I'm so sorry," I say. "I - I don't know what to say, I'm just so sorry."

"It's not your fault," he says automatically. "You were sick too. You couldn't have known. I just - I did everything I could, and they just died." He starts to sob again, this time it's quieter, less broken. I awkwardly pat his back and he throws his arms around me and holds me like I'm a lifeline.

I let him. Thankful that, for now, my own family is safe.

oOo

Misfortune strikes Gale again two days later when his youngest brother, Vick, dies. The boy never stood a chance. Like so many of the flu's victims, he had a seizure and died only minutes later. As with Hazelle and Posy, we don't report his death. Instead, we place his body into the empty root cellar of one of the abandoned houses in the Seam alongside his mother and sister. We don't want to keep the bodies at the Hawthornes' in case someone stops by, and there are several empty houses in Twelve because whole families have died in this outbreak.

On a more positive note, Rory's fever breaks and he starts asking for food, signaling that he's starting to get better. It's a small but welcome victory.

The day after Vick's death, I'm sitting with Gale in his house. The place feels so empty and sad now that three of its inhabitants have died.

Gale must feel it too because he says, "I can't stay here, Catnip."

I nod. "Do you want to move in with us? There's not really room, but we can figure out a way to make it work."

He smiles at me weakly. "That's not what I meant, but thank you."

My eyes narrow. "So what did you mean?"

"I meant I can't stay here. In District Twelve. Not anymore. If Mom and Posy were here, maybe. But I've got forty-two slips in the bowl and Rory took out tesserae right before he got sick. With so many people dying like flies, I'm sure to get called. What'll happen to Rory then? I can't let him be taken to the community home, I can't. Kids die there all the time and it's worse now that everyone's sick."

I agree with him. It's why I hid my mother's condition after my father died. "So what do you plan on doing?" I ask.

"When Rory's regained his strength, we're going to leave. Under the fence, into the wild."

"Where will you go?"

"Somewhere. Anywhere. Just not here."

"Why are you telling me this?" I'm confused. If I were planning on leaving, I wouldn't tell anyone. It wouldn't be safe.

Gale reaches over and grasps my hand. "Because I want you to come with me."

I gasp.

"Think about it, Catnip. We could do it. We're both strong hunters and trappers and we know these woods. We could find a home and make it out there," he tells me in a rush.

I make a face but hold up one hand for him to stop. I do think about his offer. Gale's made a good point. With so many teens dying, the chances of being Reaped have increased. Even with so many people taking out tesserae, it's not going to matter. I have twenty slips in that bowl, Gale's got forty-two, and what would happen to our families if we died?

That brings up another point. "What about my mother and Prim? I can't just leave them here."

"So bring them with you. I'm bringing Rory. Between the two of us, we can feed five people."

He's right, we can. We have been for several years. Still, I'm not ready to commit to something so life shaking. "I need to think about it," I tell him.

He lets out a relieved breath, I can tell he was expecting me to say no. "That's fair," he says. "Just don't take too long. I'm not planning on being here when Reaping Day comes around."

oOo

I spend the next day thinking about it, avoiding Gale and spending as much time as I can out in the woods.

Gale's right, I think again as I shoot another squirrel through the eye, we probably could feed both of our families. It's what we've been doing for the last few years and without the distractions of school or other things we could devote ourselves to hunting and gathering. But where would we go? That's the big question. The Capitol keeps us in the dark about the locations of the other districts. All I know is that the former District Thirteen is up north someplace. That might be a place to start.

I think about the two people we saw captured in the woods last year. They were heading someplace north but they still managed to get caught. We're going to have to be careful wherever we go to not attract the Capitol's attention.

And that's when I realize it. I've made up my mind. Even though it's dangerous and unknown, staying here in Twelve isn't an option any more. Prim's had to take out tesserae and people are still dying from the flu.

It's time to leave. The question is how and where.

I gather my kills and head back into town and to Gale's house.

When he opens the door a few seconds after I knock, he says, "Well?"

"I'm in," I say in a low tone so that I won't be overheard.

"Good." He motions for me to come inside.

I do. "So now what?"

"Now we get ready."

"I need to talk to my mom about this."

He makes a face but nods. "What about Prim?" he asks. "Are you going to tell her?"

I shake my head. "No. She'll want to say goodbye to her friends and we can't risk that."

"Same thing for Rory."

I fix him with a half smile. "You realize we're going to have to take the damned cat with us."

"I know," Gale answers with a sigh. "Don't remind me."

oOo

Gale and I head back to my house to find Prim and my mother cooking dinner.

Prim brings two bowls over for Gale to take back home, but he stops her. "I think Rory would appreciate seeing someone other than me. You think you can bring dinner over and sit with him for a few hours?"

Prim brightens. "Of course!" She quickly packs up the food, puts on her coat and heads out.

As soon as Prim leaves, my mother turns to us with a small smile on her face and says, "That was a neat job of getting her out of the house. Is there something you want to tell me?"

"Actually, yes," I tell her.

"I see." She removes the pot from the stove. "Should I be seated for this?"

"That'd probably be for the best."

She sits nervously at the table and Gale and I sit across from her. "Okay, I'm sitting. What's this all about?"

