At the end of the day, my clients' laundry is done, ready to be delivered in the morning. Dinner has been eaten and the dishes are clean. I rub some balm into my hands, soothing the dry, cracked skin. Gale brought the balm from the Everdeens this morning, today's trade for the game Gale brought them. They must have thought of it as a way to repay Gale. Not that he asks for compensation. We've bought balm from them before, in the winter when the water gets cold so fast and my hands ache from scrubbing. Now in the summer, it feels like a luxury even using a small amount.
Gale is at the Everdeen home tonight, commiserating with Katniss' family as we all watch the games. He belongs to them as much as us right now, caring for her family while Katniss fights in the games. It reminds me how devoted he is to her now - a far cry from the fourteen year old boy who griped about the little girl messing with his snares.
The biggest shift has been in the last year, from what was a hunting partnership, even a friendship, to what is now what he most lives for. The woods, at Katniss' side, that's become his refuge, his balm from the worries of district 12, of raising his brothers and sister. He tries so hard to keep the world at bay and let them have the childhood that was cut short for him.
I'm beyond worried for what these games will do to him, if Katniss doesn't make it home, or even if she does. Our one victor in district 12 is evidence enough that winning the games does not lead to happiness or freedom. Not to mention the whole twist with Peeta protecting her. If she survives and has to live knowing he sacrificed himself for her? I don't think my son realizes how different things will be for them if she does come home. I don't know how to talk to him about it. It breaks my heart that I can't do anything for him. All I can do is be here when he needs me.
I sit Posy in my lap, facing her away from the television just in case something grisly is shown. She doesn't really know what's going on, and I want to keep it that way as long as possible. I braid her hair quietly, keeping one eye on the television and one on Posy.
Rory and Vick sit in front of the television, watching intently. They're both old enough to understand what's going on, and they know Katniss. She, and the others, are still suffering from the Tracker Jacker venom. Earlier, they showed her moaning and thrashing a bit. It pained me to hear Vick's insistent whispers, telling Katniss that she needed to get up, to move. He's my thinker - so quiet, so sensitive to the pains of the world. The broadcast didn't stay with her for long, though. Unconscious tributes aren't very exciting for the Capitol audience. Now they are showing the tribute from district 11, Thresh. He's harvesting grains from the field he's been hidden in, and the camera angle has just changed to show a huge snake hiding near him in the grass. Vick has picked this boy as one of his favorites (after Katniss and Peeta, of course) and both boys watch anxiously.
"He's gonna get bit," Rory mutters to Vick.
"Nuh-uh. Not by some dumb snake." Vick answers hotly.
Yesterday Katniss dropped the nest on the Careers. Two more dead. Two more mothers grieving. I can't help but think it, every time someone dies in there. Will this snake end another mother's vigil? I worry about Katniss' mother, knowing from Gale how she disappeared into herself when her husband died. It was a hard time for both our families, and I was lucky to keep food on the table - of course, Gale already knew his way around the woods, and his tesserae helped make ends meet. Now Katniss' mother has to face her daughter in the arena.
Katniss has her bow now, which should give her an advantage, if she survives the effects of the tracker jackers. Peeta had saved her, before being maimed in the fight with that vicious Career from district two. I had needed only one sideways glance to see how conflicted Gale was. He can't deny that Katniss owes Peeta her life. That kind of debt wouldn't sit well with him in any case.
Peeta had barely managed to escape yesterday - he must not have been stung as badly as the other Careers. Given the look of that gash in his leg, it was a miracle he'd made it to the creek bed. He's managed to mostly bury himself in the muck near the edge of the creek. It seems like a recipe for infection, but at least he is mostly hidden from his human enemies. Today he had come to, and managed to paint his face with mud to better camouflage into the creek bed. Posy had thought it was a great game. When Vick and Rory took her out to play after school today, she proceeded to 'paint' her own face with dirt. I have a feeling Rory was all too happy to let her get herself coated in dust and dirt.
It's been a relatively quiet day in the arena, with so many Careers temporarily out of the picture. I would be grateful for the reprieve but I've seen too many years of this. It will only get worse. Usually I pray for a fast games; it's much better to get it over with as quickly as possible. At least this year, a longer games might benefit Katniss, since she's better adapted than most to survive in these conditions. Rather, that would be the case, if the gamemakers didn't interfere when things calmed down too much for their liking.
In the arena, it's still light, though the sky here is darkening. Thresh managed to avoid the snake's attack and kill it. Now the games are showing the Career camp, and it's unusually quiet residents. Ah, they're showing that redhead girl sneaking into the booby-trapped supplies again. We've already seen her doing this several times, but I guess they keep showing it in case she screws up and gets blown to smithereens. Time to get Posy to bed. I set her down on the floor and she hugs her brothers goodnight before trudging off to get ready.
By the time Posy is settled into bed and I head back to the where the boys sit watching the games, the little girl is on screen, out of the trees for once, collecting nuts and some kind of leaves. As I sit next to them, Rory whispers, "She knows where Katniss is. I think she's looking out for her. Remember she showed her the nest?"
I smile at him, answering quietly, "Maybe Katniss has found a friend." I smooth his hair, and try to smooth my own anxiety, the tension in the pit of my stomach. Because in the games, friendships can't last.