We're More Than Just Pieces in Their Games

"Dammit," I muttered to myself; slicing the palm of my hand open wasn't on today's agenda. Deliria wasn't helping, either; trying to skin my new game was proving to be much harder than normal.

"Gale, if you could only see me now," I whispered as I ripped the sleeve off of my shirt and wrapped it around my hand. The wound was deep, so it would only be a matter of time before my blood soaked through the fabric. I stared at it for a minute before proceeding to cook my rabbit over the dwindling fire. I had to hurry, since rain was clearly on the way.

It's been about a week and a half since my departure from District 12, and I can only imagine the chaos back at home. I sighed, praying that Peeta and Gale weren't taking my disappearance out on each other. Once the rabbit was cooked, I ate about half of it before shoving it into the makeshift bag I had made out of animal skin.

The bag looked like shit; it was falling apart, which makes sense. After all, I don't know how to make a bag out of animal skin. I'm not wonder woman! Plus, Gale always handled that kind of stuff.

I felt tears form just at the thought of Gale. The man had told me that he loved me and how did I respond? I picked up and left.

I stood up slowly, the forest spinning around me. Tired and freezing, I moved on into the forest, having no idea of where I was going.

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I curled up into a ball in my sleeping bag as the rain pelted my forehead. Why had I left again?

Oh. Right.

If I left, then Peeta and Gale wouldn't have to compete for me anymore. I laughed out loud, realizing how stupid my reasoning for leaving sounds now that I'm stranded in the woods with barely any food.

"I'm sorry you guys. But hell, at least you guys are warm," I said out loud, talking to myself.

Just as I was about to fall asleep, I heard leaves around me crunch. I didn't move, but simply cracked open one eye. What or who was there? Inside of the sleeping bag, I wrapped my hand tighter around my knife, ready to fight if necessary. As soon as I heard footsteps, I bounded up and lunged toward the sounds.

"Woah!" a voice grunted, stepping back to avoid my blade.

I fell forward, the strength quickly draining from my body. I mentally rolled my eyes at myself. Hadn't I just won the Hunger Games, and I could barely take one swing at a guy? The area was spinning and I felt a strong hand grip me by the arm.

"Let go," I ordered, but it came out as a squeak.

"Sorry. Tons of people lookin' for ya. Now that I've found you, people are gonna be begging for me to give you back," the voice responded gruffly. I blinked slowly, taking in the man's voice. I didn't know him, so I tried fighting back as much as I could.

"Don't bother, you're exhausted. I'd kill you, anyway,". I shook my head, trying to process what was going on.

"So Snow finally set out orders to find me, huh? What's the prize for finding me?" I asked slowly, fear starting to set in. What was going on? The man laughed as he led me down a path that I must've missed earlier.

"Honey, he set out orders to find you the day after you left; besides, he's had eyes all over District 12 for weeks,".

"Weeks?" I repeated. Hearing this was kind of surprising, but then again, it was President Snow.

"Yup. Come on, girl, keep up; we don't have much time before we run into some of fatty's men," the man ordered, practically dragging me down the dark path. Something in my head was set off and I felt tears start to slip down my cheeks.

This guy wasn't one of Snow's men?

Was I actually getting kidnapped?

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"Welcome home," the man said as he led me into an abandoned shack. I heard him lock the door twice behind us before heading into the kitchen.

"It's small, but do-able. You'll be sleeping on the couch; don't try any funny stuff, or I'll lock you in the bathroom. I'll treat you like a guest until you start acting like a hostage," the stranger explained as he turned on the stove.

"But I am a hostage, aren't I?" I asked him, my voice shaking. The man walked up to me and bore his eyes into mine, as if looking right through me.

"You smell pretty bad. You could use a shower,". I stared at him like he was crazy, since he clearly was.

"The shower here works?". He rolled his eyes, nodding.

"Of course it does. Just because I make the outside of this place look deserted doesn't mean the inside is. I don't want the Capitol finding me, so I act as if I don't exist,".

"That's actually quite clever," I replied, tapping my foot. I was trying to keep as calm as possible, but apparently a bipolar crazy man had just kidnapped me. I watched him move back to the stove in silence. I let my head loll to the side as another wave of dizziness washed over me.

