I've decided to start responding to all of your reviews now! So yeah, enjoy this chapter! My goal is for it to have at least 3000 words so hopefully I reach that.
pirate-princess1- Aww thanks I figured that since Katniss is Gale's friend she should care about her at least a little bit.
JohnnyStormsGirl- You'll like the next chapter ;)
Meganlucindaxo- She might make it to Thirteen, haven't really decided that yet.
Katnissforlife- Sadly I do not to go R.H.S but trust me, if I did, I would've tracked you down and been like Denver and Gale want a cupcake.
He's no good girl, what can't you see, he'll take your heart and break it listen to me! ~Good Girl, Carrie Underwood.
Denver's POV:
I look up briefly to the sky as rain begins to fall softly on the population of Twelve, who is gathered in the square. I then turn my attention back to the stage, where a less exuberant Effie Trinket has taken the stage.
"Welcome, and happy Hunger Games." She announces. I look to the front and see Katniss is a section all by herself, I see the glass ball, with one slip of paper. "Ladies first!" Effie tells us. She makes her way over to the ball. It takes her a while to catch the one slip of paper. "Katniss Everdeen" I can't help the sound that comes out of my throat, I've become friends with Katniss over the past few weeks. Gale squeezes my hand and I look up at him, his eyes are sad and soft too.
"We'll see her after to say goodbye" he reminds me, I just nod and turn back to the reaping. Katniss stands on the stage, her eyes search the crowd, they lock on Gale and I. With my free left hand I put three fingers to my lips and extend them out to her. Slowly, everyone follows my lead, Katniss nods to us and Effie has tears going down her face as she goes to the boy's ball. I know who it will be already. Peeta. Even if he's not picked, he'll volunteer.
"Haymitch Abernathy" Effie calls out, Haymitch makes his way up the stage, as soon as his feet stop Peeta moves forward.
"I volunteer!" He calls out. They trade places, then, once again everyone salutes him as well. The anthem plays and then they are taken away. Gale and I quickly turn to go say goodbye. When we get there, there are peacekeepers.
"No goodbye's this year." One says coldly.
"What? No, there has to be!" I yell in his face.
"New procedure, Snow's orders." He turns his gun so it faces me, I glare at him then Gale is pulling me away.
"Nothing we can do about it now." He whispers in my ear, I just nod.
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I sit squashed between Gale and Vick on the couch. Tonight's the interviews and once again I was invited over to watch it at Gale's, I was just here last night to see training scores. The reaction for our tributes was fantastic all around the District. People were all in the streets cheering for Katniss and Peeta. Gale even got excited and picked me up and spun me in a circle with a wide smile on his face. Work was even fun today, some of the crews started singing songs, so the mines echoed all of our songs all day long. I also learned that Dalton and Lucas are some of the worst singers ever.
I watch as Cashmere takes the stage and sits next to Caesar. She starts the ball rolling with a speech about how she just can't stop crying when she thinks of how much the people in the Capital must be suffering because they will lose their victors. Gloss recalls the kindness shown there to him and his sister. Beetee questions the legality of the Quell in a nervous, twitchy way, wondering if it's been fully examined by experts of late. Finnick Odair reads a poem about his one true love. Johanna Mason asks if something can be done to change this, because surely the creators of the Quarter Quell never anticipated such love forming between victors and the Capital. Seeder says how in her district everyone assumes Snow is all powerful, and if he is, why doesn't he change this? Chaff, who comes after her, says he could if he wanted too but he must not think it matters to anyone. When Katniss goes up, the crowd is calling, no, demanding for change. Change they won't get. The sight of Katniss in her wedding dress causes a riot, people screaming even louder. Gale pulls me closer to him as Katniss says how sorry she is no one will get to see her and Peeta's wedding. Then she stands, raises her arms above her head, and begins to spin.
Hazelle gasps as Katniss's dress catches afire and begins to burn away. You can see the shock in Katniss's eyes but she keeps spinning, then, she's a Mockingjay. By the time everyone is over the skeptical and Cinna is given credit, Katniss's time is up. I watch, still stunned at Cinna, while Peeta comes on stage. Peeta and Caesar briefly make jokes about fire and feathers and overcooked poultry, which at some I find myself laughing along with them. Then Caesar gets to the point. "So, Peeta, what was it like when, after all you've been through, you found out about the Quell?"
"I was in shock. I mean, one minute I'm seeing Katniss looking so beautiful in all these wedding gowns, and the next…" Peeta trails off.
"You realized there was never going to be a wedding?" Caesar asks gently. Peeta doesn't respond right away, but he looks right out to the audience, right at the camera.
