I forgot to add a disclaimer on chapter 1, so here it is:
I do not own any part of The Hunger Games series- be it the books, the new movie, or Suzanne Collins herself. I'm just writing fanfics about it to pass the time.
Anyways, I hope you enjoy chapter 2~! It may be short, but I always feel like I've written a lot. Oh, well. I guess this means there will be more chapter updates! Hopefully you guys are happy with this. If you like the story, or hate it, or just don't care, then please rate and review! I can't improve this if you don't tell me what I did wrong! Okay now just sit back and enjoy Chapter 2!
CHAPTER 2
I take a few shaky breaths and slowly stand up. I wonder if Prim even has a chance at the Games. Maybe with an alliance, one could kill the others and Prim could heal their wounds. And because I would mentor her, I could let her know when to cut off all ties with them. So she would just need a good ally for that plan to work. Then my mind flashes to Peeta and Haymitch. Either of them could be reaped, and the other couldn't take their place. Would I want Prim with Haymitch or Peeta? No, I think. I don't want Prim going in the first place. I push the thought out of my head and go back inside. I've been crying for a while now, and Prim has gone to bed. My mother sits on the couch, staring at the television. I can see a replay of this evening's Quell announcement on the big screen. All of a sudden, there's a loud knock on the door. I walk over and open it, to find a disheveled Peeta staring at me helplessly.
We look at each other, unsure of what to say. "What are we going to do?" Peeta breaks the silence.
"I don't know," I reply, and with that, I bury my self into his arms. So strong and hard, I can't help but remember the days we spent in the cave during our past Hunger Games, with Peeta a foot away from death. His arms were like sticks, and yet I felt protected when they enveloped me just as I do now.
"Is anyone going to volunteer for you?" Peeta asks.
"I told Prim not to, but I didn't think my mother had to be told, too." I respond. "Do you think we should talk to Haymitch?"
"I think we should," admits Peeta. We walk out the door and across the yard. The door is already slightly ajar, but we knock before we go in anyway.
"Haymitch?" I call out. I can hear glass shatter in the living room. Peeta and I scurry over, afraid of what we'll find.
"Haymitch!" Peeta yells, and runs over to where our mentor has been throwing his bottles of liquor. I notice they are all empty, with not a hint of alcohol on the carpet. Peeta grabs Haymitch's hand just in time, to stop another wave of glass shards from flying out everywhere. He wrestles it out of Haymitch's hand, and leads him to the couch. Peeta and I sit across from him on two deep red overstuffed chairs. The whole house smells even more of alcohol than usual.
"Are you drunk?" I spit at Haymitch.
"What do you think, sweetheart?" he replies just as nastily.
"Haymitch, what are we going to do?" Peeta asks. He seems just as desperate for a plan as I am.
"Stay alive," Haymitch responds, before he starts cackling. Peeta and I look at each other, both understanding that it will be a while before he will be coherent enough to talk to.
"You go back home. I'll take care of him," instructs Peeta. Again, my mind flashes back to before the Games, when Haymitch was drunk on the tribute train and Peeta offered to clean him. I'm sure that with this Quell going on, I'll have to relive old horrors and experience new ones. I shiver when I think of the nightmares sure to come.
"Sure, he's all yours," I respond, and turn back to go home. I start thinking about my team. When I get in the arena, would I rather have Peeta or Haymitch? Neither, of course. But what choice do I have? Because Peeta has been protecting me ever since our names were called at the reaping, I decide that this time I will be the one protecting him. That is, if he goes in. If Haymitch ends up in the Games with me…. well, what would I do? We're family now, and while he's awful I don't want to kill him. Would we make an alliance and then call it quits if we made it far? Act like we hate each other and kill to get it over with? I don't want a repeat of what happened with Rue, when we were still allies and I couldn't save her. I'm sure Haymitch doesn't want to kill me, either. Not that he could. While he may have won the last Quarter Quell, his drinking hasn't exactly made him a top athlete. If we were to become allies, Haymitch might just slow me down.
