The girl was gone before he could protest.

Gale was certain he was losing his mind. This was his final punishment, the one that would destroy him. It was all he could take to keep from screaming. This girl that randomly showed up on a chance seemed to be from his head, a product of imagination. He banged his fist against the wall, wondering if it was violence towards inanimate objects that made her appear. No dice. Venus remained stubbornly hidden. Venus was a source of confusion, as if she was his own personal Cheshire Cat. She showed up when she pleased, however, and this was a source of confusion for Gale.

How was he supposed to coax the girl to show back up? He decided after the day was done to go down to the bar, as was his ritual when Katniss filled his head. For the first time, he wasn't drinking because of Venus. How could one seemingly meaningless girl cause him to become a complete trainwreck? She consumed his thoughts easily, and for the first time, the hunter was the hunted. He never thought any girl could be like one of his snares. He was shocked at how easy it was to replace Katniss.

Gale was shocked the minute he walked into his usual bar. There was the blond girl with skin of porcelain talking animatedly with a group of guys. He knew right away that there were two very obvious explanations: a) he had slipped into a complete fantasy world with this girl as the focal point or b) the girl was very much real. He hadn't seen any proof that this girl was real beyond the fact that other people in his head could see her. He swallowed his pride and asked the bartender, "Do you see the blond girl over there?"

The bartender was already pouring him the usual when he cracked a smile. "So you're finally over that girl who broke your heart?"

Gale was taken aback. He didn't think of Venus entering his mind as proof he was finally moving on, beginning to heal after the pain Katniss had caused him. He wondered briefly if Peeta and Katniss had kids yet before he realized something: he didn't care. He didn't care anymore about their relationship. He cared about the girl chatting with the guys, and he locked eyes with her. With a slight smirk, she got up from where she was. The first thing out of her mouth was another sly comment. "Figured out I'm not a product of your imagination yet?"

She hopped up on a stool and crossed her legs, her eyes sparkling at him. He never thought that a girl with blue eyes could be so wonderful, never imagined that he'd be curious about a girl with blond hair that fell to her waist… and what made her seem so unhappy. Her eyes sparkled around him, but that's about it to showcase any sort of happiness. How was it her entire expression existed solely in her eyes? More importantly, why didn't it freak him out? "I figured when the bartender and other people could see you, which must mean you're real."

Venus smiled like a cat who had just caught a mouse, and it faded to a smirk. She took his hand, a soft smile appearing on her face. "I could always feel my hallucinations… but they were never warm like you are."

It was his realization he was speaking with someone who was familiar with how hallucinations work… or so she claimed. Before he knew it, he was asking her, "What triggered the hallucinations?"

She was taken aback. No one had ever asked her what triggered the hallucinations. It was then she realized she didn't know what triggered them. However, she knew that there was a common theme: her own sanity. "Insanity," she stated simply.

Gale was learning that this girl gave answers that seemed obvious, but are often overlooked. So simple was she but stil the most complex and confusing person he had ever met. He didn't want to press her for further details, but he couldn't help his curiosity. Something about her sparked it in him, the desire to question, the desire to wonder, and he wasn't one for self-control. "Do you have any family?"

He was shocked to see her eyes lose the sparkle he had grown accustomed to seeing in her eyes and tears well up in her eyes. "No. Not since I was fourteen…"

She trailed off, clearly not willing to discuss it. It was at this moment he realized this girl had to of been a teenager during the war, younger than Katniss but older than Prim. The thought of Prim fills him with guilt, gnawing at his stomach. Venus's hand had been comforting, but not enough. "What happened to them?"

Venus bit her lip, not sure how to disclose what had happened… or if she should disclose it at all. She frowned, before her reply came. "That's part of my mystery… and we wouldn't want to shatter all my secrets in the first few hours, would we? I think that we have a chance to do something fun… for the both of us. So… no histories. This is all fresh."

Gale smiled, unable to help himself. "Starting over then?"

"Starting over."