Always: A Hunger Games Fanfiction

Chapter 58

Katniss

There's someone here to see you. Who would be here? To see me? I immediately assume the worst. What if this guard is an imposter? Simply one of Fiona's spies. And now I'm being sent to my death. No, I can't think like that.

We turn into another room. I see him standing there. He looks awkward and uncomfortable being surrounded by Capitol people watching the Games. I see a few of them sobbing, some bawling. "Gale. . ." I whisper. He gives me a half-hearted smile. "What are you doing here?" 

"I couldn't stay in 13 anymore," he says. I smile and we give each other an awkward hug. We walk somewhere more private, an empty control room. We both take our seats in there and sit in silence for a while.

"Katniss," Gale's voice sounds exhausted and strained. I raise my eyebrows. "I. . .I'm so sorry. I killed her. I killed Prim." My stomach lurches at the thought. "I didn't realize what the bomb was for until. . ."

"They told me what happened, that your sister was one of them that died. I couldn't see you after that. I couldn't face you without feeling so beyond guilty. That's why I went to 2. I was a coward and I'm sorry," he says.

"Gale..." I mumble. A tear strolls down my cheek. "You didn't drop the bomb."

"But I made it. I created it. I built it knowing it was going to kill people and I didn't even care."

"You didn't know," I say. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.

"But I could have stopped it. If I didn't build it, she would be here."

"You don't know that," I say, trying to make him feel better. I know that what he says is the truth. If he didn't build that bomb, maybe Prim would be here. Maybe these Games wouldn't be happening.

"I'm so sorry," he whispers. He stands up and leaves the room. I'm left in utter silence.

***

I go back to the lobby after my encounter with Gale. No one asks questions and I'm grateful for that. I'm not going to answer any of them anyway.

Plutarch comes into the room. "Victors. Follow me," he says. We all look at each other quizzically, but agree, following him out.

We enter a huge room filled with people dressed in clean, white clothing. They sit around what I soon recognized to be a small version of the arena. They are Gamemakers. They are probably from the Districts because the Capitol people wouldn't want to be nearly as brutal as these people have been.

"Why are we here?" Johanna asks. "I don't plan on becoming a Gamemakers, as this is the last Games."

"You're just here to watch. To help them out. It is your Games," he says. Our Games. I shudder at the thought.

Johanna shrugs and said, "Might as well have some fun if we have to." I cringe at her view of 'fun'.

I watch over a short woman's shoulder as she presses buttons and types in things into various machines. I have no idea how she memorizes all of these controls. "Mr. Heavensbee, you may want to take a look at this," a younger looking boy says. Plutarch furrows his eyebrows and follows the boy. Curiosity gets the best of me and I trail behind them, Peeta following close behind me.

We walk into a room filled with screens on the walls. I think they're the security cameras around the building. My stomach sinks the minute I see it. A crowd of masked soldiers walking towards the building. Plutarch sees it too. "Send an alarm. Hurry!" he yells. The boy nods and darts out of the room.

I turn to look at Peeta. I can tell he's just starting to put the pieces together. And then the guns go off.