Status: In Progress

The Instigator

03.

Time passed slowly without Katniss around. Although I loved spending more time with Gale, Katniss’ absence meant a lot of our time was all work and no play. When we were hunting, we did so for three families now, and only two of us were doing it. It took some time adjusting to, but once we found a system that worked, we went with it.

Seeing Katniss’ face on the TV screen the Capitol provided for the required Hunger Games viewings was strange and terrifying. I had spent several of the past years watching people I had smiled at in passing, but never anybody I had really, honestly loved. Even watching Peeta tugged at my heartstrings more than normal, much to Gale’s chagrin as he hated him for being a bit higher on the food chain than the rest of us.

Hunting with Gale nowadays had become a huge drain on my positivity. He shared great dreams about rebellion, about rushing in to save Katniss and maybe even Peeta from the grasps of the Capitol before one of them ended up dead, and finally bringing pride to District 12 while making a fool out of the Capitol. I always reminded him that a rebellion against the Capitol would bring our district pain, not pride, and he usually switched subjects. But one day, after Katniss and Peeta were officially released into the arena, he brought up a new idea.

“There’s some talk around the mines about District 13 never actually disappearing,” Gale said. It was a good thing I was turned around, because my face surely showed surprise as he brought up my home, which I had thought everyone had nearly forgotten about. I heard Gale unwind another trap before he spoke again, saying, “They say the District went underground after they threatened a nuclear attack on the Capitol. The Capitol would let them sink away if they left the rebellion, so they did.”

My mind was whirring at the moment. Whoever was Gale’s source of information was, he was scarily close to the truth, and that was worrisome considering if some adventurous pilgrim wandered out to find District 13, he probably could.

I had been quiet for too long, and I knew Gale was about to ask me what was wrong. I spoke quickly, probably setting off more red flags, but not really caring, either, as I said, “That’s absolutely ridiculous, Gale. We were taught that District 13 was basically the leader and the innovator of the rebellion. Why would they just pull out when they could win with that nuclear destruction?”

“I don’t know,” Gale said, sitting down on a rock to rest as I took a seat beside him. “Maybe it was all talk. Maybe they didn’t have the weapons.”

I bit back the affirmation that they did, indeed, have the weapons as my dad had informed me during a history lesson regarding District 13, and instead quickly changed the subject to one I knew Gale could ride on and one he had not surprisingly touched today yet.

“So, Katniss seems to be doing pretty well in the Games,” I said bluntly. Gale, of course, didn’t even notice my quick change of the subject. Whenever it regarded Katniss, he was ready to discuss it.

“I mean, she’s surviving,” Gale said in a way that made me look at him in confusion. He looked back at me as he bagged a dead squirrel, and gave me a confused look of his own. “What’s that look for, huh?”

“‘She’s surviving’? The way you said it makes it sound like she’d be better off if she was dead,” I said, almost jokingly, but Gale didn’t deny the fact. I looked at him quickly again and said, “Gale, what the hell are you thinking right now?”

“I mean, she’s not Katniss. She killed that kid from 2, and she’s in love with the baker boy now,” Gale said sullenly. Jealousy raged through me although I could tell he was not upset that Katinss was in love with someone else; he was upset that she picked someone outside of our social class, forgetting who she was and the people who she left behind. I rolled my eyes, standing up from the rock.

I felt his eyes trained on my back as I said, “Big deal. She’s alive, and that’s what should matter.”

“Why would it matter if she comes back and isn’t even the same person? The Katniss we used to know is dead,” Gale said pointedly. I did the only thing I could think of.

I punched him in the face.

He staggered back and his head turned to the side. He turned back to me and I went to go hit him again, but he grabbed my fist. I slapped him with my free hand, yelling at him, “Don’t you say that!”

“Why not?! You know it’s true!” He yelled back, pulling me into a restrictive hug.

“I can’t... I can’t lose her, too,” I said, nearly out of breath as I took in deep breaths to stop the cries from coming. Gale inhaled quickly and held me tighter, kissing the top of my forehead.

He pulled away from me and met my eyes, saying, “I cannot promise you that you will not lose anybody else you love. But I can promise you one thing. You will not lose me.”

I met his gray eyes, and we just stared at each other for awhile, both of us taking time to see each other as the new people we had become the moment after Katniss left and our lives changed forever. How much they had changed, we still didn’t know, but that was besides the point. Having just another person so close to us torn away from us helped us mature, and, without that third wheel, we were able to ride on our own.

Gale shot down and pressed his lips to mine, crushing my body to his. I tangled my fingers in his hair, which was longer than what he preferred, and it was like we had been doing it for ages.