"You don't look so hot. Try and stay conscious until I make some tea, that'll pep you up some. After that, I'll help you over to the couch, okay?".

I didn't reply for a while, since the entire situation was entirely confusing.

"Why am I here?" I asked the man before sitting down at the rickety kitchen table. Another wave of dizziness hit me. "What do you want with me?".

"You? Nothing. All I know is that you're wanted by a lot of people at your home and by a lot of people in the Capitol, especially that big man.." the stranger explained, but stopped short. Wow. He really did act as if he didn't exist; he doesn't even know the President's name!

"Snow? The President of Panem?" I clarified as he nodded.

"Yes, yes. He wants you found, God knows why,". I listened intently as the tea on the stove began to whistle, signaling its completion.

"I don't want to sound rude or anything, but if you act as though you don't exist, then how do you know that everyone is out looking for me?" I asked him, biting my thumbnail. He stared at me as he poured two cups of tea, one for both of us.

"Since I don't exist, I can go to any DIstrict I want and pose as a citizen. It's quite easy, actually. Go to District 12, I'm a miner. Head up to 4, hell, I'm a fisherman," he shrugged, sliding the cup of tea towards me. I took a long sip, not caring if I burnt my tongue; the warmth felt heavenly in my body.

"It really isn't that simple, sir. As you know, each District has a special occupation; I've never held a fishing pole in my life.. How do you know how to do it all?". He suddenly slammed his tea cup onto the table, the brown liquid sloshing everywhere.

"Don't judge me and don't ask a lot of questions. You're a guest, not a detective," he snapped. I lowered my gaze to the wooden floor for a while and finished my tea in silence.

"Thank you for the tea, but I probably should get some sleep," I forced a small smile towards the man before placing my cup in the sink.

"Of course," he replied, suddenly right behind me. "I'll get you some blankets. Get some sleep; I want you to be plenty rested. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow,".

"Work? What kind of work?" I asked him, a chill going up my spine.

"Special work. Why else would I have saved you?" the stranger replied as he set a couple blankets down on the beat-up couch. After a while, I was settled into the couch and he was heading for the tiny bedroom.

"Excuse me?" I chirped.

I almost regretted it by the way the man stopped so abruptly in the doorway, but I knew that I had to ask. He just looked so familiar.

"There a problem with your sleeping conditions?" he asked so quietly that I could barely register what he was saying.

"No, no, they're fine.. I was just wondering... What's your name?". His head turned over his shoulder so I could see his eyes shining in the candlelight.

"I never tell,". I whipped my body around so that I was facing him fully.

"So people have asked you before?" I continued, egging him on.

"Of course. You think you're the only one who's stayed here before?".

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I woke up to the smell of pancakes.

Wait, pancakes?

I opened one eye and looked into the kitchen to see that yes, the man had made pancakes. That was when it hit me.

Pancakes.

I yawned a bit before standing up to stretch; the couch had actually been quite comfortable. I stood up and made my way over to the same rickety table and sat down as my kidnapper placed a plate of pancakes in front of me.

"How do you—?".

"Make pancakes? I told you yesterday. If people don't know you really exist, going to any town for different items is easy," he explained as I dug into the meal. It reminded me of Peeta, since this was the best meal I've had since leaving District 12.

"So what should I call you if I can't know your name?" I asked him, mouth full of pancake.

"You can call me Sir, how about that? But on film, you should call me Master. No, you have to call me Master; got it?" he ordered, handing me a glass of water. I froze mid-chew; Master? Who the hell is this guy?

"Film? Master? What kind of work are we doing today?" I replied, nervously putting down my fork. He chuckled darkly as he sat down and started to eat food alongside me.

"I need you to look like you're in danger, even if you're not. I'll get more that way," 'Sir' explained to me, his eyes wide.

"Get more what?" I crossed my legs on the chair, not sure if I wanted to hear the answer.

"Salvation,".

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I sat silently as 'Sir' slowly but carefully tied me up against an old wooden chair. As he tied, I stared up at the bathroom ceiling, wondering what the hell I had gotten myself into by leaving District 12. Half the time, Sir was nice and feeding me warm food.

