Ensnared

Promises, Promises

Katniss stops in shock.

"Y-you're dad?" she stutters. Gosh, I must've said that out loud. Me and my big mouth...

"Gale, are you alright?" she asks, cupping my face in her hands. I don't speak. I'm too shocked of what I just figured out. My dad. My dad in my head. Maybe the thing I need is a mental checkup because this all seems so crazy. No no, son this is all quite real. The voice chuckles. I shake my head, freeing myself from Katniss' grasp. Hurt flickers across her eyes before she quickly turns away. This time, I cup my hands around her face.

"Don't worry, Catnip. Just got caught up in thought that's all." I force a smile and kiss her forehead lightly. She unexpectedly smiles at the gesture as she breaks contact and walks with a light tread, the smile still tugging at her lips. I smirk at her love-struck behaviour and join her.

After a few hours of pleasant hunting, we end up at the base of our tree with a fair amount of squirrels and rabbits. Using the coals and smoke we had earlier, we cook all five animals in a flash and climb back up into our tree. As we eat in silence, I can't help but ponder over my latest realization. My father. His voice. In my head? My brain must've thought that, since I'm living the nightmare called The Hunger Games, it decided to give me a break, ushering my father's voice to calm me down. It makes enough sense. That's probably why I haven't had any nightmares during the Games.

The blast of the anthem muddles my thoughts as I look up at the sky, hoping that we will face one less opponent tomorrow morning. Unfortunately, the odds aren't in my favour. In fact, they never seem to be, unless you count the fact that Katniss is finally with me. But in a battle to the death...

I push my thoughts out of the way, reminding myself that two can win in these Games. I wrap up the rest of the meat in the plastic sheet and stuff it into Katniss' bag. 

"I'll take watch. You haven't rested for a while." Katniss smiles softly.

"Wake me at midnight. We can swap over then." I say, bundling myself into the sleeping bag. I jerk my head, gesturing her to get in as well, knowing that the Gamemakers will be messing around with the temperature.

She snuggles in, placing the bow within arm's distance, and puts on the night-vision glasses. I put my arm around her and bury my head in her hair, inhaling deeply. I drift into a deep sleep, with the new scent of honeysuckle, wafting in from her hair and sedating my flustered brain.

~~~~~~

I wake up to a soft snore and the sound of whispering wind. My eyes slowly open and survey my surroundings. Looks like I caught her off guard. I tuck a stray hair off her moonlight face and inch off her glasses. I take up my own bow and push myself into a full sitting position.

Katniss' lips turn up ever so slightly, having yet another good dream. I watch her as her face turns sour, her mood changes into a panicked one, her legs start to shift and kick in the sleeping bag. Alarmed, she starts to hyperventilate and screams my name at the top of her lungs.

"Katniss! Katniss wake up! Katniss it's just a dream!" I shake her shoulders a bit, not really knowing what else to do. She screams my name again, instead, with more pain and hurt. My heart breaks at the sound. I've never heard her voice so hurt, so broken.

"Katniss!" her legs pick up the pace, kicking the sleeping bag that's already off her.

"Katniss!" My voice breaks, not wanting her nightmare to continue. Her eyes fly open, screaming her head off. Her whole body shakes in pure terror.

"G-Gale." her voice gives way as tears make their way to her eyes. Her voice is faint as she lost some of it's kick while she was screaming. I wrap a protective arm around her as she sobs into my shoulder.