Everthorne

Chapter 14

"Where's daddy?" asks Prim as I lay her down on her bed. I ignore the tears threatening to spill out of my eyes. "Daddy, he has gone away for while, don't worry," I lie. This is the second time I have full on lied to my own children, believe me I am not proud.

"Where has he gone?" Prim asks me again. I work my brain for an answer. "He has gone to see Annie in District Four, he will be back soon," I lie again. I wish he was in District Four to see Annie, but he is in some place else.

He is in heaven.

I cover Prim's tiny body in a blanket then turn to Rue.

"Is he really at Annie's?" she asks me. I sit down next to her bed. The urge to cry becomes stronger. "Yes, he is, don't worry about him Rue," I say gently as I tuck her in. I can see doubt in her eyes, she has definitely gotten smarter. "No, he can't be," she says. I feel confusion taking over my body. How does she know? "Why not?" I ask her.

"He wouldn't leave without saying goodbye,"

Gales POV
I walk out in the woods trying to clear my mind. Peeta has just been killed, for the districts sake. He had a choice, but he did the right thing, I would have done the same thing. It isn't over though, there has to be more to it. Who says the men in the black masks wouldn't be back?

I decided to stay here to protect Katniss, Prim and Rue from something like this happening again. And plus, I have to keep Katniss company, she won't have anyone but Haymitch if I leave.

I feel my shoes crunching the leaves underneath me as I walk deeper and deeper into the forest. So many good memories were held here. This is definitely my favourite place in the world.

My happy thoughts were interrupted by the sound of somebody running behind me. I instantly turn around and pull out my gun pointing at the sound. The running stops. I take slow steps towards the sound unknowingly.

"Come out, whoever you are," I demand. I sound confident, but I am definitely not. After all that I experienced, I have no idea who it could possibly be. A smallish figure stumbles out of the nearby bush with their arms up. I point my gun at them. They look harmless, but how could I know?

"Don't shoot! Gale don't shoot please?" she begs. I put my gun down in surprise. How does she know my name?

"Who are you? How do you know my name?" I demand again. The girl becomes much more clearer now. She has long straight blonde hair with piercing green eyes. She looks about 13. "I'm Siena, Siena Birke," she says. Now that my eyes can see her better I notice that her hair is greasy and tangled, and her face is covered in dirt and bits of dry blood. It's as if she hasn't looked after herself for a month.

"Gale, I came here to give you a warning," she says cautiously. How can she know my name? I think. "What warning?" I ask.

"From who?" I ask again. She puts her arms down slowly. "I am Johanna Masons adopted daughter, I ran away just in time, Gale, they are going to stop, but not for long," she says. The confusion is getting even worse by every second. I need to know some answers.

"Johanna Mason?"

"Listen to me Gale, you must look after Katniss, Johanna found the information, that they are going to leave you alone for a while, to give you hope, and then they will attack, Gale, I don't know when but its going to be, but it's gonna happen soon enough, you have to be cautious," she warns. I don't know whether to take her seriously or just laugh and walk away.

"How can I trust you?" I ask her.

"You can't, you can't trust anyone Gale, not even Katniss," she says. I frown. I have no idea what to do, she is only 13 at most, how could she have run this far? "Why are you running?" I ask her.

"They killed Johanna, and now they are after me to keep their information private, but it's too late for them now anyways," she smiles. I don't understand how she could possibly have such a good attitude about this. She could die any second now. "Why? Why run this far to tell me?" I question.

"Because the Hunger Games should never be back," she replies. Just as she finishes her statement a loud bang fills the air like a gunshot. I look at Siena in confusion. I notice her hands cupping her chest as it fills up with bright red blood. I instantly turn around to see five figures running at me. I lift my gun and squeeze the trigger. One, two, three, four, five times. All the bullets hit the figures and they all fall down, dead. I turn back around to the dying body of Siena Birke.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry," I mutter as I kneel down next to her. I let my fingers brush her face in a calming gesture. I feel guilt pinching my stomach as I watch this little girls life slip away.

"I couldn't save you," I mutter. Siena blinks then looks into my eyes. "You didn't need to," she forces out. After those simple words, pain fills her face then she relaxes into an external sleep.