I guess it was better than freezing and starving out in the wilderness; after all, the dizzy spells were starting to go away. But then again, there were the times when he would just stare at me with crazy eyes; as if he wasn't really there. What had made Sir this way?

"Hey, snap out of it," I heard Sir say as he tapped my lightly on the shoulder.

"Sorry, Sir," I apologized, blinking fast a couple times.

"Don't lick your lips or this won't stick, okay?" Sir instructed before pulling out a roll of grey tape.

"Tape? Where in the world did you find tape?" I asked, astounded at the gleaming tape. Sir laughed at the face that I was making.

"How many times do I have to tell you? I can get around easily. Hush up, now. We have to make this look believable," Sir sighed gruffly before placing a strip of heavy tape over my mouth. I instantly panicked, instinct taking over.

"It's okay," Sir reassured me, cupping my face in his hand. My eyes widened in surprise and fear. Who does this guy think he is? I wanted to slap his hand away, but I haven't been able to tell what really sets him off.

"On the subject of being believable, I'm going to tie your hands up and blindfold you, okay? Just so you're not surprised," Sir looked me in the eyes and for a moment it looked as if he was just as scared as I was.

I nodded in acceptance, since there really wasn't much that I could do about it, anyway. I winced as the rope knotted around my wrists and shuddered as I felt a blindfold get placed against my eyes. I was in total darkness.

"Once I start talking, you'll know that we're filming. Act surprised, even though that won't be hard. I haven't warned you about everything,". I whimpered as Sir explained everything to me. Well, at least I wasn't able to call him Master. But what else could he be possibly planning? Sir hadn't even told me what this 'video' was for!

"Hello, Panem. You don't need to know who I am or where I come from. All you need to know is that I have kidnapped your very own, Anastasia Petrova," Sir boomed from somewhere in the tiny room.

I heard him shuffle his feet, so I assumed that he had been standing in front of me and was now revealing my body towards the camera. I whimpered some more, since I really was terrified.

"You all might be saying 'Oh thank goodness, she's not hurt!'," Sir joked, laughing deeply.

His laughs were halted suddenly and I could hear him opening a drawer. Was this what he hadn't warned me about? I fidgeted in my chair, not really wanting to know what was coming.

As Sir talked to the camera, I pictured Gale and Peeta watching this ransom video on television, along with the rest of the world. What would they think? They wouldn't know that I had chosen to leave, no; they would think that from the start, I was kidnapped. If I could slap myself, I would have.

This is the perfect 'out' for Snow; it would make him look like a hero if he saved me.

"But you know, she's only 'not hurt' for now. But Panem, long story short, I want Coriolanus Snow at my doorstep in two days. If not, well—," Sir paused before taking what I assumed was my own knife and used it to slash a long line into the side of my face.

I screamed against the tape as I felt the warm liquid drip down my face. I could feel my body shaking at the sound of Sir's laughs.

"Well. That will keep happening. So, Coriolanus. If you want Miss Petrova back so badly, you'll come find me. If you choose not to come find me and Miss Petrova, well.. You can leave the consequences up to me," Sir threatened the camera, before spinning around and punching me in the face, knocking me unconscious.

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I don't know what time it was when I woke up, but the sun had set and I was wrapped in warm blankets on Sir's couch. I looked around quietly to find that he wasn't around, so he was probably sleeping.

I reached up and ran two fingers across my face to find a bandage over where the blade had pierced my skin. Hot tears pricked my eyes as I sat in the dark, unsure of what to do. If I made a run for it, Sir would probably find me; after all, I have no idea where his shack I located. Before Sir found me, I had been walking for a long time.

If I stayed, however, I don't know how much farther Sir would push me in these ransom videos. That's when it hit me: Sir told Snow that he had two days to find us. What happened after two days were up?

I prayed that Snow had all of Panem out looking for me, but I couldn't be selfish. Knowing Snow, he'll probably say that my kidnapping was an 'act of God' or something.

