Author's Note: Okay, I'm sorry it took a while for me to post the next chapter. I've just been REALLY busy! Anyway, I hope you like Chapter 6! :)
CHAPTER SIX: Let the Games Begin
Gale's POV:
I wake up and look out the window. The sun is just starting to rise above the horizon, turning the sky an orange-pink color. I look at the clock on my wall 5:12. Might as well wake up. We leave at 8:00 and I doubt I'll be able to fall back asleep anyway.
I walk into the bathroom and stumble into the shower, still half asleep.
When I get out of the shower, I notice the clock reads 6:38.
I let out a sigh and throw on a green shirt and black pants before walking out the door. When I reach the main part of our apartment, I see that no one else is awake beside the avoxes.
I sit on the couch and stare out the window. In a few hours I will be lifted into the arena. Who knows what awaits Katniss and I. A dessert with venomous snakes? A field with unknown plants? A big lake with only a few small islands on it? I can only hope that there will be some sort of forest. If not, we could be dead by tomorrow. I cringe at the very thought.
I am so deep in thought that I don't notice Katniss until she's a few feet away from me.
"Oh...hi, Catnip" I say to her.
"Morning..." she says
Her voice sounds distance and wary when she speaks. I take a closer look at her. There are light black circles under her eyes, signaling she didn't get much sleep last night.
"Are you alright?"I ask her, although it's a stupid question to ask. We'll be entering the arena in a few hours. Of course she's not alright.
She just nods and walks to the window. Then Katniss sits down on the windowsill and looks down at the quiet Capitol streets below.
I was going to apologize again for kissing her last night, but since Katniss hasn't brought it up, I guess it's best we both pretend nothing ever happened. Maybe in her mind, it didn't.
We sit in silence until Effie and Haymitch walk into the room. This quite disturbs me. No, not the clothes and makeup Effie is wearing. It's the fact that Katniss and I were sitting together silently instead of talking like we used to do every day in the woods. Have them Games already gotten between us? I cross my fingers and hope that this is just a one time thing and that we're only acting this way because of the pressure.
The rest of the morning flashes by faster than I expected. After breakfast, Effie pushed us up onto the roof where a hovercraft picked us up.
Now I am sitting in the hovercraft with Katniss beside me. I lightly tap her to get her attention. She must have been deep in thought since she jumps at my touch. But then she sighs and look at me.
"Remember our plan." I whisper to her.
She nods and looks down at her lap. I decide to take her hand and squeeze it reassuringly.
"You'll be fine, Catnip. I'll make sure you get out of there alive." I whisper to her.
She looks at me with terror in her eyes. Katniss knows that her survival means my death.
Suddenly the windows become an inky black color. This signals that we are close to the arena. I'm not sure if there is a God, but I pray that it's a woodland area and that Katniss and I will be safe.
After a few minutes, we reach our destination and I am escorted into the preparation room.
There, I shower and get dressed into my outfit. Every tribute wears the same thing. This year we have a jacket that is supposed to keep us warm (although I doubt it does), some boots perfect for running, tawny pants, and a green shirt.
Finally, I finish and all that is left to do is wait. Portia is there too, although we exchange little words.
Then, the robotic voice echoes through the room and my body starts to shiver. I am now to take my place in the plastic tube, which will lift me into the arena above.
I walk into the tube and just before the tube closes, Portia says, "I'm not allowed to bet, but if I could, I would bet on you and Fire Girl".
I nod and the tube slides closed around me. I find myself being lifted and I hold my breath.
Sunlight starts to shine down on me and I look up. The sky is a clear blue and birds are flying above. I'm thankful it's not an ugly and rainy day. After a moment, the tube is removed and my plate is in place. I examine the arena around me. There is a large lake and a field with tall grasses. However, we are mostly surrounded by a forest.
I let out a sigh. Yes, Katniss and I will feel right at home. Well, sort of. At home we don't have 22 other people hunting us.
While I was looking around, the countdown started. We have already reach 40. I look over at Katniss, who is 4 tributes to my right. We catch each others gaze and exchange reassuring nods. I don't even have to point to the woods. We both know that after we get our weapons, we must sprint into the woods and get as far from the bloodbath as possible.
15...14..13.
I suck in a breath and look into the center. There is a small slingshot a few feet away from me. Farther away, I spot a bundle of knives and some ropes. Perfect. I can dive right in and get them before anyone else. I know Katniss will be covering me and I'll have her back, just like hunting.
5...4...3..2..1!
The gong rings and the action begins.
Author's Note: Okay, so I hope you liked this chapter. :) Yep, it's a cliffhanger. Sorta. I worked extra hard on Chapter 6 for all of you guys. Okay fine...not really. *ashamed look*. It all sort of came to me. But I'm still happy with the outcome. And I certainly hope you all are to. Oh and another thing: I'm not trying to be offensive to all you religious people out there. I do believe in God, yes. Susan Collins created Katniss, who didn't know if there was a God. So I decided to make Gale the same way, since they have very close personalities. Just clearing that up. Anyway, please post your reviews. I practically live for them. I promise to get Chapter 7 out as quick as I can. So um...thanks for all your support! :D
~Ivy Blackwell