THE MAN IN THE HANGING TREE | Gale Hawthorne

SIX - The Star-Crossed Lovers

YOUR POINT OF VIEW

The tributes scores were revealed earlier today, ending the entire country's anticipation. Thankfully my friends did quite well, Peeta got an eight, and Katniss got an eleven-- the best score out of anyone this year.

They have more than a good chance now. In fact, they have an excellent chance. Sponsors will surely be lining up to place their bets.

Gale and I get comfortable on the couch in my room once more, like the other night when we watched the tribute parade. My room is the best place to do this, as this way Gale's family doesn't have to watch, and my family doesn't have to watch either.

Gale wraps his arm around me, pulling me close. these past few days we've been a bit more touchy than new friends should. I throw a fuzzy blanket around us, and we cuddle up under it contently.

In the past few days our friendship has grown so much, we're almost too comfortable being together. It's nice to be with him though, almost too nice, he makes me nearly forget about everything bad going on in this sick and twisted world.

That is until Caesar Flickerman appears on the holoscreen, as ignorantly happy as usual, completely brainwashed by the Capitol. And I am reminded, unfortunately, why Gale and I have become close in the first place.

"Welcome, welcome!" Caesar booms, ecstatically. "Welcome to the 74th annual Hunger Games!!" Booming music plays in the background as the crowd screams wildly

I roll my eyes at all the drama. When you strip it all down, it's just little kids dressed up, ready to slaughter each other for survival. It's sick they must endure that in the first place.

Caesar slowly goes through all the tributes, District One all the way through to Twelve. Each small soul claims that they will win, each is asked a copious amount of questions by the blue-haired, beaming host. 

Both tributes from two, and the boy from eleven look like they are going to be tough to beat. They sound, look, and just seem intimidating, though I know they are just scared kids under all that fake bravado. Even the girl from five looks like she could be coemption, she looks very smart and clever. I hope my friends look out for those four.

Finally it's Katniss's turn for her interview, one of the two people I was really waiting for.

"You know her as the girl on fire, here she is the beautiful Katniss Everdeen!!!" Caesar introduces her on stage, and the crowd goes absolutely insane. They already love her.

Katniss walks out a little late on her cue, but present. She wears a long read dress that looks lovely on her, and looks completely stunned by the size of the crowd.

She looks gorgeous, but so out of place. They took the leather jacket Katniss I knew and wrapped her up in satin. Taking her wild soul, they tried to tame it in a cage of Capitol creation. 

But aren't we all trapped in a cage of Capitol creation?

She sits down in the chair beside Caesar finally, still dazed by the huge crowd. Caesar asks her a question, but she's distracted and doesn't hear him.

"What?" Katniss asks, blinking at the host. The crowd laugh, her face turns red in embarrassment.

I wish I could be there to comfort her.

The rest of her interview is perfect though, she talks about her outfit in the tribute parade, the one on fire. The only things the sponsors really care about, pretty outfits.

"... In fact I'm wearing my flames today, would you like to see them?" Katniss asks Caesar giving a rare, but signature, Katniss smirk.

"Is it safe?" He jokes, laughing flakily. The crowd laughs with him again, as if by some sort of cue card.

"Yes it's safe." Katniss answers rolling her eyes teasingly at the host.

He whips his head around to the audience. "Well then, would we like to see them!?" Caesar asks the crowd happily, eyes wide and slightly crazed.

The crowd goes crazy once more.

And so Katniss stands up, pauses a moment, and then twirls around. On the second spin, her dress that furls around her flickers to life with orange and yellow flame. She's absolutely radiant, glowing with the fire of determination. 

Katniss really is the girl on fire.

The crowd cheers even louder.

She finally sits back down dizzily with Caesar's guiding help, and then they get into the more serious topics.

"I think we were all touched when you volunteered for you sister at the Reaping." Caser takes her hand gently, in fake sympathy. "Weren't we folks!?" He asks the crowd, who cheers in response. "Did she come to say goodbye at the end?" He asks Katniss now.

She nods simply, ever so quiet.

"And what did you tell her?" Caesar presses, still holding her hand.

My friend stares off into nowhere it seems, much like she did at the Reaping. "I told her that I'd try to win, for her." Katniss says quietly.

"Indeed you shall." Exclaims Caesar, softly. He then stands up, pulling Katniss with him. "Our lovely girl on fire!" Caesar says one last time, rather loudly, and Katniss leaves the stage. We will not see her again until the games start.

Now it's Peeta's turn.

"How are you liking the Capital so far?" Caesar asks the blond boy now sitting in the interview chair.

"I like it, it's just a bit different." Says Peeta, laying the charm on thick. He's quite good at too actually.

"Different? What about it is different?" Caesar asks him, perplexed.

He smiles widely, blue eyes twinkling. "Well the showers are different here." Peeta tells him.

The crowd laughs as Peeta and Caesar take turns smelling each other to see who smells better. They both determine the winner is the too happy host, before moving on to more serous things.

"You're a charming fellow, be there must be some special girl waiting for you at home." Caesar says, prying once more into a tribute's personal life.

"We'll there is this one girl." Peeta says, I already know exactly who he means. 

Caesar smiles, urging my friend to spill more. "When you get back to district twelve a Victor, she'll have to go out with you." He says, as if winning the games is the hottest achievement ever.

"That won't help in my situation Caesar." Peeta says solemnly. "Because..." he lets anticipation grasp the crowd. "Because she came here with me." He says, a hush falls over the audience.

And I just know, Katniss is going to kill him.

Gale looks at me in confusion, quite surprised himself. "Did you know?" He asks me.

"Yep, I knew all along." I answer, shaking my head t the holoscreen.

"He's not acting?" Gale clarifies, eyes still on me. I shake my head earnestly.

And Then Caesar wrapps up the interviews, and the screen goes dark once more.  And then it's just Gale and I sitting on my plush couch, still so close together.

"I hope Katniss will be ok." Mutters Gale, rubbing his face after a moment of heavy silence.

I put an comforting hand on his arm, rubbing it up and down. "She will be." I assure him. "The Capital loves this kind of shit, they'll try to keep Katniss and Peeta alive as long as they can. I can see it now the star-crossed lovers of district twelve."

He looks up at me, grey eyes hopeful.

"They just want a good show, remember." I say, quoting him from the other day.

And that's just the honest truth. The Capitol doesn't care about anyone, as long as they get a good show. As long as it's citizens are entertained by the actions on screen. 

The star-crossed lovers will probably be the greatest show they've ever seen.

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