"Well God, I could really use some help right now," I whispered to myself before lying back down and closing my eyes. If I decide to leave, it can't be right now. I could feel a black-eye coming on and I was clearly not in the right state of mind to be running around the woods in the dark, especially with a crazy man chasing after me.

I shut my eyes, leaving myself to think about all of the things that Sir had said in his video. He knew Snow's first name, which meant that I had been lied to; Sir know a lot more about Panem than he had let on.

But my main question is: who is he?

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"So what do you plan on doing to Snow once he finds us?" I asked Sir at the kitchen table, my hands shaking. After everything that has happened me, the idea of someone kidnapping me never really came up as a possibility. I guess that since I had been put through the Games, I thought that nothing could really touch the evil that surrounded them; however, being kidnapped by a crazy guy comes pretty close.

"That's for me to know, sweetheart; all you need to know is that the video we made has been shipped out to all of Panem," Sir replied as he noisily slurped his potato soup.

I grimaced at the bowl in front of me, losing my appetite quickly. My cheek hurt and I could feel the skin around my eye tighten up; a black eye was obviously showing.

"I see. But the thing that I'm confused most about is why you treat me with such... Great hospitality until you turn that camera on. Why not just punch me now instead?" I asked, folding my hands in my lap. Sir started to emit that chilling laugh as I should have known the answer to my own question.

"Deary, what's the point of hurting you off camera? I really do apologize for cutting your cheek," he apologized, his eye twitching.

For a moment he just stared at me, knife in hand. It was as if he was somewhere else again, but I wasn't going to be the one to snap him out of his funks.

"Besides.. I have no reason to kill you yet," Sir rolled his eyes and took another sip of his steaming soup.

I was going to move on to another question but something that Sir had said had stuck with me.

"Wait.. Kill me? Sir, you don't plan on killing me on camera in front of Panem if Snow doesn't show up, do you?".

Sir's silence after my question answered it perfectly.

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I needed to get out of there.

How?

I don't know.

When?

I don't know.

Where would I go?

Who the hell knows.

No matter what, escaping is my only option. I was surprised that night when Sir had offered to tuck my in that night. He wrapped my body in more blankets than normal and wrapped them around me like a cocoon; trapped.

I thanked him and closed my eyes, pretending to fall asleep. Minutes had passed and I could sense that he was still in the room. I cracked an eye open to see that Sir was standing in the doorway staring straight at me.

"Uncomfortable?" he asked me before making his way over to the couch that I was basically glued to. Shit. He's going to kill me now; get it over with.

"No, I'm fine. It just takes me a while to fall asleep," I whispered, attempting to giggle. I watched him tap a finger against his unshaven chin before he responded.

"You know what? Why don't you take the bed tonight? You look like you could use a better night's sleep after today's events,". He wants me to take the bed?

"Um.." I managed before scanning the room.

After a few seconds, I realized why he had offered: the bedroom was farther away from the front door.

He knows.

"Sure, thank you," I smiled weakly.

The look that crossed Sir's face looked to be a surprised one; he clearly had thought that I was planning an escape route. But that's why I need to take the bedroom; that way, he won't think that I want to run away.

I allowed Sir to un-tuck me from the couch and headed over to his tiny bedroom in silence. I could feel his eyes making holes in my back as I entered the room, smiled at him, and shut the door. I sat down on the bed, tucking my knees into my chest.

Maybe I really can't leave tonight; maybe not at all. No, I had to escape, just not tonight. I refused to sleep under the covers, so I grabbed the blanket from the edge of the bed and cried myself to sleep, praying that not Snow, but Gale or Peeta would rescue me.

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"I really don't want to do this again, but I have to. For the cameras, you know?" Sir rambled on as he tied me to the chair.

As per usual, I was blindfolded and had my mouth taped shut.

"This time we're going to try a different angle," Sir told me as he lifted the chair off of the ground. "You're too skinny, I'll have to feed you more," I heard him say as he placed my body along with the chair on our sides against the bathroom floor.

Sir cleared his throat and began talking to the camera.

"Hello, Panem. I'm assured that by now you all know who I am, or at least know my face. I still have Miss. Petrova, and yes, she's still alive; for now. See? She's right here," Sir moved aside and aimed the camera at my tied-up body before kicking me in the ribs, knocking the wind right out of me.

