Gale

The woods are silent, except for the cold breeze and the snow falling despite the bright sunlight. I'm technically not supposed to be here, but I told Thom that I needed to be excused from coalmining, since my "cousin" was mentally unstable. Apparently that was reason enough for me to miss work.

I glance back over my shoulder, at the fence that's now always buzzing with electricity. Suddenly I wonder how much work District 3 is wasting on keeping 12 contained within its boundaries. I bite my tongue to keep from cursing out the Capitol that treats us like their slaves, and instead keep walking down towards the blueberry bush and the large rock where I always found Katniss so we could hunt. I retrieve my wire and springs from underneath the bush, looking to my right, where there is a hollow tree that hides Katniss's bow and arrows. I don't bother shooting; I'm not nearly as good as she is.

Suddenly I panic—the wire, the springs, everything's gone! I whip around, expecting a Peacekeeper to come out from behind a tree, holding my snare materials. Instead I hear a frustrated grunt, and a snap, and I can't help but wonder who is messing around with my weapons. I tiptoe around a large oak tree, the only physical barrier between me and whoever is at the other side. I peek past a low branch, and am surprised to see Rory, of all people, trying to set up a snare.

"You're doing it all wrong," I call out to him. He jumps up and lets out a high-pitched scream before realizing it's me. A blush spreads across his face and he tosses the materials to the side, crossing his arms angrily. "No, don't quit!" I tell him, picking them up and putting them on his lap as I take a seat next to him. "You just need some practice."

He looks up at me, eyes narrowed in a quizzical stare. "Aren't you supposed to be working at the mines right now?" he asks impatiently, probably upset that I've embarrassed him. I shake my head, less than willing to answer. He must see something in my face that shows him I don't really feel like talking to him, because he doesn't ask anything else.

I look at him sadly, knowing it must be hard to handle a brother like me—dealing with unrequited love, trying to sustain not one, but two, families, and already having neared death with a beating—and suddenly I remember something Vick said a while ago. "Hey, Rory, what's going on with you and Primrose?" I ask curiously.

He blushes, and by the way he immediately avoids my eyes I can tell Vick wasn't just teasing. There is definitely something there. "I—well, we…Gale, she's beautiful," he says finally, lowering his gaze sheepishly. "But I know she would never go for me. She's a merchant kid; she's the only good thing in 12. The gold in the mines. And I'm just…me."

I turn to him sharply, anger starting to boil up inside me. Those had been my same thoughts whenever I'd seen Katniss kissing Peeta in the Games, or in the tours. "No, Rory. Don't say that about yourself. If you do, you know what'll happen?" He shakes his head, puzzled as to why I'm reacting so strongly to his comments. "She'll start to feel like that, too, because that's how you're presenting yourself. Prim is a beautiful little girl, just like you are a handsome young boy. Just like your brother." I wink at him and he lets out a short laugh. I rub his shoulder before sending him off on his way, following him for good measure.

On my way back home, I suddenly remember the strawberries I'd collected walking back to 12, and immediately spin back on my heels, headed towards the mayor's house. Besides, I need to ask Madge about something that's been bothering me for a while. The trip will be doubly beneficial.

I knock on the door and patiently wait outside while she rustles through the keys, undoubtedly because her father, the mayor, implemented vast security measures in order to protect her. Finally the door swings open, and she's standing in front of me, looking slightly puzzled, as usual, at my presence on a school day. I hand her the sack of strawberries and she smiles gratefully, blushing, before starting to close the door on me.

"Madge," I say, "no." She looks over her shoulder, making sure her father isn't there, and then opens the door again, allowing me to go inside. I follow her through the doorway, careful to clean my boots on the way in, and she sits me across from her in the living room by the fire. As I warm my hands, she goes into the kitchen; only to come back seconds later holding a silver tray with tea and some thick brown liquid.

"Hot chocolate," she explains, watching me take a tentative sip. I raise an eyebrow, and she adds, "They import it from 11 if there's a surplus from the Capitol." She sits there staring at the fire for a minute or so, before I finally speak up.

"Have you told Katniss?" I ask, worried. I've been itching to tell Katniss about the incident, but Madge and I both decided that it would be better to hear it from her. Katniss and I are close enough that she'll forgive me for anything; but if Madge is thought to have kept it a secret, I don't know how long it would be before she was forgiven.

She shakes her head slowly, raising her gaze to look at me. "We've only spoken once since she's come back. It wasn't exactly a hearty conversation," she informs me, much to my surprise. Then my stomach drops, because if the conversation wasn't centered around the incident, there was only one other object of interest between them.

"You gave it to her," I say gravely. It's not a question, but a statement. She directly disobeyed me—not that I didn't expect this—and could hurt Katniss in the process.

"I had to, Gale!" she spits back defensively. "Peeta loved her. And she might still think part of it was for show. She needs to know that what he felt was real! She deserves to have it."

I shake my head in disbelief, too disgusted to even look at her. How could she torture Katniss that way? There's a reason—and a very good one, too—for which I hadn't volunteered to give the envelope to Katniss. And, surprisingly, it isn't involved with any personal feelings of mine. Although probably those wouldn't have made me want to give it to her. "Don't you see?" I ask, frustrated. "You're making it worse! What good would any of this do for her? He's dead, Madge. Dead! There's nothing we can do about it."

She glares at me before standing up. "I think you should leave," she whispers angrily, headed to open the door for me. Before I walk out, she adds, "You can come back when you're not so…" She takes a deep breath before closing the door. "Bitter."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, I've got a pretty good idea of what goes inside the green envelope, but I want to know what you guys think is/should be inside. Any ideas?