"Caesar, do you think all our friends can keep a secret?" he acts. Hello Peeta, the whole nation is watching, there are no secrets. Caesar seems uncomfortable for a moment then laughs.
"I feel quite certain of it"
"We're already married." Peeta says quietly. Gale stiffens behind me and I softly squeeze his hand.
"But . . . how can this be?" Peeta goes on to explain how in Twelve we toast the bread, and how he and Katniss just went and did it one day. He says how no one was there, Haymitch didn't even know until now. He says how there would be no toasting in the Capital, and no one really feels married until they do it. "So this was before the Quell?"
"Of course before the Quell. I'm sure we'd never have done it after we knew." Peeta is starting to get a bit pissed at Caesar. "But who could've seen it coming? No one. We went through the Games, we were victors, everyone seemed so thrilled to see us together, and then out of nowhere-I mean, how could we anticipate a thing like this?"
"You couldn't Peeta." Caesar puts an arm around Peeta's shoulders. "As you say, no one could've. But I have to confess, I'm glad you two had at least a few months of happiness together." Every in the Capital starts to applaud, while I stroke Gales hand with my finger, he's pissed himself now too.
"I'm not glad" Peeta says harshly. "I wish we had waited until the whole thing was done officially."
"Surely a brief time is better than no time." Caesar smiles.
"Maybe I'd think that, too, Caesar," Peeta says bitterly, "if it weren't for the baby."
Before I can think Gale's up and out of the door. Great, just fantastic. I'd go after him now, but I can't, I'm not allowed. I watch for about two minutes more, and my heart swells when the victors all join hands. Yes, this is the beginning, the beginning of maybe something new. As soon as the screen goes black I'm also out the door. Where could he have gone? Think, Denver, think, if you were Gale and you were super pissed, where would you go at night? The Hob, but no, there is no more Hob. To Katniss's house? No, not there. Then it hits me.
Woods.
I take off sprinting through the Seam until I reach the fence, sure enough, his footprints are there, I can see them in the moonlight. I stalk silently through the woods, I know where the clearing is where we would all meet for training, but it wasn't dark then. I make my way deeper into the dark woods. He better be in here.
Soon I do make it to the clearing, which is a feat in itself for me. I can't see much though through the darkness, so I stand on the edge still in the trees until my eyes can adjust to the night. Soon I can make out the rocks near the drop-off that goes into the valley, then I see Gale on the rocks, head in his hands. Slowly I make my way towards him, like you would a wounded animal, trying not to startle him. I stop only a few feet in front of him. "Gale" my voice is barely above a whisper. He looks up, confusion flashes over his face.
"Why are you here?" he asks me, his voice louder than mine had been.
"I figured you'd come here" is all I answer.
"You know what the worst part of this is?" he asks me seriously. I kinda do, that baby is going to die, no doubt about it. Even if Katniss does somehow win then the physical state she will be in will kill the child. But I don't say that a loud, because I know Gale doesn't mean the worst part in that way. So he answers anyways without me saying anything. "I can't even hate him one bit for it. He's too nice; he's too much of a good person. You can't get mad at him, there's nothing to be mad at him about." I go and sit down cross legged in front of Gale and nod.
"I know, but, did you ever think. That maybe he's lying?" Gale's face goes blank, unreadable, at my suggestion. I mean, Peeta could've, he's a master with his words. He could lie about anything and make people believe him; hell, he could probably convince me that it would be safe to go up and punch Thread in the face. He can convince people to do anything, to believe anything he wants them too. It makes perfect sense, because Katniss isn't acting different at all. It's the perfect lie to get sponsors, because everyone who isn't there closest friends won't see it's a lie. I've only figured this because I've been thinking about it during the hours I've spent searching for Gale.
"He could be; I mean it's, it would make sense." I smile at Gale's answer.
"Exactly, so just look at it that way."
"Okay, thanks." Gale runs his hand through his hair, something he does when he's nervous. I smile and laugh.
"You missed the best part though"
"What?"
"They all joined hands at the end, all of them, all of the victors, all of the districts, one unifying line. Together." Before I can even finish Gale has scooped me up and spins me around in a circle, I lock my hands around his neck so I don't fall.
"That is great!" He cheers as he puts me back down and I return my hands back to my sides. "It's the beginning of something Den. Maybe it'll actually happen! You've heard the talk while we work, people want to rebel, they want change! Katniss said there was an uprising in Eight, if they can have one there, why not here? Why not everywhere!" He has that fire in his eyes again. This could be it then, it could actually happen. Twelve can't rebel now, not right away. But maybe in the future, the near future we could. Great minds think alike. "Maybe not right now, but soon we could. Maybe once enough of the other Districts are, then we could follow suit. Then we could"
"Ya, we could, but come on dreamy, let's get back before your mom sends Vick and Rory out to find us." I take his hand and start to pull him along.
