This is a dream. Of course it is. It has to be.
Through the haze of blackness, like a veil hung in front of my eyes, I see two things: the first thing is Gale's face, only inches away from mine, looking worried like I've hardly ever seen him before. The second is the thin frame of a girl, crouched back into the dark of the alleyway, watching me intently. Given my newfound fame, this shouldn't really surprise me. But this girl I know.
She's pale and thin with long red hair and knowing eyes – the Avox girl.
Words bubble up to my lips, but I can't seem to speak. I am aware of Gale sliding his arms around me and lifting me up to pull me farther into the alleyway and out of sight. The Avox girl's eyes widen as Gale moves closer to where she is hidden; she raises a finger to her lips, giving the slightest shake of her head, and ducks swiftly around the corner, gone. No! I want to shout. Come back, but I still can't seem to move anything.
I have got to be hallucinating.
"Katniss!" Gale whispers, seeing that my eyes are open. "Katniss, can you hear me?" he asks. When I don't respond, he grabs my hand tightly in his own, but I can't feel it. It's like my entire body's gone numb. "Squeeze my hand." I can't move. "Come on, there's no time! They're looking for you now, everyone is. Do you want to be found catatonic, alone in an alleyway with me, shown to all of Panem?" he asks, trying to rally me into consciousness. "Katniss, come on! Please! What will Prim think if she sees you like this?"
Ah, Prim. What would happen to her and my mother if they knew what the Games had done to me? What would happen to Peeta, or Gale for that matter, if people found us here, alone, and me like this?
With the all the strength I can manage, I close my fingers around his hand. I hear him breathe out a sigh of relief. "Catnip?"
I feel feeling come back into my fingers, feel it run though my limbs and my chest, till it fills me up, and I can feel everything; the breeze that floats through the streets; Gale's hand wrapped around mine; an aching sore spot on my temple that I'm sure will leave a bruise.
"Gale." I say quietly, but I can't keep the urgency out of my voice. "Gale, did you see her?"
"Who?" He asks, frowning at me. "There's no one around. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. But – " I begin, then think better of it. It was a dream. I hit my head after passing out from stress. It makes perfect sense that I would start hallucinating. " – No. No, you're right. Never mind." I shake my head, trying to clear it.
"Right." He says evenly, but I know he won't forget it. "Look, you should go. They'll wonder where you are."
"Okay. I'll see you later, then?"
"Sure." He agrees, nodding. "See you later."
"Bye," I try to smile as I leave, even though my head is pounding, Gale thinks I'm sick or crazy – probably both – and no matter what I tell myself, I know that I wasn't imagining anything.