I wasn't always the one being hunted. I used to be a hunter...I don't understand.
Last night, I slept intending to wake up late and spend the day roaming at the Hob, District 12's black market. We are stocked with a lot of goose meat which would last for the next couple of days. I could also have sold some of it.
But, no. Here I am, at my workplace-the Woods. Being chased by somebody.
The figure chasing me is a tall guy wearing all black clothes. His face is covered by a black mask. He has a bow and arrow in his hand.
I take lead and run over to one of the trees and climb it. The Guy comes over and starts to look for me. I stay hidden behind the branches, trying not to move.
"Hey! I just need to talk, alright?" he shouts, looking for me.
I try not to make a sound while loading my arrow. I aim for the Guy and shoot the arrow.
It hits his calf and he falls to the ground, groaning.
I get down from the branch and I take his weapons. Apart from his bow and arrow, he also has a knife tied to his belt. I take it out and put it on his throat.
"Who are you?" I ask.
I was afraid he was a Peacekeeper in disguise or perhaps some other official. But, no. He looks familiar. I've seen him before. Perhaps at the Hob. He has olive skin, dark hair, and the same gray eyes as mine, and like all the people who live in the Seam.
"I'm Gale. I'm sorry, I just wanted to-"
"You live in the Seam?" I asked.
He nodded, wincing.
"You won't rat on me for hunting in the forest. Clear?" I ask him.
"Of course, I want to start hunting here from now on, too. So, won't rat unless you do."
"Alright, then I should be the one saying sorry. My mother is a Healer, she'll help you with the wound. I see you're used to hunting with arrows?" I ask handing his weapons back to him.
"Yeah. Not used to them being shot to my calf, though," he mutters.
"I'm said I'm sorry. Just wait for some time. Let me get that bird first," I said, spotting one, sitting in one of the branches of the trees a few feet ahead of us.
"I'm bleeding to death here!" he snapped.
"Never leave the forest without a prey is a rule I have and it's the only one I follow so-"
"Just hurry up."
I aim for the bird. Shoot it. Easy job. It falls to the ground and I collect it. I keep it in my bag. Also, retrieve the used arrow.
"Woah! Smooth kill, huh? You gotta teach me some of that," he says, clearly impressed.
"Let's go," I say to Gale and help him up.
We walk over to the edge of the Woods and make it out of the fence, carefully since Gale's limping.
Just five more minutes of walking and limping and we reach my house where Buttercup is sitting at the door.
Buttercup is my sister's stupid cat. I hate it because a) It is very hideous-looking and b) I have to feed one more stomach. It's a mutual feeling of extreme hate between the cat and me (I might've tried drowning the cat once or twice). I shoo the cat as soon as I see it and it goes away, making a face at me. If cats could make one, anyway.
"Nice place," notes Gale.
"Who are you kidding?" I ask, amused.
"What? It's really good."
I look up at my house. Small and weak. Would come crumbling down anytime. Nothing much, but just something enough to call it home.
I knock on the door. Prim opens it.
"Hey," she says through a yawn. Guess, she was sleeping.
"Hey. Um...this is Gale." I announce, pointing toward him.
"Oh, hey. I'm Prim. Shit! You're hurt. Get in, I'll help."
"Yeah, no, it's fine. Just needs some bandaging," says Gale.
We walk inside and find my mother knitting in the kitchen. She looks up as we walk in.
"Oh, dear! What's wrong with this guy. Lay down," she orders Gale, pointing toward the mattress where she treats her patients.
"What happened to your calf?" she asks him.
"I got shot by an arrow," replies Gale, giving me a look.
"Okay, let me help you," she says.
She cleans the wound and bandages it with a cloth. Prim stands beside mom and watches her do it. Prim has always been interested in being a Healer. She's good at school too. Unlike me.
Schools, by the way, are a major inconvenience here. They're just established so that the children from every district could fill their brains with whatever shit the Capitol wants them to fill their brains with. For example, in District 12, we're just taught about coal mines, basic math, and the history of Panem (just a long and useless list of things the Districts owe the Capitol because of the rebellion.)
My mother's done with everything.
"You'll be fine within a couple of days," she assures Gale and goes back to knitting. Prim offers Gale some water. He seems fine now.
"Prim, why don't you go in the kitchen? I've got something to discuss with Gale," I say.
