The Games From Home

[peetakatnissgale Profile Website]

I also have this story on fanifction.net for anybody who would rather read it on there.

Introduction
District 2 is slow. Boring. Lonely. I miss Katniss more than I could ever explaine. My name is Gale Hawthorne. I used to be Katniss Everdeen's best friend. That was, until she volunteered for her little sister,Prim, to go to the Hunger Games. There she met Peeta Mellark. It all went down hill from there. There was the Quarter Quell, the Rebellion. Throughout all of these events, most people only ever heard what Katniss and Peeta thought. I think it's about time people hear my side of the story. My thoughts. My feelings. Everything.

PLEASE, PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!
post the next chapter (which is longer) when I have a few views on this one. Hope you guys enjoy what is to come

[Mia106 Profile]

I like it

[peetakatnissgale Profile Website]

I like it

Thanks

[peetakatnissgale Profile Website]

Chapter 2: The Woods On Reaping Morning


Part 1: Katniss' First Games
I remember that morning of the Reaping. I had ran to the Mellark Family Bakery in the merchants part of District 12. I picked up some fresh bread in exchange for one squirrel. Mr.Mellark always favored them, plus I think he was feeling a little sentimentle. After that I went to the woods that suround District 12 to meet my then best friend, Katniss Everdeen. I went to our usual meeting spot in. A medium sized rock hidden in some blackberry bushes. I got there before her that day. I didn't have to wait for long though.
When I had first met Katniss, we had both been young. I only thought of her as a really good friend, a hunting partener. But a couple of years ago, I started feeling differently. I felt something more for Katniss. Something more, I don't know, romantic? I guess you could call it that. But I didn't know how Katniss felt. If she felt the same way. Plenty of girls liked me at school, but I didn't like any of them the way I liked and still do like Katinss.
I remember looking up and seeing Katniss sprinting toward me. I saw the smile come across her face. The smile that she only ever had in the woods. "Hey, Catnip", I had said. Catnip. That was my nick-name for her. When we had first met, she had just whispered her name. I hadn't heard it from across the forest floor. Once there had been a lynx that had followed her around. It made it an even more fitting name for her.
When she reached our little meeting spot and sat down I pulled out my bread. I had stuck an arrow through it to get a laugh out of her. And I did get that laugh. Then she showed me the cheese that her little sister, Prim, had left for us. We put the food in the middle of us to prepare for our feast. Then I pulled out my Capitol accent and started to mimic Effie Trincket. I knew I could easily ge a laugh out of her with that. I loved her laugh. How bright her face became.
We gathered some berries off our bush and began our feast. Then I made a proposal. I said that we should run away. Run into the forest and never come back. Katniss didn't have any faith in that idea so I just dropped it. I don't know what I expected. For her to jump up and run away right then and there? Well, there's no point in dweling on that. It doesn't really matter any more.Anyway,the food had been delicious. The berries sweet and juicy, the bread warm and the cheese added a burst of flavor to it.
When we had finished eating, we talked about what we should do. Hunt,fish,gather. We had a lot of options. I chose to go fishing. I always found fishing relaxing. The shimmer of the water. The splash of the rod. The satisfactory of finally catching a fish. There are no lakes to fish at in District 2. None at all.
I thought fish would be a good after Reaping dinner. I never in my whole life would have thought Katniss would be the one to go. Anyway, after we were done at the lake we did some hunting. Katniss and I were the most amazing parteners. We moved together and thought together. We had a connection. A special bond.

[missingllama Profile WebsiteYIM]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! !

I is sad

[peetakatnissgale Profile Website]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! !

I is sad

I was going for that

[peetakatnissgale Profile Website]

Chapter 3: Through The Woods and To The Hob
From the woods we go down to the Hob. The Hob was the black trading market that took over an old coal storage area. There was old Greasy Sae. We had gone over to her stall and traded her some of our meat. I enjoyed the Hob regardless to what people say about it in town. From the Hob we went to the mayor's house. He always bought our strawberries, so we made an effort to pick them everyday that we could. You wouldn't think that the mayor would buy our food, considering it's illegal to go into the woods and to hunt.But as long as he didn't rat on us I had no problem selling to him.
Katniss and I went to the back door of the vast mansion. The mayor's daughter, Madge, had opened the door. I had complemented on her pretty Reaping Day dress. I don't think Katniss appreciated that much. I remember that she had said that she wanted to look nice just in case she had to go to the Capitol. Now that ticked me off. How could she ever think she would go to the Capitol. You know what, I don't even think she thought she would go. I think she just wanted to make me upset. For her, someone who has never signed up for tessare in her life, to say something like that to Katniss and I who had been signing up for tessare since our first year. Well, that's really just plain out rude. Katniss knew that I was getting upset, so she got me out of there. That was just part of the special connection that we had. I didn't have to say a thing. She just knew how I was feeling.
We headed back to the Seam to get ready for the Reaping. I remember telling Katniss to wear something pretty. She always looked pretty regardless to what she wore. She didn't have to get dressed up to look nice. She had natural beauty. To tell you hte honest truth, I was worried. I was worried that Katniss would get taken away from me. Put in that arena with those twenty-three other kids. I knew that she was tough, but I couldn't bare the thought of her leaving. I didn't act worried though. For Katniss' sake. If I was worried she knew something was wrong because I barley ever showed worry. I look back on that day now and know I should have told her then. How much I loved her.

