Escape {Gale and Katniss fanfiction}

3

sorry for the long wait but here's the next chapter :)

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t h r e e

Katniss' pov

I wake up in my room, with the smell of fresh pine nuts in the air. I sit up immediately before running downstairs, only to witness Rory crying on the couch with Hazelle supporting him. Vick is nowhere to be seen but my mother is in the kitchen cooking pancakes.

"Katniss, good morning. How are you?" My mum asks.

"Not the best," I reply, holding back tears. I walk over to where Rory is sitting alone and he runs into my arms.

"He's gone Katniss, he's gone," he sobs.

"Don't worry we will get him back." Completely aware of how unconvincing my reply was, I hug Rory tight, commenting on the chirping choir of birds outside to change the topic. The television  turns on, enlightening the room with bland Capital news.

"Good afternoon, this is the Capitol news..." I turn away and stare out the window, watching a young couple walk past with their hands entwined.

You have no idea how much I'm missing you Gale, it's killing me.

".. new president would like to make an important announcement," the news reporter exclaims.

I glare at the screen. Erica walks into the main square in the Capitol wearing an electric blue dress with an enormous white flower pinned on it. The crowd cheers and she ushers them to quieten down.

"I have a very big announcement to make." She pauses. "After President Snow was unfortunately killed there hasn't been any exciting events, such as The Hunger Games." I call Rory, Hazelle and my mum to watch.

"I think that we need some entertainment to watch. So, me and my fellow colleagues have decided." She pauses again. I tense. "That we will re-create The Hunger Games, which will draw great differences from the previous games."

WHAT? How could she? Hazelle, Rory, my mother and I stare at the TV shocked.

The crowd cheers.

"In these Hunger Games there will be two people from each District, one girl and one boy like usual but there will be two arenas, two stages. The first stage will be ten days out in the wilderness where you'll have to survive off the small bags in the cornucopia, if you manage to get one. Your mentors aren't allowed to send you items, so you have to rely on hard work in training sessions to get used to the harsh conditions.

"The second stage will be like playing a game of cat and mouse. Whoever survives the first round will be the cats, and there will be five new people which will be the mice. The teams are each district like normal. You're allowed to hunt down other districts, but the aim of the game is to catch the five people that are the mice and when you do, whoever is alive gets to come out of the arena.

"The ages that are legible for this year haven't changed, but current victors under the age of eighteen have been revoked of their title. Your name will be entered in the reaping."

I hold a pillow against my chest and squeeze it, trying to calm down the slightest. My mum rests one of her hands on my shoulder.

"These are the mice." A guard appears holding a woman with handcuffs on. Underneath her torn up state, she carries recognisable features which I cannot pinpoint. 

"Johanna Mason." The bags under her eyes consume her face, with the addition of scattered, colourful bruises and cuts spread across her features. Leaning to one side, she gives a weak smile to the Capitol crowd who continue their round of applause.

"Why does she look so weak?" my mum asks.

Precisely what I was trying to work out.

The next person that comes out is Beetee, stirring a mixture of hatred and remorse in my heart.

"I HATE YOU!" Rory screams, throwing his arms around wildly whilst his mum attempts at calming him down. Enobaria walks into the stage and receives little applaud.

"Next we have Finnick Odair."

"Finnick no," I whisper while squeezing my mum's hand. He stands on the stage as confident as ever, but his stance is clouded by the reality of his condition. He, much like Johanna, is covered in cuts, bruises and stains, causing a greater sense of concern to grow regarding the Capital's treatment of the group.

"And now the final person." A tall figure slowly, unsteadily, transcends onto the stage, with the realisation of his identity causing panic to spread its way through my heart.

"Gale Hawthorne." Erica's aims her sweet smile directly into the camera while saying his name, basking in the fact that damage had been done, and she is blatantly proud of it. Gale is my weakness, and she completely abused that fact. With the strings of my heart pulling at my chest, I rise off the couch. 

Rory face pales and he holds head in his hands, sobbing uncontrollably. I let go of my mum's hand and run towards the door.

"Katniss come back!"

I escape to the forest, passing the lake and little house, heading straight to the edge of the cliff where the rock is. Our rock. Gale and I's.

"Ugh!" I scream, wiping tears from my face. "Gale, Gale I love you," I say, slowly and gently lowering myself down onto the damp, cold grass, resting my head on our rock.

"Come back, please." My eyes close to the image of Gale's bruised, battered face.

"I love you."