"Fine," she says and leaves us alone. She turns to me when she reaches the kitchen door and grins, raising her eyebrows up and down.
I shake my head and sigh.
"So? Gale? You want to tell me the reason why you were following me in the first place?"
"I just wanted us to become allies and hunt together. I was wondering if you could teach me to hunt. I mean...it's not like I cannot hunt. Not just like you, yet," he says.
"That is a fair deal but why do you even want to hunt? Like...just for fun?" I ask.
"For the same reason, you hunt. And yeah, it is fun."
"I hunt for feeding my family's stomachs. The reason sucks but I do like hunting," I acknowledge.
"So your dad doesn't work? Or not enough pay?" he asks.
"My father was a coal miner," I answer through gritted teeth.
"Oh...I'm sorry. What happened?"
"He was killed in a mine explosion when I was eleven. I've been hunting to feed my family since then. My father was a very good hunter and he's the one who taught me to hunt. We used to go to the Woods every weekend or so to hunt or swim in the lake. Father also knew how to identify edible plants and those that weren't. So when I don't feel like killing an innocent life, we eat...plants," I explain, all the memories coming back as if it were yesterday all this happened.
"I see you were a daddy's girl. You must miss him and from what I guess, you dislike your mother," notes Gale.
"Now don't get all nosy," I say, with a smile.
He laughs.
"What's your family like?" I ask.
"My family's cool. I'm the oldest child of the family with three younger siblings; Rory, Vick, and the only girl, Posy who was born shortly after my father died in the mining accident that also killed your father. After his death, I'm struggling to provide for this family with my mother's help," he says.
I appreciate how he didn't mention his father died in the same accident that happened a few years ago in the mines. Like how lame would have that been? My father died in a mine explosion. Oh really? Same pinch, mine too! Now, gimme a high five!
"Immediately after my father's death," he continues, "There was this panic about how to feed five people now. So, my mother decided to take help from her parents. We also traded a lot of what we had in exchange for some money in the earlier days. I also started working at this place at the Hob. I saw you the other day and I might've eavesdropped on one of your conversations with Greasy Sae. You should be careful with your hunting secrets, by the way," I snort.
"So...I decided maybe I could start hunting. I mean I did consider it once but didn't have enough nerve to actually try it. Guess, you can help me," he says.
"Okay," I say. "What about your mother. Does she work?"
"Yeah, mother's a great help. She cannot work much with all the kids to take care of so she takes care of the younger ones and teaches them too. She could abandon them and go to work every day, but she refuses to do so. So, I'm the only hope," he says.
"Well...I hope someday I'll be able to say the same about my mother. She never got over my father's death. Never realized she's got two daughters to take care of. She just sits in the kitchen all day staring at long distances or knitting. But she seems to forget all her sorrow while doing her healing thing," I say.
"Maybe we should tell more and more people about your mother being a healer. They can always come up here if they get a problem. Your mother will be happy too, plus some money," he suggests.
"Good idea," I say, grinning.
"See? I told you we can be allies in this game. Feed our families and help each other. I just wanted to offer this deal, without all the drama that took place, of course," he says.
"Okay," I nod. "Deal!" we shake hands.
He gathers his bow and arrow and turns to leave.
"Hey, where do you stay?" I ask.
"Just a couple blocks from here, but I'm not going home right now," he says. "Gotta visit my workplace at the Hob. Daily food, daily money," he shrugs.
"You know what? Take the bird for now. We'll start hunting from tomorrow. Seen a.m. outside the fence," I declare.
"Okay," he says.
I give him the bird, which is still in the bag.
He leaves.
I enter the kitchen where mother's knitting and Prim's playing with Buttercup.
"Yo, ladies? Maybe it's time we get started to make some breakfast? Katniss Everdeen is hungry?"
"Alright. You've sure had a long day," says Prim, grinning.
"Why are you smiling?" I ask.
"It's nothing," she shrugs.
"Wait...is this about Gale?" I ask, already knowing the answer.
"Maybe," she shrugs, again.
"You better not, Prim. He's a colleague from now on," I say.
"But you gotta agree he's good-looking," she says.
"Okay...shut up. You're pushing it. Go make some breakfast," I turn toward the sink to wash my bow.
I might've found myself blushing.