[Mia106 Profile]

I'm so sad

[OmegaDistrict Profile]

[quote][/Anyway,the food had been delicious. The berries sweet and juicy, the bread warm and the cheese added a burst of flavor to it.
quote]


I love that part! Great description. You actually made me hungry!

[peetakatnissgale Profile Website]

Chapter 4: The 74th Reaping

I watched Katniss walk back to her house until she vanished from view. Then I turned to walk back to my own home. It was only a few minutes walk to get there. When I opened the front door my mother was standing near the sink doing the dishes. My little sister, Posy, was sitting on the floor playing Patty-Cake with my younger brother Rory. My other brother, Vick, was napping on the sofa. Big suprise. It felt like every time I came home that kid was sleeping. I placed my game bag on the kitchen counter and pulled out a skinned squirel. I walked over to the sofa and held it in front of Vick's face. "Wake up, Vicky. Wake up", I had whispered in his ear. His eyes slowly opened, but once he caught sight of the squirel the bulged to the size of tennis balls. I fell over laughing my head off. When Vick got his bearings he came over to tackle me. We always did that with each other.

After Vick had gotten his energy out, I went to go get ready for the Reaping. I told the others to do the same. I put on a white shirt with a collar. I buttoned it up and folded the collar down. I cuffed up the sleeves and pulled on my best pair of jeans. From there I went into my bathroom. I combed out my hair and steped back to take a look in the mirror. Eight then my stomache started to fiz. The butterflys were coming out. My name had been in theree a lot. More than any ohter boy in District 12, I thought. The odds were not in my favour that day. They weren't in Katniss' either, which made it doubly bad for me. Then there was Vick to worry about and Prim. There names were both only in there once, though. Katniss and I wouldn't let them enter for Tessare.

I heard a little knock on my door. A soft little knock that could only have been Posy. I walked out of my bathroom and over to the door. When I opened it, sure enough, it reveled my little sister. "Mommy says it's time to go", she had said. I reached down and picked her up. I headed for the kitchen where Rory, Vick, and my mother were waiting. We filled out of the door one at a time except for me and Posy. The streets were pretty crowded with kids and their parents heading down to the square. Peacekeepers were on the sides of the coublestone streets. I didn't really understand the purpose for that. Their white uniforms were blinding.

When we reached the square, I put Posy down. Vick and I walked over to the Peacekeeper near the boys 'carale'. That's the best way to describe it. They had to seperate sections for the boys and the girls. Then there were sections within those two sections. They were sectioned off acording to age. We told the Peacekeeper our names and he checked us off. Vick and I parted ways to head off to our section. After several minutes of getting everybody in order Mayor Undersee steped up to the microphone. He said the Treaty of Treason as he always did. Same old thing. Rebeled, war, Capitol won, resulted in the Hunger Games. After that speile was over, Effie Trincket took the stage. First she introduced the District 12 victor and mentor, Haymitch Abernathy. Some name. Then,"Ladies and gentel-men, welcome to the 74th annual Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favor". Effie said that same thing every year.

Her bright pink wig and flamboyant attitude sickened me. Still does when I think back on that. I mean, she was about to call the two kids who will be slaughtered in front of the entire nation and she was happy! She also had a big flowery thing in her hair. She had been wearing a deep purple jacket and the same color skirt. The sleeves had been really puffy in the shoulders. She wore a black blouse under the jacket with another flowery thing around her neck. Her eyes were outlined in light pink and her lips had a deeper, shiny pink coating them. You didn't need to be a genius to know that she was from the Capitol. The horrible Capitol that has done this to us.

Haymitch steped up onto the stage. When he went up to the microphone he had mumbled something, but it was barley audible. Five seconds later he was face flat on the ground. What a honor of a victor he was. Effie was clearly upset, but tryed to get back to the Reaping. While she was fixing her hair, which was obviously a wig, two medics came over and put Haymitch on a stretcher to wheel him away.

"District 12's female tribute will be...", Effie continued. Her hand reached into the large glass ball containing all of the girls names. I was worried about Katniss. Only Katniss. Not Prim. Who would have ever thought? But it happened all the same. "Primrose Everdeen". My mouth must have dropped to the ground. I had no idea what Katniss was thinking right then, but found out soon enough. "I volunteer. I volunteer". Katniss had run forward the second her little sister steped forward. She had screamed it so loud the first time that nobody could acually understand what she had said. Effie siad something about not asking for volunteers yet, but Mayor Undersee just let it go.

Katniss went to walk up to the stage, but Prim was grasping to her waste. "Let go of me", Katniss ahd said a little too harshly I think. When Prim still held tight, I left my section and walked over to Katniss. I lifted up Prim the same way I had Posy this morning. She had started screaming the second I broke her grasp, but I ignored it. I caught Katniss' gase right before she turned to go onto the stage. "Good luck Catnip", I had whispered so just she could hear me. Even though it had only been for a few seconds and a few words, we had had a whole conversation. We didn't need words to speak to each other. We could read each others thoughts through our eyes.

Katniss advanced onto the stage. My eyes started to water up and it took all my strength to not break down crying. The odds had not been in my favor at all that day. The best thing that could have happened from there is for me to go into the arena with her. That way I would have been able to protect her for sure and keep her safe. At the same time it was best that I stayed home. someone needed to feed both our familys. So no, it was not me that got called that day but Peeta Mellark.