"Hey, Catnip," he says. He speaks the words so softly, it's as if we never stopped speaking in the first place.
"Gale," I sigh. I feel my heart beating in my throat. I want to yell at him. I want to ask him why he had disappeared. He abandoned me for some "fancy job" and left me to go insane. I wanted to ask him, why did he leave me to deal with Prim's death alone? Wasn't she family to him as well? Had it been Rory, I would have been by his side the entire time. As if reading my thoughts, he says, "I knew Peeta would take good care of you."
"Yeah," I say, "I took him hunting today."
"Oh?" Gale sounds a bit let down. "Did you have fun?"
"I did," I say. "How are you, Gale?"
"I'm well. Beetee and I have been working on a new type of train. It won't need a conductor, we can control it from the capitol by using remote GPS controls," he says. The excitement in his voice is unmistakable. I know he will never again return to District Twelve.
"You should come to District 2 when you have a chance. You and Peeta both," he says the last part like it was an afterthought.
"I guess I will. When I'm considered 'well', I guess they'll let me out of the District. Maybe by that time you'll be controlling my train ride from the capitol." We both laugh. I hear Beetee shout something in the background and Gale says he has to go. When we hang up, I hold the receiver to my ear just a little longer than necessary, just to make sure he is gone.
There is something stirring inside of me when I return to the living room. Nothing romantic for Gale but a sense of loss. I know things could never return to the way they were, but I could have never fathomed me without my very best friend. Peeta joins me on the couch and strokes my hair. This is why I love him. He understands what I feel, even when I don't. I lay my head on his shoulder and cry.
Crying seems to be all I'm good for lately. I guess after being so strong and chocking down so many cries, I can no longer do it. Peeta grabs my face and hold it between his hand. I look at him, taking in all of his scars and I cry more. The entire mess is my fault and because of me, we are both mutated orphans in a way. We are alienated, and even though we have Haymitch, he's a worse drunk then he was before. Peeta kisses me and I am a little shocked at his assertiveness.
"I know what you want to do, Katniss," he says, and I'm happy I don't have to say it. Telling him I want to go visit Gale sounds selfish. "We can go if you want," he says.
"You're willing to go?" I ask. I'm not sure why this surprises me, but it does.
"I'm not letting you leave my side. Not again," he says. We kiss again and I go call Dr. Aurelius. I explain to him how we want to go visit Beetee and Gale in District Two.
"Listen, Katniss, I can't authorize anything. You will have to wait at least six months to a year for me to say it's okay for you to leave your district unsupervised. I mean, if you want people to believe you killed Coin because you weren't mentally stable. If I agree to this, I will put myself at risk. I'm sorry, I helped with the trial because it was necessary, but this, I can't agree to right now," he says.
"Peeta will be there to watch over me," I say before I realize what I'm saying. Peeta is still battling with being hijacked and is in no position to chaperone. That's not a cover up, and he should be the one being supervised.
"You and I both know-"
"I know," I say cutting him off. "What if Haymitch comes?" I plead. Dr. Aurelius thinks about this.
"He's not so stable either, but he wasn't one of my patients. Okay, you can go, only if Haymitch agrees," he says.
I run and tell Peeta the news. We both make our way to Haymitch's to find him sprawled out on the kitchen floor. I nudge his side with my foot. He doesn't move. I pick up a bowl to and begin to fill it with water when I hear Peeta coaching him awake. Haymitch stands and searches for his bottle.
"What?" he grunts.
"We want to visit Gale, and we can't unless you're there, so pack a bag," I say.
"I'm not going anywhere," he says. Peeta and I look at each other confused.
"Why not?" asks Peeta.
"Because I don't want to. Besides, I have to take care of my geese."
I am compelled to argue with Haymitch but I know it's not worth it. He's not going to agree. Back home, Peeta sits on the couch and I rest my head in his lap.
"I know you're going anyway, Katniss," says Peeta.
"I am,"
"Okay, let's go," he says. I'm not used to Peeta being up for anything. He's usually the one with his head on straight, and it's Gale that is always up for the thrill.
We don't pack anything except food. We call Gale, tell him to expect us and walk to the train station as if everything is normal. I feel my stomach churn. The only time Peeta and I have been on a train is when we were going to the Games or on the Victory Tour. His hand tenses in mine.
"Peeta, it's okay," I say. He swallows hard and we step onto the platform. Waiting for the train is very agonizing. It's not the fancy trains that run to the Capitol, but it's still terrifying, nonetheless. When it arrives, our tickets are taken and we settle in on the hard wooden chairs. A large step down from the plush beds on the other trains. I let out a sigh of relief. I thought I would be required to have the slip with the approval signature from Dr. Aurelius. Everyone knows who I am and saw my trial on television. Perhaps no one really cares that Coin is dead anyway. Maybe the trail was just proper protocol.
The train ride from Twelve to Two takes a couple of days. Luckily, Peeta and I some cheese buns from the house. Upon arriving, Peeta and I stand on the platform. It is midday and the sun is burning bright. We scan the crowd for Gale, but he is nowhere in sight. After about fifteen minutes, Gales runs up to us and hugs me.
"We thought you abandoned us," says Peeta. They both laugh like old pals.
"No, I got stuck at work, sorry guys. But, how are you?" He asks. The discomfort on his face is evident and it's probably because Peeta and I are holding hands. I don't let go. I smile at Gale as if I'm the happiest person in the world, even though inside I am in agonizing pain. I want him to know that I didn't take his abandoning me out on Peeta, and that now, I am in love. After basking in a few moments of glee, I notice a red headed girl walking towards us. She has a round baby face with bright green eyes. Eyes that look awfully familiar.
"I want you to meet someone," Gale says. "This is my girlfriend Drania." You could knock me over with a feather. Peeta extends his hand to Drania and she smiles sweetly, extending her own. I do the same because I don't want Peeta to see the Jealousy.