I moaned in pain, since there wasn't much I could do. My vision was spinning, for the kick was actually really hard.

"You all know what I want. Snow, at my door. By tomorrow," he threatened.

As he spoke random thoughts popped through my head. Why is this happening? Is he going to kill me? What does he really want with Snow? Why is this happening to me?

Haven't I gone through enough?

I coughed through the tape and gasped for air as Sir stepped over my throat, slowly crushing my windpipe.

"After today, you'll have one more warning, citizens of Panem. One. After that warning, if Snow does not choose to show—what was that?".

We both held our breath at the sound of someone entering the house. Sir's foot released my throat, causing me to choke behind the tape. I couldn't see anything.

"Don't say a word about me behind here," Sir whispered in my ear, his hot breath suddenly by my side. I heard him step into the shower and slide the curtain shut. I struggled against the ropes that banded my wrists, but I had to stop when I felt the wiry ropes slowly cutting my wrists open; I didn't want to bleed more.

I heard the locked doorknob jiggle and I wasn't sure what I was feeling. Was it panic or relief? I made as much noise as I could through the tape and by moving the chair; anything to get attention. I needed to get out of here.

Something slammed loudly against the door, making me jump. The loud noises continued until the door finally gave way, someone stepping into the tiny bathroom.

"Finally," the voice sighed as it bended over and went to work at the ropes.

I felt something stir inside of me at that moment, since I knew that voice.

His voice.

I struggled some more against the ropes, wanting to be in his arms more than anything. Eventually, the tape was ripped off of my mouth and I gasped loudly, ignoring the tape's sting. The blindfold was removed and I was placed upright until the ropes were untied.

I wasn't able to say anything; I could only stare. Was I going crazy? Was I seeing things?

When I finally worked up the courage to use my voice, I could only mutter one word.

"Gale,".

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Gale went to hug me, but I shoved him out of the bathroom, worried that Sir would try and pull something. Once out of the tiny room, I collapsed into his arms, my tears staining his long-sleeved grey shirt.

"How? How the hell did you find me?" I cried, gripping onto him by the shirt.

"Sshhh, it's okay, honey; you're okay now. But did you really think that I wouldn't be able to track you? I've lived with you for way too long to not know how to find you; I'll always find you," Gale reassured me. I felt something wet hit my shoulder, and when I looked up, I realized that he was crying too.

"We need to get out of here; Sir is crazy, he'll kill us," I whispered against his ear. I smirked inside when I felt him shiver as my breath hit his ear, something we both probably thought we would never experience again.

"No. I'm going to kill him," Gale hissed, releasing me from his death-tight grip.

"What? No, Gale. Please, I just want to go home!" I begged him, tugging at him by the fingertips. His features were furious as he squeezed my fingers in his.

"Anastasia, that bastard is going to die for what he did to you,". At that, Gale looked me in the eye and brushed his fingertips over my injured cheek.

"Gale Hawthorne, just take me home. Please,". Gale stared at me for what seemed like forever until he finally sighed and placed a hand on my back.

"Fine. Let's go,". I smiled at him and let him lead me out of the cabin, but was forced to a stop when a rough hand wrapped itself around my neck.

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"She's not going anywhere! I need her here!" Sir yelled, squeezing my throat. I tried to move his hands from my throat, but it was no good. Gale froze in the doorway, looking terrified.

"Gale.." I wheezed, but knew it was no good; Sir was crazy.

"Don't move any closer, or I'll snap her neck," Sir barked, readjusting his grip on my head.

My tears were now flowing freely, but Gale didn't move forward; he couldn't. That was when it hit me.

Cato.

Cato and his headlock on Peeta.

I started to panic, which led to me gasping for breath; I was having a panic attack.

"You just said that you need her. You won't kill her; you can't," Gale replied, slowly inching forward. My head flew to the left as Sir locked his grip around my head.

The awkward grip hurt incredibly bad, so I knew that he was only moments from completely snapping my neck. I was going to die.

