Never In Our Favor

Chapter Two

I’ve been waiting at our spot in the woods for a few minutes before I hear her footsteps behind me. Katniss. Her foot falls are light, and barely there- I’ve taught her how to make them quiet as possible- but I still catch the whispers they make as her boots tread over the leaves and grasses of the forest.

“Hey, Catnip,” I say. A smile rises on my face at the sight of her instantaneous smile. She never smiles outside these woods. Not like she does here, anyways. Out there, she might smirk at a joke under mumbled breaths with me in the hallways, or offer a soft smile to Prim, her younger sister, or Posy, my younger sister; but here is where she truly smiles. Her eyes light up and her nose crinkles ever so slightly, and she even laughs on occasion. I try to rise one of these rare laughs from her with my next remark.

“Look what I shot.”  I hold up the loaf of bread from Mellark’s bakery. I’ve stuck an arrow through the middle, and the joke does get her to laugh as I’d hoped. Katniss takes it from me and pulls the arrow out, then breaks it in half.

“God, this smells amazing. It’s still warm and everything,” she says, taking in the scent of the freshly baked loaf. “How much did it cost you?”

“Just a squirrel. Think the old man was feeling sentimental this morning,” I answer. “Generous. Guess he felt bad for me, some kid from the Seam with his name written on dozens of slips,” I say, looking out to the forest that stretches out beyond. There’s silence for a brief moment, and then I speak again. “Forty two times.  How many is your name in for?” I ask, meeting her gaze once again.

“Twenty,” Katniss answers. She pauses for a minute before exclaiming, “Oh! Prim left us a cheese.”

I welcome her distraction. “Thank you, Prim. We’ll feast like Capitol citizens today.” I take a portion of the cheese Katniss offers me and spread a thin layer of it over the bread before taking a bite into the wedge. “I almost forgot,” I say, reaching out and plucking a berry from the bushes that enclose our meeting place. “Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds-“ Here, I toss a blackberry towards her, and she catches it in her mouth. “Be ever in your favor!” she finishes, mimicking the Capitol accent. I laugh and shake my head; do those frilly, colorful birds realize how silly they sound when they speak?

I pull out a knife and slice the other portion of the bread with more care; the two of us have already inhaled the first half without much thought. I spread Prim’s soft cheese over the slices, then place a basil leaf in the center as Katniss gathers handfuls of berries from the bushes that surround us. From here, we can see everything these woods have to offer. The rivers are glistening in the sunlight, full of fish and thick with reeds and edible roots. Vines and other plant life heavy with fruit are abundant, and nooks and crannies for hiding- or living in- are everywhere. There are caves, or creeks where a dug out could be constructed; more wood then we’d ever need to make a house or a cabin. I’ve considered the idea a thousand times, but for some reason, in light of the day’s coming events, I vocalize it to Katniss for the first time.

“We could do it, you know,” I say quietly.

“What?” she asks, turning to look  at me curiously.

“Leave the district. Run off, live in the woods. You and I, we could make it,” I explain. I know the two of us would survive easily. Build a comfortable but small home, hunt and fish by day and sit around a warm fire at night. Then I realize that the two of us have families; mothers, children, who depend on us to feed them, take care of them, fend for them. Sometimes, in the woods, I forget all this, and get caught up in the pair of us alone. “If we didn’t have so many kids,” I add quickly.

Katniss’ expression relaxes slightly at this. “You think?” she asks.

“Do I lie to you, Catnip?” I reply easily. She already knows the answer, and doesn’t bother to say it, only acknowledging my answer with an eye roll and a slight smirk.