I'm Glad You're With me {Everthorne}

Chapter 3 - The Deal

Gale

We stood there for a while, just staring at our drunk mentor lying on the fall. the smell makes my dinner want to come back up. Effie was right about one thing, when we’re in the arena he’s all we have. Catnip and I take one arm each and help him up.

“I tripped?” Haymitch's asks “Smells bad.”

“Let’s get you back to your room.” I say “Clean you up a bit.”
We half-lead half-carried Haymitch to his room, since we couldn’t really put him on the fancy bed spread we put him in the bathtub and turned the water on. He hardly notices the fact that cold water is running on him.

“I’ll take it from here.” I say I didn’t really want to but I didn’t really want Catnip to. Haymitch probably won’t remember this tomorrow.

“Alright do you want me send in some Capitol people.” Catnip asks.

“Nah I’m good,” I say “I don’t want them.” She nods and walks back to her room, I assume.

 

I strip Haymitch down to his underwear, I didn’t really want to strip any more than that. I rinsed him off, dried him, and put him back into his cloths. I pick him up and lay him down on the bed on top of the covers.

 

↠↠↠

 

I wake up someone shoving me.

“Gale. Wake. Up.” she says

“Katniss?”

“We need to talk.” I knew this would happen. I sit up and she sits on my bed.

“About what?”

“Why did you volunteer?” Just do it. Just kiss her, one of us will die anyway, most likely me protecting her. Just do it.

“Well?” Catnip asks expecting an answer. Now or never. I kiss her. She does something I never would have expected, she kissed me back. It started sweet but got hungrier until she pulled back.

“Pretty good answer.” She says.

We spend the rest of the night talking about home until we both fall asleep.

 

↠↠↠

 

“Up, up,up.” Squealed Effie. I wonder what dreams come to her at night, what thoughts. If she moved her hand slightly, would it all be different? Would district 12 still be losers? Would I be here? Would Catnip? Would Haymitch still be a drunk? Do these thoughts ever come?

Catnip leaves to get changed. I walk into the wardrobe. I decide on a grey shirt and jeans/cargo pants and walk towards the dining car.

 

I sit opposite Haymitch. Catnip enters the room  wears the same clothes as yesterday and has her hair redone in the same way. Haymitch is hungover.

“Sit down! Sit down!” Haymitch says waving Katniss over, she slides into a huge chair and breakfast is served. Bacon, eggs fried potatoes. In the middle of the table is a basket of rolls. There's a giant glass of orange juice, I think it is, I’ve only had it once when I found a tree in the woods. I try a brown drink called hot chocolate.

“It’s called hot chocolate.”  I say to Catnip “It’s nice.”

Catnip scowls her hot chocolate  and scoffs her meal. I just take my time. Haymitch pays next to no attention to the food focusing on the red wine in his hand. We’ve seen him buying white wine in the hob. I realise that it’s because of Haymitch we never win his too busy getting drunk to help us.

“So you’re here to give us advice?” Catnip asks Haymitch

“Here’s some advice, stay alive.” He bursts out laughing. Catnip and I share a look.

“That’s very funny.” I say I brake his glass getting red wine all over the floor, but I couldn’t miss his sucker punch and almost fall backwards. Haymitch reaches for a bottle but Catnip gets the knife and hits in between the glass and his hand.

“Well, what is this?” Haymitch says “Did I actually get a pair of fighters this year?” I grab a handful of ice and hand it to the soon-to-be-bruise on my jaw.

“No.” Haymitch stops me “Let the bruise show. The audience will think that you mixed up with another tribute before you’ve even made it to the arena.”

“That’s against the rules.” I point out

“Only if they catch you. The bruise will show you fought. Didn’t get caught, even better.” Haymitch says. He turns to Catnip

“Can you hit something other than  a table with a knife?” The bow is her weapon but she is good with a knife. She yanks out the knife, throws it across the room and it lodges in between two panels in the wall.

“Stand over there both of you.” he nods to the middle of the room and we obey. He paces in front of us “Well, you’re not entirely hopeless. Seem fit. And once the stylist get a hand on you you’ll be attractive enough.” I want to objectify that Catnip is beautiful, but his on a roll and seems like he’s going to help us so I guess I’ll let it pass. “Alright I’ll make a deal don’t get in the way of my drinking and I’ll stay sober enough to help you.” He say “But you do exactly what I say” It’s not  a big step but good enough.

“Fine.” I say

“So help us.” Catnip says “when we get to the cornucopia for someone--”

“One thing at a time. In a few moments, we’ll be pulling into the station. You’ll be put in the hands of your stylists. You’re not going to like what they do to you but no matter what it is, don’t resist.”

What are they going to do to us? I wonder

“But--” Catnip begins

“No buts. don’t resist.”

Haymitch grabs a bottle of wine and leaves the car, as the door closes behind him everything goes black with a few lights and I realise that we must be going through a tunnel, the mountain that borders the districts from the Capitol. We stand in silence and I hold Catnips hand The blinding light comes through the windows. We see people in weird colourful terrible outfits. They’re way too...loud, and I don't mean just the screams.

What hell will our stylists put us through? I can’t help thinking.

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So that's the chapter. Probably edited badly.

Anyway, it's to hot where I live right now and we have no working A.C. I'm dying I need the cold.

How are you dealing with the weather? How was new years? I went to the fire works with my best friend. 

If you heave art or anything just send it to me and i'll put it up.

So this story has more reads than any other story I have so if you can i would love it if you could check my other ones out .

P.S I've been loving Pierce the Veil right now.

Thank you.

Have a great day, night, week. weekend and life.