A/N: Early update! Thanks to everyone reviewing, following, or simply reading!
The cold dank air steals the warmth from his fingers, wrapped around the wooden handle of the pickaxe. His long sleeves are coated in a layer of sweat and coal dust. His muscles ache from the endless hours of mining and hauling coal. The fresh scars on his back scream as they are stretched back and forth with the movements of his arm. The tip of the pickaxe drags along the floor of the mine as Gale tries once more to stand straight in the cramped space and relax his tired muscles.
"One more hour," Thom grunts. "Then we're out of this hole."
By this time of day Gale is almost always grumpy, sick of being stuck in this claustrophobic cave. He grumbles back, "Yeah, a whole twelve hours of freedom until we're back again."
He reluctantly swings his pickaxe into the seam of coal, breaking free new chunks. For inspiration he imagines that he's swinging not at a coal seam but at Peacekeeper Thread.
"Hey, that's plenty of time for you to swing by the old slag heap. Maybe find a pretty face."
Gale guffaws at the notion, briefly attracting some curious glances from the other nearby miners. How many long months has it been since he's taken a girl to the slag heap. Or taken a girl anywhere for that matter. Now, those seem like the good old days. Sometimes he thinks he'd give anything to rewind his life back to last year and stay there - to be back in school with the girls swooning, to breathe the free air of the woods with his Catnip, instead of being trapped here under the earth feeling powerless to help even his own family. Thom, at least, has a girlfriend to take his mind off the mines.
But Gale has plenty to distract himself from the mines, too. His anger at Rory for taking out tesserae. The idea that he is on some sort of list of people Snow is using to blackmail Katniss into … into what? The hope that Katniss … her choice to stay, here in district 12, showed she chose him. She could have still run away with Peeta and her family, but she didn't. It's a ray of hope in the gloom of the mine. The knowledge that another district is rebelling is tantalizing. If only they could overthrow the Capitol and its abuses. But what can he do, stuck here in 12? Who here would fight?
Thom is waggling his eyebrows at Gale with exaggerated good humor. Gale mutters sarcastically, "The slag heap? Yeah, I bet there are lots of babes looking to hook up with exhausted, aching miners."
"Hey, what happened to that Hawthorne charm? You deserve some happiness, man. Don't tell me you're still hung up on her."
"Shut it, Thom."
"I'm just saying, you'd be a lot happier if you had a girl to go home to. One that actually cares about you. And sisters don't count."
Gale knows Thom thinks he should move on, but it's not that easy. Everything's been changing so fast, and right now Gale feels too tired to even work it out in his mind. Besides, food prices are going up, and now that the woods are off-limits it's taking everything he and his Ma .. and Rory, now ... have in them to keep food on the table. For once he agrees with Katniss, there's no time to think about romance.
To Gale, district 12 feels like an empty, hungry shell of what it was a year ago. He can't hunt. The hob is gone and even the woods are off-limits, especially now with Thread's fortifications on the fence and the changes in policing and enforcement. There were three whippings this week alone, for offenses Gale had forgotten were illegal. Darius disappeared after interfering in Gale's whipping, and the other Peacekeepers had no choice but to enforce Thread's policies. Gale hadn't appreciated how good things had been under the old head Peacekeeper Cray.
Finally the whistle blows and the miners head up into the sunlit afternoon. Fluffy white clouds seem to mock the tired, grimy miner. Above ground, he's reminded of another reason to detest this new district 12.
While he was recovering from the whipping, Rory has taken out tesserae. Today is ration day, so Rory will have brought home the month's grain and oil rations after school. Gale hates to admit how much they need it now, especially with the Parcel Day food arriving rat-infested and spoiled. Gale doesn't want the reminder of his failure to care for his family, or the extra entries his brother will face in the reaping, not just this year but every year, until he's old enough to join Gale in the mines.
But when Gale reaches home, Rory is outside, throwing small rocks at the rain barrel, his face twisted in anger.
Gale tells himself not to take it out on Rory, to be upbeat. "Hey Rory!"
Rory doesn't look at him, just locks his jaw and throws another rock. His eyes are puffy and red.
"Rory? You okay?"
"Go away." Rory mumbles.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Gale's own problems melt into the background as his brother takes center stage in his thoughts. He worries that Rory is thinking of reaping day, too.
"Leave me alone, " Rory insists.
Gale knows better than to push his little brother, so he strips off his coal-coated outer shirt and goes inside, figuring he'll give the boy time to cool off. At least he's letting off steam harmlessly. Maybe Ma knows what's going on.
Inside, Hazelle sits at the table, folding laundry and looking grim. At one end of the table is the bag containing the grain & oil rations. As Gale pushes his boots off his feet, he asks, "Hey Ma, you know why Rory's so upset?"
There's wariness in her eyes when she looks at him, answering, "Gale, I'll tell you but you can't get mad. There's nothing we can do." Gale grudgingly nods, taking the seat across from her.
"I mean it Gale." She looks at him pointedly, then continues, "You remember what happened at Parcel Day? Now it's the tesserae rations. The grain is spoiled, but they sent it home with the kids anyway. Another boy tried to argue and a Peacekeeper took him away. Rory didn't say anything, thank goodness, but now he feels like a coward and thinks it's all his fault."
Gale feels his anger at the Capitol rise up in him. His fists clench under the table.
Hazelle begs him quietly, "Gale, please let it be."
He covers his face with his hands, eyes squeezed tightly shut. Gale doesn't want to let it be. He doesn't want to swallow his anger at the Capitol. How can they do this to innocent kids, innocent families? He wants to punch someone. He wants to burn down the Capitol like they burned down the Hob. He wants to hug Rory and tell him he'll protect him. He wants to be able to go into the woods and bring home dinner again. He wants to fix this. But he knows he can't.
When his hands retreat back to rest on the table, she says as if nothing has happened, "Vick and Posy are supposed to be out in the garden. Will you check on them for me?"
As he walks back outside to the garden, Gale tries to suppress his anger. He's not used to feeling so helpless. But he does what she asks, because family is still the most important thing to him.
He can't help smile when his innocent little sister is in his arms. And he silently swears, as he always does, he'll never let them hurt her.