True to Hazelle's word, a rebellion was on the horizon. Gale kept his head down, and thoughts at bay as he mingled himself into the underground whispers. So far the rebels were comprised of a few older miners, men Gale soon realized, worked with his father and was fortunate enough to be closer to the surface during the mine "accident", a few others around the district and, shockingly to Gale, Haymitch Abernathy, the district's only victor and town drunk. With his connections inside the mine and to Katniss, the two partners quickly became messengers for the rebels. Subtle notes like Katniss trading to the baker asking for a small loaf of bread, and him giving her a roll with 7 singes on it would find its way into Gale's lunch pail for him to tell the other miners – were meeting tonight at 7. This form of communication had been developed after years of whispers and had stayed undiscovered by the Peacekeepers. To keep everyone, and the rebellion safe, not everyone was invited to the meetings, and the only consistent members were Haymitch and an old miner, Bob Jacksman.
"Whatcha bring me today, Sweetheart?" Haymitch called to Katniss as she strode up the path to his home in the victor's village. Since their first meeting together in which Katniss had spent the majority of the meeting scowling at Haymitch's implications that she was obviously only here to hang out with her 'boyfriend', Haymitch began calling her 'Sweetheart', and Katniss had a sneaking suspicion that nickname wasn't going to go away.
"Clean laundry." Katniss replied holding the well-used bag above her head. Since joining the rebels, Haymitch saw it best to use Hazelle's laundry services, an action Gale and Katniss were sure he had anterior motives to, but couldn't decipher what.
"Not Rory today?" Haymitch asked as he handed her a few coins and took the bag from her.
"No, he had a lot of homework to do today, and Hazelle asked me to do this run before I head out." Katniss responded.
"I'm glad she did," Haymitch answered. To Katniss' arched brow, he continued sarcastically, "to see your smiling face, obviously." To Katniss' rolling eyes, Haymitch returned seriously, "Be careful, I heard some rumors we're getting new boots today."
It wasn't a riddle, for once, and Katniss knew immediately what he meant, things are changing, new Peacekeepers are coming in and they might not take to people wandering outside the fence like Cray has.
"Oh, and tell the boy to come next time, I'd rather have someone deliver my laundry who actually smiles and says hello."
Katniss, taking more time to check her surroundings today, snuck behind the fence and captured her usual hull without incident. Anxiety of Haymitch's warning kept the hair on her neck prickled the whole time, but she breathed a sigh of relief when she returned home. Prim greeted her as usual, taking the Everdeen's portion of her hull before Katniss continued to the Hawthorne's home do deliver his portion.
Instead of Hazelle or Rory, a coal dust free Gale greeted Katniss with a large grin and quick kiss.
"What are you doing here – clean? Did they close the mines?" Katniss asked surprised and worried at the unusual sight.
"Na," Gale replied easily pulling her inside with him, "They sent my crew and another one to help with some 'projects' in the square today." Then his voice turned grim, "They had us build a post, stocks and a set of gallows. I heard rumors we have new Peacekeepers coming in tomorrow and they're cracking down on us."
"Be careful. Haymitch told me the same thing today." Katniss replied softly as not to let Hazelle or the kids hear.
"I think we're getting close- if they're starting to crack down on us more, that means they're worried about us actually doing something." Gale whispered excitedly.
"Or it means another mining accident and people being pulled out of their homes to be shot."
"Theres a lot more talk in the mines recently, people want to fight, we're ready. I know we have to stay organized and we have to wait for the other districts to do this, but we're ready."
"I've been thinking, if things are going down, I think we should make the cabin a safehouse for the kids and our moms." Katniss began, "Have necessities like clothes, blankets, food, medicine, and show Rory the way to get there incase we can't go with them."
"I'll take him out Sunday, and I'll figure out a way to put markers on the trail to get there." Gale agreed, "Start gathering things at your place, and I'll do the same here. Let's only tell Rory though, I don't want anyone else to worry."
"Catnip?" Gale gave her a comforting glance, "We're going to be ok."
Dread began filling in the pit of Katniss' stomach after that conversation. The following Saturday Katniss took her first trip of supplies out to the cabin. The majority of the day was spent stocking the supplies, making sure there was a pile of wood in the cabin to start a fire, and a booklet of instructions she had written over the past two nights. They seemed almost silly to her, but knowing neither of the families had ever spent time in the woods, Katniss realized she couldn't send their families to live in the woods without any aid – just incase. Just incase she and Gale don't make it out of the district alive, just incase they get split up for any period of time, just incase she and Gale are too injured to help. The images of scenarios kept playing through her mind mostly involving the worst possible ways to die, or Gale splayed on her mother's kitchen table, just like all those other injured her mother has seen, bloody and catatonic. Just incase.
Feeling calmer about her choices and more prepared for whatever could happen next, Katniss trudged home managing to shoot two rabbits and finding a racoon in one of Gale's snares, a prize after the harsh winter they had endured. Her peace was short lived, however. Upon entering what used to be the Hob, Katniss quickly realized the new recruit of Peacekeepers had already arrived. Apparently their first choice of business was to burn the Hob leaving only rubles and chard wood remaining of the once thriving black market.
