Disclaimer: I do not own Hunger Games or any of the characters, they belong to Suzanne Collins.
Chapter 2
"You can't do that." Vivian looks around for support. "You've already competed once." She's telling me as if I had no idea. Although I no longer have the physical scars, the mental wounds still sting relentlessly. Gale's shouting at me. So is Peeta. And my mother. Prim. As well as Peeta's father – I'm surprised by this. The girl on the stage is stunned. She thinks I'm doing this for her; sadly I'm not that valiant. Yet, if I don't stand for her, she'll die. Along with Gale. Together we could get through this; I felt I could again – if I were with him. If not then at least I could protect him long enough for him to be able to win and get back home. He had family who needed him more than mine did me. Right then Peeta stood up.
"I volunteer for Gale."
You can bet that everyone in Capitol was going mad. The lovers from the last games. Fire girl's love trying to help her friend. I disliked the idea even more with the prospect of going in with Peeta for the second time. And worst of all letting Gale watch me in the games, and Peeta, in his place. The crowd were getting louder.
"Sit down" I hissed at Peeta. He did so. Gale and I stood facing each other, he was furious I'd stepped up and I was furious that his name was pulled out. Anyone but him, I thought. It hurt knowing that I would have sentenced another innocent, possibly less resourceful or powerful boy to his death. But I would have. In a heartbeat. That's what these games were designed to do – kill and turn us into killers. Murderers. Why couldn't Gale's name have been pulled out last year? Why couldn't it not have been pulled out this year? Why couldn't the age limit not have been changed? Why? Why him? Why my best friend? Why?
If it had been Gale last year and Peeta this year – Peeta would surely be killed. Probably Gale and I last year too. Even if we had got to the end, one of us would have had to have killed the other. The rules were changed for Peeta's and my 'romance'. Gale and I couldn't have pulled that off – we were too close – we knew and had been through too much. Friends – undoubtedly. Lovers – certainly not. If the age limit hadn't been changed, one or all of his siblings would have had to apply for tesserae and then one of them might have been chosen – Gale would have volunteered anyway. When did life become so complicated?
Vivian comes over to me and whispers in my ear.
"Listen, you cannot do this. The rules clearly state that you cannot compete twice. I can't understand why you would want to. So please sit down and stop causing a scene." Peeta shifted uncomfortably in his seat, probably grateful that his volunteering wasn't going to be allowed. I knew he didn't really want to compete again. Gale breathed a sigh of relief – I heard him distinctly. I nod silently trying to cling on to the last few nerves left in my body, before I go completely numb. The names are called again and like last year, three fingers are pressed to lips and held before Emily and Gale. In respect. In love. In farewell.
I step forward and Peeta stands so we can shake hands with Emily, who bursts into tears. I gave her hope which has now been taken away. Then when I'm standing under Gale's towering figure, shaking his hand in such an unnatural way, I can't help but put my arms around him, burying my face in his chest leaving tear stains on his shirt. I pull myself together and move backwards. He does not deserve this. No-one deserves this. I promise myself that I will get him every sponsor in Capitol and send him silver parachutes nearly every day, more if I can. I can understand why Haymitch was drunk year in, year out. It was his responsibility to save two loves every year. Of course he failed. At least I had Peeta, but he was the only reason I survived in the first place and here I needed to rely on him again. Emily and Gale are taken away, I feel like they are gone forever even though I will see them shortly.
I set out to find Gale's mother, luckily she's easy to spot as she is the only person who stayed rooted to the spot when the crowd disperses. I look her in the eye and put my hands on the tops of her arms.
"I promise you that Gale can do it." She is silent.
"We will teach him everything he needs to know. He's fast and strong and older, which will give him the advantage." I waited for some kind of acknowledgement. None came. Well I'd made a promise anyway, one that I was not going to break.
Peeta and I were escorted to the same building as last time, this time however we were seated in a well lit, cosy room with plenty of drinks and snacks. As I'm walking in trying to figure out where Peeta's going to sit so I don't have to be near him, Vivian spits out a load of jargon about how unacceptable my volunteering was. She says that we are now vulnerable as the audience know how important he is to me and therefore he will be first to go – then when my back is turned Emily will be taken out too. I didn't think of that. Vivian leaves and I am only too grateful for her absence. Peeta sits down at the first sofa he comes to and I trek over to the far side in fall into an armchair. We are unsure of what we're supposed to do. So we sit. And we wait. Vivian comes back and asks if I want to see Gale before we get on the train.
Once inside the cell, I see how detached Gale is. His eyes were vacant and his smile non-existent. This time he hugs me. Tight to his body – his warmth calming. This is probably the last time I'll be with him alone, and even now there's a guard at the door – in case Gale decides to leg it. Only I know he has too much pride for that.
"Katniss," even his voice is hollow. "Katniss, I know why you volunteered. It means a lot." I grip him harder. "I'm glad they won't let you though. You'd only distract me anyway," he jokes, the glint of a smile disappears. "The girl, Emily, she's afraid. Really terrified about all of this." I nod in understanding. "To tell you the truth, so am I." I'm certain that's not what he would have told his family. He feels weak and defenceless. He's holding onto me to stop himself trembling. The lump in my throat is preventing me from speaking. "How did you do it Kat?" I try to think of a response to fill him with confidence and power. Nothing comes to me, so I reply with the truth.
"I don't know. Really, all I had was a promise that I couldn't break – to Prim. I had to come back or she'd have never forgiven me. Then Rue, she wanted me to win. That and the fact that I had to return to my mother. And you." He begins to smile.
"I just promised my mother that I would win." I pull away from his embrace and watch him watching me. Someone comes in to tell me it's time to go. Gale pulls me back when I get up to leave and presses his lips firmly to my temple.
"Be strong Catnip." I'm dragged away in surprise.
Excusing myself, I hide in the bathroom to regain a little composure. There he was telling me to be strong, when all I could say to him was I was alive because of a promise I made to my twelve year old sister. I should be supporting him. I was younger and not nearly as wise and yet I was going to have to prepare him for death. It was one thing surviving and protecting yourself, but it was a whole other story watching people die. People you knew. People you didn't and would never know. People you cared about. Then having to kill. Some killed for pleasure, after what I did to the careers; Cato had set out to sentence me to a long painful death, which luckily I did not have to endure. I killed out of rage.
I mopped up my tears, re-arranged my t-shirt and plastered a brave smile onto my face. I walked out of the bathroom and directly into Peeta. We did not exchange words and he just nodded towards Vivian as were being lead to the train.
Author's Note
Thanks for all the reviews and feedback I received, it means a lot, thanks to Jack, Stephanie, Liana111, vampyprincess and BreezzyKorittko.! You guys rule! Hope you liked this chapter, I will try and update really soon, maybe today or tomorrow! Reviews welcome, thanks for reading! :-) (coolbeaniostwilightrules7)