And suddenly I hate myself for thinking this, hate the Capitol for making me think like this. Why are they doing this to us? Is it punishment to get back at making a fool of their Games? Do both Peeta and I have to suffer, as well as the rest of the victors and their families, because two tributes won instead of one? Times like these make me wish the Capitol was destroyed, and all of its gluttonous, freaky citizens along with it. Why does my life have to be torn apart for their entertainment? Are their endless dinner buffets and plastic surgeries not enough?
I'm fuming over this when I slam open my door. Inside I see Gale and my mother whispering to each other.
"Gale!" I say, ignoring their strange method of conversing for now. I dash over and am inside his arms in an instant. I remember hiding in Peeta's arms just a few moments earlier, and feel uneasy. Gale and Peeta should not be thought about at the same time.
"I'm sorry, Katniss," says Gale. "You shouldn't have to go back in. Which is why your mother and I think Prim should."
"What?" I hiss. I back out of Gale's arms. Why is he saying this? He of all people should know Prim can't survive in the Games!
"Katniss, the Games aren't for a few months. She can train with Peeta and Haymitch, and they can make an alliance. One of them will kill, and she'll heal. Besides, you can't go back in. We've all seen how your first Games changed you, and I will not let that happen again," Gale explains.
"You're crazy!" I shout. I look to my mom for help. "And you told Prim yourself that she couldn't go in for me!"
"I said that to calm you both down. And when I hear Gale's reasoning, I agree with him. This is the way I think will hurt you both the least." My mother starts tearing up. This forces me to consider their opinions. Yes, if Prim trains, she would have the same chances as I do, maybe more. After all, having such a pretty face will get her more sponsors than my fire did, and with Haymitch or Peeta protecting her from the beginning would be better than my situation. But I remember that neither of them even hinted about protecting Prim if it came down to it. Still, I find it hard to believe they wouldn't even join an alliance with her.
I sigh. "I'm not agreeing to this, and neither of you can convince Prim to volunteer." Not that she needs any convincing. I saw her eyes when she pleaded with me. "But she has to train, and she has to talk with Haymitch and Peeta about alliances." Those two are the only ones I can trust. I don't want to give Prim away, and I'm determined to get her out of this. Still, to make my mother and Gale feel better, I let it go for now.
"Thank you, Katniss." My mother lets out a cry and I hug her. I see Prim coming down the steps.
"Did she say I could volunteer?" Prim asks hopefully.
"No," I say. When I see the crushed face staring back at me, I reword my answer. "I mean, I don't want you to volunteer, and I won't let you if you don't train." That does the trick. Her eyes light up and she flings herself at us. But that reaction is all wrong. Why is she happy she can go into the Games? I wasn't happy when I volunteered for her, but I guess I didn't let that stop me.
After we talk about her volunteering some more, I determine that she is quite serious. Prim has grown up so much, I've just been so involved in my own life that I haven't had time to notice it. Which makes me feel awful and brings me back to my hatred for the Capitol. Will this ever end?
Gale heads home and we go to bed. I lay awake for a long time, thinking about the options Prim has for survival depending on Peeta or Haymitch being reaped. I briefly wonder if Peeta's family will volunteer for him, then decide that there's no way that would happen. None of his brothers volunteered for him the last time, so why would they now? In fact, I'm almost hoping that his younger brother, Glaten, doesn't volunteer if presented the chance. Ever since I got back from my Games, I've had a feeling that he and Prim were more than friends. And it's not because both of their siblings survived the same Hunger Games- Prim certainly doesn't flutter her eyes and blush when she sees Peeta's older brother, Crist. If she had to kill or be killed by Glaten Mellark, I'm sure she would regret volunteering for me.
Then again, with that kind of relationship, would he be more likely to protect Prim? Would Prim let herself go for Glaten? If she does, my relationship with Peeta would be evn more confusing than it is now, which seems hard to imagine.
Now, the only question is should I prepare myself for the Quarter Quell as a mentor or a tribute?