"Mom," I pause and look at Gale. "Gale and I have been talking, and...we're leaving."

"What?"

"We're leaving Twelve. It's not safe here." He proceeds to outline everything we'd discussed, from our increased risk of being Reaped to our ability to survive in the woods. As Gale talks, I see my mother's face go from concerned to thoughtful. Good, she's actually listening.

When Gale's finished, my mother says, "That wasn't what I was expecting. And now I wish that you'd told me something less shocking, like you were pregnant and Gale's the father."

I blink and shake my head. "I'm not sure if I should apologize or not."

"Don't. Have you really thought this through?" She fixes Gale and me with a stern look.

"I think so. What do you mean?"

"Where are we going to go?" Gale and I start to outline our plan but she stops us. "How will we avoid being found? We're going to need fire. The hovercraft that patrol the area will see the smoke."

Gale and I share a glance. "Um, I'm not sure? It's something we hadn't really thought of."

"I thought so." My mother gets up and says, "Think about it for a moment. I'll get dinner. We're not done."

As we eat dinner, my mother brings up several points we hadn't considered. I'm a little impressed that she's put this much thought into leaving District Twelve and she says, "Solomon and I discussed it when we first got married, but before we could actually go, I discovered I was pregnant with you." She motions to me with her spoon. " Making the trip wasn't something we could do with either a pregnancy or a young child. We planned on leaving when you girls got old enough, but then that mine accident happened and your father died and that was that."

"So...where were you planning on going to?" Gale asks, his eyes intent.

"Solomon heard from his father that the reason we have to dig so deep is because there are several seams of coal on fire up north and there's nothing the Capitol can do to put them out. He figured, if we were near enough to one of these mine fires, our fire wouldn't be noticed."

"But what about the fumes?" Gale wants to know.

My mother smiles. "There are coal seams are all over these mountains and lots of them are on fire from even before the Cataclysm. There's no telling where one seam ends and the next begins. Our fire could be just another bit of smoke coming to the surface finally. We just need to keep it burning."

"So," Gale asks, "are you in?"

"I am. I've been in since before you were born." My mother turns to look at me. "We were planning on leaving a few days after your twelfth birthday the second time."

"Why then?" I wonder.

"Because we wanted to get the tesserae portions to make traveling food."

"Oh."

She smiles sadly and turns back to Gale. "So when were you thinking of leaving?"

"Well, we planned on going as soon as possible," he tells her.

My mother shakes her head. "I suggest we wait until Katniss and Prim get their tesserae portions. Why don't we plan on leaving on April 15th?"

That'll give us twenty days to prepare and get the stuff we need without arousing suspicion. And having more food for the trip is not a bad plan. Gale and I both nod.

"You know," my mother says, "Prim is not going to leave without her cat."

Gale and I both sigh. "We know."

oOo

We spend the next several days planning and gathering supplies. My mother makes the suggestion that we replace most of our clothing with garments that are in better condition and oversized so that Rory and Prim have something to grow into.

My mother agrees with our decision to keep the news of our imminent departure from Rory and Prim. They wouldn't be able to keep their mouths shut and both would want to say goodbye to their friends, which would give us away. This causes some problems because we have to keep our preparations even more of a secret.

Each of us has our role to play. My mother automatically takes responsibility for acquiring medical and gardening supplies as our head healer but surprisingly takes an interest in logistics as well, even raiding the school library for some romance novel anthology that she'd read as a teenager which took place during prehistoric times. I'm not sure how useful it will be, but if nothing else we can use the pages for kindling. Gale is relegated to getting some of our more difficult tool needs. As an eighteen year old, it's understood that, if he survives his last Reaping, he'll be moving into a house of his own and might have need of construction supplies. And it's known he has five family members to take care of including women, so he can get items for both sexes where it'd be odd if I did so. As for me, my job is to get enough food and money from trade so that we can get the supplies we need.

At my mother's suggestion, we also increase how much we eat each day so that we can put on a little weight and build up our strength. There's no need to try to stretch food out because whatever we can't carry, we have to leave behind, which is something I'm unwilling to do. These extra rations almost tip our hand because while Rory will happily eat whatever's put in front of him, Prim is used to not having enough so she notices the surplus and comments on it. Gale and I have to spin some story about bagging a deer and selling it to the butcher whole for a hefty sum. It works, but mostly because my sister is trusting rather than because the story is believable.

Because of Prim and Rory, Gale and I start to store what non-perishable supplies we can out in the woods. Things like tools and packs and other travelling supplies all go into the same hollow log where I store my bows and arrows and under the overhang by the blackberry bushes.

On one trip back from the woods after we've dropped off several cooking utensils, we spot someone on the inside of the fence moving around. Gale and I immediately drop to the ground and hide under several low bushes.

We can hear the person moving and talking to themselves and the voice is vaguely familiar. I hazard another glance and see a head topped with wavy blonde hair. I duck down again before the person can turn around. But I know him. I know who it is. It's Peeta Mellark. I sat behind him in several classes when school was still in session. No one else has hair like that. I wonder what he's doing so far out of town.

