Make-believe Hero
What on earth is she going to do with flowers?
That is the first thought that registers in his mind as he watches children, teenagers, and adults alike welcome Katniss back with wilting wildflowers, daisies and violets among them. He watches her accept the gifts with as much gratitude as she can muster.
He can tell that she's worn to the core, aching to be alone, because she hasn't been alone since she left. She may have spent nights in the arena without company, but there was always that feeling, always the chance someone was watching – waiting to strike.
And then there was Peeta after that.
Gale swallows down jealously and whatever else he was feeling and waits for the chance to steal her away. He kicks his leg back to the bottom of a tree and crosses his arms.
She is able to slip past the last few visitors when the sun begins to kiss the ground. Gingerly, she walks over to him. She doesn't move to hug him or even touch him for that matter.
It's like she's some pet of the Capitol, trained not to trust anymore than she already knew how. It had taken him years to gain her trust. It took them a fraction of that time to beat it out of her.
This time he swallows disgust, nodding to the woods where they begin their long walk. Finally they come to a large tree with a broad base. He sits first, and she follows hesitantly. The silence is worse than when they used to hunt together. Before it was a comfortable silence; now the silence is tainted with the breath of the Capitol and all the horrors that she can't speak of.
"It was awful," she whispers, eyes not meeting his. It takes him a moment to realize she's trembling, her hands twisting together. Suddenly her gaze is locked with his. "I watched people die."
She does not cry. He wishes he could tell her that he knew how she felt. But the truth is he didn't. He didn't know at all.
"It's going to get better," he offers, taking one of her small hands in his. He doesn't like how it's so soft, so smooth without blemishes, but he doesn't say anything. Instead he speaks half-truths.
But if it's half a truth, it's half a lie.
"But it's not," she bites back, her eyes flashing with that guarded, unreadable look that seems to tell him that she's seen things he'd never imagine.
She snatches her hand out of his, and they stare at each other for a long moment.
"You think you understand, but you just don't."
And then she's gone, whispers in the forest following her. He sits there until it is completely dark, wondering why he didn't see this coming from the very beginning.
xx I failed with the happiness here. But uh, I'll try on the next one! Maybe a piece about them before she went into the Games…
Oh, and thanks for the reviews! They're much appreciated. (: