Chapter 3
He smells of pine and sweat. He holds me in his capable arms and lets me cry, it's been hours. He soothes me with his gentle coos. "Shh Annie, it's alright" He says, whispering softly. His lips against my ears, it's hard to cry when I think about it. I must have fallen asleep against his chest because I wake in my bed. It's looks to be about mid afternoon and I hear laughter coming from the kitchen. Lucian must know Gale is here, they always did get along great. Silently I slip out of bed, not bothering to look myself over in the mirror. When I reach the end of the hallway I stop, pressing my body against the wall and listening stealthily to their conversation. "How do you like your eggs?" Gale asks, chuckling softly. "Hmm, scrambled" Lucian says, I can almost hear the smile in his voice. "I knew that" Gale says teasingly. I slip out from behind the wall and as soon as I do, Gale looks up. A smile spreads across his face when he sees me, although I probably look a puffy eyed mess. I return the smile, suddenly I feel hopeful things can stay this way. The light shines through the kitchen window casting a soft shadow over the marble counter tops, it looks peaceful. But if there's one thing I've learned about peace, it's that it never lasts long. I shake my head as if clearing the thought from my mind, I've earned it's better to hope for the best but expect the worst. I sit on the bar stool next to Lucian, smiling at him warily because I'm still unsure of his feelings. Is his kindness towards Gale just a pretense or is he truly happy to see him? He smiles back, it looks genuine enough so I don't question it. My mind wanders, I remember it was two years ago, Gale has just moved from district 3 over here to district 4 and I was the only person he knew. Only back then I was a little less stable, with Lucian in his toddler years I was a wreck. We spent more and more time together and as the days drew on, Gale and I were inseparable. Some things happened between us, I still wasn't over Finnick and he still clung to the memory of Katniss like it was his last hope. So we split up, our little summer romance thwarted, tarnished by the ghosts of our past. "Annie?" Gale says, breaking me free from thought. I look up startled by his voice. "Yes?" I say, my voice raspy from sleep. He laughs softly "I thought I'd lost you there for a while… How do you like your eggs?" He says. That's like him to be thoughtful enough to make breakfast for Lucian and I "Over easy, if that's not too much trouble" I say, smiling at him "Not any trouble at all, it won't be done for a while though. You can go get ready if you'd like" He says. His own little way of reminding me I can't stay in pajamas forever and that life goes on. I nod and walk to the bathroom, shutting the door behind me. I reach for the shower handle, turning the water on to a nice warm stream. I step into the shower, letting the warm water fall instantly relax my muscles, I would stay in here all day if the hot water lasted that long. I stand under the water and think. Think about Finnick, Lucian, and the games. I think about anything and everything that comes to mind. I try not to let my mind focus too long on the bad things, but I'm only human. When I lather myself with soap it reminds me of district 13, the soap is the same texture there as it was here. Suddenly I feel a sharp pang of guilt resonate in my stomach, Gale is in my kitchen, but I know in my heart Finnick would want me to go on. Also, it's Gale, Finnick always trusted Gale. I step out of the shower and walk over to my bedroom, putting on a fresh set of clothes. I pick a sea green t-shirt and light beige capris. I'm toweling off my hair when I hear the first gun shot.