"Prepared to call my bluff?" Sir started to laugh unevenly, his breath hitching in some spots.

My vision was turning spotty, which meant that Gale needed to hurry up with saving my life. I couldn't black out; if I passed out, Sir could snap my neck by accident. Gale looked into my eyes and recognized what was going on.

"Sir.." I groaned, reaching up to take his arm.

"Yes, dear?" he answered me, as if what was going on was completely normal.

As he looked down at me, Gale lunged forward and plunged his hunting knife into the man's chest.

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"Let me see her; you can't stop me," a voice ordered. From where, I wasn't sure.

"No. She needs her rest, and seeing you won't help," another voice argued. The voices seemed far away, but I knew that in actuality, they were quite close.

"Dammit, Gale! I need to see her!".

When I heard Gale's name, consciousness consumed me and I was awake. I looked around to see that I was in a pure white room in a really comfy bed. Oh. It was my room. A smile broke out on my face in that moment. My room.

With shaky legs, I stood up and wrapped a blanket around my shivering body. Once I knew that I wasn't going to pass out again, I made my way into the hallway and headed for the stairs. I looked down into the hallway to see Peeta trying to push his way past Gale who was doing a great job at being my bodyguard.

"Guys," I called out, both of them whipping around immediately. I watched silently as Peeta shoved past Gale and bounded up the stairs two steps at a time until he reached me, pulling me into his strong baker's arms. I hissed at the pain that came from my ribs, which made Peeta pull away instantly.

"God, Anastasia. Are you okay?" Peeta asked me, taking my face into his hands. I shook my head a couple times, but had to stop once the room started to spin.

"I'll be okay eventually,". Gale suddenly appeared at Peeta's side and looked into my eyes, as if he was dying to tell me something. My lips parted as I looked to Peeta, my other man in waiting.

"Peeta, can I have a moment with Gale? Alone?" I asked.

Peeta looked surprised but nodded. He kissed me on the cheek and headed downstairs to wait. I took his hand and slowly made my way back into my bedroom. Thankfully, Gale shut the door behind us and we both sat down on the bed.

I automatically ended up in Gale's lap, his hand running through my hair. For a while, we didn't say anything; at the moment, there wasn't anything that needed to be said.

"How are you doing?" Gale asked me, his hand resting on my shoulder.

"I'll get better. What about you?" I responded as I took his hand in mine, running my thumb over the back of his hand. I heard his breath hitch before he began to talk.

"I'll get better,". It made sense; after all, he had killed someone. I sat up and kissed him lightly on the lips.

"Thank you. For saving my life,".

"I'd do anything for you, you know that. But Anastasia.." Gale started. My eyebrows creased in confusion.

"What is it?" I asked quietly.

"When I saw that ransom video, I freaked. At first, when I had read your note, I had thought that you had decided to leave on your own. But once I saw that video.. A part of me died. I thought that I had lost you forever. And when I saw him.. You know, cut you? I couldn't handle it. I had to find you,". I smiled at him and leaned in, kissing him on the lips.

"Well, thank you. I don't know if I would be alive without you," I sighed against his lips.

Gale's hand reached up and entangled itself in my long hair as he slowly pulled me down onto the bed. I shivered at the contact of his hand running up my stomach, pushing away my sense of dizziness. As I began to unbutton the top of Gale's shirt, there was a short knock at the door. Gale sighed loudly, his annoyance clearly showing.

"Yeah?" he hissed, sitting up.

I focused on Gale running a hand through his hair as Peeta opened the door. Peeta took in the scene before him and glared at Gale, but continued to speak.

"Anastasia, I don't want to interrupt this little rendezvous—well, scratch that, I sure as hell do.. But you need to come downstairs. Now," Peeta sneered, neither guy taking their eyes of each other.

"Why? I'm kind of busy," I sighed, placing a hand on Gale's thigh. Gale's face showed pure pride, since Peeta was obviously not in the same position as him.

"Hate to break it to you, but I'm sure that whatever's going on here can wait,".

"Why? Peeta, what the hell's going on?" I asked nervously, biting my thumb.

"It's Snow. He's here, and he wants to speak with you. Immediately,".