Chapter 13

Gale

"I knew I should have volunteered." I take a deep breath, surveying the woods I spent so much time in, and trying, unsuccessfully, to control the rage I feel. I'm back at the rock Katniss and I used to sit on, watching the woods as though any moment she's going to burst into the clearing, bow in hand, and a smile on her face.

She's in the capitol, and I'm filming another damned propo.

"That day, in the square, I should have volunteered, but I didn't. I had a promise to keep..." I can't stop my hand from running through my hair as I take a deep breath. The anger that is bubbling to the surface is threatening to spill over as tears.

"Katniss and I aren't cousins. The first time I saw Katniss, we were in the justice building receiving medals. Medals that were supposed to make up for the loss of our fathers." I can't keep the venom out of my words, but that's why I'm here. President Coin thinks my anger is just what the rebellion needs.

"It was about six months later that I first met Katniss... I had begun sneaking into the woods that surround District 12 to trap in order to feed my family. I'd never seen anyone in these woods, but there she was, a tiny wisp of a girl, examining my snare." A small chuckle escapes as I remember her, wide eyed and full of false bravado. "We didn't become instant friends, Katniss has never been that kind of girl, but we earned each others respect, which grew to trust, friendship, and eventually... love."

I can't help but smile, thinking about her smile, kissing her before the Victory Tour, her kissing me before she left for the Quarter Quell... Someone clears their throat from behind the camera, and I snap back to reality. This is my chance to get Katniss back.

"Nothing in the Capitol is real. People in most districts don't look forward to being tributes in the Hunger Games, we're not interested in glory. And those of us left at home, we're forced to watch our friends and family fight to the death. It's not entertainment to us, it's heartbreaking." I feel my heart contract, remembering Katniss running from the fire, running from the careers, and watching her lay there, wondering if she would regain consciousness after her run in with the tracker jackers...

"Contrary to Capitol beliefs, we aren't unrefined in the districts to be rustic, it's because we lack food, real education, and opportunity." The anger is back, but I've got to get control of it if I want to rescue Katniss.

"There's a reason that everyone fell in love with Katniss when she volunteered for her sister. It was the first genuine moment the games had ever seen." Pride rings through my voice. "Katniss isn't the giggling girl you met in her interviews, she's the kind of girl who won the respect of an entire district, by keeping her family fed, raising her sister, and her quiet strength and determination. She doesn't need make-up or fiery dresses. I won't say that she didn't look good, but Katniss is never more beautiful than when she's in the woods, eyes bright, and glowing with happiness. In the woods with me was the only place that she would genuinely smile." I can't help but smirk at the camera, thinking of Katniss the time we found the large strawberry patch.

"The Capitol would have you believe that love is a fleeting moment with Finnick Odair, or something from a soap opera, or something shared by the Star Crossed Lovers of District 12. They forced Katniss to pretend to be in love, first to survive, and then for your entertainment. They forced her to pretend to be in love with a boy she had nothing in common with, a boy who had never known hunger, or the responsibility of taking care of a family. The truth is, she loves me, and I love her, and - "

There is a commotion, and I turn my head to look just in time to see Peeta tackle me.