Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games *sobs* Suzanne Collins does.

Chapter 2

"Primrose Everdeen." She looks up from the piece of paper at the crowd. It feels like my heart stops for a second - Primrose? Primrose Everdeen? Wasn't that Katniss's little sister?

My mind is racing as I watch a small girl begin to make her way to the stage, a peacekeeper on either side of her. I catch a glimpse of her face, pale, frightened. The crowd is silent, as shocked as I am. The tension is unbearable.

"Prim? Prim!" A voice cries out. I turn my head to see Katniss being restrained by more peacekeepers. She pushes against them, struggling to reach her sister. As her movements become more panicked, she cries out,

"I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!"

I can feel the blood drain away from my face as the words sink in. A volunteer? My hands shake slightly as I watch her head up onto the stage. She looks as shocked as I am at what has just happened.

"No! Katniss, no!" Prim shrieks as Gale carries her. I stare after him, listening as her cries fade away. I don't know what to think. I'm confused - it's all happened so fast. Everything is a blur as Katniss says her name into the microphone, her voice echoing around me as her eyes flicker across the crowd.

Only then do I realise that the people around me have begun to touch their fingers to their lips and hold them out to Katniss. I feel frozen for a brief second before I copy them, my eyes fixed to her. The symbol of thanks, of admiration, of goodbye.

Effie quickly moves it along, no longer cheerful, pulling the paper slip out of the second glass bowl. She reads the name as fast as she can.

"Peeta Mellark."

Once again, it is silent. Effie asks for volunteers, but no one comes forward. He climbs the stage slowly, steadily, and takes his place beside Katniss, though not without a look of horror on his face.

I tear my eyes away from the pair on the stage to look for Gale. Where was he? Were you allowed to leave, just like that? Probably not, but someone needed to help Prim. In any case, he wasn't here.

My eyes flicker back to Katniss and Peeta who are shaking hands. They stare at each other in a way that isn't normal.

And then it's over, and they're moving to go inside. The doors shut with finality, and people begin to leave, murmuring quietly to each other. I stand still, shocked. My father has gone inside the justice building with them, so I'm alone. For some reason, something compels me to go up the steps and through the door. The peacekeepers move to stop me but I keep walking, down the hall, to a room where I find Gale holding Prim. Katniss's mother sits beside them, staring into space. I sit on the first chair I see which is thankfully far away from them. Peeta's family isn't here, so they must be seeing him right now.

After a minute or so, a peacekeeper comes through, and motions for Prim and her mother to go through a door, which I assume Katniss is on the other side of. They stand and follow the peacekeeper, and the door shuts.

I stare at my knees, hands linked in my lap, not really knowing why I was here. I knew Katniss, we were friends. We never saw each other socially outside of school - people from the seam and people from the town didn't mix like that, or that's what society taught us. But we paired up in sports and sat together at lunch, and rarely spoke, which suited both of us. I'm sure that was friendship though. But what did I have to offer Katniss, here in the Justice Building? Advice? I was clueless on how to survive, I barely knew anything. So I guess I was just here to say goodbye.

I glance up through the hair that now falls over my face, and find Gale looking at me. I quickly look back at my hands, annoyed. Why would he look at me?

An awkward silence follows for a few seconds. Then, he speaks.

"Why are you here?" It didn't seem so much of a question as an accusation. I push my hair away from my face and meet his gaze.

"I came to say goodbye to my friend." I reply.

"I didn't think people from town associated with us from the Seam." He shoots back, the annoyance clear in his voice. I look away again, not sure how to reply. I grit my teeth and stare at the wall to my right, refusing to look at him again.

After a while, Prim and her mother leave, and Gale goes into the room without another word to me. Katniss's mother glances at me as they walk past, but doesn't say anything to me.

I wait in the room, sitting on the uncomfortable chair, not meaning to listen to the muffled voices from the other side of the door. I can't make out what they're saying, and don't want to.

Gale leaves after a while, pulled away by a peacekeeper. And then it's my turn.

I step through the door and find Katniss facing away from me. She turns when the door shuts, surprised that she has another visitor other than Gale and her family.

For some reason, I feel like I have to do this quickly, like what I'm doing is forbidden or will take too long. I don't know where it comes from, but the words escape my mouth as soon as she sees me.

"They let you wear one thing from your district in the arena. One thing to remind you of home. Will you wear this?" I unclip the mockingjay pin that my father gave to me and hold it out to her.

"Your pin?" She asks in disbelief.

"Here, I'll put it on your dress, all right?" My hands shake slightly as I fix it to the soft material. "Promise you'll wear it into the arena, Katniss? Promise?" I ask, fearing for a second that she will push me away, and reject my token. I didn't want her to forget about here - I wanted her to have something from her district.

"Yes." Katniss said, the surprise still showing on her face. I kiss her on the cheek, then turn and leave.

I walk down the hallway and pause for a second outside the door, considering what I've just done. For one, my father would kill me for handing away such a valuable family heirloom. Or would he? Perhaps he would understand somehow.

I also hadn't properly said goodbye, but it was the best I could do. Maybe I should've hugged her or something, but we hadn't been that good friends.

I breathed out slowly, and opened the doors, staring across the now empty plaza. I turn and begin the walk home, wondering where I go from here.

I'm sorry, I know there wasn't much Gale x Madge here, but I promise there'll be more soon!