Gale POV:

I was running as fast as I could to get from the water, Thresh was right with me. It was painful as the water started to flick onto the bare areas of my body; half of my right trouser leg was missing from when I fell from the tree I was sleeping in. The water was obviously acid and there was searing pain whenever it touched my skin. Something was strange about the speed of the water; it was fast enough to keep us running and always went slightly faster than me so I constantly had to up my speed but not so fast that I would drown in the acid. Clearly the Game Makers wanted me to go somewhere but I didn't know where until I saw her, running straight towards me too. Of course they want to push us back together. As soon as Thresh and I ran into her the water receded and what water did reach us washed over our shoes leaving no marks what so ever.

"I guess I can't avoid you anymore then." I try to laugh but I know this isn't going to go well. I have been thinking about what happened between us, well only between convincing Thresh not to kill me and that we should be allies. Catnip is glaring at me, I don't know why because that glare only works on Peeta and I am not that wimpy.

"No, when did you meet Thresh?"

"Oh we met up and thought that we would both rather work together than have to kill each other for now."

"Right well, I think I could use some allies anyway, for now like you said. If you're up for that." She is looking at me intently, I get that she feels guilty but come on it wasn't exactly my fault that she kissed me.

"That's fine with me." I look to Thresh and all he does is nod. He isn't really a talker but he is handy with a lot of weapons. I know this is going to be awkward but at least I can protect Catnip for now, I am now resolute that I want her to live because I only volunteered so she could have her happy ever after with Peeta if that exists. Catnip breaks the silence,

"Thresh, do you mind if I speak with Gale more privately please." Thresh speaks for the first time since we meet Catnip.

"You do realise the likelihood that the Capitol won't play a private conversation to everyone is very low." I can tell that Catnip clearly wants this to go on TV so she wants to make a big deal of it.

"Yeah I think we need to talk." I shoot Thresh a 'don't say anything' look and follow Catnip into the woods.

"Okay," She sighs, "I need to apologise. I shouldn't have kissed you and I shouldn't have said I love you because I don't. I only said it because I thought that if you died at least you would be happy." I open my mouth to say something but one look from Catnip tells me she isn't finished and now is not the time to interrupt. "It was the most stupid and selfish thing I have done but I do not plan on losing my best friend before I have to. I understand if you hate me but I also can't let this go unsaid because Peeta probably hates me right now and it is because I kissed you. That one time I forgot that it was you and for some reason I thought I was with Peeta because when I am not with him, nothing feels right and for me to pretend that I feel that way about you was wrong and I am truly sorry."

Her every word tears me to shreds, she is stabbing me a thousand times. What is that ridiculous saying that goes 'sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me'how could it be more wrong. Right now I would fight the career pack and feel less pain. She really doesn't love me at all. It hits me so hard that I feel six feet under. I thought that I had come to terms with the fact she loved Peeta, but I guess I never thought about her not loving me. She is clearly waiting for a response, an admission that I do not mind that she basically used me and lied to me. I can't give her that so I just walk back to Thresh with Katniss following me.

Thresh POV: (another POV but I thought it would be good from his view)

Gale looks completely destroyed; I don't mean like Katniss has beaten him up, I mean like he has lost all will to live. When we met it was only because I had been run from the crop filled fields by a mutt, it had huge snarling teeth that looked like they could rip my skin off with ease, it was slower than me but when I ran into the forest Gale approached me, we decided that it would be better to work together than have to kill one another. I wouldn't say we were friends, I would say we were allies with a mutual understanding that at some point soon we would be enemies again.

Gale suggested that we got moving and tried to find a water source because we had left ours when the wave of acid came in and it was at the very edge of the forest which was a long hike back and by then we would probably die of thirst. Luckily Katniss knew where there was a little lake that we could get water from and so far she hadn't seen any other tributes so we would be safe. I wanted to laugh when she said we would be safe because there was nowhere in this huge stupid arena that we would be safe because in no time at all at least two of us will be dead and in plain brown boxes that will be carted off to our districts.

Four days in, fifteen dead, eight left to die, one victor. It is all so built up through statistics, each child that dies one to add to a tally. What is worse is that the Capitol having me treating each person like a statistic as well. The girl from my district was the sweetest of girls, she was only twelve but she never gave up hope when we were working during harvest. Her voice was beautiful; I had only ever heard it sing the four-note tune that she got the mockingjays to sing to signal home time for workers. The mockingjays then carried the tune and repeated it as the sound spread all the notes would overlap so it was beautiful and calming. That's when I Katniss' pin on her clothes, it was a mockingjay.

"I like your pin," there was still obvious tension between her and Gale so I thought it would be a good way to break the ice now that it had been about an hour since we had found Katniss' lake.

"Thanks, Peeta gave it to me." Why did it have to be him? Gale made some sort of scoffing noise and Katniss' glared at him and snapped,

"Do you have a problem Gale?" She has the biggest mood swings I have ever seen! One minute she looks as guilty as sin and now she is furious.

"It's just; he really gave you a pin to wear. Why did he even bother, how is that going to help you?"

"If you don't remember the rules say you can have a token that reminds you of your district but can't be used as a weapon, this is from Peeta, Peeta is at home, home reminds me how much I need to try to win, that means I fight harder. Anymore questions with simple answers?"

"I really don't think that constitutes as a simple answer."

"Okay, anymore stupid questions?" She was on her feet and so was he.

"If the answer isn't simple then the question isn't simple."

"I SAID STUPID QUENSTIONS BUT I CAN THINK OF SOMEONE WHO IS SIMPLE MINDED."

"WELL SEND HIM MY BEST WISHES IF YOU GET BACK HOME."

"SORRY BUT I THINK WE WILL BE TO BUSY TO THINK ABOUT YOU."

"OH REALLY, DOING WHAT." I could see where this was going and I did not want to hear about it and I don't think this Peeta guy would want it on TV so I stood between them holding both my hands up and said,

"Enough, both of you. I plan on living through tonight but you to may as well be setting of a firework display the amount of attention you are attracting." To my horror Katniss said

"He started it."

"Like hell I did, it was you." This was like they were five again and at school and I was the teacher. They carried on bickering for a while until it got too much again.

"Look why don't we just go to sleep because it is getting dark, Katniss you can pick a tree to sleep in, Gale pick a tree that isn't the same at Katniss', after a couple hours I will switch with one of you and then after a few hours that person can switch with whoever hasn't had a shift okay?" They nodded and then went off. How can they act like bloody babies when it is such an important time?

A/N: sorry it isn't the best end to a chapter but I didn't want it to drag on too long because I have always preferred shorter chapters. Please review.