I Am The Mockingjay.

Chapter Two

Gale

   Out of nervous habit I start bouncing my knee. After being taken into the Justice Building I was locked inside a wealthy looking room. There's velvet furniture everywhere, and expensive looking bookcases. I scoff in my mind, thinking about how all of this wealth, in this ONE room, could feed my family for years.
   Suddenly the door is unlocked and I jump to a standing position. My mother and the rest of my family walks in. At first they cautiously look at me from the other side of the room. I set my jaw, trying to be strong for them. My mother's eyes fill with tears and she runs to embrace me.
   I bury my face in her shoulder and hug her tightly.
"It's going to be okay." I murmur. She breaks apart from me and takes my face in her hands just like she did not hours ago.
"You have to come back. You HAVE to, you hear me?" Tears threaten to fall from her eyes as she sternly tells me this. I give her a small smile in return.
"I'll try Mom." My voice cracks at the end of my sentence and I take a shaky breath as she moves away and makes room for my siblings.
   Posy comes running towards me without hesitation and throws her arms around my neck. Already sobbing, she grips me so tightly it's almost suffocating. My eyes start to sting as I hug my little sister for what might be the last time, but I blink them back.
"You said you were coming back..."She whimpers. I pull away and brush the hair and tears from her face.
"Hey, I will come back. Okay?" She nods and wipes her eyes with the backs of her hands. I kiss her forehead and stand up to face my brothers.
   Rory's eyes are red and puffy but his jaw is set in stone. He grabs my shoulders in an iron hold and looks me dead in the eyes.
"It should've been me. But now that it's not, you have to win this thing. For me okay?" His eyes start to well up again, and mine start to sting once more. I give him a swift nod before he traps me in a bear hug. After a minute I turn to Vick who smirks at me before saying,"Guess you are the best looking. You got CAPITOL ladies waiting for you." His smirk fades as he hugs me.
"We'll be okay. You just focus on surviving." He reassures me. I nod again and with that the peacekeepers flood the room and pull them away from me. I pull them all tightly into my arms but they are slowly ripped from my grasp.
"I love all of you! I'll see you soon!" I yell as the peacekeepers pull them out of the room and the doors slam shut.
   I stare at the closed door in front of me before yelling in rage and slamming my hand down on it. None of this is fair. The Capitol gets to make my family watch me die as they watch for a damn show? How even dare they? Do they not get that we are actual people? Correction: Actual CHILDREN that are dying? And they think is entertaining.
   I pace the room, not knowing what to do with my rage. Until for the millionth time I remember where I'm going and what I'll have to do to get back. Discouraged, I sink down onto the couch. Could I kill someone? Am I capable of murder?
   My thoughts are interrupted when the door opens and closes quietly. I look up from my hands and see Katniss looking at me. I stand up slowly and suddenly runs and throws her arms around my neck. After recovering from my surprise I return her tight hold.
   "I'm okay." I murmur, partly trying to convince myself.
   "I know." She chokes out, trying to hide the fact that she's crying. I hug her tighter.
   "Please don't cry Catnip." I whisper.
She pulls away and quickly wipes her eyes.
   "Gale get to a weapon. Your good with most of them, just get to one. Promise me." Her sudden tenacity surprises me and for second I don't know how to respond.
"Promise me!" She yells grabbing my arm.
"Okay!" I tell her defensively. She takes a deep breath.
"You're going to come back." She tells me. Her grey eyes are stormy and intense as they look into mine.
"Catnip, there's 24 of them...I don't know-"
"No! You're going to come back." She grips harder on my arm and her expression tells me not to argue. The door bursts open again for the peacekeepers to drag Katniss away but before they get to her she locks her arms around my neck once more.
"Come back to me Gale." She whispers into my ear.
"I will." I tell her confidently. I can feel the peacekeepers pulling us apart.
"Katniss take care of them okay! Don't let them starve!"
"I won't I promise!" And the doors slam shut for the second time today.
   I run my fingers through my hair. I'll come back. I have to. For my family...for Katniss. If they're not worth fighting for then what is?
You have to win Gale. For them. My mind tells me over and over and over.
   Suddenly the door opens once more and a person is never expect to visit me waltzes straight in. Madge Undersee, the Mayor's daughter.
   "They let each tribute take a token into the arena, from the their district." She tells me.
"What?" I ask, still bewildered that she's here.
"Gale your so daft sometimes it kills me. Take this." She places a gold pin into my palm. The same one I saw pinned to her dress this morning, when we sold her strawberries, after hunting with Katniss.
"You seemed to like it." She mumbles. Her eyes meet mine for an intense moment before she takes my hand and squeezes it reassuringly.
"Good luck Gale." And with that she's gone.