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I sit once again next to Gale to watch the third day of the Quarter Quell. So far, Katniss has teamed up with quite a large alliance, Peeta has died and been brought back to life, and they've figured out the arena is a giant clock. The District Three guy, Beetee, has come up with this weird confusing plan on harnessing electricity from lightning and making the water go to the highly conductive sea; whatever that means, I don't know. Right now, it shows the 'super alliance' as the commentators call them, making their way to the lightning tree.
I turn abruptly as Peacekeepers burst through the door. We all turn and look at him; the braid I was making in Posy's hair comes out of my hands as she too turns her head. "Viewing check, your clear" the lady tells us before turning on her heel and struts out. We look back to the Quell.
"Do you think it'll work?" I ask looking to Gale.
"It might, Beetee seems to know what he's talking about." I nod; I think the guy's crazy personally, always has that wire with him.
The alliance finally makes it to the lightning tree and Beetee and Finnick start to wrap wire around the tree. We get a glimpse of Katniss and Peeta sitting off to the side together. And then Brutus and Enobaria, as they argue on what direction to go in.
"I told you they're going to that damn tree!" Enobaria snarls at her district partner.
"Fine, we should hurry then" Brutus finally agrees and they start off from the beach towards the woods.
It shows Beetee finishing up on his experiment as he hands a coil of wire to Johanna. "Make sure it sinks, then get outta there." He's instructing them.
"I want to go too." Peeta says instantly. Katniss goes over to him.
"Peeta, you're too slow, we'll meet up with you guys later, promise."
"Katniss is right, if the girls are to make it, they need to leave now." Beetee adds his two sense. Peeta gives in finally; he takes Katniss's face in his hands and kisses her.
"See you soon" he nods, then the girls turn and run off through the jungle.
I turn away from the screen and stand up, stretching my legs and arms. We've been watching for three hours already, we got work off today just to see if Beetee's plan will work. I stare out of the window at the Seam, the empty streets. I feel hands go on my shoulders, I look back and grin at Gale. "What's wrong?" he asks me concerned. I shake my head.
"I just have this feeling that something is going to happen." I shrug it off as Gale's face goes serious, and then he kisses my cheek.
"Come on, we have to watch." Gale leads me back over to the couch, I see that Katniss now has the wire. Then it cuts to Enobaria, right by the wire. She takes it and rips it with her teeth. Shit, the wire curls back to Katniss and Johanna and they stop dead in their tracks. Then it all happens too fast. Johanna jumps on Katniss, driving the coil into her skull, leaving a visible indent. She proceeds to gouge at her arm with her knife. That's where her tracker is. I think. Johanna stops when Enobaria is getting closer, she takes off running.
It shows Finnick telling Peeta to stay there, then he goes off. Soon Brutus comes and attacks Beetee, almost killing him before Peeta drives his knife through him. The cannon goes off. It shows Finnick flying through the woods, Katniss hiding from him, she's managed to get up. She keeps saying Peeta's name as she struggles. Beetee lies unconscious on the ground. Peeta screams for Katniss as he runs, farther from her, while he looks for her. Finnick catches Enobaria and kills her. Another cannon. Johanna is still running. Katniss sees the wire from Beetee, she sees the knife that it's wrapped around. She wraps the wire around her arrow. She points it towards the woods, then changes her mind about something and aims it. Out of the arena? The lightning strikes, Katniss lets the arrow fly. The arena bursts into flames as the force field is destroyed. Then, everyone goes black. Everything in District Twelve goes out.
My stomach gets a pit feeling in it. I get to my feet, no one else moves. The whole District is quiet, holding their breath. What just happened? Slowly I watch as Gale gets up too, together we carefully walk out onto the porch. Slowly the people of the Seam come from their houses. We all just stare at each other, no one speaks. And then.
An ear piercing scream fills the air; I look up to see a hovercraft, no hovercrafts, about thirty above us in the skies. The bottom opens, and then something falls to the ground. An explosion shakes the ground. I turn to Gale horrified.
District Twelve is being bombed. By the Capital.
Did you enjoy it? I hope so, I can't wait to wright the next chapter! But I need to decide how to start it first, hmmm. Only three more chapters left But I did come up with an idea! But I can't tell you yet cause then it would give away the ending of this story. Anyways, please review!
Mocking Verse
PS: I came so close to my 3000 words, I got 2,987