"Katniss," A battered Greasy Sae pulled Katniss to the moment, "you shouldn't be here."
"I-" Katniss took a second glace at Greasy Sae. The old woman's right eye was a bright shade of purple and swollen nearly shut, she was favoring her right side, something Katniss was sure wasn't a bother to her yesterday, and her lip had a long gash across it, "What happened to you?"
"Never mind me, you need to get out of here." Sae hissed pushing at the young huntress. "Its not safe for you. Stay home, don't go out other than school, keep your head down. Now!"
The last hiss of warning pulled Katniss out of her shock, and quickly ran past the destroyed Hob towards the Seam. She didn't get too far before she heard a sickening crack of a whip hitting something that instantly made Katniss think of a skinned deer. A large crowd had gathered around the square, where a whipping post was set the day before, and Katniss didn't need anyone to tell her exactly what that whip was cracking. Some poor miserable soul was tied to the post, and was having their back shredded by a Peacekeeper.
"Such a brave boy." An older woman whispered to her friend as Katniss passed.
"Has anyone told her?" The friend replied, both unable to tear their eyes away from the scene.
"I'm not sure," The first replied, "First her husband, now her boy..."
Fear replaced her reverie with a single thought hammering through her mind as she pushed through the crowd – not Gale.
A gruff hand spun her around as she reached the edge of the crowd, and the man, someone she knew from the Hob but never remembered his name, hissed into her ear, "Whatever yer thinkin', don't. You ain't doin' him no good running up there."
She was close enough to the edge of the crowd to plainly see the torn flesh of man tied to the post. His back was covered in blood, his head, the beautiful dark locks of hair damply clinging to his face, was dropped between his arms, and his face was bent just slightly so Katniss could see the side of his face – Gale's face. Suddenly, nothing in the world mattered except saving Gale from the whip which was descending yet again onto his back. The sickening slap of leather on raw skin pulled Katniss into action, and before she realized it, she was running past the crowd and had flung herself over Gale, earning herself the lash meant for him. Pain tore at her cheek, but she couldn't find it in herself to care.
"Gale! Gale!" Katniss heard herself scream into his ear, his unresponsive body unable to answer as she continued to cry his name begging for him to wake and answer her.
"Gale!" Another lash cracked over her back.
"Wake up- please!" Another crack.
"Gale!"
"Catnip?" His mumble was almost heard and Katniss felt tears of joy and relief stream down her face at his coherence.
"Stay with me, Gale, please." Katniss whispered as she felt another lash hit across her back. She felt the Peacekeeper stop his whip stroke, and looked over her shoulder to see him starring at her, rage evident on his features.
"Want another one girlie?" He asked in a blood curdling voice. Katniss took the moment to stand above Gale, now knowing he was alive, and faced the Peacekeeper with resolved spite.
"Go ahead." Her voice rang clear and defiant. With a vicious smile, the Peacekeeper pulled out his gun, which had been resting at his hip, and clicked a bullet into the chamber. Challenging her, he held the gun to her forehead, as if to see how far she would be willing to go for the torn boy tied to the stake behind her. She refused to shift her ground, and stood as calm as she could. For a brief moment, she realized death was something she would gladly accept if it meant saving Gale from his punishment, and accepted her fate.
"Stop!" The voice of Cray rang through the crowd, hurtling himself in front of the Peacekeeper. The mood of the crowd immediately shifted, as Cray stepped in front of the new Peacekeeper. "Come on, you've made your point."
"He poached on Capital land!" The Peacekeeper yelled.
"We think. There's no proof. Besides," Cray looked at the destroyed back, "you got enough lashes in, didn't ya?"
"She's interfering with a Peacekeeper." The Peacekeeper shook his gun at Katniss.
"I never said she was smart." Cray reasoned, "Why don't we just let that sit as a warning to the rest of the district, and let the boy go. He's blead out enough."
"Fine- but next time," The Peacekeeper looked threatening at Katniss, "I'm shooting both of you, and I'm not hesitating."
Katniss nodded quickly, her breath returning quickly, something she didn't realize she was holding until she began gulping down her breaths.
"Clear the square!" The Peacekeeper bellowed, "Curfew begins at dark – anyone out past that will be shot on sight." He paused to yell directly at Katniss, "Get that slab of meat out of my sight."
Without hesitation, Katniss ran back to Gale's slumped body struggling to untie the ropes from Gale's wrists, the flesh pealing off from tugging against the binds. Her shanking hands could hardly manage the knot, and someone had come behind her to shove her away from the ropes. Rory, who somehow seemed much older than the 13-year-old he was, had replaced her and cut the ropes away from his brother's writs as Thom, Gale's best friend and crew member, was carrying what looked like a door with two other guys Katniss vaguely recognized from the Gale's mining crew.
"Run home, tell your mom," Rory was giving Katniss hurried directions as all four men attempted to push Gale onto the door. Gale was mumbling something, his coherency returning as pain coursed through his body. "Katniss!"
As if she was a deer caught in headlights- Katniss focused on Rory now, her eyes away from Gale's slumped and bloody form before realization hit, and she took off running past the crowd, who opened for her to pass, and home.