Hi guys, here's another chapter. I'm going to try really hard from now on to make my chapters longer, cuz i was reading them over yesterday and some of them were reeeally short. This whole inside the arena thing is actually harder to write about than I expected, I think I'm gonna start focusing on the action than the relationship... we'll see. I don't own anything and thanks guys so much for the reviews and alerts. And also, please guys keep reviewing, I haven't been getting a lot of them lately and I'm not trying to be one of those authors that beg for them, but i kinda need some inspiration right now. Hunger games were out this week! i didn't have time to watch it yet :'( but hopefully soon. haha team gale atw. kay anyhows:

I woke with a hand gently nudging my shoulder, my eyes flustered open, adjusting to the light before making out Gale's handsome feature above me. I had been keeping guard, but I guess somehow the exhaustion caught up to me and I fell asleep. I was mad at myself, for not being careful, I mean, I could have been the reason that both of us were dead! Gale seemed to be reading my mind, because right then he said "Don't worry Catnip, it's not your fault, plus I was awake anyways."

"Great" I thought, now he's missing sleep because of me too.

"So what should we do today?" I asked him, while walking over to grab some of the left overs from yesterday. "After all this is the hunger games and we can't just chill together like its just another Sunday for us." I gave him a quick kiss as I said that.

"Well we could," Gale teased pulling me into his arms again. After a few minutes we stopped kissing and he let go of me. Wow, the capitol people are probably loving us right now, the new starcrossed lovers of district 12. And I was right, because just when I was thinking this, a tiny silver parachute floated down towards us.

Gale seemed to be thinking the same thing because when he saw the parachute land in my hands, he laughed and said "see, told you we could have."

I untied the small package from the parachute, excited to find the prize inside, just as I was about to open it, I handed it to Gale. This was the first sponsorship he's received in the games, and I though he should get the experience. Smiling at me, he took the package, slowly revealing what was inside.

It was a small bottle of iodine.

We both smiled, seeing that this was about the only thing that we were missing in order to survive well. Excluding what I have won from the cornucopia, Gale has managed to get ropes for his snares, night vision glasses and two small knives. Those added with our hunting experience, we should be unstoppable.

"How many people are left now?" Gale asked me.

"The last time I checked 9 including us, with 3 of them being careers."

"Oh yeah? so 7 more people before there's only us."

I shuddered at his statement, "I don't think I'm ready to think about that. I don't want to think about how I'm gonna die."

"Katniss, I though we talked about this, you are not going to die, I can't have you taken out of my life, I just can't"

"Well its going to be one of us and I'm not letting it be you."

"No it's not, we'll find a way around it, we always do."

Our voices were beginning to raise, so I just nodded, not wanting to attract attention. But it seemed like I realized too late because I heard footsteps before a pocket knife was flung in my direction, missing my head by a mere inch before hitting a nearby tree. I turned my head to see Bree, the girl from 4 running towards me with another knife already in her hand.

Gale flung toward me, covering me while pushing me behind the nearest tree as I got a chance to reach for my bow. I am just going to use this as defence, I'm not going to kill her unless I absolutely have to.

Gale now had his knife in hand as well, standing in front of my protectively, he slowly moved forward, ready to fight Bree. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the boy from 4, probably the girl's partner sneaking up to Gale. I watched him raise his spear and just as he was about to throw, my arrow left my bow, piercing him. A brief moment to guilt shocked me as the canon sounded above me. Another one rang right after the first, and I woke from my daze to see that Bree was lying on the ground as well. Gale's face mirrored mine as the fact that he killed someone settled in, we grabbed our stuff and ran as fast as we could away, so that we don't have to watch as the hovercrafts fly in.

We reached a clearing, and I wrapped my arms around Gale's.

"I always thought it wouldn't be that much different from hunting, but it is. I keep seeing images of people who knew them back home, and how devastated they must be, and how much they probably hate me. "

"Same here," I replied, " I didn't want to do it, but I had to. I saw his sneaking up on you and it was instinct, I had to do whatever to protect you."

Hearing those words made Gale hug me closer as he planted kisses onto my forehead in an attempt to calm me.

3 more canons sounded that day, it sounds sick it I was almost relieved.

We both had blood stains on us, so we decided to go wash up in the river that surrounded us. Going in there made me remember the lake back home, of my childhood when I use to go swim with my dad, and it reminded me of the first time I took Gale there. He was the only person I ever took there, it was my secret escape and now it was ours. It took alot for me to decide on bringing him, but I loved him and I wanted him to see it.

We dried up, and was slowly walking back towards the forest to find a place to set up our new camp. Suddenly we heard waves crashing, confused, I turned around, and my eyes widened as I saw the water crashing towards us.

"Run!" I yelled, running towards the forest in full speed. I grabbed onto Gale's hand, as I remembered the last time I ran for my life in here. I couldn't risk losing him again. We ran as fast as we could and when my steps slowed Gale picked me up and ran with my tightly in his arms. At last the waves calmed behind us, Gale ran a couple metres more before setting me down, collapsing beside me.

"The water is slowly expanding," he panted, its going to make the space smaller and smaller."

"Well there's only 4 of us left," I replied, "I guess they wanted to get us closer, and keep it interesting."

I knew that the games was getting down to the last few tributes and the capitol people were more anxious than ever for some good action. Was the water going to expand everyday? Until everyone is enclosed in a tight circle so that we have to fight no matter what? Or even worse, it will expand until there is only water, and whoever manages to outlast the water will be the winner. I kind of hoped for the latter, because I knew both of us were good swimmers.

That night as the anthem played and the faces started to show, I close my eyes when the tributes of 4 showed. I can just imagine how their families are feeling right now, and the cameras are probably pointing right at my face. I felt sick at what I've done, and what the capitol is slowly making me.

I was afraid to sleep that night, in fear that the nightmares will come to haunt me, so I took Gale's hand, telling him to sleep as I took the first guard shift. I watched him sleep, hoping that his sleep can be peaceful. As I saw a cringe appear on his face, I knew those bad thought have not let him along, I kissed him softly, wrapping my hands tighter around his. We couldn't escape our situation, but we can make it better by being here for each other.

Okay so personally I thought this flowed pretty well. I started typing and it just came pretty naturally to be. I hope you guys like it and I will try to update soon, I've been pretty fast lately right? Anyways please please please send me some reviews, I love you guys and I hope to update in the next week or so.

xoxo

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