Keep Me Close - A Hunger Games Fan Fiction

Prologue

Prologue

I smile gently as I flip through the pages of my diary. I've written on every single page. I'll have to get a new one soon.

I smile even wider when I skip to the first page. I wrote that on the first day Prim and I moved here, to my elder cousin Effie's home.

My spelling and grammar is absolutely horrendous on this page, as is my handwriting.

I read over it quickly.

'Effie hasn't paid much attention to Prim and I. The most exciting thing she's said to is is 'you're using the wrong fork to eat your salad!'.

We only arrived here about five hours ago. It's early evening now. Prim's sleeping in the bed beside mine. I'm perched on my larger bed.

I miss the fresh air. There is a stunning, lush, green forest just outside. I think I'll go for a walk out there, I could really use one.

I just asked Effie if I could go for a little wander. She said I could. I'm walking outside, into the fresh air. The cool air feels nice against my bare skin.

I don't trust myself to stray from the path to the forest. I continue into the forest. At the very outskirts, there's a strong enough tree for me to sit in. I climb it slowly.

I've been sitting here for a while, and I can see a boy walking through the deepest part of the woods and towards me. He's climbing into a tree not too far away from mine.

" Hey," he says. " I'm Gale." I look down, ignoring him. " Well, what's your name?"

" Katniss," I whisper.

" Did you just say. . . Catnip!?" I can tell he's holding back a laugh.

" No, I said Katniss!" I say.

He starts laughing now.

For the rest of the day he's been calling me 'Catnip'. I think I hate this 'Gale'.'

I laugh shortly and quietly. I'll miss Gale, my best friend. I've been waiting for our relationship to become something more, but I guess it won't now.

Since I'm moving away.