Not real.

Chapter Eight: Hope

*Katniss*
   I have no desire or strength to get up off the cold metal floor. The icy metal seems to numb my bruises, making them more bearable. I am fairly certain it's been almost a week now. But it seems longer than that.
   I've watched Gale being beaten and tortured in what seems like countless ways. The first day, after they beat me, the man went into his cell and tied him to a post that arose from the floor. I was forced to watch as they tore his shirt from his body revealing his scars from Romulus Thread's whip. Then they began to whip him again. I screamed and begged them to stop but I was only talking to the screen in front of me. I watched as with every crack my best friend, my hunting partner would wince or cry out. And this time I couldn't stop it. His back quickly became bloody, and I pounded on the glass with all my strength to try and get to him. But I knew it was no use. And for the first time since I saw Gale I cried. No I sobbed. I just wanted this pain to end. I wanted Gale's pain to end.
   I had been given the speech by Kora Snow about how the Nut would be her new arena. How all of Panem was going to die for sport. How it would be my fault because I started the rebellion in the first place and I should have just left well enough alone. I've been thinking about this for the time I've been captured. At first I thought she was right. If I had just eaten those berries there would have been no war, Prim would be alive among countless others and the Capitol wouldn't want revenge on all of New Panem. But now, I know that the people never deserved to live like they did. And because I defied the Capitol we gave Panem a fresh start where they no longer had to send their kids to the reaping, where families didn't have to worry about starvation or tesserae. Where we could all rise together and become one when before we were restricted by twelve borders. It was time for things to change. Panem became closer than ever in the past three years than it had since the dark days. And that is not something I regret.
   Suddenly I feel a spark of hope. The new games that Kora has planned don't start until this evening. And that gives me a few hours to try and escape with Gale. And I've got all the time in the world to think.
   I search the room looking for anything that could be used to unlock these cuffs. Then I find it. In a corner there's a small paper clip that a doctor probably dropped from my file when assessing my condition before I woke up. Which doesn't make any sense since they probably knew I was going to be tortured. I will never understand the logic of the Capitol people.
   I try to figure out how I can get over to it without my observers noticing when my torturer comes early. I notice his metal studded gloves and have flashbacks of Cinna being pounded against the glass of my elevator tube with gloves like those.
   I then realize that my time might be up. But whatever happens I have to make sure Gale can get out. So as the blows begin to come I cry out and squirm on the ground. 1...2...3 blows I slowly crawl over to the corner where the paper clip is. My vision is already going blurry. 4...5...6 I have it in my hand and I'm seeing red and black dots they steadily grow larger. I place the paper clip between my middle and ring finger and raise my three middle fingers to my lips. I raise them to the camera that I know Gale will be watching and let my hand fall. He saw it. He had to. 7...8...9 I feel the blood running down my face and I feign trying to stop his hand as I sneak the paper clip into a strap of his glove.
   The blood turns my vision red and then it slowly goes black as I fall to the floor again. The blows keep coming but the ice cold floor numbs my body and my thoughts. At least Gale will escape alive...he has to. Even if I don't...Then slowly my eyes close and everything goes dark. Though the faint sounds of metal studded gloves against my body ring in my ears and then I'm slowly lifted up by my torturer. I wonder where they could possibly be taking me...and then I black out.

Hey guys! Don't worry the next chapter will end better but I won't give any spoilers to you:) Don't forget to review and Comment! Thanks guys!:) (I don't own any of The Hunger Games characters...)