Gale and I are forced to stay hidden for almost an hour. So long that the cold starts to seep into our muscles, making it hard to move when the coast is finally clear. We stand up and stretch our stiff limbs.

As we do so, Gale asks, "What's Mellark doing out here?"

I'm surprised Gale recognized him. He must have gotten a clearer glimpse of Peeta than I did. "I don't know," I answer. "You'd have to ask him."

Gale snorts and I shrug. It's none of my business.

oOo

"I think we need more white liquor," my mother says three days before our scheduled departure.

"So soon?" Prim asks, looking up from where she's playing with Buttercup.

"I've been going through a lot with this flu. That cough syrup is the only thing that seems to be working." She glances at me meaningfully, this isn't for future flu victims, it's a supply that she thinks we're going to need when we leave.

"I'll pick some up when I trade at the Hob today," I say.

My mother nods her thanks. I put on my jacket and head out to meet Gale, who's waiting for me by the hollow log. We've started storing what clothes we have out in the woods as well, expanding into another hollow tree near the overhang. Gale has canteens and miner lunch pails with him, he must have picked them up this morning. Those will be useful.

The weather's getting nicer even though it's still cold and the animals are starting to come out a bit more, so we end up doing pretty well. At the end of the day, we have two squirrels, two rabbits, and a goose that I am not planning on trading. Gale takes the goose and one of the rabbits to my mother while I take the squirrels and the other rabbit to the Hob.

Remembering my mother's request, I head straight for Ripper's booth, and as I walk up I notice Haymitch Abernathy, our only living Victor, is there ahead of me.

Ripper spots me coming and smiles widely. "What've you got for me today, dearie?"

I take the larger squirrel out of my bag and set it on the counter.

She looks at it smiling even wider. "Same deal as last time?"

I shake my head. "Three."

The smile fades slightly but she still says, "Done!" without even attempting to haggle.

I should've asked for more.

Haymitch looks at me, his eyes taking in my appearance. They linger on the mockingjay brooch pinned to my shirt that's now exposed by the strap of my hunting bag. "Willing to share some of that bounty?" He waves his hand at me.

I've never traded with the former Victor before so I don't know where to start. "What are you willing to give me?"

"What do you need?" he counters.

I think through all of the things we've gathered. We've been having difficulty finding a hatchet, but I don't know if Haymitch will have one - but he might have something that's valuable enough to trade for one. "I gotta see what you got before I trade you any of my liquor," I say.

He shrugs. "Come with me, sweetheart."

He leads me through town to Victors' Village and we go inside the messiest house I have ever seen. He drops his satchel and I hear a clink as it hits the ground. I look around, taking in the empty liquor bottles, soiled clothes and spoiled food, and notice, half-buried under a pile of rubbish, the familiar shape of an axe. I point to it. "I'll take that."

He follows my finger and makes a face when he realizes what I'm asking for. "That's worth a bit more than a bottle of liquor."

I reach into my bag and pull out the other squirrel. "You can trade this for more."

His eyes light up. "You got yourself a deal, sweetheart." He motions for me to get the axe. "Take good care of that thing. Got it from a friend of mine in District Seven. She ain't gonna take kindly to knowing I traded it away."

I shrug. "Like I would tell."

"Makes me curious, though. What a girl like you plans to do with a weapon like that."

A little dart of fear zings through me. "My father's broke and I need it to chop wood."

He narrows his eyes at me and walks me to the door. "You need to work on your lying, sweetheart. If anyone asks, say you swindled it out of an old drunk. Ain't far from the truth."

I nod my head and make my escape, the axe clutched tightly in my hands.

oOo

We spend the next couple of days making hardtack and other travel foods while Prim and Rory are banished to the Meadow to gather what fresh edible greens are around.

After lunch on the day before we plan to leave, my mother stops Prim and Rory from going out again. The two share a glance and sit back down nervously. "What's wrong, Mom?" Prim asks.

I take a deep breath. "Prim. Rory. There's something we need to tell you."

oOo

AN:
Written: 1/21/15
Revised: 1/22/15

The title of this chapter is from the song of the same name by Kansas. We felt that the lyrics fit what was going on with Gale and this is a very Gale-centric chapter.

Minor points to whoever figures out what book Mrs. Everdeen snagged from the library.

We actually know EVERYTHING that they are taking with them but in order to save you, dear readers, from reading a long list of stuff we just hit the highlights. It also allows us some wiggle room for if we need to add an item later. Let's just say that the smallest list of stuff a character is taking has 31 items on it and the fact that it's in a multipage spreadsheet so that we can keep track of it. We also calculated weight (based off of the D&D Item list and Amazon (Thank you shipping weights)) and caloric value of all of the food they will be taking… Can you we're a little anal? We are.

Additionally, one of us practices herbalism and foraging in real life and has actually done preserving and some of the primitive skills that come up. The other lives in Manhattan and admits that she has no skills in this area so anything wrong is all the other's fault.

As a note, we're going with the same names that FanficAllergy used in her Spectator verse. They aren't the same people, but it's just easier to use those than to try to think up new names. Laziness for the win!

Let us know if you have any questions. We love questions.

We look forward to hearing what you think!