The Fourth Quarter Quell

Chapter Four

Katniss's POV

After I leave Haymitch and Effie's house, I go to check on the kids. When I walk into the kitchen, I find Rue baking a cake of some sort. Baking and target practice are the two things that she runs to when she's upset. Today, she's been thinking a lot about her father, so it's no surprise that she turned to his favorite past time. With anger, she whips the batter in the mixing bowl, not bothering to look up at me when I come in the room.

"Where's your brother?" I ask in a pleasant tone, hoping to lighten the mood.

"Outside playing with Delilah," she says blantantly, still focusing on her mixing. After a moment, she finally looks up at me and says, "Mom, I know you don't like to talk about him much, but it would probably help if you talked to Gale." Gale. He moved here to District 12 after the war with his daughter, Delilah, and his two sons, Greyson and Hunter. We were put in the same position, considering his wife didn't make it out of battle, but he did. I still try to avoid him as much as I can, because he only reminds me of my previous life. It's very difficult to forget him, though. Cinna and Delilah play with one another almost everyday, and I know that Greyson and Rue are friends at school. Gale understands, but sometimes it's incredibly difficult for me to talk to him. He makes me feel... different. But I know that Rue is right.

"You're probably right," I say, and Rue nods her head, "Watch your brother for me?" She smiles and I leave once again, making my way to Gale's house.

Rue's POV

Once I watch my mother go down the road, I sprint out the back door to get to Greyson's house through the meadow. I pass Delilah and Cinna, and they seem to be playing nicely so I don't bother them. Before going to Greyson's back door, I check to see that my mother hasn't made it yet. Luckily, she hasn't, so I knock twice on the back door and wait for him to answer.

When he finally opens the door, he says, "Rue."

The only plausible reply I can think of at this moment is, "Greyson." Before I know it, his hands are around my waist and his lips are locked with mine. Passionately, we kiss for a few moments before I break it off, knowing that my mother will be coming around the corner any moment now. He looks confused, so I grab his hand and run with him to the woods, trying to leave as much space between the Hawthorne household and us as I possibly can. When we finally make it to our spot, a log next to the riverbed about a half a mile out, we are both out of breath.

"What was that?" He breaths, taking his hand out of mine.

"My mother was coming to your house to take to your dad, and this is the only time that we'll get alone for awhile," I say, trying not to look him in the eye.

"What do you mean?" He says. When I don't respond, he places his hand on my thigh and says, "Hey, what's wrong? You know you can tell me anything." He's right, I can tell him anything. That's not the problem here. The problem is, I don't want to tell him. Once the words come out of my mouth, it all becomes real. I don't want to leave him.

"I know," I say quietly, "I'm leaving, Greyson." His eyebrows scrunch together and he purses his lips.

"What?" He questions.

"My mom's going to be a mentor for the games, so I have to leave," I respond, "And I don't know if I'm coming back." His confused expression does not leave his face.

"Hold on," Greyson says, "No this can't be happening. You're not leaving me. We can run away, we can-"

"Greyson," I interrupt, "It's okay. We're meant to be. This isn't going to stop us. It's not like I'm dying." The confusion on his face quickly turns to anger.

"Rue don't you see? If you move to the capitol, then you'll be entered in the reaping for the games." I don't respond. I didn't even think about that. If I was entered in the games, I don't know if I'd come back out alive. Sure, I have some skill, but nothing compared to the capitol kids who have been trained their entire lives.

"Oh my god," I pause, "Oh my god!" Before I know it, I'm sobbing into Greyson's shoulder. I can't believe my Mom would do this to me. She's letting me be reaped just to be a mentor in the games.

"Shh," he whispers, placing his head on mine and stroking my hair, "Rue it's okay. You're not going to die. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He pauses, letting me continue to sob into his shoulder, "I'm so sorry Rue; you don't deserve this." Finally, I get up, wiping away my tears. Once again, he kisses me. This time, instead of it being full of passion, it's more tender and caring. Everything is okay when he kisses me, and it kills me that in a few days, I might possibly never feel his lips in this way again. That I might never again smell the pine colone that he wears on his neck. That we'll never have a future.

"I love you, Rue."

Katniss's POV

As I walk to Gale's house, I almost turn around at least a hundred times. I know that this conversation won't be pleasant because Gale doesn't agree with holding the games in the first place. But, for the first time in a long time, I need him. He's the only one who would understand about Peeta.

When I finally make it to the door, I knock and wait for him to answer. It's funny, because once upon a time I would have just walked in and started talking. But now, more than friends has become strangers.

"Katniss," Gale says as he opened the door, then clears his throat and continues, "Come in." I walk silently into the house, and then take a seat in the kitchen.

"I hope I'm not interrupting you, I just really need to talk to you," I say with ease. There's obvious tension in the air, but I'm choosing to ignore it.

"About the, um, I mean, I saw the interview," he stammers. He leans against the counter while folding his arms on his chest. Then, he looks in the other direction while he says, "What did you say?"

"I said yes, Gale. I'm not completely sure why I did it, but I did, and now I have to live with it. I have to do it without..." I don't finish my sentence. Even still, Peeta's name can't make it out of my lips.

"Peeta," he finishes with a stern look on his face. After a moment, he continues, saying, "Katniss, I think there's something that you need to watch." He clicks on the T.V, and we sit there in silence as Pius's bright face shows up on the screen.

"Gale Hawthorne!" Pius practically screams. My head whips around to look at Gale's face, but he only continues to look at the floor.

"That's right," Johanna smirks, "Gale Hawthorne. Never a victor of a Hunger Games, but still a winner all the same. He was a leader of the rebellion, but now sits in the shadows of his little home in District 12 with his kids. He deserves to be honored in some way, and this the only way we know how to do so."

"I have a feeling that Gale Hawthorne will be quite the mentor," Pius says as the crowd cheers. Gale quickly shuts the television off. Gale, a mentor. It surprises me, considering he was always so deadset against the games in the first place.
"Gale, why?" I ask, not sure that I want to know the answer.

"I don't know. Johanna called me and before I knew it, she was roping me into her game. She mentioned you, and... I don't know Katniss, but it made sense at the time. Before she hung up, she told me about my kids, and that's when I realized what game she was really trying to play. I'm assuming Rue is going to be reaped too?"

"She is, but I haven't told her yet."

"I haven't told Greyson or Hunter either," he chuckles, but quickly that bit of irony is replaced by the burden of what's about to come.

"So I guess we're heading off to the capitol?" I ask, already knowing the answer.

"Together?" He says, finally looking me in the eyes.

"Together."